Beating theRisk of Heart Disease

Heart disease is the number one killer in the UK. One out of every three people will succumb to it before the age of 75. Unlike most diseases, it strikes men and women almost equally. These are frightening statements. But what exactly is heart disease and what causes it?

As any first year medical student could tell you, atherosclerosis is the primary cause of heart disease. What is it? Simply put, it is a disease where the arteries narrow due to the buildup of plaque, which consists of fats, cholesterol, and calcium deposits. When this happens, the blood flow to major organs such as the heart and brain can be cut off. The inevitable result of untreated atherosclerosis is a heart attack or a stroke.

Can the risk of heart disease by clogging and narrowing the arteries be minimized? Yes and no. As most doctors will tell you, atherosclerosis runs in families and can be inherited. But that doesn't mean it is unaffected by behaviour. (more...)

Lower Death Rates from Coronary Heart Disease

Heart disease recently surpassed cancer to become the number one killer in the UK. Why is heart disease on the rise? Well, there are several reasons. But the most obvious one is obesity.

Why is obesity dangerous? The number one cause of heart disease is something called atherosclerosis. Nearly a third of people who suffer heart attacks or strokes have been diagnosed with this chronic condition that causes a narrowing of the arteries that lead to the heart and brain. If the condition is left untreated, arteries may become clogged or obstructed, which will likely lead to a heart attack or stroke.

How can a person have lower death rates from coronary heart disease Since atherosclerosis is an inherited disease, even otherwise healthy people may suffer from it. Of course, behaviour and unhealthy habits can play just as big a role as heredity. (more...)

Viagra - myths vs. truths

Viagra Pfizer is the most famous branded medicine in the world and most searched for term on the web. Many men who suffer from erectile dysfunction have turned to the magic blue pill as a solution to their problems, yet despite millions of men having trialled the drug it still remains shrouded in myth. Common misconceptions about Viagra cause people to approach it with a combination of awe and fear; however this need not be the case. Before trying or Vardenafil 20mg Tabletten gegen erektile Dysfunktion kaufen it may be wise to research the treatment to work out whether it is appropriate for you, after all it is still a prescription medication with side effects and contraindications and should be treated as such.

Myth 1: Viagra is only for the OAPs

Truth: Erectile dysfunction can affect men at any stage of life from their early 20s to your 80s or 90s and therefore Viagra can be helpful to men of all ages. As Viagra’s action is to dilate the blood vessels it can be particularly effective for those who have age related cardiovascular problems which cause ED such as diabetes and high cholesterol. Despite this, Sildenafil Citrate has also shown effectiveness when used in under 40 year olds who suffer from ED where the cause is predominantly psychological (for example caused by stress and performance anxiety). Many younger men successfully use Viagra and other ED medications to build confidence in the bedroom. (more...)

Fatty foods to incur a “fat tax”

It is hoped that making bad foods more expensive will act as a deterrent to those who consume fatty foods on a regular basis. The fat tax will also go some way to providing extra funding to the NHS which is struggling to cope with the cost of treating obese patients and is expecting looming budgetary cuts.

The use of the fat tax should hopefully encourage healthy eating and kick-start a nationwide weight loss programme incorporating government initiatives to eat better and increase the amount of exercise we do. With the right advice many dieters or struggling obese people could do away with prescription medications and diet pills . (more...)

Weight loss starts with the most important meal of the day

What we eat affects how we look and it goes without saying that the foods we choose are key to maintaining a healthy weight. Choosing a good breakfast helps maintain a healthy weight by setting our energy levels up right for the day, as a decent breakfast will prevent energy dips between regular meals which push us to eat fatty sugary snacks. The right breakfast is even more important for those trying to lose weight either by conventional means or by using pillole dimagranti per perdere peso . What constitutes a good breakfast?

Even when dieting or trying to lose weight a good breakfast is substantial and contains a varied number of nutrients. By varying the types of food you eat at breakfast you can even out the intake of different nutrients during the week. Variation is good for health and stops you from getting bored. You can also adapt what you eat to how much time you have available, for example you can have a quick warm porridge during the week with nuts, seeds and dried fruit and have boiled or poached eggs on toast on the weekend. Eating substantially (not be be confused with eating excessively) at breakfast will help to avoid the terrible elevenses cravings for high fat high sugar snacks which inevitably result in energy dips later in the day leading to further cravings and snacking between meals. Skipping breakfast is of course a big no, equally for people looking to maintain a healthy weight and those looking to shed a few pounds. Start by having a small breakfast and build up to a normal sized portion over the course of a few weeks.

If you find it difficult to stick to eating the normal three daily meals substitute unhealthy foods with delicious yet nutritious snacks. By having healthy options to hand you can eat between meals without feeling guilty or piling on pounds. Try fresh fruit, carrots or oat biscuits with hummus, raw unsalted nuts, a handful of dried fruit or a couple of squares of dark chocolate. (more...)

Smoking - statistics

Around 10 million of British people smoke, that’s almost one person 1 in every 6. In 2007 smoking fell to its lowest ever recorded level: 21% of over 16 year olds class themselves as being smokers. Whilst overall numbers of people who smoke in the UK has fallen dramatically over the past 50 years, far too many people still light up everyday. The good news is that 66% of smokers wished they could give up, and list health concerns as their main reason for wanting to quit smoking. Other reasons for quitting include the high cost of addiction, the effects of passive smoking on children, the smell, and pressure from a partner or family member to give up.

Of the 66% of people who want to arreter de fumer , 48% have tried at least once to kick the habit, but could not overcome their cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Despite high failure rates the preferred method of quitting is still nicotine replacement therapy (54%). Many people choose this method as it is cheaper than other options, such as addiction therapy, and is the one that is most frequently advertised on television, in magazines and online. 25% percent of people try quitting with no help whatsoever and find the withdrawal symptoms too much to cope with. Nicotine withdrawal is in fact the most difficult obstacle for a quitter to overcome and is because nicotine is a powerfully addictive drug. When you try to wean yourself off nicotine it is likely you will suffer some of the following effects: anger, headaches, anxiety, irritability, insomnia and increased appetite. Less than 10% of smokers know their doctor can prescribe prescription medications to help them. Zyban and Champix are two prescription medications available to help you break the habit. Zyban was originally produced as an anti-depressant, but during clinical trials was found to be much more successful as a quit smoking aid. Zyban exists in pill for and is taken twice a day. Currently the medicine is only available on prescription from a doctor and cannot be bought over the counter. Champix similarly can only be obtained on prescription from a doctor. This treatment is particularly good for helping the quitter overcome nicotine withdrawal as it masks the symptoms. Prescription medications increase the likelihood of quitting forever by 53%.

Encouraging smokers to quit must be a National Health plan, and proper advertising of new and better treatments should be at the forefront of the campaign. More should be done to make smokers aware of their options, rather than continuing to scare them into quitting using graphic images and negative information. Lung cancer statistics alone are not enough, as the will to quit is there, but the tools available must be better implemented.

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