Health Made Easy

Swine Flu – How Close is it to You?

When we thought things could not get much worst on the heels of the global recession, we were ambushed with news of a deadly virus facing us. Yes this deadly virus is not confined to one or two countries but could affect all countries, all cities, all homes, all neighbors, and all homes! To make matters bad our leaders are still grappling for (if I may say) some hopeful solutions to tackle this threatening monster.

This monster we speak of is officially being referred to as the H1N1 virus. It began carrying the name swine flu but was aggressively renamed as the H1N1 virus because the swine/pig meat community was concerned that the name in its original form could damage their pig/swine meat sales. Congratulation to the pig meat community for a job well accomplished on the rebranding but God help us now as this new name has not brought us any closer to finding a wholesale solution to this virus.

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What causes mitral valve prolapse?

Mitral valve prolapse (MVP) is among the most common heart conditions; however it remains something of a puzzle. Although MVP affects about two percent of the population, the cause is unknown. MVP often occurs in people who have no other heart problems, and the condition may be inherited.

The mitral valve is located in the heart between the upper-left chamber (the left atrium) and the lower-left chamber (the left ventricle). The mitral valve consists of two flaps called leaflets.

In normal operation the leaflets open and close in a specific sequence. This allows the blood to flow in one direction, from the atrium to the ventricle. The left ventricle is the heart’s main pumping chamber and pushes oxygen-rich blood into the arteries, which carry the blood throughout the body.

In patients with MVP, one or both of the leaflets are enlarged, and the leaflets’ supporting muscles are too long. Instead of closing evenly, one or both of the leaflets collapse or bulge into the atrium sometimes allowing small amounts of blood to flow back into the atrium. By listening to the heart with a stethoscope, the doctor may hear a “clicking” sound caused by the flapping of the leaflets.

Sometimes, MVP leads to a condition known as mitral regurgitation or mitral insufficiency. This means a large amount of blood is leaking backward through the defective valve. Mitral regurgitation can lead to the thickening or enlargement of the heart wall. This is caused by the extra pumping the heart must do to make up for the backflow of blood. It sometimes causes people to feel tired or short of breath. Mitral regurgitation can usually be treated with medicines, and some people need surgery to repair or replace the defective valve.

Most of the time, MVP is not a serious condition, even when some patients report palpitations or sharp chest pains. Most patients do not need treatment

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Diet For Migraine

If eliminating migraine triggers doesn’t work, what can you do instead of drugs? Both men and women who suffer migraine are typically deficient in magnesium. An imbalance between magnesium and calcium is an important factor in premenstrual migraine. Intravenous magnesium often produces complete symptom relief during acute migraines, usually within 15 minutes or less, although it is more useful for migraine sufferers who experience an aura before the onset of headache. Taking magnesium supplements (preferably a calcium-magnesium tablet) will help, as will eating magnesium-rich foods.

The best foods for magnesium include amaranth greens (yin tsai), avocados, barley, buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, and oysters. Almonds, Brazil nuts, and chocolate are also good sources of magnesium, but they are also common migraine triggers, so chances are you should avoid them.

A clinical trial found that taking large doses of the B-vitamin riboflavin for two months led to at least a 50 percent reduction in the number of attacks in 59 percent of people taking it. Riboflavin may be especially helpful for women who take birth control pills and for both men and women on cholesterol-lowering medications. Good food sources of riboflavin include avocados, clams, duck, lamb, most mushrooms, pork, whole milk, and yogurt.

It’s also important to avoid the “wrong” foods. Excessive intake of foods containing the amino acid tyramine can set off migraine attacks. Try avoiding foods containing tyramine, including anchovies, beer, hard cheeses, chocolate, corned beef, dried meats, fava beans, fermented beans such as miso and soy sauce, lima beans, pickled herring, red wine, sardines, sauerkraut, and brewer’s yeast.

Tags: balance, calcium, cholesterol, clinic, drugs, foods, headache, magnesium, magnesium supplement, magnesium supplements, menstrual migraine, migrain, migraine, migraine attacks, migraine suffer, migraine sufferers, migraine trigger, migraines, taking magnesium, vitamin

Health Made Easy

Swine Flu – How Close is it to You?

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