General Article

Heart Stroke Treatment

Heart strokes happens when a blood vessel located in the brain gets blocked or it bursts. The part of the brain where it is located can’t work properly and without blood or oxygen, that part of the brain begins to die. It’s important to know how to follow up with treatment after suffering from a stroke because it can limit the damage that is sustained to the brain and gives you a better chance at a full recovery.

In efforts to treat a person who has suffered from a stroke, the drug Alteplase could be used to dissolve the blood that is causing the stroke. The earlier this drug is given to the patient, the better. It is given directly into the vein. It was approved in 1996 to be used on stroke victims.

Aspirin and Heparin are used to thin the blood in stoke victims hoping to improve the ischemic stroke victims recovery. It thins the blood making it easier to flow through the veins and less likely to cause another blood clot when the stroke is an ischemic stroke. In some patients, it has been noted that aspirin given after a stroke does have a small effect on recovery.

Catotid endarterectomy is a surgery that removes the fatty buildup that’s in a neck artery that supplies oxygen with blood in it to the brain. This procedure can help stroke victims but can’t be completed until six weeks after the stroke has occurred. It can also be used in preventing a stroke in a person who already has a fatty buildup that could possibly cause a stroke.

A treatment that is out there but not available in all hospitals is cerebral angioplasty. This is because it is still considered an experimental technique.  It uses balloons, coils, and stents to treat diseases in coronary arteries. Although the technique is very promising, as of today it is still considered experimental.

When treating a stroke victim, it is important to be very supportive and patient. A stroke is a very scary thing, especially since it is the most popular cause of long-term disability in the USA. There is a multitude of mental and physical challenges placed on the victim, which is why there are so many different types of treatment to be explored. Talking to your doctor and choosing the proper procedures or treatments will give anyone who has suffered a stroke the best chance at recovery.…

Benefits of Army Head Gear For Soldiers and Civilians

You don’t have to be in the army to enjoy some of their gear. However, finding a local shop can be difficult. Thanks to the internet we are able to purchase army surplus items quickly and easily. One of the more common items is army head gear.

Army head gear plays a large role out in the field. One benefit is that it can protect you against the sun. If you have never been a victim of heat stroke then you are a lucky person. Heat stroke affects most of us at one point or another. By wearing a hat and drinking fluids you can help protect yourself against sun stroke. This condition can be fatal so it should not be joked around with.

Another benefit of army head gear is that is protects you from shrapnel or other falling debris. Some companies have even adopted army helmets in the construction industry because of their known strength. Many are able to stop a bullet and this means that there is a good chance it would take a hit from a small brick without doing much damage to your head.

One overlooked benefit is that an army hat or helmet can provide space to store items. These items may be in the form of small food rations or more high tech like night vision glasses. Even if you aren’t in the army, you can benefit from an army hat when out fishing for two reasons. The first is that it protects you from the sun and the second is that it gives you a place to store your lures.

Buying an army hat is simple. You can many items located on small surplus stores or my favorite place, auction sites. The only thing you need to keep in mind with auction sites is that, depending on the country you are living in, there might be laws preventing you from purchasing such items.…

Hair Growth Remedies – Information Prior To Implementation

In conjunction with my prior articles on hair loss remedies, this one is aimed at ridding your head of vacancy; however, it is not the only objective. I want to give you the power of information, which in turn, will give you the power to act. Knowing what to do before doing anything is the key to success, whether you are trying to re-grow your hair, or simply solve a mathematical problem.

The modern times we live in can sometimes make it hard to discern what might actually be a feasible solution to hair loss, and what may be a way for you to empty out your wallet with no avail.

So, how do you get over the bump? Easy, information! You need to learn what you can about hair loss, what causes it, what type you have, and thirdly, who to approach to fix your problem.

Knowing where to go to find out all this information can be a bit difficult, although not impossible. In my studies of hair loss, I have been spending long hours on the internet, trying to find reliable and dependable sources capable of vanquishing the hair eating demons.

In my queries, I have seen many types of hair growth remedies.

I have seen laser hair growth products, I have found multiple biotin hair growth products, and I have even found a pretty awesome vitamin for hair growth. The thing is, until I didn’t read up, obtain crucial information and understand it, those treatments might as well be potatoes.

So, what needs to be done in order to stop hair thinning the right way? I’ll give you a few great tips.

Firstly, fuel up on information. Make sure you fill the tank up on all sorts of solutions. I also want you to investigate the many kinds of hair loss conditions, as they are all treated differently. If you don’t know why your hair is leaving you, I doubt you will be able to entice it to show up again.

Secondly, prioritize your options. This is just my personal advice; however I feel it is worth mentioning. When treating hair loss, you will encounter many forms of treatment.

I would pick one that seems good to you and learn all you can about it. I always look for the least intrusive methods before actually taking action. Basically, what I’m saying is don’t contemplate hair transplant surgery until you’ve tried out the easier, and much cheaper treatments.

People take action without basing it on information, which can only prolong your condition and waste your money. If you study before you take the hair growth test, your chances of passing with flying colors are much, much higher.…

Ford Super Duty Gets Tweaked and Empowered

Ford’s Super Duty truck has received a new 6.7-liter turbocharged diesel engine for the 2011 model year. When the truck went on sale earlier in 2010, the Power Stroke diesel returned 390 pound-feet of torque and 735 horsepower. In addition, Baldwin-Wallace College says that the truck gets 29.2 miles to the gallon.

But Ford has found a way to improve power and fuel economy by offering a software upgrade. That 30 minute adjustment, performed at the dealer level, will yield 400 pound-feet of torque and 800 horsepower, providing best in class performance. Importantly, Ford says that fuel economy will improve, although those numbers have yet to be confirmed.

Smart Move

The upgrade isn’t unusual, but how it was handled is. Instead of waiting for the next model year trucks to be assembled, Ford has offered the upgrade for all new trucks and those already sold to customers. That means if you own a 2011 Power Stroke diesel, you can get the upgrade at no cost. Ford says that customers are likely to opt for the change especially if they use their trucks for hauling and other rigorous work.

Power Stroke has served Ford well, a capable line of engines previously produced by Navistar for Ford, but now handled in-house. A previous version of the engine had some technical problems which cost Ford a mint to fix, but the current engine is more powerful and offers best in class fuel economy. The EPA doesn’t track fuel efficiency in this class of vehicles, but the Ford Super Duty beats the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and Dodge Ram Heavy Duty truck in most independent tests.

More Tweaks

Software plays an important part in the way any vehicle works these days. All vehicles have a central computer which controls the essential functions. Torque, horsepower, fuel efficiency and a host of in-cabin and handling matters are computer controlled or enhanced, allowing manufacturers to squeeze more power and efficiency out of every vehicle. Indeed, software engineers can sometimes find ways to make a vehicle more efficient after the fact, giving customers the chance to enjoy a complimentary upgrade.

Owners of any late model car should keep track of recalls and other notices related to their vehicles. Not all recalls suggest a quality problem, but keeping cars compliant can go a long way toward ensuring that your vehicle operates optimally. Recalls are a cost covered by the manufacturer, with upgrades usually part of your vehicle’s warranty plan.…

The Truth About B12 and Weight Loss!

Vitamin B12 was discovered decades ago, but for years it really did not get much attention. Lately, however, all that has changed. Now it seems like everywhere you turn you are hearing about yet another medical benefit of taking B12. One idea that has gotten a lot of attention is that idea that B12 can help with weight loss. Is there any truth behind this claim? Is B12 the magical cure you are looking for to help solve your weight issues?

The truth is that while B12 and B12 shots certainly do have some medical benefits, there is no proof that simply taking a B12 shot will help you drop weight. The reality is that you are going to have to work to lose weight, regardless of what type of supplements you are taking. There is some evidence that people who take vitamin supplements tend to gain less weight over time, but this research is not specific to vitamin B12.

What a B12 shot can do is help you feel better while you are losing weight. Many people (myself included) report that their energy levels are higher when they get a regular B12 shot. Having more energy can help you to stick with your diet and also may make you much more likely to exercise.

B12 is also known to increase your metabolism, so taking a regular B12 shot can help you burn a few extra calories and speed up the rate with which you lose weight. So, B12 can help you lose weight but it is certainly not a magical weight loss cure.

Very often, when you hear of doctors and weight loss clinics giving B12 shots as part of a weight loss program, the shots that they are giving are actually B12 combined with another fat burner. Very often, this is lipotropic complex. Lipotropic complex supports the liver and helps it get rid of fat. Essentially, lipotropic helps the body to liquefy fat and reduces the amount of fat build up in the liver.

If you are considering taking vitamin B12 shots for weight loss, the key is that you must be realistic about what they can and cannot do for you. While they can help you to have more energy and feel good, they are not some magical cure all that is going to miraculously melt the pounds away.…

Do You Know the Signs of Heat Stroke and Heat Exhaustion?

Summertime is when most outside activities occur. Going fishing, bike riding, jogging, and a myriad of other activities will fill a day or weekend. This is the time to have family fun. However, a hidden danger lurks in the midst.

Heat Exhaustion and Stroke Can Be Lethal

Heat exhaustion and stroke can ruin a family fun day and cause serious health problems. Heat exhaustion left untreated can cause heat stroke, which can be paralyzing and lethal. The best way to ruin your outing is for someone to have a heat stroke.

Heat stroke and heat exhaustion are preventable if you follow some basic guidelines, and know the symptoms.

The old saying an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure fits the bill when it comes to heat stroke and heat exhaustion.

When it is hot outside, minimize your exposure to direct sunlight. Use an umbrella and a hat to cover your head.

Alcohol will keep your body from cooling itself down as well as dehydrate yourself. So don’t drink alcoholic beverages when it is hot outside.

Caffeine drinks will also keep your natural body’s defenses from cooling itself.

Stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water.

Your body cannot cool itself if you become dehydrated, so drink lots of non-alcoholic, non-caffeinated fluids like water and sports drinks, even if you don’t think you are thirsty.

Limit your time in direct sunlight, the sun will pull the natural energies from your body and limit your body’s ability to cool itself down.

Symptoms of Heat Stroke

The symptoms and heat exhaustion symptoms are very similar. Therefore, be careful if you expect yourself or one of your family members are in danger of heat exhaustion or heat stroke.

It would be best for you to take the responsibility for you and your family to research heat stroke and heat exhaustion online or with your doctor prior to planning an outing in a high heat environment. It will be best to know who is at a high risk and what to do, if something happens. If you even have a small suspicion of heat exhaustion for yourself or your family, get out of the sun, cool yourself down. Cool yourself with cool cloths or cool water. Then, drink plenty of water, cool water if you have it.

Your main priority should be keeping you and your family cool while in the heat.

Signs of a Heat Stroke

According to the Mayo Clinic if you or you love ones have any one of theses symptoms you should remove them from the heat, start cooling them down, lay them down, elevate their feet, and call 911 immediately.

Rapid heartbeat,

Rapid shallow breathing,

Elevated or lower blood pressure,

Cessation of sweating,

Irritability,

Confusion or unconsciousness,

Heat related headache,

Nausea, or

Fainting

These are the most common symptoms of a heat stroke; so don’t hesitate to call 911.

Prepare yourself and your family for the hot …

The Story About Strokes – An Acquired Brain Injury

There are two major types of strokes:

– The ischemic stroke is when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot. If a clot forms in a narrow artery, it is called a thrombotic stroke. If the clot breaks off and travels to the brain, it is called a cerebral embolism.

– A hemorrhagic stroke is when a blood vessel in part of the brain bursts open and blood leaks into the brain. This usually causes a severe headache.

The causes of a stroke are high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation, diabetes, high cholesterol, a family history of strokes, being over fifty-five years of age, living an unhealthy lifestyle, having heart disease, being overweight, drinking heavily, smoking, using illegal drugs, ethnicity, a previous history of strokes or TIA’s and women over thirty-five who are on birth control pills, especially if they smoke.

Some of the symptoms are a severe headache, slurred speech, inability to speak or to understand, loss of balance or coordination, confusion, numbness or tingling on one side of the body, vision problems and muscle weakness.

For best prognosis, it is extremely important to get medical treatment within three hours of first symptoms but no later than four to five hours. At the first signs of a stroke, it will be imperative to call 911 in order to get immediate treatment. This reduces disability and can save lives. Medical staff will examine and possibly give a clot-dissolving drug, do tests with probably tests using all or some of the following – an Angiogram, a CT scan, an MRI, and an Echocardiogram. There will probably be lab tests done as well.

Treatment and prognosis will depend on the cause of the stroke, the severity of the stroke, what has been affected and how quickly treatment was begun. There may be bladder and bowel problems, muscle and nerve problems, speech, memory and thinking difficulties as well.

There are three coping strategies for emotional problems related to strokes:

– approach-oriented coping where the patient consciously works towards minimizing the emotional challenges of the acquired brain injury;

– coping which indicates a lack of motivation where patient chooses not to express his/her emotions;

– avoidance coping where the patient actively avoids coping with their emotions. With this type of coping, there is usually a high level of depression.

Patients who have suffered a stroke may possibly need physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy and swallowing therapy. And because it is common for patients to at least initially experience memory loss, rehabilitation in this area may be required as well as using memory aids such as a diary, calendar or a daytimer.

To reduce your risk of of having a stroke, exercise at least thirty minutes each day, eat a nutritional died rich in fruits, vegetables and beans, low-fat dairy products and foods that are low in sodium and fats.

Because a stroke is loss of blood to …

Too Much Protein Is Not Good For The Heart

Protein Storage – A Time Bomb!

Obese people have both high concentrations of fats and excessive amounts of protein in the blood. The blood’s tendency towards clotting, considered to be the greatest cause for heart attack or stroke, stems almost exclusively from the saturation of proteins in the blood. (Note that smoking also increases blood protein concentrations, as shown below). Fats, on the other hand, have no blood-clotting ability. In their attempt to avert a heart attack, the capillary cells absorb the excessive protein, convert it into collagen fiber, and store it in their basal membranes. Although this emergency response has a blood-thinning and, therefore, life-saving effect, it also makes the blood walls thicker and more vulnerable to injury.

Examinations of connective tissue in obese people have proved that it contains not only plump fat cells, but also large amounts of dense collagen-fiber. Collagen is 100 percent pure protein. Building more collagen-fiber than normally needed is one of the main emergency measures the body takes to deal with dangerously high protein concentrations in the blood. By removing the protein from the blood and thereby putting it out of circulation, the blood becomes thin and a major crisis is avoided. But the situation changes drastically when the body’s ‘protein stores’ are all filled up to capacity, and protein consumption continues. This time, the blood becomes and remains saturated with protein. In such a case, the blood begins to permanently thicken and develop a tendency towards clotting.

Unless the afflicted person takes aspirin, which has a blood-thinning effect, a stroke or heart attack may occur. Yet in the long term, aspirin not only fails to prevent such an incidence but strongly encourages it. A heightened risk of deadly uncontrolled bleeding may also result from regular or excessive use of aspirin. In addition, once aspirin treatment discontinues, the risk of suffering a heart attack is greatly increased.

Warning: If you suffer from macular degeneration, the #1 cause of blindness in people over 55 years old, avoid taking aspirin. Also avoid smoking. Recent research found that smoking is the leading cause of macular degeneration; half of all smokers develop it. As soon as a person stops smoking, the risk lessens by one third. A major study linked aspirin to America’s epidemic of macular degeneration. The often prescribed one-aspirin-a-day routine makes the retinas more likely to hemorrhage. Besides, aspirin belongs to the same class of painkillers as Vioxx, Celebrex and Aleve, all of which were found to increase heart attack and stroke risk by over 50 percent.

Tests have shown that abstaining from food for a periodic length of time reduces the size and amount of both fat cells and collagen fiber deposits. This also demonstrates that overeating protein does, in fact, increase protein tissue in the body. As explained before, and to emphasize this crucial point, the protein deposits accumulate in the basal membranes of the capillary walls and the connective tissues that surround the …

Art Literally Brought Me Back To A Full Life

Nickolas Hale has a compelling tale to tell. He actually sought us out to relay his story.

He was working three jobs simultaneously and at 24 believed he was invincible. Well, that was, until he suffered a stroke as a consequence. As he lay in the Nepean Hospital and listened to the doctors pronounce that he would never walk again, it made him determine one thing, that he would prove them wrong.

As well as doing the rehab advised by the physiotherapists, he also began to express himself through art. Only five of the 40 who were in the same section as he, chose to do so. He definitely advanced more quickly than the other 35. After four months he walked out of hospital and is so grateful for the contribution art played in his recovery. He is married now with a son and maintains permanent employment. Art is his relaxation, therapy and hobby. He didn’t paint before the stroke but has unleashed a hidden talent now.

Meeting Nickolas and hearing his journey was made the more remarkable when I learnt that he also does volunteer work. This brave young man works with disabled children using both his expertise as a chef and as an artist. He shows them how to use the plate as a canvas. The children are encouraged to arrange food in tempting and colourful patterns. It is a favourite time of the week and he is astounded with the progress they have made.

Nickolas warns all would be, ‘invincible people’ to take time out and enjoy life.

Art played an enormous role in the life of Sylvia during her recovery from breast cancer. Encouraged by the Breast Cancer group in her area, she began painting with water colours. Her tutor saw her emerge from a nervous, worried lady to one of serenity and hope. It appeared as though healing and happiness grew with each brush stroke. Her career had been an academic one and she found little time for the arts.

With each new painting, so her skill developed from rank amateur to exhibition status. No one was more amazed than she, when her work sold and indeed, was sort after by art life took on a whole new perspective and led to a career and lifestyle change. Gone was the nervous woman and in her place a new Sylvia, who actually took time to see and enjoy the world around her. Her new found contentment was expressed in her subject matter and choice of colours. She is enthusiastic about life and is now encouraging others to explore their potential.

She has found art to be a soothing, satisfying way of alleviating stress in breast cancer victims and reports that many other ladies have developed new found talents too. Don’t wait for adversity to set you on the path of creativity. Start now in whatever medium you choose. You may be surprised by your hidden talents.

To …

Eat Fat and Loose Weight

One teaspoon of FAT!

When you are on a diet to loose weight the fear of hunger and the reality of poor nutrition is a concern. A first practice for dieting is eating less. This is a good thing if the quality of nutrition is very high and the absorption rate is effective for good health and energy.

If 1 teaspoon of fat is eaten with every meal the delay in digestion will give less hunger time before the next meal. Fat takes a longer time to digest than other foods. Eaten in combination with other foods delays digestion.

Savoring the taste of fat is pleasurable and will also add to the time taken to eat. It takes about twenty minutes for the brain to get the message of satiety so this slower eating practice will lessen the amount taken in. If you eat without realizing your need you will take in food that is unnecessary. Eat slowly with thoughtful awareness of your need.

Fat is a crucial solvent for Vitamins A, D, E and K. This is not a complete list as there are other nutrients that need the presence of fat to be absorbed and digested. If fat is present then more nutrients are accessible by the body systems and good health is a result. Less food will give good health because of the higher efficiency of digestion. Fat is the key.

One teaspoon of peanut butter is one serving of fat for an average adult. Other nut butters such as almond, sesame (in the form of tahini), walnut, sunflower seeds are good choices also. Some may prefer grape seed or sesame seed oils and saturated fats such as coconut and avocado.

Eat fat and loose weight. Savor the valuable servings of fat.…