Hearts and minds
With
British Heart Week featuring in June (7-15), laterlife.com thought you might like to
acquire a few (rather awesome) facts about
hearts…
Your heart beats about 100,000 times in one
day and about 35 million times a year.
Your body has about
5.6 litres of blood which circulates through the body three times every minute, adding up
to a total of 12,000 miles.
Thirty-five per cent of acute heart attacks are fatal, and half of these
fatal attacks will occur within 1 hour after onset of chest pains. Getting to an intensive care clinic as soon as
possible is vital.
Fifty per cent of
fatalities from heart disease or stroke are due to high blood pressure, and 33 per cent
are due to high cholesterol levels.
Two kinds of lipids, or fats, are connected with cholesterol. Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) is ‘bad
cholesterol’, being main supplier of cholesterol to tissues, blood vessels, etc. High Density Lipoprotein (HDL) is the goody. It transports cholesterol from tissues to the
liver, from where it can be excreted.
Omega-3 oils found in oily fish, such as
salmon or mackerel, can reduce risk of heart disease and help prevent blood clotting. Eat two helpings a week.
Antioxidants (vitamins C and
E) also help protect against heart disease, aiding production of HDL. This is why the five-a-day fruit and veg rule is important.
Exercise three to four times a week for
about 30 minutes, doing something a bit demanding like brisk walking, cycling, dancing,
swimming. Use the stairs rather than the lift. Get off the bus one stop early. But talk to your doctor before embarking on a
vigorous exercise routine if you are out of condition.
Oh yes – and give up smoking if you want to cut your risk of heart
disease by half.
Grape juice for high blood pressure
New research strongly confirms that purple grape juice
can significantly reduce hypertension (high blood pressure). The story originated at the
Federation for American Societies of Experimental Biology annual meeting in San Diego
.
Researchers randomised 80 healthy men aged 45-70
years with high blood pressure to drink either an average 12 ounces daily of juice from
the purple grapes of the Concord variety daily for 12 weeks or a calorie-matched placebo:
grape juice drinkers' systolic and diastolic blood pressures fell significantly but this
was unchanged in men given the placebo drink.
Other research has
also shown that purple grape juice slows processing of harmful low density lipoprotein
(LDL) cholesterol and inhibits the tendency of blood to clot (both functions contributing
to healthy cardiovascular function). This may have implications for deep vein thrombosis
as well as hypertension.
Look for purple grape juice in health stores and
chemists.
Natural
prevention of osteoarthritis
For the first time researchers have
been able to prove in a laboratory study that gelatine stimulates collagen synthesis in
cartilage cells. The results from this study from Germany confirm the role of gelatine in
the prevention and treatment of degenerative arthritic disease.
Scientists have been investigating
the effect of gelatine on cartilage metabolism for many decades. In new clinical studies,
patients reported a significant reduction in pain following the intake of collagen
hydrolysate, one of the types of gelatine suitable for therapeutic use. Furthermore,
analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents were not taken as often after the treatment, and
joint mobility increased.
Collagen
hydrolysate may be helpful for patients with
osteoarthritis or in people whose joints are put under heavy stress such as
sportsmen/women or people who are overweight. There are various proprietary gelatine
products available on the market such as powdered gelatine soluble in cold water or
gelatine drinks in different flavours. The recommended daily dose is 10 grams.
Five-day nail rejuvenator
If you suffer from fragile, splitting, ridged and dehydrated
nails, it might be worth trying a new treatment from Sally Hansen. Natural Nail Growth Activator promises to revive,
restore and rebuild nails in just five-days.
The product contains a variety of oils and minerals that
are said to moisturise, condition and generally protect problem nails. You just massage the stuff on and expect to see
healthier, smoother and more resilient nails after five days. It costs £3.95, from Boots and other chemists.
 Maximise your memory
This work provides detailed instructions, illustrations and sample
exercises that show the reader how to build a system of personalized frameworks for
storing and recalling information on demand.
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Exercise – be tougher on yourself
We’re not quite back to those ‘feel the burn’ days,
when Jane Fonda urged us to go through the pain barrier in order to get the most out of
exercising. But trainers and physios are
taking a tougher line, saying that you have to go that greater distance for positive
results.
Advice includes: accept
the physical discomfort when you’re doing a routine at home, in the gym, or playing
tennis or whatever. Don’t ignore any
sharp, local pain, but do tell yourself that aching muscles are merely a message from your
body saying ‘hey, I’m not used to this’.
Next time you try it, your body will have learned to cope.
Then of
course, you can push yourself further, persisting on the cycle machine, running faster for
the ball, getting a bit better at press-ups, doing more ambitious abdominal crunches. The idea is to challenge yourself with speed,
strength, repetition. If you don’t
sweat, don’t get out of breath, you are probably wasting your time.
(But if
you have any doubts or worries about this, do discuss it with your doctor, physio or
trainer.)
More time for tea
It’s
been known for some time that green, unfermented tea is Good For You. It is an antioxidant, so helps boost the immune
system and may even help prevent cancer. Now
ordinary tea is beginning to attract accolades too.
An American immunologist at Brigham and Women’s
hospital, linked to Harvard medical school, asked volunteers to drink five cups of
ordinary tea a day or five cups of coffee, and then tested the immune systems of both
groups.
And yes,
after two weeks, cells from the tea drinkers, but not the coffee drinkers, defended
themselves against bacterial infection, suggesting enhanced ability to produce
disease-fighting chemicals. There was, apparently, nothing special about the tea. Teabags
steeped for five minutes in boiled water, with lemon, sugar or milk added, did the trick.
Non-drowsy remedies for travel sickness
More than 80 per cent of the
population suffer from travel sickness at some time, according to a new survey by the RAC
Foundation. Methods of coping range from avoiding motorway journeys to fasting for 24
hours before travelling.
Many over-the-counter remedies are
associated with drowsiness, which may not be a good idea, especially if you are in the
driving seat. Non-drowsy-making alternatives that
you might consider are Sea-Band elasticated
wristbands or Ginger Gum.
Sea-Band elasticated wristbands work on the principle of acupressure, exerting
constant gentle pressure on the Pericardium 6 (P6) point in the wrist which controls
nausea. Dr Tony Lavelle, RAC Foundation’s
consultation general practitioner, says, ‘Acupressure such as using bands on the
wrist or the arm has been shown in research to decrease the symptoms of motion
sickness…’
Makers say that in order to gain the maximum
benefit, Sea-Band should be put on
prior to commencing a journey. If, however,
you forget to put them on before setting-off, Sea-Band can still help to relieve the
symptoms of motion sickness even once the early signs are felt.
Ginger Gum, containing
ginger oil, is known for its culinary as well as its medicinal properties, and
there’s some research claiming that ginger is better than placebo in treating travel
sickness The
spice is said to relax the smooth muscles of the digestive system and improve blood flow,
which moves gas along and speeds up digestion.
Sea-Band is available from Boots and other
pharmacies priced at £7.99. Ginger Gum is packaged in a box of 24 pieces of gum and is
available from pharmacies priced £2.99
If
in any doubt about any of the information covered in healthwise articles and it's
relevance for you, consult your GP.
In edition 38:-
Aspirin scores again
Now a new
study finds another possible benefit for aspirin....
What`s the risk
The majority of women in a survey are unaware of the risk of developing
osteoporosis
Replacement for Warfarin
There is now a viable alternative to Warfarin as a treatment for some heart
disease symptoms
Top healthy heart
supplements
The seven best vitamins and supplements to help protect against heart disease
De-stress with
essential oil
Relax muscles and joints.....
Websites that make sense
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