Chest Pains – Signal of Heart Failure?
Is ongoing chest pain a sign of heart failure? Chest pains of any type can be frightening. You may think you are having a heart attack. The thought that it might be heart attack can increase chest pains. You should see a doctor immediately to be sure.
Supposing, though, that you have seen a doctor about your ongoing chest pain. You were not having a heart attack. Your doctor sent you home, but the chest pains continue to come and go.
Is ongoing chest pain a sign of heart failure that the doctor might miss?
Possible Reasons for Ongoing Chest Pains
Chest pains are often, but not always heart related. The nerves flowing from the spinal column can echo pain, making us think one part of the body hurts when the problem is actually in another part. Once we are convinced that chest pains relate to the heart, it can be difficult to find the true source of the problem. Physicians are frequently faced with this dilemma. The chest pain is not “all in your head”. It is real pain. It may not relate to the heart, however, no matter how much your head tells you it does.
We do not have space here to list every cause of chest pain, but we can give examples. Assuming you have already undergone physical examination for your chest pains, consider the following. You will want to discuss your chest pain with a qualified, licensed physician.
* Anxiety: Chest pains often are caused by anxiety. Your body responds to stressors by preparing for fight or flight. However, you do neither. Instead, you continue the anxious state of preparation. Your body continues to pour forth chemicals to help you fight or flee. This process can trigger ongoing chest pain. If this is true in your case, the ongoing chest pain is not a sign of heart failure. It is your body’s warning that you need to reduce anxiety.
* Angina pectoris: Chest pains may indicate blocked arteries. Do you get the chest pains when you engage in physical activities, try to handle emotional stress, or endure extreme temperatures? Do the chest pains feel like pressure under the breastbone? If so, ask your doctor to check for angina.
* Costochondritis: This cause of chest pains is really an inflammation of the joints in your chest. Inflammation where ribs and breastbone connect may cause chest pain along the edges of your breastbone. Your pain may get worse when you cough or take a deep breath. An anti-inflammatory medicine or heat may relieve the pain. This problem usually goes away on its own. Ask your doctor about it.
* Periconditis: Chest pains may also be caused by another type of inflammation – inflammation of the heart lining.
* Musculoskeletal: Ongoing chest pain may be a matter of muscle strain. Perhaps you twisted or lifted in such a way as to pull a chest muscle. This type of ongoing chest pain hurts when you touch the chest.
* Gall Bladder: A gall bladder attack can cause excruciating chest pain. This can stop and start many times. It is related to eating, however, and not to the heart.
* Acid reflux: A common cause of ongoing chest pain is acid reflux, GERD, or heartburn. This feels like the heart is in pain. It can come and go frequently. Ask your doctor if your ongoing chest pain may be related to your digestive system.
Make the Connection
Is your ongoing chest pain a sign of heart failure? It might be – if you have other symptoms of heart failure. Do you have trouble breathing? Do you become uncomfortable when lying flat because you feel short of breath? Are your legs and arms swollen with excess fluid? Have you gained weight from water retention? Do you feel like you have indigestion, and you would rather not eat because of it?
With your ongoing chest pain, do you feel tired, weak, and not able to do the physical things you usually do? Are you restless and confused? Does it seem that your attention span has grown shorter and your memory is failing?
These are some, but not all, of the symptoms that accompany chest pain if you are experiencing heart failure.
Helpful Tip
Your doctor will probably be able to make a tentative diagnosis of heart failure if you have swelling and are short of breath. He or she will listen to your chest, tap the chest, and even take a chest X-ray. If your doctor suspects heart failure, other tests will be ordered.
Many therapies can help ease your heart’s workload. If your chest pains are caused by heart failure, your physician can help.
CAUTION: The information presented here is for general educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for medical advice. You should not rely on this information to make health decisions. Consult your family doctor about your personal condition.
© 2007, Anna Hart. Anna is married to a man who suffers from heart disease, and brings to her writing years of experience and research. She invites you to read more of her articles about chest pain and heart disease at your-heart-disease-blog.com your-heart-disease-blog.com. You won’t want to miss Anna’s additional insights and perspectives on your-heart-disease-blog.com/heart-disease-symptoms/stress-chest-pains-in-women-24/ stress chest pains in women. Visit Anna now.
Losing Hair – Two Main Categories
Losing hair affects men and women of all age groups the world over, hence the huge demand for hair loss treatments, shampoos, drugs, etc. which has spawned a multi-million dollar industry.
Regretfully people who are losing hair sometimes become victims of scams and hair loss products with dubious credentials. Caution is needed and a common sense approach to any claims that a particular product will work.
Before becoming too alarmed if you are losing hair, determine which category you are likely to fall into from the explanation below:
Category 1: Temporary Hair Loss
Some men and women suffer losing hair through sudden shock or as a result of an accident of medical procedure. As hair is constantly going through various stages involving growth and resting, it may be up to 3 months before a person starts losing hair.
So if this is your experience count back 2 to 3 months and try and ascertain whether your hair loss is the result of some sudden change in your circumstances or health.
Often, this type of hair loss is temporary and many times hair will regrow as the months pass by.
In the case of women losing hair, pregnancy, childbirth and menopause can all have a bearing due to major hormonal changes in the body. It is not uncommon for a women to experience considerable hair loss about 2 to 3 months after having a baby.
The hair often returns to normal within 9 to 12 months.
Some men and women end up losing hair due to harsh treatment using strong chemicals in hair products or for improper use of a hair dryer. Be aware that hair can be fragile when wet so use caution when toweling dry or using a comb (avoid a brush as it causes too much traction on wet hair).
Category 2: Semi-permanent To Permanent Hair Loss
Hair loss is likely to be permanent if it is due to genetic factors. Some young men even show a predisposition toward losing hair in their teens.
Out of all the reasons why men and women suffer losing hair, heredity is the number one cause. At a certain time in life, hereditary factors can be triggered that cause an increase in testosterone 5-alpha reductase, a male hormone. When this is converted into dihydrotestosterone (DHT) hair loss is the result as the hair follicles shut down.
Additionally, there are certain diseases and conditions of the scalp that can lead to permanent hair loss. If you see what appear to be serious irregularities in the skin around the scalp area seek the advice of a medical practitioner.
Although hair loss as a result of genetic factors or disease can be permanent, the rate of losing hair as well as how permanent it will be varies widely. The following are different ways in which hair loss can develop:
Hair loss is rapid initially but then levels off and slowly continues after that
Hair loss is slow at first and continues that way for some years but then accelerates rapidly
Hair loss spreads slowly being hard to detect
Bald spots appear rapidly within a few months
While hair may not regrow completely, in many cases there is partial hair regrowth in affected areas.
Develop A Strategy
Realizing you may be losing hair due to factors mentioned in category one can do much to reduce the anxiety level. With patience and attention to good diet and exercise, the body will recover and hair will come back in most cases.
Even if you are losing hair due to the reasons mentioned in category two there is still hope. It may not be possible to stop hair loss completely or get all the hair back if genetic factors are involved but wise lifestyle choices can certainly minimize the effect of hair loss by slowing its progression and maintaining healthy hair growth.
A recommended resource for anyone losing hair, whether due to temporary or permanent factors, is the 168 page ebook “Hair Loss No More” by Jonathan E. Phillips, an international hair loss analyst.
By combining diet, nutrition, exercise, and proper breathing into a powerful regimen, Mr. Phillips provides a ground plan for coping with and dealing with hair loss.
Education and knowledge can partly alleviate the distress due to losing hair. Carefully weigh up your own circumstances and decide on a plan of action.
Mike Jones is a writer and webmaster with over 10 years experience. His recommendations:
Take good care of your hair with the NewHair Biofactors System with deep cleansing anti-DHT shampoo:
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Browse the groundbreaking ebook “Hair Loss No More” here:
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Hair Loss Research Library:
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A Formula For Weight Loss
I started to call this “A Magic Formula For Weight Loss”, but there is really no “magic” involved. I know that many ads on TV, in magazines, and many other places promise that their program, product, pill or potion is THE ultimate means for losing weight. However, weight loss is simple and requires no magic bullet. On the other hand, weight loss is NOT easy, and this is where the problem lies.
The simple solution for weight loss is not easy to follow for most people for one reason or another.
Weight gain occurs when calories eaten exceed calories burned. Weight loss occurs when calories burned exceeds calories eaten. That’s the simple side of the matter.
The hard part is changing one’s lifestyle and restructuring one’s priorities in order to move from the first situation to the other.
Our eating habits have been acquired over a lifetime as has our attitude about activity…er…exercise. No matter how bad those habits and attitudes may be for us, they are comfortable and familiar to us. In some ways, they help define who we are, and it is important for people to know what that definition is. They tend to get very uncomfortable when they begin to shift that understanding and image that they have know for so long.
Making a change in our eating patterns will certainly require a new level of attention to detail that we have never had to reach before. We will have to make new decisions which may seem some sort of denial when compared to what we are used to. We may feel a need to deny ourselves the foods we enjoy, the company we treasure, and the pleasure we derive from the process of eating. To make matters worse, many friends and family members may actually feel rejected or at least uncomfortable when we opt to reject favorite foods or circumstances which may encourage us to eat more than we should or to eat the wrong things.
In addition to the psychological discomfort, we may actually feel ill or just plain hungry. Lack of food in the quantity we are accustomed to can make us anything from uncomfortable to surly to downright mean.
Another complication is that simply restricting foods seldom works for a variety of reasons too varied to go into here. However, cutting calories beyond certain levels is often contra-productive and may actually contribute to ill health and/or later weight gain.
Increasing activity is probably going to be important for healthy weight loss, but, just like exchanging our old bad eating habits for a new lifestyle of healthy eating, there will be physical and psychological obstacles to overcome. In fact, the very idea of having to…well, you know…exercise, can turn people off before they ever actually do it. There is such a strong negative reaction to the idea of “exercise” in some people that some texts on fitness, health, or weight loss will actually go to extremes to avoid using the very word for fear of losing their audience.
Certainly, there ARE possibly going to be some negative results when someone changes their lifestyle to include regular exercise, just as we talked about earlier in the discussion about changing eating habits. Sure, there may be sore muscles, injuries, upset schedules, and uncertainty of results. However, the bigger problem with exercise is that most people either try to do too much too soon, or quit before their body has a chance to begin noticeably showing positive results even though valuable changes are taking place inside out of view. Whether you choose weight lifting, yoga, walking, aerobics, or some other exercise program, your body and psyche will benefit from regular exercise.
To get maximum effective results from a weight loss program combining exercise and proper nutrition, it is necessary to learn a great deal about these subjects and probably make great changes to your normal schedule and behavior. Initially, however, even small lifestyle changes in nutrition and activity, such as cutting out sugar, choosing healthier snacks, cutting down on portion sizes, and getting a walk several times a week can be very effective in helping most people lose weight if the new lifestyle is maintained over a long period of time. Over that time, it may be possible to slowly increase the intensity of the exercise and make additional changes towards a healthy eating lifestyle.
Many people will fall for the pitches of the sellers of fad diets, fast weight loss programs, diet pills, diet supplements, and the latest weight loss secret. However, while some of these may result in small, temporary weight loss for some people, in the long run regular moderate exercise combined with proper nutrition is the only way for most people to achieve healthy, permanent weight loss.
Donovan Baldwin is a freelance writer living in Copperas Cove, Texas. He is a University of West Florida alumnus, a member of Mensa and the National Society of Newspaper Columnists, and is retired from the U. S. Army after 21 years of service. In his career, he has held many managerial and supervisory positions. However, his main pleasures have long been writing, nature, health, and fitness. In the last few years, he has been able to combine these pleasures by writing poetry and articles on subjects such as health, fitness, yoga, weightlifting.8m.net/ weightlifting, weight loss, the environment, global warming, happiness, self improvement, life and the arts. He has a collection of articles on nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ health, fitness, diet, and weight loss at nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ nodiet4me.com/articledirectory/ .
What In The World Is Ambrotose?
Ambrotose is used as a nutritional supplement. It helps your body’s immune system and aids in digestion. It is a derivative of the Aloe Vera plant. The Aloe Vera has been known for centuries for its healing powers.
The 4 elements of a healthy body are:
1.Amino acids and proteins
2.Fatty acids and nucleic acids
3.Vitamins, minerals and trace elements
4.Carbohydrates
Today we will talk about the group of elements known as Carbohydrates:
For years many people thought that protein was the most critical element needed for the body to heal itself. However now research has uncovered a new ingredient in the mix. Carbohydrates. In recent years carbohydrates have been studied minutely this study is called glycobiology. This study has given rise to the emergence of important saccharides needed by our body known a Glyconutrients.
Carbohydrates and sugars are taken in by the body and then broken down into simple sugars. The body uses these sugars to produce energy. This is the single function that carbohydrates and sugars have. This fact was what scientists have thought for a long time. However new research has been conducted on carbohydrates and has proved some surprising factors about this group of saccharides.
Why does your body need Glyconutrients?
Due to several factors our food is not supplying us with enough of this critical nutrient known as Glyconutrients. These factors include changes in the environment, green harvesting and general bad eating habits. Stress can also play a part in contributing to our decline in health.
It can take a number of years for the body to show signs of deterioration but eventually this will lead to a decline in your health. Often the onset is insidious and you are not aware of the gradual downward turn in health. However over a period of time you will see that you are not as healthy as you could be and sometimes it is hard to know why. Many times this general weakening in health is due to the fact you are getting less Glyconutrients.
How do these Glyconutrients work?
The body’s important binding and signaling receptors of the cells is made up of glycoprotein (sugars and proteins) these sugars are the saccharides known as Glyconutrients. These nutrients are essential to communication between the body’s cells. Glyconutrients have been found to increase the activity of certain enzymes. These enzymes are used as blocking agents, which prevent toxins and harmful bacteria or viruses from penetrating the cells. The enzymes also act as suppression agents, stopping abnormal development in cells.
Ambrotose as a health supplement: How can it help you?
Mannatech has developed a supplement called Ambrotose Complex.
Ambrotose is a nutritional supplement, which provides Glyconutrients to the body it was developed in 1996 and is growing in popularity as a nutritional supplement.
As more research is done on Glyconutrients, Ambrotose will be seen as an increasingly important health supplement necessary for the maintenance of your health and well being. You will not only feel better when you take this supplement you will be able to enjoy a more active and fulfilling life.
Note: Glyconutrients nor Ambrotose are not intended to heal, treat, or cure any disease.
Zach Thompson is a Glyconutrients Consultant. His clients range from pro athletes and actresses, to cancer patients and children with Learning Disabilities. To learn if glyconutrients can help you, visit: nutritionalreview.com/79.php nutritionalreview.com/79.php