Chiropractic, Alternative Healthcare & Nutrition News:

Monitoring your blood pressure: What are normal ranges?

• Normal blood pressure: Systolic (top number) <>
• Pre-hypertension: Systolic 120-139 mmHg or Diastolic 80-89 mmHg.
• Stage 1 Hypertension: Systolic 140-159 mmHg, or Diastolic 90-99 mmHg.
• Stage 2 Hypertension: Systolic 160 mmHg+, or Diastolic 100 mmHg +
  Note: Recent smoking or exercise can increase the numbers slightly. Try to take your pressure at the same time every day. 3 successive high reading are needed to establish hypertension on different days. If your numbers are high, take 3 successive readings one minute apart. Very high numbers are at risk for strokes.
  

Heart Attack Signs:

• Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
• Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
• Shortness of breath with or without chest discomfort.
• Other signs may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness
  As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
  

Heart attacks are also more prevalent during holidays and cold weather with the peak incident level on December 25th.

Stroke Warning Signs The American Stroke Association says these are the warning signs of stroke:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
  If you or someone with you has one or more of these signs, don't delay! Immediately call 9-1-1 or the emergency medical services (EMS) number so an ambulance (ideally with advanced life support) can be sent for you. Also, check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared. It's very important to take immediate action. If given within three hours of the start of symptoms, a clot-busting drug called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can reduce long-term disability for the most common type of stroke. tPA is the only FDA-approved medication for the treatment of stroke within three hours of stroke symptom onset.

Signs of Peripheral & Autonomic Neuropathy:

Peripheral Neuropathy signs: This is especially important for diabetics.

• Tingling or burning in your toes, feet, legs, fingers, hands, or arms?
• A "pins and needles" feeling?
• Pain or cramping?
• Numbness or loss of sensation?
• Insensitivity to heat and cold?
• Extreme sensitivity to even the lightest touch?
• Muscle weakness in your hands or feet? Loss of coordination

Autonomic Neuropathy:

• Trouble feeling when your blood sugar is low?
• Chronic constipation or diarrhea?
• Frequent indigestion, nausea, or vomiting?
• Problems with urination?
• Problems with sex or orgasm?
• Faintness or dizziness when you stand up?
• Trouble seeing well enough to drive at night?
• Changes in sweating, either much more or less than usual?

Some things you can do to handle peripheral neuropathy.

• NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories)-aspirin, ibuprofen, Aleve, etc. Can cause stomach issues. Prescription strength- Lodine, Relafen, Celebrex.
• Tylenol – no anti-inflammatory properties therefore easier on stomach.
• Creams and gels: capsaicin (Capsaicin, Zostrix). Made from chili-peppers; can take a week to act; some get allergies; may interfere with healing (diabetic problem); can burn if sweating or open pores right after a shower. Lidocaine-can be bought in non-prescription strength or can get with a prescription. Don’t waste your time on Aspercreme or Ben Gay as they have not been shown to be effective.
• Anti-Seizure Drugs- Neurontin, Lyrica, Cymbalta.
• Anti-depressants- SSRIs- prozac, paxil, SNRIs-Cymbalta, Effexor. Tricyclic anti-depressants-Elavil.
• Opiods.

Nutrition/Diet News:

• Using a combination of simvastatin and red yeast rice and fish oil supplements in a study showed more significant drops in LDL, triglycerides and body weight as reported in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings in 2008. The triglyceride and body weight drops were where significant compared to the control group. Turns out there is a way other than statins to achieve these good results.
• The association between vitamin D and mood disorders affecting women in a review indicates a possible biochemical mechanism occurring between vitamin D and mood disorders affecting women, warranting further studies of these variables using rigorous methodologies.
• Epidemiological studies and clinical trials suggest that soy isoflavones have beneficial effects on bone mineral density, bone turnover markers, and bone mechanical strength in postmenopausal women. The long-term safety of soy isoflavone supplements remains to be demonstrated.
• The INTERHEART study, funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, shows that the risk of heart attack crosses geographic boundaries and correlates strongly to the so-called Western diet that favors salty snacks and fried foods, and to a lesser extent, meat increases heart attack risk globally.