Heart disease and high cholesterol levels are an ever increasing problem in today's society. If we reduce the risk factors though this problem would be greatly reduced, and we might not need to take medication.
See the article below by Gary Stanton for some ideas:
===========
An ounce of Prevention is worth more than a Pound of Cure.
"Cardiovascular diseases kill some 950,000 Americans every
year, but as many as two-thirds of these deaths are
preventable. Over the past 50 years, research into the
causes of ischemic heart disease (which causes over half
the deaths from cardiovascular disease) has shown that many
people's risk of a heart attack can be reduced by making
lifestyle changes and taking medication. In addition,
treating high blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke and
congestive heart failure." 1
Heart disease is America's number 1 killer.
Do you know what your risk profile is?
There are numerous risk factors we should all be aware of:
• family history
• high blood pressure
• high blood cholesterol level
• cigarette smoking
• diabetes mellitus
• sedentary lifestyle
• obesity
• advancing age
• stressful lifestyle
• depression
Family History
You obviously can not exchange the parents you inherited
for maybe a set without a history of heart disease,
however, you can change many things within your control.
Heart disease is largely preventable.
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure increases the hearts workload,
weakening it over time. It also increases the risk of
stroke, heart attack, kidney failure and congestive heart
failure. Aim for a blood pressure of under 140 systolic
(top) and 90 diastolic (bottom), with 120/80 being optimal.
Have your blood pressure checked at least every two years,
you can easily have it checked at most any pharmacy.
High cholesterol and high triglycerides
Having total cholesterol over 200 indicates a higher
susceptibility to heart disease. The target should be to
have an LDL ("bad" cholesterol) lower than 130, HDL ("good"
cholesterol) over 45, and triglycerides at 150 or even
lower. Triglycerides are emerging as a significant risk
factor.
Do You Smoke?
One word: STOP!
Cigarette smoking is the most important preventable cause
of premature death in the country. If you smoke your risk
of developing heart disease increases dramatically.
Diabetes
Diabetes is a serious risk factor. Regardless of age,
diabetics have a much higher risk of heart disease than
non-diabetics. If you have diabetes, work at maintaining a
healthy weight, keep physically active, minimize dietary
fat and calories, and consult your doctor.
Do you lead a sedentary lifestyle?
Inadequate physical activity does not provide for adequate
blood fl ow through your arteries which can lead to
blockages. These blockages can lead to some form of
coronary event. The heart is a muscle and muscles need to
work to stay strong. If you want to maintain a strong and
healthy heart you need to exercise regularly.
Get some physical activity. Put down the remote and the
potato chips and go for a walk. This is a great stress
reliever and it will burn off those calories from dinner.
Do not snack while you are walking.
Obesity and overweight
The incidence of obesity is in a crisis mode. Being more
than 30 percent over your ideal body weight makes you more
likely to develop heart disease, even with no other risk
factors. New guidelines recommend your waist circumference
should be less than 35 inches.
Carrying around excess weight puts an extra burden on your
heart and can take years off your life. An improper diet
and inadequate exercise often lead to coronary artery
disease. Fatty foods can increase cholesterol levels.
Carbohydrates convert to triglycerides which when elevated
to unsafe levels can indicate type II diabetes and heart
disease.
Do you lead a stressful life?
Stress can lead to many physical ailments including heart
disease and stroke. Stress puts an unhealthy heavy burden
on your heart.
Stress can be deadly so try to minimize it in your daily
life. Detach from the outcome of events you are worried
about and don't force things to occurr the way you expect.
Let it go and watch with amazement how what you want does
happen without your interference.
Try meditation or just quieting your mind for a few minutes
to relax tension and stress levels.
Give problems the "10 year test" Will this problem really
matter 10 years from now? If the answer is no, it is not
worth worrying about today either. Exercise strengthens
your heart so it is more capable of handling stress.
Aerobic activities like bicycling, playing tennis, running,
swimming, and walking are excellent ways to strengthen your
heart muscle.
Why exercise is so important?
Regular physical activity and maintaining the proper weight
are essential to reducing your risk of heart disease and
improving quality of life. It is not news that exercise
improves your heart health. Consistent exercise may in fact
lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, raise HDL (good)
cholesterol, and lower blood pressure.
The aging process can be slowed from physical activity and
exercise. The capacity of muscles and other tissues to
utilize oxygen decreases naturally with age. Exercise and
other physical activity can reduce the rate of this
decrease. The calorie burn rate at rest also decreases as
you age. Regular exercise can offset this by helping your
body burn more calories. Calories continue to burn even
hours after exercise. Bones and muscles work better when
they're used than when they are not.
Natural Supplements can be very beneficial as a preventive
measure against heart disease
Omega 3 fish oils are a healthy way of helping prevent
heart disease
"Evidence shows that even after age 50 and even if heart
disease has already developed, healthy lifestyle changes -
stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet, exercising
sensibly, and lowering cholesterol and blood pressure
levels with medication - may improve the odds for a longer,
more active life." 1
Footnotes:
1 - Preventing Heart Disease, March 12, 2002 American
College of Cardiology
----------------------------------------------------
http://www.lipidshield.com/LifestyleChanges.php .
Thursday, October 04, 2007
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Eating - When Your Brain Won't Say STOP
To eat or not to eat-- what does your brain say?
The desire to eat comes from many factors monitored by, and
instructions put out by your brain - in essence your level
of Brain Fitness. One specific brain region involved in
monitoring nutrition signals is the hypothalamus. This part
of the brain houses a complex set of brain cells that talk
to each other and talk to your bloodstream and digestive
tract to decide whether you need to eat.
If the hypothalamus system senses a need for nutrition it
will send out hormone signals that make you hungry, if not,
it will try to keep you feeling full. However, there are
other players in the drive to eat that come from emotional
centers and decision-making centers in the brain. This is
what separates us from other animals. Our behaviors aren't
as 'hard-wired' so we our more likely to eat
inappropriately just because we want to, not because we
need to.
The STOP signs in our heads
A new study published in the September 2007 edition of the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at a specific
brain region involved in this whole process, which relates
back to the whole concept of brain fitness.
Researchers looked at the activity of a brain region called
(ready for the long name) the left dorsal lateral
prefrontal cortex, or left DLPFC. This part of the brain
plays a role in inhibiting inappropriate behavior. It stops
you from acting on the impulse to do stupid things in
public, like punch someone who makes you mad, or say
something that you know you'll regret. It also stops you
from impulsively grabbing that donut when you know you
don't need it, which relates to this study.
Higher activity in the left DLPFC is associated with
greater control over impulsive eating. The new research
found that obese women had lower activity in this brain
region compared to lean or previously obese women (that had
successfully lost weight and kept it off). This was a
follow up to a previous study showing the same thing in
men. It's not really surprising but the cool thing is that,
the human cortex, including the DLPFC, tends to be
'moldable'.
Practice makes more permanent
We know that repeatedly practicing things that use the
cortex can make those brain connections stronger. For
example, if you repeatedly do Sudoku, you will get better
at recognizing number patterns. If you repeatedly do
crossword puzzles, you will get better at recalling words.
The new study is exciting because it suggests that if you
repeatedly work on impulse control you may be able to
increase the strength of the DLPFC and gain control of that
impulsive eating.
It all comes back to brain fitness in the end and how fit
your brain circuits are that control your behaviors. Just
like running or lifting weights, you can strengthen these
brain muscles and give your brain the power to have more
control over behaviors that you want to change. Like
anything else, all it takes is a little practice.
Now, excessive eating is not the only thing that controls
weight gain. Other factors that control your metabolism
contribute to whether you will gain or lose weight. Some of
these have genetic influences that are stronger in some
people than in others. But many of these can improve with
good nutrition and exercise as well.
The point to this article is that by practicing to change
the behaviors that you don't like, your brain will get
better at controlling them and it will get easier. No one
accomplishes anything difficult without practice and
experience - but eventually what once seemed close to
impossible becomes automatic after the appropriate
training. Brain Fitness is no different. With effort, you
can regain control. Just keep trying and give yourself time
for your brain circuits to strengthen.
----------------------------------------------------
Master Brain Fitness techniques for you and your family.
Your Brain Fitness holds is the key to unlock your maximum
potential. Dr. Simon Evans puts together the right
ingredients in right amount to create the recipe for
success. Visit http://www.BrainFitForLife.com for FREE
Brain Fitness resources.
The desire to eat comes from many factors monitored by, and
instructions put out by your brain - in essence your level
of Brain Fitness. One specific brain region involved in
monitoring nutrition signals is the hypothalamus. This part
of the brain houses a complex set of brain cells that talk
to each other and talk to your bloodstream and digestive
tract to decide whether you need to eat.
If the hypothalamus system senses a need for nutrition it
will send out hormone signals that make you hungry, if not,
it will try to keep you feeling full. However, there are
other players in the drive to eat that come from emotional
centers and decision-making centers in the brain. This is
what separates us from other animals. Our behaviors aren't
as 'hard-wired' so we our more likely to eat
inappropriately just because we want to, not because we
need to.
The STOP signs in our heads
A new study published in the September 2007 edition of the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition looked at a specific
brain region involved in this whole process, which relates
back to the whole concept of brain fitness.
Researchers looked at the activity of a brain region called
(ready for the long name) the left dorsal lateral
prefrontal cortex, or left DLPFC. This part of the brain
plays a role in inhibiting inappropriate behavior. It stops
you from acting on the impulse to do stupid things in
public, like punch someone who makes you mad, or say
something that you know you'll regret. It also stops you
from impulsively grabbing that donut when you know you
don't need it, which relates to this study.
Higher activity in the left DLPFC is associated with
greater control over impulsive eating. The new research
found that obese women had lower activity in this brain
region compared to lean or previously obese women (that had
successfully lost weight and kept it off). This was a
follow up to a previous study showing the same thing in
men. It's not really surprising but the cool thing is that,
the human cortex, including the DLPFC, tends to be
'moldable'.
Practice makes more permanent
We know that repeatedly practicing things that use the
cortex can make those brain connections stronger. For
example, if you repeatedly do Sudoku, you will get better
at recognizing number patterns. If you repeatedly do
crossword puzzles, you will get better at recalling words.
The new study is exciting because it suggests that if you
repeatedly work on impulse control you may be able to
increase the strength of the DLPFC and gain control of that
impulsive eating.
It all comes back to brain fitness in the end and how fit
your brain circuits are that control your behaviors. Just
like running or lifting weights, you can strengthen these
brain muscles and give your brain the power to have more
control over behaviors that you want to change. Like
anything else, all it takes is a little practice.
Now, excessive eating is not the only thing that controls
weight gain. Other factors that control your metabolism
contribute to whether you will gain or lose weight. Some of
these have genetic influences that are stronger in some
people than in others. But many of these can improve with
good nutrition and exercise as well.
The point to this article is that by practicing to change
the behaviors that you don't like, your brain will get
better at controlling them and it will get easier. No one
accomplishes anything difficult without practice and
experience - but eventually what once seemed close to
impossible becomes automatic after the appropriate
training. Brain Fitness is no different. With effort, you
can regain control. Just keep trying and give yourself time
for your brain circuits to strengthen.
----------------------------------------------------
Master Brain Fitness techniques for you and your family.
Your Brain Fitness holds is the key to unlock your maximum
potential. Dr. Simon Evans puts together the right
ingredients in right amount to create the recipe for
success. Visit http://www.BrainFitForLife.com for FREE
Brain Fitness resources.
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