New drugs against migraines block the neuropeptide αCGRP, which leads to vasodilation on the meninges. The same peptide that is formed in the muscles during physical activity protects the heart – which is vital for people with chronic high blood pressure.

The novel migraine prophylaxis is likely to be dangerous for them, as researchers at the University of Zurich have shown in mice. The neuropeptide αCGRP or α Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide, works in two different ways. Directly at the point of release of the nerve cells – for example on the meninges – it leads to inflammation and dilates the blood vessels, which can cause migraine attacks. It affects the heart quite differently, as a team of researchers from the University of Zurich (UZH) has now found out.

Negative effect on the meninges, more positive on heart

As the scientists show from studies with mice, αCGRP is also released from the working skeletal muscles. It gets from the muscle to the heart via blood, where it inhibits the disease-causing changes in the heart caused by chronic high blood pressure.

“It’s the same with humans as with the mouse: physical activity and exercise increase the blood plasma level of αCGRP, which has a positive effect on the heart if the blood pressure is increased,” says study leader Johannes Vogel, professor at the Institute of Veterinary Physiology at UZH.

Therapy option for certain hypertensive patients

In their work, the researchers compared normal mice to those with chronic high blood pressure, who were either physically passive or repeatedly walked voluntarily. It was shown that normal concentrations of αCGRP in the blood plasma are essential for survival and that the positive effects of physical activity on the heart depend on the peptide.

ΑCGRP also protects the heart regardless of its hypotensive properties in higher doses. “In the future, substances that activate the release of αCGRP could be used in patients with high blood pressure who can only be physically very limited, or for whom antihypertensive drugs do not work or do little,” explains Johannes Vogel.

Beware of migraine medication and chronic high blood pressure

The research also revealed another result: In mice with chronic high blood pressure, long-term administration of αCGRP blockers led to life-threatening cardiac dysfunction. Medications that specifically block the neuropeptide have recently been used for migraine prophylaxis. Since the neuropeptide αCGRP is very similar from zebrafish to humans, it must be a central biological mechanism that works in a comparable way in many organisms.

According to the cardiovascular specialist Vogel, the results are therefore also relevant for humans: “αCGRP blockers should only be used to prevent migraine if the patient’s blood pressure is checked regularly.

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Blood pressure is the amount of pressure and force applied to the arterial wall that results from pumping of the heart. Long-term hypertension, if left untreated, can lead to a variety of dangerous diseases, including heart disease, stroke, kidney disorders, and so on.

According to the World Health Organisation, 1.3 billion people worldwide are suffering from hypertension.

According to some reports, the disease is the leading cause of death in the world. There are several factors that contribute to this disease. Heredity, obesity, smoking, drinking alcohol, high salt intake, diabetes, stress, etc. are among the causes of high blood pressure.

Ways to Control Blood Pressure

Today’s poor lifestyle such as inactivity and inappropriate nutrition has caused many diseases, including hypertension. Changing some of the wrong habits can prevent or control the disease. According to studies, proper exercise can reduce blood pressure by 4 to 9 mm Hg. In some people, this amount of activity and lower blood pressure makes it unnecessary to take any medication. Blood pressure is also higher in areas where salt intake is higher. Therefore, salt control is another necessary step. To go on diet and weight loss, next to abstaining from smoking and drinking alcohol along with treatment or stress relief are other important elements in preventing and controlling the disease.

Blood pressure medications are another option to control this disease. However, some blood pressure medications have side effects such as impotence.

However, the most important cause of hypertension that needs special attention is atherosclerosis. The disease is usually caused by the deposition of certain substances such as cholesterol and calcium on the vessel wall or by hardening the vessels. In addition to the above ways, some herbs and foods have an effective role in controlling blood pressure. Some natural supplements have also been produced using the ingredients of these herbs without the side effects of chemical drugs. Garlic products, for example, are effective preventers of atherosclerosis and hypertension. Consumption of hawthorn also reduces blood pressure by dilating the coronary arteries. Diabetes can worsen the hypertension through hardening of the arteries and atherosclerosis. Diabetic diet is one of the most effective preventive measures as well.

The post High Blood Pressure; A Dangerous Silent Killer appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Do you know why every visit to your doctor’s office starts with a blood pressure check? It’s because your blood pressure reveals a great deal about your current health and your risk of developing one of many serious medical problems in the future.

Chronically high blood pressure (hypertension) is directly linked to cardiovascular disease. The good news is that lowering blood pressure reduces this risk.

“The reason we treat high blood pressure is to prevent stroke, heart attack, kidney damage and heart failure,” says preventive cardiologist Luke Laffin, MD. “Bringing blood pressure down below 120/80 mmHg decreases the risk of all these serious, potentially deadly problems. That being said, stroke prevention is the most sensitive to blood pressure reduction.”

Understanding how blood pressure works

Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts on the artery walls. It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) by a gauge attached to a blood pressure cuff.

An optimal blood pressure reading is below 120/80 mmHg. That means that each time the heart contracts, blood is ejected with a force of 120 mmHg. (Think of the force of water shooting through a hose when you turn on the spigot.) When the heart relaxes in order to refill, this force drops to 80 mmHg.

If your blood pressure is chronically higher than 120/80 mmHg, it means the resistance is greater, and your heart has to work harder to push blood through your body. At this point, your doctor may recommend you try certain lifestyle changes to bring it down. These can include losing weight, exercising and cutting down on salt consumption.

If your blood pressure reaches 130/80 mmHg, you are said to have hypertension. Your risk of a cardiovascular event begins to increase exponentially. It may be necessary for you to take one or more medications to bring your pressure down.

Even if you have no symptoms, you should take these medications faithfully.

Not only will they help prevent stroke and heart disease, but recent research has shown that lowering blood pressure decreases the incidence of mild cognitive impairment associated with aging.

Are high blood pressure and hypertension the same thing?

The terms “high blood pressure” and “hypertension” are used interchangeably, but they are not necessarily the same thing.

“Hypertension is a diagnosis given when someone has multiple blood pressure readings above 130/80 mmHg. It indicates something has caused your blood pressure to rise above normal — stress or exercise, for example.

You can have one episode or an occasional episode of high blood pressure. It doesn’t mean you have hypertension,” says Dr. Laffin.

What causes hypertension?

The most common form of hypertension is called primary hypertension. It is a disease in itself largely caused by advancing age and genetics. By age 80, some 90% of adults have primary hypertension due to arteries narrowed by atherosclerosis. Despite its prevalence, primary hypertension is neither desirable nor inevitable.

“We used to think high blood pressure was essential as we age,” says Dr. Laffin. “Now we know this is not true. High blood pressure in our later years needs to be addressed.”

Hypertension also can be caused by another disease, called secondary hypertension, such as narrowing of the aorta or the arteries leading to the kidneys, or by excess hormone production.

How hypertension harms

At rest, a normal heart beats 60 to 100 times a minute, depending on your age and level of fitness. This means your heart beats at least 86,400 times a day or 31,536,000 times a year. That’s a lot of work for a muscle the size of your fist. And just like any other muscle that is exercised, the heart will grow bigger when it is forced to strain.

A bigger heart is not better. When the main pumping chamber (left ventricle) reaches a certain size, it can no longer contract with enough force to expel blood efficiently. This is called heart failure with reduced ejection fraction.

High blood pressure can also cause the heart muscle to become stiff, preventing it from refilling properly between beats. This causes heart failure with preserved ejection fraction.

Increased stress on the arteries also causes them to age faster, making them more likely to rupture and cause a hemorrhagic stroke or to develop atherosclerotic plaques, which increase the risk of ischemic stroke as well as heart attack.

Most hypertension-related brain hemorrhages are spontaneous and occur in the small arteries deep in the brain. Hypertension appears to increase the risk of silent stokes in these arteries by as much as 60%.

How to lower your risk of hypertension

Unless your blood pressure is sky-high, guidelines suggest first trying non-medical ways to lower it. These include:

• Drinking less alcohol.
• Eating less salt, perhaps by adopting the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
• Increasing exercise.
• Losing weight.

If these measures do not lower blood pressure far enough, or if you’ve had a heart attack or stroke or are at high risk for one, anti-hypertension medications will be needed. There are many types, so your doctor may try several different
kinds and doses until the right combination for you is found.

“Hypertension doesn’t often cause symptoms, which is why it is known as the ‘silent killer.’ This gives some people a false sense of security. They don’t understand why they need to make an effort to lower their blood pressure,” says Dr. Laffin. “Fortunately, patients who adopt these measures usually find their blood pressure drops, and with it, their risk of heart attack and stroke.”

The post Why Chronic High Blood Pressure Is So Dangerous appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

If at one point you’ve looked up anything related to weight loss in the last few years or so, then there’s a high chance that you’ve come across the ketogenic (or keto) diet. Social media spread its supposed effectiveness like wildfire, with before-and-after photos serving as ~receipts~ about how fast it really works. Even celebs gave it their seal of approval by posting perfectly curated photos of their keto meal plans on their feeds.

But just like many other diets, the ketogenic lifestyle has its fair share of detractors as well. After all, taking up a dietary approach that drops the carbs but focuses on increased consumption of fat DOES sound a bit dangerous.

So what’s the real deal about this diet? Is it really a safe and effective way of losing weight or is it just a fad? Let’s find out.

What’s the keto diet and how does it work?

The keto diet basically restricts the consumption of carbohydrates and sugar, which are commonly used by the body as sources of energy. It was originally designed for people suffering from epilepsy after physicians discovered that they suffered from fewer seizures when given a diet that is low in carbohydrates and high in fat.

In terms of weight loss, it works by forcing the body to burn fat instead of carbohydrates. The high amount of fat and the restriction of carbs make the liver oxidize the fatty acids and produce ketones as an alternative source of energy. A body in ketosis is also considered to be in prime weight loss mode. The reported initial rapid weight loss of people who follow the diet—some claim to lose as much as seven pounds in a week!—however, is hugely attributed to the shedding of water weight since the lack of carbohydrates leads to a reaction called gluconeogenesis which causes the body to flush water. 

Is the keto diet safe?

This is where most of the debate comes in. Some testimonials say that not only did the keto diet help them lose weight—and keep it off—it also improved their lipid profiles and, ironically enough, their good cholesterol, and blood pressure. But then there’s the other side of the debate claiming that this diet is far from being a magical shortcut to losing weight because of how differently it can affect our bodies.

So what’s the real deal about this diet regimen, once and for all? We asked for professionals what they think of the keto diet:

When it comes to weight loss, there’s no doubt that following the keto lifestyle does help in shedding those unwanted pounds. However, the safety of this diet when used for weight loss is something that is not yet sufficiently backed by scientific studies. “The diet has been designed to manage epilepsy as supported by scientific evidence but it is not intended for weight loss or any other purposes,” says Izaac Reyes, an RND Clinical Nutritionist-Dietitian. “A diet designed for losing weight should be tailored for each person—a professional would have to tailor a balanced diet depending on a person’s health and physical activities to avoid any possible complications.”

But what about the other reported health benefits of the diet?

“There are recent researches that have shown promising but still inconclusive data about the other benefits of a ketogenic diet,” says RND, RN, and RDN Cheshire Que. “There are findings about the diet helping patients with brain tumors, and also people who have hypertension, and those with a history of heart disease. There are even researches claiming that it has anti-cancer benefits, but again, these need further studies.”

Reyes agrees and says that there are not enough scientific evidence or extensive clinical studies that would currently support individual claims. “A nutrition regimen or diet with positive feedback from several people does not necessarily mean that it is effective and safe for the entire population.”

As for its cons, Que shares that there are studies showing people with plaque buildups on their arteries after being on the diet for months. This condition, also known as atherosclerosis, increases the risk factor for stroke and heart attack. Reyes adds that a person can also suffer from nutritional deficiencies if they get into the diet without consulting with a professional first.

So is there a right or wrong way to do the keto diet?

Que says that at the end of the day, it will all depend on the purpose for doing it. “If it is to treat an existing medical condition like epilepsy and done with the guidance of a registered dietitian nutritionist, then it will be the right way. But if you just get bits and pieces of information from the internet without assessing risk factors and monitoring with a health professional, then it could really go wrong, even if it’s effective in achieving weight loss.”

Reyes adds, “A patient who wants to try keto should be strictly assessed and supervised by a registered nutritionist-dietitian and a medical doctor to make sure that the diet is effective and safe in relation to the patient’s current medical condition and nutritional status.”

What does a healthy keto meal plan look like?

Here’s an example Que shared for reference.

For lunch or dinner:

• 90 grams of fried chicken (use unsaturated fat for cooking like vegetable oil, pure olive oil or canola oil)
• 1 1/2 cups of sauteed mixed non-starchy vegetables (use unsaturated fat for cooking)
• 2 squares of dark chocolate
• Water with 1 tablespoon of chia seeds

For snacks: a handful of nuts

What’s the verdict on the keto diet?

YES, the keto diet can be effective for weight loss, but that doesn’t make it ideal for everyone and anyone, especially since it is originally designed for other medical conditions. While it has other health benefits that recent studies have supported, more data and research are needed to entirely clear off this diet from the doubts thrown its way. If you really are set on using it as a method to lose weight fast, however, you should consult with a registered nutritionist dietitian first to make sure that you are provided with a healthy meal plan that won’t come biting at you later on.

The post All Your Questions About The Keto Diet, Answered appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Fad diets seem to pop up all the time and people are met with the same disappointing results. The keto diet, however, could be the most dangerous one yet. 

The keto diet is a restricted plan where a person eats a high amount of fat and a low amount of carbohydrates, under 50 grams per day. It gained its popularity by its shockingly quick weight loss results. 

The reason for this rapid weight loss is because a person on this diet is putting their body through ketosis, which means your body begins to burn stored fat for energy when it is not supplied with enough glucose or carbohydrates. 

This diet has been prescribed to and shown improvements for children with epilepsy and obese patients with Type 2 Diabetes, but beyond that, it is not recommended for healthy people, yet it’s still gaining unbelievable traction. 

The first issue with keto is that most people who participate in the diet lose muscle and because of that, will also develop a slower metabolism since muscle burns more calories than fat, explains Kristin Kizer, R.D. 

Alongside that issue, many people who get on the keto diet lose the weight and then stop dieting, regaining all of that weight back. Kizer explains how a person will have a more difficult time burning calories and building muscle prior to the keto diet and instead will mostly regain their weight back in fat and in different proportions than before. 

“Once your body enters ketosis, you also begin to lose muscle, become extremely fatigued and eventually enter starvation mode. Then it actually becomes even harder to lose weight,” says Lisa Cimperman, R.D. 

It’s not just for cosmetic reasons why the keto diet can be detrimental, athletes as well have issues with performance without carbs in their diet than they do with them.

Edward Weiss, PhD, explains how the body is much more acidic and fatigued on the keto diet from lack of our main energy source, carbohydrates. This can be extremely limiting to athletes’ peak performance. 

The last and biggest issue is the overall health deficits keto can have on a person’s body. Since keto takes a toll on the muscles, you have to remember our most important muscle of all also gets hit: the heart. 

The keto diet has often been called a cardiologist’s nightmare. It has also been discovered to be linked to different diseases, including various cancers, kidney failure and heart disease. 

“A 25,000-person study…suggested that people on the lowest-carb diets had the highest risk of dying from cancer, cardiovascular conditions and all other causes. Another study also found that people who followed diets that were low in carbs and high in animal proteins had a higher risk of early death compared to those who consumed carbs in moderation” according to Heathline. 

The keto diet should be a plan only followed if it was prescribed by a doctor or if it is being closely monitored by a nutritionist and only followed for a short period of time. It’s not something any healthy person should see on Instagram and try without any research or knowledge. 

Of course there is nothing wrong with cutting back on certain carbs but restricting your body so much from our main energy source and putting your heart and body at risk just to lose weight is ridiculous. 

The bottom line is no fad diet will ever beat the effects of regular exercise, eating a well balanced diet and overall living a healthier life. You know your body and what it needs and the keto diet is not on that list. 

The post Opinion: Keto is just a dangerous and ineffective fad diet appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

High blood pressure is a common and often dangerous condition that frequently exhibits minimal warning signs or symptoms, rightfully earning the name “Silent Killer.”

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as they carry blood from the heart to other parts of the body.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one of three adults in the United States, or about 75 million people, have high blood pressure. However, only about 54 percent of these people have high blood pressure under control.

“There are many steps you can take to help prevent or control high blood pressure,” said Sara Carros, Wellness and Health Promotion Services civilian health promotion coordinator.

Civilian Health Promotion Services recommends proactive practices, such as eating a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, getting enough physical activity and monitoring your blood pressure regularly.

In addition to those practices, CHPS also suggests not smoking, limiting alcohol use and reducing stress.

“While blood pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day, health problems such as heart disease and stroke can arise if it stays high for a long time,” said Carros.

CHPS offers a variety of services to help increase awareness of your blood pressure and provides educational opportunities for prevention.

“We have wellness screenings that encapsulate a cardiac risk profile, blood pressure and body composition,” said Carros. “Health education classes, physical activity and weight management challenges are all part of our program to help you stay healthy.”

Although CHPS is always available to offer these events at base worksite locations, it now has new touch screen blood pressure kiosks to help make the monitoring more convenient.

“Though not a diagnostic device, the kiosk does provide information on blood pressure, heart rate, weight and body mass index,” said Carros.

The post Healthy blood pressure promotes overall good health appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

(MENAFN – The Conversation) If you want to reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s disease, there is no end ofadviceon theinternet telling youhow to do it: keep your blood pressure and blood sugar in check, lose weight, exercise more, avoid getting type 2 diabetes. Of course, doing these things is good for your general health, but ourlatest studyshows they probably do nothing to reduce your risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

Around50m peoplesuffer from dementia, and that number is expected to triple in the next three decades. The most common form of dementia isAlzheimer’s . People with this disease have a build-up of two proteins in the brain (beta-amyloid and tau), but it is not known if these proteins are a cause or a consequence of the disease. What we do know is that this proliferation of tangled proteins stops brain cells working properly, hence the typical symptoms of dementia: memory loss, confusion, difficulty performing everyday tasks, changes of behaviour, hallucinations.

In the past decade, there has been an emphasis on the role of cardiovascular disease and diabetes in the development of dementia. For a while, researchers have known that these things are associated withvascular dementia . Vascular dementia occurs because of damage to blood vessels, such asatherosclerosis , which increases the risk of dangerous bleeds or blood clots in the brain. Blood clots and bleeds stop oxygen getting to parts of the brain which then leads to the death of those brain cells.

Atherosclerosis increases the risk of bleeds and blood clots in the brain.
logika600/Shutterstock

High blood pressure and diabetesincrease the risk of atherosclerosis and so will affect the delivery of oxygen to the brain. Some argue that the consequence of these diseases increases the changes seen in the brain in Alzheimer’s disease, so it is believed that high blood pressure and diabetes increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s.

When considering the link between these factors, it is important to bear in mind how accurate dementia diagnoses are. With the tools we have today, a person will get a dementia diagnosis, for example, Alzheimer’s or vascular dementia, with a60-90% accuracy . So between 10-30% of the people diagnosed with dementia get the wrong diagnosis.

The only accurate diagnosis

Most research about the association between high blood pressure, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease is done in a clinic. This means that the people in these studies are alive and may have been wrongly diagnosed. The only way to diagnose a person’s dementia disorder with nearly 100% accuracy is through autopsy, analysing brain samples under a microscope, so the best way to do research on this topic is through studies based on autopsies where you can confirm that the subjects had the correct diagnoses. And this is the approach we took with ourlatest study .

We wanted to investigate if the occurrence of high blood pressure and diabetes differed between people diagnosed with Alzheimer’s compared with those diagnosed with vascular dementia. Our research was based on 268 deceased patients, older than 65. We analysed brain samples to confirm a diagnosis of Alzheimer´s or vascular dementia. Using medical records and theSwedish National Diabetes Registerwe were able to determine if our subjects had hypertension or diabetes, or both.

We found a high occurrence of both high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes among the subjects with vascular dementia. The subjects with Alzheimer’s showed a distinctly lower frequency of the two diseases.

In the group with Alzheimer’s, 37% had had high blood pressure. The corresponding proportion was 74% in the group with vascular dementia. And 12% of the group with Alzheimer’s had suffered from diabetes, compared with 31% in the group with vascular dementia. AmongSwedes , 16% above 65 years have diabetes. One may speculate that by having Alzheimer’s you have a lower risk of getting diabetes, or by having diabetes you have a lower risk of getting Alzheimer’s.

Despite these results, it is still important to keep controlling your blood pressure and avoid getting type 2 diabetes. These are factors that lead to cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death in the world. Instead, we hope that our findings can increase the knowledge about these risk factors and dementia types. The correct associations between risk factors and disease types will help scientists avoid drawing misleading conclusions and refrain from meaningless treatment attempts.

The post Alzheimer’s disease not linked to type 2 diabetes or high blood pressure new study appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Nelson’s Emma Weiland has suffered the severe pain of endometriosis since she was 12. But it took until she was 18 to get a diagnosis, despite many visits to many doctors and emergency rooms.

Lack of diagnosis, misdiagnosis, not being taken seriously, multiple surgeries — these are common experiences of women with the disease.

All through high school this athletic and academically gifted young woman suffered monthly debilitating pain.

“At every dance competition, every soccer competition, finals, it was always there, all that pain,” she says. “I continued to accept it.

“I went to dozens of hospital visits before I was taken seriously, because ultrasounds and other tests came back with nothing abnormal. They finally did a CT scan. In June of last year I went in for emergency surgery because they thought I had ovarian torsion.”

This turned out not to be the case, but during the surgery they found she had endometriosis. “We had never heard the word before,” she says. “We had never had any information about it.”

That surgery supplied a diagnosis but not a cure. There is no cure.

One in 10

Endometriosis affects one in 10 women, according to the U.S. Department of Health. That’s a shocking number for a disease most people have never heard of.

Tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other parts of the body, most commonly in the pelvic area, causing pain, infertility and organ dysfunction. Its cause is unknown and research has been limited.

Endometriosis was found on Emma’s bowels, Fallopian tubes, appendix, bladder, uterus, and cul-de-sac.

During recovery over the summer she enrolled in business courses at the University of Victoria, but things did not go well there.

“I came back for Thanksgiving and Mom took one look at me and said something is wrong. I had lost about 15 pounds and I was falling apart physically. I was lucky if I could make it from my room in the basement up to the kitchen. Some days I would go the whole day without eating because I could not get up.”

She was spending much of her time in a wheelchair.

Weiland withdrew from school and put herself on a waiting list for excision surgery at B.C. Women’s Hospital. Excision surgery (more advanced than the surgery she received in the summer) is considered the gold standard treatment (but necessarily not a cure) for endometriosis. Weiland says there are fewer than five doctors in Canada who perform it.

“I was told I would have to wait up to a year. At this point I still have not received an initial call about an appointment.”

‘Doctors who don’t believe you’

Frustrated by the wait time, her family took her to a specialist, Dr. Ken Sinervo in Atlanta, who performed the surgery in January with a month’s notice.

Without excision surgery, sufferers are traditionally given drugs, hormones, ablation therapy, or a hysterectomy. Those are considered palliative management.

“If we had followed what was recommended as a treatment plan she would still be very sick,” says Emma’s mother, Deborah Weiland.

Emma says it would be worse than that.

“I would not be here today,” she says. “I would have committed suicide. This disease not only affects you physically but when you are in the hospital and talking to these doctors who don’t believe you and don’t recognize your illness or know how to treat it, it becomes so exhausting that you cannot imagine living it any more, it is not worth it. So without my parents and especially my mother advocating for me and travelling and finding someone to do proper surgery, I would not be here.”

Mental health effects

Deborah, who has done thorough research on endometriosis while her daughter has been coping with it, says the disease doesn’t just affect the body.

“It affects your hormones, which affects your mental state. So many women are battling mental illness created by this disease.”

Emma says she’s feeling well now, six months after the excision surgery. The surgeon told her the recurrence rate is 10 per cent.

“As far as I am concerned, I have a brand new life. I can’t do a work shift of eight hours but can work up to four hours. I still definitely still have surgical pains and cycle pains, but it is not even comparable

Every day is better.

“I have to pace myself right now. My new body is trying to catch up with my personality because I do need to take breaks. I am at about 50 per cent of what I would usually be able to to do. But I was at two per cent before my surgery.”

Not taken seriously

Emma plans to devote herself full time, in collaboration with her mother, to form and run the Endometriosis Organization of Canada.

Their first project is Demystifying Endometriosis at the Capitol Theatre on Saturday, an event that will include a screening of the documentary Endo What? and a discussion with Emma about her experience.

Emma says the message of the video aligns with her own opinion: that misogyny plays a big part in the lack of research, scarce resources and scant medical knowledge related to endometriosis. It’s a women’s disease, so it has not been taken seriously, she says.

There are already a few support organizations in Canada, Emma says, but their new group will take support further by focusing on education and advocacy.

“We want to bring advocacy and education into schools and colleges so people can become their own advocates.”

‘A very lucky person’

Emma wants to do this because she’s privileged to have been able to travel for her surgery.

“Most women spend all their money on painkillers and appointments. So I am very lucky to be only 19 and to have had excision surgery and to be able to advocate for myself and others. That is only a dream for so many women I have met.

“So many women reach out, but in a week’s time they are in a flare or in the hospital or getting another surgery. It is heartbreaking to watch. It is too debilitating to be human. You lose your humanity. You lose who you are.”

The post VIDEO: Endometriosis: the most common and dangerous disease you’ve never heard of appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

Newswire.net — June 14, 2019) — Liposuction surgery, also commonly referred to as lipo, is a type of cosmetic surgery aimed at breaking up and sucking fat from the body. It’s often used in the abdomen, chin, neck, calves, back, thighs, upper and backs of the arms, and buttocks. The fat is removed by vacuum suction through a cannula (hollow instrument). So, what is liposuction surgery? Here are some of the facts, benefits and risks of the procedure.

What is Liposuction Surgery?

So, what is liposuction surgery? Liposuction is where fat is removed by vacuum suction through a cannula (hollow instrument).

What Is Liposuction?

People undergoing liposuction surgery will usually have a stable body weight but would like to get rid of undesirable body-fat deposits in specific body parts. It is neither a treatment for obesity nor an overall weight loss strategy. It’s mainly aesthetic but doesn’t remove any dimples, stretch marks or cellulite.

Only a limited amount of fat can be removed and the procedure alters the shape of the body as fat cells are permanently removed. Inherent risks of this plastic surgery procedure include scarring, numbness and infection.

Uses

Liposuction is primarily for aesthetic purposes and most people would probably achieve the same or even better results by adopting a healthy lifestyle. The procedure is normally advised to treat areas of fat that are resistant to diet and exercise. It is, therefore, crucial to discuss the benefits and drawbacks of liposuction with your doctor before deciding whether to go ahead with the surgery. The procedure works best for people with good skin tone and elasticity. People with blood flow or circulation problems such as diabetes, coronary artery disease or a weakened immune system shouldn’t undergo liposuction.

Benefits

Liposuction is normally performed for cosmetic reasons but it is sometimes used to treat conditions such as:

• Lymphedema (swelling caused by the excess collection of lymph in tissues)
• Excess weight loss after obesity
• Lipomas (benign, fatty tumors)
• Lipodystrophy syndrome (fat is lost in one part of the body and accumulated in another)
• Gynecomastia (accumulation of fat under a man’s breasts)

The Operation

Patients are required to undergo several health checks before they’re declared fit for surgery.

Risks

Any major surgery carries a risk of infection, bleeding or an adverse reaction to anesthesia. The risk of complications is usually associated with how large the procedure is, as well as the specific training and skills of the surgeon.

Results

The results of liposuction are rarely clear until the inflammation goes down. In some cases, inflammation may take up to several months before going down completely. Most of the swelling will settle after about a month, and the area where the fat was removed should appear less bulky.

Maintaining your weight will usually yield permanent results while gaining weight after the procedure may alter the distribution of fat in the body.

Bottom Line

So, what is liposuction surgery? In short, it refers to the removal of fat from specific areas of the body using a suction technique. For the best results, you need to consider carefully the benefits and drawbacks beforehand, choose a qualified and experienced surgeon, know what to expect and contact the practice to discuss the details carefully with your surgeon.

The post What is Liposuction Surgery? – Is it Dangerous? appeared first on MyMedicPlus.

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is a common condition that can silently damage your body over time. One of the most serious complications is the thickening of the heart wall, especially the left side, known medically as left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Understanding this risk, and how to prevent it, is crucial for anyone living with or at risk for high blood pressure.

What Is High Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. A reading of 120/80 mmHg is considered normal. High blood pressure is usually defined as a reading consistently above 130/80 mmHg.

• Primary (essential) hypertension: No specific cause; related to genetics, lifestyle.
• Secondary hypertension: Caused by another condition (e.g., kidney disease, hormonal disorders).

Hypertension often has no symptoms, which is why it’s called the “silent killer.”

How Does High Blood Pressure Thicken the Heart Wall?

Your heart is a muscle that pumps blood. When blood pressure is high, your heart has to work harder to pump blood to your body. Over time, just like lifting heavy weights makes arm muscles bigger, this extra work causes the wall of the heart’s main pumping chamber (the left ventricle) to thicken. This is called left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH).

Why Is a Thickened Heart Wall Bad?

• Reduced pumping efficiency: The thickened muscle can become stiff and less able to fill with blood.
• Oxygen demand: A bigger heart muscle needs more oxygen, increasing the risk of angina (chest pain) and heart attacks.
• Electrical problems: Thickened muscle can disrupt the heart’s electrical system, causing arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats).
• Increased risk: People with LVH have a higher risk of heart failure, stroke, and sudden cardiac death.

Symptoms to Watch For

Many people have no symptoms at all, even with a thickened heart wall. If symptoms do develop, they may include:

• Shortness of breath, especially with activity
• Chest pain or pressure
• Irregular or rapid heartbeat (palpitations)
• Dizziness or fainting
• Fatigue, weakness

Note: These symptoms may signal advanced disease. Most people do not feel anything until the condition is serious.

How Is Heart Wall Thickening Diagnosed?

• Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG): May show changes suggesting LVH.
• Echocardiogram (Heart Ultrasound): The best test. It measures the thickness of the heart walls and how well the heart pumps.
• MRI: Rarely used, but can give very detailed images.
• Routine check-ups: People with high blood pressure should have regular check-ups to monitor for complications.

Who Is Most at Risk?

• People with uncontrolled or long-standing high blood pressure
• Older adults (risk increases with age)
• People with kidney disease
• Those with a family history of heart disease
• People who smoke, are obese, eat a high-salt diet, or are physically inactive

How Can You Prevent Heart Wall Thickening?

The best prevention is to control your blood pressure! Here’s how:

1. Lifestyle Changes

• Eat a healthy, low-salt diet (such as the DASH or Mediterranean diet)
• Exercise regularly (at least 30 minutes most days)
• Maintain a healthy weight
• Limit alcohol and avoid smoking
• Manage stress (meditation, relaxation, hobbies)

2. Take Your Medications

If prescribed, take blood pressure medicines exactly as directed. Common medications include:

• ACE inhibitors
• ARBs
• Beta-blockers
• Calcium channel blockers
• Diuretics

Do not stop your medicine without talking to your doctor!

3. Regular Check-ups

• Monitor your blood pressure at home, if recommended
• Get regular doctor visits and heart check-ups
• Report any new symptoms immediately

What Should I Do If I Have High Blood Pressure?

1. Check your blood pressure regularly.
2. Follow your doctor’s treatment plan and keep all appointments.
3. Adopt heart-healthy habits (diet, exercise, avoid smoking/alcohol).
4. Know the warning signs of heart trouble (see symptoms above).
5. Talk to your doctor about getting an echocardiogram if you have long-standing or hard-to-control hypertension.

Summary Checklist

• Check your blood pressure regularly
• Take your medicines as prescribed
• Eat a low-salt, balanced diet
• Stay physically active
• Get regular heart check-ups
• Avoid smoking and limit alcohol
• Watch for symptoms, but remember LVH is often silent

When to Call Your Doctor

Contact your healthcare provider immediately if you experience:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Severe shortness of breath
• Fainting or severe dizziness
• Palpitations or irregular heartbeat

These could be signs of serious heart complications.

Final Words

High blood pressure can silently thicken your heart wall and raise your risk of heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. But with good management, regular check-ups, and heart-healthy habits, you can dramatically lower your risk and protect your heart for years to come.

Take charge of your blood pressure — your heart will thank you!

The post High Blood Pressure and Heart Wall Thickening: A Complete Patient Guide appeared first on MyMedicPlus.