Psoriasis was not only common skin disease. A recent study showed that people with psoriasis have increased risk of cardiovascular diseases.

Number of patients with psoriasis over the years continued to rise. In the United States alone, approximately 7.5 million people suffer from the symptoms of thick, red, scaly, and itchy skin. Not only physically ill, the patient had psoriasis will also experience a fatal health condition in the future if not controlled properly.

A new study published this week in the American College of Cardiology in Atlanta, the United States was mention of people with psoriasis are more likely to risk of heart attacks and strokes than those not having these skin disorders.

Researchers from Copenhagen University Hospital is to track the number of people with psoriasis, heart disease, stroke, and death in all teens and adults in the Danish population between 1997 and 2006. They found that people with severe psoriasis about 54 percent more likely to suffer a stroke, 21 percent more to get heart attacks, and 53 percent will die after 10 years of illness than non-psoriasis sufferers.

They are also more likely to require surgery such as angioplasty to open their heart arteries are clogged. While patients with mild psoriasis also have the possibility of increased risk of stroke and the angioplasty procedure. People with severe disease at a younger age at highest risk of cardiovascular problems, “said researcher Ole Ahlehoff MD, was quoted by webmd.com.

This analysis take into account other risk factors for heart disease, including age, gender, treatment performed and other health conditions. “People with psoriasis should not only seek care for symptoms of the disorder, but also should be examined to determine risk factors for heart disease and make lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems in the future, such as maintaining a healthy weight,” explained Ahlehoff.

Another study, presented last week at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Dermatology in Miami Beach, Fla., the United States showed psoriasis is also associated with an increased risk of cancers, including skin cancer, prostate cancer, and lymphoma. Researchers from the Health Economics and Outcomes Research at Abbott Laboratories to get data from insurance claims database that holds information about 93 million people around the United States.

They identified 37,159 people with psoriasis and to compare their possible cancer with 111,473 other people without psoriasis, in the same age. Known, people with psoriasis are likely to suffer from high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease and become obese (obesity).
During an average period of about 1.5 to 2 years, approximately 34.8 percent of people with psoriasis was diagnosed with cancer. In contrast, only 23.2 percent of those with healthy skin cancer. Researchers concluded, 56% higher risk of cancer for people with psoriasis.

The type of cancer that can be suffered by people with psoriasis is 75 percent for skin cancer, 87 percent of lymphoma, and 22 percent of prostate cancer. “Some of the medications used for psoriasis are likely to increase the risk of skin cancer.
But the link to other cancers can not be explained by the therapy, “said Alan Menter, MD, Director of the Psoriasis Research Unit at Baylor Research Institute in Dallas, United States.

Psoriasis itself is an immune disorder disease, which affected mainly by T cells (a type of white blood cells). Activated T cells will interact with skin cells (mainly keratinocytes) and resulted in the formation of a thick skin and scaly. The cause of this disease is still unknown, but the researchers have managed to find the abnormal gene that leads to the formation in patients with psoriasis. Thus, this disease has a hereditary disease risks.

Psoriasis is generally not life threatening, although very disturbing quality of life. Personal life, social, and work is also suffering greatly affected by the disease if the skin disorder of a particular place (eg the face, palms of the hands / feet, or genitals).

If not treated properly, complications may develop the disease (the disease becomes worse) as Psoriatic eritroderma (whole body skin becomes red) or generalized psoriasis pustulosa (psoriasis with small bubbles containing pus) that could endanger patients lives.

Nowadays, there are variety of psoriasis treatment is safe and effective. The treatment help to repair the skin conditions and reduce itching complaints. Of the many types of treatment, only a small portion can be cleaned with psoriasis treatment of skin disorders. The process is called clearance or remission.

Until now I have found no drug that can cure psoriasis in total. All the existing treatment can only suppress the symptoms of psoriasis. Most people never reach a state of remission of free treatment. Another thing that must be considered before selecting treatment degrees of severity of psoriasis was suffered. Also, disease location, type, age, sex and medical history, too patient.

Salt is very necessary to make a delicious dishes. However, too much salt was dangerous to health. Excessive salt intake can increase blood pressure.

This one item seems trivial. But a little less on food, can make bland food. Meanwhile, when most would threaten your health. “When viewed in the size of the individual, reducing salt intake may be affected only slightly in the body. But in a larger population, can be seen decline in cardiac disorders and certainly a significant health cost savings, “said author Annals of Internal Medicine, Dr. Crystal Smith-Spangler.

For the purpose of this is the U.S. government began to encourage the movement to reduce salt. In addition to increasing the health level, also reducing the state budget. “We hope that the government did not delay this action. And we urge the Ministry of Health, “Dr. Walter Willett as the head of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston. Walter.

Ministry of Health of New York also fully supports this campaign, by initiating movement The National Salt Reduction or reduction of the national salt consumption. This campaign seeks to cut salt intake by 20 percent over five years into the future. This campaign aimed primarily for the restaurant and food business, which largely contributed to salt intake for the population of the United States.

The actions of the American government is not without reason. According to Dr Thomas R Frieden, too much consuming salt causes at least 100,000 deaths annually in America. Furthermore, Thomas said, as quoted from webmd.com, there are at least two ways to cut the use of salt in food and making people healthier life.

The first road, the government in collaboration with food companies to reduce the amount of sodium used in food processing. This action is similar to that done by the previous British country. By running this, no decrease in salt intake of about 9.5 per cent in each population of England.

The same percentage can be gained by the United States if the following ways that have been run by the British. Americans could prevent as many as 531,885 cases of stroke and 480,358 cases of heart attack, for people aged between 40-85 years old. This can both improve the quality of life more than 2.1 million lives and could save medical expenses up 32.1 million dollars.

Other way is to levy taxes on the salt so that the price of the product rose 40 percent salt. In this way is estimated to 327,892 cases and 306,137 cases of stroke, heart attacks could be reduced. Health costs were saved up 22.4 million dollars, and improve the quality of life of 1.3 million inhabitants.

Reflecting on the experience of other countries, England for example, which has pioneered the movement nationally to reduce salt, reduce the salt levels will in fact immediately raises the pros and cons in society.

“Conversely, if governments do trimming salinity is gradually and slowly, so people will not realize it,” said Dr. David Fleming, Director of Public Health for Seattle and King County, Washington.

It seems Americans are trying hard to fight salt intake. Even the Department of Food and Drug Administration says the United States, healthy food salt content should not exceed 480 mg in each presentation.

Despite being much reviled, but the true sodium, or salt plays a major role in food processing. In the salt content of useful to keep the bacteria multiply in food. Especially in cheese products, salad dressings, and food fermentation. Salt is also an essential nutrient to add flavor and food coloring. Some foods are added to salt in it, including tomato sauce, soups, and canned food.

Before buying food products, you should first read the label indicated. Salt content in foods can be seen from nutrition facts label. Notice how the existing levels of sodium in foods, which are measured in milligrams (mg). Read also whether the food contains a soda. Soda here refers to sodium bicarbonate or baking soda,.

Keep in mind also, some writing that is usually listed on the label. For example, sodium-free or free of sodium, that is only using sodium less than 5 mg in each product. While sodium is very low or very low sodium, means reducing as much as 35 mg of sodium in each product. The low sodium, means the product is to reduce sodium 140 mg in each presentation.

You may often find a written product contains no added salt or no salt (unsalted or no salt added). This product is not using such salts used. But that does not mean free of salt, still, still contains salt, but salt is a natural part of the product concerned.

Sodium should be aware not only of food. Thus even with medication. In fact, drugs on the market also contain sodium. Thus, first read the existing label on the drug. Note the contents contained in the drug and read carefully what the drug does contain sodium.

Usually drugs that contain sodium is 5 mg per dose. The solution, some pharmaceutical companies are now starting to produce drugs that lower sodium. If you are still in doubt, it is better to ask first to your doctor or pharmacist before you decide to buy drugs. So, have you reduce the salt today?

There has been a dramatic decline in the number of deaths from heart attacks in the last decade. In 1970, nearly a million Americans died of cardiovascular disease; now the annual toll is below 600,000. The cause for this improved mortality rate are unknown, but most experts believe that the increased awareness of cardiovascular risk factors and their correction have played an important role in cutting the death toll.

What are the risks? Eventually, about half of all Americans develop some form of heart disease. The most common is a hardening of the arteries caused by a buildup of fatty deposits along the vessel lining. This is a slow process that usually takes many years to develop into serious disease. If the coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart muscle, become severely blocked by the fatty deposits, warning symptoms of heart disease may appear. These include shortness of breath, chest pains (angina pectoris) that are relieved by rest, or a combination of the two. In many people, however, there are no warning signs — the first symptom of heart disease may be a heart attack. This is why it is important to identify and correct possible risk factors before they reach this stage.

In recent years, a number of these risk factors have been identified. Some of them, such as age, sex and family history of heart disease, are things over which we have no control. But there also are a number of factors that can be modified or eliminated, and such action appears to reduce the portability of a heart attack. The three most important controllable risk factors are high blood pressure, high levels of blood cholesterol and cigarette smoking. In fact, many experts attribute the recent decline in cardiovascular deaths to the fact that more people than ever before are now being treated for high blood pressure. Changes in the American diet that have reduced the consumption of butter, eggs and animal fats – and consequently lowered the average blood cholesterol — and a reduction in smoking by middle-aged men also are credited with lowering the toll. Since the likelihood of developing heart disease increases when two or more risk factors are present, modifying the controllable ones helps reduce the hazard of those over which we have no control.

Role of Diet

Studies have shown that population groups whose diets are rich in cholesterol and other animal and dairy fats have more heart attacks that those whose diets are low in these saturated fats. Americans, whose diets are high in meat and eggs, have a higher incidence of heart disease than the Japanese, who end to eat very little meat and other animal and dairy fats.

Studies have also shown that high blood cholesterol — more than 200 miligrams per mililiter of blood — can be lowered by modifying the diet. This means eating more fish and poultry while cutting consumption of red meat, eggs, butter and other dairy fats, and increasing consumption of fruits, vegetables and cereal grains. Substituting polyunsaturated cooking oils (corn, safflower or sunflower oil, for example) for lard or hardened shortening, and using margarines whose labels indicate a high ratio of polyunsaturated to saturated fats (for example, 4 to 2) instead of butter or margarines with less favorable ratios (e.g., equal or 2 to 3) also help to lower blood cholesterol.

Role of High Blood Pressure

People with high blood pressure have a marked increase in heart attacks and strokes. The cause of most high blood pressure is unkown, but it usually can be lowered by the use of antihypertensive drugs, reduced salt intake, and weight loss in people who are overweight. Controlling high blood pressure is an important preventive measure because it increases the work load of the heart and also directly contributes to hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis).

Role of Cigarette Smoking

Since 1964, when the Surgeon General reported that cigarette smokers on the average had a 70 percent greater chance of having a heart attack than nonsmokers, many other studies have confirmed that cigarette smoking is a major risk factor. This risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked, and recent studies hae found that low-tar, low-nicotine cigarettes do not lower the risk of heart disease. Stopping smoking is now considered one of the best things you can do to help prevent a heart attack.

Other Risk Factors

Sedentary life style. Although evidence linking a sedentary life style to increased likelihood of heart disease is indirect, physically active people are known to have wider coronary arteries, which presumably would not be as prone to blockage as those sedentary people.

Type A personality. In recent years, much discussion has focused on the relationship between the type A personality, characterized by anxiety, impatience and perfectionism, and the risk of a heart attack. Although many assessments have confirmed this relationship, scientific proof definitely linking personality type and the development of heart disease is yet to come.

Diabetes. People with diabetes, a serious disease in which the body cannot regulate its blood sugar (glucose), have a higher incidence of coronary disease and heart attacks. The incidence is increased further if the diabetic has other risk factors.

Obesity. the Framingham Study recently concluded that obesity alone increases the risk of heart disease — a hypothesis that has been debated for years. Since obesity often coexists with hypertension, diabetes and a sedentary life style, weight control is an important factor in reducing a number of coronary risk factors.

Sex and age. Some risk factors, such as age and aging and a person´s sex, are unavoidable. Statistics show that men under the age of 45 years are 10 times as likely to develop coronary artery disease as women in the same age group. Between the ages of 45 and 60 years, however, the sex difference diminishes. After age 60 years, the incidence of coronary artery disease is about equally distributed between men and women.

Family history. An inherited susceptibility is also an important risk factor that cannot be avoided. Some manifestations, such as high blood pressure or an inherited tendency to have very high blood blood cholesterol levels (familial hyper-cholesterolemia) can be controlled by drugs and diet.

For decades, the media has been preaching how fats are associated with obesity, cancer, arteriosclerosis, and heart disease. Back in the late 1980’s, the U.S. Surgeon General recommended that Americans decrease their consumption of dietary fats. Marketing savvy food manufacturers immediately started coming out with everything from fat free ice cream to fat free cheese. In place of fat, more carbohydrates were added.

With all of the “fat free” marketing, the general public believed that since something was “fat free”, they could eat larger portions. Over the next ten years, Americans became fatter than ever! Obesity skyrocketed from 12% of the population to over 20% of the population in just 10 years. Today, research has found that 50% of Americans are overweight and approximately 23% are obese. With the help of the food industry, the public has developed a “fat phobia” and the importance of including healthy fats in our diets has been neglected.

If your goal is to build a stronger, leaner, more muscular body, dietary fats are necessary to maintain and improve your health, and play an essential role in reaching your fitness goals.

There are two types of fats, saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are considered healthy fats, they are usually liquid at room temperature. Although there are many sources of unsaturated fat, two great sources of healthy unsaturated fat can be found in cold water fish like salmon, trout and halibut, and flax seed oil.

Saturated fats are the unhealthy fats that are associated with a myriad of health problems. They contain virtually nothing nutritious or good for your body, it’s only role is it can be burned as energy. The fact is, you don’t need saturated fats at all, but the typical diet is jam-packed with them. For health reasons, you want to consume as little saturated fats as possible. Saturated fats are generally solid at room temperature and can be found in butter, margarine, dairy, cheese, and meats. I am not recommending you become a vegetarian and eliminate meat from your diet, but make sure when you are at the meat counter you select lean cuts. You do not have to eat meat every day. There are many other good non-animal sources of protein including beans, soy, and tofu.

The truth is, some fats are health promoting and essential to life itself. I recently read a great book by Dr. Udos Erasmus, one of the world’s foremost experts on dietary fats. I highly recommend you read his best selling book “Fats That Heal, Fat’s That Kill.” Dr. Erasmus believes that eating enough healthy fats is just as important to maintaining health as eliminating unhealthy fats.

Being sad for a while is a common thing, but being depressed takes sorrow to a the next level. Depression known as a pervasive sadness which clutches you by the collar and transforms your life as it slips a burlap sack over your head. You begin to adapt to life with this sack on, and soon you sway every decision based on that sack blinding you to your true abilities.

Depression can be classified as 2 or more weeks of emotional and physical lethargy. Clinical depression lasts a month or more of depression. It could feel like living in hell itself with no hope to move forward. Symptoms include changes in appetite and sleep practices, loss of energy and interest in things that used to be enjoyable, feelings of worthlessness, difficulty concentrating or making decisions, and ideas of death or suicide.
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