Category: Heart Health

Heart health, heart disease, and taking care of the cardiovascular system.

Best foods to keep blood pressure under control

When does your blood pressure rise? Do you feel any uneasiness or a sheer pain in your chest when you are anxious or stressed? It is because you go through a phase called hypertension when you are extremely worried and apprehensive about something.

Hypertension is basically a rise in your blood pressure level, during which blood exerts immense pressure on your artery walls. If this condition prolongs, hypertension can gradually damage the arterial walls leading to different heart and kidney disorders. The diseases that you are likely to come across are a stroke, coronary artery disease, cardiac arrest, peripheral artery disease, etc.

Hypertension is also identified as a silent killer since you can hardly make out the symptoms at early stages. As a result, the disease remains unnoticed and untreated for a long time often leading to fatal conditions. The factors that mainly contribute to hypertension are normally not in your hands, such as gender, age, race, and genetics. However, there are some factors that you can easily keep under checks like diet routine and exercise. If you’re suffering from high blood pressure, include foods in your diet that are rich in potassium, fiber, and magnesium. Try to stay away from foods that contain a high level of sodium.

Foods that keep your blood pressure level in check:

 

  1. Green leafy vegetables

You should always say yes to foods with high potassium content and low sodium content. This is because potassium works brilliantly on your kidneys to wash off excess sodium from your body. In this way, the sodium-potassium pump is kept under check to prevent any excess pressure of blood on artery walls. Therefore, eventually, this regulation reduces your blood pressure level. Vegetables rich in potassium include Swiss chard, kale, arugula, spinach, romaine lettuce, collard greens, beet greens, and turnip greens. Avoid eating canned vegetables as they contain higher sodium level. However, you can consider eating frozen veggies that offer you the same level of nutrients and are easy to store. You can easily blend these fresh vegetables with nutty milk and banana, to make a healthy juice.

  1. Red beet

Beets are good sources of iron and nitric oxide, which facilitates the opening of blood vessels and reduces hypertension. You may either consume red beet by blending it into a juice or cook it as a vegetable with spices. Beetroot tastes delicious when you roast or stir fry it, or even make hot stews out of it. You may also make baked beetroot chips, and enjoy it as a healthy snack.

  1. Berries

Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are very rich in flavonoids. Flavonoids are phytoactive chemical compounds present in plants that contribute to a lot of health benefits. One of such benefits is lowering of blood pressure level, and ensuring a healthy heart functioning. You can easily add berries to your diet, as you can have them with granola or cereals at breakfast. If you feel like making a healthy dessert, you can also include frozen berries into it.

  1. Oatmeal and bananas

Oatmeal is very rich in fibers but has very low sodium and fat to offer. So in your case, this is a perfect choice for a healthy breakfast. To make your oatmeal more delicious, add sliced or blended bananas to it. Bananas are high in potassium and cellular fiber. Slice up a banana into half a cup each of roasted oats and nutty milk in a bowl. You may add cinnamon, granola, berries, and other dried fruits to make a potassium-rich breakfast and prevent hypertension effortlessly.

Other food items to prevent elevation in blood pressure:

  1. Yogurt and skimmed milk

Dairy products are excellent sources of nutrients, especially calcium. Skimmed milk contains many essential nutrients that can help you reduce the risk of hypertension. If you are not quite fond of milk, you can choose yogurt instead. According to a few studies, having around 5 servings of yogurt per day can control your blood pressure quite effectively. You may even add a few variations in your yogurt, by including fruits, granola or almonds in it. Remember to check for the sugar content when you purchase yogurt. The lesser the sugar, the greater the benefit.

  1. Dark chocolate

Are you fond of milk chocolates? If so, then it is a very interesting way of cheating on your diet without compromising with hypertension. However, before you get all excited, remember that it is not normal sugary milk chocolate but dark chocolates. According to some recent studies, dark chocolates can evidently lower your blood pressure level and risk of associated cardiovascular disorders. If you can consume 100 g of dark chocolate in a day, it actually prevents any deadly heart diseases. Dark chocolates have very less sugar content, with 60 percent of cocoa solids.

  1. Pistachios and seeds

Pistachios are extremely beneficial in lowering the risk of hypertension, by relaxing peripheral vascular resistance or tightening of blood vessels. In this way, your heart rate remains under control, along with exerted arterial pressure. A single serving of pistachios in your diet every day can lower the chances of high blood pressure. Unsalted seeds contain high levels of magnesium, potassium, and several other nutrients to keep hypertension under check. You can consider taking sunflower, squash, or pumpkin seeds as snacks in between your regular meals.

Is fish protein important?

Fishes are excellent sources of proteins. Salmon and mackerel are fatty fishes that contain very high levels of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 has three major functions to conduct in your body:

  • Reduce blood pressure level
  • Lower inflammation
  • Bring down the level of triglycerides

High triglyceride content is largely associated with elevated blood pressure. Therefore if you eat fatty fishes, omega-3 can facilitate in maintaining your blood pressure level by opting out triglycerides. Moreover, trout is very rich in vitamin D that contributes to the prevention of hypertension. You can easily cook fatty fished by making fillets and spicing them up with pepper, herbs, olive oil, and lemon. Bake in a preheated oven for 15 minutes at 450F.

Top benefits of using Neem leaves

Neem or Azadirachtaindica is a very common tree that you can easily spot in every neighborhood. However, are you well aware of the benefits of this tree and its leaves? Each and every part of this tree, starting from bark and leaves to its stems, has immense medicinal properties. The flowers, fruit, and roots are not common for medicinal usage, but you can still find them in use sometimes.

You can use neem leaves to cure the following health issues:

  • Leprosy
  • Bleeding Nose
  • Stomach problems
  • Eye disorders
  • Attack intestinal worms
  • Skin ulcers
  • Loss of appetite
  • Heart diseases as well as cardiovascular disorders
  • Diabetes
  • Gum problems like gingivitis and periodontitis
  • Liver disorders
  • As a birth control tool since neem leaves facilitates abortion

If you have malaria, you can use the bark of neem to cure it. Other uses of neem bark include treating intestinal and stomach ulcers, reducing pain, skin diseases and fever. You may use the flower for controlling phlegm, treat intestinal worms and even reduce bile production. The fruit of neem helps you to cure urinary tract diseases, hemorrhoids, bleeding nose, intestinal worms, phlegm, leprosy, and diabetes. You may also use the fruit to treat eye disorders and heal wounds effectively and rapidly.

Seed oil and seeds of neem can help you with birth control benefits, and also treat intestinal worms and leprosy. Neem is an antiseptic agent so you can use its stem, fruit and root bark as an astringent and tonic. You can use neem twigs and stems for curing asthma, cough, low sperm count, diabetes, intestinal worms, and urinary disorders.

Instead of using toothpaste and toothbrushes for cleaning your teeth, you can chew neem twigs for keeping your teeth healthy. To keep your skin healthy, you can directly apply neem paste to treat lice on your head, and skin ulcers. You may even consider using neem paste for healing wounds quickly, for softening your skin and treat other skin problems.

Health benefits offered by neem:

If you read ancient textbooks on Ayurveda, you will find the mention of neem in them. Neem contains a lot of beneficial phyto-compounds such as Nimbin, ninbinene, nimbolide, nimbinen, and nimandial. All these phytochemicals have antifungal, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties that help you to boost your immune strength. Since you will find all these compounds present in neem, it makes neem a medicinal plant. Antifungal agents like nimbidol and gedunin present in neem leaves help in treating fungus in your nails, ringworm, and athlete foot.

Neem helps in improving your immune system to fight microbial infections, as well as detoxifies your blood. It stimulates the proper functionality of your liver, and overall ensure a healthy digestive and respiratory system. You can use neem leaves to treat malaria, by applying it on your skin as a mosquito repellent.

  1. Fights viral diseases

The extract that you get from neem leaves on crushing, helps in absorbing and eliminating viruses from your body. Neem paste helps you to cure skin warts, smallpox, and chicken pox. If you are affected with herpes simplex virus (HSV), use neem extract as it is toxic to the virus. You will experience a faster healing process on applying the paste on affected zones. To relieve yourself from cold sores, you can prepare a tea out of neem leaves to make a magic infusion. Treat viral skin diseases like eczema, itching, inflammation, and irritation with neem leaf extract.

  1. Improves your heart health

Neem leaves work as a blood cleanser, by removing all toxic elements from your circulatory system. To control your blood sugar level, drink neem extract by infusing it with boiling water. Neem also acts as an antioxidant, fighting free radicals generated in your body cells. It helps in dilating your blood vessels to improve overall blood circulation and relaxes irregular heartbeats and high heart rate. This is, in turn,enriches your heart functioning and keeps you away from cardiac arrests, high blood pressure, and strokes.

  1. Cancer

You can lessen the risk of cancer and tumor cell formation by consuming neem leaves. Neem has various polysaccharides and limonoids that helps to alleviate cancer progression.

  1. Acts against poison.

If you get any sort of insect bite, use neem extract on the affected area. Neem has anticlotting factors present in it to cure ulcers, inflammation and even poisons.

How effective is neem for your skin?

  • Helps as a moisturizer- you can use neem leaves in the form of a paste to keep your skin soft and healthy. If you have any scars or pigmentation due to acne, neem is the solution! You can heal minor wounds by mixing neem extract with turmeric paste and apply on the injured area.
  • Fights acne- you can store the green extract of neem in a bottle and use it directly on your skin to treat acne. If you have sensitive skin, you can dilute the extract by adding little water to it and then apply. You can use a face pack containing neem extract to treat problems related to acne, blackheads, and pimples.
  • Skin toning- neem leaves work as wonders as a skin toning agent. Instead of using a chemical toner, go for natural neem extract. Take a cotton swab and dip it in neem water after boiling it. Apply gently on your skin before going to bed at night. This potion will help you get a rejuvenating and healthy glowing skin the next morning.

Can you use neem extract for hair care?

Yes, of course, you can! This medicinal plant has so much to offer that you cannot even think of. Take a handful of fresh neem leaves and add them in a cup containing boiling water. You can now use this neem infused water for rinsing after you shampoo your hair. Since it got antibacterial properties, it will help you cure hair loss problems, dry scalp, and dandruff issues.

Neem has a lot of health benefits but you should remember to use it under controlled measures. Make it your daily routine for using neem extracts to take good care of your skin, hair and overall health.

How To Get An Appointment At A Cardiology Office Quickly

The health of your heart is not something that you can wait to get checked out. If you are concerned about the health of your heart you should book an appointment with a cardiologist as soon as possible. Each year 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States. This accounts for about one out of four deaths in adults each year. Heart disease and heart attacks are too frequent in the United States. You should be doing everything you can to ensure that your heart is healthy and visiting a cardiologist may be one of the top things on your list. If you are looking to see a cardiologist you should not wait.

Reasons To See A Cardiologist

Each year you should be visiting your primary care physician for your annual check-up. During this appointment, your physician should be running a series of tests on you. They will be asking about your family history of diseases, checking your blood pressure, checking your cholesterol levels, asking you questions about your lifestyle, and looking for any warning signs. If your doctor notices that you have high blood pressure, family history of heart disease, or any warning signs of heart disease they may recommend that you see a cardiologist. Some warning signs of heart disease may include your age, family history, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes, history of preeclampsia, history of congenital heart disease, or a history of smoking. Many people fall victim to a heart attack without any warning signs so if your primary care physician recommends that you see a cardiologist you should not wait to book your appointment.

How To Get An Appointment Quickly?

Doctors, even the best doctors in North San Diego, are often very busy and have booked appointments. If you are looking to get an appointment quickly you can talk to your primary care physician about calling the cardiologist and letting them know your particular situation. Primary care physicians often have good relationships with cardiologists and if your physician sees warning signs for heart problems they may be able to get you an appointment quickly.

Another way to get an appointment quickly is asking to be put on the waiting list. If someone cancels their appointment with short notice the secretary can call you and ask if you are available for an appointment in the next day or so. If you are concerned about the health of your heart you should take the first appointment that is available even if it means rearranging your schedule.

If you are having serious complications you can go to the emergency room. At the emergency room, they will run a variety of tests and have you meet directly with a cardiologist. Visiting the emergency room is the best way to get a quick appointment if you feel flutters in your heart or are feeling early signs of a heart attack. It is always better to be safe than sorry, especially when your heart is at risk.

What To Expect At Your First Visit?

Your first visit to a cardiologist typically takes one hour or so. The cardiologist will get a detailed history of your personal health history and family history. They will look at your recent test results from your primary care physician and look at all medications you are currently taking. They will ask you about any symptoms you are experiencing and ask you for information about your lifestyle.

Your cardiologist will likely give you a number of non-invasive tests, including a stress/ treadmill test, a nuclear stress test, an echocardiogram, a possible CT scan, or a PET scan. The tests your cardiologist will recommend depend entirely on your specific situation. You may only need one or these tests or you may need all of them.

Almost everyone is at least given the stress/ treadmill test to determine how your heart holds up under stress or exercise. This test can help your doctor determine if there are blockages in your arteries or any other concerns for heart problems. During this test, you will walk on a treadmill and have electrodes attached to your chest and your limbs. The signals will be sent to an electrocardiogram machine which will read how your heart reacts to exercise. The machine will look for any changes in heart output and your doctor can analyze these results to determine if there are blockages preventing blood from getting to your heart when your heart is at work.

Risk of Heart Disease

Each person has a different risk of developing heart disease, but the best thing you can do to limit your risk is keeping your heart healthy. While everyone is at risk of developing heart disease there are some factors that make you a higher risk. These factors include having high blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking, being overweight, not exercising, and not eating a healthy diet. If you eat a diet with few fruits and vegetables and high a high number of fatty and fried foods you may be putting yourself at an increased risk.

Your family history also affects your risk of heart disease. If your family has a history of heart disease you are also at risk because heart disease can be genetic. If your father or brother had heart disease before the age of 55 or your mother or sister had it before age 65 you may be at risk for developing heart problems early. Women over the age of 55 and men over the age of 45 are at risk of developing heart disease and heart complications. If you are concerned about your risk for heart disease or having a heart attack you should schedule an appointment with your primary care physician to talk about your concerns. Your physician will be able to answer any questions you have and recommend ways to lower your risk.

Keeping Your Heart Healthy

No matter how old or young you are there are always things you can do to keep your heart healthy and keep you from developing heart disease. Some things that you should be doing to keep your heart healthy include eating healthy, participating in regular exercise, staying at a healthy weight, and managing your stress properly. If you find that you are frequently stressed you should find healthy ways to help you manage your stress, like taking up a new hobby, going for a walk, or finding other ways to relax.

You should quit smoking, stay away from people who are smoking and limit your alcohol consumption. You should visit your primary care physician regularly to have your cholesterol and blood pressure checked. You should try your best to keep these two things at healthy levels. If you are unsure about ways to keep these things under control your doctor will be able to give you suggestions. They may recommend that you take your own blood pressure each day or so to help you keep a closer eye on it.

If you are noticing any symptoms of heart disease or early warning signs of heart complications you should not wait to see your doctor. You can schedule an appointment with your primary care physician who can then refer you to see a cardiologist. If you are looking for help immediately and are concerned that you are having a heart attack you should not wait. You should seek immediate attention and visit the nearest emergency room to get checked out. The health of your heart should not wait and you should do everything you can to keep it healthy.

Popular Health Screening Services and Packages

Good health is a priority for many families today. It is very common to find families discussing ways of ensuring that everyone has undergone medical checks, more so in families with a history of cancer. The BRCA gene test is done to determine the susceptibility of a person to getting cancer in the future. If you test positive for the cancer-causing gene, the medical health practitioners present you with a myriad of choices to immediately prevent it.

It can be scary going in for such tests, but they are necessary because they give you the option of preventing something serious from the outset.  You can also get checked for things such as heart disease, kidney failure, and liver failure. In recent times, mental health has entered the conversation in almost all fields of life, and rightly so.

Many people are not aware, but it is possible to be screened for mental health issues. Many hospitals and screening facilities are providing such services. Bluescreen Health screening is an example of a screening facility. They have over 2,000 mobile clinics in England and Wales to ensure that they reach as many people as possible.

If you are not aware of the screens they offer, here is a list of the most popular screens:

  1. Female Cancer Risk

This is a package that is mostly recommended for women over the age of 40. Testing while you are under 40 years can lead to cases of false positives and false negatives.

You will Hbe screened for all the cancers such as ovary, lungs, and blood.

You will be granted a follow-up consultation where you can talk through your concerns with a qualified medical practitioner as well as a helpline that is available 24/7.

This package goes for £269.

  1. Heart Disease and Stroke complete

This is the most comprehensive cardiovascular health package; you will get an analysis of the heart, artery, lung, and blood health.

Once you get the results, you will discuss the results with a practitioner.

A helpline is available to you all year round for 24 hours a day in case there are concerns you want to discuss.

This package goes for £249.

  1. Heart Disease and Stroke Active

This is the entry-level package for heart and circulatory screens.

It covers your heart, liver, kidney, stroke risk, and general health markers. It is mostly done for men and women over the age of 40.

It has an annual helpline available 24/7 meaning you can call in anytime in case you have questions.

This package goes for £129.

  1. Heart Disease and Stroke Core

This package gives you more advanced information on the health of your internal organs. You get to know about your full blood count, the function of your lungs, stroke risks, and blood risks.

You also get furnished with general information about your immune system.

Like all the aforementioned packages, there is a helpline that is available for 24 hours throughout the year.  This package goes for £169.

In conclusion, there are several categories under which you will find different packages. If you know your family health history well, you will be able to know exactly where to go to find the screening that you need.

Fret not if you do not know your family health history well as the medical practitioners at the screening centers will be able to guide you.

CBD is quickly becoming the most preferred choice in the treatment of heart disease

In the United States, cannabis is more into the mainstream than ever.  Washington DC and 29 other states have made medical marijuana and or recreational marijuana legal which clearly shows that the interest in cannabis is growing. Cannabis that we usually picture as a recreational drug has now moved into the realms of medical treatment. Cannabis has several health benefits provided you can apply it correctly. More and more people suffering from heart disease are now turning to CBD oil to explore the powers of Cannabis in treating them. Since CBD oil has no harmful side effects, the clamor is growing to try it out as an alternative to prescription medications that come with several side effects.

The medical power of cannabis of which CBD oil is a part originates from the group of active compounds cannabinoid that the plant contains. There are 80 different strains of cannabinoids available from the cannabis plant that gives the plant its psychoactive and medicinal properties.  The best know cannabinoid is indeed THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol, which has made cannabis famous for giving the ‘high’ and has given it a bad name too. However, the star among cannabinoids with medicinal qualities is CBD or Cannabidiol that has now found wide applications from skin care to heart care and from pain management to neurological treatments.

CBD oil for treating heart disease

Putting aside the confusion, that still prevails about the legality of cannabis; you can safely procure and use CBD oil available from many online stores including www.cbdworld.org. Despite being a derivative of the cannabis plant, CBD oil is different in that it does not have significant psychoactive properties and therefore there is no fear of getting ‘high’ with it. Moreover, the use of CBD is legal and leaves nothing to worry about it. It is now a proven fact that CBD oil helps to treat heart disease and hypertension even though it is still not clear how it works on the body. However, you can be sure that there are no side effects. The anti-inflammatory properties of CBD and its ability to calm down nerves to aid good sleep are the possible attractions for choosing it to treat heart disease.

Heart disease or a heart defect

Could you use CBD oil for treating a person suffering from congenital heart defect? The question arises because you need to have clarity about what exactly is heart disease to decide whether CBD oil could do any good. If there is some defect in the heart right from birth, that affects the cardiovascular system; it is not a disease but congenital heart defect.  The defect originates from the time the fetus grows in the womb and is a very common type of congenital disorder. Depending on the severity of the defect, doctors decide whether to take any corrective action by way of surgery or medicines or to leave it alone to heal on its own.

The heart disease that we normally refer to are problems that develop in the cardiovascular system at any stage in life and affects the circulatory system as well as the heart. Such conditions are not present at the time of birth but develop at a later stage. Cardiovascular disease is preventable in many cases by controlling hypertension for which CBD oil works very well.

Types of cardiovascular disease

  • Atherosclerosis – The most common type of heart disease is atherosclerosis that results from lifestyle problems like lack of exercise, uncontrolled eating, excessive use of alcohol and or tobacco and sedentary lifestyle. The disease manifests by building up plaques in the arterial walls that restrict blood flow to and from the heart thereby weakening it. The heart is unable to perform normally and if not treated it could lead to stoppage of blood flow resulting in stroke or heart failure.
  • Heart failure – It will be wrong to construe that heart failure means only heart stoppage because the inability of the heart to perform well is what actually meant by heart failure. Usually, cardiovascular disease includes various conditions when the heart does not function satisfactorily due to difficulties in circulating blood throughout the body that results in diminishing nutrients and oxygen reaching the body organs.
  • Arrhythmia – Problems with a regular heartbeat is a condition related to arrhythmia when the heart beats too fast, too slow or even skips a few beats. It leads to poor heart performance.
  • Heart Valve disease – Any condition related to the malfunctioning of the heart valves constitutes heart valve disease. Chest pain, fatigue, loss of consciousness, lightheadedness, and shortness of breath are some symptoms of the disease that can even not show any symptoms at all.

Treating heart disease with CBD

Several results from clinical trials have established how effective CBD can be for the treatment of some cardiovascular disease, especially atherosclerosis. The reports clearly demonstrate the positive effects of CBD on people suffering from hypertension and plaque buildup in the arteries. Since atherosclerosis is associated with inflammation and CDB has strong anti-inflammatory properties, it works particularly well on people suffering from the disease. By controlling inflammation, CBD provides good relief to patients. Moreover, the effectiveness of CBD in treating patients suffering from choked arteries due to the development of plaques in the artery walls is now well documented in various studies and researches conducted across the world. Regular use of CBD has shown marked improvement in blood flow that improved the heart performance.

Neurological benefits of CBD

Heart diseases affect not only the cardiovascular system but also the neurological system.  A heart attack can damage brain cells, which can also happen during a stroke. Studies have revealed that CBD is capable of adequately protecting the neurological system, which is the reason for people looking upon it as a neuroprotector.  It is also capable of reducing the aftershocks of heart attacks and ensures a speedy recovery.

Whether or not CBD can cure heart disease is a question that still has no answer but that it can reduce the risks of stroke and heart disease is a fact that has the backing of numerous studies.