google7fe7e6420122196f.html Preventive Medicine: March 2009

Sunday, March 22, 2009

Brain Aneurism: the Sudden Killer

What is actually brain aneurism?
well, i want to give you an illustration first.
I've got a female, 38 years old patient who suffered from haemorrhage stroke. She had 3 days coma, and then passed away. The family told that it was the first attack for her.No hypertension, or any systemic disease ever diagnosed for her. She had good diets, low salt, low fat. why did the stroke still happen to her? I've noted many cases, in which a healthy young people died because of hemmorhage stroke. What did actually happen to them?

An aneurysm (or aneurism)is a localized, blood-filled dilation (balloon-like bulge) of a blood vessel caused by disease or weakening of the vessel wall.
Aneurysms most commonly occur in arteries at the base of the brain (the circle of Willis) and in the aorta (the main artery coming out of the heart, a so-called aortic aneurysm). As the size of an aneurysm increases, there is an increased risk of rupture, which can result in severe hemorrhage or other complications including sudden death.
Though there are a number of likely causes, the cause is not always known. However, generally speaking, a brain aneurism is often the result of damage done to an artery. This damage may result from…
1.Genetic factors
2.Disease
3.Atherosclerosis
4.Injury
5.Infections
Bad lifestyle habits (tobacco use, alcoholism,) and copper deficiency
It is also a fact that brain aneurisms develop without any recognizable symptoms.
Some of methods to prevent this disease will not fully protect us aginst this disease.
Aneurisms can develop because of certain lifestyle choices we make. there are some things we can do to lower our risk. Four of them are particularly important. These are…
1.Keep blood pressure low
2.Maintain a balanced cholesterol profile
3.Don’t smoke
4.Reduce atherosclerosis build-up
The other thing that might be useful is doing general check-up, and if necessary you can ask for a brain CT Scan or MRI to your doctor.

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Friday, March 20, 2009

Gout Arthritis- Try some new ideas.......

Nowadays, Gout arthritis become common disease. Neither it’s caused by life-style changes or many other factors, it’s interesting to know how to prevent or to perform new methods to lower the uric acid level. Among humans, serum uric acid levels vary markedly. Premenopausal women, for example, have lower serum uric acid levels than men or postmenopausal women, since estrogen stimulates urinary urate excretion. Genetic differences in the regulation of uric acid synthesis, renal uric acid excretion, or both are also likely to be important, and these factors may account for some of the racial differences in the susceptibility to gout. Chronic lead intoxication from contamination of wine and food has also been implicated in the epidemics of gout that affected both the Roman Empire and Victorian England, since lead toxicity impairs the ability of the kidney to excrete uric acid. However, it has been postulated that a major mechanism underlying the development of gout is the excess ingestion of purine-rich foods and alcoholGout is characterized by excruciating, sudden, unexpected, burning pain, as well as swelling, redness, warmth, and stiffness in the affected joint. The patient usually suffers from two sources of pain. The crystals inside the joint and the inflammation of the tissues around the joint also causes the skin to be swollen, tender and sore if it is even slightly touched.

Diet
The serum level of uric acid is the primary risk factor for gout. The serum level is the result of both intake (diet) and output (excretion). Diet should be low fat and low protein.
A 2004 study suggests as beef and seafood) greatly increase the risk of developing gout. However, high-purine vegetable sources (such as asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, and green peas) did not. Dairy products such as milk and cheese significantly reduced the chances of gout.
intake of purines
A diet low in purines reduces the serum level of uric acid, unless these levels are caused by other health conditions and not as responsive to dietary changes. For notable sources of dietary purines, see "Foods to avoid" section below.
Men who consume two or more sugary soft drinks a day have higher risk of gout compared with those who drink less than one a month. Soft drinks contain large quantities of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), a common sweetener in soft drinks, which results in hyperuricemia in blood. Hyperuricemia, in turn predispose the body for gout.
Other approaches
The following suggestions do not meet with universal approval among medical practitioners.
Low purine diet:
§ To lower uric acid:
§ Tart cherries were reported to reduce uric acid in a small study. Tart cherry juice or tart cherry capsules are believed to help dissolve the needle-like crystals that deposit themselves between the joints and connective tissue.
§ Celery extracts (celery or celery seed either in capsule form or as a tisane/infusion) is believed by many to reduce uric acid levels (although these are also diuretics.Celery extracts have been reported to act synergistically with anti-inflammatory drugs
§ Cheese has been recommended as a low-purine foodand dairy products have been found to reduce the risk of gout.
§ Carbonated beverages and sugar have also been recommended as a low-purine food, even though it was established that men who consume two or more sugary soft drinks a day have an 85% higher risk of gout compared with those who drink less than one a month.
§ Dietary supplements Quercetin, a flavonoid, can decrease uric acid levels. Quercetin can be taken with bromelain to improve its absorption. In addition, Pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) is said to help with the excretion process of uric acid. Vitamin C has been demonstrated to increase excretion on uric acid and in turn lower serum urate levels.
§ Food to avoid:
§ Foods high in purines
§ Limit food high in protein such as meat, fish, poultry, or tofu to 8 ounces (226 grams) a day. Avoid entirely during a flare-up. Tofu has been proposed as a safe source of protein for gout patients due to its small and transient effect on plasma urate levels.
§ Sweetbreads, kidneys, liver, brains, or other offal meats.
§ Sardines and anchovies
§ Seafood.particularly shellfish such as clam, oyster, scallop, shrimp, crab, lobster, and crayfish.
§ Asparagus. Cauliflower. Mushrooms. Spinach. (Even though above says "Consumption of the more purine-rich vegetables or a high protein diet per se had no significant correlation.")
§ Dry beans (lentils & peas).
§ Alcohol. Ironically, red wines, particularly those produced by traditional methods, contain procyanidins released from grape seeds during wine making, which have been reported to lower serum uric acid levels by an indirect mechanism However, withdrawal of urate-lowering therapy is associated with recurrence of acute gouty arthritis.
§ Meat extracts, consommés, and gravies
§ Foods high in fructose, as discussed above, especially high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) as main ingredient.
§ All soft drinks (non-diet), wherein HFCS is second ingredient next to water
§ Fruit preserves, jam, jelly
§ Syrup
§ Candy
§ To lesser extent, depending on fructose content, ice cream, cakes, and cookies
§ Foods high in sucrose, which is a double sugar consisting of glucose and fructose
Over the counter remedies
§ Sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) is a traditional remedy, thought to work by raising blood pH (lowering blood acidity). However, the added sodium may be inappropriate for some people.
§ Research from the University of British Columbia suggests long-term coffee consumption is associated with a lower risk of gout. Other studies extend this benefit to tea and other caffeinated foods and drinks.
§ Potassium supplements should be advantageous to treat gout. Gout can be triggered by the same agents that cause potassium losses such as fasting, surgery, and potassium losing diuretics. A potassium deficiency can increase urate levels in the blood.
§ Chondroitin sulfate reduces the rate of crystallization of uric acid in urine. This has been demonstrated in vitro, but has not been tested in clinical trial. One study shows an opposite effect.
§ Wu Jia Pi, the cortex of Siberian ginseng, can be used intermittently between outbreaks of gout in patients with a chronic condition to prevent future occurrences.

Source: http://wikipedia.com


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Friday, March 6, 2009

Boost Your Immune System!! Go Fasting!!!

Fasting has various effects on the immune system. It is good way to improve our health and our immune system. Fasting may lower plasma viscosity due to less traffic in the bloodstream (less fat, sugar, and protein). It can decrease your blood pressure, lower your heart beat, and control your cardiovascular system. The result of fasting on the immune system is amazing, you can detoxify years of toxic built up, in the immune system due to alcohol, drug and tobacco addiction in weeks.

Fasting may Increase Immune System Processes by several ways:
1.Elevate Macrophage Activity
2.Increase Cell-Mediated Immunity by the form of Lymphocytes
3.Increase Immunoglobulin Levels
4..Increase Neutrophil Bactericidal Activity
5.Heighten Monocyte Killing and Bacterial Function
6.Enhance Natural Killer Cell Activity:
For people that perform fasting by religious reason, they may reduce the stress or depression level ;thus may increase the immune system too., it can be explained by the psycho-humoral-neuro-immunology paradigm. So, let's start to do fasting. Even for diabetic patients, you can consult your doctor first, for changing the diabetic treatment schedule.

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