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Teenager, High Blood Pressure and Lack of Sleep

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LACK OF SLEEPCase Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, has conducted a research which concluded that sleep depravation could be the cause of high blood pressure in healthy adolescents. These associations couldn’t be explained by being overweight, socioeconomic status, sleep apnea, or known co morbidities. About 238 teenagers ages 13 to 16 were participating in this study which provided an important data about relationship between lack of sleep and high blood pressure. All of the participants of this study were without any known health issues.

This study was published in a Journal of the American Heart Organization. Young adults were observed 3 to 7 nights about the sleep duration at their homes. Special digital wrist recorder was designed in order to record a motion, sleep and wake up patterns. Special laboratory was used for one night and the blood pressure was measured nine times during that night over two days period. In the research facility, an overnight polysomnography was also made; according to Wikipedia, a polysomnography “is a multi-parametric test used in the study of sleep”, and the test outcome is termed a polysomnogram.

Those young adults who had less than 6.5 hours of sleep a night were 2.8 times to have elevated blood pressure levels, compared to those teenagers who had more hours of sleep. Those with low sleep efficiency, on the other hand, were 4.5 times more likely to have prehypertension. Sleep efficiency might be broadly defined as sleep quality. It took into account factors such as having difficulty dropping off to sleep or staying asleep.

Scientific data was adjusted for gender, body mass index and socioeconomic status. Pre hypertension risks were 2.5 times higher for lack of sleep and 3.5 times higher for low sleep efficiency. Youngster with sleep deficiency had 4mm Hg higher systolic blood pressure than those who had good night sleep.

According to the NHLBI’s Your Guide to Healthy Sleep, children of school-going age and adolescents need at least 9 hours of sleep every night. According to the guide, hormonal influences during puberty tend to affect the biological clocks of adolescents. They are thus more likely to go to bed later at night, and want to sleep in longer in the morning.

 The Implications 

If the young ones are often having problems falling asleep, getting up several times or for long periods during the night, having sleepy spells during the day, or having difficulty concentrating, then it is possible that they are not having enough sleep, or are having poor sleep.

And, compared with twenty or even ten years ago, teenagers today have even more reasons to stay awake late into the night. Decades ago, there were no computers, no internet, and very small, if any, late night television. Add to that the stress and pressures of increased workloads in school, as well as the nutritional fiasco which is our modern diet of refined foods, and the issue gets a lot bigger.

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Garlic Health Benefits

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GARLIC AND YOUR HEALTHGarlic is a spice plant that has a bitter and strong flavor and is the favorite ingredients among many culinary dishes and is also used prominently for medical purposes for the past few centuries. The standout medicinal ingredient in the plant of garlic is “allicin”, which is said to contain loads of anti-viral, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal nutrients and properties.

This herb is consumed to treat respiratory problems, high cholesterol, fatigue, stress, parasites, digestive problems, respiratory blockage and high fever. A number of studies conducted have concluded that eating this special spice greatly helps in lowering the blood pressure and controls the level of blood cholesterol and blood sugar as it also helps provide a boost to the immune system. It also reduce greatly the risk for contacting colon cancer, stomach pain and esophageal.
Garlic is known to be a health benefit that helps cure certain conditions such as:
Allergies
It provides antiviral nutrients and properties which gives the body the tool to fight off bacteria that produces allergies. Simply consume one garlic tablet supplement every day for a length of 2 to 3 weeks to help fight off the allergy season.
Coughing
The antibacterial properties of garlic make it a suitable treatment for people having coughs and other throat problems. It also minimizes the risk of a person having respiratory tract infections.
Diabetes
By regulating blood sugar levels, this herb also helps increase the insulin outbursts in diabetes. Therefore a proven formula and remedy takes place after consuming at least one garlic capsule each day.
Garlic lowers cholesterol by providing nutrients and properties that absorbs fat and other cholesterol properties and disintegrates them in the body. It also cuts back arterial plaque formation by around 5 to 18% thereby greatly reducing the possibility of experiencing blood clot.
High blood pressure
Recent medical tests suggests that people suffering from high blood pressure who consumed garlic tablets everyday for up to 4 months have showed a drastic decrease in their blood pressure levels.
Toothaches
Garlic’s analgesic, antibacterial and anesthetizing properties helps provide a remedy for tooth pain. Simply apply some garlic oil or a crushed garlic clove over the tooth that produces pain or the affected gum for fast pain relief.
Garlic also has the ability to stave off bacteria and infections making it a very proven cure for cases of warts and other skin diseases. Gently cut the tip of a fresh garlic and rub it on the affected part of the skin for a minute then repeat the process each night before going to sleep and the wart will soon disappear.
These are just some of the health benefits of garlic. Garlic is easy to get as it is available at all leading supermarkets and vegetable stores. It also comes in the form of oils, extracts, tablets and capsule and can be bought at the leading health food stores. Take advantage of the health benefits of garlic by including it on your daily dishes.

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Stress And Your Health

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STRESSWe go through stress because it’s a natural part of our day-to-day life. Most of us get stressed out over our jobs, our families and also with regards to money and economy. The housing market can get really stressful too. When we do get stressed, we naturally react physically. We notice our heart rate gets to pump faster than usual, our blood pressure goes up, our body temperature, breathing, and muscle contractions change too. Our way of dealing with stressful situation differ from one person to another and those who can’t deal with this level of tension will eventually end up feeling exhausted both mentally and physically.

We think that stressful lifestyle is just a normal day to day function for our body, but it is in fact affecting not only our physical body but also affects our mental and emotional well being. The term stress was first used back in the 30’s as a term used for the condition when stimulus is caused by a stressor. It was an endocrinologist named Hans Selye who noticed the different physical response on animals and humans when demands were placed on them. We notice the signs of tension and we can feel it too. It can present itself through our behavior, emotions or through physical and cognitive symptoms. That means when we get stressed our attitude and demeanor changes. Also, because it affects our emotions and behavior we get to feel anxious or worried or become moody and irritable, easily agitated, can’t relax, feeling lonely, has a poor sense of judgment and eventually have a negative outlook to the situation and in life. Also, we feel isolated or depressed and can’t concentrate well even if we try hard to focus.  Not only do we experience all these but we also suffer from the physical symptoms such as faster breathing, faster heart rate, high blood pressure, cholesterol, energy and we also sweat a lot.

When you feel stressed, you may notice that you also eventually feel some pains and aches from different parts of the body. Diarrhea or constipation may also be present. Chest pain, an upset stomach, vomiting and dizziness as well as headache may also be experienced by a person who is high under pressure. If we feel stressed and can’t cope up with it and it continues to lurk its head on our everyday lives then it is called as chronic stress. This could lead to a long-term damage both to the physical and psychological aspects of a person. The immune system gets affected and we become more prone to catching diseases and infections. Stressful environment also promotes the buildup of the visceral fat that eventually leads to obesity. Other diseases such as heart problems, ulcers, cancer, psoriasis, diabetes and also depression could be the cause of  increased physical and mental load in your life.. As for little kids, their growth is stunted as a result of chronic day-to-day stress.

According to Hans Selye there are two types of stress: the good stress and bad stress. Eustress is good and distress is bad. Eustress is experienced when we get married, exercising or getting promoted. Whether it is good or bad, according to Selye, it is still stress. The difference between a person’s perceptions of stress whether it is good or bad depends on his/her personal experiences, expectations and way to cope with it.

We adapt differently to stress as some people are having harder time dealing and coping with the same stressor as another person. GAS or the General Adaptation Syndrome describes how our body reacts to stress. Depending on the length of time and intensity you can determine whether the person is suffering from acute or chronic stress. At the first sign of stress, our body reacts in a fight or flight response. Second stage is the coping stage. At this stage the body tries to cope up with the stressor and eventually depletes our resources such as proteins, nutrients, vitamins and amino acids. Once it gets all depleted then we proceed to the third stage which is exhaustion. This is when we feel fatigued, weak and can’t concentrate. If we stay in this stage for long-periods then it eventually affects our overall health and we get sick with all sorts of diseases. Stress management helps people by learning the techniques to handle the day to day stressors. This way you prevent chronic stress and you’ll feel happier and healthier.

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Quit Smoking after 30 years of Addiction and the Power of Chiropractic

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SmockThis is a true story about my father who was a chain smoker for over thirty years. He came to visit me in California and stayed with me for one month while I was in my last  year of Chiropractic College.

The health of my dad was in a very bad shape. He would be taken to a Hospital by an ambulance about 15 times a year because of his blood pressure which at times could jump so high that he could not even see straight. Medical Doctors would prescribed him a large variety of medications for lowering his blood pressure. At one point he had over twenty different bottles on a table. This amount of medications could easily kill a horse if given to one. Even my dad sometimes was wondering why was he given so many different medications for one problem. Why Doctors don’t tell him the cause of the problem. A simple advice for quit smocking and diet could have easily improved his condition. However, it was a chase for a symptom improvement but not the cause.

I had all the necessary tools and enough knowledge about anatomy and physiology of the body to figure out how to fix the problem. After reading PDR (Physician Desk Reference) I could not  believe how ignorant his doctors were. All of his prescribed blood  pressure medications had serious side effects. During a prolonged period of time taking these numerous blood pressure medications my dad has developed a variety of other problems.

One of the most serious symptoms was failing kidneys. His kidneys were leaking protein into a blood. I am not going to go into the significance of this pathophysiological effect, but the long term outcome was fatal. Yes, my dad was going to die if things would not be stabilized in his system any time soon. The main reason why he stayed with me for the entire month was because he thought it would be our last time together.

I had a huge poster in my room of a human body and how nervous system controls every single organ in our body. I knew that it would be a good starting point of educating my dad how smoking is effecting his health. Every day for thirty days I would take a cigarette from him, bring to the mouth on the poster and explained to him how damaging it is  to his health and how each organ is be stressed because of him smocking. I told him that if he continues this way he might not have much time left in this world. Believe it or not he listened to every word  that I was telling him. I have ordered special supplements for kidney support for Standard Process (Nutritional Company) and I have also changed his diet. I have also provided chiropractic adjustment to his spine every other day. As you already know a good functioning nervous system makes your system work better.

After about five days of education my dad  did not light up the cigarette for the entire day. When I got home from school he told me that it was
the most difficult day in his life. Yes, he had nicotine withdrawals.  I have informed him that each day it will get easier if he keeps it up this way. His desire to live life was stronger than the desire to smoke another cigarette. He understood what I was saying to him every single time while he was staying with me in California. When the time came for him fly back home to New York City he felt much better, refreshed, hopeful, happy, and energized with a new hope and a new chapter in his life. He was looking for forward to a new beginning.

I was afraid when he gets back home he will start smocking again.  During conversation with my mother I asked her if dad had been
smocking. She informed me that he can not even look at cigarettes and hates when someone smokes around him. Every time I come to visit my parents in NYC I jokingly asked my dad if he wants to smoke. He replies: “I don’t understand how people can hold that disgusting poison in their mouse. It is a slow death.” These words came from a guy who smoked for 30 years.

This event took place over ten years ago. Ever since my dad quit smocking he has not been taken to a hospital E.R at all. The health has normalized and his kidneys function have returned  to normal. I could probably say that Chiropractic saved my dad. I am writing this post from NYC from my parents home while I am visiting them. The photo above is the real photo of my dad that was taken  from my I Phone about an hour ago.

Question: Do you want to quit smoking? What stops you? How does smoking affect your life?