Cholesterol is essential to life and is used by every single cell in the human body. Some people are genetically predisposed to a high cholesterol level but diet and lifestyle changes can help to lower cholesterol naturally. Cholesterol is a white flaky substance , different from other waxy substances. Cholesterol is produced by the liver and is found in bile which helps to digest fatty foods in the intestine. Cholesterol is found in human blood and brain tissue. It is also found in arteries that has plaque buildup. Significant changes occur in the arterial walls during the process of plaque buildup. The actual hardening is due to the formation of bone tissue in the arterial wall. This hardening is referred to as atherosclerosis or the hardening of the arteries. Fat and cholesterol work their way into the artery wall to produce the dreaded build up of plaque.
Obviously the main role of cholesterol in the body is not the production of a atherosclerosis. Cholesterol is produced by the liver for several vital purposes.
Cholesterol serves various important functions in the body. It is a vital component of the microscopic wall or membrane that surrounds each cell, providing the cell with support and protection. Cholesterol is also required for the formation of Vitamin D and for the hormone testosterone estrogen, progesterone and cortisol. In the brain and spinal cord, cholesterol serves as part of the insulation that covers your nerve cells and keeps your nerve signals going to the right locations. It also forms a key role in the formation of bile. Without cholesterol we would not be able to digest the fats found in many of the foods we eat. When the cholesterol level in the blood rises because of diet , the production of cholesterol by the liver is reduced in an attempt to keep the level of cholesterol in the blood constant.
Cholesterol comes from two sources, your diet and the cholesterol manufactures on its own. The vast majority of cholesterol is supposed to be made in the body. However, in our modern “fat and calorie overload” we consume far more than our bodies can use. To make matters worse the high calorie and fat content in our diets can stimulate excess cholesterol production making it harder for cholesterol to be removed from the blood stream.
Cholesterol does not travel around the blood stream by itself, It is generally packaged with fats called triglycerides. Triglycerides are the body’s preferred form of energy storage. The only reason you can survive for long periods without food is because of your body’s triglycerides stores. Triglycerides make up about 95% of the fats in the foods you eat, and the vast majority of the fat in your body. Triglycerides are constructed from fatty acids. When a triglyceride is needed for energy it is broken down in the fat cell into three fatty acids. Your body can make some fatty acids, however, there are two fatty acids which must come from the diet, and these are called “essential fatty acids”namely linolenic and linoleic acid. So you do need to eat a small amount of dietary fat each day, about 5 to 10 percent of your total calories.
Carefully count the fat calories you consume as excess cholesterol in the bloodstream can cause major damage to your cardiovascular system resulting in various forms of heart disease and even death. CardiOmega 3 Seal oil is by far superior to other omega 3 oils from fish oil and flaxseed oil. It contains DPA, DHA and EPA. Omega 3 Fatty Acids can reduce the risk of heart attack by up to 70%! It keeps the artery walls soft and plaque free, smoother and more elastic. Harp Seal oil is 100% free of chemicals and toxins such as mercury.
It is important to know that the oil is a residual product of a chartered harp seal oil hunt in Newfoundland that is humane and does not affect the seal population. In fact the hunt is chartered for population control and is done in a proper manner
Your body is an amazing biological machine, but it can only tolerate so much abuse, you need to be working with your body by reducing the amount of fat,c alorie and cholesterol you consume.

AED Checklist

Author: www.AEDrx.com

AED Checklist

AEDs (Automated External Defibrillators) are installed in schools, malls, shopping centers, theaters, offices, health clubs, government buildings, factories, airports, etc. to provide first aid to the victims of sudden cardiac arrest. The victim is given a biphasic defibrillation shock with the AED which helps to bring back the heart beat to normal. As the AED equipment is used in case of emergency where it is a matter of life and death the accuracy rate of the equipment plays a major role. It is advisable to use equipment that complies with standards of organizations like Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the American Heart Association’s (AHA).

AED Maintenance

Apart from using the good quality AED equipment, it is very important to take care of it to ensure its reliability during need. Regular maintenance of the AED is very essential for the proper functioning of the equipment. The AED equipment must be timely tested in accordance with guidelines formulated by the manufacturer and the American Red Cross and American Heart Association. The maintenance and testing should be in compliance with rules and regulations set by US Food and Drug Administration. A check list should be maintained and a strategic maintenance program should be implemented in every organization where the AED is installed. This will help to keep the AED in ready-to-use condition and save many precious lives in case of emergency.

Methods for AED Maintenance
There are many ways to maintain the AED equipment in proper working condition. AED checklists play a key role in AED maintenance. The inspection data should be kept for future records. Some of them are listed below:

Daily Maintenance AED Checklist: The AED should be cleaned daily to keep it free from dust, dirt and contamination. The AED equipment should be placed in place where is easily visible and accessible. The daily checklist includes parameters like verifying the status indicator, battery installation, visual audible service alarm, and exterior components and sockets for cracks. The daily inspection must be done by trained person who can thoroughly check the readiness of the equipment.

Monthly Maintenance AED Checklist: A monthly inspection should be carried out by the AED Coordinator to check the functionality of the equipment. The auxiliary supplies like AED pads, pocket mask, examination gloves, razors, absorbent gauze, PC cards, and batteries must be checked every 30 days. The expiration date on the package should be verified to ensure there is no obsolete equipment or supplies in the stock.

One of the most important factors in monthly AED checklist is to carry out a battery insertion test (BIT) insertion test before repackaging the AED equipment after use.
Automatic Maintenance AED Checklist: To get free of the AED maintenance hassles, you can go in for computerize maintenance.

There are automatic devices available that can perform self tests without human intervention on regular periodic intervals. Some of the popular brands that manufacture such automated maintenance devices are Burdick, Phillips, Cardiac Science, Heart Sine and Medtronic.

Importance of AED Maintenance
It is essential that AED equipment should be properly maintained to ensure 100% reliability, efficiency and accuracy of these life saving devices. Any kind of fault like battery failure or error in the working of the AED can lead serious consequences and put a life in endanger. It is always advisable to carefully go through the instruction manual available with AED package and follow the maintenance guidelines given.
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Elderly Gent Has Cardiac Arrest in Store- Heart Restarted by AED Salesman

Author: http://www.AEDrx.Com

By http://www.AEDrx.Info

August 16, 2007 09:46am

An elderly New Zealand man who suffered a heart attack at a hardware store was revived by a salesman who just happened to be demonstrating a defibrillator to store staff.

The man, who was in his 80s, collapsed in an aisle of the Placemakers store in Albany, near Auckland, and his heart was not beating when salesman Gavin MacDonell attached the machine to his chest.

It was the ultimate sales pitch demonstration for Mr MacDonell, who has been a St John Ambulance volunteer paramedic for 20 years.

“Once we got a shock into him he started to gag, and we thought ‘this bloke’s coming back’,” he told the New Zealand Herald newspaper.

“The people in the shop that were working there were just blown away.”

The victim was expected to recover, the paper said. …

On Friday afternoon after you leave work, you probably think about going out and having a few drinks with friends to relax and wind down. Even though you may think you deserve to go out and have a few drinks, there are some things that you should certainly keep in mind. Like any other day, tomorrow is going to be a day for exercise, and since you are exercising on a regular basis, a few drinks of alcohol and insulin resistance won’t really hurt anything, right? Before you decide to rush out to the local bar, there are a few things below that you should think about before you make your choice about going out to drink some alcohol and insulin resistance. Research has proven that even small amounts of alcohol with increase muscular endurance and the output of strength, although these types of benefits are very short lived. After 20 minutes or so, the problems will begin to surface. All of the negative side effects associated with alcohol will easily outweigh any possible benefits that it can have. No matter how you look at it, alcohol is a poison that can really harm your body if you aren’t careful.

The negative side of alcohol and cholesterol levels can reduce your strength, endurance, aerobic capability, recovery time, ability to metabolize fat, and even your muscle growth as well. Sugar Alcohol And Diabetes will also have an effect on your nervous system and brain. If you use it long term, you can cause severe deterioration of your central nervous system. Even with short term use, nerve muscle interaction can be reduced which will result in a loss of strength. Once alcohol reaches the blood cells, it can and probably will damage them. With alcohol users, inflammation of the muscle cells is a very common thing. Over periods of time, some of these cells that have been damaged can die which will result in less functional muscle contractions. Drinking alcohol will also leave you with more soreness of your muscles after you exercise, which means that it will take you a lot longer to recuperate.

Alcohol will also have many different effects on your heart and circulatory system as well. When you drink any type of is alcohol bad for diabetics, you may begin to see a reduction in your endurance capabilities. Anytime you drink, your heat loss will increase, due to the alcohol simulating your blood vessels to dilate. The loss in heat can cause your muscles to become quite cold, therefore become slower and weaker during your muscle contractions. Drinking alcohol and heart disease risk can also lead to digestive and nutrition problems as well. Alcohol cause a release of insulin that will increase the metabolism of glycogen, which spares fat and makes the loss of fat very hard. Due to alcohol interfering with the absorption of several key nutrients, you can also become anemic and deficient with B type vitamins.

Because your liver is the organ that detoxifies is alcohol bad for diabetics, the more you drink, the harder your liver has to work. The extra stress alcohol places on your liver can cause serious damage and even destroy some of your liver cells. Since alcohol is diuretic, drinking large amounts can put a lot of stress on your kidneys as well. During diuretic action, the hormones are secreted. This can lead to heightened water retention and no one who exercises will want this to happen. If you must drink alcohol, you should do it in moderation and never drink before you exercise, as this will impair your balance, coordination, and also your judgement. Think about your health and how you exercise – and you may begin to look at things from a whole new prospective.

The international data on the rates of Heart Attack show that diet and lifestyle are clearly important in determining whether a genetic tendency for Heart Attack will actually result in a heart disease. However, not everyone who fails to follow a healthy lifestyle develops Heart Attack.There are also natural health products that can lower your risk of heart disease in many different ways.
Heart disease does not develop overnight. Decades of abuse and lack of care eventually takes its toll on this magnificent muscle. Years and years of cholesterol deposited on the walls of the blood vessel compounds with other waste matter, and chemically changes, attracting the white blood cells to rush to the rescue to clean up the foreign material, which in turn does even more damage by forming real bone in the blood vessel walls. After the progress of time the arteries harden with thin sheaths of bone surrounding the vessel walls.This takes decades to develop.

A heart attack doesn’t happen until a clot forms in the narrowed blood vessel and blocks the blood flow entirely. If this blockage is discovered immediately, doctors can give you an intravenous injection of enzymes that chew up the clot. This will often limit or eliminate significant damage to the heart. Doctors will sometimes recommend angioplasty as well, in which a stainless steel mesh called a stent is placed in the area of blockage, to provide an artificial channel for blood flow. Some people have such a high degree of blockage, that a bypass operation is needed.

Everyone has a characteristic cholesterol level that is a result of their genes, diet and lifestyle. Cholesterol levels can be lowered through diets and other natural remedies. Is a high cholesterol level the same as heart disease? No. Cholesterol level is one indication of one’s risk for heart disease, but there are other risk factors. Obesity is another reason for heart disease well.
Losing weight is definitely one natural path to a healthy heart. If one is overweight one may also have high blood pressure as well as high levels of cholesterol and also triglycerides (fats). One has to bite the bullet and make a drastic diet change to drop some weight and thus stave off a heart attack. Even if you are not overweight there are many things you can do to maintain a healthy heart by changing the way you eat. One should try to reduce or avoid entirely, foods with lots of fat, or fried foods. Eat a lot of protein. It helps to build muscle and would curb your appetite between meals. Moderation is the key. A moderate protein, moderate carbohydrate, and a low fat diet is best.
Diet alone, however, cannot do everything. Exercise plays a very important role in heart disease reduction. It is a great stress reducer as well as an antidepressant. It can even increase your muscle mass. This gain in muscle mass actually lowers your cholesterol by increasing the activity of certain enzymes that remove cholesterol from the blood stream. The muscles also help to pump the blood through the body, thus helping the heart.
The heart is an extraordinary organ but it cannot be expected to adapt to overwhelming amounts of damage. Heart Disease is both natural and a consequence of your particular lifestyle. It is related to your genes, your diet, and the way you live. Just because you have a family history of heart disease does not mean that you are doomed to develop heart disease yourself. Remember the amount of vessel blockage in the heart can be reduced after a period of diet, exercise, and other lifestyle changes. Are you willing to make the changes to protect this wonderful organ that is capable of such uncompromising and faithful work, that far exceeds the productivity of even the most efficient man-made device?
Everyday , cardiologists are discovering new treatments for patients with severe heart disease. These new treatments should not be an argument against taking precautionary measures against heart disease. There are too many natural remedies available for us to ignore this approach to a healthy heart.

Flaxseed is showing up in more and more products because of its benefits to health. Not only is flaxseed nutrient dense, but it contains compounds which may even promote healthy hearts. If you are wondering how to add flaxseed to your diet, you have lots of choices. Flaxseed comes as a ground meal you can add to recipes, as an ingredient in processed foods like cereal and bread, as flaxseed oil, or an oil capsule.

Flax

The edible flaxseed, also known as linseed, is roughly 40 percent fat, 20 percent protein and 30 percent fiber. Several vitamins and minerals are present at high levels in flaxseed including magnesium, manganese and thiamin. If you’re looking for worthwhile diet supplements then this is one form to consider.

It’s the fatty acids in flax oil that make it good for the heart and cardiovascular system. Flaxseed is an excellent supplement that’s full of omega-3 fatty acids. It’s believed that eating a proper ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids helps ward off heart disease. In the typical American diet, about ten grams of omega-6 fatty acids are consumed for every one of omega-3 fatty acids.

Experts believe the scale should be tipped more toward omega-3 fatty acids. But omega-6 fatty acids are more widespread in commonly consumed foods. One way to reach the proper ratios of omega-6 to omega-3 fats for a truly beneficial cardio diet is to eat foods like flaxseed in addition to fish, another source of omega-3s.

Flax Oil for Healthy Hearts

There aren’t any guarantees that your heart will be healthier if you consume lots of flax oil.

Flaxseed contains high levels of omega-3 fatty acids and fiber, two food components known to be heart healthy. Don’t shy off from flax oil because the benefits are numerous: eating flax may reduce blood cholesterol levels, reduce blood glucose levels after eating a meal, and increase blood omega-3 fatty acid levels.

How to Add Flaxseed to Your Diet

You can buy flaxseed already ground as a flaxseed meal. This form of flaxseed is very convenient for adding to recipes or everyday foods. For a product that lasts longer (ground flaxseed turns rancid fairly quickly due to its fatty acid profile) look for whole flaxseeds and grind them as needed.

What is a good serving size of flaxseed? It depends on whether you are adding ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil. For ground flaxseed, start by adding about tablespoon per day to meals and recipes.

One tablespoon contains about 2 grams of fiber, 3 grams of fat (about half of which is healthy omega-3 fatty acids) and many vitamins and minerals. Because of flax’s high fiber content, it’s best to gradually increase the amount of flax you eat each to avoid gastrointestinal problems like constipation.

For flaxseed oil, start with one half to one teaspoon of flaxseed oil. The amount of healthy fats in half a teaspoon of flaxseed oil has been shown to reduce heart disease risk in a recent population study.

One way to add flaxseed to your diet is to use flaxseed in recipes. Ground flaxseed can be added to most baked goods. Just substitute part of the flour with ground flaxseed. Start by using 1/4 cup of ground flaxseed for a full recipe of cookies, muffins, pancakes, waffles or bread. Also, search for tested recipes that already contain flax in larger amounts.

Another choice is to sprinkle ground flax in dishes you eat every day. Don’t be shy about putting flax onto or into everything you eat.

Flaxseed oil is available in bottled form or in gel capsules. You will not gain the benefit of extra fiber and other nutrients by eating the oil alone, but you will get all the omega-3 fatty acids found in flax.