Obesity

Health problems of being overweight, obesity is bad news for both body and mind. Not only can it make a person feel tired and uncomfortable, carrying extra weight puts added stress on the body, especially the bones and joints of the legs. As they get older, kids and teens that are overweight are more likely to develop diabetes and heart disease. Health problems that affect overweight teens include: Blount’s disease-excess weight on growing bones can lead to this bone deformity of the lower legs. Arthritis-wear and tear on the joints from carrying extra weight can cause this painful joint problem at a young age. Slipped capital femoral epiphyses-obese children and teens are at greater risk for this painful hip problem. SCFE requires immediate attention and surgery to prevent further damage to the joint. Asthma-obesity is associated with breathing problems that can make it harder to keep up with friends, play sports, or just walk from class to class. Sleep apnea-this condition where a person temporarily stops breathing during sleep is a serious problem for many overweight kids and adults. Not only does it interrupt sleep, sleep apnea can leave people feeling tired and affect their ability to concentrate and learn. It also may lead to heart problems. High cholesterol- this increases the risk of heart attack and stroke when a person gets older. Gallstones-accumulation of bile that hardens in the gallbladder forms gallstones. These may be painful and require surgery. Polycystic ovary syndrome-girls who are overweight may miss periods or not get their periods at all, and may have elevated testosterone (the male hormone) levels in the blood. Women who are overweight also might have fertility problems. Insulin resistance and diabetes-when there is excess body fat, insulin is less effective at getting glucose, the body’s main source of energy, into cells. More insulin becomes needed to maintain a normal blood sugar. For some overweight teens, insulin resistance may progress to diabetes. Depression-people who are obese are more likely to be depressed and have lower self-esteem.

Cigarette smoking and lung cancer come hand and hand

Millions of people smoke, one in five American adults to be exact. 1 in 2 lifetime smokers will die from their habit. Cigarette smoking remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing an estimated 438,000 deaths or about 1 out of every 5 deaths each year. Smoking reduced life expectancy by 14 years. Men who smoke are 10 times more likely to die (93.1 out of 100,000 men each year) from lung cancer than any other racial and ethnic group. November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month. With all the cessation resources available and the smoke-free laws in place across the country, there has never been a better time to quit smoking and enjoy the many health benefits. People who quit smoking, regardless of age, live longer than people who continue to smoke. Quitting also substantially decreases the risk of lung, laryngeal, esophageal, oral, pancreatic, bladder, and cervical cancers. It also reduces your risk of various cardiovascular diseases- including a heart attack- and lung diseases like emphysema. Smoking is responsible for 90% of cancer deaths incidence of lung cancer is rising. Lung cancer is responsible for more cancer deaths than colorectal cancer, breast cancer, and prostate cancer combined. Lung cancer primarily strikes people over age 45. By the time that an individual develops symptoms, spread has usually occurred. Lung cancer is directly related to smoking. Over 40 carcinogens have been identified in cigarette smoke. The risk of developing lung cancer is directly related to the number of cigarettes smoked. The change in consumption from unfiltered high tar cigarettes to filtered low tar cigarettes parallels the change in incidence from squamous cell carcinoma to adenocarcinoma. There is a long interval between quitting smoking and elimination of lung cancer risk. Up to 40% of newly diagnosed lung cancer occurs in former smokers.

Tips why you should stop smoking

Some tips to why you should quit smoking. When in a relationship that involves both a smoker and non smoker, many times smoking will end up becoming a big issue in the relationship. A non smoker usually has a hard time dealing with the smell of smoke on clothing and in hair. They may also complain that kissing a smoker is like kissing an ashtray. A non smoker may also make many attempts at getting a smoker to quit, which can result in resentment.

Smoking can leave a mess on a few different ways. One way is the litter it causes on the streets of where we live, and another are things that happened within a house when smoking occurs such as, yellow walls and pictures, residue on surfaces like T.V. and computer screens, an increase of dust, and the smokers smell that never seems to go away. A main reason to quit smoking is because of money wasted- if it’s assumed that someone smokes one pack of cigarettes a day at $4 a pack, this smoker spends $1,460 a year on cigarettes alone. At a period of ten years this smoker would have been able to save, invest or use $14,600 in a more efficient way than buying cigarettes.

In 1-9 months after quitting smoking: within the first 24 hours- there is a drop in blood pressure, elevates temperature in hands and feet, oxygen levels become normal, and your chance of a heart attack decreases. After 48 hours- sense of smell and taste increases and nerve endings begin regrowth. After 72 hours- breathing becomes easier after bronchial tubes relax and lung capacity increases. After 2-3 months- lung ability increases by as much as 30%, circulation improves, and walking is easier. Between 1-9 months- body energy level increases, lungs increase their ability to handle mucus, and shortness of breath decreases.

Living with a heart disease

Aortic Valve Disease entails damage to, and dysfunction of the aortic valve, one of the four valves in the heart. If the valve is abnormally narrow the heart must work harder for a sufficient amount of blood to be pumped with each beat. If the valve doesn’t close properly, it may cause aortic regurgitation because some of the blood being pumped out into the aorta regurgitates or leaks backward into the left ventricle with each beat. The work of the ventricle increases and as a result its muscular wall thickens and the left ventricle may become larger. This process of thickening and stiffening in the valve may continue to function adequately for years with nothing more than a heart murmur heard by the physician on examination with a stethoscope. The aortic valve become narrowed and blocked by hard calcified deposits. Severe aortic valve stenosis can cause fainting, heart failure and shortness of breath, and chest pain. Aortic regurgitation is usually asymptomatic until middle age. Patients may present with heart failure or chest pain. Some causes of aortic regurgitation include congenitally bicuspid valves, infective endocarditis, and high blood pressure. Diagnosis of aortic valve disease in many cases can be diagnosed by a physical examination, during which a heart murmur may be detected. Chest x-rays, EKG, and an echocardiogram also may be done. If enough symptoms are present then a cardiac catheterization may be necessary to better evaluate the valve and the heart. Some treatments are medications to control blood pressure, limitations on strenuous activity, or if symptoms are severe then surgery to repair or more likely replace will be recommended. When I was diagnosed with aortic valve disease I was a freshman in high school. I had to go through all these tests and see a heart doctor. Whenever I go to the dentist or have surgery I have to take antibiotics before to prevent infection in my heart. I was told that my valves don't open properly and when the heart pumps blood out, some of the blood hits the valve and splashes back in. So my heart has to work harder to produce more blood flow. I was told that as a young person I could live life normally with little problems, and I could play sports but I would have to keep an eye on my heart. When I played sports there were times when it felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest, I did have some chest pain here and there, I would get out of breath or tired easier then when I was younger, and I had to make sure I didn’t take to many hits to my chest or heart. My doctor told me when I was diagnosed that I wouldn’t have many problems as a child but when I am older like in my 40’s and over I will have more and more problems and I would have to keep a close eye on my heart because I will have a higher chance of heart failure and risks. But for now I don’t let that hold me back, I am always playing sports, especially contact sports like tackle football.

The Perfect Exercise

The push-up is the closest thing there is to a perfect exercise. One of the reasons the push-up has endured so long is its cheap and easy, it doesn’t require any equipment, it can work multiple parts of the body at the same time and pretty much everyone from beginners to athletes can deprive benefits from it. Push-ups uses your own body weight along with gravity to tone and condition your muscles. Most people think that a push-up only works the upper body, but that’s incorrect. The primary muscle groups that produce motion of a push-up are the chest and triceps, but if you do the push-ups the proper and perfect way, you’re typically suspended from your toes all the way to your neck. So, in reality you are engaging all muscles between your shoulders down to your toes. A push-up is considered a resistance exercise that is muscle strengthening, you also get bone-building effects. Mastering the perfect push-up: the basic principal remains the same, engage your upper back, shoulder, and arms to lift your body weight off the floor, then slowly lower it back down. The biggest mistake people make when doing the push-up is to try and take some of the stress off their arms by using other muscle groups to help lift their body, so they don’t get the full benefits or the push-up. The proper way is to lift with your arms and don’t use you stomach, butt, or lower half of your body to pull you up. The important part is to keep a straight line from your head to your ankles when you’re in the lifted position. Another tip is to not let your chest touch the floor; keep it 2-3 inches off the floor. If you are having problems with the full body push-up then try doing the push-up the same but do it on your knees, but keep a straight line from neck to torso, by doing the push-up on your knees you are reducing the lifting load by about half. If you have wrist problems or are looking to minimize tension on the wrist, you can do the knuckle push-up. Instead of pushing up with you palms open on the ground, put your knuckle on the ground and push up. for a more advanced workout use handles that can rotate, so when you push up your arms rotate for a more range of motion, which in turn increases benefits.

Mitral Valve Prolapse

Mitral Valve Prolapse is a heart problem. The mitral valve is between the heart’s left atrium and left ventricle. It has two flaps that open and close together like a pair of swinging doors. When the heart beats, the left ventricle pumps blood out to the body and the flaps swing shut. This keeps the blood in the ventricle from going back into the left atrium. Mitral Valve Prolapse one or both of the valve’s flaps buckle up or swing upward slightly into the atrium as they close or in other cases they may not shut properly. When they don’t close properly, blood leaks back into the left atrium, this makes the heart work extra hard to pump blood. Usually MVP doesn’t cause any problems and most kids can lead normal lives. Lots of times people don’t find out they have it until they are adults. It is rarely discovered in kids. Sometimes people are born with MVP or it can develop during a person’s life. Some signs and symptoms of MVP are clicking sounds that can be heard by a stethoscope like a heart murmur, also feel dizzy or lightheaded, feel anxious, be really tired, get out of breath when playing or exercising, feel that their heart is skipping beats or beating very fast, have chest pain, and have fainting episodes. People usually find out that they have MVP during a regular checkup. Treatments that doctors give people are sent to a cardiologist and take some tests like an EKG. MVP can lead to infections, bacteria travels through the blood and get stuck in your tricky mitral valves, which can cause an infection in the heart. This is very rare but doctors prescribe the patient to take antibiotics before dentist visits or surgery to prevent the bacteria from traveling through your blood when you are getting your teeth done or in surgery. Kids and people with MVP can play sports but have to be cautious if they start having fainting spells, chest pains, or heart beating really fast. When playing or exercising, you can feel it sometimes, especially when your heart starts to pump extra hard and fast. MVP is a condition that you can deal with as a kid and have slim to none problems.