Pheochromocytoma Symptoms Diagnosis And Treatment

Pheochromocytoma is an important cause of secondary Hypertension. We have adnenal gland located at upper portion of each kidney. It is divided into adrenal cortex and adrenal medulla. Pheochromocytoma is a tumor of Adrenal Medulla. Normal function of adrenal medulla is to produce epinephrine or adrenaline. Which is responsible for controlling blood pressure and to help cope with stressful situations.
So majority of symptoms of pheochromocytoma are due to excess secretion of adrenaline from adrenal medulla. Most patients of pheochromocytoma have recurrent episodes of headache, sweating and a feeling of high anxiety. The following symptoms are listed from the most common to the least common
Headaches (severe)
sweating Episodes (generalized)
heart palpitations (tachycardia and palpitations)
Anxiety
nervousness (feelings of impending death)
tremors
Pain in the lower chest or upper abdomen
Nausea (with or without nausea)
Weight loss
Heat intolerance

These symptoms may come by situations which causes pressure over tumor like physical activity, exercise, defecation, anesthesia, or change in body position.

Who should be examined for Pheochromocytoma
Those who have uncontrolled hypertension
Those who have age between 40 and 60
Those who are already taking 4 antihypertensive drugs but blood pressure is not controllable.
Those who have episodes of above symptoms

Cause of pheochromocytoma is unknown, however some forms of this tumor runs in families like,
a-Multiple endocrine neoplasia, type II (MEN-II). In addition to a pheochromocytoma, people with MEN-II also have thyroid cancer. Other forms of MEN-II include pheochromocytoma with thyroid cancer and hyperparathyroidism (MEN-IIA), and pheochromocytoma with thyroid cancer and tumors of nerves in the eyes lips, mouth and digestive tract (MEN-IIB).
b-Neurofibromatosis 1 (NF1). Pheochromocytomas can occur in a small percentage of people with NF1, a syndrome that includes multiple tumors in the skin (neurofibromas), pigmented skin spots, tumors of the optic nerve of the eye, and bone diseases.
c-Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease. People with this rare multi system disorder are at high risk of pheochromocytoma brain eye and kidney tumors.

Most pheochromocytomas are benign tumors and they don’t spread to other parts of body however some forms do show metastasis (spread) to other parts of body like lungs, bones and brains. Usually only one gland is involved however this tumor can be present in both adrenal glands.

Investigations:
Blood and Urine tests: We perform blood and urine tests to diagnose pheochromocytoma. 24 hr urine collection is tested for epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine. This test is called VMA. Idea is just to check level of epinephrine and its metabolites in urine. If these are detected in urine in excess quantity, then tumor is diagnosed.

Abdominal scan.
Now you have diagnosed tumor by blood and urine tests, after that to find out location of tumor, do Ultrasound, CT scan of abdomen.

Complications:
If high blood pressure remained uncontrolled it may lead to complications of heart failure, infarction, cerebrovascular accident, vision damage and kidney failure.

Treatment:
First treatment is to control high blood pressure with medication like Alpha Blockers and Beta Blockers. When epinephrine is secreted by this tumor it acts on alpha and beta receptors present on heart and blood vessels, result is vasoconstriction and increase heart rate. Now if if we take drugs like alpha blocker and beta blocker, epinephrine will be blocked by these drugs to act on these receptors so result is vasodilation and slow heart rate. Common Alpha blockers are Prazosin (Minipress), Terazosin (Hytrin) Phenoxybenzamine( Dibenzaline). Common Beta Blockers are Atenolol(Tenormin), Carvedilol(Carveda), Metoprolol(Mepressor), Inderal.

Treatment of choice for this tumor is Surgery. After removal of this gland by surgery, blood pressure becomes normal with a day. There are two types of surgeries. General and Laproscopic surgery. However Surgery is not an option for those tumors which show metastasis to other parts of body. For that we use chemotherapy and radiations.

Whenever you have high blood pressure with any symptom, don’t ignore it, you may be the patient of Pheochromocytoma. Always contact your Doctor.

Malignant Hypertension Causes Symptoms And Treatment

Malignant Hypertension and accelerated high blood pressure are two emergency conditions which should be treated promptly. Both conditions have same outcome and therapy. However Malignant hypertension is a complication of high blood pressure characterized by very elevated high blood pressure, and organ damage in the eyes, brain, lung and/or kidneys. It differs from other complications of hypertension in that it is accompanied by papilledema. (Edema of optic disc of eye) Systolic and diastolic blood pressures are usually greater than 240 and 120, respectively. While Accelerated high blood pressure is condition with high blood pressure, target organ damage, on fundoscopy we have flame shaped hemorrhages, or soft exudates, but without papilledema.

There are two things. Hypertensive Urgency and Hypertensive emergency. In hypertensive urgency we don’t see any target organ damage while in emergency we see target organ damage along with high blood pressure greater than systolic >220. Now depending upon target organ damage you will decide whether you have hypertensive emergency or urgency. It is essential to bring down high blood pressure in hypertensive emergency immediately, while in urgency, bring down blood pressure very rapidly is not required.

Pathogenesis of malignant hypertension is fibrinoid necrosis of arterioles and small arteries. Red blood cells are damaged as they flow through vessels obstructed by fibrin deposition, resulting in microangiopathic hemolytic anemia. Another pathologic process is the dilatation of cerebral arteries resulting in increased blood flow to brain which leads to clinical manifestations of hypertensive encephalopathy. Common age is above 40 years and it is more frequent in man rather than women. Black people are at higher risk of developing hypertensive emergencies than the general population.

Target organs are mainly Kidney, CNS and Heart. So symptoms of Malignant hypertension are oligurea, Headache, vomiting, nausea, chest pain, breathlessness, paralysis, blurred vision. Most commonly heart and CNS are involved in malignant hypertension. The pathogenesis is not fully understood. Up to 1% of patients with essential hypertension develop malignant hypertension, and the reason some patients develop malignant hypertension while others do not is unknown. Other causes include any form of secondary hypertension; use of cocaine, MAOIs, or oral contraceptives; , beta-blockers, or alpha-stimulants. Renal artery stenosis, withdrawal of alcohol, pheochromocytoma {most pheochromocytomas can be localized using CT scan of the adrenals}, aortic coarctation, complications of pregnancy and hyperaldosteronism are secondary causes of hypertension. Main Investigations to access target organ damage are complete renal profile, BSR, Chest Xray, ECG, Echocardiography, CBC, Thyroid function tests.

Management:
Patient is admitted in Intensive Care Unit. An intravenous line is taken for fluids and medications. The initial goal of therapy is to reduce the mean arterial pressure by approximately 25% over the first 24-48 hours. However Hypertensive urgencies do not mandate admission to a hospital. The goal of therapy is to reduce blood pressure within 24 hours, which can be achieved as an outpatient department. Initially, patients treated for malignant hypertension are instructed to fast untill stable. Once stable, all patients with malignant hypertension should take low salt diet, and should focus on weight lowering diet. Activity is limited to bed rest until the patient is stable. Patients should be able to resume normal activity as outpatients once their blood pressure has been controlled.

Hospitalization is essential until the severe high blood pressure is under control. Medications delivered through an IV line, such as nitroglycerin, nitroprusside, or others, may reduce your blood pressure. An alternative for patients with renal insufficiency is IV fenoldopam. Beta-blockade can be accomplished intravenously with esmolol or metoprolol. Labetalol is another common alternative, providing easy transition from IV to oral (PO) dosing. Also available parenterally are enalapril, diltiazem, verapamil, Hydralazine is reserved for use in pregnant patients as it also increases uterine profusion, while phentolamine is the drug of choice for a pheochromocytoma crisis. After the severe high blood pressure is brought under control, regular anti-hypertensive medications taken by mouth can control your blood pressure. The medication may need to be adjusted occasionally.

Remember, It is very necessary to control malignant hypertension, otherwise it can lead to life threatening conditions like Heart Failure, Infarction, Kidney failure and even blindness.

Special Outstanding Features Of the Littman Stethoscope

When it comes to health and the dignostic instruments and tools that are required to service health, the factors of quality, precision and accuracy are of the highest priority.

For the medical doctor or nurse, nothing is more relevant and useful than the use of the stethoscope. Ask any doctor or health professional, and he would most likely be using a littman stethoscope.

It was in 1963 that the Harvard Medical School Professor David Littmann, a renowned cardiologist, invented a stethoscope which would revolutionize the world of medical auscultation.

Named after him, this invention continued to improve and develop, resulting in a highly acclaimed stethoscope named aptly, the 3M Littmann Cardiology Stethoscope.

This stethoscope is uniquely equipped to help the medical doctor pick up difficult-to-hear heart, lung and other body sounds admist distracting noises.

Using, the 3Mґs new Ambient Noise Reduction technology, it is possible to now reduce distracting room noise by an average of 75% (- 12 decibels) over the bell and diaphragm operating range. This is convincingly the most important feature of the littman stethoscope.

Apart from this, the new tunable diaphragm technology used in Littman Stethoscopes, allows the health practitioner to alter the pressure on the chest piece in order to change from bell mode to diaphragm mode and vice-versa. This makes it very versatile for adaptive use.

As a result, the technology has led to a whole new line of Littmann stethoscopes including the electronic Littmann Master Cardiology Stethoscope for infant, pediatric, and veterinary disciplines.

The Littmann stethoscopes are among the most popular stethoscopes for cardiologists where Littman stethoscopes like Littman cardiology III, Littmann cardiology STC, and Littmann Master classic II are used for both adult and pediatric auscultation.

One particular innovation is that the stethoscope carries a large side of the diaphragm and a small side diaphragm. The large side of the diaphragm is for adults and the small side is specially designed for sound with pediatric patients or extremely thin adult patients. This makes it a truly versatile tool for the doctor or nurse or cardiologist.

In addition to the standard adult size, Littman offers a one-inch pediatric bell and the infant bell.

As nurses form the bedrock of the health system and require stethoscopes,they are not left behind. There are active online nursing forum communities where nurses from around the world discuss and share information about the use of medical and nursing tools such as the nursing littmann stethoscope, and there is a nurses’ kit including a littman stethoscope for members at special price.

The next time we see a doctor with a stethoscope, the chances are that he is using a littman stethoscope, and we can be grateful to the efforts of the brillant cardiologist Professor David Littmann.

Knowing And Reducing Your Risks For Stroke

You can protect yourself from stroke. That’s just as well, considering every 45 seconds, someone in the U.S. has one. It kills about 160,000 people a year, mostly women; annually, about 40,000 more women than men have strokes and over 60 percent of all stroke deaths occur in women.

It’s important to know the risk factors, some of which are preventable and controllable, and to recognize the symptoms so that many of the serious side effects can be avoided.

Blood Pressure: According to the American Heart Association, high blood pressure is the number one controllable risk factor for stroke. Family history and obesity factor in developing high blood pressure and women who take birth control pills or have reached menopause are at higher risk. A healthy lifestyle helps but for many, medications are required.

Cholesterol: High levels of “bad” low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol raise the risk of heart disease and stroke; high levels of “good” high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol lower it. Studies show women’s cholesterol is higher than men’s from age 45 on and that low levels of HDL cholesterol seem to be a stronger risk factor for women.

Diabetes: Diabetes is associated with high blood pressure and interferes with the ability to break down clots, increasing the risk of ischemic stroke. Lifestyle modifications and medications can help.

Diet and Exercise: Thirty minutes a day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity can help prevent heart and blood vessel disease and control blood cholesterol, diabetes and obesity, as well as lower blood pressure. People with excess body fat-especially around the waist-are more likely to develop heart disease and stroke. Eat healthy foods low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium.

Smoking and Drinking: Smokers and those exposed to smoke daily are at a greater risk for stroke. Excessive alcohol intake can contribute to high blood pressure.

Stroke Symptoms: It’s vital to recognize the symptoms of stroke and to seek help immediately. Time is of the essence when it comes to preventing debilitating and long-lasting effects. Symptoms include sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination, or a sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

Improving Cardiovascular And Mental Health One Step At A Time

One of the most natural things that an individual does every day is to walk. For years, this single act has been linked to improving cardiovascular health. The reason is because, generally, walking is a safe movement that isn’t likely to cause injury. New studies have shown that walking is also a terrific way to improve your mood. The next time you are feeling a little blue, there may be a way to walk it off – literally.

A recent study paired individuals into groups, one of which spent 30 minutes on a treadmill and the other that participated in 30 minutes of rest. Each group’s progress was monitored throughout the treatment with a conclusion that both groups reported having less negative feelings at the end of the study, along with less stress and tension. The difference, however, was found when the group that spent 30 minutes walking also noted an overall improvement in well-being.

While the study further proves the theory that walking is good for mental health, as well as physical, it also lends credence to the theory that people who walk feel better overall. It also proves that an individual does not have to be outside in order to enjoy the benefits of walking. This simple exercise can be achieved with a treadmill or by simply walking in place while tuning into a favorite movie or television show.

Anyone who has been diagnosed as having clinical depression or other illnesses should not ignore, or disregard, his/her medical treatment program. Walking is simply a way to sometimes add further improvement to certain conditions. A simple 30 minute walk can benefit an individual’s mood, improve cardiovascular health and combat obesity all at the same time. In order to be effective, many people find that a daily walking schedule will help to keep them motivated and improve their spirits. In addition, a regular schedule will ensure that there is a time set aside for a walk. It’s very easy to think, “I’ll get around to it later,” but something more often than not will distract individuals away from exercise unless they have a certain schedule that is followed every day.

The information in this article is intended for informational purposes only. It should not be considered as, or used in place of, medical advice or professional recommendations for an exercise regimen. Every individual should consult his/her physician prior to beginning any program consisting of diet and/or exercise.

Immediate Stroke Diagnosis Critical for Recovery

Every minute, someone in the United States has a stroke. Of the 700,000 victims each year, one-third die, and another third suffer permanent paralysis, loss of speech or memory lapses.

The best way to minimize the effects of a stroke is to know the warning signs so the stroke victim can get immediate treatment. Warning signs include sudden weakness or numbness, specifically on one side of the body; dizziness or loss of coordination; sudden headache or nausea; confusion or difficulty speaking; and vision loss.

Are you at risk for a stroke? Making healthy lifestyle changes, like lowering blood pressure and not smoking, can help reduce your risk of stroke. Other risk factors include:

* Age. Chances of having a stroke more than doubles each decade after age 55.

* Gender. More women die of strokes than men.

* Race and heredity. Chances of stroke are greater with a family history of stroke. African-Americans and Hispanics are at higher risk for stroke than Caucasians.

* Sickle cell anemia. Sickled red blood cells are less able to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues and organs. They also can stick to the walls of the blood vessels, which can block arteries to the brain, causing a stroke.

Upon experiencing stroke symptoms, individuals should immediately seek medical attention. Patients attended to within hours of a stroke have a much higher chance of effectively being diagnosed and treated.

Hospitals and trauma centers are equipped with sophisticated medical imaging equipment, like Toshiba’s Aquilion line of computed tomography scanners and the new Vantage magnetic resonance imaging system, which can help to quickly and accurately diagnose a stroke and assist in the proper treatment plan.

With this new equipment, physicians are able to locate and view the blockage in the arteries and then determine whether the treatment should be invasive or noninvasive. Typically, the location of the blockage dictates the course of treatment.

How to Properly Begin a Jogging Routine

Jogging is not only one of the best ways to burn fat and lose weight; it also makes your heart and lungs stronger. You can jog almost anywhere and just about any time you want, making it very convenient to do. This is why there are so many people who do it.

The trouble that most people have in the beginning is not knowing how to get started properly and they usually end up doing it wrong. This has prompted scores of people to quit doing it before it has had enough time to do them any good.

Let’s take a look at some things that may make it a little easier to get started on a jogging routine without running yourself into the ground.

The first and probably the most common mistake people make when starting a jogging routine is that they start out too fast. They go out and pace themselves much to fast and end up huffing and puffing out of breath after 5 or 10 minutes. This is an instant recipe for failure and many people quit within a few days.

Some people who are a little more resilient may keep going for a while thinking that if they just stay with it long enough, it will start to get easier. Usually what happens is it gets harder because even though they might be getting in better condition, they continue to push harder along the way so it seems that there is no progress.

When you are about to set out on a jogging routine, the best thing you can do is buy a heart rate monitor before you ever jog your first step. With one of these, you can set up a pace that is comfortable for you and you can keep within that level throughout your jog. This means that you will not have to “guess” about the pace and you will not have to feel like your lungs are on fire when you are finished.

The key here is to always jog between 50% and 70% of your maximal heart rate. This is easy to do with a heart rate monitor because you can keep a close check on your heart rate as you go. You can speed your pace up if it goes a little low, and slow down if it goes a little high. You can even slow to a walking pace if your heart rate goes too high, and resume a jogging pace once it goes below 50%.

The way for you to know where your heart rate should be to be between 50% and 70% is by using this formula:

Subtract your age from 220. This will be your maximal heart rate. Now, simply multiply this by .50 and .70 and that will give you your targeted heart zone. Below is an example of this formula.

Say you are age 40

220 minus 40 equals 180

180 times .50 equals 90

180 times .70 equals 126

By looking at this example, you can see that if you are 40 years old, you would keep your heart rate between 90 and 126 while doing your jog.

The fact is, you do not need to go fast to get benefits from jogging, it is how long you are moving that counts. It is more beneficial to cover a mile in say, 15 minutes than to cover it in 7 minutes and then be exhausted.

If you stay within the limits of your heart rate capabilities, you will begin to add more time and miles to your jog as you go and jogging will become something you look forward to instead of something you dread doing.

How to Prevent Coronary Heart Disease and Heart Attack

Coronary heart disease and heart attack like heart infarction can in great extend be prevented by lifestyle measures.

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THE DIRECT CAUSES OF HEART DISEASE

The direct causes of coronary heart disease and heart attack are factors like these:

– Narrowing of blood vessels in the heart and the rest of the body by arteriosclerosis.
– High blood cholesterol level.
– High blood pressure.
– Over-weight.
– Diabetes.
– High level of the amino acid homocystein in the blood.
– High content of low density lipoprotein (LDL) and low content of high density lipoprotein (HDL) in the blood. Lipoprotein is a combination of protein and fatty substances bound together.
– Inflammation in the circulatory system.
– High age.
– Inherited tendencies for high cholesterol levels and heart disease.
– Men have somewhat greater chance of getting heart disease than women.

These factors are interrelated in complicated ways, and are causing or amplifying each other. For example, arteriosclerosis will cause higher blood pressure, and high blood pressure will cause even more arteriosclerosis. Many of these factors are ultimately caused or aggravated by these lifestyle factors:

-A too high consume of fat, cholesterol and sugar.
-Consuming the wrong fat types.
-Lack of fibre, vitamins, minerals and other diet deficiencies.
-Stress at work and in the daily life.
-Smoking.
-Lack of exercise.

Lifestyle adjustments will therefore be the main methods of preventing heart failure.

GENERAL DIET ADVICES

A diet with the aim of preventing heart disease is generally the same as a diet to prevent cancer and other diseases. Here are the general diet advices

– Avoid or reduce the amount of food that are industrially processed, artificially made or heavily fried.

– Eat fish at least every second day. Also eat seafood and fouls.

– Do not eat very much red meat.

– Eat 5 fruits or vegetables each day. Each piece should be of the size of an apple or carrot. They should be raw or carefully boiled so that the nutrients are not washed out.

– Eat full corn bread, full corn cereals, peas, beans and potatoes.

– Eat just a moderate amount of fat.

– Consume cholesterol rich foods like egg, spawn or liver in just moderate amounts.

– Ideally most fat you eat, should be of the type mono-unsaturated. You also need some poly-unsaturated fat of the types omega-3, and omega 6, but not too much of omega-6. The consumption of saturated fat should be moderate.

– In order to achieve right fat balance, much of the fat supply should come from a blending of sources like olive, olive oil, canola oil, nuts, nut oil, sunflower, sunflower oil, linseed oil (flax oil), fish and fish oil.

– Use only a moderate amount of soy oil and corn oil in the diet. Only using such oil types will give you too much poly-unsaturated fat of the omega-6-type.

– Use just a very moderate amount of fat sources like butter, coconut oil and palm oil. A high consumption of these fat sources gives you too much saturated fat.

– Avoid altogether fat that has been chemically altered, giving so-called trans-fat. This type of fat is often found in margarine, cookies, snacks, fast food and other pre-made food.

– Consume just a very moderate amount of sugar, refined flour or refined cereals.

– Consume just a moderate amount of tranquilizers and stimulants like alcohol and caffeine.

– Use just a moderate amount of salt in the food. However, in warm weather and by hard physical work, you will need more salt.

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DIET SUPPLEMENTS THAT HELP PREVENT HEART DISEASE

Evidence suggests that it will be helpful to take some supplements of natural substances to prevent heart disease and help to ameliorate already manifest heart problems. These supplements are:

– Omega-3-fatty acids derived from fish and other marine sources, especially the fatty acids EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) and DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) and alfa-linolaeic acid. 1 gram a day of each of these substances may be taken as a supplement. Higher amounts should only be taken under medical supervision, since higher amount of these substances may cause bleeding tendencies, and may suppress the immune system.

– Supplement of vitamin C has been thought to help prevent heart disease, but newer findings cast doubt upon this.

– Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine), folic acid / folate, vitamin b12 and riboflavin seem to prevent the building up of the substance homocystein in the blood and thereby help prevent heart disease, according to results from research projects.

GET RID OF OVER-WEIGHT

The lifestyle measures listed in this article will also help you loose weight. If these measures are not enough, you should consider engaging in a more specific weight reduction program. You should choose a program that has a moderate fat content philosophy. Some weight reduction programs have a higher fat and low carbohydrate consume philosophy, and those are probably not the best ones to reduce the chance of getting heart disease.

EXERCISE

You should do some exercise of at least half an hour at least every second day. Condition training as vigorous walking, jogging, cycling or swimming is best for reducing the heart attack probability. Muscular building exercises are also of value, especially exercises building leg muscles

STOP SMOKING

If you smoke, stopping or reducing this habit radically will decrease the chance of getting heart problems.

CONTROL DIABETES

If you suffer from diabetes type 1, a good control of the disease by insulin medication and by diet adjustments will help to prevent heart disease.

Many people over the age of 50, and an increasing number of young people suffer from diabetes type 2 because of bad lifestyle. This disease does not necessarily give dramatic symptoms, but the disease increases the chance of getting serious heart problems, and many have the disease without knowing it. This disease can be prevented by the same lifestyle measures depicted above. If you already have got the disease, a more rigorous control of carbohydrate intake is necessary. And sometimes also medication must be used. People over the age of 50 and younger people that do not feel well should find out if they suffer from this condition.

TAKING ASPIRIN

Low doses of acetyl salicylic acid or aspirin prevent heart disease by persons bearing a high risk for heart disease. However, this medication increases the risk of bleeding and should not be used without constant medical supervision. For persons with a low risk of heart disease, the dangers of aspirin will be greater than the benefits.

Helping Students Survive Sudden Cardiac Arrest

Right now, millions of students across the country are participating in physical activities at their schools – a basketball or soccer game, football and cheerleading practice or gym class. What if one of them had a life-threatening cardiac emergency? Would the school be prepared?

Sudden cardiac arrest strikes more than 340,000 Americans each year, including children and teens, usually without warning. Heart conditions tend to go undetected and often manifest themselves during physical activity. In the event of a cardiac arrest, a quick response and the early use of an automated external defibrillator (AED) are critical to improving the chances of survival.

According to the American Heart Association, early use of AEDs – portable devices that analyze the heart’s rhythm and deliver an electric shock to reestablish a normal heartbeat – could raise the chance of survival by 20 percent or more.

“Nearly 95 percent of cardiac arrest victims die – usually because defibrillation occurs too late,” said Dr. Vincent Mosesso Jr. of the National Center for Early Defibrillation based at the University of Pittsburgh. “Every minute that passes before returning the heart to a normal rhythm decreases the chance of survival by 10 percent. Patients who receive CPR [cardiopulmonary resuscitation] and a defibrillator shock within three minutes of going into sudden cardiac arrest have the best odds of survival.”

Unfortunately, many schools aren’t equipped with AEDs.

For that reason, Duracell and Zoll Medical Corp. have teamed up to help inform parents and educators about the importance of being prepared for these critical situations.

“Through this campaign, we want to work with communities across the country to provide their schools with the tools necessary to help save lives,” said Kara Salzillo, manager of brand communications for Duracell.

Healthy Heart Awareness

Healthy heart awareness is coming up in February. Do you really know if you have a healthy heart? How do we know? We only know after something happens. We always think it can’t happen to us.

Having a healthy body gives you a healthy heart. So here are some tips to keep your body healthy.

1. You need to take a really good vitamin. What does that mean? Expensive? No. I mean a vitamin that does dissolve in your body so your body benefits the vitamins in it. I only know of one vitamin that is fructose compounded that benefits our bodies by absorbing 95% of the vitamins, instead of just passing through our bodies.

What is fructose compounding? Fructose is a natural fruit sugar your cells crave and it is easily absorbed in the bloodstream. This process is designed to pre-bind a fructose molecule to a mineral so the mineral won’t bind with nutrients in the digestive system. The fructose compounded mineral are designed to be absorbed more easily into the bloodstream and delivered to your cells and thus to your tissues, organs and the rest of your body. Thus making you body healthy.

2. Exercise – You need to keep your body moving. We are suppose to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. The best way to monitor that is to have a walking monitor that can be clipped to your belt or pants. Then keep track of how many steps you take and then if they are aerobic. Which will get you heart pumping. When you get your heart pumping you are getting your body moving and getting your body in better shape all around.

3. Food – We need to eat more vegetables and less processed foods. We need to get back to making dinners instead of using processed foods that are easy and quick. I fall into that category. I’m in the process of retraining myself in making better choices for my family. Life is busy and it’s just easier to use pre-made meals. Tip: On Sunday make it family cooking day. Get everyone in the kitchen and make 5 dinners for the week. Put in the freeze when cooled. Then during the week pull out dinner from the freezer and leave in fridge to thaw while at work. It is something to get used to but it makes Sundays very memorable.

These are simple changes but they could save you or someone you love from something very serious. It only takes a few good changes and you can have a better healthier life.