PharmaPassport Health Tips Blog

August 12, 2010

7 Health Benefits of Blueberries

Filed under: anti-aging,being healthy,belly fat,cholesterol — Tags: aging, anti-aging, belly fat, cancer, cholesterol, copper, heart disease, iron, lose weight, vision, vitamin A, vitamin b, vitamin c, zinc — Amanda @ 4:35 pm

Blueberries are ripe and local during the summer months, the perfect reason to eat them as snacks or in pies. You may not know, however, that blueberries are also exceptional for the health in numerous ways

Anti-Oxidant Rich - Blueberries have the highest ant-oxidant capacity of all other fresh fruit. Blueberries contain large amounts of vitamin C, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, vitamin A, copper, selenium, zinc, and iron. All of these components boost the immune system and prevent infections.

Help Slim Belly Fat – New studies suggest that blueberries can help reduce belly fat as well as risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease and metabolic syndrome. A blueberry rich diet in a study on rats resulted in lower cholesterol, less abdominal fat, and lower triglycerides in the subjects. There was also an improvement in glucose and insulin control.

Anti-Aging – Blueberries have components that neutralize the free radicals in your body that can cause aging. Being full of anti-oxidants these sweet berries are your best defense against wrinkles.

Healthy Heart – Blueberries have the amazing ability to improve cardiac muscles, and reduce bad cholesterol. Blueberries are often used as a supplement to cure heart disease.

20/20 Vision – According to clinical studies, blueberry extract high in anthocyanosides has been found to slow down vision loss. Blueberries can prevent and slow down all age-related eye problems due to their high anti-oxidant levels. Other components in blueberries like flavanoids, vitamin A, zinc, phosphorus, and selenium are beneficial and essential for good eye health.

Increased Mood – Blueberries increase the production of the feel-good hormone dopamine. This hormone is a natural neurotransmitter that moderates mood, brain function, and motor skills. Those who are low in dopamine levels tend to have brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease.

Cancer – Blueberries can be beneficial to cancer patients because they contain compounds such as Pterostilbene, Ellagic Acid, Anthocyanin (anti-oxidant), copper, and Vitamin C that work together to help prevent and even cure cancer.

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Another Risk Factor- the Size of Your Waist

Filed under: obesity — Tags: heart disease, obesity, risk factors, waist size — Tanveen @ 4:35 pm

Obesity is a huge issue in the United States. More than a quarter of the people who live in the US are affected by this condition. It has many emotional and physical effects on a person and is responsible for causing many different health conditions. For example, heart disease is one of the most common. In order to lower obesity, many measures have been taken to reinforce healthy living over the years.

The focus has been on losing weight and achieving a healthy body mass index (BMI). However, recent research claims that even if one has a healthy BMI, if they have a large waist they will have a much higher risk of death in comparison to someone with a smaller waist, approximately twice as much of a risk.

The waist size recommended for men by the American Heart Association is less than 40 inches. For women, they recommend less than 35 inches. It has been found that every four inches of extra waist can mean a 25% higher risk of dying.

The reason why having a large waist can lead to death is because fat in the waist region means that there is a great amount of fat around vital organs. This sort of fat is the cause of many health complications.

This study was based on 100 000 people (a mixture of both men and women) that were 50 years or older. The people were studied over a time period of nine years and many ended up dying due to their health condition. The results were based on one study so the research has not technically been proven as of now. However, it wouldn’t hurt to burn off some of the fat hanging around, right?

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July 5, 2010

6 Ways to Keep Your Heart Healthy

Filed under: healthy living,heart condition,heart disease,high blood pressure — Tags: beta-carotene, cholesterol, dieting, exercise, healthy living, heart disease, high blood pressure, quitting smoking, stroke — Amanda @ 9:06 pm

Heart disease is preventable, and maintaining a healthy heart will increase your quality of life. There are many everyday things you can do to ensure your heart is working at its best.

1. Don’t Smoke! Smoking is the worst thing you can do for your lungs and heart. If you are having trouble quitting, try eating sunflower seeds and oat straw infusion for a month before you quit. This will reduce your body’s craving for nicotine and strengthen the blood vessels and nerves before the impact of withdrawal.

2. Get More Beta-Carotenes - These reduce your risk of a stroke by 40%. Foods containing beta-carotene are carrots, cabbage, sweet potatoes, spinach, and apricots. Beta-carotene’s lower your cholesterol levels.

3. Embrace Garlic Breath – Garlic has the amazing ability to lower blood pressure, reduce cholesterol, strengthen the heart muscle, improve the immune system, stabilize blood sugar, and lower risk of stroke.

4. Exercise! The best thing you can do for yourself is to be active daily. Skipping rope is the best for your heart, but even walking and swimming and great exercises for your heart – as long as you are exercising on a regular basis.

5. Show affection - Recent studies have found that people who are lovingly touched everyday have a lower risk of developing heart problems than people who are not touched by others.

6. Be consistent - try not to be inconsistent in your eating habits. On and off dieting, fasting, and binging cause an imbalance in your electrolyte levels which will weaken your heart muscle and eventually lead to heart damage.

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June 16, 2010

Are Depression and Heart Disease Linked?

Filed under: depression — Tags: depression, heart disease, heart surgery, risk — Tanveen @ 4:45 pm

Depression and heart disease are closely related. Depression can lead to heart disease, and heart disease can lead to depression. It has been determined that those suffering from depression are at an increased risk of developing heart disease. As well, people who currently have heart disease or have gone through a heart problem have a greater chance of becoming depressed.

Heart disease, although not always the case, is noticed relatively quick. Depression on the other hand is difficult to detect in some people. It may not be a severe form of depression, but if present, it will definitely have an effect on your body.

How Do I Know If I am Suffering From Depression?

You no longer have interest in the things that you used to be interested in.
You are always tired and do not feel like doing anything.
You are having difficulty making everyday decisions
You feeling bad about yourself and the things you do.
Your appetite has changed.

After having had a heart problem it is easy for people who have never been influenced by depression to become depressed. There is no definite reason as to why this happens. Many different factors contribute to the development of depression. In this case it is probably the increased feeling of weakness and vulnerability that arises from having an impactful event such as a heart attack.

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June 14, 2010

Short People More Likely to Develop Heart Disease

Filed under: cardiovascular disease — Tags: cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, heart disease, height, short people, study, tall people — Tanveen @ 5:15 pm

Many different factors determine how susceptible a person is to heart disease. For example, your family background, age, gender, physical health, and eating habits play a large role. Some of these factors you have no control over and here’s another one to add to the list- your height.

In a recent study it was found that short people are 50% more likely to die prematurely of cardiovascular disease than tall people. Women under five feet and men less than five feet five inches are considered short.

The study was performed with approximately three million people. The tallest people were compared to the shortest people in order to get the most accurate results.

For many years scientists have been trying to prove the effect height can have on premature death by heart disease. It has always remained contradictory. However, these recent findings may have convinced a greater number of people. Professor Jaakko Tuomilehto of the University of Helsinki (in Finland) comments, “The results are unequivocal: short stature is associated with increased risk of coronary heart disease.”

There are many different theories that explain why short people are more susceptible. One theory states that short people tend to have smaller coronary arteries that thus can become clogged easily leading to Coronary Heart Disease. Coronary arteries are the arteries that take blood to the muscle tissue of the heart.

Whether you are tall or short your lifestyle choices will have an exponentially greater effect on your health than your height. Even if you are not making the right choices now, you can change and learn to adapt to a healthier lifestyle.

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June 7, 2010

Two Year old Indonesian Baby is addicted to Cigarettes

Filed under: health-tips — Tags: cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, nicotine, quitting smoking, secondhand smoke, smoking baby — Amanda @ 11:37 pm

There have been recent reports about a two year old baby named Ardi Rizal in Indonesia who is addicted to nicotine and smokes over 40 cigarettes a day. Ardi was given his first cigarette by his parents in order to provide him with pain relief but he has become addicted and now throws tantrums if he doesn’t get his fix. His parents, unwilling to make him stop smoking, feel that his habit is uncontrollable. His father Mohammed said “He looks pretty health to me, I don’t see the problem.” His mother is unable to deny him of cigarettes because of his tantrum throwing and withdrawal complaints.

The baby is already dealing with the effects of cigarettes as he can barely move by himself. He can no longer keep up with the other toddlers. Being so young his body cannot handle the toxicity of the cigarettes and condition is on a path to quick deterioration.

Child advocates are publicizing the damage that second hand smoke can do to a child, and they are speaking out about the pressure put on children to smoke in countries where 1/3 of the population uses tobacco and cigarettes as a mean of narcotics where they can be bought for a few cents.

Even parents in North America are underestimating the damage that second-hand smoke can do to their children. Even parents that smoke outside are putting their children at risk. Cigarettes don’t need to be smoked near children to damage a child’s health. Kids can still absorb some of the nicotine through the fumes that contaminate dust particles settle in carpets, toys, and furniture. The worst part is that these fumes can contaminate household objects for many months before they dissipate. The American Lung Association has found that secondhand smoke exposure causes disease and premature death in children and adults who don’t smoke, secondhand smoke contains hundreds of chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic (formaldehyde, benzene, arsenic, ammonia ect), and secondhand smoke causes 3,400 deaths from lung cancer and up to 69,600 deaths from heart disease every year. It is important to think about young Ardi Rizal’s condition and consider quitting smoking in order to protect your family’s health and well-being.

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