Ever wonder why you get pruney in the water? Or what those sounds are coming from your stomach? I'll reveal all:
Q: Why do my fingers get pruny when I've been in the water for a long time?
A: Scientists think this is actually a function of your nervous system as a means of increasing traction. Notice that you only get pruny on your hands and feet: Making it easier to grip things when you're still wet and easier to get traction if you need to run while wet.
FACT: A single strand of human hair can hold up to two candy bars.
Q: What is actually happened when my foot falls asleep and I get that pins and needles feeling?
A: The feeling of pins and needs in your foot or hand is actually the feeling of your nerves waking back up. When you compress a nerve bundle, like when sitting in an odd position or putting a lot of your weight in one area, it shuts off information from that part of your body to the brain. So that pins and needles feeling is the communication being restored.
FACT: The body sheds around 600,000 skin particles per hour.
Q: Why do I get the chills when I'm sick?
A: The chills are your nervous system contracting muscles to create heat inside your body in an attempt to cook the virus/bacteria. This is why chills are most often associated with a fever.
FACT: Nerve impulses to and from the brain travel on average 170mph.
Q: When I get hungry, why does my stomach make that loud noise?
A: Actually, your stomach makes that noise all the time. As a nurse, I actually make it a point to listen for those sounds. Not having those sounds is considered abnormal and possibly a medical emergency. It's when the stomach is empty (when you're hungry) that the sounds echo, making it seem like they are loud.
Although this may seem like an uncanny expression of the decline of the human body, there is a silver lining. Between ears that don't hear as well, nose sensors that seem blunted, and aches that just don't want to move to their next victim, I am happy to report one thing baby boomers may find they do as well as well as ever: urination. In fact, not only are they still doing it, they might be doing it more often than ever. A lot more actually. Now that the kids are grown up, it may surprise you that you are now the one asking to pull over for a pit stop. Although you have trained your kids well, this simply just means that they may have better kidneys, said Dr. Sharon A. Brangman, a professor of medicine at SUNY Upstate Medical University. People may urinate more as they get older for multiple reasons, including medical problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. Some medicines can be the cause as well. However, it may also be a sign of infection; “That’s often the first thing we look at when people complain of frequent urination,” said Dr. Tomas Griebling, vice chairman of urology at the University of Kansas and a spokesman for the American Urological Association.
Getting older, Dr. Griebling pointed out, does not necessarily mean more trips to the restroom. Although many people do notice that they have to go more often, the explanation usually lies with the normal changes of the body.
As people age, their kidneys may become less proficient at concentrating urine and therefore may draw in more water from elsewhere in the body. This means more urine is produced and sent on to the bladder which, as it happens, may be losing some of its ability to stretch. The urethra, the pathway through which the urine exits, may also be shortening and its lining thinning.
Adding to the problem is that with age our bodies produce less of a hormone called aldosterone, that help retain fluid. In women, estrogen levels may also drop, a change associated with increased urination. As for men, the prostate may become bigger making it harder to urinate.
Increased urination knows no time of day, but people seem to notice it more at night due to the inconvenience. In fact, the National Sleep Foundation surveyed people ages 55 to 84, and found that two-thirds of them lost sleep at least a few times a week because of the problem.
On the up side, talking with your doctor about your increased pit stops may lead to finding an easy fix or get you a stamp for a normal bill of health.
The Earliest Sign of Alzheimer's Disease Isn't Memory Loss
Research has discovered that a poor sense of smell may be one of the earliest signs of Alzheimer's Disease. “Understanding smell loss, we think, will hold some clues about how to slow down this disease,” said Daniel Wesson, assistant professor of neuroscience at Case Western Reserve and lead investigator for the study, which was published in The Journal of Neuroscience.
Loss of the sense of smell can be caused by many conditions other than Alzheimer’s, including medications, viral illnesses or injuries to the olfactory systems. But a poor sense of smell has also long been recognized as an early sign of Alzheimer's. It may also be an early sign of mild cognitive impairment, a form of memory loss that sometimes precedes Alzheimer's. Not all people with Alzheimer’s lose their sense of smell.
The new research shows how and where in the brain this happens, and that the impairment is likely to be treatable.
Mice exposed to a very minute amount of beta-amyloid lost their ability to detect odors. Plaques made up of the toxic proteins appeared in the rodents' brain areas responsible for smell long before they showed up in areas important for memory. The mice spent more time sniffing than usual but became incapable of remembering smells or telling the differences among odors in lab experiments.
The research team then sought to reverse the effects. The mice were given a drug that clears beta-amyloid from the brain. After two weeks on the drug, the mice could process smells normally. After withdrawal of the drug for one week, impairments returned.
Like the mice in the study, people with Alzheimer's may have a poor sense of smell and be unable to detect common odors like natural gas or roses. But no drugs are currently available that clear beta-amyloid from the brain, though scientists continue to test new candidates.
“The evidence indicates we can use the sense of smell to determine if someone may get Alzheimer’s disease, and use changes in sense of smell to begin treatments, instead of waiting until someone has issues learning and remembering,” Dr. Wesson said. “We can also use smell to see if therapies are working.”
The problem: a decreased sense of smell is a natural sign of aging according to Dr. Paul Takahashi at the Mayo Clinic. "Some loss of taste and smell is natural with aging, especially after age 60," Dr. Takahashi explains, "and although you can't reverse age-related loss of taste and smell, some causes of impaired taste and smell are treatable".
You know what it's caused by, but do you know what it causes?
Stress: the thing we all hate and yet can't seem to avoid. Instead of listing out what causes stress, here is a list of what stress can do to your body.
Physically:
1. Increase the release of the hormone cortisol, which lows your immune system and tells your body to store fat for readily.
2. Blood pressure increases as well as heart rate; this can lead to headaches.
3. Your fight-or-flight response kicks in, releasing hormones that tighten muscles. These hormones also tell your body to reduce blood flow to the digestive system, leading to constipation.
4. Lots of hormones leads to restlessness and trouble sleeping.
Mental:
1. Poor concentration and forgetfulness
2. Difficulty learning due to lack of focus
Emotional:
This list is much too long to number: Anxiety, depression, anger, irritability, feelings of helplessness, a lack of purpose, relationship troubles, you name it.
Behavioral:
1. Poor food choices for convenience sake, which further leads to constipation
2. Driving recklessly and accident prone actions
3. Abusing alcohol or drugs as attempted outlets
4. Generalized aggression due to hormones (especially fight-or-flight response)
This is only to name a few. What does is your body's reaction to stress? Does you get a mysterious rash or acne? What about you; what do you do when you're stressed? Do you pace or bite your nails?
A yet unidentified component of coffee protects against Alzheimer’s disease. A new Alzheimer’s mouse study found that a serving of coffee a day boosts blood levels of a critical growth factor that seems to fight off the Alzheimer’s disease process.
Using mice bred to develop symptoms mimicking Alzheimer’s disease, the researchers present the first evidence that caffeinated coffee offers protection against the memory-robbing disease that is not possible with other caffeine-containing drinks or decaffeinated coffee.
Previous observational studies in humans reported that daily coffee/caffeine intake during mid-life and in older age decreases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers’ earlier studies in Alzheimer’s mice indicated that caffeine was likely the ingredient in coffee that provides this protection because it decreases brain production of the abnormal protein beta-amyloid, which is thought to cause the disease.
The new study does not diminish the importance of caffeine to protect against Alzheimer’s. Rather it shows that caffeinated coffee induces an increase in blood levels of a growth factor called GCSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor). GCSF is a substance greatly decreased in patients with Alzheimer’s disease and demonstrated to improve memory in Alzheimer’s mice. A just-completed clinical trial at the USF Health Byrd Alzheimer’s Institute is investigating GCSF treatment to prevent full-blown Alzheimer’s in patients with mild cognitive impairment, a condition preceding the disease. The results of that trial are currently being evaluated and should be known soon.
“Caffeinated coffee provides a natural increase in blood GCSF levels,” said lead author Dr. Chuanhai Cao. “The exact way that this occurs is not understood. There is a synergistic interaction between caffeine and some mystery component of coffee that provides this beneficial increase in blood GCSF levels.”
The researchers would like to identify this yet unknown component so that coffee and other beverages could be enriched with it to provide long-term protection against Alzheimer’s.
In their study, the researchers compared the effects of caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee to those of caffeine alone. In both Alzheimer’s mice and normal mice, treatment with caffeinated coffee greatly increased blood levels of GCSF; neither caffeine alone or decaffeinated coffee provided this effect. The researchers caution that, since they used only “drip” coffee in their studies, they do not know whether “instant” caffeinated coffee would provide the same GCSF response.
The boost in GCSF levels is important, because the researchers also reported that long-term treatment with coffee (but not decaffeinated coffee) enhances memory in Alzheimer’s mice. Higher blood GCSF levels due to coffee intake were associated with better memory. The researchers identified three ways that GCSF seems to improve memory performance in the Alzheimer’s mice. First, GCSF recruits stem cells from bone marrow to enter the brain and remove the harmful beta-amyloid protein that initiates the disease. GCSF also creates new connections between brain cells and increases the birth of new neurons in the brain.
“All three mechanisms could complement caffeine’s ability to suppress beta amyloid production in the brain” Dr. Cao said, “Together these actions appear to give coffee an amazing potential to protect against Alzheimer’s — but only if you drink moderate amounts of caffeinated coffee.”
Although the present study was performed in Alzheimer’s mice, the researchers indicated that they’ve gathered clinical evidence of caffeine/coffee’s ability to protect humans against Alzheimer’s and will soon publish those findings.
Coffee is safe for most Americans to consume in the moderate amounts (4 to 5 cups a day) that appear necessary to protect against Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers previously reported this level of coffee/caffeine intake was needed to counteract the brain pathology and memory impairment in Alzheimer’s mice. The average American drinks 1½ to 2 cups of coffee a day, considerably less than the amount the researchers believe protects against Alzheimer’s.
“No synthetic drugs have yet been developed to treat the underlying Alzheimer’s disease process” said Dr. Gary Arendash, the study’s other lead author. “We see no reason why an inherently natural product such as coffee cannot be more beneficial and safer than medications, especially to protect against a disease that takes decades to become apparent after it starts in the brain.”
The researchers believe that moderate daily coffee intake starting at least by middle age (30s – 50s) is optimal for providing protection against Alzheimer’s disease, although starting even in older age appears protective from their studies. “We are not saying that daily moderate coffee consumption will completely protect people from getting Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Cao said. “However, we do believe that moderate coffee consumption can appreciably reduce your risk of this dreaded disease or delay its onset.”
The researchers conclude that coffee is the best source of caffeine to counteract the cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s because its yet unidentified component synergizes with caffeine to increase blood GCSF levels. Other sources of caffeine, such as carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and tea, would not provide the same level of protection against Alzheimer’s as coffee, they said.
Coffee also contains many ingredients other than caffeine that potentially offer cognitive benefits against Alzheimer’s disease. “The average American gets most of their daily antioxidants intake through coffee,” Dr. Cao said. “Coffee is high in anti-inflammatory compounds that also may provide protective benefits against Alzheimer’s disease.”
An increasing body of scientific literature indicates that moderate consumption of coffee decreases the risk of several diseases of aging, including Parkinson’s disease, Type II diabetes and stroke. Just within the last few months, new studies have reported that drinking coffee in moderation may also significantly reduce the risk of breast and prostate cancers.
“Now is the time to aggressively pursue the protective benefits of coffee against Alzheimer’s disease,” Dr. Arendash said. “Hopefully, the coffee industry will soon become an active partner with Alzheimer’s researchers to find the protective ingredient in coffee and concentrate it in dietary sources.”
New Alzheimer’s diagnostic guidelines, now encompassing the full continuum of the disease from no overt symptoms to mild impairment to clear cognitive decline, could double the number of Americans with some form of the disease to more than 10 million. With the baby-boomer generation entering older age, these numbers will climb even more unless an effective preventive measure is identified.
“Because Alzheimer’s starts in the brain several decades before it is diagnosed, any protective therapy would obviously need to be taken for decades,” Dr. Cao said. “We believe moderate daily consumption of caffeinated coffee is the best current option for long-term protection against Alzheimer’s memory loss. Coffee is inexpensive, readily available, easily gets into the brain, appears to directly attack the disease process, and has few side-effects for most of us.”
According to the researchers, no other Alzheimer’s therapy being developed comes close to meeting all these criteria.
“Aside from coffee, two other lifestyle choices — physical and cognitive activity — appear to reduce the risk of dementia. Combining regular physical and mental exercise with moderate coffee consumption would seem to be an excellent multi-faceted approach to reducing risk or delaying Alzheimer’s,” Dr. Arendash said. “With pharmaceutical companies spending millions of dollars trying to develop drugs against Alzheimer’s disease, there may very well be an effective preventive right under our noses every morning – caffeinated coffee.”
Aging can be very stressful if you don’t have the right information on how to age well. Here are 5 steps that you need to know about aging so you can stop stressing about life and start living life.
1. Act the Age You Feel
Gone are the days when you are told to, "Act your age". Act the age that you feel. This will not only boost your mood, but also give off a natural youthfulness.
2. Keep Mentally Active
Keeping mentally active will help keep your mind sharp. Mental activities take longer as we grow older, but just like a muscle, the brain can be kept fit with activity. Some suggestions: suduko, crossword puzzles, riddles, word-find, jigsaw puzzles, ect. Other activities things like reading a book or taking on opportunities to do mental math can help. As they say, "Doing a puzzle a day can keep brain fog away". For online puzzles, visit BrainBashers or ProProfs.
3. Explore Uncharted Territory.
Ask yourself; "What have I already wanted to do?" Or, "What have I always wanted to see?" Write these answer down and then make a plan to pursue them. Retirement isn't about giving out the life you always knew, it's about re-prioritizing to do what you've always wanted. If you've always wanted a pet; get on. If you've always wanted to learn how to pain; sign up for lessons. If you've always wanted to run a marathon; start running.
4. Eat Right
"You are what you eat", "An apple a day keeps the doctor away", "A healthy outside starts fro the inside". The sayings go on and on about the importance of eating right.
5. Prevention is key
Go to your doctors appointment to make sure your numbers are in order. Exercise. Keep up with your vitamins. Health is easy to keep, but can be hard to get back if someone goes on for too long or is missed. Prevention goes a very long way.
Tell me, how old do you feel? Which from this list of 5 do you feel that you especially want to work towards? I'd love to hear your stories.
As they say, "To be prepared is half the victory". With age comes many unexpected changes and sometimes misfortunes. Here are 10 essential questions to ask to be sure you are prepared. 1. Do you have a Durable Power of Attorney? Durable power of attorney designates who will take care of your affairs if you are unable to decide for yourself in the case of mental or physical incapacitation. Individuals can designate one person to handle health decisions and another for financial decisions or they can designate one person for both roles.
2. What are your end-of-life wishes? A living will is used to indicate choices about end-of-life care. For example: Would you want a ventilator and feeding tube used to keep you alive even in an irreversible coma? Do you want CPR initiated if your heart stops, even if you are terminally ill? Make sure your selected Durable Power of Attorney is aware of your decisions.
3. Do you have a will or living trust? A will and living trust is the legal methods used to designate what happens to your possessions and money in the instance of a death. A will simply specifies, in writing, who gets what, and how much. A living trust is an alternative to a will. A individuals who prefers a trust puts their assets in the trust and names a person to take charge.
4. Do you have or want long-term care insurance? The national average cost for assisted living is $3,074, according to an analysis of the pricing of communities in A Place for Mom’s network. In some regions it’s much higher. This can decimate a savings account rapidly, so it’s important to know if you have insurance to offset these costs, or some other plan in place should long-term-care needs arise. On the other hand, while some individuals feel strongly against going to a long-term care facility, all too often it is highly encouraged by a doctor to go temporarily for rehabilitation. That being said, I highly recommend that you obtain long-term care insurance and not be stuck either paying out of pocket or in a sub-par facility.
5. Are your documents current? All these documents mentioned above need to be up-to-date and current for them to be considered valid. It is suggested that each year documents are checked and checked for accuracy. 6. Do others know where to find these documents? It doesn’t do any good to have these documents in order if they can’t be found in an emergency. Make sure you know where they are and how to get to them. For example, if they’re in a safe deposit box, see to it that a trusted family member has a key and permission to access the box. 7. Is someone advising you on financial matters? Although you may be financial secure, as the average age is rising a lot of older adults are finding that their retirement fund won't last them as long as they need it to. Either prior to retirement or well after, it's always a good idea to get advice from a reputable financial advisor or estate planner to ensure that you be able to maintain your desired lifestyle. 8. If you aren't able to take care of yourself, where will you turn for assistance? Start the discussion about long-term care options before crisis hits. This gives the opportunity to provide input about preferences and to get involved in the process rather than having to passively accept arrangements hastily made at the last minute by well-meaning but uninformed loved ones. Talk this over with family members to understand their expectation as well. Never assume that it will be ok to move in with a family member; because you just never know. Home health may also be an option as well. 9. Do you visit your doctor regularly? Some individuals see several specialists in addition to a primary care physician. If they become hospitalized, information from one of these doctors could be critical. If this is you, create a list of the physicians seen regularly and how to contact them. Keep this list handy in case of an emergency. On the other hand, some individuals hate going to the doctor. Regardless of your stance, it is important to get checked out for various disease or cancers with risks that increase significantly with age. Although you feel healthy, too often I see people who are in the hospital for something minor and end up being diagnosed with something major because they didn't get checked out regularly. 10. Do you understand why you've been prescribed the medications that you are taking?
Some individuals wake up to a dozen or more pills. It leaves me to wonder how they have room for breakfast. When you understand what you've been prescribed and why you need that particular pill, it not only helps you remember to take it, but it also helps keep the doctor in check about whether or not you need to continue taking it. Likewise, keep an update list of medications with you at all times. It will be one of the first questions asked by any hospital staff in case of an emergency.
I encourage you to join the conversation. Have you had to deal with an emergency involving an aging parent who did not have their affairs in order? Do you have advice of your own to share? Please comment below.
In America, 25 million adults suffer from some degree of incontinence, so you might be asking: “Is incontinence permanent?” Incontinence can be uncomfortable, embarrassing, or down right inconvenient. However depending on the the circumstance, but for most, the answer is “no”. Incontinence does not have to be permanent. Often diet, medication, and lifestyle impact incontinence, and sometimes making changes can correct temporary incontinence. For example, alcohol and caffeine are bladder stimulants and diuretics, which can lead to the frequent urge to urinate. Certain medications, such as cold medicines, heart medicines, blood pressure drugs, muscle relaxants, and other can lead to temporary incontinence. Urinary tract infections and constipation can also interfere with normal bladder and bowel control. Often men who have had prostate surgery will experience temporary incontinence as a result of weakened muscles.Of course, persistent incontinence may be caused by things that are not quite as easily remedied. Pregnancy, aging, menopause, hysterectomy, enlarged prostate, prostate cancer, bladder cancer, bladder stones, neurological disorders, obstructions, and damage to the pelvic floor muscles can all lead to a more permanent form of incontinence. Pregnancy and childbirth, for example, can lead to hormonal changes, enlarged uterus, stress and weakness on the muscles that control the bladder, can lead to a weakened pelvic floor and often stress incontinence. This may not be totally corrected, but Kegel exercises can help strengthen the pelvic muscles and improve the condition.
Aging can lead to an increase in overactive bladder symptoms, and weakening of the muscles that control the bowel and bladder. Menopause, a natural part of aging, can also lead to incontinence as a result of hormonal changes.
The only way to know if your incontinence is permanent is to have a medical evaluation with an urological exam and diagnostic work-up. This should be followed up with an individualized treatment plan.
Your physician will likely ask about your symptoms, medications, diet, habits, frequency of urination, how often you leak, what kind of protection you use, what precipitates leaking (sneezing, coughing, running, jumping, etc.), if it is accompanied by constipation. They may ask you to keep a voiding diary.
Treatment Options
A treatment plan will be created with your doctor that may include medications such as alpha blockers, anticholinergies, topical estrogen, imipramine, or duloxetine. In addition treatment will often include stimulating the sacral nerve, treating the prostate, kegel exercises, a male sling, using a bulking agent injected into the urethra, artificial sphincters, urethral plugs. Lifestyle changes will also be encouraged including fluid and diet management, bladder retraining, and more. I encourage you to comment below with a question or a treatment option that you've heard works best.
"Know your cholesterol levels". "This product is cholesterol free". "Top 5 foods that lower your cholesterol".
We see products and ads everywhere advertising and soliciting for low cholesterol. Sure, we know it's bad. But did you know that your body actually uses cholesterol? Actually, your body doesn't just use cholesterol, it actually needs cholesterol.
Lets dive into what exactly cholesterol is and what your body does with it. The behind the scenes of LDL and HDL cholesterol, and what those stand for. And how low can your cholesterol go, to be considered healthy.
The Many Roles of Cholesterol
Cholesterol is sent to your liver after absorbing it from carbohydrates, protein, and fat that you eat. The body then translates the cholesterol into two forms: high-density lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL). With these, your body puts them to work to aid in a number of functions. Here are a handful:
1. Produce sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone in woman, and testosterone in men. These particular hormones play a key role in reproduction and physical features.
2. Create the steroid hormone cortisol, which helps regulate blood sugar and defending against infection.
3. Develop the hormone aldosterone, which helps your body regulate salt and water.
4. Absorb vitamin D, which in tandem with Calcium, is responsible for strong teeth and bones.
5. Make bile, the substance released by the gallbladder that helps your intestines digest food.
Is Cholesterol your Friend?
More like a "Fr-enemy" (Friend-Enemy)
All this talk about all that cholesterol does made me wonder: Is cholesterol a good thing? The answer: Yes and no. Hence, I've come to the conclusion that cholesterol is my "fr-enemy".
When you have high cholesterol, you may develop fatty deposits in your blood vessels called "plaques". Eventually, these deposits make it difficult for blood to flow through your vessels. As this plaque builds within your vessels and blood flow becomes more and more restricted, your heart may not get as much oxygen-rich blood as it needs. This may lead to varicose veins, which is your body's way of creating other paths for blood to flow. Even worse, as these plaques increase grow, it increases your likelihood of having one completed block blood flow by either growing so large in the same place or by breaking off and having a plaque piece travel to a more narrow vessel. This will usually lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Cholesterol Overview
The Good vs The Bad
HDL vs LDL
HDL cholesterol is the well-behaved, or the "good cholesterol." HDL acts as a hunter, cruising the bloodstream to remove harmful bad cholesterol from where it doesn't belong. As a result, high HDL levels reduce your risk for heart disease -- but low levels can actually increase your risk.
LDL cholesterol is the hunted. LDL is what collects in the walls of blood vessels, causing the build up of plaque. Higher LDL levels put you at greater risk for a heart attack from a sudden blood clot in an artery.
Down to the Numbers
The good, the bad, and the borderline
"Good" within this case means you are at healthy level, and therefore at a low risk of heart disease. "Borderline" means you have some work to do, and your heart disease risk is increased. "Bad" indicates that you have a high risk of not only heart disease, but also stroke or heart attack.
Total cholesterol levels act as a quick glance at how your cholesterol is. The numbers are as followed: Good: <200 Borderline:200-239 Bad: >240
HDL is good cholesterol, however there is still a suggested range. They are: Low: <39 Normal: 40-59 High: >60
LDL is bad cholesterol, so these levels must be watched closely: Good: <99 Borderline: 100-189 Bad: >190
Notes: I have intentionally left out the units for these values. If you are curious, it is mg/dL.
Here is an example of cholesterol levels that could use a little help.
The 2 Best Ways to Stay in the Good
In the good cholesterol range, that is
1. Eat good fat
You've heard the saying, "You are what you eat". Well, your cholesterol level heavily reflects your eating habits, so choose foods that will keep your cholesterol good. This includes lots of fruits and vegetables, and watching the intake of fat, carbohydrates, and . Foods that are rich in monounsaturated fat are good for you and will increase your HDL cholesterol. This includes olive and canola oil, avocados, fish and peanut butter, to name a few.
2. Get fit.
Exercise also lowers LDL and increase HDL cholesterol. Choose the stairs or park your car at the back of the lot. These little things add up.
Over 350,000 people will suffer from sudden cardiac arrest this year according to the American Red Cross. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere and at any age. An AED is the only effective treatment for restoring a regular heart rhythm during sudden cardiac arrest and is an easy to operate tool for someone with no medical background.
What an AED does is analyze, diagnose, and treats (if necessary) any heart rhythm, all while giving step-by-step instructions to the user on how to literally save an individuals life. Here's how it works:
How it Works
A defibrillator is an electronic device that can be used to deliver an electrical shock to the heart when there is a disturbance in the rhythm of the heartbeat.
First, two sticker-like pads are placed on the chest of an individual who seems to be in any of cardiac distress. Pictures on each pad indicate the approximate area of where it should be placed.
Next, the AED will analyze the heart beat of the individual to determine if a shock is indicated. If this is the case, the machine clearly instructs all surrounding individuals to stand back prior to delivering the shock. Ultimately, the shock will stop the individuals heart, then "reset" it, hopefully back to a normal rhythm. This may occur after one shock or multiple shocks.
Easy How-To
Using an AED is actually fairly simple.
If you suspect that a person is suffering from a heart attack and an AED is on the premises, it should be retrieved as quickly as possible.
911 should be called immediately so they can take over as soon as they arrive
Assess the scene to make sure that it is safe for you to approach the individual.
Confirm that the person cannot respond by loudly asking them if they are ok or by shaking the person on their shoulder.
Check the person's breathing to see if it is absent or irregular, and check for a pulse if you know how to.
Open the AED and turn it on. It will give you step by step audible instructions, as well as on-screen prompts.
Remove any clothing to expose the persons chest. Any metal must also be removed as this will burn them if they are shocked.
Make sure that the chest is dry above the person's right nipple and on the left side of their rib cage, so that the contact pads will be able to stick to the skin.
Place one pad above the person's right nipple, and the other pad on the left side of the rib cage just slightly below the left nipple. Pictures on the AED pads will guide you. Make sure that the pads stick well to the skin.
If the pads do not make good contact with the skin, the AED will tell you to "Check the Electrodes". If the person has a hairy chest, it may be necessary to shave a small area of the chest. Some AED kits include a razor or scissors, otherwise use the pads as a wax-type hair removal treatment.
Press the "Analyze" button if the AED doesn't automatically start to analyze the person's heart rhythm. It is imperative that you do not move or touch the person while this analysis is occurring to ensure that it gets an accurate reading.
If an electrical shock is needed, the AED will let you know when to deliver it and tell you to press the "Shock" button. It is important that no one is touching the person while the shock is being delivered; or they too will get shocked.
After the shock is delivered, start or resume CPR until the emergency medical technicians arrive, until the person becomes responsive, or until the AED indicated to deliver another shock.
This one minute video will also show you how to use an AED
Locate Your Nearest AED
One of the first thing you should do is become aware of where any AEDs are located in your workplace or at establishments you frequent. Automated External Defibrillators are typically located in common, high traffic areas in buildings. They are often located near elevators, near entrances, or in main corridors or hallways. They will often be in a metal box that is mounted to the wall, similar to a fire extinguisher.
An AED will almost always have a sign over it, and is identified with a universal AED symbol - a heart with a lightning bolt through it. This symbol makes it easy to locate an AED, and this same symbol is even used in other countries.
Take note of where AEDs are located at your workplace or businesses you visit often. That way you will be able to access them quickly in the event of an emergency, or be able to direct a friend or coworker to access them quickly.
Heart disease includes numerous problems related to the heart and surrounding vessels. Many of the problems relate directly to a process called atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a condition that develops when a substance ("plaque") builds up in the walls of the arteries. This buildup narrows the arteries, making it harder for blood to flow through. If a blood clot forms, it can stop the blood flow all together. This can cause a heart attack or stroke. This video explains heard disease in more detail:
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), heart disease is the leading cause of death of men and women in America. What's worse is, many cases are preventable.
Find out your risk what you can do to reduce your risk, starting today.
Symptoms
Heart disease symptoms vary, depending on what type of heart disease you have.
In the majority of cases, the disease has affected vessels surrounding the heart. Symptoms include:
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath (not during activity or after minimal activity)
- Numbness or tingling in your hands or feet
Other cases of heart disease may be due to an irregular heart beat, known as an arrhythmia. Your heart may beat too quickly, too slowly or irregularly if you have an arrhythmia. Heart disease related to an arrhythmia can include:
- A fluttering feeling in your chest
- A pounding feeling in your chest or quickened heart beat
- Chest pain
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
- Fainting or near fainting spell
Heart disease can also be caused by a thickening and stiffening of the heart muscles themselves. This is referred to as cardiomyopathy. In early stages of cardiomyopathy, you may have no symptoms. Your doctor however can detect early stages of cardiomyopathy with a simple outpatient exam called a "Myocardiogram". As the condition worsens, cardiomyopathy symptoms include:
- Shortness of breath (not during activity or after minimal activity)
- Swelling in the legs, ankles, and/or feet.
- Bloating or swelling of the abdomen
- General fatigue or easily tired
- Dizziness or lightheadedness
Lastly, heart disease can be caused by an infection. It may be either pericarditis, which affects the tissue surrounding the heart; Myocarditis, which affects the muscular middle layer within the heart; or endocarditis, which affects the valves of the heart. Varying slightly with each type of infection, heart infection symptoms can include:
- Fever
- Shortness of breath (not during activity or after minimal activity)
- Swelling in the legs, ankles, and/or feet.
- Bloating or swelling of the abdomen
- Persistent dry cough
- Skin rash or unusual spots
- General fatigue or easily tired
You might not be diagnosed with heart disease until your condition worsens to the point that you have a heart attack, stroke or chest pain. It's important to watch for these symptoms and discuss any concerns with your doctor. Heart disease can sometimes be found early with regular visits to your doctor, along with avoiding risk factors and participating in heart healthy activities.
Risk Factors
Your age: Simply getting older increases your risk of damaged and narrowed arteries and weakened or thickened heart muscle, which contribute to heart disease.
Your gender: Men are generally at greater risk of heart disease. The risk for a woman increases after menopause, especially those on hormone therapy.
Family history: A family history of heart disease increases your risk of coronary artery disease, especially if a parent developed it at an early age (before age 55 for a male relative, such as your brother or father, and 65 for a female relative, such as your mother or sister).
Smoking: Nicotine constricts your blood vessels, and carbon monoxide can damage their inner lining, making them more susceptible to atherosclerosis.
Poor diet choices: A diet that's high in fat, salt and cholesterol can contribute to the development of heart disease.
High blood pressure: Uncontrolled high blood pressure can result in hardening and thickening of your arteries, narrowing the vessels through which blood flows. This puts more stress on the heart to pump through narrowed vessels.
High blood cholesterol levels: High levels of cholesterol in your blood can increase the risk of formation of plaques and atherosclerosis. Plaques can be caused by a high level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, known as "bad" cholesterol, or a low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, known as "good" cholesterol.
Diabetes: High blood sugar levels harms the lining within the vessels, leaving them more susceptible to collecting plaque. Among other reasons, diabetes or uncontrolled elevated blood sugar levels highly increases your risk of heart disease.
Obesity: Excess weight typically worsens other risk factors and increases the work load on the heart.
Physical inactivity: Lack of exercise also is associated with many forms of heart disease and some of its other risk factors, as well.
High stress: Unrelieved stress in your life may damage your arteries as well as worsen other risk factors for heart disease.
Poor hygiene: Not regularly washing your hands and failure to establish other habits that can help prevent viral or bacterial infections can put you at risk of heart infections, especially if you already have an underlying heart condition. This also include dental health.
1. Don't smoke or use tobacco
Smoking or using tobacco is one of the most significant risk factors for developing heart disease. Smokeless tobacco and low-tar and low-nicotine cigarettes also are risky, as is exposure to secondhand smoke.
The bad news: The nicotine in cigarette smoke makes your heart work harder by narrowing your blood vessels and increasing your heart rate and blood pressure.
The good news: When you quit smoking, your risk of heart disease drops dramatically within just one year. And no matter how long or how much you smoked, you'll start reaping rewards as soon as you quit.
2. Eat a heart-healthy diet
Eating a special diet called the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan can help protect your heart. Following the DASH diet means eating foods that are low in fat, cholesterol and salt.
The bad news: Change is hard. This means less/no deep friend foods, bakery goods, or adding salt to food before tasting it.
The good news: It will help you in the long run. This means more fruits, vegetables, and fish. In addition, eating more fruits and vegetables can not only help prevent heart disease, but also may help prevent cancer.
3. Maintain a healthy weight
As you put on weight in adulthood, your weight gain is mostly fat rather than muscle. This excess weight can lead to conditions that increase your chances of heart disease - high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes. One way to see if your weight is healthy is to calculate your body mass index (BMI), which considers your height and weight in determining whether you have a healthy or unhealthy percentage of body fat. BMI numbers 25 and higher are associated with higher blood fats, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.
The bad news: The BMI is a good indicator, but not perfect. Muscle weighs more than fat, for instance, and women and men who are very muscular and physically fit can have high BMIs without added health risks. Because of that, waist circumference also is a useful tool to measure how much abdominal fat you have:
Men are considered overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (101.6 centimeters, or cm)
Women are overweight if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (88.9 cm)
The good news: Even a small weight loss can be beneficial. Reducing your weight by just 10 percent can decrease your blood pressure, lower your blood cholesterol level and reduce your risk of diabetes.
4. Get regular health screenings
High blood pressure and high cholesterol can damage your heart and blood vessels. But without testing for them, you probably won't know whether you have these conditions. Regular screening can tell you what your numbers are and whether you need to take action.
The bad news: High blood pressure is known as a "silent killer", meaning you won't know you have it till it's too late.
The good news: Both blood pressure and cholesterol levels are easily measured by your doctor. A short visit to the office or even some health screening fairs or clinics can tell you your numbers.
5. Exercise
Getting some regular, daily exercise can reduce your risk of heart disease. And when you combine physical activity with other lifestyle measures, such as maintaining a healthy weight, the payoff is even greater.
The bad news: It must be regular physical activity to make the most impact.
The good news: All it takes is 30 to 60 minutes of moderately intense physical activity most days of the week. However, even shorter amounts of exercise offer heart benefits, so if you can't meet those guidelines, don't give up. You can even break up your workout time into 10-minute sessions. Remember that activities such as gardening, housekeeping, taking the stairs and walking the dog all count toward your total.
1. Eat good fat
