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SLEEP DISORDERS
An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans have chronic (ongoing) sleep disorders. Sleep deficiency is linked to many chronic health problems, including high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression.
WHAT CAN YOU DO???
WHAT CAN YOU DO???
1. Stick to a sleep schedule
2. Pay attention to what you eat and drink
3. Create a restful environment
4. Limit daytime naps
5. Include physical activity in your daily routine
SUGAR & YOUR SKIN
This will AMAZE you! The USDA reports that the average American consumes a STAGGERING 2.5 pounds (over a kilo) of sugar a week: about 22 to 30 teaspoons of sugar daily! That’s a LOT of sugar, especially when you consider that the dietary effects of too much sugar has been linked to many fatal diseases.
Studies have shown that consuming anywhere from 75 to 100 grams of simple sugar (about 20 teaspoons of sugar), can suppress the body’s immune responses for up to 5 hours. Too much of these sugars have been shown to create up to a 50% drop in the ability of white blood cells to kill bacteria and viruses in the body, leading to a weakened immune system. This may negatively affect your body’s ability to fight bacteria and viruses, including eczema.
Sugar tends to have a negative impact on the skin because it causes high amounts of inflammation in the body.
When you eat sugar your body breaks down these carbohydrates into glucose, which raises your insulin levels creating inflammation throughout your body.
This inflammation then produces enzymes that break down collagen and elastin — two of the major components to build healthy skin. This process is called glycation, and can make eczema worse.
SOME TIPS FOR EATING LESS SUGAR!
Read the ingredient label
Sugar is in much more than you think! The next time you go shopping, you will notice it’s in sauces, chips, crackers, salad dressings, and even some kinds of meat. Steer clear of foods that contain a lot of sugar.
Avoid liquid sugar
Those pre-made yogurt smoothies and juices may seem perfectly fine for you. But really, they can contain at least 30 grams of sugar. That’s over the recommended sugar intake in just one thing you thought was healthy in the first place. Do what you can to eliminate liquid sugar, which means saying goodbye to soda, lemonade, shakes, sweet teas, etc.
Avoid high-glycemic foods
The faster a food is absorbed by your body, the higher it raises their blood sugar. Processed foods, which have little amounts of fiber, good fats, and proteins, often raise blood sugar faster, making them easily absorbed by the body. To help limit eczema outbreaks, avoid processed sauces, chips, and other snack foods to reduce inflammation and high sugar levels.
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CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION
WE NEED CHOLESTEROL????
Cholesterol in the blood
With all of the bad publicity cholesterol gets, people are often surprised to learn that it’s actually necessary for our existence.
What’s also surprising is that our bodies produce cholesterol naturally.
Cholesterol is a substance made in the liver that’s vital to human life. You can also get cholesterol through foods.
Because plants cannot create it, you can only find it in animal products, like meat and dairy.
In our bodies, cholesterol serves three main purposes:
It aids in the production of sex hormones.
It’s a building block for human tissues.
It assists in bile production in the liver.
These are important functions, all dependent on the presence of cholesterol.
Your heart PREFERS KETONES!
According to the AMERICAN COLLEGE OF CARDIOLOGY,
Metabolic perturbations underlie a variety of cardiovascular disease states; yet, metabolic interventions to prevent or treat these disorders are sparse. Ketones carry a negative clinical stigma as they are involved in diabetic ketoacidosis. However, evidence from both experimental and clinical research has uncovered a protective role for ketones in cardiovascular disease. Although ketones may provide supplemental fuel for the energy-starved heart, their cardiovascular effects appear to extend far beyond cardiac energetics. Indeed, ketone bodies have been shown to influence a variety of cellular processes including gene transcription, inflammation and oxidative stress, endothelial function, cardiac remodeling, and cardiovascular risk factors. This paper reviews the bioenergetic and pleiotropic effects of ketone bodies that could potentially contribute to its cardiovascular benefits based on evidence from animal and human studies.
Metabolic perturbations underlie a variety of cardiovascular disease states; yet, metabolic interventions to prevent or treat these disorders are sparse. Ketones carry a negative clinical stigma as they are involved in diabetic ketoacidosis. However, evidence from both experimental and clinical research has uncovered a protective role for ketones in cardiovascular disease. Although ketones may provide supplemental fuel for the energy-starved heart, their cardiovascular effects appear to extend far beyond cardiac energetics. Indeed, ketone bodies have been shown to influence a variety of cellular processes including gene transcription, inflammation and oxidative stress, endothelial function, cardiac remodeling, and cardiovascular risk factors. This paper reviews the bioenergetic and pleiotropic effects of ketone bodies that could potentially contribute to its cardiovascular benefits based on evidence from animal and human studies.
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Data from experimental and human studies suggest that ketone bodies exert protective effects in patients with CVD.
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Administration of exogenous ketones may become an alternative to a ketogenic diet as a means of elevating ketone bodies.
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Future studies should assess the clinical impact of increasing ketone utilization in patients with or at risk of developing CVD
Evidence for benefits of ketone bodies in subjects with cardiovascular disease is rapidly emerging. In addition to the role of ketones in provision of an ancillary fuel for the failing heart, ketone bodies may also exert a myriad of pleiotropic effects. Ketone bodies may improve endothelial function, ameliorate oxidative stress, improve mitochondrial function, exert anti-inflammatory actions, and mitigate cardiac remodeling. Other systemic extracardiac effects on body weight, blood pressure, glycemia, and lipid profile may also benefit patients with CVD. Regardless of the pathway to achieve ketosis, ketone bodies have potential clinical applications that require further exploration, including new therapeutic approaches to harness the beneficial effect of ketosis. In the coming years, we will learn whether ketone bodies can be beneficial and optimized to be used in treatment and prevention of CVD.
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.12.065
Evidence for benefits of ketone bodies in subjects with cardiovascular disease is rapidly emerging. In addition to the role of ketones in provision of an ancillary fuel for the failing heart, ketone bodies may also exert a myriad of pleiotropic effects. Ketone bodies may improve endothelial function, ameliorate oxidative stress, improve mitochondrial function, exert anti-inflammatory actions, and mitigate cardiac remodeling. Other systemic extracardiac effects on body weight, blood pressure, glycemia, and lipid profile may also benefit patients with CVD. Regardless of the pathway to achieve ketosis, ketone bodies have potential clinical applications that require further exploration, including new therapeutic approaches to harness the beneficial effect of ketosis. In the coming years, we will learn whether ketone bodies can be beneficial and optimized to be used in treatment and prevention of CVD.
https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.12.065
A FIB
Atrial fibrillation, also called AFib or AF, is the most common type of irregular heartbeat. The abnormal firing of electrical impulses causes the atria (the top chambers in the heart) to quiver (or fibrillate).
Sometimes people with AFib have no symptoms and their condition is only detectable upon physical examination. Others may experience one or more of these symptoms:
General fatigue
A rapid and irregular heartbeat
Fluttering or “thumping” in the chest
Dizziness
Shortness of breath and anxiety
Weakness
Faintness or confusion
Fatigue when exercising
Sweating
Chest pain or pressure (This is a medical emergency. You may be having a heart attack. Call 911 immediately if you have one of these feelings.)
Are there different types of AFib?
There are different types of AFib. The symptoms are generally the same, although the duration of the AFib and underlying reasons for it can help medical practitioners classify the type of AFib problems.
Paroxysmal fibrillation is when the heart returns to a normal rhythm on its own, or with intervention, within seven days of abnormality. People who have this type of AFib may have episodes only a few times a year or their symptoms may occur every day. These symptoms are very unpredictable and can often turn into a permanent form of AFib.
Persistent AFib is an irregular rhythm that lasts for longer than seven days. This type of AFib will not return to a normal sinus rhythm on its own and will require some form of treatment.
Longstanding AFib is when the heart is consistently in an irregular rhythm for longer than 12 months.
Permanent AFib occurs when the condition lasts indefinitely, and the patient and doctor have decided not to continue trying to restore a normal rhythm.
Nonvalvular AFib is AFib not caused by a heart valve issue.
Over a period of time, paroxysmal fibrillation may become more frequent and longer lasting. This sometimes leads to permanent or chronic AFib.
All types of AFib can increase your risk of stroke. Even if you have no noticeable symptoms, you are nearly five times more likely to have a stroke than someone who doesn’t have AFib.
How are heart attack symptoms different from AFib symptoms?
Fluttering and palpitations are symptoms of AFib. Those feelings are the key difference between AFib and a heart attack. But many heart problems have similar warning signs. If you think you may be having a heart attack, don’t delay. Get emergency help by calling 911 immediately.
A heart attack is a blockage of blood flow to the heart. This often is caused by a clot or buildup of plaque lodging in the coronary artery (a blood vessel that carries blood to part of the heart muscle). A heart attack can damage or destroy part of your heart muscle. Some heart attacks are sudden and intense. Most start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort. Often people affected aren’t sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help.