General Health

What is Hypertension or High Blood Pressure? My Explanation

Everyone knows what hypertension is. Many of your friends and relatives may be suffering from this chronic serious (although it does not seem serious because only a minor percentage of individuals suffering from high blood pressure have troublesome symptoms) disease. Hypertension (and its complications) is a silent killer and it is one of the leading causes of deaths worldwide.

What exactly is hypertension or high blood pressure?

Different experts explain/define blood pressure in different ways. Hypertension or high blood pressure is the high (more than normal) lateral pressure blood puts to the walls of the blood vessels, while flowing through it. It can be compared to water flowing through a rubber tube and if water puts excess pressure than the rubber tube can handle, there is a great risk of bursting of the rubber tube.

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Who Can Donate Blood And Who Can Not

Blood donation is a noble way to serve humanity. Practically blood donation cost you nothing, but it can save precious lives. A healthy adult can donate blood every 2-3 months (as the lost blood due to blood donation, is generally replaced within two months), without any ill effect on his/her health. We all should donate blood at least once a year to help hospitals and or society, in my opinion.

We all know any healthy adult can donate blood, but it is important for all of us (including non-medical persons) to know clearly who can donate blood and who should not (or who can not) donate blood. Most of us (except doctors and blood donation related health care providers) do not have clear idea and knowledge about blood donation and who can not donate blood. I think it is more important to know who should not donate blood that to know who can donate blood, as it will save precious time and resources for health care.

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3 Important Safety Tips For Children

Children are prone to accidents and injuries. It is important for parents and elders to understand it and take necessary precautions and steps to prevent accidents and physical harm in children. Playing in the sun is children’s habit. Children like to play in open and in the sun, which is natural and should not be discouraged, but need to take few safety measures to prevent sunburns and its complications.

Safety tips for young children in sun:

• Do not expose babies less than 6 months of age to sun directly. Always keep them in shade if you are taking them outdoor.
• Apply sunscreen 30 minutes prior to going out and use sunscreen even during cloudy days.
• Use light color clothing for babies, which should cover arms and legs as well.

For older children the best way to defense against sun is use of sunscreen and covering up with cloths. Older children should be encouraged to wear hat (not cap) with wide brim and use sunglass. Teach children to avoid sun during peak intensity hours, which is from morning 10 AM to 4 PM. Sunscreen with sun protection factor (SPF) of 15 or higher should be used during outdoor activities. Reapply sunscreen every two hors or when required, e.g. after swimming or after sweating.

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AFib Related Strokes Can be Fatal

Atrial Fibrillation is increasing day by day and its ratio is increasing at an alarming rate in America. According to a rough estimate in 2050, above 5.6 Million American can suffer from AFib related stroke risks. AFib is caused due to irregular heart beat which become cause of stroke. Some of the leading organizations and famous stars like Susan Lucci have offered their efforts to create awareness among people AFib related stroke risks.

Lucci Susan is Enthusiastic about Educating People about AFib

TV Star Susan Lucci Talks about AFib Related Stroke Risks; She said, “Having been happily married for more than 41 years, Helmut and I are a true team. We play an active role in each other’s health and work together to manage his AFib and reduce his risk of stroke. We know how much a stroke can impact all aspects of our family and we’re doing everything we can to reduce his risk. We hope the Facing AFib PSA and website will help educate others about the risk of stroke associated with AFib and will encourage them to do all that they can to manage the condition, just like us.”

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Breast feeding Protects children against Infection

Several studies have shown that breast feeding protects infants (age below one year) and children against several different types of infection. Common infectious diseases against which breast fed infants/children fights better are diarrhea (of different etiology such as rotavirus, bacteria), influenza, ear infection, herpes virus infection, different respiratory infections due to virus and bacteria.

Diarrhea:

Breast fed infants suffer from diarrheal diseases of different etiology much less than artificial formula fed infants. There are several reasons behind protection against diarrhea such as better immunity in breast fed infants than bottle fed infants; breast feeding is more hygienic in compare to bottle feeding. If utensils used for bottle feeding are not cleaned (sterilized) properly the risk of infection increase greatly, which is not a problem for breast fed infants. Even people living in low living standard condition suffer less diarrheal attacks, if children are breast fed.

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World Breastfeeding Week

Every year the first week of August (i.e. 1^st to 7^th August) is celebrated as “World Breast Feeding Week” throughout the world (in more than 170 nations) since 1990 and this year also no exception. The “World Breast Feeding Week” commemorates the Innocenti Declaration made by WHO and UNICEF in the moth of August in 1990, for the benefit of humankind by supporting, promoting and protecting breast feeding, which has been facing problems as more and more mothers are opting out breast feeding in favor of bottle feeding due to financial, social and moral changes.

By celebrating “World Breast Feeding Week” we promote the fact that breastfeeding is the best as it provide all the nutrients a baby needs. At present World Health Organization (WHO) recommends exclusive breast feeding for 6 months and continuation of breast feeding with additional complementary nutrition supplements, after weaning for 2 years or more.

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