Got High Blood Pressure?

Get an Easy 30 min 5day/wk

2006-05-12T04:10:00.000-04:00

Ok we hear over and over and over how we need regular exercise to keep our risk of heart disease and other ailments down. It's often said that we need a steady dose of 30 minutes of exercise. Well I recently signed up for the President's Challenge! This is a challenge for everyone to get active. To win (not a real competition) all you have to do is get 30 minutes of exercise for 5 days a week. Everything counts! Including housework! So when you are vaccuming, window washing, or hauling piles of dirty laundry you are Getting Active! You can sign up on the website and track your activity in 5 minute intervals! It's great! So even when I want to be lazy and not do a thing, the Challenge keeps me motivated to put in my 5 days!

This is a winner folks! So get motivated to GET ACTIVE and join the Challenge! Get the whole family involved! Try one of our pedometers to help keep track of your steps!

http://www.healthyhearthelp.com/
Alford I-Enterprises

Boxtox: an Unsual stroke Rehab treatment

2006-05-12T04:09:00.000-04:00

Some stroke survivors are prone to a condition called Spasticity. Spasticity is a condition where the motor control areas of the brain are damaged and tell the muscles in the arms and legs to tighten involuntarily. If not treated, spasticity can turn in to contracture where the muscles and tendons are permanantly shortened. Contracture is untreatable.

Surprisingly, Botulinum Toxin Type A (aka Botox) is proving to be effective in treating spasticity. Spasticity, as you can imagine, makes it painfully hard for a person to do everyday things like feeding or grooming yourself. Botox, generally used to cosmetically reduce wrinkles by temporarily paralyzing the muscles in the face. surely it could work to relax contracted muscules!

A new study has even shown that Botox has long-range benefits with repeated treatments! This is great news! The FDA hasn't approved this particular use of Botox, however, it is an accepted stroke therapy and often covered by insurances. Even better!

Beat stroke before it catches up to you. If you have or are at risk of heart disease check your blood pressure multiple times daily with a home monitor. Visit your doctor regularly to have it professionally checked. Eat healthy and exercise to reduce risks of heart disease. Most importantly, START EARLY!

www.HealthyHeartHelp.com
Alford I-Enterprises

RESOURCES:
http://www.bottomlinesecrets.com/index/index_articles.html?pub=BTOM&issue=2006-05-15

Still Don't Know What to Get Mom for Mother's Day?

2006-05-12T03:57:00.000-04:00

Get Mom an appointment card to get a Go Red Heart Checkup! There is no better gift in this world than Health. Why not help your mother keep herself healthy (or start to get healthy). If you think your mom would appreciate a gift you actually had to buy, follow up with a digital blood pressure monitor so that she can continue to monitor her heart health between doctor's visits!

www.HealthyHeartHelp.com
Alford I-Enterprises

The Ultimate Stress Reliever

2005-08-27T19:38:00.000-04:00

Being able to manage stress is an important part of controlling your blood pressure. I recieved the following article in an email and though it would be useful. bretahing excercises like Yoga has always been a favorite among the stress free. Hopfully you ejoy the article as much as I did. After you have read the article, take some time to see how you can apply it.

PS. Have you checked your blood pressure today? If not, shame on you! Use a personal blood pressure monitor to monitor your blood pressure multiple times daily.

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The Ultimate Stress Reliever

Your car has broken down again, your spouse is sick and you're wondering what you can quickly put together for dinner because you got home late. Stress -- it's everywhere. And while there are many strategies for managing stress, including changing your perspective on the situation, one of the best ways to create some calm in today's busy world is the ancient practice of yoga.

Yoga has moved from the Hindu temples of India into just about every YMCA and health club across the US. The great thing about yoga is that it is good for people of all ages and both genders and it provides a truly balanced mental, emotional and physical workout.

Benefits Beyond Relaxation

Of course, the benefits of yoga extend far beyond relaxation alone. According to Timothy McCall, MD, a former scholar in residence at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Lenox, Massachusetts, stress is not just a nuisance. It is a significant contributing factor to health concerns, from cardiovascular disease to gastrointestinal problems to anxiety disorders.

Yoga lowers blood levels of cortisol, explains Dr. McCall. Chronically elevated levels of this stress hormone raise heart rate and blood pressure, and contribute to the accumulation of abdominal fat that eventually results in an apple shape (placing you at a higher risk for heart disease and diabetes). Yoga also enhances flexibility and balance, assets at every age and especially beneficial in preventing potentially debilitating falls in the elderly.

Postures, Breathing Exercises and Meditation

The most common type of yoga practiced in the US is hatha yoga. But there are also a number of more distinct yoga approaches, and classes at some venues (especially dedicated yoga centers) are more specialized.

At the root of all yoga is proper yogic breathing, or pranayama. According to Daily Health News contributing editor and hatha master, Andrew L. Rubman, ND, proper yogic breathing is essential to obtaining the deeper benefits of the practice. What to do: Allow the breath to descend to the base of the chest like sand beginning to fill a bag. Feel the base of the lungs fill while they uniformly press down on the abdomen. Feel the ribs move as if from the base of the chest to the shoulders. As the lungs near their capacity, the shoulders rise and swing slightly back at the peak of inhalation. Exhalation is simply the reverse process -- imagine watching a video of the breath inhalation, played backward but at about half speed. For every second counted during breathing in, aim toward twice the interval for breathing out.

Yogic breathing is vital to all types of hatha yoga, including..

Kundalini yoga, which focuses on breathing and meditation (and sometimes chanting) as you move through a series of poses.
Iyengar yoga, which incorporates the use of belts, cushions, benches and blocks in postures.
Ashtanga, or "power," yoga, a perennial favorite in gyms, which is more physically demanding. Prepare to work up a serious sweat when you practice ashtanga yoga, which requires rapid-fire movements and athletic jumps.
Bikram, or "hot," yoga, comprising a series of 26 poses performed in 100-degree-plus-temperatures. The theory is that sweat flushes the toxins from your body while the heat warms and stretches muscles.

How to Choose the Right Yoga Class

Each hatha yoga class is as unique as the instructor who teaches it, observes Dr. McCall. He adds that classes taught in gyms tend to be more vigorous than those in yoga centers, because their goal is to appeal to people who want a good workout.

When choosing a particular yoga class or approach, keep the following in mind...

If you have a preexisting condition, such as high blood pressure, arthritis or osteoporosis, see your health-care provider before starting any yoga program.
Inform your instructor about all preexisting conditions. A good yoga teacher will take these into account when recommending poses or breathing exercises for you. If he or she fails to do so, choose another class.
Rigorous approaches, such as power and hot yoga, are not for everyone. You need to be in pretty good shape to safely enjoy these demanding practices. When in doubt, consult your physician for a medical clearance.
If you are enjoying a normal, healthy pregnancy, certain yoga classes are especially designed for you -- but check with your obstetrician or midwife before joining one.
Some senior centers offer gentle yoga classes tailored to the unique needs of older people. Again, check with your doctor first for medical clearance.
To help locate an appropriate class, visit the Yoga Journal Web site at http://dailyhealthnews.ed10.net/h/VDQI/NZ43/4O/VDW54 and click on "Class Search." You also can find detailed step-by-step information about poses, breathing and meditation on this Web site.
If classes are not an option, Dr. McCall says that a good introductory DVD is Patricia Walden's "Yoga for Beginners," which is available for $15 at www.yoga.com.

Whatever approach to yoga you choose, Dr. McCall believes that its postures and exercises will allow you to tap into a quiet place in your mind so that you will have more equanimity to deal with life's inevitable stresses. This is good for you all around, body and soul.

Sources:
The Ultimate Stress Reliever
Timothy B. McCall, MD, former scholar in residence at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health, Lenox, Massachusetts, and author of Yoga as Medicine (Yoga Journal).

Credits: Bottom Lines Daily Health News, August 22, 2005 Copyright (c) 2005 by Boardroom Inc.

Welcome to Got High Blood Pressure?

2005-08-26T18:58:00.000-04:00

Hi, my name is Tamikia and I am the Administrator of this blog. I just wanted to take the time to introduce myself. I own an information and retail website http://www.healthyhearthelp.com where I sell personal blood pressure monitors, Sprague Rappaport stethoscopes, and sphygmomanometers as well as give valuable information about high blood pressure.

I dedicated the website to my Dad, Clyde W Alford Sr, who passed November 26, 2004. He suffered his first stroke at the age of 33 and had been maintaining his hypertension up until August 1997 where he suffered 3 strokes leaving him mentally disabled. My Dad was a courageous and outgoing man. Even though his short term memory was not good, he could hold a conversation almost like nothing was wrong with him. He enjoyed playing Pinochle, watching TV, dancing, spending time with his grandchildren, and just having a good time. In late September 2004, he suffered a brain bleed which led to his death. He is dearly remembered in my heart, and my everyday life.

Before my Dad suffered his brain bleed, I, at age 24, was diagnosed with high blood pressure and had begun medication that was not helping. I found out that my brother, not 2 years my senior, had also been diagnosed. My mother as well suffers. This being a strong family trait, I am determined to not let it get the best of me, my family, or anyone else that I can help.

I hope that you can all feel the passion I have for this topic and welcome anyone wishing to express themselves!

Thank you again for visiting, posting, or whatever you reason for crossing.