Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the most common cause of death globally. An estimated 17 million people die from CVD every year. Coronary heart disease or strokes were the major causes of these deaths. A common misconception about CVD is that it impacts more people in developed countries who are more reliant on technology and lead sedentary lifestyles. But more than 80% of the deaths occur in middle-income and low-income countries. Fortunately, the main causes of cardiovascular disease are modifiable factors, which include lack of exercise, smoking, and a poor diet. 

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that affect the heart or blood vessels (veins and arteries). It can be caused by a combination of socio-economic, behavioural, and environmental risk factors, including high blood pressure, unhealthy diet, high cholesterol, diabetes, air pollution, obesity, tobacco use, kidney disease, physical inactivity, harmful use of alcohol and stress. Family history, ethnic background, sex, and age can also affect a person’s risk of cardiovascular disease.

BY THE NUMBERS 

115,000 – the number of times our heart beats in a day.

2,000 – the number of gallons of blood pumped by the heart every day.

1893 – the year in which the first open-heart surgery occurred.

3,500 – the age in years of an Egyptian mummy in which the earliest-known case of heart disease was identified.

1,200 – the fastest heartbeat per minute — that of the pygmy shrew.

1 pound – the weight of the human heart.

60,000 – the number of miles our blood vessel system can extend to.

1,500 pounds – the weight of a blue whale’s heart.

1.5 gallons – the amount of blood pumped by our heart each minute. 

HOW TO OBSERVE WORLD HEART DAY

Get your heart rate up with fitness events

Maintaining a healthy weight and low Body Mass Index (BMI) can help decrease your chances of developing heart disease. Whether you decide to attend a gym or fitness class — or prefer to get involved at a World Heart Day event — try to make being active a priority.3. Schedule life-changing seminars

There are many other best practices you can do to prevent Cardiovascular Disease. Click on the links below to find more information. 

I have a heart condition, it’s an Arrhythmia that will not kill you. You feel like you’re having a heart attack but it’s not. I’ve been to the hospital many times because it was so bad I wanted to make sure it wasn’t a heart attack. I also have an artery that is narrow and slows the blood down to the heart. The Mayo Clinic made the diagnosis after several Cardiologists failed to find the answer.  

The best thing we can do besides getting ourselves in good shape is to learn CPR. We never know when a family member or a stranger will need life-saving help. 

Our heart keeps us alive, we use it 24/7 and we need to take care of it or it will come back to bite us. 

Melinda

References:

National Today

World Heart Federation

I missed the Awareness Week but feel it’s important to still get the information out. 

It’s National Arthritis Awareness Week!

We often take the freedom of movement for granted, until it becomes limited. For most people, the main cause of this comes in the form of arthritis.  Arthritis is the inflammation of one or more joints. There are two main types of arthritis, Osteo is the most common types that damages the cartilage, joints and bones. This type of arthritis usually comes with age and is associated with wear and tear over the years.  The second type is Rheumatoid Arthritis which is caused by the immune system attacking the joints as if they were foreign tissues.

Here’s a rather surprising fact: Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in America. More than 50 million adults and 300,000 children are suffering with joint pain (or disease). Arthritis Awareness Month helps all of us deal with this commonly misunderstood health issue.

There are more than 100 different forms of arthritis and related diseases. The most common types include osteoarthritis (OA), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), fibromyalgia, and gout.

5 FOODS TO HELP FIGHT ARTHRITIS

1. Tart cherries

   They offer powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant benefits — providing joint pain relief, while lowering the risk of flares in those with gout.

2. Colorful vegetables

   Think sweet potatoes, carrots, red (or green) peppers and squash. Peppers, especially, are an abundant source of vitamin C, which preserves bone, and may protect cartilage.

3. Seafood

   The best? Salmon, tuna, sardines, and mackerel. They can all help decrease inflammation and protect the heart. Look for frozen or canned fish to save money.

4. Walnuts

   They’re high in alpha linoleic acid (ALA), a type of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acid. Eating walnuts regularly can also lower cholesterol, relax blood vessels, and reduce blood pressure

5. Garlic

   It can help fight pain, inflammation, and cartilage damage. If possible, try for fresh garlic to avoid unwanted preservatives and processing — which could decrease the benefits.

   I had no idea that Fibromyalgia was considered Arthritis. I’m glad I did some research. It’s interesting that food can affect Arthritis. Sometimes when we have a health issue we don’t research it enough because we live with it every day. I knew that Garlic was good for you, beware if you eat too much, you’ll smell like garlic. The lovely aroma of my gramps. 

Melinda

National Today

The Healthy Life Foundation

World Lymphoma Awareness Day takes place on 15 September every year to raise awareness of lymphoma – the most common blood cancer.

This year the campaign is encouraging people around the globe to share key facts about lymphoma – not only so more people are aware of the disease, but because research shows that people affected feel more confident when they are more informed.

Lymphoma is cancer of the lymphocytes (white blood cells).

Over 580,000 people are diagnosed with lymphoma each year worldwide.

Symptoms of lymphoma can be: unexplained weight loss, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, itching, night sweats and unexplained fever.

The most common lymphoma symptom is painless swelling in the lymph nodes.

Lymphoma symptoms can be overlooked because they can be similar to less serious illnesses, such as the flu.

Symptoms do not determine the lymphoma subtype. Subtype is determined through testing with a specialist.

There are no screening tests for lymphoma.

Fatigue is the most common physical condition of lymphoma, regardless of subtype.

People experience fatigue before diagnosis, during treatment and after treatment is completed.

Over half of all patients report feeling confident when they are more informed about their disease.

If you experience any of the symptoms please reach out to your Physician or Cancer doctor right away. Time is of the essence.

Melinda

References:

https://lymphoma-action.org.uk/10-facts-about-lymphoma-world-lymphoma-awareness-day

The type of pain experienced can be as varied as the reasons behind it. Pain can be felt as burning, stabbing, aching, pulsing, and many other sensations. These sensations can occur anywhere in the body, and can range from mild to severe, from intermittent to continuous, and from distracting to disabling. Over time, chronic pain can become a disease in and of itself, creating notable changes in the body, particularly the nervous system.

Because each individual person with pain is so unique, it can be challenging to manage pain effectively. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to treatment, and pain management is usually aimed at reducing pain, not eliminating it. Working alongside health care providers, most people with pain will need to engage in a process of trial and error to find a treatment plan that works for them. Typically, successful pain management requires finding a combination of multidisciplinary, multimodal therapies that reduce pain enough to improve quality of life and increase function.

Mental Health

Self-management

Sleep

An estimated 50 percent to percent of people with chronic pain have ongoing sleep difficulties.[1] Studies show that inadequate sleep, however, can exacerbate pain.[2] Here are some tips for ensuring you get a good night’s rest despite pain.

• Establish a routine.Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day—even on the weekends—reinforces the natural sleep-wake cycle in your body. You can also help reinforce bedtime by establishing a wind-down routine, e.g. by taking a bath, meditating, reading or listening to soothing music.
• Create a restful environment. Turn on white noise, use ear plugs, invest in comfortable bedding, and keep the room temperature cool. Exposure to light is especially important: dim or turn off the lights in your house 30 to 60 minutes before going to bed. The light from cell phone and TV screens can also interfere with circadian rhythms, so shut down all devices as you prepare for bed.
• Watch what you eat and drink. Caffeinated products—like tea or coffee, chocolate—anything containing nicotine, or any other stimulants should be avoided for at least four to six hours before you plan to go to sleep. Even alcohol, which initially makes you feel tired, makes it harder to get high-quality sleepy. Furthermore, heavy meals and too many fluids before bed might keep you up because you are uncomfortable or need to use the bathroom.
• Get tired! Napping during the day can interfere with sleep at night. If you must, limit your snooze to 30 minutes, and give yourself at least four hours between the nap and bedtime. In addition, exercising during the day helps tire out your body and can foster better sleep at night. Try to work out at least a few hours before bed, if possible.

Still struggling? Ask your doctor about meeting with a sleep specialist.

Reduce stress

Pain increases stress, and stress increases pain. But you can break this cycle by proactively trying to reduce stress wherever possible. Multiple studies have shown that reducing stress and relaxation techniques can improve overall health and wellbeing, and may even reduce pain or improve the perception of pain.[3],[4]

Some examples of stress reduction techniques and strategies include:

• Meditation
• Relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises, progressive muscle relaxation, visual imagery, and mindfulness
• Music, art or dance therapy
• Journaling
• Exercise
• Support groups
• Counseling and cognitive behavioral therapy

Generally speaking, reducing stress with chronic pain also requires:

• Pacing yourself to allow for sufficient rest and recovery;
• Learning to say no and putting your health first;
• Focusing on the things you can do and not what you can’t;
• Communicating clearly with your loved ones about your needs and challenges;
• Letting go of guilt and shame surrounding pain.

For more advice on managing stress when you have pain, find a psychologist, counselor or life coach in your area.

My Pain

My chronic pain started when I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. Since then the pain has increased in many areas of the body, some days it’s hard to walk. Bursitis, Arthritis, and Fibromyalgia have entered my life and it can be exhausting. Sleeping at night is hard, laying down puts pressure on my trigger points, and the pain flares up. I constantly wake up in pain, Laying there until going back to sleep or get up.

I’m not on pain medication at the moment but have a referral to see someone. I’ve been off pain medication for a year but it’s not worth living in pain. Managing pain often includes medication and that has to be monitored closely. Pain medication is addictive, it is made worse when your doctor fires you or you fire them without notice and have no withdrawal plan. What I do is not take the full amount prescribed, saving them in case I have to do self-withdrawal. It may not the best method but I’ve fired a doctor, it was hell coming off everything with only two weeks of medication.

One of my self-care techniques is to take a nap most afternoons. This gives my body a rest, and it helps ease the mind. That doesn’t mean I sleep, most of the time it’s just resting.

What do you do to manage your pain?

Melinda

References:

US Pain Foundation

An estimated one million people per year die by suicide or about one person in 10,000 (1.4% of all deaths), or “a death every 40 seconds or about 3,000 every day”. As of 2004 the number of people who die by suicide is expected to reach 1.5 million per year by 2020.^[8]

Physical and especially mental health disabling issues such as depression, are among the most common of the long list of complex and interrelated factors, ranging from financial problems to the experience of abuse, aggression, exploitation, and mistreatment, that can contribute to the feelings of pain and hopelessness underlying suicide. Usually, substances and alcohol abuse also play a role. Prevention strategies generally emphasize public awareness of social stigma and suicidal behaviors.^{[1][45][5][6]}

The best thing you can do is armor yourself with information and take action when you recognize signs or symptoms of depression, suicidal thoughts, or self-harm, indicating that someone is at risk of contemplating or attempting suicide.

Start the Conversation

It can be hard to know when someone may be thinking about suicide, explains Doreen Marshall, PhD, Vice President of Mission Engagement at the American Foundation of Suicide Prevention.

While mental health professionals have education, tools, and resources to support individuals struggling with their mental health, Dr. Marshall says we all play a critical role in suicide prevention. Having an open, authentic conversation about mental health with loved ones is a great first step.

This may not be easy, of course, but Dr. Marshall offers some useful tips:

• When someone is struggling, just listen to them.
• Let others share at their own speed.
• Don’t pass judgment or offer advice; just be present.
• Understand that we all experience mental health differently, and that’s OK.
• Following the conversation, check back in and offer to connect them to professional help if they need it.

Melinda

References:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Suicide_Prevention_Day

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-suicide-prevention-day-5197556