The Effects Of Smoking On Cholesterol

Although we are all aware that smoking has various implications for our general health, some of these effects are directly related to cholesterol. For example:
A study published in 2008 in the journal Atherosclerosis showed that smoking whilst pregnant leads to an increase in the total cholesterol levels and a worsening of the ratio of good to bad cholesterol in the children born to smokers compared to those children whose mothers did not smoke in pregnancy.
Very simply what this means is that if you smoke during your pregnancy you will adversely affect your child's cholesterol levels throughout their life and that if you are the child of a mother who smoked whilst pregnant you may be fighting an uphill battle with your cholesterol before any other factors that may affect you are taken into consideration.
For almost 20 years we have known that smoking has a detrimental effect on the body's good cholesterol or HDL whilst increasing the levels of LDL or bad cholesterol.
Researchers in 1992 found that:

• The more you smoked the greater the effect it had on worsening your cholesterol.
• The longer you had spent smoking, the worse the effect on your cholesterol levels were.
• The deeper you inhaled whilst smoking worsened your cholesterol levels.
• Passive smokers or those people breathing the air polluted by other peoples cigarette smoke also had a marked deterioration in their blood cholesterol levels - similar to that of being a light smoker themselves.

So, if you smoke you are adversely affecting your health, that of your unborn children (if you are pregnant) and the health of those around you! The good news is that things can be done...
Volunteers were asked to reduce their smoking by 50% over 8 weeks with the ultimate aim of stopping smoking after a further 8 weeks. During this time the researchers examined the affects of both the reduction in smoking and finally quitting on several cardiovascular risk factors which included how the blood would clot, the number of red blood cells and the presence of fats and cholesterol in the blood.
After 8 weeks of reduced smoking (from 22 to 11 cigarettes a day) there were significant improvements in blood clotting, white blood cells and the ratio of good to bad cholesterol. Following a further 8 weeks of total abstinence, the white blood cell count was further reduced and there were also further significant improvements in both "good" and "bad" cholesterol levels.
In fact everything to do with their blood had improved!
To summarise the study, 8 weeks of smoking reduction resulted in clinically significant improvements in established cardiovascular risk factors and these improvements were even greater after an additional 8 week period of not smoking.
What this means is if you just cut down without even quitting your body will thank you for it - although it will thank you more if you do quit!
Research published in Preventative Medicine way back in the 1980's showed that stopping smoking improves your cholesterol levels. The study showed how if you smoke then you not only lower your levels of good cholesterol but you also reduce your good/total cholesterol ratio i.e. by lowering the amount of good cholesterol you have in relation to your total cholesterol level means that the difference is then made up with "bad" cholesterol. They also found that all smokers had lower HDL cholesterol levels and HDL / total cholesterol ratios than those who had never smoked - regardless of age, body weight and alcohol consumption.
Again, the good news was that they also found this reduction of HDL cholesterol level seemed to be reversible, because those who had recently stopped smoking had higher good cholesterol levels and higher good / total cholesterol ratios than current smokers.
The message is therefore clear...
If you want to improve your cholesterol and are looking for another reason to stop smoking the writing is on the wall (or at least in the preceding few paragraphs!).

I have been involved in Chiropractic and healthcare research for over 20 years. During that time I have spent between 20 and 25 hours per week researching all areas of "alternative" and allopathic healthcare in order to bring the best advice to my patients through both my practice and writing. My latest book "How To Lower Your Cholesterol - Naturally!" ( http://www.thehealthyheart.co.uk ) is THE guide showing you simple ways to lower your cholesterol without drugs, without side-effects and without effort! Also available is my other book "The Alzheimer's Alternative" ( http://www.alzheimersalternative.com ) which I believe to be the definitive guide to Alzheimer's disease, alternative treatment and supplementation. If you are interested in learning more about the causes and the prevention of either disease I strongly recommend that you visit those two sites and sign up for the free weekly top tips that are available there. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steffan_Abel

Understanding and Lowering Your Cholesterol

Lowering your cholesterol is achievable, it's practical and it's a smart thing to do. Regardless of whether or not you have a problem, it's still smart to understand what it is, how it works and why it can be troublesome.
Cholesterol is defined in essentially four different ways. There is LDL, VLDL, HDL and Triglycerides. LDL stands for low density lipoproteins. It's present in our body naturally and is produced by our liver, but it can also be found in the foods we eat. Foods such as eggs, dairy and meat all have levels of cholesterol.
LDL is the bad boy on the block. It's the one that causes all the trouble. LDL can cause nasty plaque to build up on your arteries walls. This then means you heart can't get as much of that oxygen rich blood where it needs to go. It can actually go so far as to block the arteries.
That can lead to heart attack and stroke. Both are rather disagreeable conditions that will negatively impact your way of life and potentially bring it to a rather abrupt end.
Thats not to say that it's entirely bad. Our body needs it for various different functions but the problem arises when we have too much of it, LDL specifically, in our system. This leads us to the causes.
Some people are prone to the condition due to hereditary factors. Some peoples bodies just produce too much.
Or they may produce too little of the good cholesterol or HDL. HDL stands for High Density Lipoproteins. This kind actually reduces the bad kind by breaking it down into other things. A problem as diagnosed by your doctor can be too little HDL. If there is enough good cholesterol in your system, the bad builds up to excessive levels and you have a problem just the same.
Fortunately there are a couple of different ways to control it. The first is medicine. If you have a problem, your doctor will prescribe something to control it and keep it in check. However, you need to do your part also. The second way to help reduce it, is to adjust your diet and pick the right foods to assist the medicine.
If you haven't been diagnosed with a problem then understanding what to eat will help stave off any future issue. It may also affect how much of a certain drug you have to take. Your doctor will figure out how much to prescribe by looking at your risk factors.
A great way to make sure your levels are not being artificially affected is to stop smoking. If you smoke it will affect your cholesterol negatively. So stop. We all know how bad that habit is anyway.
Get out and get some exercise. Even moderate exercise, walking daily, can be a powerful weapon in the fight against high cholesterol. Exercise has some many benefits more us, it's no surprise it can help with this also. You will feel better and look better. Most people also report that they sleep better with some exercise on a daily basis. Spend time with someone walking if possible. It provides motivation and companionship. Or take your dog. He needs to be walked too.
Reducing your alcohol intake, or eliminate it altogether. This will also yield many positives with regards to your heart health in general. Your liver and your other organs will function much better without it, or with limited amounts.
Making these few simple, but powerful changes in your life can have a far reaching effect on your health and an immediate impact on the LDL in your system. Making your heart happy will make you happy.

Peter Jones is an expert on cholesterol control. For more how lower cholesterol information visit DietFoodLowerCholesterol.com Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Peter_B_Jones

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Women's Heart Attack Symptoms

Women often experience new or different physical symptoms as long as a month or more before experiencing their heart attacks. These symptoms are often different from men's. In addition to the usual symptoms experienced by both sexes, women can experience abdominal discomfort or indigestion and maybe a burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen. Their symptoms are also usually more subtle. Women experience chest pain occur less frequently than do men. Doctors have to be careful to make sure they do not miss a woman's signs during the office examination. Because women's symptoms are often misdiagnosed, they are far less likely to be treated with aspirin, beta-blockers, and other heart-attack prevention medications. This places them at greater risk due to a lost of time to seek medical attention. Knowing these symptoms creates an awareness for physicians and the public alike.

These symptoms include:

• Slight discomfort in the chest
• Uncomfortable pressure
• Shortness of breath
• Unusual fatigue
• Cold sweat
• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Fainting
• Pain below the left shoulder blade
• Back pain
• Tingling in the jaw, elbow, arm or throat
• Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, jaw or arms

Less common signs in women:

• Atypical chest pain
• Stomach or abdominal pain
• Unexplained weakness
• Fatigue
• Anxiety Palpitations
• Cold sweat or paleness

Both women and men may have "classic" chest discomfort, pressure or tightening that grips the chest and spreads to the shoulders, neck or arms. However, women can also experience: abdominal discomfort/indigestion burning sensation in the chest or upper abdomen. Women's symptoms tend to be less obvious than men's. Women's symptoms include a burning pain or heavy pressure in the chest instead of the vice-like pressure which many men get.
Heart disease remains the number one reason for death in both men and women. Because many women don't even know that they have heart disease, it's important to know the early warning signs and when it's time to see your doctor. Heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases claim the lives of more than half a million women each year in the United States. Heart disease sneaks up on you when you least expect it. Heart attacks, or myocardial infractions (MI), are the most dramatic manifestation of cardio vascular disease. MI's will affect approximately 345,000 American women this year. These symptoms are your body's way of telling you trouble is coming. Women push through their routines for hours or days, using antacids and over the counter pain relievers to mask MI symptoms. Women tend to report more nausea, indigestion, fatigue and pain that affects the chest, neck, jaw, shoulders and upper back. Women present themselves with nontraditional symptoms of stroke 62% of the time - much more frequently than men. Women are more likely to report pain as a symptom of their stroke, including chest pain, and sudden face or limb pain. Women may experience hiccups and heart palpitations during a stroke, which are more rare in their male counterparts. Women are also more likely to die from their heart attack. Women under 50 who were hospitalized for heart attacks were twice as likely to die from their heart attack than men. Women need and should pursue aggressive diagnostics for heart attack symptoms.

Diagnosis
Diagnosis is accomplished via an electrocardiogram which details distinctive changes. Indigestion or a "panic attack" is a common diagnosis. A stress test can make a diagnosis that you have blocked arteries. In the past women have been overlooked when it came to the diagnosis, detection, and treatment of heart disease that resulted in negative health outcomes. Today, women no longer have to accept these inequalities. General knowledge of women's signs of heart attack can be effective in overcoming past misdiagnosis of women.

Procedures
Women get less of the recommended medicines and procedures than men and can take longer to get them. Women are much more likely than men to die within a year of having an attack. Women do not seem to do as well as men after taking clot busting drugs or undergoing certain heart related medical procedures. While more women than men die of heart disease, women undergo fewer cardiac surgical procedures. A recent discovery is that women's hearts and capillaries tend to be smaller than men's. This has lead to a redesigning of catheters and devices used in angioplasty and other procedures to meet women's needs.

Summary
Symptoms which are most common in women include fatigue, sleep disturbance and difficulty breathing, including shortness of breath, discomfort in shoulder blades, dizziness, nausea and painful indigestion. Heart attack symptoms follow a common pattern. Symptoms such as chest tightness and shortness of breath seem to be less common in women. Symptoms can be relieved with bed rest and by keeping well hydrated. Symptoms of a coronary, on the other hand, include severe pain in the chest and elsewhere in the upper torso, shortness of breath, nausea, and death. Early recognition of these signs will improve the chances of a woman surviving the heart attack. In the long run, there has to be improvement in the early diagnosis of heart disease in women.

Bobby Gill is a survivor of a heart attack on Christmas night 2007 and now writes original articles about his experiences and self study of heart disease. He has wide-ranging experience in many national organizations in the Federal Government as a computer specialist, database administrator and computer scientist. His current work is in Configuration Management involving the release management of corporate software. This article is copyrighted by Bobby Gill. It can be reprinted freely online as long as the entire article and this resource box are included. Read up on heart disease and help to protect yourself by reading about heart attack symptoms here! You are invited to share heart related experiences at my blog [http://bwgill.blogspot.com/] Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bobby_Gill

Is This a Heart Attack Or a Panic Attack?

Heart Attack or Panic Attack - How to Know the Difference

You feel your heart begin to beat wildly in your chest as you break into a cold sweat and have trouble catching your breath; is this a heart attack or panic attack? Your first thought is that it's a heart attack since you have an impending feeling of doom which you may even have felt before your attack began. This makes your heart beat even faster and you become so overwhelmed that the feeling gets even worse until you begin to feel light headed or maybe even pass out. This is a panic attack.

When you suffer from anxiety, the slightest thing can trigger a panic attack and some can be so intense that you can't imagine it being anything other than looming death. It's very common for those having an anxiety attack to mistake it for a heart attack and this fear is enough to just take over and really wreak havoc on your heart rate, but no matter how fast your heart beats or how panicked you feel; you are not having a heart attack and this episode will not kill you.
One thing that will prove helpful in dealing with this is learning the differences between the two so you know right away if it is a heart attack or panic attack. Ive already described how a panic attack feels, so here are the signs of a heart attack so you can know the difference and give yourself some peace of mind.

Signs of a Heart Attack
- Pressure in the Chest (described as feeling like there is an elephant sitting on your chest)

- Chest pain - note that this is not always present

- Sweating

- Shortness of breath

- Pain in the right arm

- Pain in the back or shoulder blades for women

- Nausea or vomiting

If you look at the list and think about your experiences with panic attacks, you will see that you only have two of these in common; sweating and shortness of breath. Some people do drive themselves into such an anxious state that they become nauseous, but in the case of a heart attack, the nausea is prevalent before any of the other symptoms. The pressure in the chest is one that can confuse some because during a panic attack, you may feel a tightening feeling in the chest that is common with extreme anxiety, but it is far less severe than what one feels when having a heart attack.
Anxiety turns to panic because of your fears, meaning that when you fear the attack you are actually making things worse for yourself and setting your anxiety up to go from just anxiety to a full blown attack. That is the vicious circle of panic attacks. Learning how to change your thinking will help you stop a panic attack before it gets out of hand. Next time you feel your anxiety level begin to rise, try not to fear the attack and think of what you just read; you now know how to tell if its a heart attack or panic attack.

David Llennac has worked with panic attacks or heart attacks and recommends stress relief products and services to improve your lifestyle and well being. Do you want to end your panic attacks now and have a better quality of life and take full advantage of the opportunities open to you? Put a Stop to Panic Attacks Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_B_Llennac

Heart Attack Statistics

Heart attacks are a common form of ischemic heart disease. The World Health Organization estimated in the year 2002 that over twelve percent of all worldwide deaths arose as a result of ischemic heart disease. In developed countries, it is the leading cause of death. In developing countries, however it comes third behind AIDS and lower respiratory infections.

Heart attacks, known by their medical name of acute myocardial infarction, is a state of disease that involves the interruption of the bloody supply to part of the heart. The result is a shortage of oxygen that can damage the heart tissue and potentially kill. Heart attacks are the leading cause of death all over the world. Major heart attack risk factors include a history of angina or vascular disease, a previous stroke or heart attack, old age, excessive alcohol, the abuse of illegal drugs, smoking, episodes of abnormal heart beat, obesity, high levels of stress, high or low cholesterol, high triglyceride levels, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Heart disease forms the leading cause of death in the United States - it is even more common than cancer. An estimated one fifth of all deaths in America come as a result of coronary heart disease. Over thirteen million individuals across the nation suffer from coronary heart disease. Every year, over a million people suffer from coronary heart attacks; four out of every ten individuals die from their attacks.

Symptoms of heart attacks include anxiety, a feeling of impending doom, chest pain, sweating, shortness of breath, palpitations, nausea, and vomiting. Oftentimes, heart attack patients will feel sick very suddenly. The symptoms for heart attacks in men are often different from the symptoms in women. Women most often experience fatigue, shortness of breath, and a feeling of weakness. About one third of all heart attacks are silent and do not consist of any chest pain or associated symptoms.

Below, you will find some recent statistics for heart attacks in the United States.

452,327: the number of deaths due to heart attacks in the United States in the year 2004.

20: the percentage of all deaths due to heart attacks in the United States in the year 2004.

1.2 million: the average number of heart attacks that occur each year.

38: the percentage of all those who die from a coronary heart attack.

15.8 million: the number of heart attack patients who survive.

8.9 million: the estimated amount of angina patients in the United States.

400,000: the number of new angina cases each year in the United States.

233,000: the number of women who died from cardiovascular disease each year.

14 million: the number of Americans afflicted with some form of heart disease or angina.

50: the percentage of deaths that occur one hour after a heart attack when not treated.

60 billion: the amount of dollars spent on heart attack treatment and prevention each year.

20: every 20 seconds, a new heart attack occurs somewhere in America.

60: every minute, another heart attack death occurs.

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What Is a Heart Attack?

A heart attack [or Myocardial Infarction (MI)] occurs when the supply of blood and oxygen to an area of heart muscle is blocked, usually by a clot in a coronary artery. Often, this blockage leads to arrhythmias (irregular heartbeat or rhythm) that cause a severe decrease in the pumping function of the heart and may bring about sudden death. If the blockage is not treated within a few hours, the affected heart muscle will die and be replaced by scar tissue.
A heart attack is a life-threatening event. Everyone should know the warning signs of a heart attack and how to get emergency help. Many people suffer permanent damage to their hearts or die because they do not get help immediately.
If care is sought soon enough, blood flow in the blocked artery can be restored in time to prevent permanent damage to the heart. Yet, most people do not seek medical care for 2 hours or more after symptoms begin. Many people wait 12 hours or longer.

Heart Attack Warning Signs
Cardiac arrest strikes immediately and without warning. Some heart attacks are sudden and intense -- but most heart attacks start slowly, with mild pain or discomfort.
Often people affected aren't sure what's wrong and wait too long before getting help.

The following signs should not be ignored - they can mean a heart attack is happening:

- Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the  chest that lasts more than a few minutes, or that goes away and comes back. It can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. Symptoms can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw or stomach.
- Shortness of breath. May occur with or without chest discomfort.
- Other signs: These may include breaking out in a cold sweat, nausea or lightheadedness.
As with men, women's most common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. But women are somewhat more likely than men to experience some of the other common symptoms, particularly shortness of breath, nausea/vomiting, and back or jaw pain.
Even though the symptoms of a heart attack at times can be vague and mild, it is important to remember that heart attacks producing no symptoms or only mild symptoms can be just as serious and life-threatening as heart attacks that cause severe chest pain.
Too often patients attribute heart attack symptoms to "indigestion," "fatigue," or "stress," and consequently delay seeking prompt medical attention. One cannot overemphasize the importance of seeking prompt medical attention in the presence of symptoms that suggest a heart attack. Early diagnosis and treatment saves lives, and delays in reaching medical assistance can be fatal. A delay in treatment can lead to permanently reduced function of the heart due to more extensive damage to the heart muscle. Death also may occur as a result of the sudden onset of arrhythmias.

What causes a heart attack?
Atherosclerosis
Atherosclerosis is a gradual process in which plaques (collections) of cholesterol are deposited in the walls of arteries. Cholesterol plaques cause hardening of the arterial walls and narrowing of the inner channel (lumen) of the artery. Arteries that are narrowed by atherosclerosis cannot deliver enough blood to maintain normal function of the parts of the body they supply. For example, atherosclerosis of the arteries in the legs causes reduced blood flow to the legs. Reduced blood flow to the legs can lead to pain in the legs while walking or exercising, leg ulcers, or a delay in the healing of wounds to the legs.
In many people, atherosclerosis can remain silent (causing no symptoms or health problems) for years or decades. Atherosclerosis can begin as early as the teenage years, but symptoms or health problems usually do not arise until later in adulthood when the arterial narrowing becomes severe. Coronary artery disease refers to the atherosclerosis that causes hardening and narrowing of the coronary arteries. Diseases caused by the reduced blood supply to the heart muscle from coronary atherosclerosis are called coronary heart diseases (CHD). Coronary heart diseases include heart attacks, sudden unexpected death, chest pain, abnormal heart rhythms, and heart failure due to weakening of the heart muscle.

Atherosclerosis and angina pectoris
Angina pectoris (also referred to as angina) is chest pain or pressure that occurs when the blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle cannot keep up with the needs of the muscle. When coronary arteries are narrowed by more than 50 to 70 percent, the arteries cannot increase the supply of blood to the heart muscle during exercise or other periods of high demand for oxygen. An insufficient supply of oxygen to the heart muscle causes angina.
Angina that occurs with exercise or exertion is called exertional angina.
Exertional angina usually feels like a pressure, heaviness, squeezing, or aching across the chest. This pain may travel to the neck, jaw, arms, back, or even the teeth, and may be accompanied by shortness of breath, nausea, or a cold sweat. Exertional angina typically lasts from 1 to 15 minutes and is relieved by rest or by placing a nitroglycerin tablet under the tongue. Both resting and nitroglycerin decrease the heart muscle's demand for oxygen, thus relieving angina. Exertional angina may be the first warning sign of advanced coronary artery disease.
Chest pains that just last a few seconds rarely are due to coronary artery disease.
Angina also can occur at rest. Angina at rest more commonly indicates that a coronary artery has narrowed to such a critical degree that the heart is not receiving enough oxygen even at rest.
While heart attacks can occur at any time, most heart attacks occur between 4:00 A.M. and 10:00 A.M. because of the higher blood levels of adrenaline released from the adrenal glands during the morning hours. Increased adrenaline, as previously discussed, may contribute to rupture of cholesterol plaques.
Approximately 50% of patients who develop heart attacks have warning symptoms such as exertional angina or rest angina prior to their heart attacks.

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Learn About the Heart Disease Symptom That Can Save Your Life

The heart has the most important function of pumping blood throughout our  bodies without which we cannot live, ensuring that one's heart is in good shape and functional should always be on the priority list.
However, sometimes one heart disease or the other creeps on us and by being able to identify a heart disease symptom will save one's life.

Heart Attack Symptoms

The heart disease symptom that is connected to heart attack is easier to read than other diseases but at the same time it can get confusing; if you are not sure of any one symptom, check with your doctor right away.

- Pain, fullness and/or squeezing sensation of the chest
- Jaw pain, toothache, headache
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea, vomiting and/or general upper middle abdomen discomfort
- Sweating profusely
- Heartburn and/or indigestion
- Arm pain - more commonly left arm but sometimes the right arm as well
- Upper back pain
- General feeling of being unwell

One or more of these symptoms may occur at the same time depending from person to person where as some may have no symptoms what so ever. Knowing to recognize the heart disease symptom is not easy and often it may lead to be just a false alarm however never ignore any symptom - it's better to be too careful than sorry.

Coronary Heart Disease Symptoms
The symptoms associated with coronary heart disease are pronounced such as:
- Chest pain or angina - is the most common heart disease symptom related to coronary disease however, the intensity of pain may vary from person to person
- Shortness of breath - this is a usual symptom of congestive heart failure; the heart is usually very weak at this point from lack of blood and oxygen and/or from a past heart attack.

Heart disease symptom recognizing is usually hard as many of these symptoms can be caused by many other different factors as well; this is probably one of the main causes why some people walk in emergency rooms sometimes too late to be able to be helped.
If you are faced with any kind of doubt about a heart disease symptom that you may have, check with your doctor as soon as possible in order to avoid a disaster.
Your health is the most important possession, learn to listen to your heart and protect yourself from any heart disease by conducting regular check ups, eating healthy and exercising as much as possible.

Milos Pesic is an expert in the field of Heart Diseases and runs a highly popular and comprehensive Heart Disease web site. For more articles and resources on Heart Disease related topics, Congenital Heart Disease, Coronary Heart Disease, Ischemic Heart Disease, Heart Disease symptoms and treatments and much more visit his site at: =>http://heart-disease.need-to-know.net/ Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Milos_Pesic