Heart Disease, Depression and Anger
It has been found that the traditional indicators of heart disease such as smoking, high cholesterol and high blood pressure account for about 50% of heart attacks. In trying to account for the rest the focus has moved to psychosocial factors - personality and behavior which give rise to stress hormones. Chronic stress, Type A personality, anger, depression and social isolation not only have a direct negative effect on the cardiovascular system but they also increase the effects of other cardiac factors. This article looks at two of these factors - depression and anger.
Anger
People who have a high level of anger, irritability, cynicism and aggression are at a higher risk of developing heart disease. A heart attack is almost three times more likely in people with high levels of anger than in those who don't experience much anger. Feeling angry from time to time is normal. Some people express anger readily while others fume about a situation. When anger is experienced in relation to a specific event and the amount of anger felt is appropriate to the event then it is usually not a health risk. However, if the anger surfaces too readily and lasts too long and is suppressed and not expressed, then it may become a cardiovascular risk factor.
The following test adapted from Pistcatella and Frankin (2003) will help you to assess you level of anger.
Read each of the statements below and grade yourself on how you would respond to each situation using the following scale.
1 = never, 2 = rarely, 3 = often, 4 = always
It doesn't take much to get me mad.
People tell me I should calm down.
I blow up at terrible drivers.
If I'm upset I'll hit the dog or cat or something else.
People call me hot headed.
I'm furious about the way that I get treated at a restaurants or stores.
When other people's mistakes slow me down I can get upset for the whole day.
If the situation is bad enough I throw things.
I swear loudly to blow off steam.
I feel like hitting someone who makes me very angry.
I've been told I have a bad temper.
If you embarrass me in front of someone, I'll be furious.
I'm a very ambitious person, so sometimes I get impatient and angry with other people.
I've been known to break things when I get frustrated.
If you scored below 18 you are able to stay calm in situations that would frustrate others. This is a big help in managing your stress levels.
If you scored 19 to 27 you get angry about as often as most other people.
If you scored 28 to 35 there is a good possibility that you are under too much stress or it may be that getting angry has become a habit. Take this score seriously and start to make changes now before it adversely affects your health.
If you scored over 35 and you continue with the same behaviour and approach to life you risk serious stress related health problems.
Depression
The association between depression and heart disease and heart attacks has been established for some time. Depression is reported to precede a heart attack in up to 50% of cases. Apart from the link between depression and heart disease, depression also contributes to a poor lifestyle. Depressed people are more likely to eat poorly, be sedentary, smoke and drink too much alcohol.
How do you know if depression is a problem for you? The following test adapted from one developed by Harvard University is designed to help assess people who are likely to be suffering from depression.
Read the following statements and answer yes or no to them.
I feel sad most of the time.
I don't enjoy the things that I used to.
I sleep too little or too much.
I don't feel like eating or I eat too much.
I can't make decisions.
I have difficulty concentrating.
I feel hopeless.
I feel worthless.
I get tired for no reason.
I think about killing myself.
If you answered yes to four or more of these questions and you have felt this way every day for two weeks or more you may be suffering from depression and you should consult a health professional for a more complete assessment.
If you answered yes to question 10 seek health professional assistance immediately, regardless of your answer to any of the other questions.
Depression and anger are two of the factors that can lead to the development of heart disease - with the associated heart attacks, angina, cardiac arrests and heart rhythm disturbances. They also reduce the quality of your life. There are many things that you can do about these problems.
Begin to develop your wellbeing with guided creative visualization. Also check out our mental wellbeing range of products (use the buttons on the left hand side of the page). You will find supplements to help with stress, anxiety, depression, sleep and general mental wellbeing.
References
Aesoph, L. 2001, 6 Steps for Handling Stress, Health World Online. June 2001.
Hippisley-Cox, J. et al.1998, Depression as a risk Factor For Ischemic Heart Disease in Men. British Meical Journal. June 1998.
Pistcatella, J.C. and Frankin, B.A. 2003, Take a Load off Your Heart. Workman.
Oberman, A. 2000, Emerging Cardiovascular Risk Factors. Clinical Reviews. Spring 2000.
Comments (0) 16.05.2008. 20:47
Teenagers: Vitamin and Mineral Requirements
Adolescents need plenty of vitamins and minerals during their growth spurt. For girls, this generally occurs around 10 to 11 years of age, while for boys it occurs later, at around 12 to 13 years. Nutritional and energy needs at this time are greater than at any other time of life, except during pregnancy and breast feeding.
As an adolescent goes through physical and biochemical changes, there is an increased need for certain vitamins. The following vitamins play significant roles:
Folic acid and vitamin B12 are needed as tissue synthesis occurs rapidly.
As the calorie intake increases, the need for vitamin B1 (thaimin), vitamin B2 (riboflavin), and vitamin B3 (niacin) also increases.
Vitamin B6 and vitamin D are needed in higher amounts for tissue growth and skeletal growth.
The completed structure and function of newly formed cells relies on the presence of vitamins A, C, and E.
There is a continued need for calcium, magnesium and zinc so that the bones can increase their density.
Throughout adolescence, the occurrence of inadequate diets is higher than in any other stage of development. The following has been found in relation to teenager's nutrient intake.
Calcium, zinc and iron are often lower than the required amounts.
Vitamin A and vitamin C have also been found to be low.
The phosphorus intake can be high because of the quantity of soft drinks consumed and this can have an adverse effect on the calcium balance in the body.
There can be an over consumption of high sugar and refined carbohydrate foods.
Generally, adolescents who skip meals, eat smaller amounts of food, and have fewer healthy snacks (such as, fruit or yogurt) have the least adequate diets.
Supplements for adolescents
Adolescence is a time of increased vitamin and mineral need and it is also a time when adolescents are prone to developing poor eating habits. It is recommended that in addition to tyring to eat a healthy diet that teenagers take a good multivitamin and mineral supplement. The supplement should contain at least the following:
Contents Per Tablet
Vitamin A 500 - 1,200I Us
Vitamin B1(thaimin) 2 - 10 mg
Vitamin B2 (riboflavin) 2 -1 0 mg
Vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) 2 - 15 mg
Vitamin B12 (cobalamin) 10 - 25 mcg
Vitamin C 25 - 150 mg
Vitamin E d-Alpha 10 - 50 IUs
Biotin 20- 50 mcg
Calcium Pantothenate (B5) 30 - 60 mg
Choline 5 - 15 mg
Bioflavonoids 5 - 25mg
Folic Acid 50 - 100 mcg
Nicotinic acid 5 - 10 mg
Nicotinamide 10 - 20 mg
Beta-carotene 2 - 5 mg
Iodine (from Kelp) 10 - 25 mcg
Calcium (element) 50 - 150 mg
Chromium 20 - 30 mcg
Iron (element) 2 - 3 mg
Magnesium (element) 20 - 60 mg
Selenium (element) 10 - 25 mcg
Zinc (element) 2 - 4 mg
What you can do to help
Adolescents are becoming more independent and making many food decisions on their own. Adolescents tend to eat more meals away from home than younger children. They are also heavily influenced by their peers.
Meal convenience is important to many adolescents and they may be eating too much of the wrong types of food (such as, soft drinks, fast-food and processed foods).
Further, a common concern of many adolescents is dieting. Girls may feel pressure from peers to be thin and to limit what they eat. Both boys and girls may diet to 'make weight' and 'look good' for a particular sporting or social event. So we need to try to encourage a healthy weight, making food choices that are healthy and being involved in some physical activity each day.
The following are some tips to help adolescents develop healthy eating habits:
Arrange for teenagers to find out about nutrition for themselves.
Encourage and support their interest in health, cooking, or nutrition.
Take their suggestions, when possible, regarding foods to prepare at home.
Experiment with foods outside your own culture.
Have several nutritious snack foods readily available. Sometimes, teenagers will eat whatever is convenient.
If there are foods that you do not want your teenager to eat, avoid bringing them into the home.
Avoid buying high calorie desserts or snacks, such as snack chips, regular soft drinks or regular ice cream.
Provide a good role model of healthy eating and living for your teenager to follow.
Discuss the following healthy eating recommendations with your adolescent to help ensure a healthy eating plan:
Eat three meals a day, with healthy snacks.
Eat plenty of fiber and limit the use of salt.
Drink a lot of fresh filtered water.
Try to avoid or at least limit caffeinated drinks and drinks with a high sugar content.
When cooking, try to steam, bake (without added fats or oils) or broil instead of frying.
Try to avoid high sugar and refined carbohydrate foods.
Eat fresh fruit or vegetables for a snack.
Try to eat at least five servings of fresh fruit and vegetables per day.
Eat more chicken and fish than red meats.
The teenage years are a time of rapid growth and development. It is also a time when eating patterns and habits are often not as good as they could be. This places teenagers at the risk of developing one of the many nutritionally related health problems. Providing vitamin and minerals supplements is one measure that can be taken to help ensure that adolescents have the nutrition their body needs.
Comments (0) 05.05.2008. 23:12
Coughs and Colds in Children: What you can do
The common cold is a mild viral infection of the upper respiratory tract. Most children average 4 - 8 cold per year. There are over 200 viruses that are capable of causing the common cold. A cold is a disease that can be seen as priming the young and immature immune system and many children suffer colds in the first few month after starting kindergarten and confronting viruses that are new for their system. Colds can be a reflection of a temporary dip in immunity that is most often caused by insufficient rest. Too many rich foods, stress or exposure to cold and damp conditions can also precipitate a cold by lowering resistance.
The so-called "old wives' tale" that people can catch a cold by getting cold and wet in the rain is interesting. Scientific medicine ridiculed this suggestion when the responsible viruses that cause colds were identified. That really reflected the great arrogance of medicine in its belief that science in the hands of doctors would eradicate disease. We're still waiting! I still regularly hear people ridicule the notion of a link between getting cold and catching colds. The truth is that both are correct.
Medical scientists would have us believe that viruses are well known and understood. That isn't so. Although what has been learned amounts to a substantial body of knowledge, we really still know very little about viruses. We do know that some of them cause the common colds we all have experienced and it is assumed that no other causes exist. Even if that assumption is valid, we know that the causative viruses don't always cause a cold in all people exposed to them. So why do some get sick, while others do not?
The answer comes from epidemiology, the science that studies the patterns of health and disease in whole populations, rather than just in individuals. We discover that any and all illness occurs with particular sets of conditions that can be described as part of the host, agent and environment. So before anyone catches, or more correctly comes down with, a cold, there has to be a suitable alignment of factors. The host is the person, the agent is the virus and the environment is where and how they meet.
So lets look at a child and the common cold. If the child (host) has strong resistance with a good immune system and the agent (virus) is weak and the environment doesn't undermine the host or add power to the agent, then chances are good that the child will remain well, or perhaps have only a very brief and mild cold. How could the environment possibly change this? Well, let's say the physical environment is harsh (perhaps cold and damp), this can lower resistance, rendering a weakened host who is much more likely to catch the cold or to have a worse cold. How could it change the agent? Possibly by providing a social environment of overcrowding, which would be a better living incubator, allowing the virus to rapidly become more virulent (stronger).
It turns out that neither the old wives nor the young doctors were onto the full story. So should you have listened to your mother when she said don't go out and get cold and damp or you'd catch a cold? Yes indeed, for although there was never any guarantee that it would result in a cold, it could reduce resistance and if suitable viruses were around, could greatly increase the risk of becoming sick. The moral of this story is, listen to your mother!
The symptoms associated with colds are, of course, well known. They include:
sore throat,
sneezing,
watery eyes,
runny nose (clear, watery and copious at first and then becoming thick and white as the infection begins to resolve),
irritating cough,
slight temperature,
loss of appetite and
tiredness.
The child is most contagious when the nasal discharge is clear and watery. The complications that can occur following a viral cold include the development of a bacterial infection, pneumonia, bronchitis, sinusitis and ear infections. These complications will need more treatment than is covered in this article. You should seek professional attention if your child has a persistent or severe cough, especially if this is accompanied by breathing difficulty, increased breathing rate, blueness of the skin, blood in the mucus or loss of weight. Coughs and colds that last longer than two weeks also require professional attention.
What can you do about colds?
There are a number of things that you can do to prevent the development of colds, ease the discomfort of colds, assist the child's body to cope with the infection and to strengthen the child's immune system so that fighting other infections is enhanced. These include:
Rest and relaxation for the child so that their energy is used for fighting the infection.
Plenty of fresh air. Breathing fresh air is important for the health of the respiratory system. The air shouldn't be cold but is important to avoid overheated and stuffy rooms.
Avoid medications that dry the mucus or suppress the cough. It is much better for the body to be able to release the mucus.
Restrict foods that do not support the immune system and are congesting. These foods include: dairy products including goats milk and yoghurt, eggs, grains, (especially gluten rich grains such as wheat, rye, oats and barley), sugar, salt, excessive animal fats, and artificially coloured and preserved foods.
The diet should be light and liquid foods are the most gentle. These can include, soups, casseroles and fresh juices that have been diluted. The juices can include, lemon, black currant, pineapple, elderberries (this is particularly good if there is bronchial congestion), carrot, beetroot and watercress. Garlic and onion can be added to the vegetable juices. Include garlic, onions, ginger, leeks and horseradish in the foods. These will all assist the immune and respiratory systems.
Encourage drinking of a lot of water, especially if the child has a temperature. This moistening will help to keep the mucus thin and easily removed.
Vitamin and mineral supplements A, C and zinc are important. Vitamin A is needed for the health of the mucus membranes that line the respiratory system as well as to strengthen the immune system. Vitamin C reduces the severity of the symptoms and removes toxins from the system. The zinc promotes healing and boosts the immune system.
Vitamin C with bioflavonoid - choose a low acid, sugar free form and give small doses repeated throughout the day. The dosage:
1-3 years, 50 mg 4 times per day - you can use liquid vitamins.
4-6 years, 100 mg 4 times per day
7-12 years, 100 mg 6 times per day
Vitamin A 1000iu times the age of the child up to a maximum of 5000iu for a month.
Zinc can be taken as a lozenge, chewable tablet or crushed tablet. The dosage:
1-5 years, 10 mg daily
5-12 years15 mg daily
should be given for a month. Add plenty of zinc rich foods to the diet.
Herbal remedies include: rosehip, golden seal, camomile, peppermint, lemon grass, catnip, slippery elm, ginger and sage. These can be made into a mild tea.
Chamomile, lemon balm and catnip are most commonly used with children as they are the gentlest remedies and they reduce tension in the body, relieve headaches, stomach upsets and restlessness. In addition they are pleasant tasting and can be drunk freely. They can be drunk alone or in combination.
Echinacea tincture given every 2 hours will help to bolster immunity and eliminate the infection. The dosage is 1 drop per 2 pounds (1 kg) of body weight for severe colds and 1 drop per 5 ponds (1 1/4 kg) of body weight for milder colds.
Thyme tea is excellent for its antimicrobial activity. It can be used during the illness and for several days afterwards to prevent a recurrent or other infections. Prepare it placing 1 teaspoon of dried thyme (or 2 teaspoons if fresh thyme is used) in a cup of boiling water and allow it to stand for 15 minutes. Strain and sweeten it slightly with honey. This should be drunk 2 to 3 times per day. For older children with sore and inflamed throats a gargle of sage and thyme can assist. Place 1 teaspoon of chopped sage and 1 teaspoon of dried or fresh thyme leaves into 150 ml of boiling water. Allow this to infuse for 10 minutes and then strain. The warm liquid can be used as a gargle. Gargle 2 to 3 times per day.
Conclusion
Coughs and colds are a common feature of growing up and very few children ever fully escape them. A mild cold should be observed and managed carefully to ensure any complications are avoided or promptly dealt with. However, mild coughs and colds that do not persist more than a couple of weeks may well do more good than harm. They facilitate some elimination and serve to condition the immune system.
There is no need to become unduly concerned by an occasional mild cold. However, it is good to know that there are plenty of health building remedies available, such as those above, to minimize discomfort and speed recovery.
Comments (0) 19.04.2008. 19:21
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