I look forward to it and think it will be fun.  Who doesn’t want to know about heart disease among the famous. There is plenty of both good and bad information and news on this topic.

Look for all my celebrity posts starting Monday June 9th-Saturday June 14th.

Post from: Blisstree

Our first celebrity week at the Health and Wellness channel and A Hearty Life

We all know that pregnancy brings extra fluid, ie. fat fingers and very swollen feet. The heart is also affected by the increase in fluid. When there is extra fluid floating through ones vascular system the heart has to work harder and beat faster.

Extra weight and water retention—common during pregnancy—make the heart pump harder. A pregnant woman with heart disease should call the doctor immediately if she experiences any dizziness, discomfort, or pain. She should be sure to include adequate iron and folic acid in her diet and restrict her salt intake. The obstetrician will exercise special caution when prescribing medications and may ask a heart specialist (cardiologist) to help oversee the pregnancy.

Another type of cardiac complication is high blood pressure. This can very dangerous if untreated.

About 7 percent of pregnant women have high blood pressure. Your chances of developing it are greatest during your first pregnancy, especially if you’re a teenager or over 30, are overweight, or have a history of hypertension. Other risk factors include diabetes, multiple births (such as twins or triplets), too much water in the amniotic sac surrounding the fetus and lack of prenatal care.  An early tipoff to high blood pressure is any sign of fluid retention, such as a puffy face or swollen fingers, blurred vision, or severe headaches. Other symptoms are pain in the upper abdomen and a weight gain of more than 2 or 3 pounds in 1 week during the last month of pregnancy.

Bottom line is to stay current with all your prenatal checkups and watch what you eat and your amount of exercise. Also, if you are placed on any sort of bed rest due to high blood pressure or a taxed heart… listen!! You need to take care of yourself and in turn you are taking care of your baby.

via Health Square 

Post from: Blisstree

Even Jamie Lee Spears can develop high blood pressure while pregnant

Low-fat diets are more effective in preserving and promoting a healthy cardiovascular system than low-carbohydrate, Atkins’-like diets, according to a new study by researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

I have been preaching this for years. Being a diabetic I have to marry these 2 diets. Low carb has to meet low fat which at times is difficult, but I have learned what works.It just makes sense when you think about it. How can eating 4 hard boiled eggs and a pack of bacon be good for your heart? And didn’t the father of the Adkins diet die from a heart attack? There has to be a compromise.

“The higher fat content of a low-carbohydrate diet may put dieters at an increased risk of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) because low-carbohydrate diets often reduce protection of the endothelium, the thin layer of cells that line the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The reduced production from the endothelium of nitric oxide, a specific chemical, puts the vessel at higher risk of abnormal thickening, greater clotting potential, and cholesterol deposition, all part of the atherosclerosis process,” says Dr. Gutterman.

to read more on this…

Post from: Blisstree

Low fat diets prove to have the upper hand over low carb diets according to heart disease

1. The human heart looks like a piece of red meat, aka steak or a raw hamburger patty. In fat or obese people the heart actually looks like it is covered in yellow goo, aka the fat tissue. Yellow… no good. Red… good!

2. Even though we are taught to put our hand over our heart on the left side of our chest, it is actually tucked away between our lungs in the middle of our chests. Think of it as being protected.

3. When you are exercising, it takes about 10-12 seconds for your blood to go from your heart to your big toe and back again. That is fast!

4. A child’s heart has to push blood through 60,000 miles (roughly 96,500 km) of blood vessels. That would be long enough to circle the Earth 2 and a half times. Holy potatoes. Amazing!!!!!

5. Your heart beats about 100,000 times a day which would mean an average lifetime would work out to be… over 2 and a half billion times! Now that’s a big ol’ fact!

This is why we must teach our youth to exercise and eat a healthy diet. We have to keep the ol’ tickers in tip top shape ’cause we’re gonna need em!

Post from: Blisstree

5 Fun Hearty Facts To Share With Our Youth…