Stop a Heart Attack by Coughing

It is found that coughing deeply and vigorously can stop a heart attack from turning deadly. Properly timed and performed coughs could allow a heart attack victim to remain conscious and regain an effective heart beat. If you feel palpations or lightheaded, take deep breaths and cough repeatedly and very vigorously and hard several times. This could support your circulation for a while until help arrives. A deep breath should be taken before each cough and the cough must be deep and prolonged. A breath and a cough should be repeated every two seconds until help arrives or until the heart is beating normal again.

Coughing deeply would cause a pumping action that would cause blood to be pushed through the body and to the brain. Coughing also increases and decreased chest pressure, which can raise a slow heart rate, increase cardiac output, and sometimes stop an arrhythmia. Taking deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing causes the heart to squeeze and helps the the blood to circulate. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it to have a normal rhythm.

Good Reasons to Have Good Posture

There are many reasons to practice good posture and to stand up and sit up straight. Good posture can reduce back pains, increase energy levels, reduce bone and joint aches, and encourage better digestion.

Good posture is good for reducing back pains because sitting in a hunched or slouched position can increase pressure on spinal disks and can cause supporting muscles and ligaments to degenerate quicker. Bad posture can cause back pains and can worsen the condition of a herniated disk and pinched nerves.

Bad posture is bad on the body’s energy levels because slumping can tighten the chest and compress the lungs, so less oxygen gets into the bloodstream. This can cause for a person to become mentally tired and stressed. Strain in any part of the body decreases energy levels.

Bad posture can cause bone and joint problems and cause muscles to shorten overtime. Slouching while a person is sitting can cause hip flexors to shorten and become less flexible, causing joint pain. Sitting with rounded shoulders can cause rotator-cuff pains. Over a period of time, arthritis can set in due to wear and tear on joints.

Better posture leads to better digestion. Slouching after eating can cause the stomach muscles to tighten and may push stomach acid into the esophagus and cause heart burn. Standing or sitting up straight effectively helps the digestive system to work better.

Medication for Ex-Smokers

There is a new medication that was made originally for people with acne problems that can help people that used to smoke by reducing their lung cancer risk. Ex-smokers that took the prescription retinoid isotretinoin, which also contained vitamin E, or an experimental retinoid had significant decrease in the amount of precancerous cell growth in the lungs when compared to people that took placebos.

Anti-Wrinkle Drugs Could Cause Deaths

The anti-wrinkle drug Botox and a competitor have been linked to dangerous botulism symptoms that have caused deaths for a few children that were given the drugs for muscle spasms. Botox, a wrinkle-specific version called Botox Cosmetic, and Myobloc are all drugs that use botulism toxin to block nerve impulses and cause the nerves to relax. In some cases, the toxin can spread from the area of injection to other parts of the body and paralyze or weaken the muscles used for breathing and swallowing, which can be fatal and cause death.

Botox is known for reducing the appearance of wrinkles by paralyzing facial muscles. Botulism toxin is mostly used for muscle spasm conditions, such as cervical dystonia or severe neck spasms. A person should get help immediately if they suffer from symptoms of botulism. The symptoms would include difficulty swallowing or breathing, slurred speech, muscle weakness, or difficulty holding up the head.

The FDA is investigating the deaths of children that were being treated for spasticity in their legs due to cerebral palsy. The FDA is also probing reports of people that used the drugs and had gotten sick, this includes a woman who was given Botox for forehead wrinkles and had to be hospitalized. The Public Citizen advocacy group has cited 180 reports of U.S. patients that suffered fluid in their lungs, difficulty swallowing, or pneumonia. This number includes 16 deaths.