Monday, May 30, 2011
Friday, June 12, 2009
What can I do to prevent heart disease
- Know your blood pressure. Years of high blood pressure can lead to heart disease. People with high blood pressure often have no symptoms, so have your blood pressure checked every 1 to 2 years and get treatment if you need it.
- Don't smoke. If you smoke, try to quit. If you're having trouble quitting, there are products and programs that can help: Nicotine patches and gums Support groups Programs to help you stop smoking
- Get tested for diabetes. People with diabetes have high blood glucose (often called blood sugar). People with high blood glucose often have no symptoms, so have your blood glucose checked regularly. Having diabetes raises your chances of getting heart disease. If you have diabetes, your doctor will decide if you need diabetes pills or insulin shots. Your doctor can also help you make a healthy eating and exercise plan.
- Get your cholesterol and triglyceride levels tested. High blood cholesterol (koh-LESS-tur-ol) can clog your arteries and keep your heart from getting the blood it needs. This can cause a heart attack. Triglycerides (treye-GLIH-suh-ryds) are a form of fat in your blood stream. High levels of triglycerides are linked to heart disease in some people. People with high blood cholesterol or high blood triglycerides often have no symptoms, so have both levels checked regularly. If your levels are high, talk to your doctor about what you can do to lower them. You may be able to lower your both levels by eating better and exercising more. Your doctor may prescribe medication to help lower your cholesterol.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
'Secret Life of the American Teenager' explores teen pregnancy
Nearly every television season, a storybook stork delivers a plot twist in the form of a baby to a teen drama. ¶“The Secret Life of the American Teenager," created by Brenda Hampton of "7th Heaven," premiered last summer on ABC Family and introduced us to 15-year-old Amy Juergens, a scrawny, French horn-playing freshman at Grant High School who discovers she's pregnant -- though she's not even sure she actually had sex -- after a rendezvous with bad boy Ricky Underwood at band camp. ¶ The premise of the program gives viewers a glimpse into the middle-class world of a girl as she deals with an unexpected pregnancy. ¶ The show's first season averaged 3.5 million viewers -- trumping media darling " Gossip Girl." When it returns Monday, viewers can expect Amy's baby drama to intensify as she gets closer to her due date. Is the baby a boy or a girl? Will she give it up for adoption? ¶ Sexual trysts and pregnancy twists are common occurrences in youth-oriented TV land. And a recent study by Rand Corp., which tracked more than 700 12- to 17-year-olds, found that about 25% of those who viewed the most sexual content on TV were involved in a pregnancy, compared with about 12% of those who watched the least.
About one-third of girls in the United States get pregnant before the age of 20, and teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and more likely to live in poverty than other teens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And almost one-third of sexually experienced teenage girls have been pregnant at least once, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Teen dramas such as "Secret Life" that explore the weighty subject of pregnancy dramatize these statistics in a way that demonstrates that even the seemingly least likely person is at risk -- even the Amy Juergenses of the world. Viewers under the misconception that pregnancy happens only to the "slutty" girls are shown otherwise.
"Breaking the stereotype of who is at risk for getting pregnant is crucial to prove no one is protected," said Shelli Wynants, a professor at Cal State Fullerton who teaches Adolescents and the Media. "It can happen to anyone."
According to a statement from ABC Family, the show "deals honestly and directly with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy in a non-exploitative manner and explores how the core character's relationships with her mother, father, sister and friends are affected. . . . We hope the show encourages teenagers and parents to open up a dialogue about issues important to them. . . ."
Although the program has sparked renewed interest in teenage pregnancy, it's hardly the first show that has avoided impregnating the usual suspects. Every teen soap from “Gossip Girl" to its godfather "Beverly Hills, 90210" has toyed with the idea.
"Gossip Girl's" flirtation with the plot device last season had the audience wondering whether Upper East Side snob Blair Waldorf was pregnant. But some viewers felt they didn't need to worry because "everyone knows that [Blair's] going to have a 'miscarriage' because rich girls and TV characters always do . . . ," according to a post on a "Gossip Girl" fan site.
In the end it didn't come to that, because Blair didn't actually get pregnant. A half-generation earlier, neither had her fictional predecessor, the upper-middle-class Brenda Walsh of " 90210," after losing her virginity to Porsche-driving bad boy Dylan McKay in a Bel Age Hotel room in the show's first season.
Yet it was Brenda's classmate Andrea Zuckerman -- the poor, socially awkward newspaper geek destined for greatness -- whose decision in Season 4 to have sex with new beau Jesse Vasquez only once without protection led to her being the first cast member to have a baby; the story line coincided with the actress Gabrielle Carteris' real-life pregnancy.
Amy Kramer, senior manager of media programming for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, said: "If viewers of these shows watched or read the news at all this year, the pregnancies of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol [Palin] have taught them that teen pregnancy happens in all types of families and all types of communities, regardless of income levels."
"90210" chronicled Andrea's struggle as she gave birth prematurely, a story that some said gave a glimpse into the complexities of pregnancy that aren't often explored.
"It's beneficial for teenagers to see that an unplanned pregnancy can throw off your life plans," said Melissa Henson, director of communication and public education for the Parents Television Council. "[Andrea] was a high-achieving student -- very ambitious -- and her dreams got side-railed by an unplanned pregnancy."
Andrea eventually finished college and even attended Yale as a pre-med student.
And though it is mentioned on "Secret Life," " Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Gossip Girl," abortion is never really an option. The bigger parts of the issue are glossed over, said Wynants, who has discussed plotlines from "Gossip Girl" with her class.
"There needs to be more mention of the three Cs: commitment, contraception and consequences," she said. "What's not fully explored is why these kids find themselves pregnant and what happens to them afterward. The whole reality."
Like a baby's late-night colic attacks. Dealing with postpartum depression. The financial hardship that can sometimes force mothers to apply for federal assistance. And figuring out how to obtain medical insurance. The types of things teens usually never think about.
" One Tree Hill," a show essentially based on teenage pregnancy -- the main characters, Nathan and Lucas, are both the offspring of teenage mothers -- went so far as to have book-smart waitress turned teacher turned singer, Haley James Scott, go into labor as she gave a valedictory speech at her high school graduation ceremony.
But fans of the show never saw her struggle to balance midterms and vaccinations, because when the program returned for its fifth season, it had fast-forwarded through the college years of its characters. Instead of glimpses into all the ear-piercing crying that comes with having a newborn, the audience mostly got a glimpse into the blissful side of motherhood.
And research suggests teens do want the awful truth: Three-quarters say they would like the media to talk more about the consequences of sex, according to a 2007 study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
About one-third of girls in the United States get pregnant before the age of 20, and teen mothers are less likely to complete high school and more likely to live in poverty than other teens, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
And almost one-third of sexually experienced teenage girls have been pregnant at least once, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Teen dramas such as "Secret Life" that explore the weighty subject of pregnancy dramatize these statistics in a way that demonstrates that even the seemingly least likely person is at risk -- even the Amy Juergenses of the world. Viewers under the misconception that pregnancy happens only to the "slutty" girls are shown otherwise.
"Breaking the stereotype of who is at risk for getting pregnant is crucial to prove no one is protected," said Shelli Wynants, a professor at Cal State Fullerton who teaches Adolescents and the Media. "It can happen to anyone."
According to a statement from ABC Family, the show "deals honestly and directly with the consequences of an unplanned pregnancy in a non-exploitative manner and explores how the core character's relationships with her mother, father, sister and friends are affected. . . . We hope the show encourages teenagers and parents to open up a dialogue about issues important to them. . . ."
Although the program has sparked renewed interest in teenage pregnancy, it's hardly the first show that has avoided impregnating the usual suspects. Every teen soap from “Gossip Girl" to its godfather "Beverly Hills, 90210" has toyed with the idea.
"Gossip Girl's" flirtation with the plot device last season had the audience wondering whether Upper East Side snob Blair Waldorf was pregnant. But some viewers felt they didn't need to worry because "everyone knows that [Blair's] going to have a 'miscarriage' because rich girls and TV characters always do . . . ," according to a post on a "Gossip Girl" fan site.
In the end it didn't come to that, because Blair didn't actually get pregnant. A half-generation earlier, neither had her fictional predecessor, the upper-middle-class Brenda Walsh of " 90210," after losing her virginity to Porsche-driving bad boy Dylan McKay in a Bel Age Hotel room in the show's first season.
Yet it was Brenda's classmate Andrea Zuckerman -- the poor, socially awkward newspaper geek destined for greatness -- whose decision in Season 4 to have sex with new beau Jesse Vasquez only once without protection led to her being the first cast member to have a baby; the story line coincided with the actress Gabrielle Carteris' real-life pregnancy.
Amy Kramer, senior manager of media programming for the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, said: "If viewers of these shows watched or read the news at all this year, the pregnancies of Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol [Palin] have taught them that teen pregnancy happens in all types of families and all types of communities, regardless of income levels."
"90210" chronicled Andrea's struggle as she gave birth prematurely, a story that some said gave a glimpse into the complexities of pregnancy that aren't often explored.
"It's beneficial for teenagers to see that an unplanned pregnancy can throw off your life plans," said Melissa Henson, director of communication and public education for the Parents Television Council. "[Andrea] was a high-achieving student -- very ambitious -- and her dreams got side-railed by an unplanned pregnancy."
Andrea eventually finished college and even attended Yale as a pre-med student.
And though it is mentioned on "Secret Life," " Beverly Hills, 90210" and "Gossip Girl," abortion is never really an option. The bigger parts of the issue are glossed over, said Wynants, who has discussed plotlines from "Gossip Girl" with her class.
"There needs to be more mention of the three Cs: commitment, contraception and consequences," she said. "What's not fully explored is why these kids find themselves pregnant and what happens to them afterward. The whole reality."
Like a baby's late-night colic attacks. Dealing with postpartum depression. The financial hardship that can sometimes force mothers to apply for federal assistance. And figuring out how to obtain medical insurance. The types of things teens usually never think about.
" One Tree Hill," a show essentially based on teenage pregnancy -- the main characters, Nathan and Lucas, are both the offspring of teenage mothers -- went so far as to have book-smart waitress turned teacher turned singer, Haley James Scott, go into labor as she gave a valedictory speech at her high school graduation ceremony.
But fans of the show never saw her struggle to balance midterms and vaccinations, because when the program returned for its fifth season, it had fast-forwarded through the college years of its characters. Instead of glimpses into all the ear-piercing crying that comes with having a newborn, the audience mostly got a glimpse into the blissful side of motherhood.
And research suggests teens do want the awful truth: Three-quarters say they would like the media to talk more about the consequences of sex, according to a 2007 study by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
Possible link between smoking bans & heart attacks
The new report shows residents of Pueblo, Colorado cut their rate of heart attacks by 40 percent after enacting a smoking ban at work and in public areas. Experts at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention credit the drop to a big reduction in second hand smoke. They also say the study suggests secondhand smoke may be a terrible and under-recognized cause of heart attack deaths in the United States.But, researchers did not sort out which heart attack patients were smokers and which were not... So, it's unclear how much of the decline can be attributed to reduced secondhand smoke.
source : http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/health&id=6583142
source : http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/health&id=6583142
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Congenital heart disease
Maladies cardiaques congénitales sont des anomalies du cœur de la structure et la fonction causés par des anomalies cardiaques ou souffrant de troubles de développement avant la naissance. Maladie cardiaque congénitale (CHD) est un terme général qui peut décrire un certain nombre d'anomalies qui affectent le cœur. Cardiopathie congénitale est, par définition, présente à la naissance même si ses effets mai ne pas être immédiatement évident. Dans certains cas, tels que la coarctation de l'aorte, mai il pas lui-même depuis de nombreuses années et quelques lésions telles que un petit défaut du septum ventriculaire (VSD) mai jamais causer de problèmes et sont compatibles avec l'activité physique normale et une durée de vie normale . Selon l'American Heart Association, environ 35.000 bébés naissent chaque année avec un certain type de cardiopathie congénitale défaut. Cardiopathie congénitale est responsable de plus de morts dans la première année de vie que les autres malformations à la naissance. Bon nombre de ces défauts doivent être suivis attentivement, même si certains guérir avec le temps, d'autres nécessitent un traitement Certaines maladies cardiaques congénitales peuvent être traitées avec des médicaments à lui seul, tandis que d'autres nécessitent une ou plusieurs interventions chirurgicales. Le risque de décès par cardiopathie congénitale chirurgie a diminué d'environ 30% dans les années 1970 à moins de 5% dans la plupart des cas aujourd'hui. Cardiopathie congénitale est souvent divisée en deux types: celles avec cyanose (décoloration bleu causé par un manque relatif d'oxygène) et ceux sans cyanose.
Monday, August 25, 2008
HEART STATISTICS
- Coronary artery disease is the single largest cause of morbidity amongst all diseases so much so that it has been classified as having reached pandemic proportions by none less than the WHO (World Health Organisation).
- Over 7,0000,000 Indians have heart related diseases
- 1 in 3 adults, both men and women, has some form of cardiovascular disease.
- In 90% of adult victims of sudden cardiac death, two or more major coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked.
- Brain death and permanent death start to occur in just 4-6 minutes after someone experiences cardiac arrest.
- The cardiac 64 CT scan provides 3D images of the heart so detailed that the heart disease can be detected at a very early stage.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Effects of Heavy Drinking on Heart Health Differs Between Genders
If you are like many Americans, you probably drink alcohol, at least on occasion. Previous studies have shown that moderate drinking (one drink a day for women or anyone over 65, and two drinks a day for men under 65) is probably safe, and may even have health benefits. However, heavy alcohol consumption can negatively affect almost every system in the body, and new findings indicate that women face greater risks to their heart health than their male counterparts.
A Japanese Collaborative Cohort Study, led by Dr. Hiroyasu Iso, professor of public health at Osaka University, followed 34,776 men and 48,906 women to analyze the effects alcohol consumption had on the different genders. The study participants, with ages ranging from 40 to 79, were followed for an average of 14.2 years. During that time, 1,628 subjects died from stroke and 736 died from coronary heart disease.
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