Posts filed under 'Health Talks'
Stress Management Tips
How to Recognize the Symptoms From: Suite101.com
Whatever your stress level, everyone can benefit from learning techniques to manage stress. Determining the source of stress is the first step, followed by personal evaluation and possible removal or reduction of the source.
Major life changes of any kind are always stressful. A move, a job change or a divorce can cause stress that lingers for a year or more. Don’t assume that you are “over it” or that a major event is no longer relevant to your stress level.
Other common sources of stress are marital problems, financial difficulties and issues involving children. A birth or a death in the family is obviously a major life altering circumstance with long lasting effects.
Often the first signs of being “stressed out” are physical symptoms. Any new symptom that doesn’t clear up within a week or two should be checked by a doctor and evaluated as a possible stress response.
Anytime you feel as if you are suffering from stress related symptoms, take a moment and do a quick evaluation of these typical stress indicators.
Add comment June 23, 2007
Heart Disease: Signs, Symptoms & Diagnosis
The symptoms of heart diease include: How Is Heart Disease Treated? How Is Peripheral Vascular Disease Treated? *Low-dose aspirin therapy is recommended for men and women with diabetes who are over age 30 and are at high risk for heart disease and peripheral vascular disease. Talk to your doctor to determine if aspirin therapy is right for you. If you have certain medical conditions, aspirin therapy may not be recommended. How Can Heart Disease Be Prevented in a Person With Diabetes? –>To learn more about heart disease symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention, visit WebMD’s Heart Disease Guide. View the full table of contents for the Diabetes Guide.
-Shortness of breath.
-Feeling faint.
-Feeling dizzy.
-Excessive and unexplained sweating.
-Pain in the shoulders, jaw and left arm.
-Chest pain or pressure (especially during activity).
-Nausea.
Peripheral vascular disease has the following symptoms:
-Cramping in your legs while walking (intermittent claudication).
-Cold feet.
-Decreased or absent pulses in the feet or legs.
-Loss of fat under the skin of the lower parts of the legs.
-Loss of hair on the lower parts of the legs.
There are several treatment options depending on the severity of the condition, including:
-Aspirin therapy* to reduce the risks of clots that lead to heart attacks and strokes.
-Diet.
-Exercise not only for weight loss, but to improve glucose control, high blood pressure, cholesterol levels and to decrease abdominal fat, a risk factor of heart disease.
-Medicines.
-Surgery.
-Participation in a regular walking program (45 minutes per day, followed by rest).
-Special footwear.
-Aspirin therapy.*
-Medicines.
-Stopping smoking.
-The best way to prevent heart and blood vessel disease is to take good care of yourself and your diabetes.
-Keep your blood glucose as normal as possible.
-Control your blood pressure, with medication if necessary. The target for people with diabetes is under 130/80.
-Get your cholesterol numbers under control. You may need to take medication to do this.
-Lose weight if you are obese.
-Ask your doctor if you should take an aspirin a day.
-Exercise regularly.
-Eat a heart-healthy diet low in fat and salt.
-Quit smoking
Add comment March 9, 2007
Heart Disease: Introduction
Add comment March 9, 2007
Feeling Stressed?
You just missed a deadline at work, you’re supposed to chaperone your son’s school field trip, and your mechanic called to tell you your car’s transmission is shot.
Stressed to the max?
Everyone experiences stress. And many people are stressed every day. But, stress isn’t always as obvious as in the example above. In fact, some people don’t even realize how much stress they’re under until they suffer serious physical consequences of that stress.
Psychologist Anie Kalayjian, professor of psychology at Fordham University, said she’s had patients end up in the emergency room, convinced they were having a heart attack, but instead, it was just the body’s extreme response to stress.
“If you’re a person running around with high energy or nervous energy, you may not realize that you’re stressed until you collapse!” said Kalayjian.
According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, some possible signs that you’re under too much stress are: Anxiety, back pain, stiff neck, depression, fatigue, trouble sleeping, unexpected weight changes, headaches, relationship troubles and high blood pressure.
“People need to start proactively trying to prevent episodes before they have extreme reactions,” recommended Kalayjian.
But that doesn’t mean you should make managing stress just another item on your “to-do” list, cautioned Gail Elliott Evo, the integrative medicine coordinator at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich.
“We talk so much about stress now. It’s to the point that people are now feeling judgmental when they experience stress and can’t eliminate it. But, unless you’re a guru sitting in a temple in Tibet, I don’t think you can avoid stress. There will be periods where you’ll have stress,” she said.
Still, managing stress or reducing it as much as you can is a smart idea, because constant stress leaves your body flooded with stress hormones, which can increase your risk of heart attack and other serious health problems.
“Stress causes physical and psychological reactions. It can alter your sleep. It leaves you constantly in fighting-mode and leaves your immune system suppressed. You may get sick a lot,” Kalayjian said.
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to managing stress.
“Some things will be right for one person but not for another. Be open, and try things. Give something a try, and if it’s not right for you, move on to something else. You’ll eventually find something that’s right for you,” said Evo.
Some of the approaches she recommends include: Massage, healing touch, yoga, tai chi, walking, meditation and guided imagery.
Kalayjian said a good place to start de-stressing is with deep breathing.
“One minute per each hour of the day, you need to sit and do nothing but focus on breathing. No phones, no lists, no responsibilities. It’s almost like how you recharge your battery for your mobile phone. We need to recharge, too,” she said.
She also recommends exercise. “Don’t wait to feel stressed. Get at least a half an hour of exercise every day. It gets a lot of the toxins and stress out of our bodies,” Kalayjian said.
Kalayjian also advocates something she calls “journaling.”
“It helps to put things on paper and outside of yourself. You don’t have to store it in your heart, body or mind. When we journal, we let go of things and that acts as a release,” she said.
She also suggests getting organized. “Many people waste 20 percent of their time looking for things. Try to be organized. Label things. Have organizers. It seems very mundane, but helps tremendously in saving your energy,” Kalayjian said.
Evo said many people use a combination of techniques to relieve their stress.
“Be playful with it. Try different things,” she said.
Kalayjian agreed, adding that people need to “learn how to have a sense of humor, to laugh and make others laugh, too.”
Finally, Kalayjian advised that if you try several different methods to “de-stress” and just can’t seem to relax, you could probably benefit from seeing a psychotherapist.
Add comment March 9, 2007
Kecantikan Lelaki dan Kegagahan Wanita
Add comment March 9, 2007
What Causes Heart Disease?
Add comment March 9, 2007
What Health Care Professionals Are Saying About Shaklee!
Most supplement companies would worry about a visit from the FDA, but Shaklee scientists invited FDA representatives to the Norman, Oklahoma manufacturing plant to discuss quality control standards for the industry. The FDA came away impressed by the rigorous quality control measures at Shaklee that far exceed those typically found in the dietary supplement industry.There will always be bogus ingredients in the marketplace.
Add comment February 20, 2007
AirSource® Testimonials
AirSource may be superior technology for the best in indoor air quality – but why take our word for it? See what others are saying about these revolutionary air purification systems…
“We recently remodeled our home (which included dry-walling, painting, carpeting, and crown molding) and our AirSource® 3000 was a blessing! We placed the unit in each bedroom after new carpeting was installed, and by the time our children were ready for bed, the smell was gone! AirSource also helped to remove the paint/varnish smells in record time! We love AirSource!” ~ Doug & Anne S.
“We have had some recent forest fires in our area that have left significant residual smoke. For several nights in a row, we had smoke that laid so heavy that we could not see for 1/8 of a mile. What was so interesting though, was that our AirSource 3000 kept our home virtually free of any smoke smell. When we would go next door to our neighbor’s house, it was an amazing difference in how much her home smelled of smoke versus ours. This meant a tremendous amount to us, since we have a 17 months old son and the heaviness of the smoke and its permeating smell was so bad. It even worked in getting the smoke smell out of our vehicles!” ~ Susan J.
“I was asked by a patient if the AirSource 3000 would get rid of the smell of cigarette smoke from his home. He and his wife, together, smoke four packs a day. After I loaned him a unit, the patient returned in three days and informed me that they could tell the unit was working by the end of the second day. The smell of the old and stale smoke was leaving. The morning of the third day, when they awoke and came downstairs, he noticed that the smell, which he said usually greeted him at the bottom of the stairs and described as “an old tavern” was gone. I now have a newfound respect for this machine. In less than 72 hours, the smell of years of heavy smoking was gone!” ~ Dr. Bill V.
So, what was the result? They had an AirSource 3000 unit for four days and moved it around to different rooms. They had it on the main level of the home for two days. Their clothes in the closets no longer smelled like skunk. The main floor of the home no longer smelled. They moved the purifier to the basement, which had been the worst area, for two days. ~ Bonnie E.
We also used the AirSource 3000 unit in our spare bedroom. When we had our kitty de-clawed, he wasn’t able to jump so we kept him in there with his litter box and, let me tell you, after a few days it really stunk up the room even though we changed his litter everyday. I tried that carpet fresh powder that you sprinkle on the carpet and that didn’t remove the odor. We placed the AirSource 3000 in there for one day, and let me tell you, that smell was gone. I thought for sure the carpet was going to have to be replaced, but it’s staying where it is. ~ Jennifer & Greg C.
Add comment February 20, 2007
FAKTA TENTANG ROKOK
MEROKOK telah dianggap sebagai penyakit global dengan implikasi serius ke atas kesihatan individu terutama kepada bukan perokok, sistem kesihatan sesebuah negara dan kesejahteraan ekonomi. Diramalkan bahawa kematian akibat tabiat merokok di dunia meningkat daripada empat juta orang setiap tahun pada tahun 1998 kepada 10 juta orang pada tahun 2030.
Berdasarkan kepada perangkaan tempatan, terdapat 3.6 juta orang perokok di Malaysia pada tahun 2000 dan angka ini akan meningkat kepada 4.6 juta orang perokok menjelang tahun 2025. Dari segi taburan perokok mengikut jantina pula, 49 peratus lelaki yang berusia 15 tahun ke atas akan merokok pada tahun 2000. Jumlah ini akan menyusut kepada 30 peratus pada tahun 2025. Sebaliknya, perokok wanita yang berusia 15 tahun ke atas adalah dalam lingkungan empat peratus daripada jumlah wanita pada tahun 2025. Pertambahan jumlah perokok wanita dijangka kesan daripada usaha agresif yang dilakukan oleh syarikat-syarikat tembakau untuk mendapatkan pelanggan baru. Sememangnya, jika tiada usaha yang digiat dilakukan untuk menangani masalah ini di Malaysia, dikhuatiri lebih banyak kematian akan berlaku di Malaysia akibat tabiat merokok ini.
Kematian
Perlu difahamkan bahawa, walaupun kematian akibat merokok di negara-negara maju dijangka menurun, di kalangan negara membangun, kematian akibat merokok diramal meningkat sekitar tujuh daripada setiap 10 kematian. Perubahan ketara dari negara maju ke negara membangun disebabkan oleh kempen kesedaran tentang bahaya merokok yang berkesan sehingga menyebabkan syarikat-syarikat tembakau antarabangsa terpaksa memindahkan kempen pemasaran rokok di kalangan perokok baru di negara-negara membangun. Dari segi perokok baru, sekiranya seseorang individu mengelakkan diri daripada terjebak dengan tabiat merokok, kemungkinan besar individu tersebut tidak akan merokok apabila dewasa. Kajian menunjukkan bahawa kebanyakan perokok mula cuba merokok sebelum usia 25 tahun sedangkan lapan daripada 10 orang remaja di negara-negara maju akan mulai merokok semasa usia remaja.
Malah, di negara-negara membangun seperti China, peningkatan yang mendadak berlaku bagi perokok baru yang berusia antara 15 hingga 19 tahun di antara tahun 1984 hingga 1996.
Mengikut kaji selidik Global Youth Tobacco Survey, daripada 50,000 orang remaja yang berusia antara 13 hingga 15 tahun di 20 buah negara membangun, 24 peratus responden mengaku telah mencuba rokok dan sembilan peratus pula mengaku ketagih dengan rokok. Dua puluh lima peratus daripada penagih rokok telah mula merokok pada usia 11 tahun dan 75 peratus daripada penagih rokok mengaku mahu membuang tabiat merokok ini.
Maklumat salah
Mengapa tabiat merokok bermula awal di kalangan remaja dewasa ini? Memang tidak dapat dinafikan bahawa promosi yang dilakukan oleh syarikat rokok berjaya memberi gambaran positif tentang tabiat ini. Maklumat yang salah tentang keseronokan dan kepuasan diri dengan merokok, imej diri yang bergaya, kawalan tekanan diri yagn disiarkan melalui media massa mengaburi hakikat bahawa merokok sebenarnya membahayakan kesihatan di samping membazirkan kewangan yang terhad di kalangan remaja.
Gambaran sebaliknya yang diterima oleh golongan remaja tidak disertakan dengan maklumat sebenarnya seperti kesan penyakit dan pengharaman merokok di tempat-tempat awam. Dalam hal ini, maklumat seperti merokok boleh menyebabkan ketagihan akibat semasa rokok pertama dihisap tidak langsung ditonjolkan kepada gologan remaja. Malah, kajian terkini di Amerika Syarikat yang disiarkan pada bulan September 2000 menunjukkan bahawa nikotin dalam rokok boleh menyebabkan ketagihan lebih daripada yang disangka berbanding dengan heroin dan alkohol.
Mengikut kajian ini, lebih 50 peratus perokok yang menghisap rokok setiap hari akan ketagih rokok. Jika dicuba pada kali pertama, terdapat kemungkinan 32 peratus pengguna akan menjadi ketagih kepada rokok berbanding 23 peratus dengan heroin, 16 peratus dengan kokain dan 15 peratus dengan alkohol. Kajian lain ke atas kesan merokok pada 681 orang remaja yang berumur antara 12-13 tahun di Amerika Syarikat menunjukkan kesan ketagihan berlaku pada 95 orang responden setelah cuba merokok buat pertama kali.
Mengawal
Berdasarkan kajian di atas, penting bahawa remaja memahami setiap cubaan merokok pada usia sedemikian biasanya akan menyebabkan ketagihan berlaku dengan sendirinya. Langkah penerangan tentang ketagihan yang terjadi perlu diterangkan kepada golongan remaja agar bahaya merokok tidak dipandang ringan. Maklumat sedemikian perlu direnung selalu oleh remaja supaya tidak terjebak dengan ketagihan rokok apabila usia meningkat dewasa.
Oleh kerana kecenderungan remaja yang masih ingin cuba merokok disebabkan oleh sifat naluri golongan tersebut, maka sesetengah masyarakat biasanya akan mengehadkan keputusan golongan remaja untuk merokok. Di Malaysia, cara ini dilaksanakan melalui Peraturan Kawalan Hasil Tembakau 1993 yang mengharamkan penjualan rokok kepada remaja di bawah umur 18 tahun.
Cara lain yang berkesan untuk mengawal tabiat merokok di kalangan remaja adalah dengan mengehadkan keupayaan pembelian rokok oleh golongan tersebut. Dalam urusan pemasaran rokok di Malaysia, rokok disediakan dalam beberapa saiz bungkusan sesuai dengan kehendak pembeli. Secara logiknya, bungkusan rokok terkecil akan digemari oleh golongan remaja disebabkan harga yang selaras dengan kemampuan mereka.
Jika had dikenakan ke atas satu bentuk bungkusan rokok terbesar sahaja di pasaran, maka secara tak langsung golongan remaja tidak mampu untuk membeli rokok. Cara lain yang boleh dikenakan adalah dengan mengenakan cukai yang lebih tinggi ke atas rokok supaya harga rokok di pasaran tinggi.
Harga rokok yang tinggi akan menyebabkan golongan remaja tersekat daripada membeli rokok kerana kosnya tinggi mampu ditampung oleh kewangan yang terhad. Secara perbandingan, langkah ini memang wajar dilaksanakan di Malaysia kerana harga rokok masih lagi rendah berbanding dengan negara-negara lain.
Langkah kawalan ke atas rokok perlu diperhebatkan. Jika tidak, sudah tentu kematian sia-sia dan penyakit akibat tabiat buruk ini akan terus meningkat. Pada masa ini, penyakit yang berkaitan dengan merokok seperti penyakit jantung, kanser dan penyakit saluran darah tersumbat merupakan penyebab utama kematian di Malaysia.
Rokok menyebabkan kanser. Bagaimanapun satu fakta yang perlu anda ketahui ialah bahan yang menyebabkan ketagihan iaitu nikotin bukanlah bahan yang menyebabkan kanser ini. Walaupun demikian, nikotin boleh menyebabkan masalah sakit cardiovascular. Bahan-bahan lain di dalam rokok ialah tar (kanser) dan carbon monoxide (sakit cardiovascular).
Risiko-risiko menghisap rokokRokok telah diketahui boleh menyebabkan penyakit-penyakit berikut:
kanser paru-paru, mulut dan salur bladdersakit jantungsakit pernafasan seperti chronic bronchitis dan emphysemastrok (angin ahmar)
sakit-sakit lain seperti ulser peptik dan komplikasi semasa mengandung.
Kesan rokok ini bukan sahaja mengenai orang yang merokok (active smoking) tetapi juga orang yang tidak merokok yang duduk dekat dengan perokok dan menghidu asap rokok (passive smoking) terutamanya bayi dan kanak-kanak.
1 comment February 20, 2007
RACUN DALAM ASAP ROKOK
MEROKOK MEMBAWA PENYAKIT
Tembakau merupakan faktor risiko untuk sekurang-kurangnya 25 jenis penyakit
- Kanser pundi kencing
- Kanser perut
- Kanser usus dan rahim
- Kanser mulut
- Kanser Esofagus
- Kanser tekak
- Kanser pankrias
- Kanser payudara
- Kanser paru-paru
- Penyakit saluran pernafasan kronik
- Strok
- Kereputan tulang (osteoporosis)
- Penyakit jantung
- Kemandulan
- Putus haid awal
- Melahirkan bayi yang cacat
- Keguguran bayi
- Mati pucuk
- Bronkitis
- Batuk
- Penyakit ulser peptik
- Emfisima
- Otot lemah
- Penyakit gusi
- Kerosakan mata
MEROKOK SECARA PASIF
Walaupun anda tidak merokok, anda masih boleh menyedut asap rokok daripada perokok. Ini dipanggil merokok secara pasif (‘passive smoking’).
Berbanding dengan asap aliran (‘mainstream smoke’), asap aliran sisi yang keluar dari puntung rokok (‘mainstream smoke’) mengandungi :
2 kali lebih banyak nikotin
5 kali lebih banyak karbon monoksida
50 kali lebih banyak kimia yang menyebabkan barah
3 kali lebih banyak tar
KESAN-KESAN MEROKOK SECARA PASIF
- Meningkatkan risiko kanser paru-paru dan penyakit jantung
- Masalah pernafasan termasuk radang paru-paru dan bronkitis
- Sakit atau pedih mata
- Bersin dan batuk-batuk
- Sakit kerongkong
- Sakit kepala
PEROKOK PASIF DAN RISIKO PENYAKIT
Dibandingkan dengan yang tidak terdedah dengan asap rokok pasif, perokok pasif mempunyai risiko yang lebih tinggi untuk mengidap pelbagai jenis penyakit
Penyakit jantung – 30%
Kanser – 25%
KESAN ASAP ROKOK PASIF KEPADA IBU HAMIL DAN JANIN YANG DIKANDUNG
- Keguguran janin
- Tumbesaran janin terencat – 30% lebih tinggi
- Kematian janin dalam kandungan
- Pendarahan dari uri (abruption placenta)
- Kurang berat badan – 20 hingga 30%
KESAN ASAP ROKOK PASIF KEPADA BAYI
- Masalah dan penyakit pernafasan
- Perkembangan kecerdasan otot terjejas
- Jangkitan telinga
- Leukeamia
- Kanser otak 22%
- Lelah – meningkat simptom lelah
- Sindrom kematian secara mengejut
KANSER PARU-PARU
Anak-anak yang lahir tahun 1985, diperkirakan sepertiganya akan pernah menderita kanser, dan kira-kira seperempatnya akan meninggal karena kanser. Kita semua memiliki keluarga atau teman yang mengidap kanser. Kanser pembunuh terbesar, iaitu kanser paru-paru, membunuh hampir 90% penderitanya, atau hampir 30% dari seluruh kematian akibat kanser. Namun sesungguhnya kanser paru-parulah yang paling mudah dicegah. Penyelidikan dalam beberapa dekad menunjukkan bahawa satu-satunya penyebab utama kanser paru-paru adalah asap rokok.
KARSINOGEN
Zat-zat karsinogen (pemicu kanser) yang terkandung pada rokok adalah:
vinyl chloride, benzo (a) pyrenes dan nitroso-nor-nicotine
Satu-satunya zat yang lebih berbahaya daripada asap rokok dalam memicu kanser paru-paru adalah zat-zat radioaktif. Itu pun jika dimakan atau dihidap dalam kadar yang cukup.
KESAN KANSER PARU-PARU
Kematian umumnya bukan terjadi karena kesulitan bernafas yang diakibatkan oleh membesarnya kanser, tetapi karena posisi paru-paru dalam sistem peredaran darah menjadikan kanser mudah menyebar ke seluruh tubuh. Penyebaran metastase ke arah otak dan bahagian kritis lainnya lah yang mengakibatkan kematian itu. 90% penderita meninggal dalam 3 tahun setelah diagnosis.

Add comment February 20, 2007





