May 3rd, 2008
Heart disease mortality among younger women is on the rise. With all that we know and all the accessible forms of information and treatment this is really a sad finding.
Smoking, obesity, prevalence of diabetes, lack of activity and negative lifestyle changes all contribute to increased cardiac disease and death in women below the age of 50.
We need to take charge of our lives and start living healthy so we will be around to see our grandkids and live life to the fullest!
Does this scare you? Do you feel like we can make the appropriate changes to turn these numbers around?
Tags: cardiac disease, diabetes, heart-disease, lack of exercise, lifestyle, mortality, obesity, womenShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 1 comment
May 3rd, 2008
More and more children with congenital heart disease are receiving implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) to maintain proper heart rhythm. ICDs were first introduced for adults in the 1980s, but little is known about how well they work in children, who account for less than 1 percent of recipients. A report in the April 29 Journal of the American College of Cardiology summarizes the largest pediatric experience to date. It finds the devices to be life-saving, but also suggests that they tend to deliver more inappropriate shocks to children than to adults, making it important to watch children with ICDs closely.
Bottom line is we need to carefully monitor children with devices and have more frequent equipment checks. Though an inappropriate shock would be uncomfortable, like a kick in the chest, the benefits out way the risks. ICD’s fire more often inappropriately in children due to the large fluctuations in heart rate compared with adults.
I think that this is a very important subgroup to examine, don’t you?
via Science Daily
Tags: children, heart-disease, icd, implantable cardioverter defibrillators, life savingShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 0 comments
May 2nd, 2008
Here is an April roundup from the Health and Wellness channel. Enjoy!
There is something for everyone (breastfeeding or not) in the mix of the Breastfeeding 1-2-3 highlights from April 2008:
Free Pattern for Sewing Your Own Crew Neck Over-the-Head Baby Bibs
Judge Denies FLDS Request to Keep Mothers with Nursing Babies
World Health Day 2008: Protecting Health from Climate Change
Breastfeeding Basics Checklist for a Good Breastfeeding Latch
Gentian Violet and Grapefruit Seed Extract as Thrush Remedies
Breastfeeding and International Travel
Top Five Breastfeeding Interviews
And from Kristen at Lively Women…
April is STD awareness month
Resources for organizing your office and your life
Tap water vs bottled water whats safer and healthier
Guest post aromatherapy 101
Lunchtime lipo investigated by 2020
Gas station condom dispenser preaches abstinence and monogamy
Womens health giveaway nalgene bottle and brita faucet filtration system
History of abortion genocide of african american babies by planned parenthood hotly debated
Hope at Weighting Line also had a roundup pots for you on weight loss and all that goes with it.
Alicia at Mental health Notes had so much to offer…
The more serious stuff:
Wentworth Miller fan pull together for UNICEF
Austrian family presents psychiatrists with bizarre case
Meet famous poets who lived with mental illness
Nurture mental health during the fight against cancer
Mental health repercussions for flds religious sect children
University of virginia higher education meets lower health privacy
Postpartum depression legislation beneficial or conspiratorial
And the fluffier stuff:
They dont make condoms for your brain you know
Harry Potter saved Rowlings sanity
Giving freud the finger just got a whole lot easier
Goodbye American Idol Michael Johns the 5 stages of loss
Brain break oh hai lolcats
Of disloyal house elves and guilt stricken humans
2 sure fire ways to deal with phobias
Here we have Marijke’s top posts at Help My Hurt
Company’s calling - Olympic cyclist Kristin Armstrong talks about her osteoarthritis
Physical activity may help reduce arthritis pain
Help My Hurt lost one of its own today - RIP Tricia
Living with Cancer: Help My Hurt hosts this month’s Theme Day
Friday funnies - April fool’s jokes
Angelique at Breaking the Mirror offers up..
Please tell me weve all been punkd
Her fathers daughter 1st installment
Her fathers daughter 2nd installment
Her fathers daughter 3rd last installment
Anosexya some pro anas think so
In mauritania anorexics looking for love would be out of luck
Just dont tell me okay
Gab at Fertitlity Notes and Daily Tomorrow has some great posts for her roundup…
for Fertility Notes:
Oh wait are we sure we want to do this
The mistress daughter by am homes
The girl with two birthdays
Smokin drinkin sniffin glue
Appreciating the present
The greening of me part 2
The greening of me part 1
And Daily Tomorrow:
Allow me to introduce myself
Make your office a little more eco friendly
Where in the world is the green in that
Kid friendly fridays happy arbor day
Happy birthday John Muir
Another reason to love mushrooms bioremediation
Its national volunteer week
Liberty and Liz at Healthbolt are always a great read….
Testing the vitality compass
Movie theater cuisine so good but so bad
How dandy the anti stress benefits of a dandelion
Is it a computer is it a treadmill
Warning blogging could be bad for your health
Milk the drink of rock stars
What does Grace at Kids Health Notes have to say? Check her out here…
What your poo may be telling you
More students misusing stimulants during stress
Gymnastics cause 27,000 injuries per year, research shows
Skin contact with mom soothes preemies’ pain
Recycle with your kids Tip # 4: bottled water
Recycle with kids Tip #5: Reusing beats recycling
Scott at Health and Men has his roundup here…
Aprils top seven posts for health and men
And Karen at Pink Ribbon Review gave you this…
Seven of my favorite breast cancer blog posts
Tags: breastfeeding, diabetes, earth day, green, heart-disease, kids health, mens-health, mental health, pain management, weight management, weight-loss, womens-healthShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 0 comments
April 29th, 2008
Thoratec Corp. has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration to use its HeartMate II heart pump to help advanced-stage heart failure patients survive while awaiting heart transplants.
Until now some heart transplant recipients were not able to receive pumps due to size and gender. The hopes for the new pump is it’s ease of implantation
via East Bay Business Times
Tags: fda, heart mate II, heart-transplantShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 0 comments
April 29th, 2008
High levels of C-reactive protein, an inflammatory marker that may warn of impending heart disease, are tied to variations in genes that control metabolism, two new studies show.
Dr. Alexander Reiner of the University of Washington, Seattle states that the studies identify “new genes that are of potential importance for either the treatment of cardiovascular disease or potentially screening individuals who may be at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease”.
What they still need to discover is the exact relationship between C-reactive protein levels and heart disease. That will be the crucial piece of the puzzle. Just what was discovered here though?
The teams found seven genomic regions that appeared to be strongly correlated with CRP levels. Six of those regions contained genes associated in one way or another with metabolic syndrome; the seventh contained no known genes. These six genomic locations read like aWho’s Who of cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorder, genes such as HNF1A, which regulates the CRP gene; the leptin receptor, which regulates weight; a regulator of glucose metabolism; and apolipoprotein E.
Exciting to see the genes involved with traits of metabolic syndrome are also associated with CRP. There will be so much more on this in the future.
via Washington Post
Tags: C reactive protein, CRP, heart-disease, metabolismShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 1 comment
April 28th, 2008
Women who have used Fosamax are nearly twice as likely to develop the most common kind of chronically irregular heartbeat (atrial fibrillation) than are those who have never used it, according to research from Group Health and the University of Washington.
They are saying that women that have used the commonly prescribed osteoporosis medication Fosamax have an over 85% higher chance of developing atrial fibrillation then those that have never used the medication. Now, should you run upstairs and flush your Foamax? No indeed.
If you have a high risk for a-fib such as a history of an irregular heart beat, high blood pressure, history of a stroke or symptoms of a “fluttering” heart or palpitations you should make an appointment to discuss matters with your doctor. Make sure the benefits out way the risks.
via Science Daily
Tags: afib, atrial fibrillation, fosamax, heart-disease, irregular heart beat, osteoporosisShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 0 comments
April 26th, 2008
Duke University bioengineers can compensate for the thickness of the skull to see in real-time the arteries within the brain that most often clog up and cause strokes using new 3-D ultrasound technology they designed. This is believed to be the first of its kind- to see past the skull and actually view the major arteries.
This could save many of lives, in emergent and routine situations. What are the real benefits?
The 3-D ultrasound has the benefit of being less expensive and faster than the traditional methods of assessing blood flow in the brain — MRI or CT scanning, Ivancevich said. Though 3-D ultrasound will not totally displace MRI or CT scans, he said that the new technology would give physicians more flexibility in treating their patients.
via Science Daily
Tags: 3-d ultrasound, arteries, blood vessels, ct scan, head, heart-disease, mri, skull, strokeShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 1 comment
April 25th, 2008
Here is a nice little fact for you… So have a loving weekend!
When you fall in love or you are with your family, just hugging could help you lower your blood pressure. Talking, sharing or cuddling up with some one you love could help as well. Romance could almost be just the antidote for high blood pressure.
via Window2India
Tags: blood-pressure, hug kiss, love, loweringShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 0 comments
April 25th, 2008
Here are some Friday links for you…
Novel Way to Prevent Cardiac Fibrosis Identified- In a study that points to a new strategy for preventing or possibly reversing fibrosis — the scarring that can lead to organ and tissue damage — researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have determined that a molecule called Epac (Exchange protein activated by cAMP1), plays a key role in integrating the body’s pro- and anti-fibrotic response.
Chocolate Bar Shown To Lower Cholesterol- “Eating two CocoaVia dark chocolate bars a day not only lowered cholesterol, it had the unexpected effect of also lowering systolic blood pressure,” said John Erdman, a U. of I. professor of food science and human nutrition.
Heart Derived Stem Cells Develop Into Heart Muscle- Dutch researchers at University Medical Center Utrecht and the Hubrecht Institute have succeeded in growing large numbers of stem cells from adult human hearts into new heart muscle cells.
Tags: cardiac fibrosis, cardiac links, chocolate bar, cholesterol. heart disease, heart muscle, stem-cellsShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 0 comments
April 25th, 2008
Second to diabetes, heart disease seems to be on the horizon for India. They are estimating that India will account for 60% of all heart disease cases worldwide within the next 2 years.
As India becomes more developed so does it’s social habits…
The risk factors in India were the same as elsewhere and included tobacco use, high levels of lipids in the blood due to diets rich in saturated fat, and hypertension, the study said.
The major complication that goes along with such a rise in heart disease across India is the fact that the estimated time it takes one to reach a hospital in a time of emergency is 300 minutes! Scary.
As the Indian economy grows there will be an even sharper increase in heart disease before we reach the plateau.
via BBC
Tags: epidemic, heart-disease, India, worldwideShare This
By Kendra James, RN -- 0 comments
Recent Comments