How To Avoid an Aneurysm

July 6, 2014 by admin 
Filed under Health

 

The brain is one of the most important parts of our body and any disease related to the brain or the nervous system is a cause of worry. A brain aneurysm is a form of deformity in which a balloon or bulge is formed in one of the blood vessels of the brain. It usually looks as if a berry is hanging on to a stem.

How Does Leaking/Ruptured Aneurysm Affect the Brain?

The leaking or rupturing of the aneurysm seriously affects the brain:

§  Leaking or rupturing of the brain aneurysm can cause bleeding within the brain leading to hemorrhagic stroke.

§  This rupture of the brain usually occurs in between the thin tissues that cover the brain and the brain space.

§  Once the rupture of an aneurysm occurs, it starts affecting the other functions of the brain and can prove fatal.

§  The hemorrhagic stroke that occurs in this way is known as subarachnoid haemorrhage.

Un-ruptured Aneurysm

§  There are several aneurysms though that do not rupture or cause health-affecting symptoms.

§  Such aneurysms are mostly traced when tests are carried out for analysing other health problems affecting the brain.

§  An appropriate treatment can be suggested for such un-ruptured aneurysm by the doctor to prevent chances of leakage or rupture in the future.

Symptoms of Ruptured Aneurysm

One of the major symptoms of a ruptured aneurysm is severe headache and is supposed to be the worst ever experienced by anyone. Some other symptoms include:

§  Vomiting and nausea

§  Extreme to severe headache

§  Double vision or blurred vision

§  Stiff neck

§  Confusion

§  Seizure

§  Unconsciousness

§  Drooping Eyelid

§  Light sensitivity

Symptoms of Leaking Aneurysm

In some cases, the aneurysm may not rupture but there can be slight leaking of blood that can cause severe headache. Mostly a rupture always leads to leaks.

Symptoms of an Unruptured Aneurysm

Many times if the aneurysm is very small, no symptoms are produced. However, in cases of large unruptured aneurysm certain problems can arise due to the pressing of the bulge on the nerves and brain tissues. Symptoms in such cases include:

§  Drooping Eyelid

§  Numbness, paralysis or weakness on one side

§  Dilated pupil

§  Pain behind or above the eye

§  Double vision or change in the vision

§  Severe headache

If you suffer from any of the above symptoms, you should consult your caregiver.

Is it Possible to Avoid Brain Aneurysm?

Clinically, there is no guaranteed remedy that can keep the formation of a brain aneurysm at bay. However, you can always reduce the chances of its formation by keeping a check on things that stimulate their development such as high blood pressure and smoking.

Smoking and Aneurysm

§  Clinical researchers have revealed that people who smoke regularly are at a greater risk of developing brain aneurysm.

§  The risk is more in people who carry a special type of gene variable in their body.

§  Such people are more likely to develop cancer or heart disease in further courses.

§  When people with specific gene variation smoke frequently, they become vulnerable to aneurysm.

§  On the other hand, people who quit smoking are at less risk of developing brain aneurysm.

§  Passive smoking or secondhand smoking too is equally dangerous

You can take help of NHS service that guides you into quitting smoking, or you can ask for medication from your doctor to help you quit smoking.

Family History and Aneurysm

§  One of the ways to reduce the development of aneurysms is by checking with your family history and accordingly taking necessary steps.

§  If one or two of your family members in the recent past have suffered from an aneurysm, you should opt for screening of your brain.

§  In case you have developed an eye disorder or double vision problem and also have a family history of aneurysm, you must go for the screening test.

§  Carrying out the test prior to rupture saves you from further problems and the aneurysm can be easily treated without causing any severe health condition.

Control Hypertension to Avoid Aneurysm

High blood pressure can also lead to the development of a brain aneurysm. The best way is to reducehypertension by following the below steps:

§  Take healthy diet, cut down on salt and eat lots of vegetables and fresh fruits

§  Keep the intake of alcohol from moderate to low

§  Maintain a normal weight and lose the extra weight if any, to keep the high blood pressure under control

§  Exercise regularly

All these measures can help you avoid the problem of a brain aneurysm

Thoughts for the Day - Give Thanks

Good Morning,

I wanted to start this week by setting the tone for all of us to remember the good things we all have in our lives.  I hope this week we can focus on the wonderful people and opportunities.  These we're some thoughts that provided some inspiration for me at the beginning of this week.  Take care, Dave.

“Be thankful for what you have; you'll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don't have, you will never, ever have enough”
― Oprah Winfrey

“One of the main reasons that we lose our enthusiasm in life is because we become ungrateful..we let what was once a miracle become common to us. We get so accustomed to his goodness it becomes a routine..”
― Joel Osteen 

“Sometimes we focus so much on what we don't have that we fail to see, appreciate, and use what we do have!”
― Jeff Dixon 

“We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction.”
― Harry A. Ironside 

“Life without thankfulness is devoid of love and passion. Hope without thankfulness is lacking in fine perception. Faith without thankfulness lacks strength and fortitude. Every virtue divorced from thankfulness is maimed and limps along the spiritual road.”
― John Henry Jowett

Your Chance to Quit Smoking Today... MINDWAYS QUIT Solution™ Stop Smoking Program

Are you ready to Change Your Life Today???

                         MINDWAYS QUIT Solution ™

Become a Non-smoker for the Rest of Your Life... 

Dear Future Non-smoker, (Yes, that can be You)

Over the course of the next day, week, or even month, we will support your efforts as you Stop Smoking for the Rest of Your Life.  By purchasing our Interactive QUIT Smoking Program Today you will achieve the greatness you've always had inside you. Here's how The MINDWAYS QUIT Solution was designed to ensure your success:  It is a 4-part, step-by-step (walk-you-by-the-hand) Interactive eBook and Videos, that is guaranteed to get you to stop smoking.  By the time you're done, you'll be able to Control Your Cravings, Feel Energized, and Start Changing Your future as you live out your dreams.

Dave and Hazel

If You Can Conceive It, and Believe It, You Can Achieve It!

Napoleon Hill coined this phrase, but it fits perfectly into Our mantra...

"Achieving Success with Mind Empowerment".  Changing your thinking is essential to achieving your goals in life, and also to Stop Smoking.  If you're like most smokers you've "Tried, Tried, and Tried Again" to stop smoking with some short-lived success.  If that describes you, we have specifically designed our program to meet your needs.  Our powerful 4 step method combines practical strategies with powerful solutions that result in creating your "Lasting Freedom from Dependence on Smoking".

Are you ready to Change Your Life Today???

Here's what you'll discover with the eBook's step-by-step plan that helps you transition through the quitting process:

Module 1 (Quantify Your Risks)

• Why dependence occurs?

• How has it impacted You?

• A chance to identify personal risks with tools you can use to speak with your medical provider.

• Resources that show the benefits you'll gain financially after quitting.

• Learn how to use our Step by Step process to manage your stress.

• Finally, use Hypnosis to change thoughts that could be holding you back from the success you desire.

Module 2 (Understand Your Story)

• Use research supported tools to discover the reasons why you smoke, and your level of dependence.

• Identify the Triggers that make you feel like smoking.

• Finally, use Hypnosis to change thoughts that could be holding you back from the success you desire.

Module 3 (Initiate New Actions)

• Use assessment results to tailor an action plan for managing your triggers.

• Learn new strategies to ensure your success in managing cravings.

• Understand how your body may respond to the quitting process, and learn about interventions that will help.

• Finally, use Hypnosis to change thoughts that could be holding you back from the success you desire.

Module 4 (Transform Your Future)

• Learn about the Power of Positive Thinking.

• Learn how to use Positive Affirmations to reformat the thought patterns in your sub-conscious.

• Receive a 30 day Pathway to Success Plan to provide ongoing support after the program.

• Finally, use Hypnosis to change thoughts that could be holding you back from the success you desire.
  
  

  Are you ready to Change Your Life Today???

**This isn't a bunch of theory, but scientifically proven methods and practices that have been used to help people Stop smoking.

8 Myths About Quitting Smoking

 What you don't know about dropping the habit could hurt you

 

Published: June 30, 2014  |  BY Ashley Oerman

Myth #1: E-Cigarettes will help you quit

A new study by the University of California in San Francisco found that e-cigarettes are not as effective in helping smokers quit as you might think. The review of 82 studies looked at the impact e-cigarettes had on users and discovered that people who smoked the electronic cigs were actually less likely to quit smoking than people who never used them. Crazy, right? Read the truth about e-cigarettes here.

Myth #2: You'll Definitely Gain Weight

Trust us, those cigarettes aren't keeping you thin; in fact, one study found that smoking may actually make you gain weight. That's just one more reason to kick the habit for good. So why does this myth continue to persist? Well, it's true that if you compensate for smoking by snacking on unhealthy foods, your pants may be fitting a little tighter, but that doesn't have to be the case. Read more about a new medication that helps prevent weight gain while quitting, plus more stay-healthy tips here. 

Myth #3: Quitting is Expensive

Don't want to invest in pricey patches and medications to help you quit? Well, if you do the math, you'll see that they will eventually pay for themselves when you're not constantly buying cigarettes, says Marc L. Steinberg, Ph.D., an assistant professor of addiction psychiatry. Plus, he says, if you have life insurance you will pay much less on your premiums as a non-smoker. 

Myth #4: Hookah is a Healthier Alternative to Cigarettes

If you only smoke recreationally—like when you're out on the town, for example—you might think that hitting up a hookah bar is a healthier alternative to getting a little buzz via cigarettes. But you would be wrong. A report by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention found that smoking hookah is at least as toxic as smoking cigarettes and a more recent study by the University of California at San Francisco found that one night of smoking hookah significantly increases your exposure to cancer-causing carcinogens. Yikes.

Myth #5: Quitting After Years of Smoking Won't Improve Your Health

It's never too late to get the health benefits of being smoke free, says Steinberg. In fact, after just one year without cigarettes, a person can reduce their risk of heart disease by half, he says. And the benefits don't even take that long to kick in. Twenty minutes after quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure drop. And just 12 hours after your last cigarette, the levels of carbon monoxide in your blood stream normalize. Two to three months after quitting, you can look forward to your lung function and circulation improving.
 

Myth #6: You Won't Be Able to Deal With Stress Without Smoking

Although a lot of people smoke when they're stressed out, studies have shown that non-smokers are less anxious than smokers, and smokers who quit are less anxious than current ones, says Steinberg. So how did this myth get started? Steinberg says that when people are used to coping with stress by smoking, they might feel more anxious when they quit because they're not sure how to deal with their stress levels. But get this: Since nicotine is a stimulant, there's really no stress-reducing benefits that come with smoking. What might actually be de-stressing a smoker during a smoke break is simply getting away from their desk or a stressful situation and taking time to clear their head, which you can totally do.

Myth #7: You'll Lose Your Creative Edge at Work

If you smoke to get a buzz before you get to work in the morning, you might not be doing yourself any favors. Even though you might feel that smoking gives you an edge or a jump on your work, smoking can actually keep you from working to the best of your abilities. Here's the thing, says Steinberg, smokers are more likely to take sick days and get sick more often in general, and if you're not at work or you're fighting a bug, you're not going to be as productive as you could be. Another bummer: Your boss and coworkers might resent the amount of smoke breaks you take because they could be keeping you from getting more work done, he says.

Myth #8: You'll Lose Your Friends

Obviously you won't be able to pop outside the bar on a night out for a cigarette, but Steinberg says that he's never had a patient say that they've lost friends after kicking the habit. Though trying to quit when you're friends are puffing away can be difficult, try to avoid situations with friends where they'll be smoking and schedule a group shindig that does not leave room for cigarettes. And don't settle for cutting back to just a "social smoker." Here,

Reverse Health Risks by the Time Your 50 an article by Sarah Griffiths

Good Morning,

I thought this was a great article as we enter the holidays, and then on to a new year.  I'm 45 and this hits home with me.  We all have the opportunity at a second chance if we haven't been completely dedicated to living healthy.  As someone who has spent a good portion of my medical career taking care of chronically ill and hospice patients, there are things that we can do to prevent outcomes by the way we choose to live our lives.  That's just it, it's about choices and our ability to be in control of our health.  I hope you find this article valuable, and it inspires you to new healthy changes in your life.  Take care, Dave.

 Worried about your unhealthy lifestyle? Don't! You can REVERSE the effects of smoking and poor diet if you ditch the bad habits by 50

• Researchers at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago based their findings on a study of 5,000 people
• They tracked people's lifestyles and measured the health of their arteries
• They found a quarter of people added one healthy habit as they got older
• The effects of bad habits adopted in early adulthood, such as a poor diet and smoking, can be controlled and reversed if action is taken by 50, they said
• But the scientists warned that healthy people who pick up extra bad habits as they age have a detrimental impact on their arteries

By Sarah Griffiths

Published: 10:16 EST, 1 July 2014 | Updated: 12:38 EST, 1 July 2014

Adults can reverse the negative effects of heart disease by dropping unhealthy habits in their 30s and 40s, scientists claim.  A new study suggests that eating a healthier diet and doing more exercise can control and potentially even reverse the natural progression of coronary artery disease.  But the researchers warned that picking up extra bad habits as you get older will have a detrimental impact on your arteries.

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A new study suggests that if people make healthy changes to their lifestyle in their 30s and 40s, they can control and potentially even reverse the natural progression of coronary artery disease (illustrated)

‘It’s not too late,’ said Bonnie Spring, lead investigator of the study and a professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.

‘You’re not doomed if you’ve hit young adulthood and acquired some bad habits. You can still make a change and it will have a benefit for your heart.’

However, according to the study, which was published in the journal Circulation, if people drop healthy habits or pick up more bad habits as they age, there is measurable, detrimental impact on their coronary arteries.

CORONARY HEART DISEASE

Coronary heart disease kills around 82,000 people in the UK each year.  About one in five men and one in eight women die from the disease.  There are an estimated 2.7million people living with the condition.  As well as angina - chest pain - the main symptoms of heart disease are heart attacks and heart failure.  Coronary heart disease describes what happens when the heart's blood supply is blocked by a build-up of fatty substances in the coronary arteries.  Over time, the walls of the arteries become 'furred up,' in a process called atherosclerosis.  This can be caused by smoking, high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes. ‘If you don’t keep up a healthy lifestyle, you’ll see the evidence in terms of your risk of heart disease,’ Professor Spring said.

Scientists based their research on 5,000 participants of the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study, which examined people’s lifestyle behaviors as well as coronary artery calcification and thickening between the ages of 18 and 30 – and 20 years later.  The healthy lifestyle factors assessed were: not being overweight or obese, being a non-smoker, being physically active and eating healthily without drinking much alcohol.  At the beginning of the study when the participants were young adults, less than 10 per cent of people reported all five healthy lifestyle behaviours.  At the 20-year mark, around one quarter of the participants had added at least one healthy lifestyle behavior.  Increasing healthy lifestyle factors were linked with reduced odds of detectable coronary artery calcification and lower intima-media thickness, which are two major markers of cardiovascular disease that can predict future cardiovascular events.  ‘This finding is important because it helps to debunk two myths held by some health care professionals,’ said Professor Spring.  ‘The first is that it’s nearly impossible to change patients’ behaviors. Yet, we found that 25 per cent of adults made healthy lifestyle changes on their own.

Professor Bonnie Spring said: 'You're not doomed if you've hit young adulthood and acquired some bad habits. You can still make a change and it will have a benefit for your heart'

PROFESSOR SPRING’S HEALTHY LIFESTYLE TIPS

• Keep a healthy body weight
• Don’t smoke
• Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity five times a week
• No more than one alcoholic drink a day for women, no more than two for men
• Eat a healthy diet, high in fiber, low in sodium with lots of fruit and vegetables

‘The second myth is that the damage has already been done - adulthood is too late for healthy lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of developing coronary artery disease.

'Clearly, that’s incorrect. 'Adulthood is not too late for healthy behavior changes to help the heart.’

While some participants in the study became healthier in their lifestyle choices, 40 per cent of the sample dropped healthy habits and acquired more bad habits as they aged.

‘That loss of healthy habits had a measurable negative impact on their coronary arteries,’ Professor Spring said. 

Increasing healthy lifestyle factors were linked with reduced odds of detectable coronary artery calcification and lower intima-media thickness, which are two major markers of cardiovascular disease that can predict future cardiovascular events. An illustration of a thickened and hardened artery is pictured, ‘Each decrease in healthy lifestyle factors led to greater odds of detectable coronary artery calcification and higher intima-media thickness. 'Adulthood isn’t a “safe period” when one can abandon healthy habits without doing damage to the heart. 'A healthy lifestyle requires upkeep to be maintained.'

Professor Spring said the healthy changes people in the study made are attainable and sustainable.

She thinks that people can maintain a good lifestyle by not smoking, keeping a healthy body weight, doing 30 minutes of moderate exercise five times a week and eating a healthy diet that is high in fibre and low in salt, with lots of fruit and vegetables.  She said that women should limit themselves to one alcoholic drink a day and men, a maximum of two drinks.