Definitely cholesterol testing is the most important aspect of life. Cholesterol is required for a body but not in excess. It is a steroid in the cell membrane that appears to be insoluble and waxy in nature. This is an essential sterol in the human body, but when it is in excess it tends to clog the blood vessels since it is insoluble. This leads to a heart attack, so cholesterol testing is very important.

There are two types of cholesterol which can be put into simple terms as harmful and harmless cholesterol. The harmful one is Low Density Lipo Protein which circulates in the blood combining other substances and making the blood thick causing a heart attack. On the other hand the HDL cholesterol takes excess cholesterol to the liver and keeps a check on the blood not allowing it to thicken. This process avoids heart attacks.

Prestigious institutions like American College of Preventive Medicine, American Heart Association, American Association of Family Physicians, American College of Cardiology, and over 40 others have endorsed the NCEP guidelines. Only the American College of Physicians have registered a dissent that cholesterol measurement is unwarranted in young adults and older men.

The expert panel of NCEP recommends that cholesterol levels should be checked at least once in 5 years in all adults, and HDL cholesterol is to be measured at the same time. Accurate and precise measurement of blood cholesterol is extremely important in the NCEP’S program. It stresses on accurate and precise measurement of blood cholesterol to reduce mortality and morbidity that attribute to coronary heart disease. A Cholesterol Reference Method of Laboratory Network was set up to improve measurement of cholesterol with validation of traceability of their assays.

Cholesterol testing is unique because it is not diagnostic in nature but aims to estimate the risk of attracting a disease. This is to be considered as part of routine checkups, which will highlight the impending problems that are to come. Cholesterol testing can be done every five years in a normal person, but it should be more frequent in patients who have a known record of high cholesterol. Smokers, cholesterol patients, diabetics and hypertension patients or those who are above 45 years should be tested regularly.

Though regular tests for adults about 20 years is not necessary children need to be screened for cholesterol, especially obese patients who are more prone to diabetes and high cholesterol levels leading to heart attacks, especially in obese children.

Be happy and live well if your cholesterol testing results is 200mg/dl it means favorable or if it is 200-239mg/dl too it is on the border level. Contrary, if your level exceeds 240 mg/dl it spells danger. Take immediate steps to reduce the level and take frequent tests till it is under control, or it may lead to a heart attack.

Visit the Cholesterol Scoop for more information on Raise Good Cholesterol.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/cholesterol-testing-the-cornerstone-of-efforts-to-save-your-life-1344696.html

Asbestos is fibrous mineral that as both extreme positive and negative characteristics. The positive side evolves from its incredible ability to resist heat, but the negative side is all about the dangerous health implication it can have. In this article, we take a look at one lung problem known as asbestosis.

Mention asbestos in a conversation about health and one word comes to mind – Mesothelioma. “Meso” is a rare form of cancer that is associated with exposure to asbestos in a dust like form in the air. The asbestos gets down into the lungs and cannot be expelled. The asbestos eventually gets into the lung-blood interface and causes mutations leading to cancer. This does not always happen, however. Sometimes, asbestosis is the result.

Asbestosis is the name given to a condition that arises when asbestos is breathed in, but does not cause Mesothelioma. Instead, the asbestos fibers become lodged into the surface of the lungs. Slowly, but surely, that area heals over the asbestos and causes scarring. The scarring then prevents that part of the lung from functioning normally.

One small asbestos fiber is really not a problem and isn’t classified as asbestosis. The problem is most people don’t breathe in one fiber. They breathe in hundreds or thousands. This lead to widespread damage to the lungs. The scarring inhibits the ability of the lungs to expand and contract. This, of course, then limits your ability to suck in air and breathe out.

Are there any typical symptoms with asbestosis? They should be very obvious. The first is a shortness of breath. The inability of the lungs to contract and expand simply translates to a lack of oxygen. This can also manifest as chest pain and a reduction in the ability to pursue physical activity given the lack of lung volume.

Is asbestosis terminal? No. It is not a cancer like Mesothelioma or lung cancer. Once exposure to asbestos is terminated, the health problem should stabilize.

Thomas Ajava is with GalvestonMesotheliomaAttorney.com – your online resource for finding a Galveston Mesothelioma attorney to handle your case and answer your questions.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/asbestosis-the-slightly-lesser-evil-of-breathing-asbestos-in-1339049.html

Losing fat is a very difficult task for many peoples who do no want or dont have time for regular exercising. Of course there people who so scared of getting fat and so they go ahead and starve themselves just to keep in shape. There are various aspects that lead one’s body to accumulate fat. These aspects may incude:

Blood Sugar Levels

Low amounts of calories in the body trigger bloodsugar levels. This is often characterised by feeling tired, irritability, restlessness and anxiety. All these cause one to have a craving for something sweet and rich in carbohydrates. This is beccause the body needs glucose which is needed to provide energy for the bodily functions yet the supply is minimal. The brain and the central nervous system are the main beneficiaries of glucose. The brain is known to consume close to 2/3 of the glucose supply when one is active or one is asleep. This urge to eat sweet foods is the mechanism of the body to get one to eat in vast amounts. As one consumes more and more food, the blood sugar raises to very high levels triggering insulin to start deploying glucose to the muscles and liver areas. This is good for the proper functioning of the body. However, some people tend to overeat. Overeating leads to glucose being directed in the fat cells to be stored as a reserve. This reserve is hardly utilised and thus more accumulation will result in one getting fat.

The Serotonin Levels

Serotanin is obtained from tryptophan. It is used as a nuerotransmiter for the brain and the nervous system. A good level of serotanin in the blood ensures that one feels okay and the sleep pattern proceed in the required form. Everyone has in one time or the other been awoken from sleep by hunger pangs; this is a result of low serotanin levels disrupting the sleep to inform you that you need carbohydrates. One may argue that the carbohydrates will make them fatter but this situation indicates low calorie levels that require carbohydrate intervention.

It is therefore that bodybuilders need to take a light carbohydrate say a snack before sleep in order to ensure better sleep patterns through appropriate levels of serotanin.

The Muscle Protein and the Metabolism Issue

When the body is deprived of energy, the muscles are often broken down to create glucose for the body especially the brain. Some people have heard that ketone bodies are at times broken down to provide energy for the brain. This is not entirely true as the brain will continue to only utilise glucose and hence the muscles will still be used for that.

The body however does not advocate for muscle breadown and so it will tend to slow down the matebolic in order to reduce most energy requirements for as long as possible. As the muscles breakdown, the energy requirements are lowered, fewer calories are burnt and hence they are stored as fat.This explains why low calorie diets are discouraged while one is trying to cut excess weight.

The Lipoprotein Lipase Issue

The body has the system of recovery whereby it can gain back the weight it lost in months in just a few days. This is enble through an enzyme called lipoprotein lipase which is developed whenever one undereats for long periods of time.

After that period is over, they work by converting whatever meal you take to fat.

Malnutrition of the Borderline type

This type of malnutrition occurs in candidates who are overzelous to diet down their weight. It has several characteristics such:

Water retention which is dangerous since it may be interpreted as weight and thus further efffort will be put in order to fight weight gain.

Iron deficiency resulting to borderline anemia is also a common phenomenon. Lack of various nutrients causes the body to trigger hunger in an effort to suppplement these nutrients from food.

Poststarvation-Hyperphagia

Another factor is Poststarvation hyperphagia. This is a heightened hunger feeling that is particularly hard to ignore. This makes one eat alot leading to further fat deposition.

Dane Fletcher is the world’s most prolific bodybuilding and fitness expert and is currently the executive editor for BodybuildingToday.com. If you are looking for more bodybuilding tips or information on weight training, or supplementation, please visit www.BodybuildingToday.com, the bodybuilding and fitness authority site with hundreds of articles available FREE to help you meet your goals.

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/training-tips-for-losing-fat-1339303.html

Vegetarians, being fans of vegetables most probably do not have problems with body detoxification. But sometimes, vegetables are cooked and mixed with processed ingredients. In this case, the body cannot absorb all of the nutrients found on these vegetables completely. When a person wants to undergo a full body detox, he should eat raw vegetables and fruits more because of the enzymes that help greatly in the detoxification process. Detoxification is the elimination of toxic substances that are found in your kidneys, liver, intestines, lymph, lungs, skin and body fat. If a person does not detoxify, degradation of health will occur, and worse, the accumulation of severe diseases. A person can acquire these dangerous toxins from industrial chemicals encountered in workplaces, beauty products, hair-coloring products and dental fillings.

If you decide to pursue a body detox plan involving the body detox diet, then you have better ideas for your stored fruits and vegetables and of course, your body. There are many types of body detox diets already out but there are simple body detox recipes that you can try at home.

Monothropic Diet

This body detox recipe is a contribution of Dr. Kiki Sidhwa where a person is only allowed to eat one type of fruit per meal. In a day, for instance, you can have apple for breakfast then maybe by lunch you can have pineapple and for your dinner, you can have pears.

Ginger Healing Tea with Turmeric

This is not your processed and ready-made tea on teabags. In two cups of water you put ½ teaspoon of powdered ginger and turmeric each. Here you can also add other powdered herbs to the boiling water and then let it simmer for ten minutes. When it is ready, strain the tea and maybe add a maple syrup and lemon extract to enhance the taste more.

The Vegetable Super Juice

This juice is for an energy boost and for the stimulation of your digestive system. What you have to do is blend in together one cucumber, four celery sticks, two to four handfuls of spinach and eight lettuce leaves. You can add parsley and fresh alfalfa leaves if you want. Add some water and lemon juice and you’re good to go.

Alkalising Raw Soup

Your objective here is to make a light paste with avocadoes, spring onions, red/green pepper, cucumber spinach and garlic. You should also mix a light vegetable Bouillion. It is your choice if you want to add some lime or lemon juice here.

Warm Broccoli Soup

In this soup, you blend avocadoes, broccoli heads, red onion, celery sticks, ginger roots and cumin together. If you want to add garlic, it can also be possible.

There are other body detox recipes out there. These are some body detox recipes that are particular a certain part of the body that you want to cleanse, which is why you will expect a wide variety of diversity in body detox recipes.

John Khu is a health enthusiast and author of a new eBook titled “Body Detox Tips”. He is devoted to educate others on the benefit of body detoxification. He is also the owner of the website called www.BodyDetoxTips.com which provides complete and up-to-date information.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/care-for-some-body-detox-recipes-1331589.html

Women that suffer from menorrhagia are not only inconvenienced each month, they may experience pain, emotional turmoil and difficulty getting pregnant. Menorrhagia is excessively heaving bleeding during menstruation. It is believed that this is one of the most common menstrual disorder, but it is often hard to diagnose because measuring menstrual flow is difficult. Women may experience a variety of other symptoms as well, and sometimes the heavy flow is a symptom itself. It is more common amongst women suffering from fibroids or cysts on their reproductive organs, and there may be a link to obesity and menorrhagia. In severe cases of menorrhagia, a woman may choose menstrual surgery to cope with her condition.

What Is It?

There are different surgical procedures commonly associated with menorrhagia. Hysteroscopic surgery places a small telescopic instrument into the uterine cavity for examination. There are no incisions during the procedure and the tool is inserted through the vagina into the uterus. The doctor is able to remove scar tissue, polyps, and small fybroid tumors. This procedure stops or reduces menstrual flow and preserves fertility. It is safer than a traditional hysterectomy, and in most cases, has less side effects.

A second minimally invasive option is laparoscopic surgery. In this procedure a thin, fiber-optic tube with a tiny video camera on the end of it is inserted into the uterus through a small incision in the navel. It is then guided to the problem area. The surgeon then inserts tiny surgical instruments through another small incision to perform the operation.

A third form of surgery, which is known as Uterine Balloon Ablation, or roller ball surgery, destroys the uterine lining of women that suffer excessive blood flow. It is an outpatient procedure, and many women experience only minor cramping as a result of the surgery. Some require only a 24 hour recovery period and most are back to a relatively normal life within a week. It is necessary to refrain from exercise and strenuous activity for 3-4 weeks. This procedure does carry the risk of sterility, but if someone intends to be sterile following the procedure, it is recommended that a tubal ligation be performed simultaneously.

Who Needs It?

Women that suffer from heavy menstrual bleeding are prime candidates for the surgery. While menorrhagia is not often a dangerous condition, severe cases of it can lead to anemia. Women suffering from fibroids and polyps are also candidates for the procedure. In the case of hysteroscopy surgery, women that still have a desire to conceive will most often be recommended for that procedure in lieu of other options.

Benefits

The major benefit of menstrual surgery is that more often than not, it will put an end to the condition. Women that suffer from a variety of menstrual disorders will benefit from surgery. The effects of suffering from fibroids, polyps and scar tissue can be limiting and unpleasant. Women may see a boost in their sex lives, confidence, and overall health once they have remedied the menstrual disorder that was plaguing them.

The majority of the non-invasive procedures is that there is minimal recovery time and many women are able to return home the same day. There is less pain and because there are no incisions, the risk of infection may be reduced as well.

Risks

Aside from the typical risks of surgery, such as a negative or severe reaction to anesthesia, menstrual surgery holds limited risk. There is some danger to the uterus, as any time instruments are inserted near tender tissue, the patient could suffer perforation. This, or other poor reactions, could lead to sterility. Some women desire sterility when having the operation, but young women that want their reproductive organs to remain functional should understand there are risks associated with the procedure. Granted, women that opt to undergo menstrual surgery often find it difficult to get pregnant due to their pre-existing conditions. Surgery may be the only hope a woman has for conceiving, and she is willing to accept the risk.

The options for women suffering from menorrhagia or other menstrual disorders are varied and safe. Depending upon a woman’s age, condition, and desire to have children, she and her doctor will choose the procedure that will work best for her. If you believe you have a condition that could be remedied through menstrual surgery, discuss your options with your doctor as soon as possible.

The information in the article is not intended to substitute for the medical expertise and advice of your health care provider. We encourage you to discuss any decisions about treatment or care with an appropriate health care provider.

Kelly Brown is a writer for Yodle, a business directory and online advertising company. Find a Surgeon or more Health and Medicine articles at Yodle Consumer Guide. Menstrual Surgery Options Available to Those Suffering from Menorrhagia

Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/menstrual-surgery-options-available-to-those-suffering-from-menorrhagia-1307625.html

People would always try to find new things to lose weight without looking on the danger it would give. They want to do it at their own convenience and with less effort.

Some of these diet pills are prescribed by doctors while others are readily and easily available over the counter. Those with prescriptions are given especially to obese individuals as they would probably need it. Diet pills would have effects in bodily functions and implemented with extra care.

These pills have dreadful side effects like diarrhea with oily discharges, it can raise your heart rate as well as your blood pressure and the most awful result is DEATH. It should be in your mind that whatever is taken, it will always have an effect to the body’s system.

Why not lose weight in a better and safer way? Truly, exercise is tiring and time consuming. Some individuals wouldn’t find it enjoyable to do and going to the gym is somewhat a hassle to do. There are exercises that are easy and effective. Simply doing household chores could make you burn calories.

Engaging in sports would also be helpful. A few examples are badminton, basketball and swimming. Try a thirty minute walk just around the block at least three to four times in a week. To make it more of an enjoyable thing to do, find a walking partner or a friend.

It will hardly be noticed in few days or weeks but it will dramatically take effects when it becomes a routine. Another one is to eat a balanced diet. Try eating low carbohydrate foods. With this, it will make you feel full longer and eat less.

It is important to have a habit of setting realistic goals about your plan to lose weight. Include goals that are easy to achieve. Do not say about losing 10 to 20 pounds in a week because it is not realistic. Do things one step at a time, do not stress yourself that these goals will be attained in just few days.

Do not forget to have a record of your work and you can keep track with what you achieved. Have the spirit to reach for those goals and lastly, remember that discipline is important, so aspire for what is favorable.

If your blood pressure reading is 140/90, you have high blood pressure (essential hypertension). Blood pressure measurements are read as two numbers. The higher number is called the systolic pressure. The lower number is called the diastolic pressure. Normal systolic pressure is 120 or less, and normal diastolic pressure is 80 or less.

People with systolic pressures between 120 and 139, or diastolic pressures of 80 to 89 are considered “pre-hypertensive” and need medical monitoring and lifestyle changes.

High blood pressure puts stress on the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels. Over time, it can damage these organs and tissues.

What Are The Causes?

By definition, the cause of essential hypertension is not known, but medical monitoring and lifestyle changes can help prevent it.

What Are the Risk Factors?

A risk factor is something that increases your chance of getting a disease or condition. Risk factors for high blood pressure include:

* Sex:

– Male

– Postmenopausal female

* Race: Black

* Age: Middle-aged and older

* Overweight

* Heavy alcohol consumption

* Smoking

* Use of oral contraceptives (birth control pills)

* Sedentary lifestyle

* Family history

* Kidney disease

* Diabetes

* High-fat, high-salt diet

* Emotional stress

What Will The Symptoms Be?

High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. Many people have it and don’t even suspect it. Your organs and tissues can be damaged by high blood pressure without your feeling any symptoms.

Blood pressure (BP) must reach extreme levels before symptoms can be noticed. Occasionally, people with very high BP may experience the following symptoms:

* Headache

* Blurry or double vision

* Abdominal pain

* Chest pain

* Shortness of breath

* Dizziness

Is There A Diagnosis?

High BP is often diagnosed during a visit to the doctor. Blood pressure is measured using the familiar cuff around the arm and a device called a sphygmomanometer. If your BP reading is high, you’ll be asked to come back for repeat blood pressure checks. If you have two or more visits with readings over 140/90, you will be diagnosed with high blood pressure.

Tests to make sure your high blood pressure is not caused by another medical condition and that it has not already caused complications include:

* Blood tests

* Urine tests

* Chest x-rays – a test that uses radiation to take a picture of structures inside the body

* Electrocardiogram (ECG, EKG)- a test that records the heart’s activity by measuring electrical currents through the heart muscle

How Is High BP Treated?

A. Lifestyle Changes

1. Lose weight if necessary. Your health care provider can recommend a safe weight loss plan and a reasonable target weight.

2. Begin a safe exercise program based on the advice of your health care provider. In addition, try to add physical activity into your daily life.

3. Eat a low-fat, low-sodium, high-fiber diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, as recommended by your health care provider.

4. If you smoke, quit. There are additional health risks associated with smoking.

5. Drink alcohol in moderation. Moderate alcohol intake is no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.

6. Consider counseling, stress reduction exercises, and meditation to decrease the stress in your life.

B. Medications to lower blood pressure include:

1. Diuretics

2. Beta blockers

3. Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors)

4. Calcium channel blockers

5. Alpha blockers

6. Alpha-beta blockers

7. Nervous system inhibitors

8. Vasodilators

Note: Untreated high blood pressure can lead to:

* Heart disease

* Heart attack

* Stroke

* Kidney damage

Use Prevention to reduce your chance of developing high blood pressure:

* Eat a healthful diet, one that is low in saturated fat and rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables.

* Exercise regularly.

* Maintain a healthy weight.

* Don’t smoke. If you smoke, quit.

* Drink alcohol in moderation. Moderate alcohol intake is no more than two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women.

Incoming search terms:

• nano512