Mens Health Blog. Medical Blog

ArrhythmiasAn arrhythmia is an irregularity in heartbeat, a condition experienced with varying degrees of frequency by over 4 million Americans. It may be suspected, for instance, when a person complains of a racing heart in the absence of exercise or anxiety; tachycardia is the medical term for this abnormally fast heartbeat. On the other end of the continuum is bradycardia, or abnormally slow heartbeat. When a heart goes into fibrillation, it exhibits a totally sporadic, quivering pattern of beating resulting in extreme inefficiency in moving blood through the cardiovascular system. If untreated, this condition may be fatal. Not all arrhythmias are life threatening. In many instances, excessive caffeine or nicotine consumption can trigger an arrhythmia episode. However, severe cases may require drug therapy or external electrical stimulus to prevent serious complications.
Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)When the heart muscle is damaged or overworked and lacks the strength to keep blood circulating normally through the body, its chambers are often taxed to the limit. CHF affects over 5 million Americans and dramatically increases risk of premature death. Patients who have been afflicted with rheumatic fever, pneumonia, or other cardiovascular problems (particularly after heart surgery) in the past often have weakened heart muscles. In addition, the walls of the heart and the blood vessels may be damaged from previous radiation or chemotherapy treatments for cancer. These weakened muscles respond poorly when stressed, blood flow out of the heart through the arteries is diminished, and the return flow of blood through the veins begins to back up, causing congestion in the tissues. This pooling of blood causes enlargement of the heart and decreases the amount of blood that can be circulated. Fluid begins to accumulate in other body areas, such as in the vessels in the legs and ankles or the lungs, causing swelling or difficulty in breathing. Today, CHF is the single most frequent cause of hospitalization in the United States. If untreated, congestive heart failure will result in death. Most cases respond well to treatment that includes diuretics (water pills) for relief of fluid accumulation; drugs, such as digitalis, that increase the pumping action of the heart; and drugs called vasodilators that expand blood vessels and decrease resistance, allowing blood to flow more easily and making the heart’s work easier.*8/277/5*

Comments (0) May 30 2011

Self-Centred, always thinking and talking of his own troubles—the “talkative hypochondriac”Heather’ relates to the soul qualities of sympathy and desire to help others—an extrovert state.In the negative state, the same divine quality turns introvert, and the person becomes self-centred. He is always thinking of his own troubles, and is so much obsessed with them that he needs releasing that pressure by talking to others, and he confines his talk to narrating his personal problems in the minutest detail. He has no time to listen to the other man’s problems, and while talking does not allow any time to other man to talk.If he goes to a doctor for consultation and starts giving his case history, the queue of persons waiting for their turn in the doctor’s clinic goes on swelling, because the Heather patient goes on and on giving minutest details of relevantand irrelevant details.He has the knack of turning any conversation to himself and then become the centre of attention.Suppose in a public place, say a milk booth, two persons are discussing some office problem, then this ‘Heather’ gentleman will innocently poke his nose in, and cleverly generalise the problem and himself become the centre of attention, sometimes stretching the discussion to his personal problems.He tends to exaggerate his troubles, often making mountains of mole-hills. The negative ‘Heather’ type is aptly called The needy child”, because he is always depending on the attention and affection of others which he evokes by talking of his problems before others.Naturally, he wants listeners. He must have the company of some-one to whom he can talk. He feels oppressed when alone, and desperately needs company to off-load everything that happens to him by telling it to others.But nobody likes his company. It is so boring. He is so self-centred and talks incessantly of his personal problems which are of no interest to others. Other people avoid or shun his society. Those that can do it go out of his way.But there are weaker characters which become victims of this type—Centaury is one such type who lacks the will power to rid themselves of its dominant influence. Mimulus type, with its inherent fear and nervousness, also lack the courage to break away, and remain unwilling listeners to the unceasing woes of the ‘HEATHER’ type.*111\308\8*

Comments (0) May 16 2011

Emily was first diagnosed with scoliosis in childhood, and suffered with anorexia for about a year in her late teens. She confessed she still was constantly dieting. She is otherwise a basically healthy, very petite, 40-year-old woman, and has no family history of low bone density. Recently, she had a bone density measurement done. She had no symptoms (most people don’t until they break a bone), but she was concerned about the effects the scoliosis, anorexia, and continual dieting might have had on her bones.Sure enough, Emily’s DEXA scan revealed she already had osteoporosis in the vertebrae of her lower back. Her density was about 25 percent lower than average peak bone density. She had osteoporosis at a time when she should still have been at just about peak bone density. With her suspicions confirmed, she had tests of her NTX, vitamin D, parathyroid, and thyroid levels to determine the best way to stop any further loss and strengthen her spine.I told her she’ll be a prime candidate for HRT when the time comes, but she’s not there yet. After I laid out the treatment options that exist, she decided to try calcitonin, since she recognized the hard fact that for her, with no treatment, the worst was yet to come. At menopause she could be losing even more bone density unless she took drastic action now—and she had probably ten years of loss at her current rate before she even got that far.The aggressive approach she took consisted of improving her diet and exercise habits—like eating yogurt and soybeans at least once a day, starting strength training, and using supplements of calcium and other nutrients. Still she feared that might not be enough to keep her from shrinking and risking fractures and bone pain since her loss had become so advanced so early. With the calcitonin, her bone density was out of the danger zone within two years.*25\228\2*

Comments (0) May 05 2011