Michigan Technology University

Performing compressions on someone lying in a soft and pliable mattress will only result in the force going into the mattress and not the body. The standard answer is to get the patient on a crash board first but that requires extra time to roll the patient and position the board. Extra time that is often critical.

But a group of innovative students at Michigan Tech may just have the answer. They have been developing a mattress that will allow faster and more effective cardiopulmonary resusciation (CPR).

The idea: Suck the air out of the foam in the mattress and make it firm

The means: some tubing, a little motor, and a vacuum pump.

The results: the CPR load (or force) that is applied to the heart increases to 81 percent with the Tech students mattress (as compared to 43 percent for standard mattress and 52 percent for standard mattress and crash board)

It’s a design that could save lives in a heartbeat.

(image source)

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Now a new Italian study highlights the fact that  “music induces a continuous, dynamic—and to some extent predictable—change in the cardiovascular system.”

This new study is a follow on from previous studies done by Luciano Bernardi and his team which had found that changes in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems mirrored musical tempos.

To find out more about how the body responds to changing rhythms, they hooked up 24 volunteers – half experienced singers, half with no musical training – to monitors that measure physiological signals. The volunteers were then subjected to five random selections of Bach, Beethoven, Puccini, and other classical artists as well as a two-minute segment of silence.

The results: When volunteers listened to musical selections with a series of crescendos, the monitors recorded a proportional constriction of blood vessels and increases in blood pressure, heart rate, and respiration. The opposition happened happened during decrescendos and the silent periods.

Most interestingly, during periods of ‘rich’ music phrases, such as the famous arias of Verdi, the volunteers heart rates synchronized with the music.

While the study sampled only a small number of participants, it indicates that further research and studies are warranted to explore ways to utilize music in new therapies targeting strokes and other heart conditions.

For further reading on this, check out Scientific American’s article Heart Beat: Music May Help Keep Your Cardiovascular System in Tune.

(image source)

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Created by a team of doctors from the Heart Hospital in London, this virtual heart is perfect for medical students to get indepth knowledge of the heart’s anatomy.

It sure beats staring at a dull anatomy textbook or static model.

It can be viewed from both inside and out, rotated around any axis with a simple flick or click of the computer mouse or keyboard.  It can even be made to simulate irregular heart beats and mirror the effects of various conditions and diseases.

(source and image)

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Just 9 years old, Alex Greven doesn’t have a girlfriend and has never dated, and yet he’s already written a guide to dating that’s shot to the top of the New York Times bestseller list. Entitled How to Talk to Girls, it’s based on his week long observations of his classmates in the playground.

It took a week to write. He showed it to his teacher, who showed it to the school’s principle, and the rest, as they say, was a total chain reaction. An appearance on the Ellen DeGeneres show lead to a contract with Harper Collins and a whirlwind media tour across the States. The books have since been published in five countries and there’s plans for Alex to write three more books for Harper Collins: “How to Talk to Moms” (Mach release),  “How to Talk to Dads,” and “How to Talk to Santa.” Rumor has it that there’s also a movie deal in the works. I guess he’s got his career path mapped out.

As for his message about How To Talk to Girls, here’s a sampling…

• You have to be aware that girls win most of the arguments and have most of the power. If you know that now, things might be easier.
• It’s good to give a girl compliments.
• If you like a girl, don’t be silly and goofy.
• A crush is like a love disease – try not to let it get you down.
• Most girls like polite boys, but girls always like the smartest boys.

As for Valentine’s Day, Alex is not playing favorites. He’s planning on sending cards to all the girls in his class.

Sounds like this kid is on the right track.

(source)

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Okay, I’ll be honest. I don’t usually spend much time checking my heart rate when exercising. I’m usually too busy simply trying to keep breathing and not collapsing.

But I’ve just discovered a gadget that would probably let me do both. It’s the  Timex Ironman Race Trainer, a heart rate monitor system that allows the user (exerciser) to wirelessly download their workout data. Once downloaded, you can then analyze the information to find out how to improve and enhance your workouts, track your progress and attain any fitness goals you have.

Here’s what you get with the Timex Ironman Race Trainer kit…

Haven’t tried it but it sounds great. I think I’ll just have to add the Timex Ironman Race Trainer to my Christmas wish list.

Meanwhile, Healthbolt readers have the opportunity to get one of their own simply by entering the Win A Timex Ironman Race Trainer giveaway.

All you have to do, as usual, is leave a comment by 16th December telling us why this should be yours and you never know, it just might be.

This, by the way, is an INTERNATIONAL giveaway.

The winners will be announced on 17th December and sent an email with the subject heading ‘Healthbolt Giveaway Winner’ with instructions on how to claim their prize.

And don’t forget it’s ‘every day a giveaway’ this month at Healthbolt.

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That is, until I realized I didn’t know all five of them either. Doh!

But with heart disease affecting more younger people and women all the time – not to mention those you’d “expect” to be stricken – I made it my business to learn real quick what these telltale signs are. Do you know them?

1. Pain or pressure in the chest

2. Shortness of breath

3. Pulsating pain in the jaw, neck or back

4. Feelings of weakness or light-headedness

5. Radiating pain in the arms or shoulders

So…how’d you do? Whether you aced naming all five or you only got the obvious (chest pain), you can learn all kinds of stuff about the heart at our own sister blog, A Hearty Life.

And remember, regardless of how resilient and untouchable you believe you are, if you find yourself experiencing any of these symptoms, give your doc (or emergency personnel) a call in a hurry.

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Image details: Healthy beets served by picapp.com

We're mere moments from the start of a holiday weekend. A weekend full of relaxation, togetherness, and food. Of course, for most of us, the term “food” shall be used loosely to describe “meals” which consist of brats, hot dogs, burgers, assorted mayonnaise-laden salads, desserts, and maybe, maybe a slice of watermelon. Oh, and beer.

And what we really should be eating differs greatly. In fact, here’s the list, according to the New York Times, of the 11 superfoods which should be staples in our gone-awry diets. Check and see just how many you intersperse into mealtimes:

1. Beets

2. Cabbage

3. Swiss Chard

4. Cinnamon

5. Pomegranate Juice

6. Dried Plums

7. Pumpkin Seeds

8. Sardines

9. Turmeric

10. Frozen Blueberries

11. Canned Pumpkin

So…how’d you do? I have exactly 3 of those things on a regular basis, and most I never eat at all. Hmm. Peculiar. I wonder where “brownies” and “Lucky Charms” are on that list?

Anyhoo, if that’s not enough to prompt a diet overhaul, then I’m not sure what is. But…go ahead and enjoy the weekend’s naughty indulgences first. After all, we are celebrating America’s independence, right? And what’s a celebration without a cupcake or a mittfull of chips?

Exactly!

For more tips on how to incorporate these foods into your diet, read the whole story here.

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Easy Health Tip of the Day:

Give your massive handbag the ‘ol heave-ho to lower blood pressure.

Why?

Because wearing a heavy bag compresses the veins in your shoulders and increases your BP in as little as 10 minutes! So imagine the kind of damage you could be doing during an all-day shopping marathon. Aye Chihuahua!

The fix? A lighter bag (duh) or one with a strap over two inches wide to help distribute the bag’s weight more evenly. A clutch or backpack would work, too.

Image: eluxury.com

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Image details: "Go Red For Women" Movement Celebration served by picapp.com

Continuing with Celebrity Health Week here at the b5media Health & Wellness channel, we were shocked to read that R & B songstress, Toni Braxton, was (gasp!) a heart disease sufferer. How can that be? She’s young (late 30’s at the time of her diagnosis), slender, and well, a star. Not to mention the fact that she’s a woman!

Well, guess what, all? Heart disease is not picky. Not one bit.

Braxton, officially diagnosed with pericarditis (an inflammation of the lining of the heart), has taken her star power and put it to great use. She is now a spokeswoman for the Campbell Soup Co.’s Go Red With Campbells campaign. In this role, Ms. Braxton helps educate folks like you about the #1 killer of women: heart disease.

The entire GoRedWithCampbells.com site is a treasure box of info on how to reduce your risk for heart disease and how to support this movement.

Great job, Toni, for keeping up a healthy lifestyle and for helping the rest of us learn how to do the same. Bravo, and best wishes to you!

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Image details: Love spelt in silver letters served by picapp.com

As I prepare to celebrate my 10th wedding anniversary tomorrow, I was thrilled to come across a small article listing 4 fabulous “side-effects” to being in a loving relationship.

1) Lower stress hormones

2) More physical activity (of all kinds, ahem)

3) Less likely to smoke

4) Decrease in blood pressure

Wow! Seems not only does love affect your emotional heart, it’s great for your physical ticker as well.

Sounds like I have lots to celebrate! Grab your honey and celebrate being in love along with me, won’t you?

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