Health News

There are many types of heart and blood vessel diseases. Over 60 million American's have one or more of them. In 1993, more than 950,000 people died from them - over 42 percent of all deaths in the United States! Yet many types of heart disease may be prevented!

The keys are to:

- Stop Smoking
- Lower your Blood Pressure
- Eat a healthy diet
- Be physically active
- Get regular medical checkups

HARDENING OF THE ARTERIES, or atherosclerosis, is when the inner walls of the arteries become more narrow due to a buildup of plaque. Blood clots form, so less blood can get through. This can cause heart attacks and strokes.

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE, also called hypertension, means the pressure in your arteries is consistently above the normal range. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. It's written as two numbers, such as 122/78 mmHg. The top, systolic number is the pressure when the heart beats. The bottom, diastolic number is the pressure when the heart is at rest. High blood pressure is a consistently elevated pressure of 140 systolic or higher and/or 90 diastolic or higher. The great danger is that you usually can't tell you have high blood pressure! There are no signs, so you must see a doctor
every year. Also, no one knows exactly what causes it. Yet, high blood pressure can lead to hardened arteries, stroke or heart attack.

HEART ATTACKS occur when the blood flow to a part of the heart is blocked, often by a blood clot. If this clot cuts off the blood flow completely, the part of the heart muscle supplied by that artery begins to die.

Get help fast if you feel any of there warning signs of a heart attack:

- Uncomfortably heavy feeling, pressure, pain or squeezing in the center of your chest that lasts more than a few minutes.
- Pain that goes to your shoulders, neck or arms.
- Discomfort in your chest along with light head, fainting, sweating, nausea or shortness of breath.

HEART FAILURE means that your heart isn't pumping blood as well as it should. It keeps working, but the body doesn't get all the blood and oxygen it needs.

See a doctor if you notice:

- Swelling in the feet, ankles and legs, called "edema"
- Fluid builds up in the lungs, called "Pulmonary Congestion"

STROKE and TIA(stroke warning) happen when a blood vessel that feeds the brain gets clogged or bursts. Then that part of the brain can't work and neither can the part of the body it controls.

Major causes of stroke are:

- Uncontrolled high blood pressure
- Smoking
- Heart Disease

Get help fast if you have any of these warning signs of stroke or TIA:

- Feel weak in an arm, hand or leg
- Can't feel one side of face or body
- Suddenly can't see out of one eye
- Hard to talk
- Can't understand what someone is saying
- Feel dizzy or loose balance
- Have a sudden, very bad headache

How can I learn more?

-Talk to you doctor, nurse of health care professional. Or call you local American Heart Association at 1-800-242-8721.

-If you have heart disease, members of your family also may be at higher risk. It's very important for them to make changes now to lower their risk.

*This information is provided to you by the American Heart Association*

For thousands of years ginger has been used for cooking due to its unusual taste but also because of its medicinal benefits, which I shall outline below. Ginger is a root that originates from South East Asia, but is now also grown in Jamaica and other tropical countries.

It has been used by Chinese doctors for well over 2000 years as a treatment for many ailments such as: nausea, digestive problems, circulation and arthritis. Ginger is also known to have the ability to calm an upset stomach and to support the production of bile, and also promotes a healthy and efficient cardio-vascular system by reducing the stickiness of platelets which lessens circulatory problems.

Ginger oil has anti-inflammatory properties which can reduce swelling and arthritic problems. It is also used extensively in cold remedies, de-congestants and inhalers.

A study delivered at the Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research meeting in Phoenix, Arizona in October of 2003 suggests that gingerols, a natural component of ginger, may reduce the growth of cancer cells in the colon. While findings presented at the 97th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer suggest that gingerols are able to kill ovarian cancer cells.

Options for taking ginger

Fresh ginger can be grated for use in cooking. It is also freely available as a supplement in both pill and powder form which can be taken on a daily basis.

Ginger Root Tea is also a delicious and refreshing way to take ginger and it can help sooth an irritated digestive tract.

For athletes and body builders, ginger is a superb supplement to your training diet because it increases energy and promotes faster recovery.

Further Information

Further to all the benefits mentioned, it's also good to know that ginger is completely natural and doesn't conflict with any nutrients in the body and is completely safe to take in any form. It's not surprising then that ginger has been used for so many years as a homeopathic remedy throughout the world. Many modern medicines including aspirin and quinine were also developed from plants and natural resources.

Honey - More Than a Sweet Treat

People have used honey as a sweetener for thousands of years and, as with many natural substances, ancient people used it for its medicinal purposes. As a sweetener, honey is a far better alternative than refined sugar, which too many people use. Refined sugar has no nutritional value at all and actually robs the body of vitamins and minerals, it's also addictive. Honey, on the other hand is composed of glucose and fructose and minerals such as magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, sulphur, iron and phosphate.

Health benefits

Do you have a sore throat? Honey contains natural anti-inflammatory properties which help heal the infections quickly and naturally. It also has different phytochemicals which are non-nutritive plant chemicals which have protective and disease preventive properties that kill bacteria, viruses and fungus. Honey also contains Hydrogen peroxide, which is a well-known antimicrobial agent. This means it has a wonderful antibacterial effect and is great for healing wounds like mouth ulcers and cold sores.

Because of these properties, honey is also useful for external wounds like cuts, scratches and burns. This is due to the oxidase enzyme which is introduced to the honey by bees. This slowly releases the antiseptic hydrogen peroxide at an adequate level to be helpful against bacteria while not harming the skin tissue. Honey draws moisture from the body to the area of the wound. This helps prevent scarring and promotes much quicker healing for burns and bed sores if they have been dressed with honey early enough.

Honey is an excellent treatment for bacteria-caused diarrhea. Mixed with 4 parts water, the honey helps kill the bacterial infection and also acts as a dehydration agent due to its acids and natural sugars.

For skin problems, like acne or dry skin, mix a teaspoon of honey with the same amount of olive oil and lemon juice and apply to the affected area. The anti-bacterial elements and the ability to draw water from the body to the surface of the skin moisturize and repair the skin tissue. For dry or damaged hair, mix a table spoon of honey with a cup of warm water for a shine replenishing rinse.

Finally, honey is delicious and can be eaten or drunk in hundreds of ways. What better a way to start the day than a table spoon of honey drizzled over a bowl of fresh fruit? My kids love it and can't wait for their daily hit! What other medications can match that?

The Benefits of Garlic

Garlic is now widely recognized as one of nature's most effective healers and a remedy for various ailments. It also tastes great, and can be used as an ingredient in hundreds of interesting ways. Garlic is proven to help fight bacterial, viral and fungal infections if eaten regularly. There is enough evidence to show that it also combats digestion problems and enhances the immune system and helps protect the heart.

The Chinese have used garlic for centuries as a tonic and medicine. During the Great Plague epidemic in Italy in the middle ages, two prisoners in Florence were forced to bury hundreds of plague victims but never contracted the disease.There diet in jail was crushed garlic soaked in a flagon of sour wine!

Garlic is great for the heart

Garlic helps prevent heart disease because it lowers blood pressure and cholesterol. In turn, this reduces destructive oxidation and prevents clotting of the blood,hardening of arteries and DVT. Circulation is improved by eating garlic, and symptoms of poor circulation, such as headaches, cramps and tingling in the feet or hands.

The French Paradox

Although other factors must be included, garlic's cholesterol lowering qualities are highlighted in southern European countries. Take France for example wherethe 'French Paradox' has been well documented over the years. Scientists and doctors believe that garlic, along with olive oil, and red wine, significantly reduce the chance of heart disease, even though the French eat a high fat diet!

Antibiotic properties

Garlic's antibacterial and properties are known to fight of numerous infections such as colds and flu and other lung and sinus infections. Skin infections are also known to decrease if garlic is added to a regular diet. Intestinal problems like: intestinal worms, parasites and bacterial infections are greatly reduced by eating at least one whole clove a day.

There are hundreds of great ways to eat garlic and a quick Goggle search will give you enough recipes to last a life time. A life time which will be lengthened by eating more garlic.

Children's Health and Omega 3

Numerous studies have found those supplementing children’s diets with Omega 3 Fatty acids, has the potential to improve learning abilities and reduce behavioral problems. According to a study published in the 5 May 2005 edition of Pediatrics, children's reading, spelling and general learning behavior improved over a six month period taking fish oil supplements, which are rich in Omega 3.

Other participants of the trials were put on a placebo for the same period and developed in a regular manner over the six months. Further tests carried out revealed that those who were on the placebo actually showed obvious signs of improvement, once they transferred over to the fish oil treatment over a three month period.

Researchers say that the brain needs these acids for healthy brain development but cannot store them for long. Due to today's western diets, our children are not eating enough oily fish, such as salmon, macrel or tuna and are therefore not being able to replace lost Omega 3s.

Problems caused by lack of Omega 3

The following problems have been attributed to lack of Omega 3:

• allergies (eg eczema, asthma, hay fever)
• poor concentration
• memory problems
• depression
• excessive mood swings
• undue anxiety
• difficulty sleeping
• problems with reading

Of course, these may also be attributed to other health problems not associated to Omega 3 deficiency.

Supplements

Omega 3 supplements are readily available in most drug stores. However, they can be expensive, so you'll need to shop around.

Natural Sources of Omega 3

Oily fish such as: salmon, mackerel, fresh tuna trout, sardines, pilchards, whitebait, herring and kippers are great. It's recommended that your children eat at least two 140g servings per week. Other sources of Omega 3 include nuts, seeds oils including Flax seed and rapeseed, leafy green vegetables and red meat.

With a regular diet of the above foods, not only will your children have sufficient Omega 3 intake, they'll also benefit from the other nutrients fish have to offer such as calcium, vitamins A and D and selenium, which helps protect cells from damage. Plus, all oily fish is delicious in taste and can be served in a whole host of different ways.

Go on mums, serve up the fish and boost your kids' brains!