Thursday, April 30, 2009

What is Broken Heart Syndrome?

There is hope for people suffer from "Broken Heart Syndrome", a condition first described by Japanese researchers in the early 1990s

Patients with this condition, called Takotsubo cardiomyopathy,transient apical ballooning or stress cardiomyopathy, are often misdiagnosed as having a masive heart attack.

In fact, what they have suffered from is a surge in adrenalin(epinephrine) and other stress hormones tha have temporaily stunned the heart.

This could be brought on by distressing news, such as the unexpected death of a loved one.

According to Reuters report, Dr Richard REgnante from Warren Alert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, and his colleagues, said that it appears that the syndrome is temporary and completely reversible.

The symptoms typically mimic a heart attack and tend to soon after an intense physical or emotional event. However, the long term outlook is excellent and nearly all patients experience a full recovery of heart condition.

The researchers created a registry of 70 patients with the syndrome who were diagnosed between July 2004 and April last year.

2/3 of them nearly all post menopausal women had experienced a very stressful physical or emotional event just before arriving at the hospital with heart attack like symptoms, including chest pain and shortness of breath.

Although 20 per cent of these patients were critically ill and required emergency treatment to keep them alive, all patients survived the first 48hours and experienced a full and complete recovery.

"It can be difficult for cardiologists and ER physicians to diagnose and manage patients with broken heart syndrome," Dr Regnante said.

"However, these data will help us beter understand the disease process and could play a major role in developing and tailoring more effective short and long term treatment strategies."

Source : The Straits Times

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Lose Weight and Burn Belly Fat Fast

Getting rid of belly fat isn't something that can be done just by doing crunches. You must work hard in several areas in order to burn off the fat and keep it off.

Getting rid of belly fat, or any fat from the body, takes a combination of several things. Proper nutrition, coupled with strength training focused on building muscles will remove excess body fat.

Dropping that belly fat doesn't have to be a struggle, as long as you follow a healthy diet plan and exercise program. By decreasing overall calorie intake, consuming foods that can help with weight loss, performing cardiovascular exercises, and toning and sculpting muscles through strength training, transforming stubborn belly fat into a sexy and toned stomach can be easily achieved.

Weight loss doesn't have to be complicated. Basically it is the calories you put in minus the calories you burn equals your net calorie gain or loss every day. Weight training should be a component of any fat loss program. Weight Loss Motivation is the key element that will get you through the tough times - holidays, binges, plateaus, or almost anything that sidetracks you.

Eat lots of protein . It’s the stuff that gets turned into muscle, organs, skin and bones. Eat as much non processed stuff as you can.

Try introducing tea into your daily diet. Eat a diet rich in vegetables and fruits. These dual diet tips will take your workouts from solo to steamy in no time.

Exercise is important of course but doing a bunch of crunches every day isn’t going to solve the problem alone. It’s hard and many people simply give up.

Exercise slowly and take little baby steps.

If you have not exercised in a while, start and then slowly build up until you're ready for more exercise. Exercise at least 40 minutes per day for 2 to 3 days per week (you must break a sweat).

Leg lifts are excellent workouts for getting rid of lower-belly fat.

Lying flat on your back, legs outstretched, slowly lift them half way then hold a moment and slowly lower them back to the floor.

Also, drinking 6-8 glasses of water per day will help keep hunger to a minimum.

Before going out to eat, fill up on a snack such as a salad with fat free or low cal dressing or a broth based vegetable soup.

Drink plenty of water, and go for more FILLING, low-calorie foods while at the restaurant. Base your food decisions on quality, versus quantity.

Drinking too much beer also causes bloating and may even be more damage causing once drinking beer is accompanied by sweet and sugary liquids like soda or even mixed drinks.

Basically just watch your calorie in take, prepare for eat right and do some basic and simple exercises 2 to 3 times a week.

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