The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood to the entire body through a network of arteries and veins. This network contains big vessels which branch out further to supply blood to the distant organs. There is, therefore, some pressure that the heart and thereby the vessels need to exert to push the blood through these vessels. This is known as blood pressure, and normal pressure levels range from 90-140(systolic)/60-90(diastolic) mm of Hg. However, due to various reasons, this pressure could be more, which is one of the first signs of heart disease. 

Causes of increased blood pressure: 

Thickening of the blood vessels. With age, the elastic blood vessels naturally turn rigid and less elastic, so there is more pressure required to push blood. It is natural for people over 55 years of age to have higher readings of blood pressure. This is known as primary hypertension (HTN) 
Narrowed blood vessels. This happens due to cholesterol accumulation along the walls of the blood vessels. Faulty dietary habits along with sedentary lifestyle have increased the incidence of hypertension due to this condition, known as atherosclerosis. Critical atherosclerotic narrowing of renal arteries lead to renovascular HTN that is one of the commonest of secondary HTN. 
Other Causes of secondary hypertension are: 

Kidney problems 
Thyroid hormone disorders 
Congenital heart defects 
Chronic alcohol abuse 
Adrenal gland tumours 
Chronic use of medications like birth control pills, pain killers, etc. 
Unidentified and uncontrolled hypertension can be silent and can lead to more severe conditions like heart attack and stroke. India is fast becoming the new hypertension capital of the world. Some of the common risk factors are: 

Age 
Family history 
Being obese or overweight 
Sedentary lifestyle 
Smoking 
Alcohol consumption 
Excessive salt intake 
Stress levels 
Ethnic background 
Symptoms: 

Hypertension can go undetected for years together, but if there are risk factors like diabetes and high cholesterol, it is advisable to periodically monitor blood pressure. 
Headaches, nosebleeds, and shortness of breath should not be ignored. These can be the first warning signs of hypertension, and if detected early, preventive measures can be taken. 
If there are co-morbid risk factors, it is advisable to constantly keep a check on BP readings. 
Management: 

This includes a combination of diet and lifestyle modifications. 

Quit smoking and alcohol: Of the many wonders quitting smoking can do, reducing BP readings is just one. The improvement would be almost instantaneous. Quit or else reduce alcohol and see dramatic improvements. 
Weight management: Through a combination of diet and exercise, ensure that weight is brought under control. Set a target BMI (Below 26 kg/m2) and work towards it religiously. 
Diet: Reduce salt, increase potassium, increase vitamin D, eat a heart-healthy diet, and see the hypertension readings improve. Please find attached and reviewed copy for health tip for posting

High Blood Pressure - All You Need To Know About It!

Strokes occur when blood to the brain gets interrupted or reduced. When this occurs, brain cells begin to die as they don't get enough nutrients and oxygen. Such life-threatening episodes can strike you anytime.


Many myths surround this medical condition:


Myth 1: Women don't suffer from strokes
The opposite is true. It is women who suffer strokes more often than men. This is because women tend to live longer than men whose longevity gets affected by heart disease. Since they live longer than men, they tend to be more vulnerable to strokes.


Myth 2: Strokes aren't easy to recognise
Strokes can be easily diagnosed through the face, arm, Speech and Time test (FAST). If you suffer from slurred speech, facial droop or numbness on one side of the body, you're said to suffer from a stroke.


Myth 3: Strokes are a form of heart attack
Although strokes and heart attacks are closely related, they are not the same. In strokes, blood supply to the brain gets interrupted; on the other hand, in heart attacks, blood supply to the heart gets severely affected.


Myth 4: Only older people suffer from strokes
This isn't true young people can experience strokes as well. About a quarter of stroke cases are reported by people aged 65 and below. More importantly, irrespective of the age group, the warning signs are the same; it is only in response that differences can be found between younger and older people.


Myth 5: Strokes can't be prevented
Through changes in your lifestyle, strokes can easily be prevented. You can reduce your chances of getting a stroke by having a balanced diet, exercising, keeping an optimum body weight and limiting alcohol consumption as well as quitting smoking. Moreover, up to 80% stroke cases can be prevented by leading a healthy lifestyle.


Stroke - Debunking Myths About it 

The humble, easily available banana is not as humble when it comes to its contribution to your health. And once you learn how much good it can do to your body, you will be compelled to add it to your daily diet. This god of a fruit protects you from innumerable diseases, keeps your hair, heart and head well as well as fights chronic diseases - and the list has just begun. 

Here are just 15 reasons for you to have a banana every day-

1) This fruit is high in potassium and low in salt, it is your protective shield against blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke.

2) Iron rich banana is extremely good for anemic people.

3) The calcium-rich bananas are excellent for your bones and help in increasing bone density.

4) For people who exercise, bananas are an energy booster and sustain your blood sugar as well as protect against muscle cramps post workouts or leg cramps.

5) Bananas help beat depression due to high levels of tryptophan, which is converted into serotonin: the feel-good brain neurotransmitter.

6) It also enhances your moods and relieves PMS symptoms as well as stress levels in body and mind.

7) Due to high levels of vitamin B-6, bananas produce white blood cells and help in building immunity as well as strengthen nervous systems.

8) Weightloss - If you swap your junk foods with bananas, you might be inching towards losing weight. As an added bonus your energy will be become more steady and consistent.

9) Improve your mood and reduce PMS symptoms by eating a banana, which regulates blood sugar and produces stress-relieving relaxation.

10) Bananas reduce swelling, protect against type II diabetes, aid weight loss, strengthen the nervous system, and help with the production of white blood cells, all due to high levels of vitamin B-6.

11) Extremely caring about your stomach, Banana not only soothes your digestive tract to restore lost electrolytes after diarrhoea, it also helps in relieving constipation due to ts high fibre content.

12) Rich in pectin, bananas aid digestion and gently chelate toxins and heavy metals from the body.

13) Fever too? A banana can bring down your body temperature to cool your temperature off.

14) Bananas make you smarter! It makes you very alert. The high levels of potassium help your memory as well. Think about it before an exam.

15) Smoke? High levels of B-vitamins as well as potassium and magnesium in the fruit, help in speedy recovery from the effects of withdrawal.



15 Reasons Why Banana is Healthier Than Apple

Hypertension or increased blood pressure is one of the modern lifestyle diseases. The changing lifestyles including altered dietary habits and lack of physical activity are the main reasons for the high incidence of hypertension. With this, it brings a host of complications including other chronic diseases like diabetes, kidney failure, risks of stroke and heart attacks.

Alternative medicine proposes quite a number of remedies in addition to just increased physical activity. Read on to know more about how you can eat healthier and control your blood pressure.

Eat walnuts: As most books and media depict, heart disease is directly related to physical reaction towards stress. Regular eating of walnuts helps control this response, thereby controlling blood pressure. It is also a great source of antioxidants and fibre, which adds to its heart-healthy features.

Load up on minerals: Eating a diet rich in calcium, magnesium, and potassium is extremely beneficial for the heart. Sweet potatoes, bananas, dry fruits, dairy products, etc., have shown to reduce blood pressure extremely well in various experiments.

Avoid salt: While the natural sea salt is almost out of use, most of us have switched to the processed variety, which is devoid of all minerals. This is one of the major contributors for increased blood pressure. Studies have shown that reducing salt intake helps in a big way in controlling blood pressure. Most of us are also used to adding extra salt so the food tastes better. This should be avoided. With increased consumption of processed food items, everything from bread to cookies to cheese has salt, which also should be reduced, and if possible, avoided.

Have a colourful meal: Load up your plate with peppers, berries, dry fruits, and organic fruits and vegetables. Pomegranate juice is believed to control angiotensin, converting enzyme, which is responsible for controlling hypertension. They are also rich in antioxidants and help control blood pressure by reducing inflammation.

Know your cholesterol: While cholesterol is generally used with a negative connotation, it is not always true. There is good and bad cholesterol and the bad one should be avoided. Watch out for labels, and ensure you are eating less of the bad cholesterol. Good cholesterol is required for the production of hormones and proper functioning of the body.

Watch your medicines: While it is easy to just pop an ibuprofen when there is a headache or a back ache, it is advisable to watch out. These are best avoided in the long run, as they can induce hypertension and induce heart disease.

In addition, meditation, relaxation, green tea, dark chocolate, red wine, music, and quitting smoking are also shown to be helpful in controlling blood pressure.

Successful Tips To Control Blood Pressure

Yoga is a spiritual practice combined with both mental and physical disciplines which for the first time emerged on Indian soil and later split into various schools but the actual fragrance of yoga remained same throughout the time. Nowadays, with increasing studies and researchers on various pre-Vedic traditions put an entirely new light on the practice of Yoga. While until now it has mainly been considered as a spiritual practice, a new study from Indianapolis University claims that yoga is a kind of practice which is not only limited to psychological phenomena rather the practice of yoga enables one to withstand the effects of stroke.

After You Survived Of A Stroke: In most of the cases, strokes finally lead to prolonged disabilities. It is due to the fact that a stroke takes place when a part of a brain fails to get a steady supply of Blood rich in Oxygen. Apart from this blockage in a vessel may hamper the blood supply in the brain. Similarly, the after effect of a stroke entirely depends on which part of the brain is affected. So a stroke may cause dysfunction of normal speech or steady movement of arms and legs. It is why after a stroke one has taken recourse to rehabilitation with the aim of resolving life-long disabilities. The rehabilitation process includes certain exercises basically opting for movements and physiotherapy. Sometimes the effort of therapists bears fruit and sometimes all goes in vain
Yoga As A Healing Power: The new research from Indianapolis has voiced in favour of adding yoga to stroke rehabilitation because it consists of poses, breathing and meditation. In this study, forty-seven male stroke survivours were divided into two groups and between these two groups, one attended yoga session for eight weeks. After eight weeks it has been seen that those who attended yoga session has successfully completed the rehabilitation session in a comparatively shorter period.
Practice Of Yoga Increases Your Chance To Recover Soon: According to the researchers, the added advantage of yoga is that besides improving balance it improves the quality of life and reduce the fear of falling. If you or any of your family members has survived of a stroke, yoga is not the first step you would be advised to take recourse to rather the researchers say that at first begin the rehabilitation programme but add the practice of yoga with it. But before you add yoga to your checklist, you should consult it with your doctor whether the yoga would suit or not.
Yoga Develops A Style Of Life: In conclusion, it can be said that recovering from a stroke is actually to prevent the second attack. So you need to ensure a proper lifestyle without those addictions like smoking and drinking which are harmful to you. Afterall yoga develops an upliftment in thinking which would further help you to maintain a healthy life.

The Healing Power Of Yoga After A Stroke!

Dialysis is a very important and life-saving procedure. It is performed to replace kidney function in case of renal failure. Wastes and extra fluids in the blood are filtered out during this process. To be able to perform Dialysis, the connection between the patient s bloodstream and the equipment for performing Dialysis (dialyzer) outside the body is established. This connection is created through Dialysis Access Surgery. It is a type of Vascular Surgery which forms the vascular opening for access during Dialysis. Thus, Dialysis Access Surgery is the lifeline for the survival of the patient.

Types of Vascular Access for Dialysis- 
There are three types of Vascular Access for Dialysis: Arteriovenous (AV) Fistula, Arteriovenous (AV) Graft, and Venous Catheter.

  Arteriovenous (AV) fistula is a surgical connection of an artery to a vein. An AV fistula is usually placed in the upper arm or in the forearm. It causes extra blood to flow into vein making it grow large. A larger vein hence provides easy access to blood vessels. An AV fistula is preferred over other methods as it lasts longer than other methods of access and provides a good flow of blood. Moreover, it is less prone to infection and blood clots than other methods. Before an AV Surgery, a Vessel Mapping Test is sometimes performed for assessing the blood vessels most suitable for Dialysis. An AV fistula is performed under local anaesthesia and requires two to three months for maturation before hemodialysis. If it fails to mature, the procedure is repeated.

  Arteriovenous (AV) graft is performed when AV fistula fails to mature. It is hence the second most preferred choice for long-lasting access to vascular tissues for Dialysis. An AV graft is a looped plastic tube which establishes a connection between an artery and a vein. Like AV fistula, AV graft is also performed under local anaesthesia. It is slightly more difficult to maintain than an AV fistula.

  A venous catheter is used for short- term hemodialysis. It is a tube which is inserted into chest, neck, leg, or near groin for vascular access. After exiting the body, the tube splits into two halves. In the case where a renal disease has made quick progression leaving little or no time for the AV fistula or AV graft to mature, a venous catheter is used to establish the required vascular connection. This procedure is also performed under local anaesthesia. It is a tool for emergencies but is not suited for long- term use. It can cause narrow vein due to an infection,
scarring, or blood clot. If long- term venous catheter is used, it is tunnelled under the skin which has fewer problems associated with it and is more comfortable. 

How to Care for a Vascular Access?
  Get checked for infections and other problems before each hemodialysis session;
  Use the operated site for access only for the intended use;
  Always keep the access clean;
  Prevent cutting or bumping the access;
  Check for thrill/ vibration in the access and inform the doctor if any;
  Do not put pressure on the access site;
  Do not put blood pressure cuff around the access arm;
  Do not wear jewellery or tight-fitting garments over the site;
  Do not lift a weight.

Take Away-
Vascular Surgery for Dialysis is performed to provide vascular access for the procedure. AV fistula is the most preferred type followed by an AV graft. A venous catheter is recommended to be used only in case of an emergency when there is not much time left for the other two options to mature.

Vascular Surgery - Can It Help For Dialysis?

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