Make sure your heart is healthy

A strong heart is a result of healthy lifestyle choices. Be active and stress-free

Today's fast-paced life and workplace pressures escalate stress levels, taking a toll on one's heart. We must realise that the healing power of the body decreases when under stress, leading to many complications like hypertension and poor immunity. Today, even youngsters are prone to heart ailments. So, it's very important to stay healthy and manage your stress levels by understanding the risk factors — high cholesterol levels, stressful lifestyle, smoking, and lack of exercise — following simple changes in lifestyle.

Avoid smoking
Smoking reduces life expectancy by 15-25 years. If you are a smoker, you are twice more likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker. The moment you stop smoking, the risk of heart attack begins to reduce.

Cut down on salt
Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease.

Watch your diet
Try to have a balanced diet. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables, starch foods such as wholegrain bread and rice.

Monitor your alcohol
Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Avoid intake of alcohol or at least limit it to one to two units a day, gradually decreasing the consumption.

Get active
At least aim for 30 minutes of moderate exercise a day. Keeping yourself fit not only benefits the heart but also improves mental health and well-being.

Monitor your BP, blood sugar and cholesterol levels
Routine medical check-ups will ring an alarm, if you need medical help.

Manage your waist
Cholesterol deposition in blood vessels begins in the first decade of life. Carrying a lot of extra weight as fat can greatly affect your health. Make small but healthy changes in your diet.

Manage your stress level
If you find things are getting on top of you, you may fail to eat properly, smoke and drink too much. This may increase your risk of a heart attack. Practice yoga/meditation. Take a vacation.

Check your family history
If a close relative is at risk of developing coronary heart disease from smoking, high BP, high cholesterol, lack of physical activity, obesity and diabetes, then you could be at risk too.

Laughter is the best therapy
Laughter anytime will work wonders for you. It is an instant way to unleash the pressure and it makes you feel light.

Lime & Health

Many people often love the tasty flavor of lemon juice in their dishes. But
have you ever wondered that you can put this lemon juice to many more good
uses than this.

Beware of Spiders

Three women in North Florida turned up at hospitals over

a 5-day period, all with the same symptoms.


Fever, chills, and vomiting, followed by muscular collapse,

paralysis and finally, death.

There were no outward
signs of trauma.

Autopsy results showed toxicity in the blood. These women did not know
each other and seemed to have nothing in common. It was discovered,
however, that they had all visited the
same Restaurant (Olive Garden) within days of their deaths. The Health
Department descended on the restaurant , shutting it down. The food,
water, and air conditioning were all inspected and tested, to no avail.


The big break came when a waitress at the restaurant was rushed to the
hospital with similar symptoms. She told doctors that she had been on
vacation, and had only went to the restaurant to pick up her check.

She did not eat or drink while she was there, but had used the restroom..

That is when one toxicologist, remembering an article he had read, drove
out to the restaurant, went into the restroom and lifted the toilet seat .



Under the seat, out of normal view , was a small spider. The spider was
captured and brought back to the lab, where it was determined to be the
Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata), so named because of its
reddened flesh color.&nb sp; This spider's venom is extremely toxic, but
can take several days to take effect. They live in cold, dark,
damp climates, and toilet rims provide just the right atmosphere.

Several days later a lawyer from Jacksonville showed up at a hospital
emergency room. Before his death, he told the doctor, that he had been
away on business, had taken a flight from Indonesia , changing planes in
Singapore , before returning home. He did NOT visit (Olive Garden),
while there. He did (as did all of the other victims) have what was
determined to be a puncture wound, on his right buttock. Investigators
discovered that the flight he was on had originated in India .



The Civilian Aeronautics B oard (CAB) ordered an
immediate inspection of the toilets of all flights from India and
discovered the Two-Striped Telamonia (Telamonia dimidiata) spider's nests
on 4 different planes!

It is now believed that these spiders can be anywhere in the country.

So please, before you use a public toilet, lift the seat to check for
spiders. It can save your life!

STROKE IDENTIFICATION

A neurologist says that if he can get to a stroke victim within 3 hours he
can totally reverse the effects of a stroke...totally. He said the trick
was getting a stroke recognized, diagnosed, and then getting the patient
medically cared for within 3 hours, which is tough.

RECOGNIZING A STROKE

Remember the "3" steps, STR . Read and Learn!
Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately,
the lack of awareness spells disaster.
The stroke victim may suffer severe brain damage when people nearby fail to
recognize the symptoms of a stroke.
Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple
questions :

S * Ask the individual to SMILE .
T * = TALK. Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (eg "It
is sunny out today").
R * Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS .

If he or she has trouble with ANY ONE of these tasks, call the ambulance
and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

NOTE : Another 'sign' of a stroke is
1. Ask the person to 'stick' out their tongue.
2. If the tongue is 'crooked', if it goes to one side or the other that is
also an indication of a stroke.

A prominent cardiologist says if everyone who gets this e-mail sends it to
10 people; you can bet that at least one life will be saved.