blood pressure

Leave a comment Posted on Cardiovascular disease

Blood Pressure: Know Your Numbers

Being knowledgeable about your health is always helpful. Your blood pressure is no exception, 1/3 people who have strokes die because of high blood pressure. The Blood Pressure infographic created by westfieldhealth.com describes what blood pressure is, what it means, and then how to maintain a healthy blood pressure. The infographic was found on behance.net.

High blood pressure puts strain on your heart and increases your likelihood of developing health problems in the future. It is one of the most common causes of heart attacks and strokes, and is also a risk factor for heart disease, kidney disease and dementia. One in three people in the UK have high blood pressure even though just a few simple steps can help combat it. By checking your blood pressure, exercising regularly and reducing the amount of salt in your diet you can significantly lower your blood pressure and enjoy a healthier lifestyle.

The infographic provides some useful tips and advice about how you can keep your blood pressure in check.

This is a really good design with great information for people.  I wish it was a little bit easier to understand though.  A few of the data visualizations are not clearly explained.

In Blood pressure High Spots, I don’t understand what the size of each symbol on the UK map represents.  The implication is the amount of reports high blood pressure cases, but the values are not shown.  I don’t understand the right circle at all.  The percentage numbers seem to be spread on a map, but it’s not the UK, and I don’t recognize it.

In Looking After your Blood Pressure, I think this diagram is completely artistic, even though it seems to imply that it’s a data visualization.

In A Guide to Blood Pressure Levels, the area chart seems to be a visualization over time of some sort, but no x-axis values are shown, so the readers can’t tell what this chart means.

Blood pressure

Blood pressure

Leave a comment Posted on Alzheimer's

New Study Discovers Nine Risk Factors for Alzheimer’s Disease

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive disease which destroys memory and many other important mental functions.

Alzheimer and Causes

Alzheimer and Causes

It is, also, the most common cause of dementia that is defined as a group of brain disorders that result in loss of social and intellectual skills. Scientists aren’t quite sure what causes Alzheimer’s disease which is why there’s no specific treatment that could stop it. Furthermore, scientists from different parts of the world are constantly working on studies and researches whose primary aim is to find out something new about this disease. Findings of these studies are used to modify treatments, prevent or delay its occurrence or slow down its progress. The most recent study identified nine risk factors for this disease.

 

Factors that put you at risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease

 

This particular study was conducted by team of researches led by Wei Xu from Department of Neurology, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, School of Medicine, Qingdao University in China.

 

For the purpose of this research, scientists systematically searched PubMed and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews from inception to July 2014. They analyzed more than 300 studies and references they included. In total, about 16,906 articles were identified of which 323 with 93 factors met the inclusion criteria for meta-analysis.

 

The results of this study were published in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. Researchers discovered the following Alzheimer’s disease risk factors:

 

The team of researchers pointed out that study is strictly observational but they also assume that findings could help medical professionals prescribe specific lifestyle changes to the Alzheimer’s disease patients. Scientists also discovered that some hormones, drugs for high blood pressure, vitamins etc. can help lowering the risk of this disease while homocysteine and depression are associated with heightened risk.

 

Alzheimer’s disease in numbers

 

  • 1 in 3 senior citizens dies with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
  • 1 in 9 Americans over 65 have Alzheimer’s
  • 2 in 3 Alzheimer’s disease patients in the US are women
  • 6 – Alzheimer’s is the 6th leading cause of death in the US, and also it is the only leading cause of death that cannot be prevented or cured. North Dakota has a higher Alzheimer’s disease mortality rate than any other state in the US (54 deaths a year per 100,000 residents). On the other hand, the lowest mortality rate associated with Alzheimer’s disease is in Nevada (11 deaths a year per 100,000 residents)
  • 44 million people worldwide have Alzheimer’s or dementia
  • 30% of people with Alzheimer’s also have heart disease
  • 29% people with Alzheimer’s disease also have diabetes.

 

FACT: Alzheimer’s disease is most common in Western Europe with North America close behind. The disease is least prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa.

 

Protecting cognitive health

 

Although Alzheimer’s disease can’t be prevented or cured, you can still make some lifestyle adjustments that would slow down its progress. Plus, protecting your cognitive health is of crucial importance for your overall health as well. Here are some things you can do:

  • Exercise – physical activity is beneficial for your wellbeing and it can also help prevent cognitive decline. There’s a well-known Latin proverb which says Mens sana in corpore sano meaning “a sound mind in sound body”. The point of the proverb is to emphasize the importance of physical activity for all aspects of your life. Even taking a nice and easy walk for 30 minutes each day can be quite beneficial for you.
  • Supplement – today, you can find a wide range of supplements formulated to improve memory, focus, and cognitive abilities. These supplements are made of natural ingredients whose benefits for brain health are well-documented. For example, Nerium EHT is an age-defying supplement that promotes better cognitive function and brain health, combats inflammation and oxidative stress, improves focus and concentration, and strengthens brain’s natural functions. Due to natural ingredients, brain supplements usually do not induce any side effects.
  • Omega 3 fatty acids – are essential for optimal brain health and if you didn’t have the habit of eating seafood (or taking Omega 3 supplements) it’s good time for you to start doing so. Plus, your body needs Omega 3 fatty acids to remain healthy.
  • Intellectual stimulation – in order to function properly, your brain needs to be challenged. There are various ways you can do it. For example, play Sudoku, crosswords or puzzles. You can also take up a new hobby, sign up for some class, travel, learn a new language; even reading is brain-healthy.
  • Social engagement – socializing is quite important for your brain health. Depression, one of major risk factors of this disease, is associated with loneliness. Hanging out with friends and family is soul-enriching and it’s also beneficial for your brain.

 

Conclusion

 

Alzheimer’s disease is a subject of a wide array of studies nowadays. Results of this study can be considered as a new breakthrough which can help doctors prescribe specific lifestyle changes to slow down progress of this disease. Hopefully, in the near future, we can expect more studies that would provide a new insight into this disease.

 

References

 

https://www.consumerhealthdigest.com/brain-health/can-mental-physical-activity-prevent-alzheimers.html

 

http://www.thesleuthjournal.com/relation-dementia-alzheimers-sleep/

 

 

 

Author Bio

 

Willo Conner – a freelancer, online article editor, eBook author for health and fitness. He has designed and taught health programs on the topics of health disorders, body image and self-acceptance, beauty tips for women, exercise for seniors. He writes for many online publications.

Leave a comment Posted on Diabetes

Diabetes and Sleep – Dr Rob Hicks tells us why too little sleep puts us at risk from Diabetes.


Dr Rob Hicks on Diabetes and Sleep

Dr Rob Hicks on Diabetes and Sleep

Recent research has suggested that too little sleeps increases the risk of developing type 2 Diabetes. Indeed 9 in 10 are consistently plagued with disturbed or sleepless nights and almost half say that it was worrying about something that keeps them awake at night – with money being the obvious concern. In fact is sleep is disturbed a person is quite likely to only sleep for four hours.

PatientTalk.Org conducted this interview about sleep and diabetes with TV’s Dr Rob Hicks just before Easter!

We kicked off with asking Rob to tell us a bit about the connection between sleep and diabetes. He replied “The connection is that if you’re suffering with a problem with sleep and so for example you’re not getting enough sleep that there is a link with an increased risk of developing type two diabetes and that’s two fold, one is because people who do not get enough sleep tend to gain weight and that’s often because actually when we are tired we eat more comfort food and we are less active and there’s also been some research recently suggesting for people who are not getting enough sleep on a regular basis this effects just how effective insulin is , it increases something called insulin resistance which is felt to be the most main reason for type two diabetes so this is one of the many reason why we should take a good night’s sleep very seriously indeed. ”


Turning to the prevention of diabetes he shared “Well the important thing about a good night sleep is obviously the following day if you haven’t had a good night’s sleep you feel really tired , not only loss concentration pool but also productivity is likely to be bad but also you switch to move too eating more comfort food which tend to be high in calories and high in saturated fat, your less likely to be active you’re more likely to drink alcohol, that piles on the pounds in weight and the major risk factor for type two Diabetes is gaining weight. ”

Of course a good nights sleep is important for those who have already been diagnosed with diabetes. “A good night’s sleep is good for everybody whether they have got diabetes or not because one of the problems is with not getting a good night’s sleep and certainly the Dunelm sleep survey has highlighted this is that people who are left tired the following day they are more likely to be irritable, they are more likely to adopt unhealthy lifestyles habits that increase blood pressure that increase cholesterol , we know that those factors increase the risk of not just diabetes but also of heart attacks and strokes but also it increases the risk of stress and anxiety and when we are felling stressed again we don’t follow healthy practises so if we want to get the best out of the day look after our emotional and physical well being then it’s very very important to have a good night’s sleep. ”

You can find out about ways of getting more and better sleep to help fight insomnia at our previous blog! Please follow this link https://patienttalk.org/insomnia-busting-some-great-tips-to-help-you-get-more-and-better-sleep/.

2 Comments Posted on Patient Talk

Neurofibromatosis – what are the symptoms and treatments of Neurofibromatosis?


Neurofibromatosis

Neurofibromatosis

Last week my sister came round for the evening.  In the course of the conversation she mentioned that one of her university friends had had a child who had been diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis.  She tuned to me and said “You should write a blog on Neurofibromatosis”.

So here it is.  As with most of our informational blogs the objective is not just to raise awareness of Neurofibromatosis but also to allow people in the Neurofibromatosis community to share their stories and experiences to the benefit of others.

It is worth stating at the offset that there are two main types of Neurofibromatosis.  Rather splendidly referred to as Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1) and Neurofibromatosis Type 2 (NF2).  This blog will concentrate on NFI because it is the much more common type affecting around 1 in 3000 births.  We’ll come back to NF2 in a future blog.

So what is Neurofibromatosis? Well both NF1 and NF2 refer to a set of genetic conditions which cause the growth or tumours at the end of nerves.  It should be noted that these tumours are benign i.e. non-cancerous.

So what does this mean in practice?  Firstly it is genetic condition which means that people with Neurofibromatosis are born with it.  That being said, in many cases, symptoms get worse of the years.

Typical signs and symptoms of Neurofibromatosis include:-

a)      Café-au-lait spots.  These are a kind of pale brown birth mark.  In fact a lot of kids have them.  But more than six by the age of 5 could be a symptom of Neurofibromatosis.

b)      Neurofibromas – these are soft bumps on or under the skin.

In some cases further symptoms can present which are more serious:-

c)       Raised blood pressure.

d)      Increased risk of developing a cancer known as malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumours.  According to the UK’s NHS perhaps 10% of people with NF1 will be affected by this cancer.

e)      Scoliosis or curvature of this spine.

f)       Some children may present learning difficulties at school

g)      In some cases depression and anxiety are also common.

As of yet there is no cure for Neurofibromatosis but a number of treatments are available.  Surgery for the tumours is common and effective.  Obviously it is important to control high blood pressure and this is normally done with medications.  For learning difficulties and behavioural issues therapy is considered the best course of action.

As we said at the beginning of the Neurofibromatosis blog post we are interested in hearing from people in the Neurofibromatosis community.  It would be great if you could share your story using the comments box below.

It would be good if you would like to think about the following questions when putting together your comments:-

a)      At what age were you or your loved one diagnosed with NF?

b)      What were the symptoms and signs of NF?  How did it progress?

c)       What were and are the effect s of NF on the lifestyle of you and your family?

d)      What treatments were used?  How effective were these treatments?

e)      What one piece of advice would you give to somebody or their families who has just been diagnosed with Neurofibromatosis?

We really look forward to reading your comments.  Please note that these questions are only a guideline.  Anything you have to share will be of huge interest to our readers.

Thanks very much in advance.