Bad for the Heart
08 May 2012 1 Comment
in Lifestyle Tags: health, heart
In a landmark study (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15364185) conducted by the Population Health Research Institute, which entailed 52 countries and 30,000 people, the study looked at how the risk of myocardial infarction (heart attacks) increased with the following activities:
Sitting in front of the TV:
In a study by the American Association of Cardiology, people who spent at least 3-4 hours their time in front of the TV doubled their risk of heart attack. Another good reason to reduce TV time is because the risk of dying prematurely increases by 48% even if one exercises due to sitting in front of the screen for long periods of time.
Cut the bad attitude:
A study conducted by Harvard showed that a positive outlook on life can reduce the chances of a heart attack by 50%. On top of that, laughter is literally good for you, where laughter expands linings of blood vessels and increases blood flow.
Lose the Snore:
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can increase risk of a heart attack so therefore get that checked out!
Fabulous Fiber:
Fiber is fantastic for the diet, not only does it keep the lining of your digestive system clean, but it may actually add years to your life. Men aged 50 and above who incorporated fiber in their diets were 56% less likely to die from a cardiovascular ailment. Women 50 and above were 60% less likely to die from the similar ailments.
Did you floss?
Individuals with gum (periodontal) disease were nearly twice as likely to have a heart attack, as those with healthy gums. The theory here is that there may be a bacterial connection that triggered gum disease that also triggers inflammation inside the body increasing arterial damage, leading to increased chances of a heart attack.
Smoking?
Smoking even one cigarette a day increases the threat of heart attack by 63% and smoking 20 or more cigarettes a day more than quadruples it. Stop it.
Jewels of the Trees
06 May 2012 Leave a Comment
in Uncategorized Tags: nature, poison dart frogs, travel
Poison Dart frogs (Dendrobatidae) can be found in various tropical areas of the world where the climate is constantly warm and humid. These are hands off pets, but very hardy. These frogs are diurnal, which means they are active during the day time, and make wonderful pets. I had these frogs for almost a year, and they are thriving. I have owned many different reptiles and other exotic pets, such as piranhas and other chichlids as well, but these frogs nature and colors make them extremely fascinating. There are currently three frogs in the terrarium, which is kept at almost 90-99% humidity with temperatures that resemble Costa Rica. I have set up additional tanks for more frogs soon. Their diet consists of live insects, usually flightless fruit flies, or spring tails. These frogs don’t require special arrangements for water becuase they absorb moisture through their skin. In terms of breeding, a breeding pair is not to difficult to house once the pair has been formed, and tadpoles can be seen. These are some pictures of my frogs:
Different.
21 Apr 2012 4 Comments
The laws of heaven, and the laws of earth. This art from uses variations of geometry, and placement of item, or ideas that brings about the concept of “qi”.
Some of the most fabulous styling in homes can come from feng shui. Not only is this form becoming very popular, but it allows for the beauty of ordinary things to become extraordinary.This is one of the most beautiful forms of Chinese art forms I have seen.
So Why Aren’t Antibiotics Getting Rid of Viruses?
04 Aug 2011 Leave a Comment
in Microbiology Tags: bacteria, virus
One of the most important things to remember is that antibiotics do not kill viruses because antibiotics are targeted to disrupt the cell wall, cell membrane, or other specific processes such as protein synthesis or DNA replication in bacteria, and thus do not work with viruses. Over time, bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, and higher dosages must be used, or substitutes. For example, the antibiotic penicillin interferes with peptidoglycan synthesis and overall result in retardation of bacterial cell wall growth. Even penicillian is prone to bacterial resistance. Bacteria may produce an enzyme called penicillinase hydrolyzes and inactivates penicillin, making the bacteria resistant to it. A different classes of new drugs to combat viruses are called antiviral drugs. These drugs work by utilizing the virus’s anatomy and physiology by these ways:
- Block integration fusion
- Block budding of new viruses
- Protease inhibitors
- Interfering in DNA synthesis
- Blocking Reverse Transcriptase
If you need more information on viruses please read my post on virulent viruses.
Written by unwrittendestiny
(google images)
Think Twice!
26 Jul 2011 6 Comments
in Lifestyle, Science and Research Tags: bugs, science
Many people use RAID bug killer to kill insects. The insect killer works by using three active chemical ingredients. The first one is tetramethrin which attacks the nervous system of the insects. The second is pyrethrin which also attacks the nervous system in which it penetrates the nerves. In nature, some species of Chrysanthemum flowers carry pyrethrin in them. The third ingredient is Piperonyl butoxide. This chemical retards the insect’s enzymes to detoxify the other toxic ingredients in the bug killer. This allows for the other active ingredients to stay longer inside the insects more efficiently and eliminate the insect. Using this bug killing system allows for microevolution to occur for example mosquitos over the time have developed resistance genes that prevents them from responding to certain bug killers. These chemicals are very dangerous, and if they are released into natural resources, then fishes and other wildlife suffer the consequences as well.
Insects should never be killed unnecessarily because they promote the most biodiverse group in the kingdom Animalia. As much as people think insects are disgusting, they are very benefical in many ways. Here is some food for thought
Earthworms: help gardeners by moving soil through them filling it with nutrients
Bees: pollination of the beautiful flowers you see and for some cases honey
Ladybugs: this beetle helps farmers and gardeners each year by eating aphids which suck liquids out of vegetation
Spiders: naturally control many insect population by preying on them using intricate systems of webbing and trapping
Preying Mantis: natural pest control
So next time before you lift the bug killer, give it a second thought of what this bug can do for you!
Written by unwrittendestiny
(google images)
Powdery Death: How High Can You Go?
13 Jul 2011 2 Comments
in Brain, Drugs, Lifestyle Tags: cocaine, drugs
Our brains are composed of networks of billions of tiny nerve cells. Signals race around the networks crossing the gaps between the networks using messengers. Any time we are aroused, eat food, or drink, our brains release a chemical essential to survival called dopamine. This neurochemical travels across the gaps from one receptor to its neighbor receptor, which triggers a chain reaction, which makes you feel good, or essentially the “high.” The dopamine then returns back to the nerve cells for use again at another time. Cocaine (benzoylmethylecgonine)- C17H21NO4 , a stimulant, hijacks the network in the brain, which causes large influxes of dopamine in that network. The brain is flooded with this neurochemical. The cocaine contains components that block the dopamine returning back into the channels, thus more and more dopamine builds up in between the channels. What cocaine actually does is it blocks an entity called the dopamine transporter, and that blocks the reentry of dopamine back into the channels. This is the reason why cocaine usage increases each time because the dopamine is always in the system, to achieve a better euphoric feeling, one must increase the uptake of cocaine. This is the reason why this drug is so deadly. Research on cocaine revealed it to be a serotonin-norepinephrine-dopamine reuptake inhibitor, it is thus highly addictive, and has the potential to kill anyone in its path.
- written by unwrittendestiny
(google images)
Prokaryotic Cells Vs. Eukaryotic Cells
13 Jul 2011 4 Comments
in Collective Ideas, Science and Research
This is a great diagram and chart which shows the difference between the two types of cells.
Written by unwrittendestiny
(google images)
Comments, requests, and ideas needed!
12 Jul 2011 2 Comments
Hello Healthsyndrome.com readers! Today we are asking you to comment, provide insight, and request for topics you would like to see posted! We would be more than willing to find the information you are seeking. You can directly post comments on the page, or if you would like to email, our email address is unwrittendestiny1@gmail.com, and our twitter is twitter.com/healthsyndrome. We are looking forward to reading many comments and requests from our readers and keeping the spirit alive! Thank you for keeping Healthsyndrome healthy!
Addison’s Disease
12 Jul 2011 Leave a Comment
in Blood
Many people may know of Addison’s disease (AD) to be the exact opposite of Cushing’s syndrome (a condition where cortisol is in excess). AD is a situation of corisol inefficiency, and this can occur in response to the destruction of the adrenal gland, or destruction of a part in the brain that produces cortisol. While cortisol may have a few functions the important function it serves as a hormone is in terms of it being an active in carbohydrate and protein metabolism, and is important in the stress response. Some symptoms of AD may include loss of weight, chronic fatigue, diarrhea, muscle weakness, and other mild symptoms. It is important to get blood work done in order for an Endocrinologist to determine if one has AD. There are simple cortisol replacement treatments that follow.
Written by unwrittendestiny
(google images)
AIDS Awareness
30 Jun 2011 1 Comment
in Immune System Tags: AIDS, virus
AIDS is the incurable disease that is the result of infection of the human immunodeficiency virus, known as HIV. HIV can be like a double sword, where people who contract it can live symptom free for years, or see symptoms quickly. A common misconception is HIV and AIDS are the same. A person who is infected with AIDS are infected with HIV, but people with HIV do not necessarily have AIDS. One factor of seeing if people have AIDS is to do a T cell count, where 200 is indicative of the illness, where healthy people may see a T cell count of 500-1500. With this, the body cannot fight off simple pathogens or illnesses. There are also a group of illness’s that are associated with AIDS, and may indicate the illness. Such factors may be Kaposi’s Sarcoma, or Non Hodgkin Lymphoma. AIDS can weaken the immune system that other virus’s may attack the body. One such is the cytomegalovirus CMV, a herpes virus. Other symptoms may include AIDS demtia complex or wasting syndrome, where a person loses a tenth of their body weight. Be sure to be on the lookout for this pest!
Written by: unwrittendestiny
Google images
