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.

More than 41 million women in America suffer from heart disease. The number of people with heart disease in women over time, more and continues to grow. Even people with this deadly disease experienced by more women than men.

However, based on tests conducted in the Swedish study, heart disease problems can be overcomed by performing five healthy lifestyle, for an example, non-alcohol, healthy diet, exercise every day, normal weight and not smoking can prove to expel the risk of heart attack.

This method is believed could overcome the problem of heart disease as much as 92 percent. This research has been tested on 24,000 women.

Here’s how health designed to help you reduce the risk of heart disease. Try to start doing a series of healthy patterns for a week, and feel the benefits for the long term:

Day 1: Drinking Green Tea

This potent beverage contains several powerful antioxidants that can reduce cholesterol and even lower blood pressure. To make this healthy drink, prepare 20 ounces of boiling water, put three bags of green tea without caffeine, and let stand for 10 minutes. If visible change color, you can serve it in a teapot. Could also add ice cubes. Enjoy the aroma and taste intensity throughout the day.

Day 2: Consumption of Low-Fat Healthy Foods

To keep your heart health, fat consumption which is recommended not exceeding 30% of calories. And more importantly, avoid using saturated oil and replace it with unsaturated fats that can be obtained from olive oil, nuts, dark chocolate, avocado and polyunsaturated which can be obtained from salmon, flaxseed, and walnuts.

Limit your intake of saturated fat to 7% of total calories (1600 calories to the diet, it was about 12 grams per day). Avoid Trans fats are commonly found in cakes, biscuits, baked goods and other processed foods. Both these fats can increase LDL cholesterol that can clog the arteries, cholesterol.

Day 3: Healthy Cooking

Use a MUFA-rich olive oil in your food preparation whenever possible. Heart healthy fats can lower “bad” LDL cholesterol and raise “good” (HDL). Olive oil rich in antioxidants, which can help reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases, like Alzheimer’s or dementia.

Provide always substitute olive oil for butter or margarine on the table, and use it to replace vegetable oils in cooking.

Day 4: Provide adequate rest periods

According to a study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association, each additional adult bedtime can reduce the risk of coronary artery calcification, the cause of heart disease, by 33%. When you have less time to sleep, your body releases stress hormones that constrict blood vessels and cause inflammation.

If you regularly feel tired when getting out of bed and always feel sleepy in the daytime, you need to be alert, so you can not sleep. Most adults need 7-8 hours a night to sleep.

Day 5: Consumption of many fiber

Studies show that the more fiber you eat, the less likely you are to have a heart attack. Reduce consumption of wheat bread and cereals that contain wheat, wheat bran. Expand consuming beans, soups, and salads. Within a day, you must consume 25-35 grams of fiber per day.

Day 6: Fish Feast

Meat saturated fats can clog your arteries. On the other hand, fish such as salmon and other fish species believed to be rich in omega-3 fatty acids that will help keep your heart still beat. Eat fish-fisheries that contain omega-3 may reduce the risk of death from heart attack by 52%!

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.

Yoga is all about experiencing the oneness with the God. It is also the way of finding peace of mind and controlling the mind all by ownself. Be it Hatha yoga or Ashtanga yoga or Kundalini yoga – Yoga enriches the life with divine tranquility and takes one to a higher level of spiritualism. Yoga is a blessing for all, criss-crossing age or sex. This ancient art is very much popular among all for its beneficial and life-enriching qualities. Women find it truly helpful in the most important phase of their life i.e. during pregnancy. For ages yoga has been practiced by pregnant women to avoid any kind of complications during pregnancy. Prenatal yoga ensures pain-free and smooth delivery. And if some soothing yoga music can be included in yoga practicing, it delivers better result.

Apart from being in shape and staying healthy, yoga has lot more to offer to the expecting mothers in their most crucial as well as vulnerable stage of life. Many and many women are opting for prenatal yoga for a relaxed and comfortable birthing. It gives protection to both the mother and the baby. By practicing yoga the mother-to-be can learn to rediscover her own inner strength as well as how to ensure herself and her baby’s overall well being. It is very normal for women to experience fear of pregnancy which sometimes leads to a serious problem. Yoga practiced with meditation music, is also beneficial to overcome this fear of pregnancy. For those expecting mothers who cannot join a yoga class, various prenatal yoga DVDs available at Spirit Voyage, can be of great help.

Meditation is a part of yoga. Meditation is the way to develop a favorable mindset which is very much necessary in this period. Because the happiness of the mother-to-be has great influence in the positive growth of the fetus. So, yoga or meditation helps to develop a positive attitude by controlling any kind of mood-swings and thus it creates a balance in the mind. Yoga music plays a very important role here. The soothing tunes of the spiritual music fills up the mind with divine purity. Regular meditation makes the woman ready for the childbirth. Whereas the breathing exercises provide more oxygen to the baby in the womb. And above all, the sacred tunes of meditation music will shower the divine blessing to the mother and her child.

Practicing yoga during pregnancy promises two vital task, natural child birth and minimal pain during delivery. It also ensures some post-delivery benefits like getting into the right shape, maintaining the proper body weight and strengthening both the abdominal muscles and pelvic floor. Yoga helps to get a flexible body which will be able to adjust the changes during pregnancy and post-pregnancy.

Unfortunately, breakfast becomes the most important meal of the whole day. A healthy breakfast is the foundation to having a successful day and long-term fitness. Unfortunately, there are few options for a healthy breakfast at most restaurants and in prepackaged breakfast products.

A healthy breakfast can start your day off right. A healthy breakfast refuels your body and give you an energy to help jump-start your day. Eating a healthy breakfast helps you to consume more vitamins and minerals, less fat and cholesterol. A healthy breakfast gives you the ability for better concentration and productivity throughout the morning.

By eating a healthy meal to begin your day, your body kicks on the metabolism which helps burn calories more efficiently. Read the rest of this entry »