Scientists and researchers have been aggressively conducting investigations on methods for early detection of cancer, as well as identifying effective drugs that may prevent the abnormal cell division and spread of cancer cells throughout the body.

The Association Between Heart Health and Cancer Risk

A recent medical report published in the journal Future Oncology discussed the association between heart health and cancer risk and treatment outcomes.  For decades, heart health has been considered as a separate medical entity from cancer.  However, the authors of the recent medical report has shown that maintaining good heart health may actually decrease the chances of developing cancer by producing essential proteins that prevent the abnormal cell division of cells in specific organs of the body.

Monitoring Heart Health Becomes Increasingly Important

For example, the cells of the heart, called cardiomyocytes, produce chemicals called cytokines when an initial damage to the heart occurs.  It is possible to assess heart health on a regular basis to monitor the level of cytokines in an individual; a low cytokine level will indicate that no damages currently occur in the body.  On the other hand, an individual with cellular or tissue damage in a specific organ will generally show a higher level of cytokines in the blood and this will suggest that the person requires medical treatment for a specific disease, including that of cancer.

Watching the Heart Carefully During Treatment

The report also discussed that monitoring various chemicals produced by the heart during treatment of cancer patients allows them to measure the response of the patient to chemotherapeutic drugs.  A high level of heart-specific biomarkers may indicate that the drug used in the treatment may be toxic to the patient’s heart or cardiotoxic.  Using less toxic yet equally effective anti-cancer drugs should then be administered to the patient.

The information provided in the recent medical report is very useful for both physicians and patients because it allows us to understand that maintaining good heart health may also reduce cancer risk.  Following a healthy lifestyle, including that of consuming sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables and engaging in regular exercise, may be beneficial to cardiovascular health by allowing cardiomyocytes to effectively screen for cellular and tissue damages within the body.  For patients undergoing chemotherapeutic treatment, the heart is usually monitored by physicians to determine if the patient is well responding to the administered drugs without any adverse side effects.

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Health-centered organizations have been actively campaigning for schemes that would reduce cancer risk and the recent medical report emphasizes the need for all of us to know that this deadly disease may be prevented by maintaining good health, especially that relating to the heart.  This report increases our awareness that the heart controls a wide range of physiologic functions, including that of preventing the development of malignancies and other major medical diseases.  Our previous notion that heart diseases are totally independent of cancer incidence will now change; this association may also assist us in designing our own personalized healthy lifestyles.

One study has shown that the days after moving the clocks ahead or the act of “springing forward” an hour in March is actually associated with a heightened risk of having a heart attack. What is more interesting to note, that if you were going to just chalk these numbers up to a meaningless statistic, the opposite is actually true when the clocks “fall back” in October. The risk of a heart attack decreases by 10%.

What Does This Change Really Have to Do With Heart Health?

What this means for heart health, and heart attack risk actually does have something to do with sleep. The couple of days after moving the clocks ahead an hour requires a sleep change that is directly correlated with the time people get up to go to work. And several studies have shown that the risk of a heart attack, or another heart health related problem actually increases and hits a peak on Monday morning when people are most likely to rise early to go to work.

The Opposite Theory for Your Heart Health

The opposite theory is a pretty simple one, when the clocks “fall back” and you get that extra hour of sleep your body adjusts to the extra rest in a way that leads to a lessened risk of a heart attack, good news and a big plus for those who enjoy sleeping in.

What Sleep and Heart Health Have in Common

While most adults are well aware of how much sleep is required to be able to properly function through your day, sleep deprivation is considered a very real health concern with a direct link and impact on your heart health, and heart attack risk. The effect of sleep on your immune system, and cardiovascular health is one that shouldn’t be ignored, and trying to find a way when the clocks “spring ahead” to make certain you don’t “lose” that hour of quality sleep time could make a real difference to your heart that you were not expecting.

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Many heart health studies have pointed out that the connection DST has on your heart is a spider web of interconnected health behaviors. People who don’t get enough sleep tend to have a heightened likelihood of obesity and weight control issues, not to mention the heart health issues and a higher risk of heart attack already mentioned. Losing sleep can alter other body responses such as the body’s response to inflammation.

The variable however, quickly becomes the idea that your own lifestyle has a lot to do with it, too. Clearly a person who is more prone to work nights is going to adjust better to the idea of losing or gaining an extra hour of sleep at night. People who are considered to be morning people are more likely to have a difficult time adjusting to a time change, because it directly impacts their work schedules and day to day routines.

Grudges and Stress

When someone that you care about hurts you, you may experience a variety of emotions including sadness, anger and confusion among others. When these feelings begin to over-take your life, vengeance and hostility can occur. These negative feelings can be overwhelming and can mask all of the positive aspects of your life. These negative feelings can impact your life in a drastic way.  Your life may be so wrapped up in the past that you can’t enjoy the present. These negative feelings can ultimately lead to stress if not dealt with properly. And stress can have a significant negative impact on your health, including your heart health.

Stress and Heart Problems

Un-managed stress, including the stress that comes from holding onto a grudge, can lead to emotional, psychological and physical problems, including heart problems. These heart problems can include high blood pressure, angina, and irregular heartbeats.

Forgive the Grudge for Heart Health

Forgiveness is an active decision that involves letting go of feelings of resentment and thoughts of revenge.  Forgiveness doesn’t necessarily mean that you forget the act that hurt you, but it allows you to move forward without all of the negative feelings surrounding the past event. Forgiveness allows you to remember the hurtful event without experiencing feelings of resentment of revenge. According to the Mayo Clinic there are many benefits of forgiveness including healthier relationships, improved psychological well-being, decreased stress, anxiety and hostility, lower blood pressure, fewer symptoms of depression and lower levels of substance.

Recent Research on Forgiveness and Heart Health

Dr. Britta Larsen from The University of California, San Diego asked 202 participants to think about a time where a friend had offended them. Half of the participants were asked to remember the event and how it had angered them while the other half were asked to remember the event in a more forgiving way. All of the participants were then distracted for five minutes. After the five minutes distraction period, the participants were asked to remember the event in any way that they wanted to. Blood pressure and heart rate measurements for all of the participants were monitored. The results showed that the angry group of participants had the highest increase in blood pressure when asked to recall the situation. The same effect was seen even after having five minutes of distraction. No differences were seen in heart rate levels.  This research supports the idea that letting go and forgiving those that have wronged you in the past may help to reduce your chance of heart problems by lowering your blood pressure.

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Forgiving a person that has wronged you in the past is a challenging process. However, no matter how difficult it may be, this process will be beneficial for your heart health in the long run. The Mayo Clinic breaks the forgiving process into four steps:

1. Consider the value of forgiveness and the importance of it in your life
2. Reflect on the hurtful situation
3. Actively choose to forgive the person who wronged you
4. Move away from your role as a victim in the situation

Going through this process will allow you to break free from the grudges that you’ve been carrying around and allow you to experience better heart health.

If you want to protect your heart health, forgiving those that have wronged you over the years is a good first step.  Letting your grudges go will help to decrease the stress that you’ve been experiencing and this will help to decrease your risk of heart problems. The forgiving process may be a long and difficult one, but your heart will thank you in the end.

Broken Heart Syndrome Symptoms

According to Mayo Clinic, broken heart syndrome can cause symptoms which are similar to those experienced during a heart attack and stroke. The most common symptoms include sudden and intense chest pain, shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat and feelings of weakness.

Broken Heart Syndrome Causes

Although broken heart syndrome is most often caused by an outside event or mental stressor, it has a real and physical impact on your heart health. The exact cause of broken heart syndrome is unknown; however preliminary research suggests that it is caused (at least in part) by a surge of stress hormones. More specifically, the stress of a broken heart causes a sudden surge of stress hormones such as adrenaline to flood your body and to temporarily weaken your heat. The flood of hormones also causes a part of your heart to temporarily enlarge and it reduces the ability of that specific part of your heart, to pump properly.

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The rest of your heart either functions normally or it responds by pumping with forceful contractions. The stress hormones may also contribute to heart problems by causing the arteries of the heart to temporarily constrict.

Broken Heart versus Heart Attack and Stroke

It should be noted that broken heart syndrome vastly differs from a heart attack and stroke. Heart attacks are usually caused by a build-up of fat in the heart arteries and a blood clot which blocks the flow of blood to the heart. Stokes also occurs from a blockage of blood flow, only the blockage effects the brain instead of the heart. Although broken heart syndrome may cause a temporary reduction of blood flow to the heart, it does not cause a complete blockage of the heart arteries.

Facts and Risk Factors

It is estimated that 1 to 2 percent of patients who are diagnosed with heart attacks are actually suffering from broken heart syndrome.  Women are much more prone to experiencing heart problems from a broken heart then men, with 90-95 percent of all patients being female. Age is also a factor, and the majority of patients are over the age of 50. Broken heart syndrome is also much more common amongst post-menopausal women. The exact reason for this is unknown; however it is likely due to hormonal differences caused by menopause.

The Effects of a Broken Heart on Heart Health

The good news is that most patients, who experience heart problems caused by a broken heart, will experience complete recovery within two months. Also, unlike heart attack and stroke victims, patients with broken heart syndrome almost never experience long term damage. In fact, in a 5 year follow-up study, not one patient had experienced a recurrence.

For several decades, stroke has been considered as a condition that commonly afflicts the elderly.  However, recent research efforts have shown that the occurrence of stroke may also be associated with other age groups.  According to a recent medical report published in the journal Stroke Research and Treatment, certain risk factors may increase the incidence of stroke in the general public.  Using a study population consisting of approximately 1,027 stroke patients, the proponents of the study examined the features of the study participants, including age, gender, and other diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.  This research design allowed the investigators to directly determine specific risk factors that may influence the development of stroke.

Stroke and the Study on Cardiac Care

The study population classified the patients according to age groups, namely young adults, who were below 50 years of age, middle-aged, or those who were within the age range of 50–80 years old, and very old, or those individuals who were 80 years old and above.  Each group of study participants was then examined in terms of the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases and gender.

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The results of the study showed the male participants experience a cerebrovascular incident or stroke at a younger age than female participants.  In addition, young adults were more active in drinking and smoking, as compared to the middle-aged and very old age groups.  When all these variables are factored in, the analysis showed that the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases might be higher among young adults if they are engaged in heavy drinking and smoking.  It is thus important to monitor the heart health of individuals even during young adult ages because this may provide information on whether cardiac care measures need to be adapted by an individual.

This recent medical report provides helpful information in understanding how heart health can be improved even during younger adult years.  The findings in the study also show that cardiac care may prevent the occurrence of cardiovascular diseases, especially during the aging process.  The report showed that despite the advanced age of the other study participants, the risk for cardiovascular disease might be lower if they are leading a healthy lifestyle that includes eating fruits and vegetables and avoiding alcohol beverages and smoking.  On the other hand, the heart health of a young adult might be of less quality if he or she is frequently drinking huge amounts of alcoholic beverages.  Coupling heaving drinking with smoking may also further facilitate in the deterioration of heart health.

Physicians and health-focused government agencies have actively campaigned for healthy lifestyles, including regular exercise and the consumption of nutritious food items.  These efforts may serve as cardiac care measures that may result in a healthy body.  Following a healthy lifestyle may also decrease the incidence of mortality due to cardiovascular diseases, which is generally considered as a preventable and lifestyle disease.  Consumption of fruits and vegetables may increase the amount of vitamins and minerals that enter the body, as well as serve as a source for antioxidants that help in the repair of damaged tissues.

When meeting with your cardiologist being honest is key to ensure proper cardiac care and optimal heart health. Lying to your cardiologist can lead to further heart problems, including heart attack. There are five secrets that you shouldn’t ever keep from your cardiologist.

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You’re Taking Vitamins and/or Supplements

Many people turn to alternative therapies including vitamins and supplements to help them manage health conditions that they have. From a cardiac care stand-point, some of these supplements can actually interfere with heart medications that you may have been prescribed by your cardiologist. Be upfront about all over-the-counter medications, vitamins, herbal remedies and supplements that you are taking in order to avoid a potentially deadly combination.

You’re Seeing Other Doctors

Many people seek out a second opinion on their condition from another doctor, but fail to mention this to their cardiologist. It is vital that your cardiac care specialist have all of the pieces of the puzzle to provide you with the best care possible. Don’t worry, you won’t offend your cardiologist by getting a second option, they are they to provide you will the best care possible and sometimes this involves multiple healthcare providers.

You’ve Stopped Taking Your Medication (or you didn’t even fill the prescription!)

It’s important to take your medication as prescribed from your cardiologist, but if you haven’t been taking it – tell them. Many patients believe that changing their diet and lifestyle habits (for example -exercising more, quitting smoking, etc.) means that they don’t have to take their prescribed medication. While changing lifestyle factors can have a positive effect on your health, you may still require the medication for optimal heart health. Also, if you’re supposed to be taking blood pressure medication and you aren’t and your cardiologist takes your blood pressure and its high you may be prescribed unnecessary medications.

You’re Stressed Out

Serious life events such as a death of a loved one, the loss of a job, the end of a marriage, etc., can cause extreme levels of stress which can increase your blood pressure significantly. Tell your cardiologist about significant life stressors that may be affecting you so that they can monitor you more closely during these times to help prevent a heart attack from occurring.

You’re Not Following Your Exercise Plan

Saying that you’re exercising regularly when you’re not isn’t going to improve your heart health. And lying about it may actually create more of a problem for you. If your cardiologist asks you if you’re exercising and you say yes – they believe you. If your cardiologist then asks if you have any chest pain and you say no, – they believe that you don’t have chest pain, even when exercising. If you lied about exercising, you could have chest pain if your heart was actually stressed. If you tell your doctor the truth – that you haven’t been exercising – he/she can perform a stress test to determine how your heart will respond under the stress of physical activity. This will give them a more accurate picture of your heart health.

It is important to find a cardiologist that you have a good relationship with and feel comfortable telling the truth to. Don’t feel embarrassed to tell your doctor the truth, lying to your cardiologist will only hurt you in the long run. Being upfront and honest with your cardiologist will help to prevent a devastating heart attack. Do you really want to suffer a possibly fatal heart attack because you were too embarrassed to tell your doctor the whole truth?

Hot peppers such as habaneros, cayennes and jalapenos contain a variety of capsaicinoids, which are the compounds that give them their characteristic heat. One of the capsaicinoids – capsaicin, is already highly revered in holistic medicine and used to help boost the metabolism and promote weight loss, manage psoriasis, reduce pain, cure shingles and ease digestive disorders.  In addition, both holistic and conventional medical practitioners sanction the topical use of capsaicin containing creams, for the relief of pains such as arthritis.

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The hot peppers/heart health study, which was presented at ACS, involved feeding hamsters high cholesterol diets. The hamsters were divided into two separate groups; one of which was fed capsaicinoids and the other of which was not. At the end of the study, Chen and his associates found that the capsaicinoids found in hot peppers help to promote a healthy heart and they reduce heart disease risk in two very important ways.

The first way in which the capsaicinoids help to improve heart health and reduce heart disease risk is by reducing total cholesterol levels – an important marker in heart disease risk. More importantly however, the capsaicinoids lower the unhealthy low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels, whilst leaving the healthy high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels untouched. This is significant because it creates a healthier LDL/HDL ratio, which is a substantial gauge of overall heart health.  The scientists from this study believe that capsaicinoids also reduce the amount of existing cholesterol deposits in clogged arteries and increase the  secretion of cholesterol in the feces; thereby helping to reverse narrowed arteries. This hypothesis is very exciting because narrowed arteries as a result of cholesterol build-up, is a huge risk factor for strokes and heart attacks.

Reducing Heart Disease Using Hot Peppers

In addition to reducing cholesterol levels and reversing cholesterol build-up, the study found that capsaicinoids block the action of the enzyme–cyclooxygenase-2. This is important because cyclooxygenase-2 causes the blood vessel muscles to restrict and contract and this reduces blood flow to the heart and the rest of the body.   The reduced blood flow forces your heart to pump harder, which ultimately leads to increased blood pressure. By blocking cyclooxygenase-2, hot peppers are able to lower high blood pressure, which is another substantial contributor to heart disease.

In the event of a heart attack, the cardiac muscle cells of the heart are induced to undergo a process of self-destruction, called necrosis. It is thus critical for a person experiencing a heart attack to be given medical attention as soon as possible. Medical studies have shown that in a single episode such as this, an individual can lose approximately one billion cardiac muscle cells to necrosis, significantly decreasing the chances to live longer. For this reason alone, heart health has become one of the major goals of most medical-related organizations, including the World Health Organization.

One interesting fact about heart health is the correlation between the occurrence of a heart attack and the chance of suffering from heart failure and possibility to live longer. After a heart attack, a person still retains these necrotic cells in the heart and yet the entire organ has to supply blood to their entire body. Imagine a muscle machine such as the heart, with the size of your fist, working so hard to pump blood in and out at least 80 times each minute. It is possible that the heart would eventually stop pumping from fatigue, especially when a portion of its muscle cells has been damaged from an earlier heart attack. To live longer with a damaged heart is thus harder to imagine and to achieve.

Stem cells are the most promising therapeutic approach for the improvement of heart health. These cells are very unique in terms of their capacity to transform into specific cell types, depending on the composition of its immediate environment or where these are introduced into. In terms of heart health, stems cells derived from the bone marrow have the capacity to develop into muscle cells of the heart, arteries, and veins. Active research is currently being performed around the world, testing the potential of using stem cells in the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and ultimately, for people to live longer.

Several medical reports have described that injecting bone marrow stem cells into the heart of an individual who previously suffered a heart attack resulted in the development of new blood vessels in the site. In addition, the treated heart also showed an improvement in its capacity in contraction, thus preventing heart failure, improving heart health, and ultimately allowing the patient to live longer. Essentially, the introduction of bone marrow-derived stem cells improved the heart health of the patient by replacing cells and tissues that were damaged from a previous heart attack.

Clinical trials are now being conducted in different hospitals around the world, making use of stem cells from the bone marrow to improve the heart health of patients. Comprehensive clinic trials also examine specific features indicative of heart health, including the volume of blood that is pumped out of each ventricle. These medical research data are compared to those patients that did not receive any stem cells, or control subjects. So far, the reports show positive outcomes, yet there is still a need to further investigate the use of stem cells as a treatment strategy for improving the heart health patients and to basically live longer.

Despite the positive results of stem cell injection to heart health, it is yet interesting to determine the long-term effects of this novel therapeutic strategy. For example, should individuals with a high risk for a heart attack be given stem cells early on to prevent its occurrence later in life? Or by how many years will patients live longer when given stems cells for repair of damaged heart cells? And can a combination of stem cells and medications double the chances of a patient to live longer? There will be a need to conduct multi-center clinical studies to address these questions, using prospective screening of patients who have developed a heart attack and monitoring them through the years to determine if they indeed live longer.

According to the latest statement of the American Health Association (AHA) published in the journal Circulation, the accumulation of scientific and medical research efforts have discovered the actual mechanism by which particulate matter in the air affects heart health. Very fine particles of sizes less than 2.5 microns are present in the polluted atmosphere. The presence of these particles has been strongly associated with an increase in the incidence of vascular disorders, including heart attack and stroke. The general heart health of exposed individuals are also at risk to air particles, resulting in abnormal heartbeat or arrhythmia, and other deleterious vascular conditions such as heart failure. An alarming feature of the AHA statement is that heart failure and stroke can occur within hours or days in an individual with poor heart health.

The AHA heart health statement also describes smaller particulate matter (< 0.1 microns in size) in polluted air, which is actually present in gaseous fumes such as those emitted by automobiles during heavy traffic. These ultrafine materials can easily enter the vascular system of the human body and induce the tightening of blood vessels. This constriction can significantly lessen the amount of oxygen that is transported to the rest of the body, with an effect similar to that of a stroke, which is the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, preventing the circulation of oxygenated blood to the entire body.

Particulate matter in polluted air has also been reported to increase the systemic blood pressure of exposed individuals, further increasing the risk for vascular disorders and stroke. Additional effects of air pollution include changes in the capacity for blood clotting, which is the major feature of a stroke, and modifications in coagulant protein, thrombin. Air pollution has also been reported to decrease the body’s capacity to elicit an immune response to foreign particles, which occur at sites of infection or injury through the vascular system. Vascular tissues are thus more prone to inflammation, which in turn can result in the deterioration of heart health and more importantly, increasing the risk for stroke.

The AHA statement also emphasized the negative effect of particulate matter on the development of atherosclerosis, or the accumulation of fatty deposits on the walls of vascular tissues. The continuous deposition of fats can impede blood circulation, resulting in the degeneration of heart health. Furthermore, the blockage in the vascular tissues can also induce the occurrence of a stroke.

Air pollution can affect any individual, yet it is also important to know that there are certain groups that are prone to the negative effects of particulate matter on heart health and stroke risk. According to the AHA statement, young children and the elderly have a greater risk of developing vascular diseases from exposure to polluted air. In the case of children, air pollution can prevent further development of vascular and immune tissues, thus inhibiting these young individuals from reaching their best heart health condition when they reach adulthood. On the other hand, the elderly have limited capacity to fight foreign particles in their bodies, thus increasing their chances of suffering from a stroke, developing vascular disorders, and ultimately destroying their heart health.

Stepping out of the house in the morning can be quite refreshing when a fresh morning breeze hits your face. Unfortunately, this fresh morning breeze can only be observed in limited places around the planet. Extensive industrialization has resulted in poor quality of air, which has accumulated tiny particles that could affect heart health and increase the risk for a stroke. Recent research studies have determined that the current quality of outdoor air have exceeded the acceptable levels that are deemed safe for heart health. The levels of pollutants in the air were determined to be highest in urban areas, and yes—the air in rural areas are now also polluted.

According to the latest statement of the American Health Association (AHA) published in the journal Circulation, the accumulation of scientific and medical research efforts have discovered the actual mechanism by which particulate matter in the air affects heart health. Very fine particles of sizes less than 2.5 microns are present in the polluted atmosphere. The presence of these particles has been strongly associated with an increase in the incidence of vascular disorders, including heart attack and stroke. The general heart health of exposed individuals are also at risk to air particles, resulting in abnormal heartbeat or arrhythmia, and other deleterious vascular conditions such as heart failure. An alarming feature of the AHA statement is that heart failure and stroke can occur within hours or days in an individual with poor heart health.

The AHA heart health statement also describes smaller particulate matter (< 0.1 microns in size) in polluted air, which is actually present in gaseous fumes such as those emitted by automobiles during heavy traffic. These ultrafine materials can easily enter the vascular system of the human body and induce the tightening of blood vessels. This constriction can significantly lessen the amount of oxygen that is transported to the rest of the body, with an effect similar to that of a stroke, which is the rupture of a blood vessel in the brain, preventing the circulation of oxygenated blood to the entire body.

Particulate matter in polluted air has also been reported to increase the systemic blood pressure of exposed individuals, further increasing the risk for vascular disorders and stroke. Additional effects of air pollution include changes in the capacity for blood clotting, which is the major feature of a stroke, and modifications in coagulant protein, thrombin. Air pollution has also been reported to decrease the body’s capacity to elicit an immune response to foreign particles, which occur at sites of infection or injury through the vascular system. Vascular tissues are thus more prone to inflammation, which in turn can result in the deterioration of heart health and more importantly, increasing the risk for stroke.

The AHA statement also emphasized the negative effect of particulate matter on the development of atherosclerosis, or the accumulation of fatty deposits on the walls of vascular tissues. The continuous deposition of fats can impede blood circulation, resulting in the degeneration of heart health. Furthermore, the blockage in the vascular tissues can also induce the occurrence of a stroke.

Air pollution can affect any individual, yet it is also important to know that there are certain groups that are prone to the negative effects of particulate matter on heart health and stroke risk. According to the AHA statement, young children and the elderly have a greater risk of developing vascular diseases from exposure to polluted air. In the case of children, air pollution can prevent further development of vascular and immune tissues, thus inhibiting these young individuals from reaching their best heart health condition when they reach adulthood. On the other hand, the elderly have limited capacity to fight foreign particles in their bodies, thus increasing their chances of suffering from a stroke, developing vascular disorders, and ultimately destroying their heart health.

The American Cancer Society estimates there will be almost 2 million new cancer cases in the United States this year, and of those cancer cases almost 600,000 people will die. It also notes that overall cancer death rates have been dropping in the last 10 years, but the decline has been greater for some groups more than others.

The research study says the least educated men died of cancer at rates more than 2 ½ times that of men with college degrees. For women, the numbers also suggest a widening gap.

Elizabeth Ward, who oversees research done by the American Cancer Society says, “people with college degrees are seeing a significant drop in cancer death rates, while people who have spent less time in school are seeing little improvement and sometimes none at all.”

However, Ward was quick to explain that, “just because we’re measuring education doesn’t mean we think education is the sole reason for these differences.”

Some experts believe that the differences have to do with a number of factors including education, how much people earn and the area where they reside. With that being said, it can’t be ignored that the cancer death rate and its connection to education is striking.

For women, the rate was 59 deaths per 100, 000 for the most educated group, and 119 deaths per 100, 000 for the least educated. For all types of cancer among men, there were about 56 deaths per 100, 000 for those with at least 16 years of education compared to 148 deaths per 100, 000 for those with less schooling.

People with a high school education or less died at a rate four to five times higher than those with at least four years of college education. The research shows the most shocking gap when it comes to lung cancer.

Studies have suggested that less educated people are more likely to engage in risky behaviors like over eating (possibly leading to obesity), smoking, and drinking. All of which are contributing factors that could ultimately lead to cancer.

And if all this wasn’t enough to cause concern, the study claims that people with less education often end up in lower income jobs which don’t come with adequate health insurance. Even more shocking is that there are millions of people in the United States who don’t have any health insurance at all, and these people are often diagnosed when it might be too late.

It doesn’t need to be as scary as it sounds. With some planning, you and your family could be safe and sound in the event of any emergency :

Tip #1

It is important to keep enough supplies in your home to meet the needs of you and your family for at least three days. An emergency supply kit should include: water, food, first aid supplies, and any special items that will be needed for infants, elderly, the sick or people with disabilities. Keep these items in an easy to carry container such as a covered trash container, a large backpack, or an overnight bag.

Tip #2

• Take a minute to check your family’s first aid kit, and note any depleted items. There should be two kits, one in your car and one in your home. The following is a list of items that every first aid kit should have.

-adhesive bandages, various sizes
-5″ x 9″ sterile dressing
-conforming roller gauze bandage
-triangular bandages
-3 x 3 sterile gauze pads
-4 x 4 sterile gauze pads
-roll 3″ cohesive bandage
-germicidal hand wipes or waterless alcohol-based hand sanitizer
-antiseptic wipes
-pair large medical grade non-latex gloves
-adhesive tape, 2″ width
-anti-bacterial ointment
-cold pack
-CPR breathing barrier, such as a face shield
-aspirin or non-aspirin pain reliever
-anti-diarrhea medication
-antacid (for stomach upset)

-syrup of Ipecac (use to induce vomiting if advised by the Poison Control Center)
-activated charcoal (use if advised by the Poison Control Center)

Tip #3

Preparing for emergencies won’t be expensive if you think ahead and buy small quantities at a time. Make a list of some foods that:

-have a long shelf-life and will not spoil (non-perishable).
-do not require cooking.
-can be stored easily.
-have a low salt content (salty foods will make you thirsty).

Examples of the foods that should be in your kit include, dried fruits and vegetables, chocolate and trail mix or granola bars. Food supplies should be bought in quantities to sustain each member of your family for at least three days following an emergency.

Tip #4

There should be a 3 day supply of clean drinking water for each person. Store a minimum of one gallon of water per person per day (two quarts for drinking, two quarts for food preparation and sanitation). Make sure that you store water in plastic containers. An active person needs to drink at least two quarts of water each day. Hot environments and strenuous activity can double that amount. Children, nursing mothers, and people who are sick will also need more.

Tip #5

When water is of questionable purity, it is easiest to use bottled water for drinking and cooking if it is available. When it isn’t available, it is important to learn how to treat contaminated water. In addition to having a bad odor and taste, water from questionable sources may be contaminated by a variety of microorganisms, including, bacteria and parasites that cause diseases such as dysentery, cholera, typhoid, and hepatitis. All water of uncertain purity should be treated using the following 2 step method:

1)Filter : Filter the water using a piece of cloth or coffee filter to remove solid particles.

2)Boil : Bring it to a rolling boil for about one full minute. Cool it and pour it back and forth between two clean containers to improve its taste before drinking it.

Your family is worth a few extra minutes of planning. With the proper game plan in place, you can keep your family safe in the event of any emergency!

The aging process is a complex process and involves many different variables that can interact with each other. Physical activity cuts across all to contribute to psychological and physical well-being that defines aging in a healthy way.

So let’s break down this program and see what a senior can do to enjoy a longer and healthier life.

Strength
Training with weights has a positive effect on insulin sensitivity, energy metabolism, and function. Regular strength training can reverse loss of muscle tissue and weakness in the elderly. For those who are completely inactive, starting a strength training program first helps your ability to perform aerobic activities.

Aerobics
Regular aerobic activity like running, swimming, cycling is very important. A moderate to high intensity exercise program may be required to improve all cardiovascular activities. Light to moderate intensity exercise can also help to reduce blood pressure.

Balance
Stability is especially important in older people as poor balance can cause a variety of serious injuries. Make sure to partake in exercises that include weight transfer and resistance exercises. Light walking or speed walking is an excellent choice.

Flexibility
It is recommended that flexibility exercises are well monitored in older adults. Focus on activities that improve joint range. This can include walking, aerobics, or a light stretching program.

Many of the problems that older people have are due to weaknesses caused by inactivity rather than a chronic disease, and a physical training program can have a wide variety of benefits that aren’t just physical. Older patients may socialize more frequently, take care of themselves, get out in the community and experience more because of improved confidence!

Cholesterol occurs naturally after you eat animal products, the only food that contains saturated fats. According to U.S. guidelines, you should aim to get 30% or less of your energy from total fat and, in particular, 10% or less of your energy from saturated fat. Unfortunately, many Americans far exceed this recommendation when consuming typical foods belonging to the Western diet.

The remedy for this problem is quite simple and can have far-reaching health benefits. The heart, after all, is an important organ. It must pump blood each and every day for you, tirelessly, without fail and without rest to ensure you remain alive. Doing whatever you can to help it out just makes sense from whatever angle you look at it. A four-week study recently found that adding certain vegetables to an already healthy diet will naturally lower LDL (bad) cholesterol and total cholesterol levels in your body. The study built upon the idea that you should get 10% or less of your energy from saturated fat.

Researchers attempted to see whether or not a plant-based diet (vegetables, legumes, and whole grains) could improve cholesterol levels because they were low in saturated fat, or because the nutrients within these foods actually lowered cholesterol. They looked at 120 adults between the ages of 30 and 65. Everyone had hypercholesterolemia, which involves higher than healthy lipid levels.

The participants in the study followed one of two low-fat diets that provided the 30% and 10% ratios as mentioned in the U.S. guidelines. The two diets differed in vegetable, fruit, legume, and whole grain content, but did have the same amount of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates, and cholesterol. The only thing that changed was the amount of plant-based foods that the two groups ate.

After one month, the 59 adults whose diet included high amounts of these four food groups experienced significant improvements in LDL and total cholesterol levels.

So here’s more proof that vegetable-based diets could help lower cholesterol without the need for drugs or supplements. What a great way to keep cholesterol levels in check while boosting the health of the rest of your body at the same time.

Just 45 minutes a day of cycling three times a week could help prevent heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. Why is cycling one of the best ways to get exercise and keep your weight in check? Cycling can give your heart a better workout than walking, without the pounding your joints take when jogging. Cycling is low cost. You can ride your bike anywhere. Put a basket on your bike and you can ride to the grocery store to stock up on supplies, without having to worry about carrying heavy bags home.

You can ride your bike to an appointment and avoid the stress of being delayed by traffic jams. You can ride your bike to visit friends or family and they’ll no doubt have a cold drink waiting for you! Cycling is fun; you don’t need a gym membership and you get to watch the scenery pass by.

All you need to do is find yourself a bicycle that fits you properly, that it is mechanically sound, and that has a bell. Remember to keep the air pressure in your tires at the maximum recommended PSI so that you are not working hard with each revolution of the pedals. And make sure you wear a properly fitting helmet and comfortable, breathable clothes.

Before starting out on a bike ride, do a few quick stretches to limber up. Bring a water bottle and a snack with you, and you are ready to travel. When choosing a route, find bike paths to ride on whenever possible so that you do not have to deal with the risks of cycling in traffic.

Now, if you can get your bike out for a spin three times a week, you’ll be adding some preventative medicine to your life that could ward of the complications of some pretty serious diseases, while at the same time giving you more strength and energy in your daily life.

It is based on restricting yourself to 2,000 calories a day. DASH lays out the number of servings you should aim for in all food groups. Following these rules could help drive your blood pressure down, and thus lower your risk of heart disease. DASH calls for eight to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables each day — far more than the two or three most adults currently get.

Here’s what DASH looks like on a serving-to-serving basis. The following rounds out to about 2,000 calories:

– Fruits: 4 to 5 servings each day
– Vegetables: 4 to 5
– Whole grains: 7 to 8
– Low-fat dairy: 2 to 3
– Meat, poultry, fish: 2 or less
– Nuts, seeds, beans: 4 to 5 per week
– Sweets: 5 or fewer a week
– Fats and oils: 2 to 3 a week

The DASH diet works in the walls of blood vessels. There are ingredients within some members of the produce aisle that account for the drop in blood pressure. The most integral ingredients are “nitrates,” found in leafy greens and beet root (to name just two), which, in your body, produce nitric oxide. This is a molecule that relaxes your blood vessels, which would naturally lower the pressure of blood flow. Nitrates prove that vegetables could prevent heart disease.

Researchers have proven that nitrate independently drops blood pressure levels. Nitrate supplements could have about the same effect as the DASH diet. For those who have a history of cardiac problems or who are trying to battle hypertension, following the DASH diet is a true medical tool.

While it’s hard to eat a huge amount of nitrate-rich foods, you can certainly help reverse hypertension by including more of them in your daily diet. These include virtually all types of lettuce, celery, spinach, beets, potatoes, green cabbage, broccoli, watercress, carrots, leeks, and radishes.

Chronic symptoms can affect day-to-day living. Friends  can pass away. Things may be a little stressful financially  as you learn to live with less income.

But in spite of all this, seniors are generally happy. In fact, they seem to experience more happiness than any other age group — at least according to a new study just published by the department of sociology at the University of Chicago.

Researchers surveyed Americans annually from 1972-2007. During each survey period, 1,500 to 3,000 people were interviewed. They were asked the following question:  “Taken all together, how would you say things are these days? Would you say that you are very happy, pretty or not too happy?”

It turns out that more than half of people over the age of 80  said they were “very happy.” Young people scored much farther down on the happiness scale, and those from the baby boomer generation, born between 1946 and 1964, also scored lower.

The results of this latest study have surprised some people in the medical community. Many of us hold a particular stereotype of what it’s like to be older and it usually  involves envisioning a life with no exciting job to go to, no passionate sex life, poor health, and an aged body. But this study hints that the reality may be very different.

Many seniors continue to be employed in their communities through volunteer work. Many seniors find working as a volunteer liberating. They are often treated well, are appreciated and are usually involved in something that has a direct benefit to the community.

And of course when it comes to sex, seniors continue to be active and enjoy passionate relationships with their partners. Many seniors find themselves embarking on new relationships later in life, in fact, that are full and rewarding experiences.

Seniors also seem to be quite accepting of the natural aging process of the body. Many keep active and embrace their extra wrinkles and graying hair with equanimity.

So, if you are in the process of aging — as we all are — cheer up! With age come a certain wisdom and ability to enjoy the here and now for what it is. Seniors often take the time to attend religious services regularly, engage in social activities, and visit with neighbors and friends.

You might find as you grow older that you are better able to appreciate what you have going for you, rather than what you don’t. It seems that seniors also have the ability to look at other people and realize that their own lot in life is not so bad at all.