WHAT IS GRADUATE SCHOOL MEDICAL SCHOOL REALLY LIKE THE CARTOON KNOWS

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Life is hard sometimes. O.K. lots of times. Somebody once said "Laughter is the best medicine" or maybe I read it on a gum wrapper. Anyway, it's true that humor helps us get through tough times and things that seemed awful may seem less so when we can laugh at them. Case in point, when you read about science, biology and medical Graduate School you envision working with rats on treadmills. When you actually get to Graduate School and experience the competition to achieve, the stress and the long hours you find yourself starting to identify with the rats.










Alexander Dent is a medical scientist who is also a talented cartoonist.He writes "These cartoons started from my trials and tribulations as a post-doctoral biomedical researcher at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland from 1992-1997. Most of these cartoons were published in the NIH Catalyst newsletter..I continued to produce cartoons sporadically for the Catalyst until about 2002. I have not done any cartooning since 2002". I think he ought to start cartooning again. These cartoons are wonderful, entertaining, funny and get (uncomfortably) close to home.

Dent Cartoons



In a similar vein, look at this Video Introduction to Medical School Matrix 101: The Medical School Click the Arrow to Start

A VIDEO OF A MIND POWER GAME AND THE REAL BRAIN POWER WHO DEVELOPED IT KAWSHIMA AND THE NINTENDO BRAIN GAME

A VIDEO OF A MIND POWER GAME AND THE REAL BRAIN POWER WHO DEVELOPED IT KAWASHIMA AND THE NINTENDO BRAIN GAME

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GAMES AND VIDEO GAMES THAT AIM TO EXERCISE YOUR BRAIN

You have heard of playing smart and now we have games you play to get smart. Brain exercise and brain power fitness games are increasingly popular. It doesn't take a lot of brain power to see that. Nintendo has sold millions of copies of it's Nintendo DS brain training games. As I discussed previously researchers have reported that a computer based brain training method designed to improve working memory also increased scores in "fluid intelligence", or general problem-solving ability. I am fascinated by the games and Internet web sites that provide games and tests to work on your intelligence and various assorted brain power skills. In Nintendo's case, Dr Kawashima's Brain Training: How Old Is Your Brain? sees players follow a daily regime of brain-enhancing exercises.

Why You Shouldnt Always Listen to Your Teacher and Brain Fitness



The brain training software, incorporates quizzes and other simple mental stimulation and is credited with introducing a new demographic to video-game machines as older people try to prevent senility. Players are given a brain age reflecting their performance. Over time, they suggest your "brain age" should get younger as you achieve better scores.





Watch this Video of a Brain Training Game See How You Do Click the Arrow to Start






Ryuta Kawashima, the scientist behind the Nintendo "brain training" games is a kind of living example of brain power. He turned down the chance to become a millionaire, saying he'd rather work for a living.



According to an article about him, he "says he has no time for games, even his own, he is instead busy at his job, trying to come up with new inventions aimed at Japan's growing elderly population." Kawashima pours his portion of the royalties from his work into funding research. He has built a 300-million-yen laboratory at his university's Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer where he works.

Read healty medical Blog New Research says Brain Training Can Improve Intelligence




"People can train their brains just as they do their bodies, Kawashima says. He no longer uses his own software to keep his own brain nimble, he says, confident that his research work is enough. Now in the fourth year of an education ministry funded project looking at youngsters' brain development, he says he does not yet know how children's minds are affected by long hours playing video-games".

Using the Brain to Control Computers
"Despite developing software for Nintendo, Kawashima banned his four sons, now aged 14 to 22, from playing video-games on weekdays, with only one hour allowed at weekends, and once destroyed a disc when they broke the rules".

Brain games aim to boost your IQ

'Brain training' Dr Kawashima has No Time for games

Brain training games do work, study finds

NEW RESEARCH SAYS PLAYING BRAIN POWER GAMES EXERCISE DOES INCREASE BRAIN POWER

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Fluid Intelligence Is Increased with Brain Games and Transfers To Other Tasks

A new study has found that improving brain power by training working memory does work. "It may be possible to train people to be more intelligent, (as by playing brain power games) increasing the brainpower they had at birth. In the new study called Improving Fluid Intelligence with Training on Working Memory, researchers describe a method for improving this skill, along with experiments to prove it works". Many games to improve brain power includes games to improve working memory. Working memory is one of the most important components of brain power.



Some games to improve brain power work specifically on working memory. Working memory can be thought of as the ability to hold and use pieces of information in our heads for a short amount of time while working on a task or solving a problem like using a phone number or following a set of directions. In many games you have to remember information like positions of game pieces. However the amount of information we can hold is limited and the information itself is very unstable - a sudden distraction and the information is lost and you have to start again from scratch.



"The key,the intelligence researchers found, was carefully structured training in working memory — the kind that allows memorization of a telephone number just long enough to dial it. This type of memory is closely related to fluid intelligence, according to background information in the article, and appears to rely on the same brain circuitry. So the researchers reasoned that improving it might lead to improvements in fluid intelligence".

Read healty medical Blog Video of Brain Power Game and the Real Brain Power Who Developed It



"They trained each in a complicated memory task, an elaborate variation on Concentration, the child’s card game. The game was set up so that as the participants succeeded, the tasks became harder, and as they failed, the tasks became easier. This assured a high level of difficulty, adjusted individually for each participant, but not so high as to destroy motivation to keep working".



"Martin Buschkuehl is a psychology researcher based at the University of Bern, Switzerland. It was assumed that fluid intelligence was immutable. Fluid intelligence measures how people adapt to new situations and solve problems they've never seen before. Fluid intelligence differs from crystallized intelligence, which takes into account skills and knowledge that have been acquired -- like vocabulary, grammar and math".

34 test subjects significantly better at answering IQ test questions after training them on a completely separate memory task

"It's not hard, for example, for students to improve their IQ scores by taking lots of IQ tests. Trouble is, learning how to take IQ tests doesn't improve the underlying smarts. The students just get better at taking tests. In practical terms, people can get better at taking tests, but in daily life, don’t have a blazingly quick new brain. And that's where Buschkuehl's research, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, claims to be groundbreaking. In a limited trial, he and his team were able to make 34 test subjects significantly better at answering IQ test questions after training them on a completely separate memory task".

Read healty medical Games to Improve Brain Power




"Why did the training work? The authors suggest several aspects of the exercise relevant to solving new problems: ignoring irrelevant items, monitoring ongoing performance, managing two tasks simultaneously and connecting related items to one another in space and time".

Memory Training Shown to Turn Up Brainpower

Forget Brain Age: Researchers Develop Software That Makes You Smarter

Improving fluid intelligence with training on working memory

WHAT ARE STEM CELLS HOW AND WHY STEM CELLS WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

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Will it take a genius like da Vinci to unlock the secrets of stem cells

The newspaper headlines scream out at you stem cell breakthrough! stem cell controversy!. Some people swear by them others swear at them. But what are stem cells? Why are they so important and controversial? Are there different types of stem cells? And what kinds of things are researchers hoping to learn about by doing “stem cell research”? In his excellent blog, Dr.David Loeb talks about stem cells. What are they and where are we going?



"First of all, what is a stem cell? To answer that, I’ll start with one of the main principles of modern biology: in every organ in your body, there are cells that are fully developed (differentiated is the term scientists use), and cells that sit in reserve to replace the differentiated cells as they age. Those cells that sit in reserve are unique in their ability to both create copies of themselves (called self-renewal) and to create “daughter cells” that are more differentiated. These “daughter cells” are stem cells".



"Stem cells come in two varieties: the ones that are found in mature organs (like bone marrow) and the ones that are found in a developing embryo and give rise to the entire body. So what are the controversies that surround stem cells? Well, the major controversy is over the source of stem cells that scientists use for their experiments. For example, most people are not concerned about stem cells that are harvested from bone marrow, but they do object to embryonic stem cells that require the destruction of an embryo. I guess it’s obvious why some people find that objectionable but others do not".





"What good are stem cells, anyway? What kinds of things do scientists think they can do with stem cells? I study stem cells. I know many other people who study stem cells. No one I know wants to do what the loudest anti-stem-cell-research voices are shouting about – clone a human. What we do want to do is exploit the potential of these cells to replace broken cells and cure human disease". Read more at:

Stem Cells or A Rose By Any Other Name

Read healty medical Yamanaka and Thomson Turn Skin Cells into Stem Cells




Watch the Video Everything You Wanted To Know About Stem Cells


Everything You Wanted to Know About Stem Cells Click the arrow

FOOT PAIN WHY DOES MY FOOT HURT WHEN I GET UP IN THE MORNING HEEL PAIN IS A COMMON RUNNERS INJURY

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What should I do for heel pain

It seems so innocuous. A pain in the bottom of your foot or heel pain is often a medical condition called plantar fasciitis. Podiatrists will tell you that it is an overuse injury and plantar fasciitis is one of the classic runner's injuries. Plenty of non runners have it and it can be a very irritating pain in the heel or bottom of the foot. It can be a heel pain that is mild and then hurts more in the morning when you get up. The plantar fascia tighten up at night. You figure what could possibly go wrong in the bottom of your foot? Actually there is a thick band of tissue called the plantar fascia on the bottom of your foot. The plantar fascia connects the heel to the toes. The fascia band can get inflammed with constant pounding or bad shoes.

Why does my foot hurt more in the morning

When the weight of the body applies pressure from above the arch of the foot spreads and stretches the plantar fascia. A sign of plantar fasciitis can be a shot of pain through the arch of the foot as you step out of bed. This is because the plantar fascia have contracted during the night and you stretch them when you get up. It may come and go. If you ignore the heel and foot pain, you risk break down of the plantar fascia, developing scar tissue and more tears along the fascia. The foot pain starts to last longer and longer until it hurts with every step.

The Five MOST COMMON RUNNING injuries

How the foot is constructed to distribute force

The human foot is constructed in the form of an arch that runs front-to-back, from the heel to the ball. The arch is built of bones that are held together by elastic ligaments. The plantar fascia also called the plantar aponeurosis, is a band of fibrous tissue that runs between the bases of the foot arch, anchored on one end at the heel bone and on the other at the bones that underlie the ball of the foot. The plantar fascia can stretch. That's the main shock absorber of the foot.

healty medical How to Treat Runner's Foot Injuries

Most People with Diabetes WEAR THE WRONG SIZE SHOE! Click This



You can actually get tiny tears in the plantar fascia band. Plantar fasciitis can lead to heel spurs, which is a growth of bone that forms from the heel. Some of the possible ways it shows up is as a sharp pain when you put weight on the foot. It can also be heel pain that is worse going up stairs. It can also be a swelling and tenderness of the heel. There can be pain after exercise without having it during the exercise.









In part 2 of this article about heel and foot pain I will talk about more risk factors for foot problems as well as treatment for it.

MORE MEN GETTING BOTOX APPARENTLY AS AMMUNITION IN BATTLE OF THE SEXES

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The wrinkle medicine "Botox is used by 100,000 Britons a year. And according to statistics published last week by Transform, Britain’s leading cosmetic surgery group, a fifth of all patients are now men. In the past 12 months, there’s been a 50 per cent increase in male patients signing up for Botox treatment".



Botox is injected into the muscles, reducing muscle contraction for a period of three to six months. The treatment is designed to break the habit of frowning or squinting and so reduce the appearance of the lines and also reduce the development of further facial lines. After Botox treatment it takes 2-3 days for the effects to start to be seen reaching its maximum effect at 7-10 days. The treatment can last from to 3-6 months, on average 4 months.

Click and Read and See Video How Are Dermal Fillers Like Juvederm and ArteFill Used For Wrinkle Treatment



The reason why men are opting for Botox is perhaps elucidated by this remark from a man in his 40's "My wife and I divorced three years ago. I was dating but had lost confidence and found myself lying about my age. A few days after I had it done, a miracle happened. I looked in the mirror and I was 10 years younger. People mistake me for someone in their mid-thirties. These days, I can flirt with confidence".




"The British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons says, when used “appropriately”, Botox is safe but the treatment’s beginnings were far from benign. First developed by Dr Edward Schantz in 1946, it was intended as a tool in biological warfare. But Schantz found that when injected into a patient with neck muscles in spasm, the activity stopped. In 1962, American doctors used botulinum toxin to treat twitchy eyes, noticing in the process that patients’ crow’s feet also vanished".

Botox: Get ahead at work try 'Boytox'

Read healty medical More about Ramifications of Botox

A VIDEO ABOUT MELANOMA EVEN CHILDREN CAN GET SKIN CANCER WHAT TO LOOK FOR IN MOLES AND THE ABCDE METHOD

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A melanoma is form of skin cancer that begins in melanocytes, cells that make the pigment melanin. Actually melanoma can appear elsewhere even in the eye or under the toenails. Melanoma cancer may begin in a mole, but can also begin in other pigmented tissues, such as in the eye or in the intestines. Melanocytes are cells that produce melanin, the pigment that gives skin its natural color. When skin is exposed to the sun, melanocytes produce more pigment, causing the skin to tan, or darken. Moles that have certain features need to be aggressively examined for melanoma.

What is the relationship between a mole and melanoma?

Sometimes, clusters of melanocytes and surrounding tissue form noncancerous growths called moles. Doctors also call a mole a nevus, the plural is nevi. Melanoma can occur on any skin surface. In men, melanoma is often found on the trunk(the area between the shoulders and the hips) or the head and neck. In women, it often develops on the lower legs. Even children can develop melanoma as you can see when you watch the video about melanoma and a child with melanoma who got treated in time and made a full recovery. People can also have melanoma under the fingernails or toenails or on the palms or soles of the feet. Melanoma may also occur in the eye.



A Video Story about a Child with Melanoma and What to Look For Click the Arrow to Start

What is the ABCDE Screening Method for Melanoma?

The ABCDE method to screen for melanoma simply means that a mole that meets any of these criteria should be examined by a physician. It is hard even for doctors sometimes to look at a skin lesion and determine if it is cancerous. Actually I would recommend you ask your physician at even the slightest suspicion. It's better to be safe than sorry. The melanoma screening method includes:

Asymmetric. The shape of one half does not match the other.

Border irregularity. The edges are often ragged, notched, blurred, or irregular in outline; the pigment may spread into the surrounding skin.

Color variation. The color is uneven. Shades of black, brown, and tan may be present. Areas of white, grey, red, pink, or blue also may be seen.

Diameter larger than six millimeters. There is a change in size, usually an increase. Melanomas are usually larger than the eraser of a pencil (1/4 inch or 5 millimeters).

Evolution or changes in the skin lesion






If the doctor suspects that a spot on the skin is melanoma, the person will need to have a biopsy. A biopsy is the only way to make a definite diagnosis of melanoma. In this procedure, the doctor tries to remove all of the suspicious-looking growth. This is an excisional biopsy. A pathologist then examines the tissue under a microscope to check for cancer cells. Sometimes it is helpful for more than one pathologist to check the tissue for cancer cells.

Bigger Moles Not Better

IN GOLF EXERCISE CAN IMPROVE YOUR GAME AND ALSO PREVENT INJURY

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In this video a physician discusses what exercises will help improve your golf game. Besides exercise to improve your golf game it is also important to exercise to prevent injuries while golfing.

Even Tiger Woods Sometimes Has to Change Technique?

Sometimes a golf play technique has to be changed as was the case with Tiger Woods who had to modify his swing because of the torque force his golf swing applies to his knees.



The likelihood of injuries playing golf is greatest in older and infrequent golf players but as I said even famous golf pros may need to modify aspects of their golf playing behavior. "Because a golf swing involves the whole body, any part of the body can be injured in the course of play. Common injuries include shoulder problems like rotator cuff tendonitis, hand and wrist injuries like carpal tunnel syndrome, “trigger finger,” as well as elbow inflammation. Back muscle strains are also common in golf and some players can experience serious back injuries. Golfers can also develop strains, sprains, and tendonitis of the knees, ankles and feet. Golfers should stretch at least three times a week, paying particular attention to the back, shoulders, and arms. Be sure to warm-up for 10-15 minutes before playing golf".

This Video Suggests Some Exercises to Improve Golf

Video Exercises to Improve Golf Playing Click the Arrow to Start

HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE FOOTBALL PLAYER JOE MONTANA HAD IT VIDEO EXPLAINS WHAT IS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE WHO HAS HYPERTENSION

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ONE IN FOUR AMERICANS HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE HALF DONT KNOW IT

Most doctors will diagnose a person with high blood pressure on the basis of two or more readings, taken on several occasions. A consistent blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high blood pressure,called in medical terms hypertension and need blood pressure treatment.



In this video a doctor explains high blood pressure and points out that you can have high blood pressure and not feel it or know it. He points to football player Joe Montana as an example.



In 80 to 90 percent of cases people have what is called essential hypertension. A fancy moniker for "we don't know why". But even though medical science doesn't why most people have high blood pressure doctors can treat high blood pressure successfully. Many people will need blood pressure medication. But an expert panel said lifestyle changes can impact your blood pressure too!

Click to Read healty medical Even the Rich and Famous Have High Blood Pressure




Video about High Blood Pressure Click the Arrow to Start








Just "as with cholesterol levels, the concept of a normal blood pressure has fallen strikingly as doctors learn what it takes to preserve good health.Lacking good treatments for hypertension, no doctor was concerned when, at age 57, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s blood pressure was 170/90. And so the president’s blood pressure rose inexorably over the next six years, and on April 12, 1945, at age 63 and with a pressure of 200/110, he died of a brain hemorrhage caused by severe hypertension".

Click to Read What is the Correct Way to Measure Blood Pressure

WHAT ABOUT TAKING A STATIN DRUG AND OMEGA 3 FOR HIGH CHOLESTEROL AND HIGH TRIGLYCERIDE SOME STUDIES SUGGEST FOR COMBINED DYSLIPIDEMIA

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Taking Omega 3 Fish Oil for the Heart AND a Statin cholesterol drug?

Statins are the most powerful drugs to treat high cholesterol. Omega 3 are chemicals found especially in fish oil seem to help the heart and lower triglycerides. People taking cholesterol lowering drugs called statins who also consume omega-3 fatty acids typically found in fish and fish oil might have a better chance of avoiding heart problems than patients who take statins for cholesterol alone. A report in 2006 called Combination Therapy with Statins and Omega-3 Fatty acids said "In a number of small studies, the combination of statins and omega-3 fatty acids has been consistently shown to be an effective, safe, and well-tolerated treatment for combined dyslipidemia".

Besides High Cholesterol You May Also Have High Triglyderides

What is combined dyslipidemia? A combined dyslipidemia means that more than one lipid, fat such as cholesterol and triglycerides is elevated. Statins are the most popular and powerful class of anticholesterol medications. The statins include drugs like Zocor and Lipitor and Mevacor.

Omega 3 and Length of Life

Read healty medical Blog about Cholesterol Good Bad and Ugly



A study by Japanese researchers published in the March 31 2005 issue of the medical journal, The Lancet said "Our study shows that long-term use of EPA (an omega-3 fatty acid) at therapeutic doses is effective for prevention of major coronary events in hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol) patients given statins in Japan who consume a large amount of fish," said lead researcher Dr. Mitsuhiro Yokoyama. He is a professor of medicine at the Kobe University Graduate School of Medicine.





In the study, called the Japan EPA Lipid Intervention Study, Yokoyama and his colleagues assigned 18,645 people to receive either 1,800 milligrams of one of the omega-3 fatty acids, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), every day plus a statin, or a statin alone.



During an average follow-up of 4.6 years, the researchers found a 19 percent reduction in major coronary events among patients taking EPA. Patients taking EPA also had 19 percent fewer non-fatal events including non-fatal heart attack, unstable angina, and coronary revascularization than people taking statins alone. However, the incidence of sudden cardiac death and death from heart disease did not differ between the groups.



"This study is further evidence of the benefit of omega-3 fatty acids for protecting against heart attacks and other cardiac events," said Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, an assistant professor of epidemiology at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health, and author of an accompanying editorial in the journal".

Combination therapy with statins and omega-3 fatty acids.

HOW DO I TREAT A CATS BITE AND WHY ARE CATS MORE INFECTIOUS

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People love cats. Some hate cats. Sometimes though cats bite the hand that feeds them. (You might say a cat astrophe) The risk of infection from a cat's bite is higher than a dog bite. Cats bites make up only approximately 10% of all animal bites but are more likely to get infected than dog bites.

Read About Getting Infections from Pets and Animals and Prevention


The force of a domestic cat's bite does not match that of a dog. However,a cat's sharp teeth, which act like an injection needle, may cause a puncture wound into which bacterial organisms are inoculated. The risk of infection is compounded by the cat's habit of paw licking, which may contaminate their claws with oral flora, germs from the mouth. The risk of infection is higher following a cat's bite than a dog bite. Also, cats carry the risk of causing cat scratch fever also called cat scratch disease which is a infection with flu like symptoms and lymph node swelling caused by a germ that lives in a cat's mouth

Read here about Risks from Pet Infections to People



Since the risk of infection with cats is increased it is wise to see a doctor immediately. The head and neck region is injured in 6-20% of persons who sustain cat bites. You can read a fascinating and informative article about cat bites at one of my favorite medical blogs.

Cat Bites

MAYBE 65 MILLION AMERICANS INCLUDING SOME FAMOUS ONES HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND MANY OF THEM DONT EVEN KNOW IT IMPORTANCE OF TREATING HYPERTENSION

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YOU NEED TO WATCH YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE JUST ASK THE WIFE OF A CERTAIN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE

It is an important lesson about the importance of blood pressure and controlling blood pressure. Most doctors will diagnose a person with high blood pressure on the basis of two or more readings, taken on several occasions. A consistent blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high blood pressure,called in medical terms hypertension and need blood pressure treatment.

Do You Know What is Coronary Artery Blockage? This Video Explains It Click Here




Your doctor does not know why you have high blood pressure. Don't look for a new doctor because they don't know why your blood pressure is high either(an exaggeration, sometimes there is an identifiable cause) but in 80 to 90 percent of cases people have what is called essential hypertension.



Just "as with cholesterol levels, the concept of a normal blood pressure has fallen strikingly as doctors learn what it takes to preserve good health.Lacking good treatments for hypertension, no doctor was concerned when, at age 57, President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s blood pressure was 170/90. And so the president’s blood pressure rose inexorably over the next six years, and on April 12, 1945, at age 63 and with a pressure of 200/110, he died of a brain hemorrhage caused by severe hypertension".




Cindy McCain looks great now but in 2004, the relatively young McCain had a stroke after she decided she didn't need or want to take her blood pressure medicine."The stroke occurred while she was out to lunch with some friends. "I started talking, and the next thing I knew, what was coming out of my mouth was just gibberish," she recalls. "My first thought was just to get out of there, but I couldn't walk. One of my friends' husbands actually picked me up and carried me to the car, then drove me to the hospital."

Omega 3 and the Heart




"As she headed for the hospital, "I thought, I wish I had one more chance to tell my family I loved them," she said. McCain had high blood pressure—the primary cause for strokes—and she wouldn't take her medicine, thinking that, at 49, she was just too young to need it. "It was a hell of a lesson to learn," she said of the medical scare that put her in intensive care for two weeks. Upon her return home, she decided to move to Coronado, Calif.—alone—and concentrate on getting better, away from the stress of daily life".

Click to Read What is the Correct Way to Measure Blood Pressure








In 80 to 90 percent of cases people have what is called essential hypertension. A fancy moniker for "we don't know why". But even though medical science doesn't why most people have high blood pressure doctors can treat high blood pressure successfully. Many people will need blood pressure medication. But an expert panel said lifestyle changes can impact your blood pressure too!





About 65 million Americans are walking around with high blood pressure a.k.a hypertension. And many of them don't even know it! Almost one billion people worldwide have high blood pressure.What is blood pressure anyway? Your body needs oxygen rich blood all the time. Your heart is the master pump that pumps blood. But blood pressure is more complicated than just the heart. The pressure is created by the heart but the arteries and channels that carry the blood also exert a pressure. An analogy is the way fuel flows in a car. In a car the fuel is pumped from the fuel pump. When you put your foot on the accelerator more fuel is pumped to meet demand. When you exercise your heart pumps harder to meet demand. The fuel flows through pipes to the parts of the engine. If the pipes get clogged it is harder for the fuel to be distributed, similarly resistance in the arteries can force the blood pressure up. If there is a leak in the system the pressure can drop. If you lose a lot of blood the pressure drops and you can go into shock.





Even though we don't know why most people have high blood pressure (some people do have identifiable factors like kidney problems) we do know many things that affect the pressure. If you are angry, angry at the traffic,angry at your boss and pretty much just plain always angry there's a good chance it's showing up in your pressure. Adrenalin gets pumped into your system, the nerves are stimulated. The nerves attached to the artery walls can alter the blood pressure. Anger and stress, especially chronic (long term) anger and stress are correlated with high blood pressure and heart problems.






"Although treatment has been prescribed for nearly all people known to have blood pressures consistently above 140/90, now called the high end of normal, up to half of patients still have elevated pressures.Why? Because doctors are not aggressive and creative in treating the problem...Many patients do not follow doctor’s orders and fail to fill prescriptions or neglect to take medicine daily; and because the rising weight of Americans and the passion for high-salt processed and restaurant-prepared foods have raised the once-normal pressures of many people to levels that experts say should be treated".



"While weight loss and improvements in diet and exercise habits can indeed help people lower an elevated pressure, “most people can’t adjust their lifestyles enough to normalize their blood pressure,” Dr. Moser said in an interview. “Most people need help from medication, notably a diuretic in combination with one or two other drugs. The majority of patients don’t get their pressures to normal without such a combination (with blood pressure medication).”

Hypertension: In Retreat, but Hardly Vanquished

Cindy McCain Blood Pressure

WHEN SHAVING HOW TO STOP A RAZOR CUT FROM BLEEDING HOW MANY WAYS ARE THERE TO STOP A SHAVING RAZOR NICK MORE THAN YOU THINK

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Shaving with a razor blade. How hard can that be? You would think that after years of shaving your face, people would have it down. Actually, it is still common to cut yourself while shaving. I know I have been there. Try getting ready for work after shaving and that tiny razor cut just won't stop bleeding. You press on it but it just won't stop!





















  How about getting some witch hazel or an ice cube or Chapstick?

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According to the Derm Blog there are at least 5 ways to handle shaving cuts. Personally, I usually use a styptic pencil. " A styptic or hemostatic pencil is a short stick of medication, usually anhydrous aluminum sulfate (a type of alum) or titanium dioxide,(titanium don't they use that in airplanes?) which is used for staunching blood by causing blood vessels to contract at the site of the wound. Before safety razors were invented, it was an essential part of a shaving kit and was used to seal cuts caused by improper shaving".

According to the Derm Blog there are at least 5 ways to handle shaving cuts...




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Grab an ice cube. The cold causes the tiny blood vessels to constrict,slowing the blood and allowing a clot to form.

Use your Chapstick or apply a dab of Vaseline jelly: the waxy ointment help seals the tiny nick and provides a surface for a blood clot to form.

Soak a Q-tip in witch hazel and apply gently to the cut. Witch hazel is an astringent,which like the ice cube,constricts blood vessels,slowing the bleeding enough for a clot to form. Warning:this will sting a little.

Just hold pressure. As we say in medicine:“All bleeding stops eventually.”

See 5 ways to stop shaving cuts from bleeding at

How to Stop a Shaving Nick from Bleeding

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VIDEO THAT EXPLAINS SCLEROTHERAPY FOR VARICOSE VEINS AND WHAT TO EXPECT ALSO WHAT ARE VARICOSE VEINS

Varicose Veins and Spider Veins are those bulging veins that people develop on their legs and sometimes elsewhere. Sclerotherapy is probably the most common procedure for varicose veins. Veins have one way valves. If the valves don't close properly the blood may fall back and exert pressure on the vein walls leading to varicose veins. You see all sorts of confusing advertisements in the newspapers for how to treat varicose veins. A plethora of medical and surgical treatments involving everything from radio waves to lasers have been developed to either remove varicose veins or close them. Removing or closing varicose veins usually doesn’t create circulation problems because the blood reroutes itself through other veins. These therapies range from approaches that don’t involve incisions or injections to those that are surgical procedures. It may be necessary to combine therapies, depending on your condition and lifestyle.



Sclerotherapy is probably the most common procedure for varicose veins. Sclerotherapy procedure uses a liquid chemical to close off the varicose vein. The solution is injected into the vein to cause irritation and scarring inside the vein, which causes the vein to close off and fade away. It’s usually used to treat smaller varicose veins and spider veins. Sclerotherapy is usually done in the doctor’s office. You may need several sclerotherapy treatments to close off a vein completely. In this case, treatments are typically given every 4 to 6 weeks. Following treatments, your legs are wrapped in elastic bandaging to help healing and decrease swelling.

Click to Read about Radiowave Closure Ablation of Varicose Veins




Common side effects from varicose vein treatment following a procedure can include bruising, swelling, skin discoloration, cramping, and itching. Swelling and skin discoloration may last for several months. Less common side effects of varicose vein treatments include blood clots or nerve damage. An uncommon side effect of sclerotherapy is liquid chemical leaking out of the vein, which could cause tissue damage or ulcers.


A Video Explains Sclerotherapy for Varicose Veins ans What to Expect Click the Arrow to Start

A VIDEO INTRODUCTION TO BOTOX WRINKLE TREATMENTS HOW IT IS APPLIED ALSO RISKS OF BOTOX AND OTHER APPLICATIONS

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Here is a video which explains the basics of how and where Botox wrinkle treatments are applied. This video is a simple introduction. I recommend you research Botox and find out more about the procedure and benefits and risks of Botox. Like anything else the more you know the better. How does Botox work? Botox is injected into the muscles, reducing muscle contraction for a period of three to six months.

Click to Read healty medical about a Possible Alternative Wrinkle Treatment




People get Botox injections to try and reduce the appearance of wrinkles. What is it? Botulinum Toxin Type A (Botox Cosmetic) is a chemical produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. Botulinum toxin is one of the most potent toxic substances in nature. When used in a medical setting as an injectable form of sterile, purified botulinum toxin, small doses block the release of a chemical called acetylcholine by nerve cells that signal muscle contraction.

Click and Read and See Video How Are Dermal Fillers Like Juvederm and ArteFill Used For Wrinkle Treatment



Botox injection reduces muscle contraction at least temporarily. You should know that Botox is used for other medical applications besides wrinkles. In a reminder that botulinum toxin is a medical compound, the FDA has issued a notice of some adverse reactions linked to Botox, Botox Cosmetic (Botulinum toxin Type A) and Myobloc (Botulinum toxin Type B). According to the FDA statement "The most severe adverse effects were found in children treated for spasticity in their limbs associated with cerebral palsy. Treatment of spasticity is not an FDA-approved use of botulism toxins in children or adults".



Watch this video an Introduction to Botox Wrinkle Click the arrow to start

Read Also Treatment for Wrinkles with Botox




Botox is injected into the muscles, reducing muscle contraction for a period of three to six months. The treatment is designed to break the habit of frowning or squinting and so reduce the appearance of the lines and also reduce the development of further facial lines. After Botox treatment it takes 2-3 days for the effects to start to be seen reaching its maximum effect at 7-10 days. The treatment can last from to 3-6 months, on average 4 months.

TWO VIDEOS ILLUSTRATING HOW TO LEARN MNEMONIC TECHNIQUES BRAIN GAMES TO IMPROVE RECALL SEE HOW AVERAGE PEOPLE USE MNEMONIC TECHNIQUES IN AMAZING FEATS

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In this video Ben Pridmore is able to remember the order of a deck of cards after seeing them for less than a minute. It is another example of the use of mnemonic techniques and elaborative encoding. Techniques called mnemonic are ways to improve recall. You can learn about mnemonic on the Internet. All mnemonic techniques are essentially based on the concept of elaborative encoding, which holds that the more meaningful something is to the brain, the easier it is to remember.



The key to mnemonic ideas is to develop a system that allows quick encoding and easy recall. Pridmore was able to look through the deck of cards in under one minute. He said he uses a technique of turning each pair of cards into a mental image of an object or a person and then visualizes them along a journey along a route he knows well.



He says he visualizes rooms in his grandmother's house. So for example he will see an object is some particular room. As he walks through the rooms in his mind he will see the objects. The idea of visualizing objects or people along a trip or route is akin to the technique used by Andy bell as he says in the video about mnemonic further below.




It is sort of a brain game. The brain isn't built to remember abstract symbols like numbers and playing cards, but if one can translate those symbols into vivid visual images, even the dullest series of binary digits can be made as memorable as your own address. The key is to develop a system that allows quick encoding and easy recall.




Using Mnemonic Encoding Video Man Recalls a Deck of Cards After One Minute Click the arrow to start







Watch another video here as a self taught expert explains how he uses mnemonic to recall any card from ten decks of cards.




In this video, the World Memory Champion of 2002, Andi Bell, explains how he is able to use mnemonic and recall any card from 10 decks after having studied them for just twenty minutes! and how you can too.



Click the arrow to start the video of Bell recalling ten decks of cards







"Though every competitor in the memory championships has his own unique method of memorization for each event, all mnemonic techniques are essentially based on the concept of elaborative encoding, which holds that the more meaningful something is, the easier it is to remember".

See YOU AS THE NEXT EINSTEIN GAMES FOR BRAIN EXERCISE MAKING YOUR BRAIN STRONGER BY PLAYING GAMES ON THE INTERNET TRY BRAIN SPEED TEST

Click here to see online tests of mental ability thinking and attention

Modernising the Medical World.

In the wake of the official Google Health launch (check it out - looks interesting). Got some comment from SA Doc on modernising the medical world...

I used to work in a practise that was - for lack of a better word - archaic. You've heard of paperless offices. Now try a paper-filled practice. Everything was done in the old fashioned method of pen to paper - the invoices, the patient notes, even the list indicating the link between family name and file number.

Email? Email who? The only computer visible (under the masses of paper) is an old 486 running Windows 3.1. I actually had to relearn how to use that OS.

No matter how I tried to convince the partners to modernise they could not see the advantage. The idea that you could access any information from complete, LEGIBLE patient notes with a CTRL F was beyond them. The idea that billing and ICD10 coding could be done with a couple of drop down choices didn't compute either (pardon the pun).

I love the idea of systemising patient records and details. It makes things simple. It correlates data very well (no more missing lipograms when a page from the file goes missing). Yikes.

More doctors should organise their patients details and medical information. It makes it easier when you practice, it makes it easier for locums, it makes it easier to recall patient illness details when you need to discuss them with another doctor, it makes it easier to correlate lab results and it makes it easier to bill.

From the other side of the fence now (my crossover into the dark side of managed health), I immediately can notice when a doctor is using a system. They can give me detailed information, email me motivations / lab results. They also tend to bill more appropriately and thus (big tip here!)... have their claims approved faster!

It's a pleasure to work with them! Catch a wake up Docs. It's the 21st Century.

A NEW REPORT ON POSSIBLE BENEFIT OF VITAMIN E AND THE BRAIN

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People take vitamins. Lots of vitamins. There have been conflicting reports of the value of Vitamin E. Some studies say Vitamin E helps people and other studies say excess vitamin E can be harmful. In the latest salvo in the battle of Vitamin E, research suggests that Alzheimer's patient who took Vitamin E lived longer.




A study of Vitamin E and the impact on Alzheimer's suggested that those who took Vitamin E lived longer. "Alzheimer's patients who consume very high levels of vitamin E seem to live longer than those who do not, new research suggests. The study comes on the heels of growing concerns regarding the safety and efficacy of giving any patient whether suffering from Alzheimer's or another illness the high dosage in question: 2,000 international units (IUs) per day".






"The concern is that vitamin E will actually have a harmful effect, because a recent review of prior studies found that it had a slightly negative impact on mortality," said study author Valory Pavlik, an associate professor with the Alzheimer's Disease and Memory Disorders Center at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. "But I think to our surprise the message really is that for the treatment of Alzheimer's in clinical practice, we did not find evidence that high doses of vitamin E reduced survival," she said. "In fact, patients who took vitamin E seemed to live longer, particularly when they took it in combination with a cholinesterase inhibitor."

High Doses of Vitamin E Lengthen Lives of Alzheimer's Patients

UPDATE ON CHOLESTEROL THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY LDL HDL TRANS FATS AND NATURAL DIETS TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL PART ONE

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Natural Remedies for High Cholesterol

You hear a lot about cholesterol. Good cholesterol, bad cholesterol, triglycerides and trans fats. In general, bad cholesterol, LDL is associated with an increased chance of heart problems. HDL,"good cholesterol" is associated with less heart problems. Trans fats seem to increase the bad cholesterol, LDL. Cholesterol drugs and diets have been in the headlines with a University of Toronto "natural" diet that says 20% cholesterol reduction is possible. Also, controversy has swirled around the well known cholesterol drugs Zetia and Vytorin

The Cholesterol Blood Test What is it

The Lipid Profile blood test that you take at the doctor's office provides values including:

Total cholesterol

HDL good cholesterol

LDL bad cholesterol

Triglycerides





In addition other blood tests may give more data about cardiac risk including:

C reactive protein

homocysteine

The Good Cholesterol, Trans Fats and the Bad Cholesterol: HDL and LDL

Pfizer, the drug company, got a nasty shock when they discovered that a new blockbuster drug they were developing to increase HDL good cholesterol had too many bad side effects. So what is the cholesterol?












When people talk about the good cholesterol and the bad cholesterol they are referring to HDL and LDL. HDL and LDL are lipoproteins, structures created from cholesterol and protein that travel to and from the liver carrying cholesterol.. Trans fats are fats that worsen bad cholesterol. I've mentioned LDL, that is tagged with the moniker "bad cholesterol" but HDLs are called the good cholesterol because high levels of HDL seem to decrease coronary heart disease risk. Routinely doctors say that the HDL acts to carry away the bad cholesterol from the artery walls, however, there is also evidence that HDLs may interfere with LDL oxidation. Oxidation of LDL refers to a chemical process that happens on the LDL and is believed to be one of the steps in the process that leads to heart attack.

Click here to READ ABOUT PROBLEMS WITH ZETIA AND VYTORIN CHOLESTEROL DRUGS

Risk Factors: More Risk Factors For Heart Disease The More You Want to Lower Your Cholesterol

You will see different numbers listed for desirable levels of cholesterol depending on where you look. What is true is that it is even more desirable to have lower levels of bad cholesterol when you have risk factors for heart disease.



Imagine if you will, a person with high cholesterol. Very high cholesterol. Recommendations for the "bad" LDL cholesterol vary but generally 100 or less is satisfactory. Now imagine a person with an LDL of 500 or 1000. Finally, imagine they are just twelve years old! That's the situation that confronts people who have a genetic problem with cholesterol disposal called Familial Hypercholesterolemia. Their bodies don't have the full mechanism for dealing with cholesterol LDL and as a result they are at very increased risk of heart attacks.

Click to Read PART TWO UPDATE ON CHOLESTEROL THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY LDL HDL TRANS FATS AND NATURAL DIETS TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL

UPDATE ON CHOLESTEROL THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY LDL HDL TRANS FATS AND NATURAL DIETS TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL PART TWO

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Trans Fat Acts to Increase Bad Cholesterol: What is Cholesterol and Why The Body Manufactures Cholesterol

Cholesterol is not all bad. The body enlists cholesterol to synthesize important molecules that it needs, molecules like the male and female hormones testosterone and estrogen, not to mention Vitamin D as well as constituents of the body's cell membranes. Cholesterol is also involved with the bile that is released to help digest a meal. Because cholesterol is a lipid, it is soluble in oil but not very soluble in water so it is transported in the relatively watery blood aboard a transport molecule. Cholesterol is manufactured in the liver and travels out of the liver aboard lipoprotein particles called VLDL which are then converted to LDL, short for Low Density Lipoproteins. Our body makes most of our cholesterol but we also get cholesterol from food we eat. Foods high in animal fat and foods that are high in saturated fats, cholesterol and trans fats are likely to raise LDL, the "bad cholesterol". As of January, 2006 food labels are mandated to list trans fats. See What Trans Fat Labels Mean: Read Them and Get Healthy

Meds for Cholesterol: Statins The 500 Pound Gorilla of Cholesterol Meds and Zetia the (Not So) New Kid on the Block

Right now the most "popular" class of cholesterol meds are the statins. There are six statins on the market with the newest contender being Crestor (rosuvastatin). The others include:

Lipitor (atorvastatin)

Mevacor (lovastatin)

pravastatin

fluvastatin

simvistatin




Statins reduce the quantities of LDL Cholesterol. Statins block the manufacture of cholesterol in the liver by interfering with an enzyme that orchestrates cholesterol production,HMGCoa Reductase. That's why statins are called HMGCoa Reductase Inhibitors. Enzymes are chemicals called proteins that act all over the body to speed up chemical reactions. Statins work in the liver. That's why they get a blood test to check liver function when someones starts a statin and why they monitor liver function.A rare but dangerous possible side effect of statins is rhabdomyolysis characterized by muscle pain and weakness. One statin, cervistatin, was removed from the market because of problems with this phenomenon. It's the breakdown of muscle tissue and requires immediate emergency intervention. It may be the result of drug interactions between statins and other medications which result in high concentrations of the drug.

Vytorin and Zetia Ezetimibe: They Were Touted as a Cholesterol Reducer With Less Side Effects but Questions about Ability to Reduce Plaque Cloud Picture

Ezetimibe is a whole different ball game when it comes to lowering cholesterol. Zetia works in the intestine to block cholesterol absorption, not in the liver like statins. So potentially it may have fewer side effects. The downside is that so far it seems to be a mild cholesterol reducer and recent studies of it as well as the combination drug Vytorin which is a statin drug plus ezetimibe have questioned the value of it to reduce artery plaque.

Read PROBLEMS REPORTED WITH ZETIA AND VYTORIN

Niacin

Niacin is a B vitamin. It can lower cholesterol and triglycerides and raise HDL. The trouble with niacin is the side effects. Hot flashes are a big problem for niacin users and sometimes they are so unpleasant that people just won't use niacin.
Niacin can also interact with other drugs and it can raise blood sugar. Always talk with your doctor if you are contemplating using niacin.














David A. Jenkins, of the University of Toronto and colleagues tested a vegetarian or "natural" diet to lower cholesterol. Plant sterols are molecules found in plants that resemble cholesterol and compete in the intestine with cholesterol for absorption. The Jenkins Toronto has claimed capabilty to lower cholesterol possibly as much as 20% something akin to a low dose statin drug.

Click to Read about University of Toronto Natural Diet Said to Lower Cholesterol as much as low dose statin drug

Plaque in Coronary Artery Wall Seems to be Linchpin of Coronary Artery Disease: Inflammation

In the classic explanation of the dangers of high cholesterol, high cholesterol leads to the narrowing of the coronary arteries and a plaque may break off and block or occlude the artery. The result is little or no blood flow to the part of the heart being supplied by that artery and a heart attack. As Dr. Peter Libby points outsometimes a plaque grows so large that it virtually halts the blood flow in an artery and generates a heart attack or stroke. (he means a stroke caused by a blockage, a thrombotic stroke, but there's also another kind called a hemorrhagic stroke which is due to bleeding) Yet only 15% of heart attacks happen in this way. By carefully examining vessel walls of people who died from heart attacks, pathologists have demonstrated that most attacks occur after a plaque's fibrous cap breaks open"
attracting a blood clot that leads to the blockage of the artery. See the fascinating and instructive article by Dr. Libby Atherosclerosis The New View.



Dr. Libby, a professor at Harvard Medical School, has pointed out that the cholesterol lowering drugs seem to decrease the number of coronary events such as heart attacks even though angiograms don't necessarily show a decrease in the stenosis or narrowing of the artery. See the more technical article Molecular Bases of the Acute Coronary Syndromes






Risk factors for heart disease include

cigarette smoking

high blood pressure

family history of heart disease

high cholesterol

overweight

diabetes

Click here to Read UPDATE ON CHOLESTEROL THE GOOD THE BAD AND THE UGLY LDL HDL TRANS FATS AND NATURAL DIETS TO LOWER CHOLESTEROL PART ONE

STUDY FINDS WELL KNOWN DASH LOW BLOOD PRESSURE DIET ALSO LOWERS CHANCE OF STROKE AND HEART DISEASE FRUITS VEGGIES LOW SALT HELPS HEART

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A new study adds weight to the claim that not only is a well known diet to lower blood pressure, Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension a.k.a DASH good for blood pressure it also lowers the chance of heart disease and stroke. The DASH diet is like compounded interest in a bank account you eat foods to lower your blood pressure and you get benefits for your heart and stroke prevention too.



Women who ate foods from the DASH diet had a lower risk of heart disease and stroke than women whose diets didn't come as close. A study published in Archives of Internal Medicine by Fung and associates concluded "a diet that resembles the DASH eating plan, with high intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, moderate intake of legumes, nuts, and low-fat dairy products, and low intake of red and processed meats and sodium, was significantly associated with lower risk of Coronary Heart Disease and stroke in women".



"After 24 years, the women who most closely followed the DASH diet had a 24 percent lower risk of heart disease than the women whose diets were farthest from the DASH model. Those who ate DASH like diets had an 18 percent lower risk of stroke than the least DASH like group.



The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, which is high in fruits and vegetables, moderate in low-fat dairy products, and low in animal protein but with substantial amount of plant protein from legumes and nuts, substantially reduces both systolic and diastolic blood pressure among hypertensive and normotensive (normal blood pressure) individuals. In fact, this diet pattern showed greater improvement in blood pressure than one high in fruits and vegetables only. Subsequently, the DASH Sodium trial found that additional sodium restriction resulted in even greater blood pressure reduction. The DASH diet has also been shown to reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels, LDL, the so called bad cholesterol.










Dr. Teresa T. Fung and associates published a study, appearing in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which tracked what healthy women in the Nurses' Health Study ate, based on their responses to questionnaires, and assessed how well their diets approximated the DASH guidelines. The study was large, including more than 88,000 nurses who had no history of cardiovascular disease or diabetes and were between the ages of 34 and 59 when the study began in 1980. "This is a diet that is worth following for just about anybody," Fung said. "Although it's famous for being able to reduce blood pressure, I don't think people should wait until they get high blood pressure to get onto this diet."




"The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) study looked at the impact of foods on high blood pressure. The study results indicate that people who: increased calcium intake to more than 1200 mg/day, lowered fats to less than 26% of calories, and increased fiber, potassium and magnesium in their diets each day decreased systolic blood pressure (the top blood pressure number) by 5.5 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) by 3 mm Hg".

"The DASH eating plan
outlines a diet rich in fruits and vegetables; high in low-fat dairy products, potassium, magnesium, and calcium; and low in total saturated fats. Following this plan has been shown to produce mean reductions of 6 mm Hg in systolic blood pressure and 3 mm Hg in diastolic blood pressure, and combining the plan with a reduction in sodium intake produces additional blood pressure reduction".

Adherence to a DASH-Style Diet and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke in Women

A PDF of the DASH Eating Plan