Category Archives: Heart Diseases

Three Easy Things That A Bodybuilder Must Do To Prevent Heart Disease

THREE EASY THINGS THAT THE BODYBUILDER MUST DO TO PREVENT HEART DISEASE

FISH OIL THE ARTERIAL CLEANER Fish Oil is the first powerhouse in keeping the bodybuilder safe from heart disease. Many bodybuilders that use illegal anabolic steroids, but even standard natural bodybuilders should consider supplements that will spare them the heart disease associated with higher blood pressure. Anabolic steroids could possibly alter lipid profiles, so it is even more important for people using steroids to maintain safe lipid levels and blood pressure. Fish Oil contains two main ingredients; DHA and EPA. These omega-3 fatty acids docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) have a multitude of health benefits for the bodybuilder specifically, including increased fat burning and improved sugar metabolism, which are good for obvious reasons. In addition, EPA and DHA decrease the effect of genes involved in fat storage which helps maintain lean mass while bulking. They also down-regulate genes involved in inflammation, which is an important marker of long term health. In fact I also take a baby aspirin per day to keep the damaging effects of inflammation at bay. EPA/DHA have been shown to reduce the risk of stroke and sudden death along with improving blood lipid profiles by increasing the beneficial HDL cholesterol and slightly reducing the damaging LDL cholesterol. All of these things are great for the bodybuilder who is using steroids/prosteroids and important for bodybuilders of any variety that want to maintain maximum health and vitality. Fish oil is a great source for anti-inflammatory prostaglandins and is implicated in the reduction of bowel disorders and cancer of the bowel, which is of importance to anyone who is concerned about health. Colon cancer is a very common form of cancer that affects millions of people. Fish oil causes a reduction in platelet aggregation and stickiness which reduces arterial inflammation is good for everyone, including the bodybuilder, but especially one who takes anabolic steroids or the pro-steroids found on the market (which are steroids by the way). Finally, fish oil have been shown to reduce liver tumor metastasis and formation, which is a good thing for people that chronically take anabolic steroids. I take 4-6 fish oil capsules per day in divided doses as a way to increase the positive effects of a healthy diet and keep blood lipids in check.

MAGNESIUM: THE COFACTOR FOR HEART HEALTH MAY MAKE CREATINE PERFORM BETTER Magnesium is a very important mineral that is almost lost in our refined and cleaned water supply. This simple mineral has the power to save lives and increase the effectiveness of your creatine supplements and it is cheap and available in safe over the counter supplements! So why arent we taking Magnesium? Low magnesium has been linked to increased risks for sudden death, high blood pressure, type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The average American is not even close to the lowest RDA dose of 420mg. Remember the RDA is the ABSOUTE MINIMUM needed to prevent diseases, not the OPTIMAL dose. I take 1000mg of Magnesium Oxide per day as a way to supplement my diet. Unless you eat a diet VERY high in vegetables, you are probably running on the low side of magnesium. Running low on minerals is like running your car with only 1 quart of oil in it. It might still get you around, but your chances of failure are higher than if you dont run ar optimal fluid levels! With magnesium being so inexpensive, you cant afford to miss this crucial mineral in your supplement plan. (oh, plan on getting a bottle for your mom & dad if you want to help them prevent heart disease and type II diabetes…I have a bottle for mom and dad). Good magnesium intake is associated with improved insulin sensitivity, optimal lipoprotein levels, suppression of abnormal heart rhythms, reduced blood pressure, headache relief, and improved exercise capability. Magnesium can also augment your use of creatine by helping the cells take in more creatine via increased membrane permeability and osmotic factors. Magnesium can also reduce lactic acid in the cells, making it essential prior to a heavy training session if you want to squeeze the most out of each workout. Magnesium is very hard to get in the diet, so dont skimp on the MgO!

WHY BODYBUILDERS SHOULD GIVE BLOOD! Bloodbanks are often low in this country and it is a great idea to give blood, it could help save your life and the lives of many people in need, but is there more benefit to giving blood other than doing the public good? Yes, it seems that giving blood for men could also save your life lessen the effects of the bodybuilding lifestyle. Men have a higher incidence of heart disease and congestive heart failure than women and one of the possible causes is the higher blood iron levels found in men. Giving blood at least once a year is a way to reduce these harmful levels of blood iron. Bodybuilders specifically have a tendency to have high blood iron levels due to their consumption of meat products as a way to get increased protein. One of the reason for mens version of multi-vitamins is the difference in need for iron between men and women. You will find many of the mens formulas do not contain iron supplementations due to the implications on heart disease. Men and women with a genetic abnormality that have slightly higher iron levels were found to have over two times as much chance of developing cardiovascular disease. Also, a Finnish study showed that men who give blood at least once a year had an 88% reduced risk of heart attacks. With bodybuilders relying on lean red meat to supply increased protein, the need to give blood is even more substantial! There is no negative to donating blood and the potential health benefits could be amazing! So, take advantage of your local blood drive to do yourself and your community some good! Tell your friends and family to do themselves a favor and donate blood at least once a year to maintain good heart health! One last positive benefit of giving blood is that you are screened for almost every blood born pathogen which is a positive side benefit!

This article does not constitute medical advice. Check with your physician before starting any supplement program.

My Old And Frail Grandpa Had Open Heart Surgery And Was Home In Two Days!

It does sound like a StarTrek movie but it is definitely not!! Many elderly patients can rapidly return to their valuable lives and families after a minimal invasivecardiac operation. There is a widespread belief among well-meaning sons or daughters and sometimes even their own doctors that patients in advanced age with a severe heart ailment are too old and frail to withstand open heart surgery.The reverse is actually true: they are too old and frail to withstand their heart disease without the help of a surgeon! Our statistics are showing this important truth. The most common problems that can be corrected to save these patients’ lives are heart valve malfunctions, aneurysms and coronary artery disease. Elderly patients can live longer AND better if they are offered a minimally invasive cardiac surgical solution for their heart problem. If you or someone you care for are caught in this predicament, you can learn what to ask for and what to look for.
1.How old is too old? Age is truly a relative concept! I have seen innumerable patients in their 80’s and 90’s who had beautifully lucid minds and productive life styles and were nevertheless denied lifesaving surgery just because of their age. These patients are often physically younger than their real age and do absolutely fantastic with their heart surger procedures. In my experience, the fact that they are looking forward to a better life is by itself a strong predictor of surgical success.

2.Can your level of energy be restored by an operation? Heart disease and symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath and weakness tend to deteriorate elderly patients by gradually taking away their life style. This is the time to have a “heart to heart” with a cardiac surgeon who can offer an effective surgical therapy to restore energy levels and a better life style.

3.Can minimally invasive heart surgery be performed in your case? Most elderly heart patients can now be helped with minimally invasive techniques and will be walking the hospital halls in less than 24 hours after their operation. Most patients can return to their lives and families in two to three days. You owe it to yourself: find out if the surgeon specializes in minimally invasive techniques and don’t be shy about asking how many of his patients can enjoy a minimally invasive approach.If necessary ask for a second opinion. An expert minimally invasive surgeon uses these techniques in the majoritymost of his patients.

I’ll conclude with a line from my 84 year old father-in-law, a recently retired internist: “Many elderly patients are young minds trapped in an old body”. Well…it’s your body, it’s your heart, it’s your life!! Help yourself to what modern medicine can offer.

Lower Your Risk For Breast Cancer & Heart Disease

Ipriflavone Supplements

Ipriflavone, a synthetic isoflavone, has shown some promise in its ability to conserve bone in postmenopausal women. Ipriflavone has also been shown to have a protective effect on bone density in pre-menopausal women taking gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH), a treatment for endometriosis that triggers bone loss.

However, a definitive three-year study of more than 400 postmenopausal women concluded that ipriflavone did not prevent bone loss. Additionally, the compound was linked to lymphocytopenia (a reduction in lymphocytes) in a significant number of study participants. Lymphocytes are a type of white blood cell that helps the body fight infection.

Risks and Benefits Are Unclear

Some studies suggest that, unlike estrogen, phytoestrogens do not appear to target breast or uterine tissue. This suggests that they may act more like SERMS (selective estrogen receptor modulators such as raloxifene and tamoxifen) than actual estrogens. However, in other studies high isoflavone levels have been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.

Clearly, additional research is needed to further evaluate the effects of phytoestrogens before judgments regarding their safety and usefulness can be made.

Key Points

Based on information available at this time, it is reasonable to make the following conclusions concerning phytoestrogens and bone health in postmenopausal women:

– Moderate amounts of foods containing phytoestrogens can be safely included in the diet but do not expect it to help build bone. Keep to the basic rule – eat the least processed forms.

– Due to a lack of evidence and concerns about safety, supplementation with synthetic isoflavones (ipriflavone) is in question.

– Postmenopausal women are encouraged to view evidence concerning phytoestrogens and bone health as conflicting and incomplete. For women who are estrogen dominant increasing their phytoestrogen intake may not improve their bone position.

Nutrigenomics A New Way To Prevent Cardiovascular Disease

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among men and women in most countries in the world, especially in the United States. It is also projected that in 2020, heart disease and stroke will be the leading cause of death and disability of people around the world.

Contrary to our old belief that cardiovascular disease can only affect the stressed, over-weight, middle-aged men; studies show that it is now prevalent among men, women and children regardless of their age, race and ethnic groups. According to Dr Robert Beaglehole, WHO Director of Chronic Diseases and Health Promotion, “Today, men, women and children are at risk and 80% of the burden is in low- and middle-income countries.

Heart disease and stroke not only take lives, but also cause an enormous economic burden.” This only shows that children are now adopting unhealthy lifestyles. Thus, awareness and education are necessary precautions for heart disease and stroke prevention. Educating people about the effect of food and nutrients to the body would greatly help them to live healthy lives. This will also open there mind that achieving good health need not be expensive. They only need to know what nutrients are needed in their body to improve its immunity against diseases and nutrigenomics will help them understand this.

Cardiovascular disease occurs when our cardiovascular system, -heart, arteries, and veins- malfunctions due to genetic and environmental factors. Atherosclerosis, the building up of fatty substance like cholesterol to the arterial wall, is the underlying cause of this disease. Other cardiovascular diseases include aneurysm, angina, stroke, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction or heart attack, and many others. It was discovered that the process of atherosclerosis starts as early as childhood and eventually develop in to a disease as the child matures.

Tobacco use, lack of physical activity, and poor nutrition are the causes of cardiovascular disease. There is substantial evidence that links diet to the development of heart disease. Dr. Richard M. Fleming identified in his book, “The Healthy Heart Program”, several dietary factors that can lower the risk of heart disease such as reducing saturated fat intakes, reducing consumption of sugary and processed foods, reducing homocysteine levels by supplementation with Vitamins B6 and B12, and folic acid, higher consumption of fruits and vegetables, and cutting back on foods such as red meat, dairy products, poultry and eggs.

This only proves that nutrition plays a vital role in the prevention of this disease. The application of nutrigenomics in relation to cardiovascular disease is a vital tool in improving the patients’ awareness on how unhealthy foods destroy our body’s natural protection against this heart disease.

Cardiovascular disease is treatable and reversible. The therapy for this disease includes alteration in patient’s diet, physical activity, and medical treatments. However, genetic variations produce different responses from patients. This is because each individual has different sensitivity and susceptibility to the disease. Thus, it is important to test the patients to find out their genetic makeup in order to optimize the efficacy of the therapies employed to them.

Researchers and nutrition specialists believe that analyzing the individual nutritional needs and tailoring the food according their genotype will greatly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disorder to people. Studies show the influence of the genetic makeup to the responsiveness or lack of it to dietary factors.

Nutrigenomics aims to develop functional foods that will provide people’s individual nutritional needs by demonstrating how food nutrients affect health and how health foods affect health. Though this field of science is still in its early stages, nutrition specialists have seen its potential for the advancement of health and nutrition technology to combat cardiovascular disease.

Top 10 Causes Of Death In Dubai

Dubai has come a long way since it was just a fishermens town back in the days when the mores and the British ruled; then, in 1971 it became part of the UAE (United Arab Emirates) and this has made all the difference. Dubai is now considered to be a promised land for the rich and the opulent; with descriptions to the rest of the world from travelers who say that the Dubai Airport has solid gold palm trees; it seems that there is just no limit to the wonders that Dubai has installed for the world.

But just like with any other particularly important and striving place on earth, with great success comes great dismay and the blooming of ailments and health hazards that are more frequent in highly developed countries. The quick rising of the Dubai financial and economical sphere has also caused that each day more and more people are falling ill to these first world illnesses.

The reasons for this are varied, and they change constantly according to the person who is interviewed at the time. For some it is the building boom that has swept across Dubai in past years, to other the reason is simple: while the few are making millions of dollars defying nature building man-made islands and outside-the-atmosphere skyscrapers, the working force is subjected to almost inhuman residential conditions.

The diseases that are taking such a big toll in Dubai are the same that are present in any other highly-developed countries. Regardless of the origin or underlying cause for it, the most common death-inducing illnesses in Dubai are:

1.Heart Disease
2.Stroke
3.Cancer (there are different forms of cancer that are generally considered individually, but this only inflates the statistics)
4.Pulmonary Infections
5.COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)

But these are not the only problems that can cause death in Dubai, especially in the bulk of the population. General and frequent causes are also:

6.HIV/AIDS
7.Tuberculosis
8.Malaria
9.Hepatitis
10.Heat Stroke

Nonetheless, it is also important to note and consider all diseases that are caused by accidents and run-ins with the local wildlife, such as scorpions, spiders and the like. In the case of tourists and expatriates, health services are expensive to say the least and, as a result, people who are traveling to Dubai or any of the United Arab Emirates should take on a thorough physical to make sure that their health is optimal.

As a result, it is important to add these factors to the list, leaving it with the following top 10 causes of death in the city of Dubai:

1.Heart Disease
2.Circulatory problems (stroke, atherosclerosis)
3.Cancer (cervical cancer is the top leading cause of death amongst women in Dubai, followed by breast cancer)
4.Pulmonary Infections (including, though not limited to, COPD)
5.Heat stroke
6.Liver diseases (all types of hepatitis)
7.Construction related accidents
8.Allergic reactions to venoms and other poisonous substances secreted by animals
9.HIV/AIDS
10.Malaria