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*

Great News about Olive Oil

Tests have shown that increasing olive oil intake can reduce cancer by an astonishing degree, and the indicator is you urine!

Tiny substances in your urine show how efficiently your body is protecting against everyday cell damage, the damage which causes cancer. In a study using olive oil , men who increased their intake had fewer of the damaged substances in their urine samples. The decrease was comparable to what smokers experience when they stop. Now that's some powerful oil.

Olive oil is full of healthy substances which have numerous positive effects on our bodies. Researchers think that phenolic compounds in the oil have properties which fight cancer. Furthermore, it is believed that there is something anti carcinogenic about monounsaturated fat itself!

This means that olive oil, rich in monounsaturated fat, is great for the heart and also helps deter cancer. That helps explain why, in comparison to Northern Europeans and Americans, Southern Europeans, who eat loads and loads of olive oil, have lower rates of both heart disease and cancer.

But one caution to bear in mind: The men in the study didn't add olive oil to their diets. They used it instead of the fats they used to consume. All in all about five to six teaspoons a day. Use olive oil to replace all the butters, margarines, and shortenings in your diet. Using it on top of your usual diet will only lead to weight problems and other areas of concern!

Another fact about olive oil; it’s great for your skin. So feel good and look good by increasing your olive oil intake now.

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.

You are never too old to start running for fun and as a means of achieving and maintaining physical fitness. Running is also the most effective way of reducing weight and cholesterol and allows you to eat a healthy diet without having to starve yourself. And, we all know running improves the cardio-vascular system and increases libido and appetite.

The benefits go further than just improved health. A regular running schedule, accompanied by a healthy diet, contributes to a much healthier life style, which, in turn, leads to more confidence and self-esteem and reduces lethargy and tiredness. You can run in the street, the park or in the country. You can run around a soccer pitch or the local school track. There are no rules to running. You can start at one mile or two miles, up to you. With time and experience you can start varying your runs to include interval training or Fartlek, or you can start racing. It's totally in your hands how much and how far you want to take your running. Running alone provides an opportunity to de-stress, think over problems or visualize tomorrow's presentation. Joining a running club allows you to meet new friends and be involved in social events or charity organizations.

Where do you start?

Regardless of how old you are, go and visit your GP for a check up. He or she may recommend a cardiovascular stress test if you smoke, are overweight or have had heart or breathing problems in the past. Plan your first run in a place you know well. This will ensure you are always orientated
and you'll be able to pace yourself better. Running in a strange location can confuse you as you may not realize how far you've run or how far away your car is parked. If possible, drive around the route first and check how far it is on the car's trip meter.

As a distance, 3 to 5 kilometers or 2 to 3 miles is a good starting point. If you start to labor, stop running and walk the rest of the distance. Or you can run for time instead of distance, it doesn't really matter. For example, you could start at 20 or 30 minutes. Aim at running three times a week and as you get stronger, you can increase your distance or time gradually.

Be sure to warm up for five minutes before your run. A warm up should consist of warming the muscles you're going to use through dynamic motion exercises like walking on your toes, hurtle steps and long strides. Ask your doctor or a fitness instructor for a chart or demonstration. Avoid stretching though! Stretching cold muscles is dangerous. Although you see hundreds of people doing it everyday down the park, they're more likely to cause an injury than prevent one. Stretching comes after the run. Stretch all the main leg muscles and your hips and waist. Again, see your doctor for advice.

Gear

Before you start you've got to buy the right gear. Running shoes will be your first priority. Do some research and get the right pair for you. Running vests and shorts come in numerous different styles and prices. For summer running, the lighter the better, but be sure to use a sports sun-cream before setting off. For colder climates, Polypropylene (Coolmax or Thermax) gear is excellent. Be sure to wear gloves and a hat if it's really cold. Be sensible though, if it's freezing, why not use a running machine instead?

Food and drink

The type of diet that is good for runners is no different than the one doctors recommend for everyone: high in carbohydrate, low in fat with a reasonable amount of protein. Pre-hydrate by drinking a litre of water one to two hours before you run and re-hydrate thoroughly afterwards. In hot and humid conditions, electrolyte drinks are useful. There is no need to drink sports drinks before you run, as this can cause a glucose crash while you're running. Again, seek your doctor's advice concerning nutrition before you start.

By Colin Harlow

Physical Education Instructor

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.