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As with any devastating disease, Alzheimers Disease included, there are always a number of myths and misunderstandings that abound. Rumor and innuendo are to be expected when lay people attempt to comprehend difficult medical concepts. Things are missed in translation or given their own interpretation which may or may not be accurate. That’s just human nature.

We came across this article which dispels some of the myths which have grown up around Alzheimers. It’s well Continue Reading »

One thing I’ve observed over the years is that people prone to alcohol abuse or addiction very often can get through their twenties with little in the way of consequences. In their thirties, problems associated with alcohol and/or drugs begin to surface, although there generally is little awareness of the connection or outright denial.

Once they reach their forties, however, problems become more severe. This is a progressive disease that never gets better, and only gets worse, in the aging process, without intervention. Continue Reading »

High blood pressure is at epidemic proportions in the United States today with more than 65 million people suffering from high blood pressure and another 45 million having a condition known as pre-hypertension. High blood pressure is a symptomless disease which increases your risk of heart attack and stroke and you could very easily be suffering from it without any knowledge of it until it is too late.

There are of course medicines on the market that can help in lowering blood pressure, but several of these have accompanying side effects and, even though some people may need to take medicine in the short term to lower their blood pressure, a better solution is to control the condition naturally if you are able to.

For almost all of us high blood pressure is related to weight and diet and this is a major problem today when two thirds of Americans are overweight or obese. Furthermore, most Americans get too much salt in their diets and not enough of the many other beneficial vitamins and minerals that can actually lower blood pressure. In short, you can eat your way to a lower blood pressure, if you know what you are doing.

In truth, it is often possible to lower your blood pressure quite quickly if you change your diet and begin to take some exercise. That said, if you’ve not taken any exercise for a long period of time you shouldn’t suddenly begin a vigorous exercise program and it’s always a good idea to talk to your doctor before you start any exercise program.

To start though let’s talk about some things which you should avoid and top of the list comes salt. Salt is one of the main offenders in today’s epidemic of high blood pressure. Too much dietary fat is also a culprit as it encourages arteriosclerosis, weight gain, and other difficulties that result in high blood pressure. Hence, two things which you should avoid (or at least reduce) in your diet are salt and excess fat, principally saturated or trans fats.

So, what types of food should you have in your diet to help you in lowering your blood pressure? Potassium is one of the major substances which is lacking in today’s American diet and which is especially beneficial for your blood pressure. It help to reduce blood pressure just as sodium assists in raising your blood pressure and so getting enough potassium in your diet can help even out blood pressure.

It is very easy to get enough potassium into your diet by simply adding plenty of fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables, providing of course that they have no added suger or salt. Even though this may seem bland to some people, it is one of the best ways to ensure that you regularize your blood pressure. Naturally of course, at the same time you also want to cut down on the salt to no more than the recommended daily intake of approximately 2400 mg each day. A very good way to achieve this is not to add any salt at all to your diet because natural and unprocessed foods contain enough salt and, if you feel you need to add flavor to your food then simply try herbs and spices.

Magnesium and calcium are two other minerals which can help to reduce blood pressure. Both calcium and magnesium are considered calming minerals and the majority of Americans do not get enough of them in their diets. dairy products which are low in fat are a good source of calcium as are legumes, nuts, and dark and leafy green vegetables. You need to try to get a balance of approximately two parts of magnesium to three parts of calcium. Foods such as soybeans, sesame seeds and white beans not only contain a lot of calcium and magnesium but they are also excellent sources of potassium.

Lastly, make sure that you drink enough water and get enough fiber in your diet. Fiber helps to clear toxins and unhealthy substances from your body and it also helps you feel full so that you are not tempted to eat too much.

Did you know that a little over 2 million Americans suffer from gout symptoms every year? If you want to reduce your chances of suffering from gout for too long, you’ll need to know the signs to look for so you can get immediate treatment and decrease the amount of time it takes for you to recover. After reading the following indicators of gout below, you’ll be equipped to more easily stave off the more debilitating aspects of this arthritic disease.

You’ll probably wake up to the first of several gout symptoms with a jolt. You’ll feel the throbbing of an inflamed joint, and when you peel back the bed sheet to take a look, you’ll see a shiny red joint with skin tightly pulled over it. More than likely, your big toe will be the offender, but other joints can join the party too. Keep an eye on your fingers, wrists, elbows and ankles.

Next, keep tabs on your pain to see if it increases over the next several hours. After a few hours, you may be in excruciating pain and unable to even bear touching the joint.

Gout symptoms can sometimes be disguised as feeling extremely tired or having a slight fever. If you’re tired all the time or have a temperature of 99.5 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, along with a swollen joint that’s warm and painful to touch, then you’re having a gout attack.

So, to go over the gout symptoms checklist again, ask yourself the following questions:

- Do you have a shiny red and swollen joint that feels warm and painful?

- Does the pain increase over a few hours time?

- Do you feel slightly feverish or greatly fatigued, in addition to having the painful joint?

If you experience these indicators, get treatment or try gout pain remedies as soon as possible.

Breast cancer is a disease which isn’t very well defined, but there are prominent causes that lead to it. If you show some or all of these symptoms, your risk of getting breast cancer naturally increases. However, it is necessary to add that even with all the symptoms, you might not get the cancer, as a rule. Causes are not a foolproof way of calculating your risks of getting breast cancer, and should never be the only factor in calculating the risks. You can get a car accident if you as much as drive a car, but so many factors come into play that it’s very hard to designate the risks to a single factor, if at all, it can be done. The same goes for breast cancer.

One thing is true and that is the risk for getting breast cancer goes up as you get older. That is something that just cannot be taken out of the equation. It is also said that one has a greater chance of developing it if someone in the family has also been diagnosed which makes one think that genetics may play factor on whether or not you may get it. Race does not really make that much of a difference, but it also depends on who you talk to. Many researchers have said that women who don’t have kids until a later age may have a higher chance, but then that is part of the age factor. Men do get breast cancer as well, but their numbers are not nearly as high as the number of women who get diagnosed.

A hot research topic is trying to determine whether contraceptive and preventive birth control measures increase the risk factor for breast cancer. This topic has been a favorite debating topic among researchers, but nothing can be said about it until more conclusive researches are done.

Alcohol is said to increase the risks considerably, but as it goes, alcohol can increase the risks for any type of cancer. Cutting down the number of alcoholic beverages you consume is a good idea, and if your risk factor is high, total abstinence from alcohol helps.

Weight problems and obesity deteriorate heath, giving rise to various health problems, one of which is an increased risk of developing malignant breast tissues. Fighting this is easy; you just need to exercise a lot more and better, enhancing your general health and keeping breast cancer away. Remember, prevention is better than cure.

Like it’s said, the causes for getting breast cancer can be many and varied, and it’s not possible to understand the key factor that leads to it. However, there is a lot of research going on in this field, and someday, the key might be discovered. With that, we can prevent many women from getting ailed, diagnose lots of others early and save them from the misery of living through the disease, and cure so many others who could have just lost hope.