Do 6 Simple Exercise that Prevent Heart Attack Risks

Up to three-quarters of heart attacks in younger women could be prevented if women followed a number of healthy lifestyle practices, a new study shows.

Researchers followed nearly 70,000 women over two decades. They documented all cases of heart disease and death that occurred during the study period, and every two years, they looked at six aspects of the women's lifestyles: smoking, alcohol consumption, body mass index, physical activity, TV-watching habits and diet quality.

"We wanted to find out what proportion of heart disease cases could be attributed to unhealthy habits," said study co-author Andrea Chomistek, a researcher at the Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington.

In general, people's risk of dying from heart disease in the United States has been declining over the past couple of decades. But women ages 35 to 44 have not shown the same reduction as other groups, and researchers think a part of the difference could be explained by lifestyle choices, according to the study.

At the start of the study, the participants were 37 years old on average, and those who developed heart disease during the study period did so at age 50, on average, the researchers said. The researchers defined being "healthy" in the six habits as not smoking, consuming no more than one alcoholic drink daily, having a BMI in the normal range (18.5 to 24.9), exercising for at least 2.5 hours weekly, watching TV for fewer than 7 hours weekly, and consuming a diet rich in vegetables and whole grains and low in red meat, refined grains and sugar.

The researchers found that the women who followed healthy practices in all six aspects of their lifestyle had a 92 percent lower risk of having a heart attack, and a 66 percent lower risk of developing a risk factor for heart disease — such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or high blood cholesterol — compared with the women who were unhealthy in all six measures.

The results also showed that three-quarters of heart attacks in women in this age range, and almost half of all risk factors in these women, could have been prevented if all of the women in the study had lived a healthy lifestyle, the researchers said.

Taking up a healthier lifestyle by eating better and exercising more is often the first recommendation made for people who have high blood sugar, high cholesterol or another risk factor for heart disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In line with those recommendations, when the researchers looked only at women who had developed risk factors for heart disease (and not those who actually had heart attacks), they found that women who followed at least four of the healthy lifestyle practices had a markedly lower risk of going on to develop heart disease than the women who did not practice any of the healthy habits.

"Women should begin following these lifestyle practices early in life, especially if they are already taking medication for a risk factor such as hypertension or high cholesterol," Chomistek said. "It's an easy way to prevent future heart trouble."

The study was published today (Jan. 5) in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

Resources from:
http://www.livescience.com/49323-lifestyle-women-heart-attack.html

What’s The Exact Level Of Blood Pressure, Check Here

Blood pressure is one of the vital signs that doctors measure to assess general health. Having a high blood pressure, also called hypertension, that is not under control can result in heart problems, stroke, and other medical conditions.

About one in three U.S. adults have high blood pressure and only about half of these people have their high blood pressure under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). High blood pressure is sometimes referred to as the "silent killer" because it often has no symptoms.
 

Certain lifestyle factors, such as diet and smoking habits, can greatly impact a person's risk of developing high blood pressure.

"Having a healthy lifestyle really makes a difference in your life because you can avoid high blood pressure," said Dr. Mary Ann Bauman, an internist at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. "If you do have high blood pressure, make sure take your medication. You may not necessarily have symptoms until your blood pressure gets really high."

What is normal blood pressure?

Blood pressure reflects the force of blood as it hits the walls of the arteries. When the heart squeezes and pushes the blood out, the blood pushes against the walls of the blood vessels. People are born with very elastic vessels that can expand easily, and bounce back when the pressure on them is low.

As people age, they get plaque buildup inside the blood vessels, and the flexible walls of the arteries become stiff. Now, when the heart squeezes and pushes the blood out, the blood vessels can't expand like they used to do and sustain higher pressure. Over time, the heart has to push so hard against the pressure that it starts to fail, Bauman said.

Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers and written as a ratio: the top number, called the systolic pressure, is the pressure as the heart beats. The bottom number, called the diastolic pressure, is the measurement as the heart relaxes between beats.

Normal blood pressure is a systolic pressure of less than 120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and a diastolic pressure of less than 80 mm Hg, or 120/80 mm Hg, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

Having a blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg is considered high blood pressure or hypertension.

A blood pressure level between normal and hypertension, is called prehypertension, meaning it is higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered hypertension.

A number of factors can raise blood pressure, including stress, smoking, caffeine, binge drinking, certain over-the-counter and prescribed medications and even cold temperatures.

Those who are fit — including those who regularly exercise and professional athletes — tend to have lower blood pressures and heart rates, as do those who do not smoke and are a healthy weight.

Checking your blood pressure

Starting at age 20, the AHA recommends a blood pressure screening at your regular healthcare visit or once every 2 years, if your blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg.

People who have high blood pressure are pre-hypertension are recommended to check their blood pressure at least three times a week, Bauman said.

People can check their blood pressure themselves. In fact, monitoring blood pressure at home may be better than doing so at the doctor's office, partly because people are especially susceptible to a spike in their blood pressure when they visit a doctor, a situation known as white coat hypertension.

"We have many studies that indicate people taking their blood pressure at home is much more accurate than at the doctor's office," Bauman said.

A manual or digital blood pressure monitor (sphygmomanometer) typically comes with instructions that should be followed carefully to get the most accurate results.

The first step is to find your pulse by pressing your index finger on the brachial artery, which is at the bend of your elbow, slightly to the inside center. On a manual monitor, place the head of the stethoscope in the general area, or for a digital monitor, place the cuff in this area.

For a manual monitor, you have to hold the pressure gauge in one hand (your weaker hand) and the bulb in the other hand. Inflate the cuff until it reads about 30 points above your normal systolic pressure. At this point, you should not hear your pulse in the stethoscope. When you hear the first heart beat, this is the systolic pressure. As you deflate the cuff, keep listening for a heart beat. When you can no longer hear it, that is your diastolic pressure.

A digital monitor does the inflation and deflation and recording of the systolic and diastolic heart rates.

Risk factors for hypertension and its consequences
Risk factors for high blood pressure include too much salt in the diet, excess weight, inactivity, and smoking.

The dangers of high blood pressure include hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, kidney disease and heart disease. High blood pressure can also result in stroke, either because of a blocked arteries or a burst in a blood vessel.

Low blood pressure, known as hypotension, can also cause health problems such as fainting and dizziness. Quick, dramatic drops in blood pressure can reduce the adequate blood supply to the brain. Most of the time, hypotension goes undetected and is typically not dangerous unless it produces symptoms.

Treating high blood pressure

Treating high blood pressure includes lifestyle changes and prescription medication for those with readings of 140/90 or higher, according to the AHA.

"The first thing we tell people to do if their blood pressure is in prehypertension range, is to lose weight, exercise more, and reduce salt in diet," Bauman said. "If they reach higher levels, we then treat them with medications."

Resources from:
http://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

How to apply for the Student Education Loan?

Canadian Loan Program

As a Canadian student, you may be eligible to apply for the student Line of Credit through several banks catering to medical students studying outside of the country. Again, most of these banks will require a cosigner during the application process. Register for Canadian Loan Program

If you are interested in applying for a Student Line of Credit, please contact the Financial Department at Texila American University.

• CIBC
• Scotia bank
• TD Canada Trust

With this huge milestone comes more possibilities for financial assistance to Canadian students. Texila American University is in the application process of applying for the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP).

The Texila American Team is patiently awaiting an update on our OSAP status and we appreciate your patience as well. As soon as more information is provided students and perspective students will be updated.

For more information on our student payment plan please contact: enquiry@tauedu.org

Doctor careless the Surgical Tools, left inside patients

Surgical Tools

Going into the hospital, changing into a gown, and lying down as you’re being escorted through the doors of the operating room can be a nerve-wracking experience all on its own. Although surgery comes with a risk, it seems more complications arise post-surgery from the hands of no other than the surgeon herself. Doctors have coined the term as “retained surgical items” (RSI).

Every year, 1,500 patients in the U.S. have surgical objects accidentally left inside them after surgery, according to The Joint Commission, an independent, not-for-profit organization that accredits and certifies more than 20,500 health care organizations and programs in the country. Most of the RSI are sponges used to control patient bleeding during long operations. RSI can lead to pain, infections, and other medical complications.

The implementation of electronic scanners and sponge tracking systems has been promoted for use in order to account for all items after surgery. For example, doctors and nurses in the Indiana University Health system would use sponge counts to keep track of the gauzy pads during surgery. However, out of the 34,000 surgeries performed each year at IU Health’s three-hospital campus in Indianapolis, they would get one or two cases in which the sponges were left in a patient.

IU Health now uses tracking technology, which costs about $275,000 a year, including the annual cost of the tagged sponges which are about $8 per surgery, USA Today reported. IU hospitals have not had a single lost-sponge case in five years since the use of the tracking technology. This has led to a lot of savings and reduced medical costs.

Click “View Gallery” to view the case reports of patients whose lives were in jeopardy when it came to surgery and surgical tools.

Source from www.medicaldaily.com/not-so-smooth-operator-7-surgical-tools-accidentally-left-behind-after-surgery-315298

8 % of Americans Have Depression,WHY???

8% of Americans have Depression

Close to 8 percent of Americans have depression of some kind, but only about a third of those are getting treated for it, a major federal survey finds. The most depressed group? Women ages 40 to 59. More than 12 percent of women that age say they're depressed. 

The least? Teenage boys. Just 4 percent of them have been diagnosed with depression.

"During 2009-2012, 7.6 percent of Americans aged 12 and over had depression (moderate or severe depressive symptoms in the past 2 weeks)," Laura Pratt and Debra Brody of the National Center for Health Statistics wrote.

"About 3 percent of Americans aged 12 and over had severe depressive symptoms," they added. "Of those with severe symptoms, 35 percent reported having contact with a mental health professional in the past year."
 

This is troubling, because depression is difficult to treat and does best when people are given a combination of drugs and counseling. People living below the poverty level were more than twice as likely to have depression than people making more money. 

Almost 43 percent of people with severe depressive symptoms reported serious difficulties in work, home and social activities.

Source from www.nbcnews.com/health/mental-health/8-percent-americans-have-depression-few-are-treated-study-n260146