Mushroom is a type of fungi that hails from the Agaricus family. It is estimated that there are close to 1,40,000 types of mushroom, out of which science has been able to classify only 100 odd mushrooms for health benefits. From cutting down cholesterols to preventing cancers, increasing the strength of the immune system to helping in weight loss, there are numerous health benefits of mushroom. This article will explore why mushrooms are regarded so highly by health practitioners across the globe:

Cholesterol levels: Mushroom does not possess any fat or cholesterol. They are rich in lean protein, fiber, and some very important enzyme. The lean protein found in mushroom helps to burn down the LDL cholesterol. Furthermore, it creates a good balance of LDL and HDL cholesterol so that the body can refrain from stroke, atherosclerosis etc.
Preventing cancer: Mushrooms are mighty effective in blocking certain cancer types such as the breast and prostate cancer. Owing to their high linoleic acid and beta-glucans, they act as a very good anti-carcinogen. While linoleic acid can successfully suppress the excess estrogen which leads to breast cancer in women, the beta glucans can suppress the growth of cancer cells in the case of a prostate cancer.
Diabetes: Mushroom is an ideal food for a diabetic patient. They do not possess cholesterol, consists of low fat, have high protein and a lot of minerals and vitamins. Apart from this, mushrooms possess a lot of fiber and water. The most critical component, however, is the natural insulin that mushroom has within itself. They help to break down the starch found in food items. Mushrooms have certain components that help in the proper functioning of the liver, endocrine gland etc. It ensures that the proper balance of insulin is maintained in the body.
Bone health: Mushroom is a very good source of calcium. They ensure that adequate strength of various bones is maintained in the body. Regular intake of mushroom can ensure safeguard an individual from conditions such as osteoporosis, joint pain, and immobility.
Blood Pressure: Mushroom variety such as the maitake and the shitake has a high amount of potassium content. The latter can successfully relax the blood vessels thereby, reducing the blood pressure. Increased potassium content also helps in knowledge retention and an improved memory. High blood pressure, on the other hand, can cause severe damage such as strokes, heart attacks etc.
Selenium content: Selenium component is mushroom is one of the key ways to receive selenium for a vegetarian. Selenium helps in strengthening the bone, nail, tooth and hair. Selenium is also considered to be a very powerful antioxidant that can successfully get rid of free radicals in the body and strengthen the immune system.

Mushrooms - 6 Reasons Why You Should Start Eating Them Today!

As much as we take a dip in the bucket of blues and sing happy- sad songs to float and fall for the theorem of love; we are but orderlies to the emotion. We all wish if love had only been a four letter word. It, unfortunately, has multiple folds and crevices than the human mind can ever possibly think of. Nonetheless, staying in love is essential. Loving is as significant as is living; the reason being, it keeps you happy until you falter and with every faltering foothold, you emerge out as a stronger being.

A strange fact about the emotion is its tryst with wholeness. Love doesn t necessarily need an object or receptor under its radar. It could be experienced as a self - sufficient feeling. You may be full of love for a family, for a dear friend, for your lover or you could also be in love with your passion or yourself. Irrespective of perpetual disillusionment, one must try and remain in love.

Let's take a curious peek into these few ways to stay in love:

Put in efforts to look good: In any case,  beauty indeed lies in the eyes of the beholder , but finding yourself pretty is extremely important. One must take care to look good in his or her own eyes. Looking good is directly proportional to the way you feel and hence spending time on yourself helps you to think positively. You see yourself in a better light and are thus, in a position to love better.
Exercise to challenge your daily threshold: Exercising has multi - faceted effects on your overall health. If you exercise on daily basis, you witness your progress with every passing day. This encourages you to improve your flexibility and fitness. Exercising can lead to the release of the happy hormone - serotonin in one s body. Direct exposure to sunlight and consumption of food items rich in carbohydrates can also increase the level of serotonin. Exercising boosts up your confidence and makes you fall in love with your body.
Indulge in sweet things: As you grow up, you stop doing those little things that once gave you immense pleasure. Making a greetings card, baking a cake, making paper boats, going out on walks, teaching young children or doing whatever your heart feels like can actually make you stay in love.
Pursue your passion: A passion gets the best out of you; it rather steps up the limits of your talents. Pursuing one s passion makes one love oneself even more. It keeps you engrossed in your plus points, giving you little scope to brood over depressing factors.
Try having a pet to care for: Feeling responsible for your pet is a great way to discover another side of your personality. A pet gives you the warmth you had been looking for. The bond of love with a pet has had unmatched effects on a person s health.

5 Ways to Stay in Love

Blood pressure is the measure of the resistance to the natural flow of blood in the blood vessels. The major, minor and few smaller blood vessels themselves have a thin muscular lining that keeps the vessel supple and aids the flow of nutritious blood within its tube-like structure. The vessel walls resist the free flow causing a reverse pressure that is referred to as Blood Pressure. This pressure strains the heart muscles (Left Ventricle more) to contract strongly to push the nutritious blood into the body circulation system.

Due to numerous factors, there is an increase of resistance within the blood vessels that leads to an increase in blood pressure. At a later stage, this results in lack of adequate blood flow to the end tissues and an accumulation of fluids in the various tissues/organs and a mismanagement of the nutrition-detoxification rhythmic cycle of the body. This takes a long time to develop and unless the last stage hampers body functions, it is not detected. Hence, blood pressure is known as a silent disease.

Systolic and diastolic are the two rhythms corresponding to the expansion and contraction of the heart chambers during pumping of blood into the body. This rhythm creates two distinct pressures within the blood vessels. Systolic is when the heart ventricular chamber contract to pump blood into the body, so the pressure is higher. This indicated the force or strain on the heart to push blood into the circulatory system. Hence, this count is considered significant in evaluating health parameters.

High BP as a disease is declared when three or more readings taken at different times of a day or on consecutive days shows increase in BP. Higher the BP, more strain is exerted by the heart. Since the heart is essentially a muscular organ, the muscles of the heart get affected. Sometimes, the heart muscles increase in mass and size making the heart chambers smaller in volume. This further deteriorates the circulation capability leading to numerous diseases. The strain of pumping nutrition to different body organs is also felt by the heart itself. Lack of nutrition can lead to death of cardiac tissue leading to heart failure. High blood pressure makes the heart walls thicken and becomes stiffer which makes it even more difficult to pump blood. Thickening of the heart muscles is also known as left ventricular hypertrophy and cause heart failure.

A systolic blood pressure reading that is higher than 140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure higher than 90 mm Hg characterizes by high blood pressure. High blood pressure is said to be responsible for 50% of the recorded cases of ischemic strokes and also increases the risk of hemorrhagic strokes.

When heart cannot pump with enough force, there is a mismanagement in the intra-cellular and tissue fluid restoration. This puts a great strain on the kidney function. In due course of time, numerous organs of the body suffer and depending on the body constitution, immunity for rejuvenation and restoration of order, the person suffer from numerous diseases.

Diabetes worsens the situation of BP and adds to the deterioration of heart health, blood vessel health. Poor heart functioning leads to different symptoms like:

Shortness of breath
Swollen ankles or feet
Difficulty lying flat on your back
Bloating and nausea
Irregular pulse
Frequent urge to urinate at night
Fatigue
Due to disturbances in BP and other factors leading to lacking of nutrition to the heart tissue. Heart Disease complications are commonly seen with symptoms as follows:

Radiating or dull pain, especially in the chest, radiating in the arms, especially left arm, neck, back and in the stomach especially in women.

Shortness of breath; change in breathing patterns and heaviness in chest
Dizziness and fainting sometimes
Irregular pulse and palpitations
Sudden onset of excessive sweating
Unexplained fatigue, weakness and depression
Heart Disease can be treated with natural ayurvedic medicaments successfully in more than 80% of patients. Numerous ayurvedic medicines have been clinically evaluated to show positive changes supported with clinical investigation. Since ayurvedic medicines are targeted to reaching the root cause of the disturbances and to reduce the burden of the disease they go beyond the relief of symptoms.

Natural Ayurvedic medicines also participate in the rejuvenation of the heart muscles, the blood vessels, the detoxification of the body and re-balancing of health parameters, Ayurvedic treatment options are gaining great relevance and patient opt for such treatment in greater numbers from all over the world. These treatments are non-invasive and very cost effective. They are good to be taken from prevention to after angioplasty, stent or bye-pass to treat the cause of disease.

Ayurveda is a health science that takes into consideration lifestyle modifications, adequate detoxification, re-balancing body element and strengthening the system from all aspects. Ayurvedic medicines have proved useful in the treatment of Blood Pressure, Diabetes, Vascular disease (leading to atherosclerosis, blockages, wear-tear of blood vessels) and Heart disease. Today, these treatment options are gaining importance and acceptance in our society.

Link Between Heart Diseases and High Blood Pressure

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!

High blood pressure and sex

High blood pressure is a condition in which the pressure of the blood against the artery wall is high enough to cause health problems, including heart disease. No symptoms may be noticed in a person for years but the damage to the blood vessels and to your heart continues. High blood pressure can have an impact on your sex life. Although sexual activity does not lead to any possible threats to your health but high blood pressure can affect the pleasure you would have otherwise derived from sex.

In Men

High blood pressure leads to the wearing out of the lining of blood vessels and causes arteries to narrow and harden that decreases the blood flow. This results in decreased blood flow to the penis. In case of some men, this decreased blood flow makes it difficult for them to achieve and maintain an erection. This problem is called erectile dysfunction.

High blood pressure may also interfere with ejaculation and be a cause for low libido. The medications that are prescribed for treating high blood pressure may lead to this condition.

In Women

Just as in the case of men, high blood pressure results in the decreased flow of blood to the vagina in case of women. This may cause problems like low libido, vaginal dryness, or complexities in achieving orgasm. Sexual dysfunction in women results in stress, anxiety and even relationship issues.



High Blood Pressure and Sex

High blood pressure is a condition which occurs when the pressure of the blood flow through the arteries increases, resulting in intense pressure. Hypertension occurs when the systolic pressure (pressure at which the heart pumps blood) and the diastolic pressure (pressure at which the heart relaxes) is more than 140 and 90 respectively.

Symptoms of high blood pressure are: 

1. Shortness of breath

If you have high blood pressure, then you may experience regular shortness of breath.

2. Headaches

You may experience headaches on a regular basis.

3. Weakness of the heart muscles

Hypertension results in a weak heart which may not be able to pump blood properly.

4. Narrowing of blood vessels

Narrowing of blood vessels may lead to other complications such as failure of the kidneys, heart, and brain.

5. Vision problems

It may lead to vision problems as blood vessels in the eye may be affected.

The various causes of blood pressure are: 

1. Tobacco
If you smoke on a regular basis, you put yourself at an increased risk of getting affected by blood pressure.

2. Lifestyle
Not exercising regularly, eating a sodium-rich diet are all factors which can increase the chances of hypertension.

3. Age
The chances of getting affected by hypertension increase as you age.

4. Weight
Being excessively obese also increases your risk of getting affected by hypertension.

5. Diabetes
Being diabetic makes you more prone to getting affected by diabetes.

6. Hyperthyroidism
If you have an overactive thyroid gland, then it may result in hypertension.

Hypertension may result in various health complications in the body such as:

1. Aneurysm

This is a disorder of the blood vessels which causes the blood vessels to bulge and weaken.

2. Heart attack

High blood pressure causes the arteries to harden and thicken which may lead to a heart attack.

3. Metabolic syndrome

This syndrome refers to a group of complications such as high bad cholesterol levels and insulin levels in the body.

4. Impaired brain functioning
It may also impair your ability to learn and impact your cognitive skills.

Hypertension and High Blood Pressure

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