Broken Heart Syndrome

Broken heart syndrome is a temporary condition that is often confused with having a heart attack. The symptoms are similar, such as shortness of breath and chest pain. It mostly affects middle-aged and elderly women and is often caused by emotional or physical stress. The condition is almost never fatal, causes no long term heart damage, and usually doesn't reoccur.

Symptoms of the condition occur when stress causes your body to be flooded with catecholamine hormones. Blood pressure and heart rate increase. There is also a sudden and temporary weakening of the mycardium. A bulging out of the left ventricular apex with a hypercontractile base of the left ventricle of the heart often happens.

The condition is commonly referred to as stress cardiomyopathy, stress-induced cardiomyopathy, or apical ballooning syndrome. Symptoms can be prevented by reducing anxiety before it increases. It is different from a heart attack because a heart attack is caused by blocked arteries and broken heart syndrome is caused by a surge of adrenaline and other hormones. One to two percent of patients who are diagnoses with a heart attack are actually experiencing the condition.

Health Benefits of Vitamin K

Vitamin K is a fat soluble vitamin that helps to protect bones from fracture, calcification of arteries, and helps blood to clot normally. Vitamin K is not a single chemical substance. It is a family of related chemical substances that go by the name of “vitamin K.” It helps the body transport calcium and metabolize into your skeleton. It increases bone mineral density and reduces fracture. It also lowers the risk of liver and prostate cancer.

Vitamin K is best known for its role in healthy blood clotting. It is important for the function of several proteins involved in the blood clotting process. In the blood clotting process, it is important in the product of prothrombin and is required for the body to make four of the body's blood clotting factors, mainly prothrombin and the factors VII, IX, and X.

Sources of vitamin K include spinach, Brussels sprouts, Swiss chard, green beans, asparagus, broccoli, kale, mustard greens, carrots, green peas, and cauliflower. Vitamin K deficiency is rare due to bacteria synthesis in the body.

Macadamia Nuts Lower Cholesterol Levels

Even though macadamia nuts are high in calories and fat, they can help to keep arteries clear. The type of fat they are high in is called monounsaturated fatty acids, which is what causes it to lower levels of blood cholesterol. Adding 1 1/2 ounces of the nuts to your diet each day can lower cholesterol levels by about 9 percent after 5 weeks. Macadamia nuts are originally from Australia but have been imported to Hawaii to be grown and used for commercial use.

How to Soothe Colicky Babies

Colic is a condition that causes unexplained and prolonged crying in infants. If a baby is colicky, it is a good idea to swaddle a baby tightly to make it feel like it is back in the comfort and safety of the womb. Using things like a hair dryer or a fan can imitate the loud sound of blood flowing through a pregnant woman’s arteries. It is a good idea to keep the baby in movement, such as rocking or riding in a car, that reminds them of the womb. The baby can feel soothed with warm baths and warm wash cloths placed on their stomachs. By the time a baby is 3 or 4months old, colic symptoms usually go away and don’t return.

Ways to Prevent Memory Loss

Memory loss usually starts at 16 years old and it is a common problem for people by the age of 40. There are things that can be done to prevent it.

Regular exercise can help to prevent the arterial aging that plays a part in memory loss. Exercise uses concentration and coordination, which are two things that require the use of brain neurons and keep them active.

There are some nutrients that fight memory loss. Omega-3 fatty acids help to keep the arteries clear and improve the process of message-sending brain neurotransmitters. They are found in fatty fish, such as salmon and mahimahi. It is recommended to eat 13 ounces of fish each week or take two grams of fish oil supplements, DHA, each day.

Removing Blood Clots Helps Heart Attack Recovery

A new research shows that more people survive major heart attacks and have fewer problems if doctors use a mini-vacuum to clear out an artery blockage instead of pushing it aside to help blood flow. Suctioning out a clot before implanting a stent could lead to wider use in heart attack treatment.

Most heart attacks occur when a buildup of plaque in a coronary artery ruptures and a blood clot forms that blocks the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart. The most preferred treatment is an angioplasty to reopen the artery.

Doctors would use a procedure that would snake a tube through a blood vessel to the blocked artery and use a small balloon to compress the blockage and restore blood flow. A small metal-mesh stent is placed to keep the artery open. A bad thing about the procedure is that sometimes pieces of the clot or plaque breaks off and plugs the tinier vessels to restrict the blood flow to the heart.