Heart Attack Prevention Tips

Heart Attack Prevention Tips
Heart Attack Prevention Tips

While some have to fight the battle of the bulge for mere shallow reasons, there are those who do all the dieting and exercising to reduce their cholesterol levels just to stay alive. And while cholesterol is an important component of the membranes of cells, playing an important part in maintaining brain synapses as well as in the immune system, it is also the largest cause of heart attack and stroke.

While it is great that most people who are suffering from high levels of cholesterol go to their dieticians to have their daily eating habits tweaked by following a strict meal plan in order to help them lower their cholesterol levels (hopefully back to normal levels), some people have really gone overboard, but if you feel compelled to lower your cholestorol, consult with your doctor, most doctors are fine with prescribing cholesterol reducing drugs.

When coupled with a healthy diet and regular exercise, the drugs can make quite a difference in your cholesterol levels, at least enough that your levels can be considered safe.

There are four kinds of cholesterol reducing drugs:

1. Bile acid

Sequesterants are cholesterol reducing drugs that aim to bind with the bile that is being produced by one’s liver. The bile helps out in our digestion as well as in the absorption of fats from the intestine. This cholesterol reducing drug blocks out the digestion of fats from the bile to help prevent the formation of cholesterol. Various cholesterol reducing drugs in this category are the following:

• Colestipol
• Colestid
• Coleseyalam
• Welchol
• Cholestyramine
• Questran

2. Statins

Popularly known as statins, the HMG-CoA inhibitors are cholesterol reducing drugs that prevent the enzyme called 3-hydroxy-3-methyl-glutaryl-conenzyme, a reductase, from converting fat into cholesterol. This cholesterol reducing drug is seen as the most effective one in the market today and does some added good to one’s body as 2003 reports claim that people with heart failure but no coronary artery diseases receive great benefits from this in as early as 14 weeks.

Popular drugs from this cholesterol reducing drug group include:

• Simvastatin
• Zocor
• Cerivastatin
• Baycol 
• Fluvastatin
• Lescol
• Lovastatin
• Mevacor
• Prevastatin
• Pravachol
• Atorvastatin
• Lipitor

3. Fibric Acid

The cholesterol reducing drug called fibric acid and its derivaties are less effective than the statins when in comes to lowering one’s cholesterol level.

Popular drugs under this kind of cholesterol reducing drugs are:

• Clofibrate
• Atormid-S
• Gemfibrozil
• Lopid
• Fenofribrate
• Tricor

Niacin, or vitamin B-3, also is effective in lowering cholesterol levels. Although the normal vitamin dose of niacin is only set at 20 mg for each day, the dose required to reduce cholesterol levels is at least 500 mg each day. Niacin helps reduce cholesterol by inhibiting very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion in the bloodstream.

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Understanding Drug And Alcohol Rehabilitation

Understanding Drug And Alcohol Rehabilitation
Understanding Drug And Alcohol Rehabilitation


For many years, when people thought of alcohol and drug rehab, the image that almost immediately came to mind was most likely a group of people, sitting in a circle in folding chairs in a big vacant room. Its true that group programs still aid many people in their quest to stop drinking and using illegal substances but most who have fell too deep into their addictions do not find relief this way. There is good news for those who need help getting over their addictions – slowly, there has been a proliferation of alternative therapies to alcohol and drug rehab. These methods may prove useful when traditional rehabilitation methods fail.

1. Why Do People Get Addictions?

The reasons for addiction are complicated and vary with each and every individual. These same reasons may be difficult for us to understand, and even a lot more difficult to resolve. Drug and alcohol rehab in recent years has taken a hard and diverse approach to the problem of addiction. Taking in consideration are the physical, emotional, and even nutritional factors that may be causes. Whether you’re seeking help for yourself or whether you are a concerned friend or family member of someone who is in a very dangerous grip of addiction, be confident that you are not the only one. Addictions come in varied forms, some are dangerous and some are not.

2. The Physiological Approach

It doesn’t mean that just because you are encountering a dangerous addiction it’s alright to think that you are different from everyone else. It only means that you’ll need to seek out specially qualified help. Many physiological and chemical imbalances that occur in our bodies and brains may contribute or cause our feelings of depression, that can lead us into addiction as we try to self medicate to compensate for our emotional distress. We are living in an era where many problems like chemical depression and blood sugar imbalances are easily diagnosed and treated. Often, addicts who treat these underlying problems will experience great relief from the urge to feel better by drinking.

3. Blood Chemistry

The best and most popular idea we have of drug rehabilitation is the old 12-step group therapy that we so often see on television shows and movies. The fact is, science has a lot more to tell us about how our bodies and brains respond to all kinds of substances. A lot of evidence suggests that when a physiological or chemical imbalance is occurs in the brain no matter what the cause, that individual will try to compensate for the imbalance he is experiencing by self-medicating with drugs. Modern drug rehab programs often use this approach to look for chemical brain imbalances to help their patients recover. In addition to this, imbalances in blood chemistry can also lead to drug and alcohol addiction. Having problems such as low blood sugar can lead someone to self medicate so that he can cure any fatigue or anxiety that he may be feeling. A balanced nutritional intake and exercise have shown themselves to be aids in the process of drug rehab.



Usually people who are deeply addicted often have neglected themselves, so by finding a diet and exercise program, it can really lift their self image. Another advantage of exercise to anyone who is an addict is that it also provides a natural high that can help an addict to get through the rough periods in his rehabilitation. Some individuals may be comfortable with the idea of group counseling while some may have difficulty in comprehending it. An option for these kinds of people is one on one therapy, where a therapist can reach out to the deepest and most personal aspects of an addict’s life. Looking for answers for addiction and possible recovery is an extremely difficult task to anyone. It takes a lot of devotion and time to even see the smallest of developments. Being able to find the right place to do the work toward recovery is an important step. The wants needs of each and every addict are different from each other, and the process of finding a place to fully recover can be a very deep, difficult, personal and intense process.

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How Drug And Alcohol Testing Are Carried Out On Drivers

How Drug And Alcohol Testing Are Carried Out On Drivers

Drug and alcohol tests vary -testing is required for most driver’s license applicants and before a driver’s license renewal. Nevertheless, it depends on the state a driver resides in really.

Some states have passed laws that empower the police to randomly test drivers for the presence of cannabis (tetrahydrocannabinol), commonly known as marijuana, and methamphetamines, commonly known as speed ice or crystal meth. Even a driver’s saliva can be tested with an “absorbent collector” – whereby an individual presses their tongue to a “collector” and then chews on it. If a driver tests positive for any of these drugs, their license is immediately cancelled.

“Drug driving” is the term used for those who operate a motor vehicle while under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol. There are different consequences for those guilty of “drug driving” that depend on precisely what substances were in their system at the time.

Also, “drugs” has a different connotation to authorities than they would to let’s say, a pharmacist. When a police officer thinks of drugs, he means depressants like cannabis, methadone and heroin, stimulants like speed, cocaine and ecstasy, and hallucinogens such as LSD. Even so, there are some prescription drugs that affect driving, like tranquilizing drugs (rohypnol and oxazepam), which cause drowsiness and render a person unfit to operate a vehicle.

Surveys show that the number of road accidents is directly related to the amount of drivers under the influence of illegal drugs and alcohol on the road. And sadly, a large number of those who are involved in accidents due to “drug driving,” die. Some studies show that because the prevalence of different drugs has increased over the decade, so has the number of car accident casualties.

While it is easy to correlate drug use with motorist deaths, there is not a cause-effect relationship that can be proven as of yet but it is still interesting to note. And clearly, a diver who is free of drugs and alcohol is a safer driver than a driver under the influence. Legislators have the responsibility of carefully designing laws that limit “drug driving” and ultimately, the number of dangerous and fatal car accidents.

A person’s capacity to handle the effects of drugs and alcohol certainly play a role in determining the degree of impairment they will experience while on the road. But this is very difficult to determine, as a person’s tolerance of various substances is based on many different factors, like genes, past exposure, and even their diet that day. Likewise, the specific combination of drugs and alcohol can have unpredictable effects on a person. Essentially, it’s all a precariously inexact science.

Hence, police officers must make general observations in order to determine if a driver is a potential threat on the road. Those abusing depressants tend to have slow reactions and reduced concentration – for example, cannabis users usually have trouble keeping their car in the correct lane and encounter difficulty maneuvering on busy roads and intersections.

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How To Quit Smoking Using Zyban

How To Quit Smoking Using Zyban

In general, an addiction to smoking can be a very difficult one to overcome. Depending on how long you’ve smoked, how much you smoke, and genetic factors, you may find it extremely difficult to quit smoking. It is a well known fact the genetic factors are at play and determine how susceptible someone is to a nicotine addiction, and for this reason some people need more than their will power to quit smoking. There are medical aids to quit smoking that help address the body’s dependence on nicotine, leaving you to concentrate your will power on other aspects of the addiction: namely, the social associations you likely have with smoking.

For many years the standard medical stop-smoking aid was the nicotine patch, which is attached to the skin and releases a steady supply of nicotine to the bloodstream. Fairly recently, though, another approach has become popular: the use of the drug Zyban (bupropion hydrochloride.)

Zyban’s development as an anti-smoking aid is a curious one: it was originally designed as an anti-depressant, and during clinical trials of the drug is was discovered that as a side effect, many smokers participating in the trails lost interest in cigarettes and found it very easy to quit. Further research revealed that the drug was an effective stop-smoking aid, and it was approved for use as such in 1997 by the FDA.

Zyban works in a completely different way from the nicotine patch. Instead of supplying nicotine to the bloodstream, Zyban alters brain chemistry in such a way that the desire for smoking is greatly reduced – many people find that cigarettes simply become unappealing after taking the drug. At no point does Zyban supply or regulate nicotine in the bloodstream.

To work effectively, Zyban is usually taken a few weeks before you actually stop smoking. Like all anti-depressants, it takes time for its effects to manifest. Once you’ve been taking the drug for some time, you stop smoking, and if all goes well you’ll find the process much easier than an unaided attempt.

It is important to keep in mind, however, that Zyban is a prescription drug that alters brain chemistry – in fact researchers are not even exactly sure how it works, only that it does for many people. Naturally, you doctor will be consulted in your decision to take Zyban, and it is crucial that Zyban is not taken in combination with other drugs. Make sure you talk to your doctor about the possible side effects of using Zyban to quit smoking: some common side effects include insomnia, dizziness, and dry mouth. In rarer cases, more serious side effects like seizures can occur. You must also discuss with your doctor the situations in which Zyban should not be taken, like if you are abruptly stopping the use of alcohol, or have a history of seizures.

While Zyban should be approached with some caution, as long as it is properly discussed with your doctor, it can be a very effective aid in your battle to quit smoking.

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Acid Reflux Disease

First of all, acid reflux is not a disease. It is an acquired condition which can be completely healed by eating properly. I wonder if people had acid reflux, gerd and heartburn a thousand years ago. I sincerely doubt it. I believe it is a symptom of the quality of the food we eat today, our eating habits and the stressful times in which we live.

People who eat convenience food on the run can’t expect to enjoy proper digestion. Proper digestion requires chewing food well and not diluting the digestive juices with liquids, the worst of these being carbonated beverages. And of course all the fat associated with convenience food makes the situation worse. Most people who go to fast food chains eat a burger with fries and a large soda. The employees are trained to push the soft drinks on the customers. They look at you as if you are nuts if you opt to skip the big soft drink.

People today are always in a hurry, always late, both parents working and commuting to those jobs. There seems to be no time to shop for and prepare quality food. Children are forced to be self sufficient from an early age. They prepare their own meals, microwaving food which has little food value and is loaded with sodium and fat.

We are raising a generation of future acid refluxers. The parents are no better off, grabbing junk food to eat in the office. No wonder so many people suffer from acid reflux. I’m sure that the big pharma are thrilled at the prospects of future sales.

The medical community wants us to believe that only prescription drugs are the answer for the symptoms of indigestion. Of course this is not true. Antacids are, at best, a temporary fix and they are loaded with harmful ingredients such as sodium and aluminum. PPI drugs (proton pump inhibitors) like Nexium and Prilosec should only be used for eight weeks, at most. It says so right on the package, but after eight weeks what are we to do? Furthermore, these drugs only mask and hide the symptoms and have hundreds of harmful side effects. They don’t heal the condition! They only make the drug makers rich at our expense!

I used to suffer from acute GERD. I confess that I too ate on the run. I didn’t chew my food properly. I washed everything down with soda and became addicted to a PPI drug – that purple pill. It was so easy and convenient. I could abuse my body and not suffer for it. I thought that drug was my salvation until that illusion came crashing down on me.

After several years of taking this drug, my condition became worse and I was told to double the dose. I began to feel sluggish and tired. My vision suffered and my blood pressure soared. I realized that these were probably side effects of this PPI drug. Perhaps I was suffering from malnutrition? How does the body digest and assimilate food without stomach acid?

I did a computer search and found that there were hundreds of possible side effects. I was shocked at what I found! I was harming my body and I wanted to stop taking this drug! But when I tried to stop taking the PPI, the acid pumps, which had been shut off, went wild and produced more acid than ever before.

I can’t tell you how much I suffered. My esophagus was constantly burning and l feared that I would suffer permanent damage. I couldn’t sleep at night. I was afraid to eat or drink anything but water. My friends didn’t understand my problem. They would call and say, “Let’s go out for Southwestern barbeque”. Of course, I couldn’t. I loved to eat hot chili sprinkled with raw onions and jack cheese, but it was now my worst nightmare. My life was becoming unbearable!

I was determined to beat this illness. My doctor couldn’t help me – no one could tell me what to do. I had to heal myself. I became completely dedicated to finding the answers. I studied and researched. I wanted to discover naturopathic treatments as opposed to drugs. I searched high and low for natural remedies that might actually cure acid reflux. I tried every possible remedy and healthy diet I could find. I made myself a virtual guinea pig.

In the end, I found that the answers to the acid reflux problem are really quite simple. With a few changes in lifestyle and with the help of natural remedies, one can absolutely beat the acid reflux syndrome, without the use of drugs.

Remember, that the reason this condition exists in the first place, is due to a damaged esophagus. Let the esophagus heal by not eating the same foods in the same way that caused the damage. Loosing weight, exercising, chewing properly, drinking sufficient amounts of water and elevating the head at night, are all simple things that anyone can do to improve this condition.

There are also many natural ingredients found in any health store, which can help during, what I call, the acid reflux recovery period. Herbs, such as slippery elm and marshmallow have wonderful healing properties. Aloe vera juice, licorice and natural honey can sooth the esophagus and assist in the healing process.

I had to take control of my life and assume responsibility for my own actions. I managed to turn things around. I did heal myself of the acid reflux condition. With a little knowledge and discipline, anyone can do the same.

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Cutting Prescription Drug Costs

There are a number of ways to cut prescription drug costs-without sacrificing safety or effectiveness. Try these tips:

• What’s In A Name?-Finding generic versions of name-brand drugs can cut costs by a significant percentage. For instance, people who take one of the more popular cholesterol-lowering drugs could save about $175 per prescription if they stuck to the generic versions.

• Finding Generics-Your pharmacist or doctor can tell you if the generic version of a drug is readily available in the U.S. You can also check with groups such as 1-800-USAVERX. The company gets drugs from FDA and World Health Organization (WHO)-approved facilities overseas. These markets do not have the same pricing regulations and patent laws as those found in the U.S. As a result, the company can offer generic versions of name-brand drugs-even if those generic versions are not available in U.S. pharmacies-at lower prices. Additionally, it offers name-brand drugs at significant discounts (about 60 percent) compared to U.S. prices.

For instance, Nexium is sold in the U.S. at a price of about $420 per 100 pills. The company offers the same pills for about $320. The generic version of the drug sells for about $200. Similarly, those taking a name-brand arthritis drug that sells for about $260 in the U.S. could get the same drug for about $180 from the company. The generic version would cost about $105. In addition, people can visit the site for discounts on Lipitor, Plavix and Fosamax.

The site also carries lower-priced versions of brand-name HIV/AIDS drugs as well as generic versions of the drugs that are not available in the U.S. The site gets its HIV/AIDS drugs from the same companies that sell the drugs to the Clinton Foundation’s AIDS project.

All the drugs offered on the site are priced lower than they are on the Medicare prescription drug plan and it offers the most popular medications for your pets as well.

• Safe Alternatives-The company deals only with drug facilities that are approved by the FDA and the WHO, meaning the safety and efficacy of its drugs are strictly regulated. Additionally, the brand names it offers are identical to the brand names available in the U.S. Also, the company only deals with people who have prescriptions from doctors.

• An Ounce Of Prevention-Taking steps to control your health may also help control your drug costs. Talk to your doctor about ways to manage your condition or to prevent health problems from happening in the first place. Simple things, such as exercising regularly and eating a balanced, lower-fat diet, could help keep you and your wallet in shape.

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Buying Prescription Drugs In Canada

For a long time, Americans who are increasingly facing low supplies and high costs have been heading north to purchase their prescription drugs at stores in Canada. The volume of business is expected to be millions of prescriptions filled every year. And during recent elections, many candidates ran on platforms seeking to legalize the practice that many citizens are engaging in whether it is illegal or not.

To combat both the election hopefuls and the United States citizens who are currently ignoring the pricy prescription drugs on American shelves, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is claiming that many imported drugs are unsafe. There is more evidence to the contrary, however.

Many of the prescription drugs that are available on American pharmacy shelves quite legally, are already manufactured in and shipped from foreign countries. This is counter to the PRMA’s assertions that imported drugs are unfit or dangerous. Many industry insiders agree that the association is representing solely the interests of American pharmaceutical companies, who directly benefit from inflated drug prices. Like many other countries, Canada’s prescription drugs, like the prescription drugs of every industrialized nation with the exception of the United States, are kept relatively inexpensive due to price controls.

The FDA is in step with the PRMA, although it is similarly vague in assertions that buying prescription drugs in Canada is dangerous. In an interview with Kiplinger’s, William Hubbard, the FDA’s associate commissioner for policy and learning, stated “We know there are good drugs and bad drugs in Canada, but we can’t tell you which ones are which.”

The fact is, most Canadian prescription drugs are not FDA approved, however Canadian food and drug standards are comparable to those of the United States’, and the argument that Canadian prescription drugs are unsafe, remains fairly unsupported. So far, the stream of American buyers seems to indicate the belief that buying prescription drugs from a reputable Canadian drug store is only dangerous to the large American pharmaceutical companies who have a vested interest in keeping drug prices high.

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