If you thought that chest pain occurred only due to a heart-related issue like a heart attack, you are wrong. Chest pain is one of the most common reasons that people visit the emergency services and it can be caused due to problems with your heart, lungs and digestive system. 

Chest pain can be due to either of these two main reasons:

Heart- related Issues

1. Heart attacks called myocardial infarctions are very common reasons for chest pains. During a heart attack, the blood supply that serves the heart with oxygen is cut off due to plaque build-up in heart arteries causing the death of heart muscles. 

Other reasons for heart attacks are blood clots or torn blood vessels. 
Not all people having a heart attack have symptoms. Usually, people report symptoms like chest pain, upper body pain, nausea, sweating, fatigue, and trouble breathing.
A heart attack is a serious medical emergency for which immediate care is needed.
2. Angina pectoris is a type of chest pain that results from reduced blood flow to the heart. Low blood flow means your heart doesn t get enough oxygen. The angina pain is often triggered by physical activity or emotional stress and feels like a vice squeezing your chest or a heavy weight on your chest. It can also spread from your chest to your neck, arms, and shoulders. Other symptoms are fatigue, dizziness and nausea and these normally last up to 15 minutes only.

3. Unstable angina which causes crushing chest pains suddenly and even when you are not doing anything strenuous is a medical emergency as it can lead to a heart attack. This usually shows that your heart, arteries are narrowing alarmingly.

4. Other heat-related reasons for chest pains are-

Mitral valve narrowing or stenosis
Heart arrhythmias
Coronary Artery disease
Inflammation of heart muscles or pericardium and weakening of the heart muscles. 
All of these are emergencies and need immediate medical attention to prevent a fatality.

Not Heart- related:

1. Lung conditions like Pneumonia, Bronchitis, Pulmonary embolism. 

Pneumonia is an infection in one or both lungs caused by fungi, bacteria, or viruses. It causes inflammation in your lung s air sacs and makes them full of pus which makes it difficult to breathe and causes chest pains, amongst other debilitating symptoms.
Bronchitis is an inflammation of your bronchial tubes. It can be chronic or acute and it can cause a cough with mucus and chest pains. 
Pulmonary embolism is a blood clot that occurs in the lungs. It can go on to damage parts of your lung due to limited blood flow. Apart from this, it can also decrease oxygen levels in the blood and affect other organs. 
It can be life-threatening due to permanent lung damage. The most common symptom of a pulmonary embolism is gradual or sudden shortness of breath. 

There is also- 

bluish skin tone 
anxiety
fainting
hest pain that extends into your arm, jaw, neck, and shoulder
lightheadedness
2. Rib cage inflammation or Costochondritis is also known as Tietze s syndrome. It is an inflammation of the cartilage in the rib cage. Patients experience chest pain in the upper and middle rib area on either side of the body due to this. The pain can also radiate to the back or the abdomen, getting worse if you move, stretch, or breathe deeply.

3. Food pipe disease or Esophagitis is any inflammation or irritation of the oesophagus, a tube that sends food from your throat down to your stomach.

Common causes of food pipe disease are acid reflux or GERD and bacterial or viral infections. 

GERD- This condition occurs when the stomach contents and acids back up into the oesophagus. This causes chest pain that can mimic a heart disease. There may also be oesophagal spasms due to GERD.

Chest Pain - Reasons and Treatment

If you are facing difficulties in breathing, especially in the process of exhaling, you are suffering from emphysema. Emphysema is a condition in which the air sacs of the lungs are damaged and enlarged, causing breathlessness. It occurs as a result of several triggers, smoking being the most common one. Emphysema is a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. People with this condition struggle to exhale, which implies that there is some obstruction in the air flow. This disease has no permanent cure but by quitting smoking, you can stop it from getting worse.

Stages
The progression and severity of emphysema occurs with the staging systems. The staging of the condition can help in developing a prognosis.

The Gold emphysema staging system
Gold is a major emphysema staging system created by a group known as the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. The amount of air a patient can exhale forcefully in one second is determined during this stage. It is also referred to as the forced expiratory volume or FEV1.

The staging is as follows:

Stage 1: Mild emphysema (FEV1 greater than 80% of normal)
Stage 2: Moderate emphysema (FEV less than 80%, but more than 50% normal)
Stage 3: Severe emphysema (FEV lesser than 50%, but more than 30% normal)
Stage 4: Extremely severe emphysema. (FEV lesser than 30% of normal or lesser than 50% normal, with low levels of oxygen in the blood.
The BODE emphysema staging system
The condition affects several abilities. The BODE index, an acronym for BMI (body mass index), obstruction, dyspnea (breathlessness), exercise capacity (health index) is another staging system for emphysema in which the emphysema s impact on several areas of life are measured. They include the following:

Body mass index (B)
Airflow limitation or obstruction (O), which is measured by pulmonary function tests
Breathless or dyspnea (D), which is assessed thoroughly via a questionnaire
Exercise capacity (E), which is measured to check how long a person with emphysema can walk in a span of six minutes
Life expectancy
The prognosis of emphysema is impossible to be determined in any person individually. The staging system helps to identify the severity of the condition, but the future cannot be predicted. Not many studies have been undertaken for the determination of the effects of emphysema on life expectancy. The best research that has been carried out included around 100 people, which is very less. The condition varies largely among people, even if they are in the same stage.

The statistics available on emphysema are not reliable enough for individuals who wish to know their life expectancy. It is considered that if a patient falls in a higher stage, his/her long-term life expectancy is less.

Emphysema - Know The Life Expectancy and Stages!

Egg yolk and cholesterol - is there a link?

Although egg is considered one of the most nutritious foods, people with high cholesterol avoid its consumption as they believe that eggs may increase cholesterol and risk heart diseases.

Is there a link between egg yolk and cholesterol?

Egg yolk is rich in dietary cholesterol. One large egg contains 185 milligrams of cholesterol. People with normal cholesterol levels require about 300 milligrams of dietary cholesterol and people with high cholesterol need 200 milligrams of dietary cholesterol from food.

Dietary cholesterol has the minimum impact on blood cholesterol as compared to saturated and trans fats which contain bad cholesterol. Hence dietary cholesterol present in egg yolk has minimal or no effects on increasing your cholesterol levels.

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Egg Yolk and Cholesterol - Is There Really a Link?

5 natural ways to control your blood pressure

Blood pressure rises with each heartbeat and falls as your heart relaxes. The normal blood pressure should be less than 120/80 mm hg. An increase or decrease on either end can cause various problems.

Here are some of the natural ways to control your blood pressure.

1. Having a diet low in sodium

In the event of a high blood pressure, curtail the consumption of foods that are rich in sodium. However, research reveals that sometimes it is not just enough to cut down on sodium in your diet. A person suffering from high bp should consume foods rich in minerals like calcium, magnesium and potassium as well to keep his/her bp in check.

2. Drink plenty of water and curtail the consumption of alcohol

In case a person suffers from low blood pressure, it is advisable to drink plenty of water as low blood pressure is usually accompanied by bouts of dehydration, and consumption of water can help increase your blood pressure. Also, health drinks, which are rich in electrolytes, help your raise blood pressure. But one should avoid drinks that are high in sugar, and abating your alcohol consumption also helps to quite an extent.

3. Burn extra calories and exercise regularly

Blood pressure usually increases with weight. Being overweight can lead to sleep apnea, which is marked by disruptive breathing while you sleep, which in turn condition can lead to increased blood pressure. Studies have found that weight loss is one of the most effective ways to control high bp. Regular physical activity is also advised to maintain a stable blood pressure.

4. Avoid long, hot showers

The hot water in showers and spas can expand your blood vessels, which can often lead to a drop in blood pressure. A common sign of this would be dizziness and fainting while taking a bath. Therefore, for people suffering from this condition, using warm water rather than hot water is advisable.

5. Completely avoid stress

One of the contributing factors of high blood pressure is chronic stress. Stress tends to affect blood pressure in indirect ways. Many react to stress by overeating, consumption of alcohol and smoking, all of which can increase your blood pressure. Try to know what triggers your stress and take steps to avoid it.


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Related Tip: Got High Blood Pressure? Eat These 5 Foods!



5 Tricks that Control Your Blood Pressure, Naturally

Neurosurgery mainly deals with treating of functional disorders that affect the nerves, brain and muscles through major or minor surgery. The field of neurosurgery makes use of advanced surgical procedures. The different techniques are used to treat brain tumors, trauma to the head, cerebral hemorrhages, spinal disc herniation, brain aneurysms and peripheral neuropathy.

Neurosurgery Treatment
The main aim of neurosurgery treatment in patients suffering from stoke is to prevent neurologic deterioration as well as the recurrence of stroke. The advancement in medical treatment has increased to a great extent, however the mortality and morbidity in stroke patients is very high. The second leading cause of death all over the world is stroke, and hence, through neurosurgery stroke can be managed. Each year in the U.S there are about 800,000 people who suffer from stroke which causes disability.

Symptoms of Stroke and its Effects
The main symptoms of stroke are not identified easily by people. However, the symptoms that are caused on delay of treatment include difficulty in speaking, weakness on one side of the body, drooping on one side of the face and difficulty in walking.

Stroke at times is life threatening and it is also referred to as brain attack and can occur at any time to an individual. It is caused when the flow of blood supply to the brain is cut off and oxygen is deprived to the brain cells. Brain dysfunction occurs due to the dead brain cells and hence some patients lose their memory and control over their muscle movement. The treatment of stroke in such cases includes a neurosurgery by a neurological specialist.

Types of Stroke
The abrupt interruption to the flow of blood that causes hindrance in the neurological function can be best treated if detected early and by accurate diagnosis by a neurosurgeon. There are 3 different types of stroke that can occur and these include Hemorrhagic stroke, Ischemic stroke and Transient ischemic attack. The Ischemic stroke mainly occurs when blood vessels that supply blood to the brain are blocked. It is a common form of stroke and its underlying cause is known as atherosclerosis. The main procedures that are used for treating ischemic stroke include tissue plasminogen activator and endovascular procedure.

In the tissue plasminogen activator procedure, the patient is given medicine intravenously. The blood flow to the affected area of the brain is improved when the blood clot dissolves through this method. The medication is given immediately after 3-4 hours on occurrence of the stroke symptoms. In the second procedure, a catheter is used, which is injected in the area of the obstructed blood vessel. The blood flow to the area is restored by the endovascular procedure. Even anticoagulants are given to thin the blood and prevent clogging.

Neurosurgery In Management Of Stroke!

Language plays a very important role in our everyday life. Language disorders are common in neurological practices. A stroke directly affects one s brain and can cause neurological problems.

The consequences of neurological stroke language disorders are alexia, aphasia, alexia, acalculia, and agraphia. A large number of deaths worldwide are caused due to stroke. A severe stroke may impair a patient for life and cause communication disorders. The brain refuses to function properly after a stroke, thus accurate description and recognition become a challenging task.

Understanding the types of language disorders post-stroke

Stroke can severely damage a certain portion of your brain and hamper its proper functioning. One of the most common symptoms following a stroke is language loss. There can be different types of language loss, partial or even complete. Below are the types:

Aphasia

It means complete loss of language functioning. The patient s verbal communication is impaired and it results in difficulty in understanding both written and spoken language, repetition, naming, comprehension and other abnormalities. The blood vessels of the brain are affected causing its dysfunction. One-third of patients in the acute phase undergo this condition.

Alexia

A disconnection syndrome caused due to brain damage or trauma affects the patient s reading ability. It is also known as visual aphasia, text blindness, or word blindness. It is very different from dyslexia.

Agraphia

It is the inability to write unlike in the past. The motor control that allows you to write is disrupted and the patient writes wrong spellings or imaginary words and confuses the meanings.

Acalculia

This is also an acquired syndrome in case of which the patient cannot perform any mathematical calculations. Simple addition, subtraction, numbers and columns are a difficult task and go beyond understanding.

Language recovery

The process of recovery is difficult, slow and does not guarantee results. The severity of language impairment needs to be considered before going for therapy. Rehabilitation is necessary to avoid any depression or frustration in the patient.

Communication is essential. If a patient is suffering from aphasia, begin with simple words like  yes  or  no , hand gestures and nodding to address the basic needs.

Be patient and try to connect with the person emotionally.

Return to the daily routine. The homely environment can be beneficial and make sure you have an everyday list of words to learn or write.

The patient must be active and repeat words until you have the perfect pronunciation.

Keep a notepad handy. For patients who cannot talk and has difficulty in talking can write and express their feelings.

It is very important to stay stimulated. Motivation from friends and family relieves anxiety and can help the patient recover quickly. No two affected person goes through the same process, that s why understand and approach accordingly.

Early therapy is effective and patients may respond very well in groups and a safe environment. Visit the doctor at regular intervals to test your improvements, reflexes and language skills. Post-stroke, the patient s well-being should be a priority.

Know More About Neurological Stroke Language Disorders!

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