12/06/2011

Statins: Medication for Lowering Cholesterol

Medication for lowering cholesterol is the largest selling prescription medication in the market, therefore a huge business for pharmaceutical companies. One of the most effective medications for lowering cholesterol are statins. Statins have been known for some serious side effects which are fortunately rare, that said, some specific statins have shown to have some pretty high occurrence of serious side effects, including instances of death. There is a group of scientists and doctors that believe that cholesterol-lowering medications do more harm than good, there is actually a movement against using these medications, it’s called The International Network of Cholesterol Skeptics. Obviously, those who have had or have seen serious side effects from statins happening are against the medication, on the other hand numbers show that since using the medication the occurrence of death from heart attacks has decreased.

I did quite a bit of research on this, and from the looks of it there a certain age groups that don’t seem to benefit from taking these medications, particularly those over 70 years old. Moreover, many studies show questionable results regarding the benefit of use associated with these medications for women, however, the general consensus among doctors is that the medication is overall beneficial, though many believe that it’s overused and for instances where the problem can be solved by nature a means, like exercise and proper diet, a certain number of physicians just prescribe the medication anyways, instead of following through and making sure that patients stick to a healthy proper diet and regular exercise regime. Obviously in today’s pace of life a lot of people just choose the easy way of taking the cholesterol-lowering medication and not bothering with lifestyle changes necessary to take the issue under control, and quite honestly, knowing how insane the pace could be, it’s difficult to blame them. Either way, you can read the brief research I did about statins and their side effects following this link Statins

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11/22/2011

How To Boost Metabolism: New Writer, New Projects

So our next research went about how to boost metabolism. You can read the entire article here

How To Boost Metabolism

I’m lucky to have found this new writer actually since having all this load on my shoulders was overwhelming. I definitely have my own way of doing research and I certainly will try to keep it under the theme of being more scientific while easy to read for the reader. That being said, little different touch to the way the research is being done and the articles are written will definitely add a little more variety and interest to the content. Next on the list will be how garlic affects cholesterol levels, whether it’s beneficial or it is just a myth, as well as health benefits of garlic in general along with ways to keep your skin healthy and beautiful with natural sources. I’m thinking also doing a little research on different nuts and how they affect health and cholesterol levels. I know for sure almonds & walnuts are great for this but I want to do some in-depth research on the other types of nuts as well as looking to some studies from pubmed to get some numbers on how much exactly they have shown to lower cholesterol levels and what other health benefits are associated with them. I’m assuming the fiber content in nuts as well as various vitamins they have packed in them must have something to do with their benefits, I think the nuts being high-fat scares a lot of people from using them regularly, however evidence shows that the fat you get from nuts doesn’t contribute to weight gain or cholesterol increase, in fact you get the exact opposite effect.

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10/26/2011

Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy

Cardiomyopathy is a term used to refer to a group of heart disease disorders that are related to the heart muscle. There are 4 specific types of cardiomyopathy including restrictive, dilated, hypertrophic and alcoholic cardiomyopathy. Each type can have various causes such as alcohol and drug abuse, eating disorders, hereditary or genetic disorders or even pregnancy. In cases where the cardiomyopathy cause is not clearly known, the patient may be diagnosed with idiopathic cardiomyopathy. Idiopathic refers unknown etiology or unknown cause. 

The most common kind of idiopathic cardiomyopathy is dilated cardiomyopathy in which the heart muscles are enlarged and sometimes weakened muscles that become enlarged and stretched over time and this causes the heart to fail to meet the blood flow pumping needs of the vital organs of the body. Because it happens overtime and is usually undetected, dilated cardiomyopathy is usually referred to as idiopathic. Other forms of idiopathic cardiomyopathy include hypertrophic and ARVD, a rare type of idiopathic cardiomyopathy that is often found in younger teenagers and children.

As with other kinds of cardiomyopathy, all forms of idiopathic cardiomyopathy can be inherited genetically or as a result of several things such as alcohol and drug abuse. It is common in most age groups particularly between adolescence and late adulthood. Idiopathic refers to unknown cause and since this heart muscle disorder has most people that have this disorder do not really know about it until it is too late, there are various symptoms that can indicate the possibility of cardiomyopathy.

 

Symptoms & Diagnosis

The best way to detect idiopathic cardiomyopathy of all kinds is to check the symptoms early even if the cause is not known. Symptoms can range from difficulty in breathing such as shortness of breath, fluid retention or even swelling of the ankles, feet and abdomen. Some other symptoms might also include fatigue and a high urine outtake. These symptoms should be taken seriously as all forms of dilated or idiopathic cardiomyopathy can result in heart failure and untimely death. 

A doctor or cardiologist should be able to diagnose the symptoms to provide a clear diagnosis of the heart condition that a patient is suffering and recommend treatment. In many cases, there might be a need to elaborate on family genetic history to examine if the disorder is inherited or is the result of other causes. Since the disorders’ exact cause is unknown, a doctor or cardiologist might recommend several types of treatment to resolve the disorder.

 

How to Treat Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy 

Treatment for idiopathic cardiomyopathy can range from being put on a life support system or pacemaker to having heart surgery or just being put on medication. The medication that is given might help to lower blood pressure and assist a patient in regaining normal blood pressure and blood flow. For long term results, the best approach would be to have heart surgery or being assisted by a pacemaker. A heart transplant may be a last resort is the heart muscle has been severely damaged. 

Dealing with idiopathic cardiomyopathy earlier than later is always the best way to guarantee some kind of reversing this disorder before it is too late. 

Reference:

1. Cholesterol Website
3. Statins Effects

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