Take Some Time Off to Rest

It will rapidly add a lot to your health and productive status ensuring proper regulation of the heart and reducing the risks to other health issues

Story of the Week!

At Chhattisgarh's Raipur town, a hospital here performed a successful open-heart surgery on a 70-year-old woman who has one kidney and a history of breast cancer.

Nirmala, who was surviving on a single kidney after donating one to her brother earlier, underwent the surgery successfully at the Fortis Escorts Heart hospital here and is recuperating.

A team led by S.N. Khanna, cardiac surgeon at the hospital, carried out the surgery last week, a hospital release said.

Nirmala complained of severe breathing difficulty for the last six months which aggravated recently.

Her medical background revealed that she was already being treated for breast cancer.

Nirmala's right breast was removed earlier and she also underwent radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

After medical examination, it was found that Nirmala's aortic valve in the heart from where the blood is pumped into the brain and lower extremities had narrowed.

Due to the narrowing of the valve, very little blood was getting pumped into the body and that too with a great strain on the heart, there by causing severe thickening of heart muscles leading to breathlessness.

The patient needed immediate replacement of the heart valve for survival.

Discussing the risk involved in the surgery, S.N. Khanna said: "Heart valve replacement in Nirmala's case was very challenging. Malignancy reduces immunity and radiotherapy can cause fibrosis of the tissues in the chest."

Khanna said that post-operatively with single kidney and old age, she could have landed in renal failure and dialysis.

The high risk surgery involved removal of the narrowed valve with an artificial valve. Post-surgery, she has recovered well and was discharged from the hospital in stable condition after a week

 

A symptom You Shouldn't Ignore

"Your body flashes signals -- symptoms and signs -- that warn you of potential problems," say Neil Shulman, MD, Jack Birge, MD, and Joon Ahn, MD. The three Georgia-based doctors are the authors of the book Your Body's Red Light Warning Signals.

 

Fortunately, many symptoms turn out not to be serious. For example, the majority of headaches stem from stress, eyestrain, lack of sleep, dehydration, caffeine withdrawal, and other mundane causes.
But a sudden, agonizing "thunderclap" headache -- the worst of your life -- could mean bleeding in the brain. Being able to recognize this serious symptom and calling 911 may save your life.
Here is One Highlighted  important flashing signal for this week.











1. Paralysis of the arms or legs, tingling, numbness, confusion, dizziness, double vision, slurred speech, trouble finding words, or weakness, especially on one side of the face or body.
   
These are signs of stroke -- or a "brain attack" -- in which arteries that supply oxygen to the brain become blocked or rupture, causing brain tissue to die.
Symptoms depend on which area of the brain is involved. If a large blood vessel is blocked, a wide area may be affected, so a person may have paralysis on one side of the body and lose other functions, such as speech and understanding. If a smaller vessel is blocked, paralysis may remain limited to an arm or leg, or even the face.
If you have symptoms, call 911 right away and get to an emergency room that offers clot-busting therapy for strokes due to blocked vessels. Such treatment, which dissolves clots in blocked vessels, needs to be given within the first 3 hours after symptoms begin, but newer treatments may work within a longer time frame, says Birge, who is medical director at the Tanner Medical Center in Carrollton, Ga.
Timing is urgent; fast treatment can potentially stop brain tissue death before permanent brain injury happens. "There is a time clock ticking as to when you might totally recover," Birge tells WebMD.

Did You Know That Skimmed Milk Could Reduce Blood Pressure?

Yes! Skimmed Milk

 It truly does a body great! Drinking heart-healthy skim milk or 1 percent milk a day will provide you with calcium and vitamin D — the two nutrients work as a team to help reduce blood pressure by 3 to 10 percent. Although this doesn’t sound like much, it could add up to about a 15 percent reduction in risk for cardiovascular disease.

Why You Must Make Tomatoes Part of Your Everyday Diet

Tomatoes have been confirmed by our state health expert 'Gideon Solomon' to be one of the most tasty and nutritious fruits available for our everyday diets. Extensive research around the world has shown the benefits of eating tomato based foods on a regular basis. Tomatoes are a major and one of the only dietary sources of the anti-oxidant lycopene, an agent that amongst other things has been found to reduce the risk of a number of cancers. This includes (but is not limited to) prostate, lung, stomach, pancreatic, cervical, colorectal, oral and esophageal forms of this disease. Research has also shown that tomatoes may help in reducing circulatory problems of the heart, brain and elsewhere. This research has shown that tomatoes help to prevent blood clots from forming in the bloodstream – similar to the activity of aspirin.

Tomatoes are an excellent source of, vitamin A, vitamin C, beta-carotene, potassium, folic acid and other B vitamins, iron and fiber. Interestingly enough, the lycopene in cooked and processed tomatoes is more readily available and absorbed by our bodies than in raw tomatoes.

The incredible benefits of eating tomatoes can be seen by looking at what is found in a single serving of tomatoes (148g) contains:

Calories 35	Calories from Fat 0
	% of Daily Value*
Total Fat 0.5 g	1%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0g	0%
Sodium 5mg	0%
Total Carbohydrate 7g	2%
Dietary Fiber 1g	4%
Sugars 4g
Protein 1g
Potassium 360mg	10%
Vitamin A	20%
Vitamin C	40%
Calcium	2%
Iron	2%

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

So, Why not make tomatoes part of your everyday diet today?

AHF Health Quote for the Week

"The human body has been designed to resist an infinite number of changes and attacks brought about by its environment. The secret of good health lies in successful adjustment to changing stresses on the body."

.........Harry J. Johnson

So next time you feel like someone, an activity/event or anything will get on your toes, worry or stress you..... simply shake it off cos you'll be doing your body system great good.

Cheers and the AHF TEAM AKWA IBOM STATE CHAPTER wishes you a splendid and AHF filled week

AHF Akwa Ibom State GrassRoots Meeting/Seminar In A&M Guest House, Uyo....Photos!