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Archive for the ‘Cardio’ Category

A month ago, I received news that a former colleague of mine collapsed in his office, and had a sudden massive heart attack and did not survive the night to see his family. He was in his early fifties.

This incident motivated another former colleague to have his blood checked for cholesterol. The cardiologist recommended immediate hospitalisation and he was operated on for a triple coronary bypass within days. Without that bypass, this friend would likely encounter a fatal massive coronary heart attack.

These two ghastly incidents jarred me into researching ways to bring down my own level of cholesterol, and to read medical books on cholesterol.

In my research, what amazed me was there were safe and effective ways to lower blood cholesterol and hence reduce the probability of a heart attack.

I was encouraged that it was possible to cut the risk of heart attack by more than half by limiting the amount of cholesterol produced by the body, and increase the amount of cholesterol eliminated by the body.

I discovered a fascinating diet of oatbran and a vitamin called Naicin that was being used by hundreds of concerned individuals throughout the world, popularized by the medical writer Robert E. Kowalski in his program and best-seller “The 8-Week Cholesterol Cure”.

Oatbran contains soluble fibre that encourages the liver to produce bile acids. The more oatbran that is consumed, the more bile acids are produced, and excreted from the body. These bile acids draw the cholesterol from the blood, and therefore remove the cholesterol from the body when they are excreted. This means the chances for a congested artery is much reduced.

I was encouraged by the numbers. A study showed that six males who ate a high-fibre diet containing 50 grams of oat bran daily were able to maintain a 23.5 % decrease from their original cholesterol levels.

To me this was a convenient and natural strategy to reduce my personal cholesterol. It was a matter of getting down to the supermarket and to buy a packet of 500 grams oatbran.

By taking half a cup of oatbran a day, which is equivalent to some 50 gram of oatbran, a single packet of 500 grams will last me for around 2 weeks.

Now, I am not a great baker, and so I did not start by making oatbran muffins which is actually a great way to consume the oatbran. Instead, I mix the oatbran in a hot chocolate drink, consuming 25 grams of oatbran twice a day to get the 50 grams of oatbran.

As for the vitamin Naicin, I was encouraged that as far back as in 1975 the United States Coronary Drug Project singled out Naicin as being responsible for a 29 percent reduction in nonfatal heart attacks.

I have Naicin in the multivitamins I consume daily, and so I am not opting for single larger intake of this vitamin, and will prefer to let the soluble fibre of the oatbran to do its work.

It took one fatal case of a heart attack and a triple coronary bypass on another friend of mine to jolt me into serious action to take control of my cholesterol.

It is time to take some action to lower your cholesterol if you have been postponing this. Of course, you may opt for exercise and a balanced diet as well. It is never too late to begin a structured personal program to take control of your cholesterol.

Pheochromocytoma is an important cause of secondary Hypertension. We have adnenal gland located at upper portion of each kidney. It is divided into adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla. Pheochromocytoma is a tumor of Adrenal Medulla. Normal function of adrenal medulla is to produce epinephrine or adrenaline. Which is responsible for controlling blood pressure and to help cope with stressful situations.
So majority of symptoms of pheochromocytoma are due to excess secretion of adrenaline from adrenal medulla. Most patients of pheochromocytoma have recurrent episodes of headache, sweating and a feeling of high anxiety. The following symptoms are listed from the most common to the least common
Headaches (severe)
sweating Episodes (generalized)
heart palpitations (tachycardia and palpitations)
Anxiety
nervousness (feelings of impending death)
tremors
Pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen
Nausea (with or without nausea)
Weight loss
Heat intolerance

These symptoms may come by situations which causes pressure over tumor like physical activity, exercise, defecation, anesthesia, or change in body position.

Who should be examined for Pheochromocytoma
Those who have uncontrolled hypertension
Those who have age between 40 and 60
Those who are already taking 4 antihypertensive drugs but blood pressure is not controllable.
Those who have episodes of above symptoms

Cause of pheochromocytoma is unknown, however some forms of this tumor runs in families like,
a-Multiple endocrine neoplasia, type II (MEN-II). In addition to a pheochromocytoma, people with MEN-II also have thyroid cancer. Other forms of MEN-II include pheochromocytoma with thyroid cancer and hyperparathyroidism (MEN-IIA), and pheochromocytoma with thyroid cancer and tumors of nerves in the eyes lips, mouth and digestive tract (MEN-IIB).
b-Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). Pheochromocytomas can occur in a small percentage of people with NF1, a syndrome that includes multiple tumors in the skin (neurofibromas), pigmented skin spots, tumors of the optic nerve of the eye, and bone diseases.
c-Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. People with this rare multi system disorder are at high risk of pheochromocytoma brain eye and kidney tumors.

Most pheochromocytomas are benign tumors and they don’t spread to other parts of body however some forms do show metastasis (spread) to other parts of body like lungs, bones and brains. Usually only one gland is involved however this tumor can be present in both adrenal glands.

Investigations:
Blood and Urine tests: We perform blood and urine tests to diagnose pheochromocytoma. 24 hr urine collection is tested for epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. This test is called VMA. Idea is just to check level of epinephrine and its metabolites in urine. If these are detected in urine in excess quantity, then tumor is diagnosed.

Abdominal scan.
Now you have diagnosed tumor by blood and urine tests, after that to find out location of tumor, do Ultrasound, CT scan of abdomen.

Complications:
If high blood pressure remained uncontrolled it may lead to complications of heart failure, infarction, cerebrovascular accident, vision damage and kidney failure.

Treatment:
First treatment is to control high blood pressure with medication like Alpha Blockers and Beta Blockers. When epinephrine is secreted by this tumor it acts on alpha and beta receptors present on heart and blood vessels, result is vasoconstriction and increase heart rate. Now if if we take drugs like alpha blocker and beta blocker, epinephrine will be blocked by these drugs to act on these receptors so result is vasodilation and slow heart rate. Common Alpha blockers are Prazosin (Minipress), Terazosin (Hytrin) Phenoxybenzamine( Dibenzaline). Common Beta Blockers are Atenolol(Tenormin), Carvedilol(Carveda), Metoprolol(Mepressor), Inderal.

Treatment of choice for this tumor is Surgery. After removal of this gland by surgery, blood pressure becomes normal with a day. There are two types of surgeries. General and Laproscopic surgery. However Surgery is not an option for those tumors which show metastasis to other parts of body. For that we use chemotherapy and radiations.

Whenever you have high blood pressure with any symptom, don’t ignore it, you may be the patient of Pheochromocytoma. Always contact your Doctor.

If you want to know more about Pheochromocytoma, visit our site highbloodpressuremed.com

But, what IS aerobic exercise??
According to the definition from the Global Healing Centers website, “Aerobic exercise is a type of movement such as running or cycling that gets your heart pumping faster and increases your oxygen intake.”
Fine examples of aerobic exercise are; running, dynamic yoga, cycling, fast walking, circuit training, skiing and rollerblading.

Ok, so we are all told we need to partake in aerobic exercise to obtain many benefits, such as, weight loss, better skin and muscle tone. But that’s not all! There are psychological benefits of aerobic exercise too!
So, what are the psychological benefits of aerobic exercise?

In short, the benefits are; improved mood, reduces anxiety, reduces depression and acts as a buffer against stress.
But lets go into a little more detail…

The Psychological Payoffs

Mood Enhancer

When we exercise aerobically, our bodies produces little chemical called endorphins, which, scientifically speaking, are polypeptides, which are able to bind to the neuron-receptors in the brain to give relief from pain. Endorphins are not just produced from exercise; they are also triggered by deep-breathing, meditation, eating spicy food and deep laughter. Just don’t do all five at once…
Endorphins are believed to produce four key effects on the body; they relieve pain, they reduce stress, they enhance the immune system and they postpone the aging process.
It may be worth your while to stock up on some fitness equipment, they might make things easier for you. I prefer to exercise outside but I do have an indoor stationary bike, that way, if it’s raining, I have no excuse not to exercise.

Reduces Anxiety and Depression

Depression and Anxiety can lead to a feeling of isolation. Partaking in aerobic sports, one can choose to join a running club, swimming club, gym or any other sports club. It’s an excellent way to gain the psychological benefits of aerobic activity, because it gets you out an about and can put you in positions where you HAVE to speak to people.
Aerobic exercise offers a distraction. For an hour or so each day, you can put yourself in a position where you are too busy worrying about the prospect of having to run another two miles before you can stop.
Burning excess fat and toning up can boost anyone’s confidence. Clothes fit better, and you receive compliments from friends. Which often is enough to begin to lift the heavy cloud of a mild depression.

Stress Reduction

Do you feel like the whole world is collapsing on top of you? I think everyone does at one stage or another. If you keep positive, it will pass. Aerobic exercise is a great way to keep positive. When you are stressed, it is important to get enough sleep. Exercisers actually go to sleep faster, are more refreshed and have sharper memories. Exercise increases the blood flow to the brain, bringing extra sugar and oxygen, which can help when concentrating. And once again, the little endorphins can make you happier, making you feel like maybe it will all be ok after all.

So, in conclusion, exercise! There are too many benefits that you will be missing out on if you don’t.