Health Issues » Nutrition http://healthwriter.eu tried to be explained Wed, 07 Jul 2010 16:07:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 Diet to Lower Cholesterol http://healthwriter.eu/diet-to-lower-cholesterol/ http://healthwriter.eu/diet-to-lower-cholesterol/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2009 19:02:02 +0000 Jan Modric http://healthwriter.eu/?p=198 What is Cholesterol?

Cholesterol is present in the blood and in most of cells, and is a part of substances called lipids. In the blood, cholesterol is bound to certain proteins what makes lipoproteins. Roughly, they are two types of lipoproteins:

  • LDL = Low Density Lipoproteins that contain a lot of cholesterol (what makes them low density). This is denoted as LDL cholesterol and is called “bad” cholesterol since, when in excess, it deposits on the inner arterial walls, building plaques called atheromas that harden and clog arteries. The disorder is known as atherosclerosis (from Greek atheroma = cholesterol plaque; sclerosis = hardening of arterial wall).
  • HDL = High Density Lipoproteins that contain small amount of cholesterol denoted as HDL cholesterol that takes excessive cholesterol from LDL and carry it away from the blood, so it is called “good” cholesterol. 

Blood cholesterol is uptaken by cells that use it to build cell membranes, hormones, vitamin D and bile acids among other. It is good to have some cholesterol of both types in the blood.

High level of LDL cholesterol in the blood is a strong risk factor for atherosclerosis that is a major cause of stroke and heart attack. 

How to Lower High LDL Blood Levels?

By exercise and some restriction in diet.

Exercise

Exercising for at least 30 minutes a day every day helps to reduce LDL holesterol level in the blood. Any exercise that speed up your heart rate and is appropriate to your health status and age can be helpful.

Diet

 and related juices

Foods to avoid in high LDL:

  • Red meat, especially pork, and other fatty meat
  • Egg yolk
  • Dairy like whole fat milk, cheese, butter, cream
  • Products with trans fats like margarines and chips with “hydrogenated fats”
  • Chocolate, cocoa

To try:

  • Oatmeal
  • Morning cereals
  • Whole grains
  • Whole meal or whole grain bread
  • Salads
  • Rice
  • Potatoes
  • Pasta
  • Plant sterols and stanols (added in fortified foods like orange juice)
  • Fruits like bananas and citruses
  • Vegetables like salads, legumes

 

References:

  1. How to lower cholesterol  (ehealthmd.com)
]]> http://healthwriter.eu/diet-to-lower-cholesterol/feed/ 0 Low Body Temperature + Low Appetite + Fatigue + Skin Rash http://healthwriter.eu/low-body-temperature-low-appetite-fatigue-skin-rash/ http://healthwriter.eu/low-body-temperature-low-appetite-fatigue-skin-rash/#comments Tue, 31 Mar 2009 09:24:00 +0000 Jan Modric http://healthwriter.eu/?p=86 If you have:

  • Low body temperature for at least one month, at least 0,5°C (0,9°F) lower than your usual temperature
  • Low appetite
  • Fatigue
  • Weigh gain
  • Skin Rash…

..then you might have:

  1. Lowered thyroid function (Hashimoto’s thyroiditis)
  2. Increased adrenal funcion (Cushing’s syndrome)
]]> http://healthwriter.eu/low-body-temperature-low-appetite-fatigue-skin-rash/feed/ 0 Causes of Poor (Low) Appetite http://healthwriter.eu/causes-of-low-appetite/ http://healthwriter.eu/causes-of-low-appetite/#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:13:20 +0000 Jan Modric http://healthwriter.eu/?p=77 Low appetite is low desire to eat. The following conditions, or drugs may cause low appetite:

Low Appetite in Healthy People

  1. Normal aging

Psychic/Emotional Causes

  1. Emotional stress: anxiety, depression, grief or loss, relationship problems
  2. Physical stress
  3. Anorexia nervosa
  4. Bipolar disorder
  5. Bulimia
  6. Social isolation

Infections

  1. Childhood infections
  2. Viral hepatitis 
  3. Hemorrhagic fever
  4. Bacterial endocarditis
  5. Cyclosporiosis
  6. Typhoid fever
  7. Tuberculosis
  8. Urinary tract infection
  9. Other acute or chronic infections

Fever

  1. Rheumatic fever
  2. Still’s disease – systemic onset juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA)

Nausea

Alcoholism

Smoking

Conditions and Diseases

  1. SWALLOWING DIFFICULTIES: mouth pain, sore throat
  2. STOMACH/DUODENUM: hiatus hernia, stomach/duodenal cancer or ulcer, pernicious anemia, gastroparesis
  3. BOWEL: constipation, malabsorption, celiac disease, intestinal parasites/worms, colorectal cancer, inflammation (Crohn’s disease), infection (food poisoning)
  4. APPENDIX: appendicitis
  5. LIVER: viral hepatitis, cirrhosis
  6. GALLBLADDER
  7. HEART: congestive heart failure
  8. HORMONES: diabetes mellitus, hypo/hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, adrenal insufficiency, hypopituitarism, APECED (Autoimmune PolyEndocrinopathy, Candidiasis, and Ectodermal Dysplasia)
  9. KIDNEY: uremia
  10. LUNGS: chronic pulmonary disease, pneumonia by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, psittacosis, silicosis
  11. PANCREAS: pancreatitis
  12. NERVES: transverse myelitis

General Diseases Affecting the Whole Body

  1. DEHYDRATION
  2. CANCER: metastases, lymphoma
  3. BLOOD: anemia, leukemia

Nutrient/Vitamin Deficiencies

  1. Malnourishment
  2. Zinc deficiency
  3. Milk-alkali syndrome – hypercalcemia, caused by excessive milk and calcium carbonate antacids consuption
  4. Beriberi -vit B1 (thiamine) deficiency – in chronic alcoholics: tingling and numbness in  hands and feet; if heart is affected: shortness of breath on exercise, legs swelling
  5. Dilutional hyponatremia. Causes: heavy vomiting or diarrhea, diuretics, heart failure, kidney disease, cirrhosis
  6. Hypercalcemia
  7. Hypomagnesemia
  8. Arginase (enzyme that breaks down amino acid arginin) deficiency – inborn disorder, causes accumulation of arginin and ammonium in the body – muscle stiffness, shows up around age of 3. 
  9. N-acetyl glutamate synthetase (NAGS) deficiency – a rare genetic disorder where a lack of enzyme causes ammonia accumulation in the blood

Pregnancy

  1. Pregnancy itself
  2. Acute fatty liver of pregnancy

Medications

  1. Antibiotics
  2. Glucocorticoids
  3. Iron supplements
  4. Antithyroid drugs (methimazole, propylthiouracil)
  5. Oral contraceptives
  6. Oral hypoglycemics
  7. Tamoxifen
  8. Cough and cold preparations
  9. Codeine and Morphine
  10. Demerol
  11. Digitalis
  12. Chemotherapeutic agents
  13. Ephedrine and other sympathomimetics
  14. Medications causing liver damage: chlorophorm, cyclopropane, ether, halothane, methoxyflurane, nitrous oxide, chloramphenicol, phenobarbital, 5-Fluorocytosine, metronidazole, ethionamide, vidarabine 
  15. Amphetamine intoxication
  16. Anabolic C-17

Poisoning

  1. Lead
    • Lead pipes, old paints, house dust
    • Cosmetics, or remedies containing some traditional herbs: kohl, surma, bali goli; deshi dewa, ghasard, kandu, cordyceps, Hai Ge Fen, rueda, alacron, liga, Maria Luisa, etc
  2. Herbal agent adverse reaction: chaparral, foxglove, henna, kombucha, cottonseed, garlic, germanium
  3. Aluminium
  4. Arsenic
  5. Barium
  6. Bismuth
  7. Bromide
  8. Cadmium
  9. Chromium
  10. Copper
  11. Cresol
  12. Cyclopropane
  13. Glaze
  14. Gold
  15. Iron
  16. Mercaptans
  17. Mercury
  18. Nickel
  19. Selenium
  20. Solder
  21. Steroids
  22. Thallium
  23. Tin
  24. Uranium
  25. Ecstasy abuse 
  26. Heroin withdrawal
  27. Marijuana withdrawal
  28. Aflatoxin- secreted by fungi on cereal (maize, sorghum, pearl millet, rice, wheat), oilseeds (groundnut, soybean, sunflower, cotton), spices (chillies, black pepper, coriander, turmeric, zinger), tree nuts (almonds, pistachio, walnuts, coconut) and milk
  29. Radiation sickness

What to Do?

  • Have small frequent meals
  • Eat caloric foods you like
  • Eat with others
  • Have a breakfast
  • Consider treating or overcoming the cause of low appetite

References:

  1. What to do in low appetite? (cancer.org)
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