10 Tips to Prevent Heart Disease and Stroke !

1. Take responsibility for your health.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in The United States, accounting for 34% of deaths, many of them sudden and almost all premature. This is below 40% from just 40 years ago mainly due to the treatment of common risk factors. If you've got diabetes, your risk increases dramatically. The best prevention against heart condition and stroke are to know the risks and treatment options. The greatest risk is ignorance or not being informed. The first step then is to take responsibility for your health.

2. Know the risks.

The most influential risk factor for the disorder is age - the older you're, the upper your risk. The second is its genetic makeup. Although everyone is excited about scientific progress in genomic research, genetic testing is not yet conclusive as it is in its infancy. But, as I tell our medical students, "A good family history is genetic testing for the poor man." We have long understood that if your parents, grandparents, or other relatives were affected with or died of heart disease, diabetes, or stroke, your risk is much higher.

 3. Do not smoke or be exposed to secondhand smoke.

The evidence is overwhelming that cigarette smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risks of heart disease, lung disease, peripheral vascular disease, and stroke.

4. Maintain healthy blood pressure.

High blood pressure, called hypertension, is known as "the silent killer" since it goes without symptoms in most individuals. Hypertension causes wear and tear on the delicate inner lining of blood vessels. The higher the vital sign (BP) the greater the danger.

 The risk begins to increase from a pressure of 115/70 mmHg and is doubled for each 10 mmHg increase in systolic pressure (the largest number) and the 5 mmHg increase in diastolic (the smallest number). Heredity and increasing age increase risks. Checking your blood pressure at home may be a better indicator to measure your blood pressure than at the doctor's office. A blood pressure monitor to measure blood pressure is a good investment for your health.

`It is best not to rely solely on blood pressure readings in your doctor's office as some people suffer from" white coat "hypertension - that is, their blood pressure is only high when they are in the doctor's office. Others have "hidden" hypertension as it is usually highest when they are out of the office. The prognosis is better in relation to measuring blood pressure at home. However, it is important that you only measure blood pressure in your upper arm as your fingers or wrists will not give you an accurate reading.

5. Control your cholesterol (lipids in the blood).

Abnormal or elevated blood lipids (fats) are a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. Your blood lipids include LDL (bad cholesterol) HDL (good cholesterol)and triglycerides. The lower your LDL and the higher your HDL level, the better your prognosis. The amount of cholesterol in the blood is mainly determined by three factors: the amount produced by the liver (this is largely genetic), the amount absorbed by the intestinal tract (this is made up of what you eat as well as what is produced by the liver and removed in the digestive tract and eventually age - your cholesterol increases with age. If you are at risk, the use of medications is almost always necessary to lower LDL or to raise your HDL level. The ideal ratio of total cholesterol divided by HDL cholesterol is 3.0. If it is higher, you may need a diet as therapy. The problem with diet is that, in general, It can only lower total blood cholesterol by about 10%. If you have a strong family history of elevated Lp (a) (rare abnormal cholesterol that increases your risk), this is usually when drug therapy is required.

6. Limit calories.

Fad diets don't work. If any of them did, we'd all be at it, wouldn't we? The obesity rate among Americans is alarming and contributes to what could almost be an epidemic of diabetes, which is cardiovascular disease. If you have diabetes, your risk is the same as someone who has already had an attack. Obesity is caused by consuming more calories than your body burns in one day. The accumulation of abdominal fat is the main risk. Serving sizes and the number of sugars in the American diet have increased dramatically in recent decades. At an equivalent time, the daily amount of exercise has been decreasing. It is good advice to "drink slim" (water, tea, coffee).

7. Make exercise a daily habit.

Lack of exercise is contributing to the obesity epidemic among Americans. Studies indicate that walking two miles a day is optimal for overall health, and those two miles of walking don't have to be all at once. Exercise does more than burn calories; It also activates genes that are of benefit to health in other ways. Also, exercise is one of the best treatments for depression and anxiety. However, exercising alone cannot control or reduce your weight - you must also change your diet.

8. Choose your pills wisely.

There is a great interest in alternative medicine and it is understandable, since patients want to take responsibility for their own health. However, many take alternative medicines, due to the way they are marketed. The true fact that a substance is "natural" does not prove its health benefit. After all, no one in their right mind could take arsenic simply because it is "natural." It is important to know that research data is often lacking for alternative medications, supplements, and vitamins, none of which are regulated by the FDA (US Food and Drug Administration).

Do we ever prescribe alternative medicines? Sometimes we do it! The biggest risk with many alternative medications is that the patient thinks they are doing something to improve health, when in fact it is not the fact. Although some vitamins have been shown to possibly help some conditions, to date none have been shown to actually decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease. There are some rare exceptions, like fish oils and niacin (vitamin B). It is also important to note that high doses of some vitamins may interfere with or offset the beneficial effects of some prescription medications.

9. Reduce stress.

Stress contributes to heart disorder and, if severe, can cause an attack or overtime. There are several options that help reduce stress, like regular exercise, getting enough sleep, an honest relationship along with your partner, laughing, volunteering, or attending religious services. Watching television, in general, is not a good way to relax and could even exacerbate stress. Also, attempt to avoid situations and folks that cause you to anxious or angry.

10. Stay informed: Science is constantly changing.

The only constant changes
. This is especially true in medicine as new techniques and new knowledge are constantly being developed. Don't believe all the pieces of "scientific information" found in the media or advertisements. A large number of scientific research studies are published but poorly designed or contain performance data that is not representative, for example, due to the lack of a sufficient number of participants. Please note that many studies are funded or sponsored by individuals or legal entities with a personal interest in obtaining favorable results. The situation can be especially confusing when scientific studies give different or even contradictory results, and this occurs very often.

Corona-virus! Why are the most deaths in Europe from COD-19 in the UK?

As you know, according to official figures, the Coronavirus has killed more people in the UK than any other country in Europe. The epidemic has so far killed more than 30,000 people in the UK. As of Tuesday, the highest number of deaths from the coronavirus in Europe was recorded in Italy. According to the latest figures, 29,958 people have been killed in Italy so far. The disease has killed more than 74,000 people in the United States so far. But according to experts, these figures tell only part of the story. Sir David Spiegel Halter, a professor at the University of Cambridge, says we can say with certainty that all the reported figures are much lower than the actual number killed by the coronavirus. "We can say without fear that no country is doing well, but this is not a Eurovision and it is useless to try to rank them," he said.

Why are comparisons made? There are many challenges in comparing different countries. "Finally, international comparisons are very difficult," said Robert Jenrick, Britain's communications minister, in a briefing on Wednesday. "Other countries have different estimates of the virus," says Professor Yvonne Doyle, medical director of Health England. This makes international comparisons very difficult. The population of the United Kingdom is about 66 million while the population of Italy is about 60 million. In this regard, the death rate in the UK should be 10% higher than the per capita mortality rate in Italy. But that's not the case. How different countries collect death figures in different ways also needs to be taken into account. " Collects counts. So comparing them is mostly a futile endeavor. Apparently Italy and Britain are doing almost the same thing. Only tested and verified cases of Code-19 are included in our aggregate data.

Although it would not be wrong to say that the death toll in hospitals is almost accurate, it is not the case in care homes. Demographics or population statistics also play an important role in such comparisons. For example, we know that the coronavirus affects older people more severely than young people. Older people have more health problems that make coronavirus more dangerous. Italy has a high proportion of elderly people and very few young children among those severely affected by the virus. So if all other factors remain the same, you should expect more deaths from the coronavirus in Italy than in the UK. What is the death of the coronavirus? In the UK, the government relies on confirmed cases, although the Office for National Statistics also publishes data on each case that mentions code-19 on the death certificate. Regardless of whether it has been tested or not. Belgium has been named the world's most affected country by coronavirus mortality. Belgian officials say they are calculating in a way that no other country in the world is doing: they are counting deaths in hospitals and care homes, but they are also counting deaths in care homes that It is suspected that they are due to code-19 but they have not been confirmed. "People are making poor comparisons," said Professor Steven van Gogh, a Belgian urologist, and government spokesman. It is even more difficult to trust data from countries where the political system is tightly controlled. The death toll in China's population per million people is very low, although China had increased the death toll in Wuhan by 50 percent in the recount. Health experts say "access mortality" or " Mortality surplus should be kept in mind: this is the death rate in which the number of deaths in each country is higher than the number of deaths in almost the same days in previous years.

 

 But it takes time to get such data, and it can take months, if not years, to get a clear global picture of the effects of the epidemic. What went wrong in the UK? The most successful were those who did a lot of testing in the early stages of the epidemic and traced all the contacts of the affected people that they came in contact with. Germany and South Korea have far fewer deaths than in most affected countries. Tests per capita in the population may be a useful statistic for estimating low mortality rates. But not all testing data are the same. Some countries keep track of the people being tested, while others keep track of how many times they have been tested (many people have to be tested more than once to get the exact results). It is also important to consider the timing of the test and whether it was performed in most hospitals or in the community. Germany and South Korea initially conducted large-scale tests and learned how the virus was spreading. But Italy, which also did a lot of testing, suffered relatively more deaths. Italy actually increased its testing capabilities to a lesser extent when the epidemic had already spread. The same thing happened in Britain. Opposition MP Rozina Allen Khan, who has criticized the government's testing strategy In addition to the lack of testing, some criticized the British government for failing to provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for medical and care staff. Is. In early April, NADRA Ahmed of the National Care Center said: 'The biggest problem we hear is that I desperately need a mask. Does anyone have gloves? I have the last pair in stock. Cabinet member Michael Go says that as of May 2, the UK's health and social care system had distributed 1.8 billion PPEs or personal safety items. However, according to the BBC's Panorama program, the PPE had more than half the surgical gloves, and in most cases the gloves were counted one by one instead of one pair. "You want to know why one country is doing better than others and what lessons you can learn from it," says Jason Oak, a professor at the University of Oxford. "Only then can we learn a lesson for the time to come," says Professor Oak.

Risk of early Death from too much sleep!

All experts agree that sleep quality affects health, but no method has been developed to determine sleep duration.

Many of us try to get eight hours of sleep a night, which is thought to be the right amount of sleep. But some experts say it's too much and think it's harmful to health.

We all know that sleep deprivation is not good for health. You feel tired, you are irritable due to lack of sleep and according to doctors it can lead to obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, various heart diseases.

However, a recent ten-year study found that adults who sleep less than six hours or more than eight hours typically die before those who sleep more or less than that amount.

That is, people who sleep more or less than six hours to eight hours have a higher risk of dying early.

Image caption

Inadequate sleep has been linked to a variety of illnesses, including diabetes and obesity.

Franco Capuccio, a professor of cardiology and epidemiology at the University of Warwick, conducted 16 different studies in which more than a million people were asked about their sleep patterns and then referred to them.

Cappuccio has divided them into three broad groups.

• Who sleep less than six hours
• Who sleep between six and eight hours
• Who sleep more than eight hours

They say that when people who slept less than six hours were contacted a second time than those who slept in the middle class, 12% of them had died. People who slept more than eight hours had a 30 percent higher death rate than those who slept with moderate sleep.

In other words, the risk of death from excessive sleep is as high as from alcohol, but relatively low compared to smoking.

Before the 17th century, people did not get seven or eight hours of sleep at a time while they slept at least twice.

But is nine hours of sleep more dangerous than five hours of sleep?

It can be seen in many ways. Professor Cappuccio is aware that prolonged sleep can be caused by depression or sleeping pills. They did not ignore it.

He personally believes that people who sleep for more than eight hours have a disease for which the symptoms are not yet clear. Therefore, in his opinion, prolonged sleep does not lead to premature death, but rather due to this hidden disease.

But not everyone agrees with him. A similar study was conducted by Arizona State University professor Sean Youngstead in which 14 young people were prepared to sleep eight to two hours more each night for three weeks.

He said he was more depressed, while Youngstead said he had more inflammation, especially high levels of a type of protein called IL-6, which is linked to inflammation. ۔

The young people surveyed also complained of swelling and back pain. This made Youngstead think that the problems associated with excessive sleep were not due to being inactive for too long.

He is currently researching sleep deprivation, which will be published soon.

Several problems sleep researchers face, one of which is that there is no way to determine the exact amount of sleep.

However, all experts agree that sleep quality affects health, but there is no way to determine the proper duration of sleep.

Dr. Greg Jacobs, a sleep therapist at Massachusetts Medical School, says: When it comes to getting the right amount of sleep, seven hours is a recurring theme.

Obesity ! The Problem of Our Age...

The whole world is shaking with the threat of obesity. Because of the latest data of the World Health Organization state that the number of obese people in the world is more than the number of people facing nutritional deficiencies. This shows that obesity is spreading in many countries of the world just like an epidemic disease. Obesity brings with it a complicated health problem and many chronic diseases. We prepared our obesity file for you.

WHAT IS OBESITY?

It is defined as the increase in the amount of fat in the body compared to the lean tissue and therefore the bodyweight to be higher than the desired limits. The most common obesity classification is body mass index (BKI). You can calculate your BKI and ideal weight in the "calculations" section.

WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF OBESITY?

The main cause of obesity is the disruption of the body's energy balance.

ENERGY BALANCE:

The energy we receive to our body through nutrients must be in balance with the energy that our body consumes. When balance is impaired, fatigue or weakening occurs. If the amount of energy we get into our body is more than the energy we spend during the day, a positive energy balance is formed, which is the main reason for the occurrence of obesity. If the energy we take is less than the energy we spend, a negative energy balance occurs. Negative energy balance also leads to weakening.

Energy expenditure in the body takes place in several ways:

- Basal Metabolic Rate: It is the energy that our body uses to sustain its life. It constitutes the biggest part of daily energy expenditure (60-65%).

- Thermogenesis: Foods have a thermal effect, and this thermal effect of food makes up about 10% of our daily energy expenditure.

- Physical Activity: All the activities we do throughout the day and activities such as exercise and sports provide energy expenditure with physical activity. This constitutes approximately 25-30% of our daily energy expenditure.

NUTRITION: Unbalanced nutrition is a risk factor for the development of obesity. Daily energy intake is provided with nutrients and excessive energy intake causes a positive energy balance. It is known that people's daily energy consumption has increased as a result of increasing food variety in the last roads. Individuals' fat consumption has also increased and there has been a tendency towards saturated fat consumption. Considering that the consumption of alcohol has increased gradually in the last century, it is obvious that people are getting more energy and eating more unbalanced than in the past.

GENETIC EFFECTS: The amount and distribution of adipose tissue in the body are thought to be affected by genetic factors. However, the fact that obesity is becoming more and more common in genetically stable societies shows that it has important effects on obesity in its environmental factors.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY LEVEL: Physical activity is an important part of energy expenditure and it is the easiest way to make a change. The more active the individual, the more energy he consumes. Increased car use in recent years, the choice of stairs instead of elevators, the decrease in the number of active sports - now this number is rising again - is one of the reasons why obesity is so common. We can realize how much we have restricted our movements and reinstated them with minor changes, especially considering the fact that we are doing online even with the development of technology.

SOME PERIODS IN HUMAN LIFE: It is thought that the risk of developing obesity is higher in some periods in human life from the prenatal period to death.

** It was observed that the birth weight and body fat rates of the babies of obese mothers or mothers who gained excess weight during pregnancy could be higher.

** Babies of mothers with gestational diabetes or mothers with diabetes may be born more heavily than other mothers.

** There is a risk of developing obesity in the age of 0-1 or childhood.

** Excess weight gained during pregnancy may increase the risk of the mother becoming obese after pregnancy.

** Weight gain due to hormonal changes may be observed in women during menopause.

SOME DISEASES: Some genetic syndromes (Prader-Willi etc.) can cause obesity. In addition, obesity is more likely in the thyroid gland not working properly (hypothyroidism), polycystic ovarian syndrome, and some pancreatic diseases.

SOME INCREASING AND REDUCING FACTORS: Food intake, appetite, and satiety are affected or decreased by some factors. These factors include hormones, the nervous system food pattern, and the type of food consumed. Appetite, hunger, and satiety mechanisms in our body can directly affect our food intake and indirectly on our body weight.

PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTORS: Some nutritional disorders such as obstructive eating syndrome and night eating syndrome may increase the risk of obesity. Some individuals consume more nutrients during their emotional or irritable periods. Such factors can predispose to the formation of obesity. Some of the articles we read, books, or some of the advertisements we watch can affect our psychology and increase our food consumption and energy intake. Although these effects have not been fully proven, they are thought to be effective.

WHAT ARE THE HEALTH PROBLEMS THAT MAY HAVE OBESITY?

1) Obesity can cause an unhealthy heart and an unhealthy circulatory system: Obesity is known to increase the risks of heart disease, hypertension, heart attack. Especially in women, obesity is the third most important reason that increases the risk of heart disease.

2) Obesity may increase the risk of some types of cancer: Obesity; It is known that it increases the risk of breast, ovarian and uterus in women and large intestine, prostate, and rectum cancer in men.

3) Obesity may increase the risk of osteoarthritis: One of the most known harms of obesity is that it causes wear on the joints, especially the knees. This may increase the risk of osteoarthritis in the future. While the amount of fat accumulated in the abdomen is a more important risk factor in heart diseases, the risk of osteoarthritis increases when the amount of fat in the body is more than it should be.

4) Obesity may cause gallstones: In obese individuals, the risk of gallstone formation may increase in these individuals because the amount of cholesterol in the gallbladder is higher than the amount of bile acid.

5) Obesity can narrow your breathing: In obese individuals, respiratory distress and sleep apnea (interruption of breathing in sleep for a certain period of time) or snoring are common health problems.

6) Obesity can cause problems with the reproductive system: Obesity is thought to cause changes in hormonal balance in women and men and, accordingly, may affect reproductive health.

7) Obesity can cause some problems during the pregnancy process: In pregnant pregnant women, the risk of some pregnancy-related illnesses is higher than in women with normal weight.

8) Obesity can also affect psychology: Social pressure on slimming from the environment or self-dislike due to the person's weight may increase the risk of depression in obese individuals.

HOW TO REMOVE FROM OBESITY?

Obesity can be avoided by minimizing individual and environmental risk factors. Basic protection is healthy nutrition and active life. Such a life not only protects the individual from obesity but also gives him the opportunity to protect and improve his health.

Lactose Intolerance For Those Who Say My Milk Hurts My Stomach

 Lactose is the only source of carbohydrates in milk. It is separated into the building blocks with the enzyme called lactase in the small intestines and is absorbed. If you have a deficiency of lactase enzyme due to congenital or subsequent various factors, you will have stomach and intestinal disorders when you consume milk and dairy products.

If you have congenital lactose intolerance, you should not consume lactose-containing foods. If lactose intolerance occurred due to other factors (secondary lactose intolerance); you should follow a diet according to your lactose tolerance. Dietary recommendations for secondary lactose intolerance are given below. But since a diet can vary according to individual differences, getting a dietician's help would be the most logical decision for you.

Instead of lactose-containing milk, consume lactose-free milk and yogurt. Yogurt will not bother you because of the enzyme it contains and because it contains less lactose. If you consume yogurt with nutrients, you will observe your digestive system problems less frequently.

You can consume cheese instead of milk. Cheese contains less lactose than milk. Prefer cheeses matured for more than ninety days, because they do not contain lactose.

After a while, try consuming normal milk. Start with small amounts. Your goal is to consume a glass of milk within a set time period (1-2 weeks trial periods). If you don't feel uncomfortable when you drink milk at the end of a week, your intestines may be starting to like lactose.

Milk and dairy products are among the best sources of calcium and riboflavin. If you cannot consume this food group, you should definitely meet your need for these food items from other food groups.

Milk and dairy products prevent stroke! Experts announced ...

Another benefit of milk and dairy products in the food group, which does not end with counting benefits, has emerged. If these calcium-rich products are consumed regularly, they protect the brain seriously. It even significantly reduces the risk of stroke. Here are the remarkable results of the research conducted by scientists from Oxford University in 9 countries.

Within the framework of the research, the results of which were published in the journal "European Heart Journal", 418 thousand people were examined in 9 European countries. In the study conducted by scientists from Oxford University, participants filled in questionnaires about their medical background as well as their nutrition and lifestyle, and were followed for an average of 12 years.

If you eat 1 glass of milk, 1 bowl of yogurt or 200 grams of vegetables and fruits.

Accordingly, it was found that extra glass of milk a day reduces the risk of ischemic stroke, which means "clot formed in the brain vessels" by 5 percent, a small a bowl of yogurt by 9 percent, and 200 grams of vegetables and fruits per day by 13 percent. It was seen that every extra 10 grams of milk and dairy products reduced this possibility by up to 23 percent

More than 1 egg can be dangerous 

Many studies show that eating 1 egg a day prevents stroke. This study showed that every 20 grams more than the daily limit in egg consumption increases the risk of hemorrhagic stroke, which is the bleeding that occurs in the brain tissue or the membranes surrounding the brain as a result of rupture of the brain vessels. Yan points out that excess consumption of eggs can be harmful, not beneficial.

No relation was found between the consumption of fruit, vegetables, and dairy products, and hemorrhagic stroke. It was noted that during the research, 4,281 ischemic and 1430 hemorrhagic stroke cases were encountered.