Never too late to start statins for clogged leg arteries

Statins, a class of drugs that reduce illness and mortality in those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease can also prove effective for those with the peripheral arterial disease even if they start its medication late after diagnosis.

According to the study patients who stop the drug are at similar risk to those who never start. The research showed the importance of starting and adhering to lifelong medication, preferably at a high dose.

Around 200 million people worldwide have peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition in which arteries in the legs are clogged. This restricts blood flow to the legs and raises the chances of stroke and heart attack.

 

Around 30 per cent of patients have pain and cramping in their legs when they walk – referred to as intermittent claudication – while others have gangrene in the feet due to poor circulation.

 

Statins are recommended for all patients with PAD, together with smoking cessation, exercise, healthy diet, and weight loss.

Statins diminish the risk of stroke and heart attack by reducing low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, which causes blocked arteries (atherosclerosis).

The study shows that adherence to statins is essential for the best prognosis. We also show that it is never too late to start medication and benefit from it. On top of that, it is crucial not to reduce the dose because LDL cholesterol levels rise again, thus increasing the overall risk on top of the residual risk for further events, said a Dr. 

The study examined whether adherence to statin therapy influenced survival in patients with symptomatic PAD. The study enrolled 691 patients admitted to hospital between 2010 and 2017 and followed-up for a median of 50 months.

At the beginning of the study, 73 per cent of patients were on statins, increasing to 81 per cent at the 50-month follow-up. The dose of drug also increased between the two time periods, which was paralleled by a significant drop in LDL cholesterol from 97 to 82 mg/dL.

Patients who stopped taking a statin had a similar mortality rate (33 per cent) to those who never took the drug (34 per cent). Adhering to statins throughout the 50 months was linked with a 20 per cent rate of death.

Taking high-dose statins throughout the study was linked with the lowest mortality rate (10 per cent) while reducing the dosage during the study was related to the highest death rate (43 per cent).

 this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
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Effects of Yoga on Asthmatic Patients Explored

Yoga is an art form developed over 5,000 years ago that encapsulates a series of techniques to help the mind and the body gain enrichment. It is a system of beliefs that revolves around the notion that physical and spiritual well-being can be uplifted through carefully constructed bodily postures. These can range from simple stretches that activate most of our more frequently used muscles and limbs, to more complex positions, designed to promote flexibility and bone strength.
Regularly practicing yoga can also improve blood circulation, ease body pain, improve cardiovascular function and even help in relieving stress and boosting mental health.  Yes, yoga is multi-faceted, incredibly versatile exercise that comes with numerous benefits. More recent studies have looked into one particular benefit of yoga, which is increased respiratory function, and how yogic exercises can benefit asthmatic patients specifically. 
What is Asthma? 

Asthma is a chronic condition that refers to a periodic inflammation of the airways. This inflammation causes the airways to swell, restricting breathing. It is a lifelong ailment and can affect people from a young age.There are over 300 million people worldwide suffering from asthma. 

The symptoms of asthma vary in severity from person to person and include:

• Shortness of breath
• Wheezing
• A tightening in the chest
• Coughing.                                                 As symptoms worsen, they can develop into asthma attacks, a medical emergency that can be life-threatening and can seriously damage the lungs. 
  Asthma is treated with long-term control medications and day-to-day relief can be provided by the use of inhalers. More recent studies show that yoga may provide an additional method for short-term relief. 
  
  Yoga and Breathing
  Many yogic exercises mandate deepening one’s breath which greatly improves breathing. Pranayamas are an exercise in yoga that emphasizes slowly inhaling and exhaling. This engages the relaxation sensation of the body, contributing to reduced stress and even out of body experiences.                                                  In 2010, a study was published that           aimed to determine how yogic poses, breathing exercises, and other practices could affect the symptoms of asthma. 24 volunteer patients were split into groups and were required to practice yogic postures and slow-breathing exercises for 50 minutes a day for four weeks in a row under the tutelage of an Indian Yoga Expert. 
  During this study, the Peak expiratory flow-rate was carefully monitored, and it was finally concluded that practicing yoga significantly improved health and reduced the number of asthma attacks that occurred both during the day and at night.
  Emboldened by this conclusion, in 2016, a series of tests were conducted for the Cochrane Library Review ( intervention). Researchers were tasked with assessing the therapeutic effects of yoga, both physically and mentally, on asthmatic patients. To put it more specifically, the review sought to determine whether practicing yoga could improve the quality of life and reduce the symptoms for people suffering from asthma. 
  The tests were conducted with the assistance of over 1000 asthmatic patients of varying ages, ethnicities and severity of symptoms. The tests were conducted in a randomized manner and included crossover tests as well (randomized controlled trials) between various groups in the study to better monitor the effects of daily yoga and yogic breathing exercises, respectively, on people suffering from asthma. 
  
  
  
  
  While minor improvements were noted for certain subgroups with respect to reduced symptoms and medication usage, the randomized controlled trials were unable to conclusively state that the effects of regular yogic exercises on patients were significant. However, minor improvements to quality of life were definitely observed. 
  The final conclusion of the study was that further randomized controlled trials would be required with larger test groups to determine in clear terms what effect yoga has on the body of an asthmatic patient. The current results confirmed that regularly practicing yoga and especially breathing exercises can ease the passage of air through the airways to the lungs and promote respiratory health.    
  
  
   While there are many different types of yoga postures, also known as asanas, there are few that target the airways, lungs and improved breathing.
  
  
  THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                      FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                    
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Foul air may affect foetal heart development

Pregnant mothers exposed to particulate matters may experience damage to the developing cardiovascular system in their foetuses, finds a study. Exposures to these microscopic materials early in the gestation period significantly impact foetal heart development, especially the main artery and the umbilical vein. 

A single exposure during the third trimester could restrict maternal and foetal blood flow, resulting in further consequences throughout the child's adulthood, the study said. Late exposures mostly impact the foetal size as it restricts blood flow from the mother and deprives the foetus of nutrients in the final stages.

"Pregnant women should also consider monitoring their indoor air quality," said a researcher. What a mother inhales affects her circulatory system, which is constantly adapting to supply adequate blood flow to the fetus as it grows.

"These findings suggest that pregnant women, women of child-bearing age and those undergoing fertility treatments should avoid areas with high air pollution or stay indoors on high-smog days," said the author. Air pollution exposure constricts blood vessels, restricts blood flow to the uterus and deprives the foetus of oxygen and nutrients, resulting in delayed growth and development.

It can also lead to common pregnancy complications, such as intrauterine growth restriction, he explained. The study, looked at how the circulatory systems of pregnant rats' fetuses on a single exposure to nanosized titanium dioxide aerosols -- a surrogate for particles found in typical air pollution -- during their first, second and third trimesters.

The results were compared to pregnant rats that were exposed to high-efficiency filtered air. In non-pregnant animals, even a single exposure to these nanoparticles was linked to impaired function of the arteries in the uterus.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                         FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/           

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People living in India experience the health problems associated with ageing at an early stage than those living in Japan or Switzerland, according to a first-of-its-kind study published in The Lancet Public Health. Researchers at the University of Washington in the US and colleagues found that a 30-year gap separates countries with the highest and lowest ages at which people experience the health problems of a 65-year-old.

They found 76-year-olds in Japan and Switzerland, and 46-year ..

Read more at:
//economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/68358411.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst

Red-Eye in Photos is a Reflection of Your Blood

When the flash of a camera goes off, the eye isn't prepared for the sudden influx of light and the pupil doesn't have time to restrict. In addition to this, when taking a photo, you are likely using flash in dark lighting. At that point, the eyes would have already dilated to adjust to the dark room. When the flash goes off and the photo is taken, your eyes are still dilated, so the light reflects off of the red blood vessels of the choroid, which is the layer of the connective tissue in the back of the eye that nourishes the retina.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                    PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                   FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                  https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                     FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                  https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

Caffeine in tea, coffee may be risky to foetus

Pregnant women who consume caffeine - whether it’s from coffee or tea - have smaller babies than those who abstain from the stimulant during pregnancy, new research suggests.

Even women who took in less than 200 milligrams of caffeine, the safe cutoff during pregnancy according to the doctors, had a significantly increased risk of delivering prematurely or having a low-birth weight baby.

THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO  VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                           https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com/                                                                                                                                                                             FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG-                                                                                                                             https:// kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com/                                                                                       FOR CROCHET DESIGNS                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com

“Based on the consistent associations we observed, and because many pregnancies are unplanned, we would recommend women who are pregnant or seeking to become pregnant to at least limit their intakes of caffeinated coffee and tea,” lead study author said.

The study cannot prove cause and effect, he cautioned. But several previous studies have linked caffeine exposure in the womb to negative effects, the researchers said.

In most of those studies, coffee was the main caffeinated beverage consumed.

For the current study, the team looked at 941 mother-child pairs born in Ireland, where people drink more tea than coffee. Nearly half of the mothers in the study drank tea, while about 40 percent drank coffee.

Every additional 100 milligrams of caffeine consumed daily during the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with a 72-gram (2.5 ounce) lower birth weight, as well as significantly lower gestational age, birth length and head circumference.

Women who took in the most caffeine had babies weighing about 170 grams (6 ounces) less than those who consumed the least, the researchers found. Whether the caffeine came from coffee or tea made no difference to the results.

 “High caffeine intake can result in restricted blood flow in the placenta which may subsequently affect fetal growth,” the Dr. explained. “Caffeine can also cross the placenta readily, and because caffeine clearance slows as pregnancy progresses, caffeine accumulation may occur in fetal tissues.”

One 12-ounce cup (355 ml) of brewed coffee contains about 200 mg of caffeine, but tea generally contains less caffeine and the amount can vary by type of tea and how long it was brewed. The Lipton Tea company, for example, says its black tea contains about 83 mg caffeine in a 12-ounce cup.
The public doesn’t seem to recognize tea’s caffeine content, said the study’s senior author. “Thus, maternal intake of both tea and coffee need to be taken into account when trying to minimise overall caffeine intake during pregnancy. This is especially important where tea is the predominant caffeine source,” she told.

Doctor states that consuming less than 200 milligrams of caffeine per day in pregnancy “does not appear to be a major contributing factor in miscarriage or preterm birth.” The World Health Organization recommends that women consume less than 300 mg of caffeine daily in pregnancy.
 “This paper and other papers show that this is likely too high,” said a senior scientist. 

“Epidemiological findings based on self-reported caffeine consumption are usually not very precise. Thus, any cutoffs chosen by experts and WHO can only be considered as rough reference points. Biologically, it is unlikely that 300 mg is risky while 299 mg is safe,” the Dr. said .

“The message to women I would prefer would be ‘the less the better,’” the Dr. said. “Then the women can choose for themselves.”

Reports touting the health benefits of caffeine also need to include a caveat stating that it may be harmful in pregnancy, added the Dr., whose own research has linked caffeine consumption in pregnancy to miscarriage and childhood obesity. “My advice would be try to reduce as much as you can, if you can totally quit that would be even better.”

Researchers told  that it reviews all of its recommendations every 18 to 24 months, includes all new research in its reviews, and makes adjustments to recommendations as needed. “Until that time, ACOG’s current guidance still stands.”