Are You at Risk of a Blood Clot?

Blood clots do have a purpose. When you cut yourself, your blood cells are supposed to clump together, stopping your blood from gushing out. But sometimes, clots form in places they shouldn't and if they occur where blood needs to keep flowing, it can cause problems. Clots that block blood to your brain cause strokes, and ones that stop your heart's blood flow cause heart attacks. A clot that forms in your leg causes deep vein thrombosis (DVT), which can travel to your lungs. Known as a pulmonary embolism (PE), it can be very serious, even fatal.

Dangerous blood clots are common. Statistics show that 100,000 people die from DVT and PE every year in the U.S. That's more than breast cancer and motor vehicle collisions combined. Although anyone can get a blood clot in the wrong place, there are some people who are especially vulnerable - particularly those who fall into one or more of the categories below:

1. People who are overweight 

People who are obese are at a higher risk of blood clots that form in a vein and travel through your blood (VTE). How far off you are from a healthy weight can make a difference in your chances of developing a clot too. For instance, someone who is a little overweight has a little bit of an added risk, but the risk becomes higher as you become severely obese. In addition, the more weight you carry on your frame, the harder it is to get around and sitting still for long periods of time puts you in the blood clot danger zone.  

 

2. Smokers

Smoking harms your health for a host of reasons and one of those is a raised risk of blood clots. Most people think that smoking just affects the lungs, but it actually affects your blood vessels too. Smoking damages the lining of your blood vessels, making blood more likely to stick together. Smoking is also a cause of heart disease and peripheral artery disease and is one of the biggest drivers behind heart attack and stroke as well as an increased risk of VTEs. 

 

3. Pregnant women 

Having a baby can complicate your clotting process. One reason for this is the added hormones - particularly estrogen - that float around in your bloodstream. In addition, as the baby gets larger and larger it can actually push on the blood vessels in the abdomen and the pelvis and block the flow directly causing clots. 

 

4. Estrogen takers

Being on a birth control pill can increase your chances of developing a blood clot. Symptoms include a swollen leg, shortness of breath or chest pain, and most tend to ignore the signs. But women who are taking oral contraceptives, or are on hormone replacement therapy should check for clots. 

 

5. People with infections or inflammatory diseases  

Are you dealing with a serious illness or infection? If yes you should be alert to the symptoms of abnormal clots. Some types of cancer, such as brain, ovary, pancreas, colon, stomach, lung and kidney can put people at risk of DVT or PET. The clots may show up before cancer, and this means they might turn out to be a warning sign. Other conditions make you more likely to get clots, such as diabetes, HIV, or inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's or colitis. If you get injured, your body may clot in internal spots where it shouldn't.

6. People who are still for long periods

There are all sorts of reasons you might not move for multiple hours. Hospital stays are a common reason. In fact, about half of DVTs and PEs occur in patients who are currently in the hospital or who have recently been in the hospital. Most of these patients have been lying in a hospital bed for days or even weeks after their bodies have gone through some sort of trauma like surgery or sickness. At this time in your life, your risk goes up dramatically. Sitting in a car, bus or on a plane for four hours or more is another situation that can increase your risk of a clot, especially if you're not drinking enough water. 

 

7. Descendants of people with blood clotting problems 

Know anyone in your family who has dealt with abnormal blood clots? The first step is to learn more about these experiences. If an injury or illness is to blame, the cause could be genetic. Certain inherited disorders can make your blood thicker, causing it to clot. Take a few tests and find out if you've inherited one of them. 

 

8. People who’ve had blood clots before

Do you have a history of clots? It's likely that you'll get them again. One-third of people who get a DVT/PE will have another in around 10 years. This is because the blood clots form around the valves of a vein, which can damage them. In some situations, this can also lead to multiple clots over time. More often than not, this can be more of a chronic disease, rather than an acute episode.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Asprin may help reduce harmful effects of air pollution on lungs

The findings published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine highlight that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like aspirin may lessen the effects of air pollution exposure on lung function.

Researchers analyzed a subset of data collected from a cohort of 2,280 male veterans from the greater Boston area who were given tests to determine their lung function. The average age of participants was 73 years.

 

The researchers examined the relationship between test results, self-reported NSAID use, and ambient particulate matter (PM) and black carbon in the month preceding the test, while accounting for a variety of factors, including the health status of the subject and whether or not he was a smoker.

They found that the use of any NSAID nearly halved the effect of PM on lung function, with the association consistent across all four weekly air pollution measurements from same-day to 28 days prior to the lung function test.

Because most of the people in the study cohort who took NSAIDs used aspirin, the researchers say the modifying effect they observed was mainly from aspirin, but add that effects of non-aspirin NSAIDs are worthy of further exploration.

Researchers speculate that NSAIDs mitigate inflammation brought about by air pollution.
“It is still important to minimize our exposure to air pollution, which is linked to a host of adverse health effects, from cancer to cardiovascular disease” said first and corresponding author.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   
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Gum bacteria implicated in Alzheimer's and other diseases

Researchers are reporting new findings on how bacteria involved in gum disease can travel throughout the body, exuding toxins connected with Alzheimer's disease, rheumatoid arthritis and aspiration pneumonia. They detected evidence of the bacteria in brain samples from people with Alzheimer's and used mice to show that the bacterium can find its way from the mouth to the brain. 

The bacterium, Porphyromonas gingivalis, is the bad actor involved in periodontitis, the most serious form of gum disease. These new findings underscore the importance of good dental hygiene as scientists seek ways to better control this common bacterial infection. 

"Oral hygiene is very important throughout our life, not only for having a beautiful smile but also to decrease the risk of many serious diseases," said  a professor Dentistry and head of the department of microbiology. "People with genetic risk factors that make them susceptible to rheumatoid arthritis or Alzheimer's disease should be extremely concerned with preventing gum disease."

While previous researchers have noted the presence of P. gingivalis in brain samples from Alzheimer's patients, this team offers the strongest evidence to date that the bacterium may actually contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease.

The researchers compared brain samples from deceased people with and without Alzheimer's disease who were roughly the same age when they died. They found P. gingivalis was more common in samples from Alzheimer's patients, evidenced by the bacterium's DNA fingerprint and the presence of its key toxins, known as gingipains. 

In studies using mice, they showed P. gingivalis can move from the mouth to the brain and that this migration can be blocked by chemicals that interact with gingipains. An experimental drug that blocks gingipains, known as COR388, is currently in phase 1 clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease. Researchers are working on other compounds that block enzymes important to P. gingivalis and other gum bacteria in hopes of interrupting their role in advancing Alzheimer's and other diseases. 

The researchers also report evidence on the bacterium's role in the autoimmune disease rheumatoid arthritis, as well as aspiration pneumonia, a lung infection caused by inhaling food or saliva. 

"P. gingivalis's main toxins, the enzymes the bacterium need to exert its devilish tasks, are good targets for potential new medical interventions to counteract a variety of diseases," said the Prof. "The beauty of such approaches in comparison to antibiotics is that such interventions are aimed only at key pathogens, leaving alone good, commensal bacteria, which we need." 

P. gingivalis commonly begins to infiltrate the gums during the teenage years. About one in five people under age 30 have low levels of the bacterium in their gums. While it is not harmful in most people, if it grows to large numbers the bacteria provoke the body's immune system to create inflammation, leading to redness, swelling, bleeding and the erosion of gum tissue. 

Making matters worse, P. gingivalis even causes benign bacteria in the mouth to change their activities and further increase the immune response. Bacteria can travel from the mouth into the bloodstream through the simple act of chewing or brushing teeth. 

The best way to prevent P. gingivalis from growing out of control is by brushing and flossing regularly and visiting a dental hygienist at least once a year, Potempa said. Smokers and older people are at increased risk for infection. Genetic factors are also thought to play a role, but they are not well understood. 

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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New Study Shows Why You Shouldn't Wear a Tie

Ties serve little functional purpose, in fact, many, including many actors, have described the suit and tie as an 'anachronism'. But few would think that such an item of clothing could actually damage your health. Scientists have recently described the act of wearing a tie as 'socially desirable strangulation' - as a study investigated how ties affect blood flow to the brain, and the results weren't good. 

In fact, results showed that wearing a tie results in a significant dip in blood flow to the brain. In the study, 15 men wearing ties and 15 men without were scanned using MRI to measure the blood flow to the head. Researchers found that the brains of people who wore ties were, on average, receiving 7.5% less 'cerebral blood flow' than the brains of those subjects within the control group. The scientists attributed the lower blood flow to the narrowing of the carotid arteries, which carry blood away from the heart due to the pressure of the tie. 

While a 7.5% reduction in blood flow may not seem substantial enough to cause noticeable health problems, people who suffer from other health issues do need to be cautious. This includes people who have high blood pressure, or if you are a pensioner or a smoker, as you could end up suffering from headaches, dizziness, and nausea if you wear a tie for too long.  


Studies have also shown that ties may raise the risk of glaucoma, cataracts and other injuries. In fact,they investigated the effects of ties on the head. According to research, wearing a tie can restrict the blood flow through the jugular vein as well as through the carotid arteries. 

Consequently, the restriction can end up causing a backup of blood along the system to the eye, raising eye pressure. This means that a raised intraocular eye pressure is considered a risk factor for glaucoma and cataracts. Thus, according to the study, it could possibly increase the risk of worsening existing glaucoma. 

Furthermore, you can even increase your risk of Musculoskeletal trauma just by wearing a tie. According to research, those who wear ties often find their range of motion 'significantly decreased' when wearing a tight necktie, compared to without it. This may lead to certain muscles causing tension to accumulate in the upper trapezius and raising the risk of injuries. 

But, what may be more worrying than spraining a muscle in the office is the fact that wearing a tie in a health-focused workplace could be putting others at potentially severe risk. In fact, a study showed that among 42 male surgical clinicians at the New York Hospital, nearly half had managed to accrue infection-causing pathogens on their ties. 

According to researchers, who carried out the study, they said that "Hospital-acquired infections account for a large proportion of high rates of morbidity, mortality, and costs. We estimated there are approximately 440,000 of these infections annually among US adult inpatients and that their annual costs are $9.8 billion." Therefore ties harboring pathogens could be making a serious contribution to an increasingly concerning healthcare issue. Perhaps it's high time we do away with ties altogether.

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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