What are the Choices in Prescription Menopause Medications?

There are various prescription menopause medicines on the market these days that will help to ease the symptoms of menopause. These symptoms can include rapid heartbeat, hot flashes, blood pressure concerns, sleeplessness, tiredness, depression, fatigue, mood swings, and difficulties with monthly periods. Symptoms appear since the hormones that are usually produced in the body stop being produced or they are produced in lower quantities.

Among the most horrible effects of menopause is hot flashes. Hot flashes occur when a feeling of extreme heat takes over from the chest to the top of the head. Your face may become flushed, and you may experience perspiration and heavy breathing. Your heart may beat quickly and it can last from a few minutes to more than thirty minutes. These take place both during the day and during the nighttime, and you never know when they'll abruptly appear.

There are several drugs in the antidepressant department that can aid in easing the symptoms of hot flashes and of course they also help with the symptoms of depression that often accompany menopause. These medicines include Effexor and Prozac, both of which also help with mood swings. Other medications used for menopause are Zoloft, Norpramine, Tofranil and Aventyl. All will help to manage depression and some also aid in relieving hot flashes. Some women get confused easily throughout menopause and these drugs also lend a hand there.

Some women experience high blood pressure during menopause, even if they have never had it before. Clonindine is the drug that is normally prescribed in these circumstances, since this drug also aids in stopping hot flashes. There are some nasty adverse reactions such as insomnia which can compound sleep problems that are already associated with passing through menopause. Conversely, this drug can also cause you to become sleepy when you don't want to be.

Estrogen and progesterone are often prescribed for women to fight menopausal symptoms, however in the'70's if was found that they were linked to endometrial and breast cancers. They were also associated with strokes and heart disease. A search was on to find another technique to treat menopause symptoms using natural substances.

The result was the creation of Bio-Identical Hormones for use in addressing menopausal symptoms. These are hormones that are molecularly the same as the hormones that are produced in the body. Medical professionals can write a compounded prescription that's tailor made to the woman which balances all three hormone categories within the body: estrogen, progesterone, and androgen. Although there isn't any actual medical proof that these things work, women who use them will tell you that they do.

Some women are reluctant to use prescription medications for menopause, and may prefer natural solutions. There are many effective over the counter menopause medications that can ease your symptoms without resulting in the adverse reactions that might be experienced with stronger drugs.

About the Author

Do you think you might be starting menopause? If so, you need to know what the symptoms are, how to treat them, and whether menopause medication is right for you.

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States

Heart disease is the number one killer in the United States. A combination of a sedentary life and diet that would scare an elephant is much to blame. Given this, it is vital that you know the four risk factors that are tied to deaths caused by cardiac events.

There has been much talk about the various factors that can be a sign of impending heart trouble. It seems a week doesn't pass without a new sign coming out. While there are merits to these new discoveries, study after study shows that the presence of one of four health problems is present in nine out of ever ten heart attacks or strokes.

The first factor is smoking. If you smoke, you are asking for a host of health problems. This includes the rather obvious damage done to your lungs as well as damage done to your arteries and heart. Quitting smoking can be difficult, but dying is much more so. I smoked a pack a day for seven years and quit. So can you. Stop smoking!

The second factor is high cholesterol counts. Well, high bad cholesterol counts. There are two types of cholesterol, LDL and HDL. LDL is bad. You can influence it by what you eat. Fast food is not a good choice! Still, a large percentage of the cholesterol in your body is based on what the liver is producing. Make sure to get your levels checked, develop a good dietary plan and see if medication is appropriate.

High blood pressure is our third factor. It is associated with damage to arteries and strain on your cardiac system in general. It is easily treatable with medication in most situations which can help you immediately. You should then look to diet and exercise to develop a health long term strategy.

Diabetes is the fourth factor to consider. The inability of the cells in the body to gain access to sugar in the bloodstream because of an insulin problem is catastrophic in so many ways. Unfortunately, we all know that Type 2 Diabetes has become an epidemic. If you have it or suspect you might, it is time to get checked out by a medical professional.

I am a typical male. I dislike going to the doctor. I've learned that failing to do so is asking for big trouble. You can't risk it with your heart. Most people don't show any symptoms of cardiac problems until they have a major event like a heart attack or stroke. That is the last thing you want.

About the Author

Thomas Ajava writes for RiskFactorsHeartDisease.com [http://www.riskfactorsheartdisease.com/]

Do You Know If you Are Having a Heart Attack?

How to know if you are having a heart attack

To know for sure if you are having a heart attack you need access to devices only available in hospitals and in doctors' offices. However, some symptoms should alert and drive you to the emergency room.

The typical symptoms of a heart attack are described as "angor". Angor is a feeling behind your sternum that something is pressing hard, as if someone was crushing your heart. This pain may seem to travel up to your jaw, neck or left arm and you may feel your heart beating faster than usual and feel dizzy.

However, if you are an elderly person or if you have diabetes, a heart attack may not give you any angor. Instead, you should be alert when you feel nausea, faintness, sweating, discomfort in your chest, or breathlessness.

What to do if you are having a heart attack

If you or someone next to you is feeling any of the above, you should immediately dial 911 or go to the nearest hospital. The most important thing (after that) is not panicking.

Meanwhile, the person having the heart attack can take an aspirin or, if you have it, nitroglycerin. Just remember to tell the paramedics what you gave the person and if you are in doubt don't give anything at all.

If the person drops to the floor, lay them on their back and make sure nothing is obstructing their airways (check if their tongue isn't doing it). Listen to check if they are breathing and also check their pulse.

If they are not breathing or have no pulse, start CPR and call 911 again. Otherwise, raise their legs to make sure the brain gets enough blood.

Remember again not to panic and all will go well.

Here are 5 Ways to Care for Your Heart

*Eat a Healthy Diet

Your diet is perhaps the most important thing in taking care of you heart. You want to aim for (1) less saturated and tans fat, (2) less salt, (3) less sugar, and (enough with the "lesses") (4) more fiber.

Your diet will reduce all kinds of risk factors that can work havoc in your heart. The most important of those is atherosclerosis or clogging of the arteries.

*Exercise

Your next step to a healthier heart is exercising. Any form of cardiovascular exercise is great, but the preferred method is walking. It's cheap and easy.

Start with 30 minutes of light walking 5 times per week. Increase the intensity and the duration to 60 minutes over a few months and soon your heart will be good as new.

*Check Yourself

Pay attention to your body and do regular checkups. You want to look for three things: blood cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar..

*Relax

Stress is a major cause of heart attacks. When you stress out your heart will beat like hell and your arteries just won't be able to supply it enough oxygen. So, relax. Take deep breaths, meditate, use your imagination, dream, learn to see things in a positive light.

*Stop smoking

If you decide you just want to do one thing to protect your heart, stop smoking. Smoking increases heart attacks, stroke, cancer, inflammatory diseases and overall risk of dying from any disease.
About the Author

For more information on how to maintain a healthy strong heart and how to prevent heart disease now,please visit my free website full of free contents,tips,advice and solution at:
http://www.PreventHeartDiseaseNow.com

Heart Disease in Women-The Number One Women Killer

Heart disease in women is something we all should be aware of and not just women. We can spread the knowledge of the seriousness of the disease to those women that are unaware of the problem of heart disease in women. It's mostly in recent years that there has been more awareness of this problem.

Surveys conducted by the AHA between 1997 and 2003 showed that awareness of heart disease as the leading cause of death in women rose from 30% in 1997 to 46% in 2003. Awareness in white women (55%) was nearly twice as high as among African-American (30%) and Hispanic (27%) women. Data from the Women Veteran Cohort, age 35 and older, showed 42% of women were concerned about heart disease. Only 8% to 20% were aware that coronary artery disease is the major cause of death for women.

To understand the seriousness of heart disease in women, we need to first look at the facts. According to recent studies, it's found that more than 8 million American women are currently living with some form of heart disease. In fact, heart disease is the leading cause of death of American women. More women die of heart disease than any other illness each year.

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
According to the most recent study by NHANES in 1999-2004 the prevalence of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) shows 15.4% of that heart disease in women in the age group 60-79 years of age and 21.6% of CHD heart disease in women over 79 years with it.

Diagnosed heart attacks
In another ARIC: 1987-2000 study it shows Annual number of American women having diagnosed heart attack as follows:
Age 29-44, 10,000
Age 45-64, 88,000
Age 65+ 372,000

Heart disease in women can be diagnosed and treated but the key to staying healthy is prevention. Once a woman finds out that she has heart disease, it may already be too late. Chances are that woman has engaged in several risk factors throughout her lifetime that contributed to her contracting the disease.

Some heart disease risk factors
cigarette smoking
inactivity
high cholesterol
high blood pressure
diabetes
obesity

Such risk factors as these increase the risk of heart disease in women. Most of these mentioned above can be treated without necessarily resorting to medicine. However diabetes does require medical treatment, usually eating the right foods and other restrictions. High cholesterol and high blood pressure may or may not require medical treatment but you should see your doctor for testing and treatment or recommendations.

Women need to understand that these risk factors need to be avoided as much as possible because they are so susceptible to the disease. Heart disease in women doesn't need to be as much of an epidemic it has become. With just a few lifestyle changes, all women can once more live long and healthy lives without the risk for heart disease.

Of course, there are other risk factors that increase the risk for heart disease in women that can't be helped. These risk factors include age, heredity, the effects of menopause, etc. By knowing this, women should arm themselves with as much information as they can so that they can know just what they are dealing with.

Estimated lifetime cost of CHD
For women with non-obstructive CHD enrolled in the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation (WISE) study of the NHLBI, the average lifetime cost estimate was about $770 000 and ranged from $1.0 to $1.1 million for women with 1-vessel to 3-vessel CHD.

Previous symptoms may be absent
Heart disease in women doesn't need to have such a high morality rate. On the basis of data from the FHS of the NHLBI 64% of women who died suddenly of CHD had no previous symptoms of this disease. This makes it important to be concerned about your heart health, since you may or may not know you have a heart disease problem.

Lifestyle changes can help
By adopting a few lifestyle changes such as getting more exercise, eating right, quitting smoking and reducing stress levels, women can drastically reduce the propensity for heart disease. This is important not only for heart disease but for other diseases as well.

Heart disease in women does claim many lives each and every year but the disease can be manageable and preventable if detected early enough. Women need to study and learn as much as they can. They need to be educated. Not many women know that they have a good probability of getting the disease. By understanding and knowing this, women will have a step up on this horrible disease and, maybe one day, heart disease in women will be a thing of the past.

Copyright © Honey B. Wackx
About the Author

Honey B. Wackx is an aspiring author and software developer. She writes many articles for herself and other website owners.Honey B. likes to dabble in trading stocks and options [http://www.investingdir.com/]. Another is online dating and relationships. Honey B. also likes to cook and would like you to share your cook. [http://www.recipeviewpoint.com]

What are Varicose Veins and Spider Veins?

Varicose veins are the enlarged, dilated, tortuous and swollen veins seen bulging and protruding on the surface of the skin. Varicose veins are seen among half of the mankind above the age of 50 years.

Varicose veins differ in color from person to person. It may be blue, red, greenish blue or of the color of flesh. The damages caused in veins in this case are generally not serious. But it is concerned on cosmetic reasons. Majority of varicose veins are seen on legs, that too mostly on the thighs and back of the calves, and to a lesser extent on the inner side of the legs. Varicose veins called hemorrhoids are, at times, seen in the vagina, around the anus or on the buttocks during pregnancy.

Spider Veins are having similarity with Varicose Veins. But spider veins are of lesser intensity. Spider veins are mostly of red or blue color, smaller in size and closer to the surface of the skin than Varicose Veins, spider veins look like branches of a tree or like webs of the spider with gagged and short lines. Unlike varicose veins, spider veins can be seen not only on the legs but also on the face, covering very small to very large areas of the skin.

What causes Varicose Veins and Spider Veins?

The function of the heart is to pump blood with nutrients and also make oxygen reach each and every cell of the body. Arteries and veins have some difference in their functions. Arteries are meant to carry the oxygenated blood from the heart to all parts of the body, where as the veins are carrying the impure deoxygenated blood back from all these parts to the heart. Blood is pushed back to the heart from the limbs and other lower parts of the body, when muscles of the legs are squeezed. This flow is against the gravitational force and hence strenuous, Veins have to function as one way valves to prevent the blood from flowing backwards. There are valves, with one way flaps, in the veins solely to prevent the above mentioned backward flow of blood, while being carried back to the heart, up from the legs.

There is the possibility of some blood leaking back to the veins, when the one way valve in it, becomes weak. This state of affairs results in collection of blood in the weak portions in the veins causing clogging and congestion. This defect is medically termed as venous insufficiency. The block in the veins causes abnormal enlargement of the veins. Such veins could either be varicose veins or spider veins.
Hormonal imbalance, continuous exposure to scorching sun and injuries also can be cause spider veins. The real cause of varicose and spider veins are not known specifically to the medical profession even. Some conditions which lead to develop varicose and spider veins are heredity and hormonal imbalance. The strongest factor is heretical that is having birth with weak venous valves. The next role is that of hormones. The variation in the hormone levels upcoming during puberty, pregnancy or menopause; and also the consumption of estrogen, progesterone, birth control pills etc causes varicose veins and spider veins. Rise of both, hormone levels and volume of blood, during pregnancy also causes these conditions of varicose and spider veins. Normally, varicose veins, which appear during pregnancy, will be disappearing 3 months after the delivery. But additional pregnancies may cause development of more abnormal veins. Extra pressure is exerted to the veins of the legs in persons who are obese that is having over weight, which may aggravate varicose and spider veins. Veins will have to function heavily to pump blood back into the heart, in the case of those who have to stand and sit for a long time. This in due course will lead to varicose and spider veins. Veins of the legs have the duty, when compared with that of other veins in seeing that the blood is carried back to the heart from the feet. The highest pressure is endured by these veins, which may developed as varicose and spider veins. This pressure can be higher than that is imposed to the one way valves in the veins. Varicose veins and spider veins do not ordinarily require medical treatment. But it may sometimes become uncomfortable and may appear to be unattractive, when looked through cosmetic point of view. It causes swelling on the legs and feet also. Chronic pain is uncommon in such cases, but muscles of legs may become fatigued and heavy. Throb and crams, especially during the night, are also the reported symptoms. Itching and burning are felt on the legs especially around the ankles due to varicose and spider veins.

Are varicose veins and spider veins dangerous?

Not necessarily. But there are rare instances of varicose veins and spider veins having caused serious problems, which could be controlled through medical intervention. Varicose veins, when it becomes chronic can cause a condition called venous insufficiency. This is an acute stage resulted due to the clogging of the blood, preventing the flow of venous blood back to the heart. Either deep vein thrombosis (clotting of blood) or severe bleeding infection may arise then. Injury to the varicose veins also may lead to such a situation. The above said blood clot may move from the varicose veins in the leg to the lungs. There, it may cause blocking of functioning of lungs or heart, which is a very dangerous situation. Beside the same, sores and skin ulcers may develop due to the lack of nourishment on the tissues of the skin around the varicose veins.

Useful Herbal supplement for Varicose Veins - VASKO + VEINISH

Mechanism of Action:

The food supplements VEINISH with VASKO, it helps Venous and arterial endothelial fatty deposits dissolved and the damaged valves in veins (failed to hold the blood leaking backwards) get repaired to regain the tensile strength. Fresh collagen fibers are laid down parallel to the old ones and new connective tissue is formed in the valves. The new endothelium grown will contribute the strength enough to have sufficient tensile strength to hold venous blood at compartments against the gravity. In arteries also repair of the endothelium after dissolving the fatty deposits is happening. The same way in lower limb arterial narrowing (Burger's Disease) that ends in gangrene is also reversible with help of VEINISH with VASKO.

VEINISH and VASKO is a non-invasive and safer way compared to the surgical stripping off the varicose vein treatment or modern treatment of intravenous laser therapy.

VASKO and VEINISH will also helps prevent and reverse other problems at the same time.

VEINISH also improves the blood perfusion to the brain as it regains the healthy endothelium of vessels to increase its nitric oxide output. This paves the way to increase neuronal metabolism and balanced neurotransmitter state. That helps reversal of brain degenerative diseases like dementia, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases.

VEINISH helps to improvise the skin health by stimulating new Glycosaminoglycans and collagen in the layers. And also stimulates immunity with augmented blood perfusion to the skin layers. Once venous flow improves, dependant eczema reverses. This effect helps reversing chronic eczema and scleroderma. Moreover, it helps for wound healing with good quality scar formation in the varicose ulcer and eczematous ulcers.

Side effects: - There are no known side effects.
About the Author

Author: - Roy Chavarcode is a member of Chavarcode Ayurveda family. The Chavarcode family is from India and is highly reputed for their knowledge in the great tradition in Ayurveda, India's ancient and holistic method of treatment. For more information visit - http://www.gurusgarden.com

What Occurs During a Heart Attack?

With the fast paced lifestyle and the race to earn more, people neglect the very basic body component- their heart. What will this result in? You guessed it, a heart attack. However, few of us actually know what activity takes place inside when a heart attack occurs.

For any body part malfunction, warning signs are always there. These are followed by other symptoms. The broad gist of signs associated with a heart attack is as under:

WARNING SIGNS

* The action starts with tightness or a discomfort in the chest.
* This may be in the form of pressure, ache, dullness squeezing etc.
* It may be in full force or a very mild form - gradually spreading towards the arms, neck, jaw and stomach.
* Feeling of breathlessness, sweating, followed by fainting.
* This activity may continue for approx 30 minutes.
* Overall appearance of most people displays acute anxiousness during this time.

CAUSES OF HEART ATTACK

* Basic cause is blockage of arteries, referred to as a Coronary Heart Disease.
* Due to a sedentary lifestyle coupled with the stresses of daily fast paced routine followed by unhealthy eating, the coronary arteries start accumulating plaque on their insides.
* Gradually, the plaque converts into clots which start blocking blood flow to the heart.
* It may also result in the artery rupturing or causing a spasm though the latter has no medical relevance to CAD.
* Cause of all these actions is reduced blood and oxygen supply to the heart.

HEART ATTACK EFFECTS

* When the supply of blood to the heart is reduced, it also means reduced oxygen supply to the heart.
* This short supply of oxygen damages the blocked section of the heart.
* In case corrective action is not taken soon, the lack of oxygen causes the blocked section of the heart to die, damaging it permanently.
* The permanent damage results in scar tissue replacing the dead tissue.
* The result of this is fatal - either irregular heartbeat or heart fail.

PROCESS OF HEALING

* With the wonderful machine that the human body is, heart muscles start repairing themselves very soon after a heart attack.
* Heart beat becomes normal and the supply of blood restarts - however it still takes around eight weeks for maximum possible healing.
* The scar tissue formed where the dead tissue was, restricts the blood supply and the pumping will not be as good as normal tissue.
* Due to restricted supply, a heart attack patient perforce has to curtail a number of physical activities due to a less blood and oxygen available for the heart to pump.
About the Author

Dustin Gomez administers heart attack treatment.org. For more information on what occurs during a heart attack

Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women

Symptoms of Heart Attack in Women

Heart disease remains the 1 killer of women in the United States. Unfortunately, heart disease often goes unrecognized and untreated until the woman has a disabling or fatal heart attack. Women often have different symptoms than men do, and not all physicians know what to look for. Not all women know what to look for.

Prodromal Symptoms
Most women who have heart attacks experience 'prodromal' symptoms for a month or more before the incident. Prodromal symptoms predict the onset of a disease. If we recognize prodromal symptoms, sometimes we can prevent the heart attack that is about to happen.

Men are not as likely to have prodromal symptoms as women; 95% of women in a recent National Institutes of Health study had one or more of the following symptoms for a month or more before their heart attacks:
Severe fatigue
Severe sleep disturbances
Shortness of breath
Indigestion
Anxiety

Chest Discomfort
Only a third to a half of all women have chest discomfort when they have a heart attack. Those who do experience discomfort don't usually describe it as pain, either. Women are more likely to say they have aching, pressure or tightness in their chests than they are to use the word, 'pain.'

Heart Attack Symptoms
Women who are having a heart attack are more likely to experience one or more of the following symptoms than they are to have chest discomfort:
Sudden, severe shortness of breath
Sudden weakness
Sudden, severe fatigue
Breaking out in a cold sweat
Sudden dizziness.

Women do have different heart attack symptoms than men do, but heart disease is just as disabling and just as fatal to women as it is to men. Recognizing the symptoms women are most likely to experience with a heart attack could save your life.