Six Key Steps to Reduce Heart Attack Risk

You can decrease your danger of having a heart attack—even if you already have coronary heart disease (CHD) or have had a earlier heart attack. The key is to take steps to prevent or manage your heart disease risk factors.

Six Key Steps to Reduce Heart Attack Risk
Taking these steps will decrease your risk of having a heart attack:

• Stop smoking 
• Lower high blood pressure 
• Reduce high blood cholesterol 
• Aim for a healthy weight 
• Keep yourself physically active 
• Control diabetes

Breast Tenderness, Nipple Enlargement And Increased Breast Size in Pregnancy

Changes and greater than before swelling and softness in the breast and nipples are one of the common very early signs of pregnancy. Many times, a woman may notice these changes and blame them on a particularly ill-fitting or uncomfortable bra or other article of clothing. But, the sensitive woman will notice these changes for what they are – a new life is beginning to grow inside her with the new pregnancy.


Nipples, mostly the dark area around the nipple called the areola, enlarge and darken in expectation of breastfeeding the new infant. These changes are due almost fully to hormone releases in the body, all in anticipation of sustaining the new life within. Some experts say the darkening of the areolas serves a purpose – helping the newly born child find the nipple easier for feeding. These changes to the breast and nipple areas should return to normal after birth.

Prominent and Possible Signs of Pregnancy

Pregnancy Sign	Category
Missed period	Possible
Unusual or abnormal period	Possible
Just "feeling" pregnant	Possible
Nausea and Vomiting	Possible
Changes in libido	Possible
Soreness of the Breasts	Possible
Enlargement of the Breasts	Possible
Frequent Urination	Possible
Strange Cravings	Possible
Fatigue	Possible
Montgomery's Tubercules	Possible
Skin Changes	Possible
Stretch Marks	Possible
Enlarging Uterus	Possible
Movement	Possible
Colostrum from Breasts	Possible
Enlarged Abdomen	Probable
Change in uterine shape	Probable
Braxton Hicks Contractions	Probable
Palpation of the Baby	Probable
Positive Pregnancy Test	Positive
Fetal Heart Tones	Positive
Ultrasound Detection	Positive
X-ray Detection	Positive

Signs and symptoms of pregnancy

Are you searching Signs of pregnancy or pregnancy symptoms are and how likely they are to signify that you are pregnant. You can ask other people, you can be anxious in quiet, but the best thing is to read throughout the categories and check the signs. The more you have the more likely you are to be pregnant.

Mostly women when think about very early symptoms of pregnancy, they automatically assume that a missed period is the top symptom. Would you be surprised that a missed period isn’t even in the top 5 very early symptoms of pregnancy?

By the time a woman has become aware of a missed period due to a pregnancy, at least 5 other symptoms may have made themselves known, possibly weeks before the scheduled period. Here are five very early signs of pregnancy that can be noticed by a sensitive mother-to-be. And, all five can happen long before a period has been missed.

• Elevated Basal Body Temperature 
• Breast Tenderness, Nipple Enlargement And Increased Breast Size 
• Fatigue And Exhaustion 
• Constipation 
• Nausea And Vomiting

What is Heart Failure?

Heart failure is a state in which the heart can't pump enough blood throughout the body. Heart failure does not mean that your heart has stopped or is about to stop working. It means that your heart is not able to push blood the way it should.
The failing of the heart's pumping capacity cause

• Blood and fluid to back up into the lungs 
• The buildup of fluid in the feet, ankles and legs 
• Tiredness and shortness of breath

Heart failure (see the images below) can be caused by myocardial breakdown but may also occur in the occurrence of near-normal cardiac function under conditions of high demand. Heart failure always origin circulatory failure, but the converse is not necessarily the case, because various noncardiac conditions (eg, hypovolemic shock, septic shock) can produce circulatory failure in the presence of normal, modestly impaired, or even supranormal cardiac function. To continue the pumping function of the heart, compensatory mechanism increase blood volume, cardiac filling pressure, heart speed, and cardiac muscle mass. However, despite these mechanisms, there is progressive decline in the capability of the heart to contract and relax, resulting in worsening heart failure.

What is Congestive heart failure (CHF)?

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is a state in which the heart's job as a pump is insufficient to distribute oxygen rich blood to the body. Congestive heart failure can be origin by:

• Diseases that grow weaker the heart muscle.
• Diseases that cause thicken of the heart muscles. 
• Diseases that increase oxygen require by the body tissue beyond the potential of the heart to deliver sufficient oxygen-rich blood.

Many diseases can impair the pumping action of the ventricles. For example, the muscles of the ventricles can be weakened by heart attacks, infections (myocarditis) or toxins (alcohol, some chemotherapy agents).

How to prevent from Angina

1. Do not undertake tough, unexpected, or extended physical activity which may place a heavy strain on your heart.
2. Eat meals on a regular schedule, without hurrying and without overeating.
3. Try to keep your weight down, especially if you are over 40. People who are overweight are much more susceptible to angina pectoris.
4. After eating a heavy meal, do not attempt physical activity for at least 30 minutes.
5. Arrange your work plan and rest periods. Try to avoid situations that will cause you emotional stress.
6. monitor general health rules to protect yourself as far as possible from the risk of disease.
7. Avoid constipation.
8. Sleep in a fresh room and try to get at least eight hours of sleep at night.
9. Keep your body fit with a regular exercise.
10. Goto your doctor for regular medical checkups.

Important Tips to keep lower blood Sugar

Keep Lower blood sugar is key to keep away from pre-diabetes, diabetes, insulin resistance and overweight issues. Lowering your blood sugar naturally keeps your health vital and strong.

Here's how it works: You eat something and the stomach and intestines breaks the food down into glucose. The cells require glucose for energy, but for the cells to be able to use glucose they also need insulin which the pancreas emits in the reaction to glucose.

The body, however, can become resistant to using the insulin if there are certain factors happening, in particular excess fat. So the glucose stays in the blood, which makes the pancreas secrete more insulin. Finally the pancreas gets tired, very tired and gives up. That's when pre-diabetes becomes diabetes. What a bummer.
Keeping glucose sugar levels balanced also helps promote weight loss as having low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) will trigger binge eating, which causes the rebound effect of high blood sugar or glucose. The body will rapidly store this high blood sugar as fat.

With a few tricks up your sleeve, you can easily control your glucose levels and avoid more severe health problems.

Cardiomyopathy::Heart Muscle Disease

Cardiomyopathy means a disease of the heart muscle rather than the blood supply or the innovator.

There is a lot no palpable cause for it, although coronary heart disease and high blood pressure, viral infections, excessive alcohol intake and thyroid disease can all be triggers. There are four major types:

• hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (MCM), where the heart muscle thickens (high blood pressure can cause this)
• dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), when the heart muscle dilates (becomes large) and weakens
• restrictive cardiomyopathy (RCM), when chambers in the heart harden and restrict blood flow through the heart

Heart valve problems

The heart is consist four chambers, recognized as the right and left atrium and the right and left ventricles.

Each of these chambers has valves that avoid blood flowing backwards into the chamber it has just come from. These valves regularly make sure blood moves forward through the heart.

Diseased heart valves that are damaged and do not open and close correctly can allow blood to leak backwards (regurgitation or valve incompetence) or block the flow of blood (valve stenosis).

Whatever the type of valve problem, the heart is put below extra strain, increasing the likelihood of heart failure.

Symptoms of Coronary Artery Disease

When discussion regarding heart conditions, doctors use the terms coronary heart disease (CHD) and the broader cardiovascular disease (CVD).

• CHD is used for any condition that affects heart function.
• CVD refers to both coronary heart disease and diseases of the passage, such as stroke, when a clot blocks blood provide to the brain. Stroke is the country's third biggest killer, claiming 70,000 lives each year.

Most doctors now favor to use the term CVD because it's the main cause of early death in the UK, causing around 32 per cent of premature deaths in men and 28 per cent in women.

One person in Britain dies from heart disease every three minutes – making us one of the world’s bad countries for this problem.

Diabetes and High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is an important risk factor for the development and worsening of many complications of diabetes, including diabetic eye disease and kidney disease. It affects up to 60% of people with diabetes.

Having diabetes increases your risk of developing high blood pressure and other cardiovascular problems, because diabetes adversely affects the arteries, predisposing them to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). Atherosclerosis can cause high blood pressure, which if not treated, can lead to blood vessel damage, stroke, heart failure, heart attack, or kidney failure.

Recommended Related to DiabetesCentral (Neurogenic) Diabetes Insipidus

Central diabetes insipidus or central DI has several other names it's known by -- "pituitary DI," "hypothalamic DI," "neurohypophyseal DI," or "neurogenic DI." The disease is completely unrelated to diabetes mellitus even though both display the common symptoms of increased urination and thirst. Central DI is less common than diabetes mellitus, and treatments for the two diseases are completely different. The major characteristic of central diabetes insipidus is extreme thirst and excessive urination...

Read the Central (Neurogenic) Diabetes Insipidus article > >

Compared to people with normal blood pressure readings, men and women with hypertension have an increased risk of:

Coronary artery disease (heart disease)
Strokes
Peripheral vascular disease (hardening of the arteries in the legs and feet)
Heart failure
Even high yet normal blood pressure or pre-hypertension (defined as 120-139/ 80-89) impacts your health. Studies show that people with normal yet high range blood pressure readings, over a 10 year period of follow up time, had a two to three fold increased risk of heart disease.
What Should Blood Pressure Be if You Have Diabetes?
Blood pressure readings vary, but in general your blood pressure should not go above 130/80. The first number is the "systolic pressure" or the pressure in the arteries when your heart beats and fills the arteries with blood. The second number is the "diastolic pressure" or the pressure in the arteries when your heart rests between beats, filling itself with blood for the next contraction.

Having a normal blood pressure is as important to managing diabetes as having good control of your blood sugars when it comes to preventing diabetes complications.

Using Home Remedies to Control Cholesterol

1. Take at least 400 international units of Vitamin E everyday to keep the good cholesterol under control and to keep the bad cholesterol from building up. Taking Vitamin E will keep cholesterol from forming into plaque that can clog arteries and cause a heart attack. Take Vitamin E every day along with your prescribed cholesterol medication.
2. Stock up on Vitamin C and take it regularly. People who have high levels of Vitamin C in their diet tend to have high HDL numbers.

3. Eat about seven cloves of garlic every day or take an odorless garlic capsule every day to keep LDL cholesterol low and HDL cholesterol high. Most people find taking a garlic capsule every day is easier than eating 7 cloves of garlic every day.
4. Eat a few grapes every day or drink some grape juice. The skin of grapes can help keep cholesterol under control.
5. Eat at least 1½ grapefruit sections every day to lower your bad cholesterol. People who eat grapefruit every day can lower their cholesterol by 7 percent in just two months. Grapefruit is just one of many different fruits that include cholesterol-lowering pectin.
6. Add beans to your diet as often as you can. Kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, soybeans and other legumes can help keep your cholesterol under control. Just by eating 1½ cups of beans everyday you can lower your bad cholesterol by 22 percent. You don’t have to eat that much, but the more beans you eat as often as you can will help keep your cholesterol under control. Beans are another food that contain cholesterol-lowering pectin

Causes of Sudden Drop in Blood Pressure?

Sudden drops in blood pressure can be life-threatening. Causes of this type of hypotension include:

• Loss of blood from bleeding
• Low body temperature
• High body temperature
• Heart muscle disease causing heart failure
• Sepsis, a severe blood infection
• Severe dehydration from vomiting, diarrhea, or fever
• A reaction to medication or alcohol
• A severe allergic reaction, called anaphylaxis

Causes Low Blood Pressure?

Pregnancy

Hormonal problems such as an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism), overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism), diabetes, or low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)

Over-the-counter medications

Overdose of high blood pressure drugs

Heart failure

Heart arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythms)

Widening, or dilation, of the blood vessels

Heat exhaustion or heat stroke

Liver disease

Stress is the Major cause of Heart Diseases

Stress is considered a contributing risk factor for heart disease because little is known about its effects. The effects of emotional stress, behavior habits, and socioeconomic status on the risk of heart disease and heart attack have not been proven. That is because we all deal with stress differently: how much and in what way stress affects us can vary from person to person.

Researchers have identified several reasons why stress may affect the heart.

Stressful situations raise your heart rate and blood pressure, increasing the your heart's need for oxygen. This need for oxygen can bring on angina pectoris, or chest pain, in people who already have heart disease.

During times of stress, the nervous system releases extra hormones (most often adrenaline). These hormones raise blood pressure, which can injure the lining of the arteries. When the arteries heal, the walls may harden or thicken, making is easier for plaque to build up.

Stress also increases the amount of blood clotting factors that circulate in your blood, and makes it more likely that a clot will form. Clots may then block an artery narrowed by plaque and cause a heart attack.
Stress may also contribute to other risk factors. For example, people who are stressed may overeat for comfort, start smoking, or smoke more than they normally would.

Alcohol Effects on Heart

Risk of heart disease in people who drink moderate amounts of alcohol is lower than in nondrinkers. Experts say that moderate intake is an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. One drink is defined as 1?fluid ounces (fl oz) of 80-proof spirits (such as bourbon, Scotch, vodka, gin, etc.), 1 fl oz of 100-proof spirits, 4 fl oz of wine, or 12 fl oz of beer. But drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol can cause heart-related problems such as high blood pressure, stroke, irregular heartbeats, and cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle). And the average drink has between 100 and 200 calories. Calories from alcohol often add fat to the body, which may increase the risk of heart disease. It is not recommended that nondrinkers start using alcohol or that drinkers increase the amount that they drink.

It is never too late or too early to begin improving heart health. Some risk factors can be controlled, while others cannot. But, by eliminating risk factors that you can change and by properly managing those that you cannot control, you may greatly reduce your risk of heart disease.

Side Effects of Birth control Pills for Heart

Early types of birth control pills contained high levels of estrogen and progestin, and taking these pills increased the chances of heart disease and stroke, especially in women older than 35 who smoked. But birth control pills today contain much lower doses of hormones. Birth control pills are considered safe for women younger than 35, who do not smoke or have high blood pressure.

But if you smoke or have other risk factors, birth control pills will increase your risk of heart disease and blood clots, especially if you are older than 35. According to the American Heart Association, women who take birth control pills should have yearly check-ups that test blood pressure, triglyceride, and glucose levels.

How I know that my Blood Pressure is low?

Symptoms of dizziness and lightheadedness when you stand up don't necessarily mean that you low blood pressure, also called postural hypotension. A wide range of underlying conditions may cause your symptoms. It's important to identify the cause of low blood pressure so appropriate treatment can be given.
The doctor will look at your medical history, age, specific symptoms, and the conditions under which the symptoms occurred. He or she may perform repeated evaluations of your blood pressure and pulse rate -- after you've been lying down for a few minutes and within a few minutes after you stand quietly.
Other tests may be performed, such as an ECG (electrocardiogram) to measure heart rate and rhythm problems and an echocardiogram (an ultrasound test to visualize the heart). You may also have blood tests to look for anemia or problems with your blood sugar levels.
More sophisticated home ECG monitoring (a Holter monitor or "event" monitor) may be necessary to check for heart problems that occur intermittently.
An exercise stress test or -- less commonly -- an electrophysiology test (EP test) may also be helpful.
Serious forms of postural hypotension may require a test called a "tilt table" test. This test evaluates the body's reaction to position and changes in position. The person lies on a table, is safely strapped in, and the table is raised to an upright position for up to an hour. Blood pressure, heart rate, and symptoms are recorded. Often, medications are given to help guide treatment.

First Aid of Low Blood Pressure

If you have an underlying medical problem that causes low blood pressure, seek treatment for the underlying condition. For many people, chronic low blood pressure can be effectively treated with diet and lifestyle changes.
Initially, you must follow these;

• Eat a diet higher in salt.
• Decrease your intake of caffeine.
• Drink lots of nonalcoholic fluids -- a minimum of eight glasses per day. Sports drinks that are high in sodium and potassium are recommended, especially during exercise or in hot weather.
• Drink more fluids during hot weather and while sick with a viral illness, such as a cold or the flu.
• Have your doctor evaluate your prescription and over-the-counter medications to identify any that may be causing your symptoms.
• Get regular exercise to promote blood flow.
• Be careful when rising from lying down or sitting. To improve circulation, pump your feet and ankles a few times before standing up. Then proceed slowly. When getting out of bed, sit upright on the edge of the bed for a few minutes before standing.
• Elevate the head of your bed at night by placing bricks or blocks under the head of bed.
• Avoid heavy lifting.
• Avoid straining while on the toilet.
• Avoid prolonged exposure to hot water, such as hot showers and spas. If you get dizzy, sit down. It may be helpful to keep a chair or stool in the shower in case you need to sit; to help prevent injury, use a nonslip chair or stool designed for use in showers and bath tubs.
• To avoid problems with low blood pressure and lessen episodes of dizziness after meals, try eating smaller, more frequent meals. Rest after eating. Avoid taking drugs to lower blood pressure before meals.If needed, use elastic support (compression) stockings that cover the calf and thigh. These may help restrict blood flow to the legs, thus keeping more blood in the upper body.

What is High Blood Pressure and How it Measure?

The heart pumps blood into the arteries with enough force to push blood to the far reaches of each organ from the top of the head to the bottom of the feet. Blood pressure can be defined as the pressure of blood on the walls of the arteries as it circulates through the body. Blood pressure is highest as its leaves the heart through the aorta and gradually decreases as it enters smaller and smaller blood vessels (arteries, arterioles, and capillaries). Blood returns in the veins leading to the heart, aided by gravity and muscle contraction.

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. It is known as the "silent killer" since it has no initial symptoms but can lead to long-term disease and complications..

• Many people have high blood pressure and don't know it.
• Important complications of uncontrolled or poorly treated high blood pressure include heart attack, congestive heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, peripheral artery disease, and aortic aneurysms (weakening of the wall of the aorta, leading to widening or ballooning of the aorta).
• Public awareness of these dangers has increased. High blood pressure has become the second most common reason for medical office visits in the United States.

How is blood pressure measured?
Blood pressure is measured with a blood pressure cuff and recorded as two numbers, for example, 120/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). Blood pressure measurements are usually taken at the upper arm over the brachial artery.

• The top, larger number is called the systolic pressure. This measures the pressure generated when the heart contracts (pumps). It reflects the pressure of the blood against arterial walls.
• The bottom, smaller number is called the diastolic pressure. This reflects the pressure in the arteries while the heart is filling and resting between heartbeats.

The American Heart Association has recommended guidelines to define normal and high blood pressure.

• Normal blood pressure less than 120/80
• Pre-hypertension 120-139/ 80-89
• High blood pressure (stage 1) 140-159/90-99
• High blood pressure (stage 2) higher than 160/100

As many as 60 million Americans have high blood pressure.

• Uncontrolled high blood pressure may be responsible for many cases of death and disability resulting from heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure.
• According to research studies, the risk of dying of a heart attack is directly linked to high blood pressure, particularly systolic hypertension. The higher your blood pressure, the higher the risk. Maintaining lifelong control of hypertension decreases the future risk of complications such as heart attack and stroke.

Best stress-management techniques

Exercise

Physical exercise not only promotes overall fitness, but it helps you to manage emotional stress and tension as well. For one thing, exercise can emotionally remove one temporarily from a stressful environment or situation. Being fit and healthy also increases your ability to deal with stress as it arises.

Relaxation and meditation

There are many ways to use structured relaxation and meditation techniques to help control stress and improve your physical and mental well-being. While some types of meditation and relaxation therapies are best learned in a class, it's also possible to learn meditation techniques on your own. There are literally hundreds of different types of relaxation methods ranging from audio CDs to group martial arts and fitness classes. The following are only examples of the types of structured programs available that can increase our capacity for relaxation:

• Autogenic training: Developed in the early 20th century, this technique is based upon passive concentration and awareness of body sensations. Through repetition of so-called autogenic "formulas" one focuses upon different sensations, such as warmth or heaviness, in different regions of the body. Autogenic training has been used by physicians as a part of therapy for many conditions. Popular in Europe (where it is even covered by some insurance plans), this method is currently gaining acceptance in the United States. No particular physical skills or exercises are involved; however, people desiring to learn this technique must be prepared to invest time and patience. Since this technique is slightly more complex than some relaxation methods, a course is generally the best way to learn the method.
• Biofeedback: Biofeedback is one method of learning to achieve relaxation, control stress responses, or modify the body's reactions through the use of monitoring equipment that provides information from the body which would normally not be available. This method is based upon the principle first advanced in the early 1960s that the autonomic nervous system (the part we don't consciously use) is trainable. For example, instruments can be used to measure heart rate, blood pressure, brain activity, stomach acidity, muscle tension, or other parameters while people experiment with postural changes, breathing techniques, or thinking patterns. By receiving this feedback, one can learn to identify the processes that achieve the desired result, such as reduction in heart rate and blood pressure. Biofeedback is used by many practitioners for a variety of psychological and physical conditions. Because the technique involves the use of measuring devices, it can only be performed by a professional.
• Imagery: Imagery, sometimes referred to as guided imagery, is the use of pleasant or relaxing images to calm the mind and body. By controlling breathing and visualizing a soothing image, a state of deep relaxation can occur. This method can be learned by anyone and is relatively easy to try out.
• Meditation techniques: Ranging from practices associated with specific religions or beliefs to methods focusing purely on physical relaxation, meditation is one of the most popular techniques to achieve physical and mental relaxation. There are thousands of different types of meditation, and many can be learned on your own. The meditative state is one in which there is a deep centering and focusing upon the core of one's being; there is a quieting of the mind, emotions, and body. The meditative state can be achieved through structured (as in a daily practice of a routine) or unstructured (for example, while being alone outdoors) activities. While teachers of meditative arts are readily available, some techniques can be learned though books or online tutorials.
  
  A form of meditation popularized in the last few decades is TM, or transcendental meditation. TM has the goal of achieving transcendental consciousness, or the simplest form of awareness. It is practiced for 15-20 minutes in the mornings and evenings and is relatively easy to learn. Numerous classes and teaching materials are available for beginners.
• Progressive muscle relaxation: Progressive muscle relaxation is a method developed in the 1930s in which muscle groups are tightened and then relaxed in succession. This method is based upon the idea that mental relaxation will be a natural outcome of physical relaxation. Although muscle activity is involved, this technique requires no special skills or conditioning, and it can be learned by almost anyone. Progressive muscle relaxation is generally practiced for 10-20 minutes a day. As with the relaxation response, practice and patience are required for maximum benefits.
• Qigong: The martial art qigong is an ancient Chinese health-care system that combines physical training (such as isometrics, isotonics, and aerobic conditioning) with Eastern philosophy and relaxation techniques. There are many different kinds of qigong, including medical qigong. Some forms are practiced while standing, sitting, or lying down; others involve structured movements or massage. Over 70 million Chinese practice some form of qigong daily. Qigong has been used for centuries in China for the treatment of a variety of medical conditions. Learning qigong involves time, commitment, patience, and determination, and learning from a master or group is advisable. Since this technique involves physical exertion, check with your doctor before beginning, particularly if you have a chronic medical condition or are over 40 years old.  
• Yoga: There are many forms of yoga, an ancient Indian form of exercise based upon the premise that the body and breathing are connected with the mind. The practice of yoga is thought to be over 5,000 years old. One goal of yoga is to restore balance and harmony to the body and emotions through numerous postural and breathing exercises. Yoga, which means "joining" or "union" in Sanskrit, has been called the "search for the soul" and the "union between the individual and the divine." Among the benefits of yoga are increased flexibility and capability for relaxation. No special level of conditioning is required; yoga can be learned by nearly anyone. Classes, books, and videos are widely available. Those with special or chronic physical conditions will want to get clearance from their doctor before beginning.

Stress causes Heart Disease?

Stress itself might be a risk factor, or it could be that high levels of stress make other risk factors (such as high cholesterol or high blood pressure) worse. For example, if you are under stress, your blood pressure goes up, you may overeat, you may exercise less, and you may be more likely to smoke.
If stress itself is a risk factor for heart disease, it could be because chronic stress exposes your body to unhealthy, persistently elevated levels of stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. Studies also link stress to changes in the way blood clots, which increases the risk of heart attack.

Does Stress Affect Everyone the Same?

No. People respond in different ways to events and situations. One person may find an event joyful and gratifying, but another person may find the same event miserable and frustrating. Sometimes, people may handle stress in ways that make bad situations worse by reacting with feelings of anger, guilt, fear, hostility, anxiety, and moodiness. Others may face life's challenges with ease.

Can overweight cause Heart Attack

Obesity is associated with more cardiac risk factors than ideal weight individuals. Certainly there are obese people who are physically active and hence obese but fit. The Archives of Internal Medicine published two articles related to obesity and cardiac risk in August 2008. In the first study, 5440 participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) provided data on their body mass index (BMI) and their cardiac health. The BMI was used to classify the participants into 3 groups: normal weight, below 25.0; overweight, 25.0-29.9; and obese, 30 or above. The results showed that 23.5% of the normal-weight participants had two or more cardiac risk factors, while 51.3% of the overweight and 31.7% of the obese adults were heart-healthy, i.e., they had none or only one cardiac risk factor. Cardiac risk factors included high blood pressure, elevated blood sugar (diabetes), elevated tricglycerides, low good cholesterol (HDL), and elevated C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation. The risk of cardiovascular disease correlated more with physical activity and waist size than body mass index.
However, cardiovascular disease is the number one killer of women worldwide. Obesity and lack of physical exercise can lead to high blood pressure, which increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. It is important to discuss your cardiovascular risk factors, including your family history, with your doctor. Women can dramatically reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease by altering their lifestyle and knowing their numbers, including blood pressure and cholesterol. Every year in your birthday month, it is wise to see your physician to have your blood pressure and fasting lipids (cholesterol) checked, as well as your blood sugar.

What is Angiography or arteriography?

Angiography or arteriography is a medical imaging technique used to visualize the inside, or lumen, of blood vessels and organs of the body, with particular interest in the arteries, veins and the heart chambers. This is traditionally done by injecting a radio-opaque contrast agent into the blood vessel and imaging using X-ray based techniques such as fluoroscopy. The word itself comes from the Greek words angeion, “vessel”, and graphein, “to write or record”. The film or image of the blood vessels is called an angiograph, or more commonly, an angiogram.
The term angiography is strictly defined as based on projectional radiography; however, the term has been applied to newer vascular imaging techniques such as CT angiography and MR angiography. The term isotope angiography has also been used, although this more correctly is referred to as isotope perfusion scanning.

Blood Pressure in Post-Menopausal

During menopause, levels of estrogen decrease greatly. Besides being the cause of common side effects of menopause such as hot flashes, declining estrogen levels also mean elevating high blood pressure risk. It is important to montior your blood pressure during and after menopause, even if it has been normal for your whole life, because your risk increases substantially during this time.

As a Woman, What Should I Know?

Like men, women should be familiar with the basics of high blood pressure, the risks, and prevention strategies. You should also be aware that clinical models which say that women are at less risk than men are outdated. As a woman, there are unique topics such as pregnancy and menopause which can play an important role in your blood pressure health.

Traditional Ideas:

Clinical thinking used to say that women were less likely to develop high blood pressure than men. Numerous large, well run studies tracked high blood pressure in women over a long period of time, and correlated it to various things.
These studies showed that

• Women developed high blood pressure less frequently than men
• Women developed high blood pressure later in life than men
• Various factors, such as estrogen, protect women from developing things like high blood pressure and heart attack

New Ideas:

Women under a certain age do tend to develop high blood pressure less frequently than men, due to the protective effects of estrogen. As women age, this protective effect decreases, and by the retirement years, women and men share about the same level of risk.
Because of the complicated way that statistics can work, it is still sometimes said that women are at less risk than men. While technically correct, this statment is flawed, and should not give anyone false peace of mind.

If you Use Birth Control Pills:

There is research linking birth control pills to high blood pressure. Smoking cigarettes greatly amplifies this link. If you are thinking of starting birth control pills

• Quit Smoking - your doctor can help
• Have your blood pressure checked before starting the pill
• Have your blood pressure checked every six months

If you are overweight, have a family history of high blood presure, or have had a complicated pregnancy in the past, your doctor may want to check your blood pressure more often.

What Are the Effects of High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy?

Many pregnant women with high blood pressure have healthy babies without serious problems, high blood pressure can be dangerous for both the mother and the fetus. Women with pre-existing, or chronic, high blood pressure are more likely to have certain complications during pregnancy tha those with normal blood pressure. However, some women develop high blood pressure while they are pregnant (often called gestational hypertension).

The effects of high blood pressure range from mild to severe. High blood pressure can harm the mother's kidneys and other organs, and it can cause low birth weight and early delivery. In the most serious cases, the mother develops preeclampsia - or "toxemia of pregnancy"--which can threaten the lives of both the mother and the fetus.so be avoid and consult to doctor.

High blood pressure effects on eyes

Hypertension or high blood pressure leads to many changes in the blood vessels of the body. These same changes in blood vessels affect the eyes in many ways. It can cause the following problems in the eye:

• Hypertensive retinopathy
• Macroaneurysms
• Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) and vitreous hemorrhage
• Optic nerve involvement (Optic neuropathy)
• Involvement of the nerves supplying the eye muscles, leading to temporary paralysis or weakness of these muscles
What are the symptoms of these conditions?

Many of these conditions may not have any symptoms in the initial stages. Therefore it is important to have a periodic eye checkup to detect these.

Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) may lead to a blurring of vision especially for fine work. A vitreous hemorrhage may lead to a more severe loss of vision associated with a shower of red floaters.

Optic neuropathy may also lead to a loss of vision, which is painless and not associated with any floaters.

Paralysis or weakness of the muscles of the eye leads to restriction of movement of the eye and double vision.

What is the role of laser in treatment of eye disease because of high blood pressure?

Branch retinal vein occlusion (BRVO) is a condition that is commonly associated with high blood pressure and changes of hypertensive retinopathy. This condition may lead to loss of vision by two mechanisms:


Macular edema (swelling of the region of macula): Macula is the central region of the retina and is important for seeing fine details. A swelling in this region leads to a decrease in vision. This condition can be treated by doing laser therapy.


Vitreous hemorrhage: Sometimes the BRVO may lead to formation of new vessels in the retina. These vessels are abnormal and are very fragile. These may bleed and may cause vitreous hemorrhage and thus loss of vision. A timely detection of these new vessels can be treated by doing laser therapy and thus causing these new vessels to disappear.
Macroaneurysm: This is an uncommon manifestation of hypertension. Untreated, this may cause bleeding into vitreous and thus loss of vision. This condition can be treated by laser therapy.

Why is eye checkup important if one has hypertension?

Eye is the only organ of the body where one can observe the blood vessels directly. Seeing the retina by using ophthalmoscope, we can see the blood vessels. Thus examination of the eyes help the physician or ophthalmologist to observe the changes in blood vessels because of hypertension. This gives an idea about the severity of the disease elsewhere in the body.

Moreover, presence of swelling of the disc (grade 4 hypertensive retinopathy) is an indicator of a very severe, life threatening rise in blood pressure, which warrants emergency treatment to control the blood pressure.

If the patient has both hypertension and diabetes, can both these diseases affect his/her eyes?

Yes. The patient can have changes of both diabetic retinopathy as well as hypertensive retinopathy. In fact, presence of hypertension may lead to exacerbation of the changes due to diabetic retinopathy. Therefore it is important to control the blood pressure in a patient with diabetic retinopathy.

Can anxiety cause high blood pressure?

Anxiety doesn't cause long-term high blood pressure (hypertension). But episodes of anxiety can cause dramatic, temporary spikes in your blood pressure.

If those temporary episodes occur frequently, such as every day or almost every day, they can cause just as much damage to your blood vessels, heart and kidneys as can chronic high blood pressure. In addition, when you have anxiety, you're more likely to resort to other unhealthy habits that can increase your blood pressure, such as:

■Smoking
■Drinking
■Overeating
Some medications to treat anxiety, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), also can increase your blood pressure.

If you have trouble controlling your anxiety or if anxiety interferes with daily activities, talk to your doctor or a mental health provider to find an appropriate treatment.

High Blood Pressure in children

High blood pressure (hypertension) in children is blood pressure that's the same as or higher than 95 percent of children who are the same sex, age and height as your child. There isn't a simple target blood pressure reading that indicates high blood pressure in children, because what's considered normal blood pressure changes as children grow.

High blood pressure in children younger than 10 years old is usually caused by another medical condition. High blood pressure in children can also develop for the same reasons it does in adults — being overweight, eating a poor diet and not exercising.

Lifestyle changes, such as eating a heart-healthy diet and exercising more, can help reduce high blood pressure in children. But, for some children, medications may be necessary.

Erectile dysfunction drugs and high blood pressure

Men considering medication for erectile dysfunction, should check with their doctor first. It's usually safe to combine the erectile dysfunction drugs sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra) and tadalafil (Cialis) with high blood pressure medications.

Taking these drugs with nitrates, taken either regularly for chest pain or in an emergency setting, can cause a dangerous drop in blood pressure.

High blood pressure medication side effects in men: Sexual problems

High blood pressure medications that can cause sexual dysfunction as a side effect include:

■Water pills (diuretics). Diuretics can decrease forceful blood flow to the penis, making it difficult to achieve an erection. They can also deplete the body of zinc, which is necessary to make the sex hormone testosterone.
■Beta blockers. These medications can affect the nervous system reaction that causes an erection. Beta blockers can also make it difficult for the arteries in the penis to widen (dilate) to let in enough blood flow to cause an erection.
To reduce the risk of side effects from these medications, including sexual problems, take medication exactly as prescribed. If you still have side effects, talk to your doctor about other possible medications that may have fewer side effects.

High Blood Pressure for Men Sex

Over time, high blood pressure damages the lining of blood vessels and causes arteries to harden and narrow (atherosclerosis), limiting blood flow. This means less blood is able to flow to the penis. For some men, the decreased blood flow makes it difficult to achieve and maintain erections — often referred to as erectile dysfunction. The problem is fairly common, especially among men who are not treating their high blood pressure.

Even a single episode of erectile dysfunction can cause anxiety. Fears that it will happen again might lead men to avoid sex — and affect relationship with their sexual partner.

High blood pressure can also interfere with ejaculation and reduce sexual desire. Sometimes the medications used to treat high blood pressure have similar effects.

Dangers of Low Blood Pressure

While high blood pressure is dangerous, low blood pressure also has dangers that impact negatively on a person's health. Some low blood pressure sufferers are in great physical shape and have strong cardiovascular systems and experience symptoms because their cardiovascular systems and hearts are strong with arterial systems elasticity being flexible.


It can be dangerous when there is a sudden drop in blood pressure. For example, a change of only 20 mm HG (systolic reading change from 130 to 110) may cause fainting or dizziness because not enough oxygen is received by the brain.