Only overwork dying young

A study concluded that those who work more than 55 hours per week had a risk of suffering a heart attack by 13% and 33% more likely to suffer a stroke compared to those who have worked 35-40 hours a week.

Nutrition shortcuts when living alone

When the meal is a social experience that greatly affect a person's personality, eating alone cause discomfort inside

10 tips for mindful eating - Just in time for the holidays

10 tips for more diet conscious. Not all of these tips may feel good for you, it does not hurt to try and see how they work

Update on the trial of SPRINT: preliminary results pan out

Stringent blood pressure targets that can reduce the likelihood of death. In medicine, it is great news that greatly benefits us all

A check to check: Do you really need an annual physical?

The annual physical control is part of the structure of the health care system is good, but it does not have to keep on doing at least that's done most of the citizens of the United States.

4/30/2015

Special magnetic resonance image was able to identify the risk of stroke in people with atrial fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation is a heart rhythm disorder that affects millions of people. It can make you feel bad. What's worse, it can cause potentially disabling or fatal strokes.  

A special MRI may - emphasize "may" - help identify people with atrial fibrillation who are at high risk of having a stroke. This could help many people with this condition to avoid taking warfarin or other drugs to prevent formation of clots life.

A normal heartbeat starts in a group of cells called pacemakers. It is located on the upper right part of the heart (the right atrium).  

These cells generate a pulse of electricity that flows to the rest of the heart and causes a coordinated heartbeat. In people with atrial fibrillation, the electrical signals are due to areas outside the pacemaker.  

These signals are fast and irregular. So instead of hiring at a steady pace, the right and left atria quiver. This can allow blood in the atria instead of flowing smoothly through the heart and body.
When blood pools in the atria, it can form small clots. If one breaks away in the heart and enters the circulation, it may occur in the brain, causing a stroke.


Researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine wanted to see if the image could identify people with atrial fibrillation who were at high risk of stroke. They conducted standard MRI hearts of 149 men and women with atrial fibrillation, and use special software for motion tracking to evaluate images.  

Analyses revealed specific changes in the muscles of the left atrium, which increased the risk of stroke in certain volunteers. These changes are not associated with age or other stroke risk factors. The results were published online April 27 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Calculating the risk of stroke in atrial fibrillation

It would be nice to have a way to identify individuals with atrial fibrillation are at high risk of stroke and are at low risk. The Hopkins study provides a step in that direction. But it is too early to include MRI as part of the standard evaluation of people with atrial fibrillation - not to mention that these scans significantly increase the cost of these evaluations. For now, doctors continue to use standard tools to help determine the risk of stroke.
 


If you have atrial fibrillation, the risk of stroke is higher if you:

 1.  
They are 65 years old or more, and even more if you have 75 years or more


 2.  
They had a stroke or mini stroke stroke (transient ischemic attack or TIA) in the past


 3.  
It has heart failure


 4.  
Have blood vessels throughout the body shrunk by presented cholesterol plate (vascular disease)


 5.  
He has diabetes


 6.  
She is a woman.
Experts have developed a tool called the CHA2DS2-VASc score to calculate the risk of stroke in people with atrial fibrillation. It is estimated that this risk taking into account age and sex; the presence or absence of heart failure, hypertension, constriction of blood vessels, and diabetes; and if you have had a previous stroke, TIA, or blood clots. A low score indicates that may not be necessary warfarin or other blood-thinning medications.
 


You can calculate your CHA2DS2 VASc-line score.

A day, the use of MRI or other technique at the image of the heart is probably important in the assessment of atrial fibrillation. But not in the short term.

Image:www.dailymail.co.uk
 

4/28/2015

What is Yoga: Definition of yoga and six branches of yoga

What is Yoga: Definition of yoga and six branches of yogaWhat comes to mind when you hear the word Yoga?

Well, if you think of women in poses that seem impossible, then you can get an idea of ​​what yoga is. But it is just that - an idea. You have a long way to go before we fully understand Yoga.

Yoga is an ancient Indian body of knowledge that goes back more than 500 "class =" related_products_container "0 years. The word" yoga "comes from the Sanskrit word" Yuj "which means" to unite or integrate. "Yoga is then the union of his own consciousness of a person and the universal consciousness.

Ancient yogis were convinced that this man is in harmony with itself and its environment, must integrate the body, mind and spirit. For these three to be integrated, emotion, action, and intelligence must be in balance. Yogis formulated a way to achieve and maintain this balance and that is done through exercise, breathing and meditation - the three main Yoga structures.

In yoga, the body is treated with care and respect because it is the maininstrument for work and human growth. Yoga exercises improve circulation, stimulates the abdominal organs, and put pressure on the glandular system of the body, which can usually lead to better health.

Breathing techniques based on the concept that breath is the source of life developed. In Yoga, students gain breathing control as they slowly increase their breathing. By focusing on your breathing, they prepare minds for the next step - meditation.

There is a general misconception that in meditation, the mind has to go blank. It should not be so. In meditation, students bring the activities of the mind to the point resulting in a 'quiet' mind. By designing physical poses and breathing techniques that consciousness of our body, Yoga helps us focus and relieves us from our everyday stress develop.


Six branches of yoga

Yoga Hatha or Yoga postures
Hatha Yoga is perhaps the path of yoga that is most familiar as this is the most popular branch of yoga in the West. This branch of Yoga uses physical postures or asanas, breathing techniques or pranayama and meditation to achieve better health and spirituality. There are many styles within the route - Iyengar, Integral, Ashtanga, Kripalu and Jiva Mukti to name a few.

If you want a peaceful mind and good health to go with the body, Hatha Yoga may just be the way for you.

Bhakti Yoga or yoga of devotion
Bhakti Yoga is the path followed in India. Such is the way of the heart and dedication. Yogis who practice this branch sees the "One" or the Divine in everyone and everything. Bhakti Yoga teaches a person to have devotion to the "One" or Brahma, love and acceptance to develop one person for everything.


Raja Yoga or Yoga of Self-Control
Raja means "royal". This road is considered the king of yoga and this may be due to the fact that most of its practitioners are members of religious and spiritual orders. Raja Yoga is based on the teachings of the Eight Limbs of Yoga found in the Yoga Sutras.
 


A Raja Yogi sees the self as central, and as such, respect for oneself and for all creation are essential for this route. Achieving self-respect by learning first to be masters of themselves. If you want to learn discipline, then Raja Yoga would perfectly suit that need.

Jnana Yoga or Yoga of the mind
Jnana Yoga is the path of Yoga that deals mainly with the mind, and as such, focuses on human intelligence. Jnana Yogis consider wisdom and intelligence as important, and they aim to unify the two to surpass limitations. Wishing to gain knowledge, they are open to other philosophies and religions because they believe that the open and rational mind is crucial to know the mind.

Karma Yoga or Yoga of Service
Karma yoga is the path of service in this way, it is estimated that the current situation is based on its past actions. So by doing selfless service now, you choose a future that is free from negativity and selfishness. Karma Yogis change their attitude towards the benefit and in the process, change their souls, which leads to a change in their fate.
 
 


Tantra Yoga or Yoga of Rituals 
Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the paths, Tantra Yoga is about using rituals to experience what is sacred. Although sex is a part of it, sex is not the same thing as this road it is to find what is sacred in everything we do. Tantra Yogis must possess certain qualities like purity, humility, devotion, dedication to his Guru, cosmic love, and truth, among other things.

There are still many misconceptions about yoga, for example, yoga is a religion. Yoga is not a religion. It is rather a set of techniques for us to find spirituality. In fact, yoga is practiced by many people of different religions like Christians, Jews, Buddhists and Muslims.


Another misconception is that yoga is an exercise, a way to keep fit. It is partly true, but if you think that yoga is only then you are mistaken. Yoga develops from a weak body is an obstacle to spiritual growth. It is not just to focus on the physical, but the mental and spiritual aspects.
 


5 tips for the Boston Marathon

5 tips for the Boston MarathonI was planning to run a marathon, even though I was running for fitness and enjoyed going fairly long distances.  

I have never been faster, and more than eight miles race wishing I thought had to go to the bathroom one more time before leaving or thinking how clothes that could have ended in time that I would need to complete an itinerary.

But when a friend asked me to train with him to run the Boston Marathon for charity, I decided to go for it. The training was long and sometimes tedious, but worth it to be part of this extraordinary event. I am happy to finish in a respectable time, but what I did was run as rewarding "my" marathon (race will not say because I did not run by any stretch).

Here are some tips I share with marathoners Monday.

 1.
You will find this advice in many operational resources, but never, ever use anything on the day of the marathon you have not used before a race distance. Preferably several times before. This includes socks, shoes certainly, shorts, underwear, watches, sunglasses, hats, whatever. The last thing you need is an unexpected discomfort, rubbing or blisters.
 

2. If you have family or friends looking along the road, try to know in advance where they will be. My best memories of the marathon were able to embrace friends and give my sisters and my husband a kiss on my way. Knowing where they would be easier for me to see and maneuver on the right side of the road for a public display of affection sweaty.

3. "The Wall" is real, so have a plan. I did not do it. I am very pleased with myself that I did by Newton and Heartbreak Hill, in relatively good shape. But when I turned in the circle Cleveland, my body said, "I'm done, done" At that time I did not know what to do if this happens to you, try walking for five minutes or if using.. music, develop their most inspiring songs.
 
At the rate he was going, walking would be much slower and easier, so it keeps slipping. I for one could say that I find the whole thing. This I did. But I think it would have been just as happy if I had to walk.


4.
Try to take in the atmosphere and I do not mean just panting! The last four miles were difficult for me. I ran forward and upward and saw a sign that read "Go Nancy." "Wow", I thought. "Someone has a question for someone with my name!" Looking up, I saw it was for me. A colleague and I had been rooting for.


But even if it was not for me, I was surprised by all the support and encouragement of the crowd offered all runners. Tune in to the good will and support. The appreciation of the crowd can help you keep moving. It is really for you and can help you keep moving.

5. Enjoy the camaraderie. As I became Gloucester Street - the section of the house - a broker who had never met looked at me and said, "I can not believe we're here," I could not and it was great to share this time (especially when you are there! brokers back-de-la-pack). throughout the race, do not hesitate to communicate with colleagues runners.

If you use the Boston Marathon on Monday, I wish you a joyful and rewarding career. No matter how fast you are going, how you are doing, or how you are when you're done, you were part of something special. I will encourage you.


4/25/2015

Fruits and vegetables in a weight loss diet

Fruits and vegetables in a weight loss diet
Most slimming knows that fruits and vegetables are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet and can help us achieve when we try to lose weight. But nevertheless, some popular choices of fruits and vegetables in the supermarket aisle still leave us with a sense of confusion.

For example, many of us choose to avoid the bananas, avocados, sweet corn, carrots and peas because we think they are fattening. However, some of us think that eating celery or grapefruit really help weight loss.


What is the truth about the fruits and vegetables?

Eat more fruits and vegetables is essential for good health and to help you lose weight. Most fruits and vegetables are low in calories and fat and high in fiber - three essential ingredients for successful weight loss. Most also contain many vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, which are important to help you look and feel your best and to protect us from disease.Research also shows that tend to eat the same volume or weight of food each day, regardless of calories. So if you want to lose weight, it is essential to stick to low calorie foods to compensate for this volume. And this is where fruits and vegetables are important in a weight loss diet.Many fruits and vegetables weigh actually much, adding bulk to your diet, but do not provide as many calories. For example, a meal of grilled chicken breast made 150 g potato 300 g, 20 g of butter and cheese low casing 30 g fat provides a total weight of 500 grams and provides 790 calories. Swap meal for a 130 g chicken breast, potato 200 g, 5 g of butter, 80 g of broccoli, carrots 45g and 40g green salad, and still has a total weight of 500 grams, but only 480 calories. 

In short: you will feel as complete as you ate exactly the same amount of food, but you've saved 310 calories - and in one week is enough to help you lose half a pound without even changing the amount of food you ate!

But what about foods like bananas, avocados, corn, carrots and peas? These foods are certainly higher in calories than most fruits and vegetables. For example, you could eat two small blocks of about the same amount of calories as a banana. Similarly, you could eat six times more spinach to provide the same amount of calories from sweet corn.


Meanwhile, lawyers are high in fat than most other vegetables, but most of that fat is healthy for heart monounsaturated fat, which comes in a package with a lot of vitamin E.


Although these fruits and vegetables contain more calories, you should not avoid them. Remain an important source of many nutrients and fiber content helps to fill you up and you are less likely to want to snack on fatty and sugary foods. The key is to add to your food diary for the calories they provide are included in your daily total.
 


As for foods like celery and grapefruit, which are certainly very low in calories, but there is no conclusive evidence that eating will actually help you burn calories and make you lose weight. Although some studies have shown that adding grapefruit to your diet will help you change those pounds, the jury is still health. And as for what to take more calories to digest celery stick it proposes - and, most health experts agree that it is a myth!

What fruits and vegetables are best for losing weight?  

Enjoy a wide variety of fruits and vegetables every day. Try to five servings a day and choose a mixture of colors to ensure a good mix of nutrients. All fruits and vegetables, including canned, dried, fresh juices and frozen pure matter to five servings per day.
 
But keep in mind that nuts do not meet as a whole piece of fruit - 100 calories you can eat an apple, a satsuma-seven strawberries (with a total weight of 250 g) or about 1 tablespoon raisins (weighing only 30g)! In addition, research shows that liquids tend to be less satiating foods, you will probably find a whole piece of fruit fills more of a fruit juice.


How many fruits and vegetables should I eat? 

A serving of fruit or vegetables is equivalent to 80 g. Here are some examples of what counts as a serving occur:

       1 apple, banana, pear, orange or other similar sized fruit
       2 plums, satsumas, kiwi or other similar sized fruit
       Half a grapefruit and avocado
       A large slice of melon or fresh pineapple
       3 tablespoons vegetable bulging, beans or legumes
       3 tablespoons soup rounded fruit salad or compote
       1 tablespoon of raisins or raisins
       3 dried apricots
       1 cup of grapes, cherries or berries
       1 dessert bowl of salad
       1 small glass (150ml) of pure fruit juice
 

Image:menudietcepatdansehat.com

4/24/2015

For fans, the World Series is a marathon, not a sprint

For fans, the World Series is a marathon, not a sprintMillions of baseball fans tune in tonight for the first game of the World Series. Boston Red Sox against the St. Louis Cardinals.  

Sports writers say it will be an interesting series between two teams and consistency.

Football fans have it easy. They must attend a great match to decide the champion of the year. For us baseball fans could take seven games over nine days to determine the champion of this year. (Or maybe just four games in five days, as happened in 2004, when the Red Sox swept the Cardinals.)

This means that fans have to approach the series as a marathon, not a sprint. Here are some suggestions to get you through the series with their physical and emotional health intact.

Power: gluttony Sunday's Super Bowl is almost acceptable because it is a day of celebration. But do night after night can give you heartburn and affect your weight. Usually if you snack while watching baseball, try some healthier alternatives to chips and dip with sour cream. Examples include whole wheat crackers with hummus or guacamole, dried fruit and nuts, or celery and carrot sticks.

Alcohol: If you drink, remain moderate. Being deprived of sleep and suspended for nine days is not good for your health, and certainly not endear him to family members or co-workers (although some of them may be in the same boat).


Dream: The seven games are scheduled to begin at 20:00 ET. This could make for some hours of the night. If you have the opportunity to take a nap on the day of the game, go ahead and do it.

Exercise: Physical activity and I'm not talking about setting the La-Z-Boy or opening a bottle of beer is a good way to get rid of nervousness before the games. A 20 or 30 minute walk, run, swim, or what can help you relax. It is also good for your blood pressure, which can climb high during a stressful game.
 


Emotions: Some people may see a game of the World Series without passion. I'm not one of them. As a Red Sox fan, my mood rises and falls with the success of the team. anxious fans like me is actually rooted in evolution. The human body responds to a response from the physical or emotional threat to the "fight or flight". Adrenals pump adrenalin hormone (aka adrenaline) into the bloodstream. Makes the heart beat faster than normal. Blood pressure increases. The extra oxygen to the brain, increasing alertness. Sight, hearing and other senses are heightened. blood sugar (glucose) and fat are released into the bloodstream from storage sites in the body.

This makes sense when the threat is of short duration. But when it lasts for hours or days, the stress response can be harmful. If you find yourself getting stressed, breathe slowly and deeply for a minute or two while relaxing word like "win" can help said.
 


Who knows why we are so caught up in the fate of our teams? Evolutionary biologists would tell us that the impulse to identify strongly with a group evolved because our survival depends on it. "Defend your tribe" has become loyal to your team. This can sometimes cause us to watch the games of anxiety, even angry. Once you are in this state of mind, it's hard to find fun.

I came to recognize that I love watching the games when one of my teams is not on the ground. I appreciate the talent and entertainment. And sometimes they rewarded me with a satisfying drama in vivo.


Maybe we as fans can approach this series with this kind of recognition. The Red Sox and Cardinals are two very nice equipment. Commentators point out that these guys play the game the "right way". The players themselves say it will be fun.

Let's see if we can remember that baseball's a game. This World Series should be fun to watch. So anyone who you'are rooting for, have fun watching.

Image:www.theborneopost.com 
 

4/23/2015

Prostate cancer lives from birth: slow and benign growth or rapid and dangerous growth

Prostate cancer lives from birth: slow and benign growth or rapid and dangerous growthThis year, more than 238,000 American men are diagnosed with prostate cancer. In most cases, the cancer is small knots of abnormal cells grow slowly in the size of the prostate gland of a walnut. For many men, the cancer cells grow so slowly that they never break free of the gland, spread to distant sites, and represent a serious risk to health and longevity.

There is growing evidence that early treatment with surgery or radiation ultimately prevents relatively few men die of prostate cancer while leaving many with urinary or erection problems and other side effects. As a result, more men may be willing to consider a strategy called active surveillance, in which doctors monitor low risk closely and consider treating cancer when the disease appears to make threatening gestures towards the growth and spread.

This week, a study by Harvard researchers found that the aggressiveness of prostate cancer at diagnosis appears to remain stable over time for most men. If this is true, then the appropriate treatment can be reserved for the most likely to be a threat cancers, while men may reasonably choose to watch and wait for other purposes.

"If you chose active surveillance, then it might make you feel more confident in your decision," said Kathryn L. Penney, Sc.D., professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of a report published today in the journal Cancer Research.

Early lethality established cancer 

The study analyzed changes in the aggressiveness of cancer in men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1982 and 2004. All the men had their prostates removed after diagnosis, and biopsies were taken from the glands. The Harvard team revisited the samples and classified using a tool called the Gleason score, which assigns a number 2-10 based on how abnormal the cells look under a microscope. A high score or "high-grade cancers," tend to be the most deadly.

During the study period, fewer men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, the latter advanced that had spread beyond the prostate gland. This reflects the increasing use of the antigen (PSA) for prostate-specific prostate cancer diagnosis earlier and earlier. In contrast, the proportion of high-grade cancer, as measured by the Gleason score, was relatively stable rather than becoming progressively more aggressive. Previous studies have seen a similar trend.


"This is a very interesting study that confirms what previous studies have found," says Dr. Marc B. Garnick, prostate cancer specialist at Harvard-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, who was not involved in the study. "There may be rare exceptions, but in most cancers born with a Gleason score in particular."


This means that most prostate cancers that seem to be increasingly at diagnosis might as well stay long enough that the man is likely to die of other causes before the cancer spreads beyond the slow prostate. "Those who are poor and lazy is likely to cause problems in the life of a man," says Dr. Garnick, editor of the Annual Report on Prostate Disease, Harvard Medical School. In addition, it adds, most prostate cancers are also born this way and behave aggressively.

Gleason is one of the best predictors of death from prostate cancer. "Men with low-grade disease are much less likely to die from prostate cancer than men with high-grade cancer," says Penney. He cautioned, however, that the study focused on men as a group, and in this population Gleason seemed quite stable. "You can see the progression of an individual, but we believe it is not common," she said. "We can not rule out this possibility in our study."


How to enable monitoring jobs 

The Gleason score is only one way that doctors monitor prostate cancer during active surveillance. They also monitor the periodic biopsies and measured PSA levels, which may increase if the cancer begins to spread in the prostate. 

Doctors may recommend treatment earlier if PSA begins to rise rapidly or if a follow-up biopsy revealed more widespread than or score in prostate cancer Gleason. This is an inexact science that depends on the skill and experience of the physician and the will of a man waiting for signs that cancer is a clear threat before opting for the treatment and its potential side effects.

Penney said she and her colleagues at Harvard are among the many scientists are now looking for better ways to predict prostate is likely to be the deadly cancer that can be monitored and untreated. The answer can be found in the genetic changes in the cancer cells of the prostate indicating greater threat. But a better way to predict who tend to use lethal prostate cancer is far from guaranteed.


"Some [researchers] believe that it is not possible," said Penney. "After the cancer is diagnosed, so many things can change in unknown ways." Diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors, for example, could affect whether the cancer at low risk prostate to become more aggressive or threatening weather.