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Keep Track of your Blood Pressure Easily With a Blood Pressure Monitor

Monday, January 25, 2010

The blood pressure is the force that pushes on the arteries and veins’ walls, because the blood is flowing through them. At those that have high blood pressure this force is much higher than normal and in time this can damage the arteries and veins and cause heart attacks and heart diseases.
High blood pressure is a very common affection, more than 50 million people suffer from it only in the USA. Some call it the silent killer because it has no symptoms and you can have it for years without knowing, and if you don’t treat it for a long time then the chances that you get a heart disease or stroke are very high.
The causes of high blood pressure are not known, but the most common risk factors that lead to it are stress, the consumption of alcohol, tobacco, salt and fat foods. Those overweight usually have high blood pressure too.
It is very important to control your blood pressure as much as you can, before you reach an older age and you regret that you haven’t done it. High blood pressure can only be discovered if you constantly monitor your blood pressure and keep an eye on the values. If you see that the values are high then you need to measure them more often to see if they are increasing even more. Once you discover that you have high blood pressure you must start the treatment and continue to check the values to see whether it working or not.
You can check your blood pressure regularly by visiting the doctor and asking him to measure it. However, if you know that you have high blood pressure and you need to check it often visiting the doctor a few times a week is too time consuming. At those who have a very high blood pressure it needs to be measured a few times a day, so going to the doctor more than one time a day is impossible.
In this case you need to purchase a blood pressure monitor. It is a tiny device, as big as a cell phone that can be worn on the belt, and that is connected to a wrist cuff. The wrist cuff measures the blood pressure and records the values a few times a day. The doctor can make a chart based on these values and see how the treatment is progressing. The information provided by the blood pressure monitor is very valuable when you are trying to treat your condition.
The monitor and the cuff can be worn under the clothes so they are invisible to others. It’s very simple and very helpful, so try one if you have high blood pressure and need to know the values of your blood pressure.
You can check more about lower blood pressure and especially about lower blood pressure naturally by visiting http://www.lowerbloodpressure.info

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Ways To Relieve Anxiety Symptoms

Monday, January 25, 2010

Our society today can often be very overwhelming and it is important to make your anxiety is in check as well as any other issues that you may have going on at the time. Anxiety is felt by everyone at some time in their life, like when giving a speech or going on a job interview. For people with severe anxiety, it is much worse and is felt on a constant basis. People with anxiety issues often experience some or all of the following symptoms: extreme fear, abnormal phobias, heart palpitations, panic attacks, shyness and obsessive behaviors. Therapy, medication, and relaxation exercises can all provide relief of anxiety symptoms and when used together the results are even better.
Therapy is usually the first step used in relieving anxiety issues. A therapist can help you to discover the underlying causes of your anxiety and can suggest the best ways to help you get through it. Some techniques that are used to help relieve a person’s anxiety often include cognitive or behavioral therapy. Cognitive therapy is when you are taught to use different ways of thinking when you are in a situation that may cause anxiety. By reprogramming your thought processes you can decrease your anxiety at the time, by telling yourself more positive things when anxiety is felt. Behavioral therapy is when you are constantly confronted with the anxiety filled situation until your start to feel more comfortable. Taken in baby steps the therapist will talk you through the process as they slowly get you to come to terms with the situations that cause you anxiety, and it goes away.
Medications are also very commonly used to decrease a person’s anxiety. Under the supervision of your therapist a medication may be prescribed that can help elevate anxiety temporarily. Some of the medications include: SSRI’s like Lexapro, Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft, Celexa, or Luvox, MOAIs like Parnate or Nordil, and TCAs like Tofranil, Adapin, Vivactil, Anafranil, Surmotil, Elavil, Sinequan, Endep, Norpramin or Ludiomil. If you do choose to use medication to treat your anxiety, it is best to do so under the strict supervision of your physician because many of these medications have side effects and all have to be prescribed.
Relaxation exercises can also help to elevate anxiety. Panic attacks caused by heightened anxiety can be calmed by deep breathing exercises. Mediation has been known to relieve anxiety symptoms before a situation that might trigger it, by having a relaxing effect on the person. Yoga and other exercise programs have also been shown to relieve anxiety somewhat. Since the endorphins released during the exercise can have a calming effect on the person, anxiety is often reduced.
Many people suffer every day from anxiety problems or panic attacks that can stop them from leading a normal life. If you feel that you have a problem with anxiety or panic attacks therapy, medication, or relaxation exercises can prove to be very effective in treating your problem. The symptoms of anxiety can constantly rule a person’s life and if they become serious it is very important to seek out professional help for your mental health.

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Choosing Meditation to Lower High Blood Pressure? New Research Reveals Which Meditation is Most Effective

Sunday, January 24, 2010

A new scientific research study conducted at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine provides further evidence that people with high blood pressure can find relief through meditation—but the study also found that not all forms of meditation are equally effective. The study compared findings from research on several well-known types of meditation and relaxation practices, and found that the only mind/body practice that produces significant changes in blood pressure is the Transcendental Meditation technique. 

 

According to a definitive new meta-analysis of 107 previous studies on stress reduction programs and high blood pressure, published in the American Journal of Hypertension (Vol. 21, 3: 310-316), the Transcendental Meditation technique was found to produce a statistically significant reduction in high blood pressure—an effect not found with other forms of relaxation, meditation, biofeedback or stress management. 

 

Significant Reductions in Blood Pressure

 

The new meta-analysis reviewed randomized, controlled trials published in peer-reviewed scientific journals over the past decades concerning stress reduction and relaxation methods used by participants with high blood pressure. Blood pressure changes through the Transcendental Meditation technique included average reductions of 5.0 points of systolic and 2.8 points of diastolic blood pressure, changes which were statistically significant, according to the review. These changes associated with Transcendental Meditation practice were consistent with other controlled studies showing reductions in cardiovascular risk factors, improved markers of heart disease, and reduced mortality rates among participants in the Transcendental Meditation program. 

 

Transcendental Meditation “equivalent to adding a second hypertensive agent”

 

“The magnitude of the changes in blood pressure with the Transcendental Meditation technique are at least as great as the changes found with major changes in diet or exercise that doctors often recommend,” said Dr. James Anderson, principal author of the study. “Yet the Transcendental Meditation technique does not require changes in lifestyle. Thus many patients with mild hypertension or prehypertension may be able to avoid the need to take blood pressure medications—all of which have adverse side effects. Individuals with more severe forms of hypertension may be able to reduce the number or dosages of their BP medications under the guidance of their doctor.”  

 

Dr. Anderson stated further: “Adding Transcendental Meditation is about equivalent to adding a second hypertensive agent to one’s current regiment, only safer and less troublesome.” 

 

Reduced Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke

 

Anderson added that long-term changes in blood pressure of this magnitude are associated with at least a 15 percent reduction in rates of heart attack and stroke. “This is important to everyone because cardiovascular disease is the number one cause of death in the U.S. and worldwide,” Anderson said. The study’s biostatistician, Maxwell Rainforth, assistant professor of Physiology and Health Statistics at Maharishi University of Management, said the meta-analysis used state-of-the-art statistical methods to review 107 published studies in the field of stress reduction, relaxation and blood pressure. “The twenty-three separate studies included in the final analysis met well-known criteria for high scientific quality. That is, these studies used repeated blood pressure measurements and participants were randomized to either a stress reduction technique or placebo-type control for at least eight weeks. The data we used are all published in peer-reviewed scientific journals,” Rainforth said. 

 

Side Benefits of TM vs. side effects of drugs

 

According to Dr. Robert Schneider, director of the Institute of Natural Medicine and Prevention and co-author, this rigorously conducted meta-analysis indicates that the Transcendental Meditation technique is distinctively effective compared to other scientifically studied techniques in lowering high blood pressure. “For those 100 million Americans with elevated blood pressure, here is a scientifically documented, yet simple and easy way to lower blood pressure without drugs and harmful side effects. In addition, related studies show an integrated set of positive ’side benefits,’ such as reduced stress, reduced heart disease levels and longer lifespan with this technique to restore balance in the cardiovascular system, mind and body,” Schneider said. 

 

Overturns a previous study on meditation

 

The new meta-analysis was co-authored by researchers at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, in Louisville, and at the NIH-funded Institute of Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management in Iowa. 

 

According to Dr. Anderson, the findings of this new study rebut a July 2007 report sponsored by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the NIH-National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, which concluded that most research on meditation is low quality and found little evidence that any specific stress reduction effectively lowers blood pressure.  

 

The new meta-analysis identified all high quality meditation studies published through 2006 and rigorously analyzed their results, which the previous government report failed to do. Anderson said the new meta-analysis includes only high quality studies on all available stress reduction interventions. The studies on the Transcendental Meditation technique were conducted at five independent universities and medical institutions, and the majority of them were funded by competitive grants from the National Institutes of Health. 

 

 

 

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Dog Separation Anxiety

Sunday, January 24, 2010

One of the greatest joys of dog ownership is the tight bond we experience and encourage with our dogs. However, if your dog becomes too reliant or dependant on you, dog separation anxiety can develop.

Dog Separation Anxiety is an enormous problem to an estimated 10% of all puppy’s and older dogs. Somewhat ironically, it is the major cause for dogs ending up in animal shelters. I wish I could say dog separation anxiety is easily fixed , but the truth is it can be a very difficult and time consuming problem to turn around.

Let’s take a look at separation anxiety from your dogs perspective. You are the most important thing in your dogs life. Dogs are very sociable creatures and thrive on company for many reasons. If your dog had a choice he/she would spend every bit of his time with you. So it’s only natural that when you go out, your dog can experience varying degrees of distress and anxiety. He becomes confused, vulnerable, doesn’t know where you are going, why he can’t be with you and if you will be coming back to him. When you are separated all he wants is to be reunited with his pack – which is you.

Punishment is never the answer to treating dog separation anxiety!

Does Your Dog Suffer From Separation Anxiety?

There’s every chance your dog is suffering from a Separation Anxiety disorder rather than another dog behavior problem if:

1. Your dog gets really worked up and anxious when you are preparing to leave the house. Things like picking up your car keys or putting on your coat can trigger the behavior.

2. Your dog engages in inappropriate behavior only when you are separated. I expand on this topic further down the page, but behavior such as urinating inside, excessive barking and destructive behavior are common symptoms of Separation Anxiety in dogs.

3. Your dog follows you everywhere you go and immediately becomes distressed if he can’t be near you.

4. When you arrive home your dog is over the top with his greeting and takes a while to calm down.

Why Do Dogs Suffer From Separation Anxiety?

There are many theories on this one. In some cases the cause or trigger can be pinpointed to a particular event, but often there appears to be no explanation for the Separation Anxiety to commence. What I can say is that Separation Anxiety in dogs regularly occurs:

- Straight after a change in routine. Such as your work hours changing or a family member leaves home. Remember dogs are creatures of habit and any changes can be very unsettling to them.

- If you have been on vacation or unemployed for some time and have been spending heaps of time with your dog. When you go back to work your dog becomes anxious and distressed.

- Unfortunately dog’s rescued from animal shelters contribute a highly disproportionate number of Separation Anxiety cases.

- After your dog experiences a traumatic event while on his own. If a thunderstorm lashes your home while your dog is alone, this can trigger Separation Anxiety in the future.

- If your dog is rarely left alone and becomes overly reliant on his pack.

- When you move house to a new neighbourhood.

How Does Dog Separation Anxiety Manifest Itself?

- Barking
- Whining
- Licking
- Destructive Behavior
- Chewing
- Howling
- Panic Attacks
- Digging
- Inappropriate Urinating
- House Soiling
- Self Mutilation
- Escaping
- Diarrhea
- Loss Of Appetite
- Excessive Salivation
- Vomiting
- Jumping Through Windows
- Crying

What Can You Do To Help Your Dog Overcome Separation?

The treatment administered to your dogs separation anxiety problem depends on its severity. You will find lots of theories and suggestions regarding the correct way to treat separation anxiety – I’ll just inform you of what’s worked for me.

The 4 Step Program I Used To Fix My Dalmation’s Separation Anxiety Problem

My dalmation Harrison developed Separation Anxiety seemingly for no reason when he was about 7 years old. He would start digging and crying as soon as I left the house, even if my other family members were home. My Veterinarian suggested this training process, it achieved the desired result but took plenty of time and patience.

Aside from the 4 step program listed below, I continued to practice the general day to day duties of responsible dog ownership. By this I mean things like providing a safe and comfortable bed, plenty of exercise and obedience training.

Harry would start to get anxious (his whole body would shake) at the very first sign of me leaving the house. This typically would be putting my shoe’s on or turning off the TV or heater. It became a real problem for Harry, myself and the rest of my family, this is how we eventually solved it:

Step 1

Since Harry was always by my side when I was home I had to slowly teach him that he didn’t always need to be close to me. I started out by ignoring his attention seeking behavior (jumping up, barking etc.) and then did some solid practice of his down stay. Little by little we extended the time and distance we spent apart, until he was happy to be alone for up to 30 minutes. Of course, we still spent lots of fun time together.

Step 2

The next step was to get him used to being outside when I was inside. Again we started off with very small periods apart and gradually lengthened the time over a couple of weeks. If you try this Separation Anxiety treatment make sure that you don’t just leave your dog outside to get all worked up and stressed. The trick is to start out leaving your dog out for a few seconds, then going out and reuniting before he shows any signs of Separation Anxiety. Give your dog a treat or dog toy to keep his mind off missing you. Only initiate contact with your dog when he is calm and quiet.

Step 3

The next step in fixing Harry’s Separation Anxiety problem was to eliminate the distress caused by me getting ready to leave the house for work. What I did was write a list of all the triggers that started Harry’s anxiety. I then set about desensitizing him to these triggers. I’d put my shoe’s on, and not go anywhere. Put my coat on, then sit down to read the paper. Pick up my car keys and just carry them around with me, jangling along as I went about my business. After a while (about 3 weeks) Harry barely offered a sideways glance at my shenanigans.

Step 4

When Harry was completely calm in situations that would have unsettled him in the past, I left the house. At first I just stepped outside, shut the door and came back inside within 20 seconds – before he made a sound. Again this was a slow process, similar to step 2. I extended the time outside the front door and then graduated to starting the car, then driving around the block before I came back inside. You can provide a tasty treat to your dog on your way out the door, something that he can work on for a while. Harry’s favorite was a frozen Kong stuffed full of peanut butter and a few liver treats, this eventually kept him occupied for hours. Remember that when you return home, don’t make a huge fuss. Come inside, get changed, pour yourself a nice hot coffee, then greet your calm dog.

This process did prove effective for me and my anxious dalmation. All up the 4 steps took about 5 weeks to work through and fix Harry’s Separation Anxiety problem. My Vet suggested that I supplement this training with some medication. I didn’t go down that path, but it would have been my next step if required.

Whichever method you choose to treat dog separation anxiety, be sure to stick with it and don’t expect any immediate results.

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