Anemia Drugs to Be Taken With Caution

A trial of Aranesp an anemia drug from Amgen Inc disclosed a rise in number of deaths especially in advanced cancer patients. This has reiterated the fact that such drugs should be prescribed in restricted conditions only.

The mode of action of Aranesp is based on the natural protein called erythropoietin (EPO) which augments the production of red blood corpuscles in the body. This drug is the major product of Amgen Inc and has also been permitted to treat in conditions of anemia caused by chemotherapy and renal failure patients.

According to Roger Perlmutter, Amgen Inc.’s Executive Vice President for Research and Development, this drug if used within the specified indications is bound to be safe.

Generally EPO drugs are meant for people undertaking chemotherapy or radiation. But as per Amgen, this drug has also been prescribed for patients who are not undergoing chemotherapy or radiation.

Hence clear information on the conditions in which these EPO drugs to be used would surely benefit the patient and the health care community.

New drug can help smokers quit

Smokers who use the prescription-only anti-smoking agent varenicline triple their likelihood of successfully kicking the habit, compared with trying to quit without medication, a new review concludes.

Pfizer’s varenicline was approved in 2006 by the Food & Drug Administration under the trade name Chantix and by European regulators under the trade name Champix.

The drug partially stimulates nicotine receptors in the brain, which helps reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. It also partially blocks nicotine from attaching to these receptors, making smoking less satisfying and so curbing a person’s desire to smoke.Dr. Kate Cahill, from Oxford University, U.K. and colleagues analyzed data from six Pfizer-sponsored studies that compared the effects of varenicline with placebo. Three of these also included a comparison with bupropion, an antidepressant that is also used for smoking cessation. The six trials included 4,924 smokers, 2,451 of whom used varenicline.

The results are reported in the latest issue of The Cochrane Library, a publication of The Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research.In the pooled analysis, Cahill and her colleagues found that people who took a varenicline pill twice daily increased their odds of being continuously cigarette-free at one year approximately three-fold compared with people assigned a placebo. Success rates were also 1.6-times greater with varenicline than bupropion.
The jury remains out on the value of varenicline in helping ex-smokers from taking up smoking again.

The main side effect of varenicline is mild to moderate nausea, which subsides with time, the researchers say.
“Additional and independent randomized trials of varenicline are needed to confirm the early findings from industry trials,” Cahill’s team concludes. “There is also a need for direct comparisons with nicotine replacement therapy; and for further trials with bupropion, to establish the relative efficacy of the treatments.”

Foradil Aerolizer -Helpful in Breathing Problem

Foradil Aerolizer is used in adults and children 5 years of age .
Foradil Aerolizer helps in following manner:

*treat breathing problems in people who have asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and other lung diseases.
*prevent breathing difficulties during exercise.

Foradil is a long-acting bronchodilator. It acts to help keep the airways open, which may make it easier to breathe, and may reduce asthma symptoms.

Before using Foradil some Precautions should be taken as:

*Do not swallow the capsules. Powder in the capsules is inhaled, using the Aerolizer Inhaler that is provided.

*Use the Foradil Aerolizer regularly. Do not stop treatment even if you are feeling better unless your health care provider tells you to.

*Do not use Foradil Aerolizer to relieve sudden asthma symptoms(sudden severe onset or worsening of wheezing, cough, chest tightness, and/or shortness of breath diagnosed by your health care provider as being due to asthma). Sudden asthma symptoms should be treated with an inhaled, short-acting bronchodilator. If you do not have an inhaled, short-acting bronchodilator, contact your health care provider to have one prescribed for you.

Information about Chest Pain

Chest pain is a common symptom which can be caused by many different conditions. Some causes of chest pain require prompt medical attention, such as angina, heart attack, or tearing of the aorta. Other causes of chest pain can be evaluated electively, such as spasm of the esophagus, gallbladder attack, or inflammation of the chest wall. Therefore, an accurate diagnosis is important in providing proper treatment to patients with chest pain. The cause of chest pain can range from an ordinary, harmless muscle pull to serious cardiac complication ultimately leading to cardiac arrest.

What are the causes of Chest Pain ?

In caring for patients with chest pain, the doctor distinguishes whether the pain is related to a lack of oxygen to the heart muscle (as in angina or heart attack), or is due to another process. Many conditions are considered that can cause chest pain which is similar to that of a heart attack or angina.Some common causes:
Anxiety.Trauma with injury to the chest.
AsthmaCough (especially if long-term).Indigestion (heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease)Angina - This is a condition in which lipids and fats are deposited inside the arteries leading to thrombosis and other heart diseases.
Gastric ulcer.Costochondritis - inflammation of the cartilage at the end of the ribsnext to the breastbone.
Pulmonary embolism (blood clot to the lungs)Pneumothorax - bursting of the tiny air sacs in the lung tissue.
Aortic dissection (a tear in the lining of the aorta).

What are the symptoms of Chest Pain ?

Chest pain or pressure of mid sternal (under the breastbone) or slightly to the left may radiate to shoulder, arm, jaw, neck, back or other areas.Feeling of tightness, squeezing, crushing, burning, choking, or aching similar to "gas" or indigestion.No sharp localized pain.Precipitated by activity, stress or exertion. Usually for short duration, 1 to 15 minutes and relieved by rest.Chest pain radiating to the left arm is more likely to be related to a heart condition such as Angina and sometimes is an early sign of heart attack.

How can we diagnose Chest Pain ?
A blood pressure check up to see the change in blood pressure.ECG changes during exercise tolerance (treadmill) testing and at rest confirm the diagnosis of angina. A transient heart murmur or arrhythmias (irregular heart beats) may be present. Heart scans or an angiography of the heart are done to confirm the problem.

How can Chest Pain be treated ?
Angina symptoms usually improve with treatment. Rest is advised if chest pain occursMedicines for angina usually prevent the pain. Medicines are also given to control cholesterol, blood pressure, and abnormal heart rhythms.Unstable angina is a severe condition and usually requires hospitalization. Surgical procedures such as coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) or (PTCA) balloon angioplasty may be necessary.Always carry your medicines with you if you are advised to take them to control angina. Some tablets like Sorbitrate are used and kept under the tongue to relieve pain. Keep the medicines in your wallet and at your bedside.

More About Chest Pain
The best prevention is to modify the risk factors that can be changed. Some studies have shown that modifying risk factors can prevent the progression of arterial blockages and can even lead to a decrease in the severity of blockages.Stop smoking.Reduce weight, if you are overweight.Control blood pressure, diabetes, and cholesterol Cultivate a relaxed attitude and avoid stress.

Drug may increase bone loss in breast cancer patients

Researchers have found that a type of medication called granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF), which is used to reduce the toxic side effects of chemotherapy, may decrease bone mineral density and increase the risk of bone tumours.

The findings, published in the journal Blood, suggest that doctors should closely monitor the bone health of patients with breast cancer and other tumours who receive G-CSF following chemotherapy.

G-CSF is a form of chemical called a growth factor that is used to reduce the side effects of chemotherapy and encourage the production of white blood cells, which can be damaged by the cancer treatment.

In their study, Dr Katherine Weilbaecher, from Washington University School of Medicine in St Louis, Missouri, USA, and colleagues found that mice receiving an 8-day course of G-CSF lost significant levels of bone mass and experienced increased bone tumour growth when injected with cancer cells, compared with those that did not receive the drug.

"This growth factor encourages bone breakdown, and any therapy that decreases bone density could potentially enhance tumor growth in bone," said Dr Weilbaecher.
She added: "Physicians should carefully monitor their cancer patients' bone health with regular bone density scans and prescribe medications to prevent bone loss when needed. And patients should consume enough calcium and vitamin D and get sufficient exercise to maintain strong bones."

Source: http://www.epsdrugstore.com/

Causes & Treatment For Nappy Rash

Nappy rash is a common problem that all babies have at some point in their early life. The baby's buttocks become red and sore.
Prolonged contact between the skin and urine or faeces causes the irritation. Sometimes soaps and detergents not properly rinsed from the nappy may contribute.Allergic dermatitis is a skin rash which develops in reaction to contact with a particular substance.

Treatment
Keep the area dry by changing the nappy frequently, especially after a bowel motion.
Use disposable nappies which absorb moisture better than cloth nappies.
Give the baby some time without a nappy on during the day if possible.
Clean the skin with warm water and pat dry carefully.

Allergy preventive steps

An allergy is the result of the body's immune system reacting to a material that is not common to the body. The general allergic conditions include food fever, asthma, and skin allergies. Allergy the reactions stem from a misguided immune system,the misguided immune system over reacts to these foreign substances that is not harmful.

Many substances are capable of causing an allergic reaction. The most common are pollen, mold, house dust, animal hair and dander, feathers, food, drugs, and insect stings. These allergens cause different kinds of allergic reactions. Pollen of trees, grasses, weeds, or molds cause hay fever. Hay fever symptoms include sneezing, itching and weeping eyes, stuffy or runny nose, and cough.

There are various type of allergy like food allergy, drug allergy, skin allergy, dust allergy, airways allergy, animal allergy, and others, Food allergies often occur in children, and other are common for all. If they has hypersensitivity about particular item then he feel allergy form that while like that item so allergy is not a big disease it can be curable.

The people are suffered by the Allergic have very sensitivity about the lot of things, and can be irritated by lots of different substances including smoke, pollution, cooking smells, perfume and strong odors. Children who are often exposed to passive smoking are more at risk of developing allergic reactions. So they have to careful about the such things, because the medicine give you a senselessness about the such things by which you are feeling allergy.

there are lot of test about the allergy and lot of medicines regarding the allergy today allergy can not beat you not stop the height of your career because every day lot of doctors are doing research and creating new medicines for the allergy, today you can use the best medicine and kill the germs of the allergy.

Some Blood Pressure Drugs Boost Diabetes Risk

Some common blood pressure drugs can substantially increase the risk of diabetes, especially among those already at risk for the condition, U.S. researchers report.

According to the report, angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are the blood pressure drugs least associated with diabetes. These are followed by calcium-channel blockers.

Beta blockers and diuretics are the drugs most associated with the condition.
"There are differences across the various types of drugs that we use to treat high blood pressure in people who develop diabetes," said study author Dr. William Elliott, from the department of preventive medicine at Rush University Medical Center, Chicago.
In the study, Elliott and his colleague Peter Meyer looked at 22 clinical trials that included more than 143,000 people. These people had high blood pressure but did not have diabetes at the start of the trials. In each trial, the participants received long-term treatment with each class of blood pressure drugs or placebo.

The traditional medicines used to treat high blood pressure in the United States are diuretics and beta blockers, Elliott said. "It so happens that they are the two drug classes that are most likely to precipitate diabetes. It turns out the two of the new classes of drugs -- ACE inhibitors and ARBs -- are the two that have the least amount of diabetes associated with them. In the middle, we have calcium-channel blockers," he said.

Elliott noted that your risk of getting diabetes while taking diuretics and beta blockers depends on a number of factors. These include how long you are on the medication, your weight, your family history of diabetes, whether or not you have recently gained weight, and other risk factors, he said.

How doctors should be prescribing these drugs in light of these findings isn't clear cut, Elliott said. "In Britain, they have issued new guidelines, where, in fact, the diuretic and beta blocker combination are not to be used together because of the excess risk of diabetes," he said.
Doctors who take a patient's risk for diabetes into account might be better off prescribing an ACE inhibitor or an ARB, rather than a beta blocker or a diuretic as first-line treatment, Elliott said.

"However, if you have a patient who has high blood pressure, kidney disease and had a major heart attack recently -- there is no question they are going to get the beta blocker to protect them from another heart attack," he said. "They are also going to get diuretic, because of the kidney disease. If they get diabetic, you just accept that and move on. You are not going deny them the medicines they need today over the risk of diabetes down the road," he said.
One diabetes expert thinks that doctors should take a patient's risk for diabetes into account when prescribing blood pressure medications.

"Individualization of therapy is important," said Dr. Stuart Weiss, an endocrinologist at New York University Medical Center. "With the explosion of diabetes in the country, we need to take that into consideration when providing patients with their initial antihypertensive."
Weiss thinks that those people who are at risk for diabetes should not be started on beta blockers or diuretics. "With all the data about the long-term use of ACEs and ARBs and their lower risk for diabetes, it's a good thing to get these drugs in early in somebody who is even at modest risk for type 2 diabetes," he said.

A cardiologist agreed that treatment needs to be tailored to individual patient needs.
"Since doctors generally have many drug options to lower blood pressure, it makes sense to tailor the drug choice to the patient who may be at higher risk for certain diseases," said Dr. Byron K. Lee, an assistant professor of medicine at University of California San Francisco, Division of Cardiology.

"For example, those at higher risk for diabetes may be given an ACE inhibitor or ARB, whereas those at higher risk for heart attacks may be given a beta blocker," Lee said.
In related news, changing to a healthier lifestyle also appears to be at least as effective as taking prescription drugs in reducing the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in this week's issue of the British Medical Journal.

Researchers from Leicester reviewed studies that measured the effects of different interventions -- lifestyle, diabetes drugs and anti-obesity drugs -- on people with impaired glucose tolerance. They found that lifestyle changes, such as switching to a healthier diet and increasing exercise, were at least as effective as taking drugs. On average, the study found, lifestyle changes helped to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes by around half and were also less likely to have adverse side effects.

Source: http://www.epsdrugstore.com/

Want Healthy glowing skin?

Are you struggling with skin problems like acne, eczema, psoriasis etc.?

Various factors such as toxins, vitamin, mineral, protein deficiencies, long-term exposure to sun light, dehydration etc. might be the cause of your skins unhealthy state. Would you like to have beautiful glowing skin again? Luckily there are several options that can help you restore your skins healthy glow.

Stay hydrated- drink 8-12 glasses of water a day.

Avoid direct sun light- by wearing protective clothing, staying on the shade and applying sunscreen daily.

Avoid or limit your toxins intake this includes alcohol, coffee, spicy food, drugs, limit sugar intake etc.

Get rid off dead skin cells; exfoliate regularly at least once a week.

Maintain a cleansing routine- remove makeup daily (do not wash more than two times a day), and get a facial every 7-10 days.

Exercise regularly, to reduce stress and brings more oxygen to your skin resulting in firmer and nourished skin.

Maintain a healthy diet, eat foods rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin C, vitamin A, and vitamin B this include fruits, vegetables, fish, liver. Take supplements if necessary.

Symption of Dengue & preventions

Dengue [DEN-ghee] is a flu-like viral disease spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes. Dengue hemorrhagic fever is a severe, often fatal, complication of dengue.

scientific definition of Dengue fever is, dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) is sensitive febrile diseases, found in the tropics, with a geographical spread similar to malaria. Caused by one of four closely related virus serotypes of the genus Flavivirus, family Flaviviridae, each serotype is sufficiently different that there is no cross-protection and epidemics caused by multiple serotypes (hyperendemicity) can occur. Dengue is transmitted to humans by the mosquito Aedes aegypti (rarely Aedes albopictus).

Symptoms of Dengue : This infectious disease is manifested by a sudden onset of fever, with severe headache, muscle and joint pains and rashes; the dengue rash is characteristically bright red petechia and usually appears first on the lower limbs and the chest - in some patients, it spreads to cover most of the body. There may also be gastritis with some combination of associated abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
The classic dengue fever lasts about six to seven days, with a smaller peak of fever at the trailing end of the fever (the so-called "biphasic pattern"). Clinically, the platelet count will drop until the patient's temperature is normal.

Prevention of Dengue : Primary prevention of dengue mainly resides in eliminating or reducing the mosquito vector for dengue. Public spraying for mosquitoes is the most important aspect of this vector. Application of larvicides such as Abate® to standing water is more effective in the long term control of mosquitoes. Initiatives to eradicate pools of standing water (such as in flowerpots) have proven useful in controlling mosquito borne diseases.Personal prevention consists of the use of mosquito nets, repellents, cover exposed skin, use DEET-impregnated bednets, and avoiding endemic areas. This is also important for malaria prevention. Dengue is diagnosed by a blood test.

Signs of Eye Problems in Adults

Any changes in the appearance of your eyes or vision should be investigated further. Some examples include:

• Unusual trouble adjusting to dark rooms
• Difficulty focusing on near or distant objects
• Squinting or blinking due to unusual sensitivity to light or glare
• Change in color of iris
• Red-rimmed, encrusted or swollen lids
• Recurrent pain in or around eyes
• Double vision
• Dark spot at the center of viewing
• Lines and edges appear distorted or wavy
• Excess tearing or "watery eyes"
• Dry eyes with itching or burning and
  Seeing spots, ghost-like ../images.
  

The following may be indications potentially serious problems that might require emergency medical attention:

• Sudden loss of vision in one eye
• Sudden hazy or blurred vision
• Flashes of light or black spots
• Halos or rainbows around light
• Curtain-like blotting out of vision
• Loss of peripheral (side) vision.

If you notice any signs of potential eye problems, see an eye doctor for a complete eye exam. Even if you have no signs, regular eye exams are recommended—especially for those with some chronic health conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure. Early detection and treatment can be the key to preventing sight loss.

Role of Pillows in Asthma

People who are suffering from asthma are very cautious about their surroundings making sure that they do not get an attack. In this endeavor, they take proper care of hygiene in their personal life. You will see many asthmatic patients regularly changing their pillow covers as often as everyday. However, they do not focus on the pillows, which could be serving as a host to many varieties of allergens. Pillows continue to be used for years before being replaced. Many dont even get the opportunity to get aired. This is harmful as these pillows act as a catalyst in an asthma attack.
The seriousness of this threat can be gauged by the fact that according to The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, as many as 45% homes have dust mite concentrations that are higher than acceptable allergic sensitivity levels. With such a high percentage, you dont know what all types of microscopic creatures could be sharing your bed. While the problem is not too acute for normal people, this is entirely different for patients suffering from chronic asthma, allergies, or respiratory ailments. The percentage does seem to create panic, but with a little bit of care and by following a hygienic lifestyle this problem could be resolved.

To address this problem, allergists and other health experts advise that pillows should be changed every one or two years and should be aired more frequently. Besides this, there are other more cumbersome methods such as weekly washing of all bedding in hot water at 130-160 degrees, and steam-cleaning the bedroom carpet and more frequently. They should also wash their bedding in hot water every week. This would be especially beneficial in bringing down symptoms in allergic and asthmatic patients, preventing the build up of dust mites. curtains frequently. There are also available in the arket, options such as the allergen-barrier bedding protectors which can be put to good use.

The mattress and pillow casings infected with house dust mites have a very strong effect on children. As a result, there are great benefits of using bedding, which is covered in allergy-proof material. This has been attested by the study published in January 2003, in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. This bedding was tested on 60 children in Denmark and established that it was helpful in bringing down the medication requirement for children suffering from allergy asthma.

Thus in addition to replacing pillows every six months to two years, many doctors also recommend allergen-resistant pillow and mattress coverings. You might try encasing pillows with zippered plastic or vapor permeable fabrics. Hypoallergenic pillows made from polyester fibers are also a good option. Polyurethane-covered mattress and bedding encasings are impermeable to allergens but absorb perspiration, allowing the body to 'breathe'. Even allergy sufferers can use down pillows as long as the down is classified as hypoallergenic, which means the down was extensively cleaned with specialized soaps.

The environment of your home also decides the intensity of dust mites and other allergens in your bedding. For example, if you have a dusty climate and an airy home then there would be more dust and hence, more dust mites. On the other hand, if you have an airtight home, then too you are prone to allergens and dust mites, as they will be trapped inside. As a result, people with homes in dusty or humid and moldy climate should think about changing their bedding such as pillows, more often than others.

It is essential for allergic and asthmatic patients to change their pillows at least once every one or two years, perhaps even more frequently. They should also wash their bedding in hot water every week. This would be especially beneficial in bringing down symptoms in allergic and asthmatic patients, preventing the build up of dust mites.

Alcohol May Lower Heart Attack Risk

Moderate Drinking May Lower Risk for Men With High Blood Pressure.

A drink or two a day isn't bad for men with high blood pressurehigh blood pressure -- and may lower their risk of heart attackheart attack, according to new research.
The finding comes from a long-term study of nearly 12,000 male doctors, dentists, and pharmacists with high blood pressure.
Many doctors now warn men with high blood pressure not to drink alcohol, which is known to raise blood pressure.

That recommendation may have to change, say researchers Joline W.J. Beulens, MSc, of the University Medical Center in Utrecht, Netherlands, and colleagues.
Every four years from 1986 to 2002, the men in the Dutch study filled out questionnaires about alcohol use, diet, and health.

Men who drank moderately -- one or two drinks per day -- had a lower risk of heart attack. However, their risk of heart diseaseheart disease and death from any cause was no lower than that of men who did not drink.

"Men with hypertension who drink moderately and safely may not need to change their drinking habits," Beulens and colleagues conclude.

In an editorial accompanying the study, National Cancer Institute researcher Anne C.M. Thiebaut, PhD, and colleagues warn doctors and patients to take the findings with a grain of salt.
Thiebaut colleagues note that self-report surveys -- particularly those on nutrition -- are notoriously prone to reporting errors. That is, people who actually consume very little of something often overreport their consumption. And those who actually consume a great deal of something often underreport.

This is particularly true of surveys on alcohol use.
"The uncertainties surrounding measurement error should send a strong message to those who formulate recommendations about nutrition".

Health & Living :- Diet & Nutrition

Nutritional information for you and your family including lots of heart healthy recipes and nutritional foods, special dietary concerns like celiac sprue.Better food habits can help you be healthier. skim milk has the same nutritional value that whole milk has - with less fat. There are some brands of skim milk that have extra calcium added, which not only provides your kids with more of this important, bone-strengthening nutrient but also tends to improve the "feel" of the milk on the tongue. Skim or other fat-reduced milk is recommended after 2 years of age.

Low Carb Diets :Low carb diets are based on the principle that a diet low in carbohydrates leads to decreased production of body’s insulin, resulting in consumption of fat stores as energy source.

Top Tips About Low-Carb Diets :You can see following tips for low-carb diets...
*Limit carbohydrates to no more than 10 percent of your daily calorie intake.
*Eat only allowed foods.
*Eat NO foods that contain sugar or white flour.
*Be aware of "hidden" sugars and carbohydrates.
*Cut out caffeine.
*Take fiber supplements.
*Take vitamin and mineral supplements.
*Drink LOTS of water.

Diabetes

Diabetes of any kind is a disorder that prevents the body from using food properly. Normally, the body gets its major source of energy from glucose, a simple sugar that comes from foods high in simple carbohydrates (e.g., table sugar or other sweeteners such as honey, molasses, jams, and jellies, soft drinks, and cookies), or from the breakdown of complex carbohydrates such as starches (e.g., bread, potatoes, and pasta). After sugars and starches are digested in the stomach, they enter the blood stream in the form of glucose*.

The glucose in the blood stream becomes a potential source of energy for the entire body, similar to the way in which gasoline in a service station pump is a potential source of energy for your car. But, just as someone must pump the gas into the car, the body requires some assistance to get glucose from the blood stream to the muscles and other tissues of the body.

In the body, that assistance comes from a hormone called insulin. Insulin is manufactured by the pancreas, a gland that lies behind the stomach. Without insulin, glucose cannot get into the cells of the body where it is used as fuel. Instead, glucose accumulates in the blood to high levels and is excreted or spilled into the urine through the kidneys.

Yoga Meditation, Relaxation and Benefit of Yoga

Yoga is effective in every aspect like, removing addictions, curing diseases, increase vital energy, increase resistance power of the body. Apart from this Yoga brings good positive changes in mental frame, makes mind stable, peaceful and happy.
The word yoga, literally means ‘to unite,’ has many branches. Yoga postures balance the different systems of the body, including the central nervous system, the endocrine (or glandular) system, and the digestive system.

Yoga thus takes care of both our physical and mental health and should be learned scientifically, to achieve the required results, after which it should be practiced exactly as learned.

Yoga produces the following physical health benefits:

* improves flexibility and muscle joint mobility
* strengthens and tones muscles
* increases stamina
* relief from back pain
* increases vitality and improves brain function
* improves digestion and elimination
* decreases cholesterol and blood sugar levels
* increases circulation
* boosts immune response

Meditation is one of the Five Principles of Yoga. It is the practice by which there is constant observation of the mind. How often have you thought about making meditation a daily practice but have never been able to get started? Perhaps you've tried meditation and found it too difficult of a practice to maintain on a regular basis.
Benefits arising from Meditation are:

* increased lung capacity
* improved immune system
* recharged nervous system
* reduced stress
* improved memory
* aids in the treatment of some diseases like asthma
* open-mindedness
* amplified moral virtues such as patience and compassion
* awareness towards sin, temptation and guilt
* increased faith in one’s religion

Yoga & Meditation requires discipline, determination and patience. You won’t get it on the first try, but constant practice will help you go a long way. All of your efforts will pay off someday when you attain the physical and mental health benefits mentioned above and even more. All effort is worth it, once you attain that coveted inner bliss!

Heart attack Its Symptoms and Prevent

A heart attack (myocardial infarction, or MI) occurs when one or more of the coronary arteries, which supply the heart with oxygen-rich blood, is blocked. A blockage usually occurs when plaque inside the coronary artery breaks open and a blood clot forms around it. See an illustration of how plaque causes a heart attack.

Symptoms of a heart attack
The most common symptom of a heart attack is severe angina, or chest pain, also described as discomfort, pressure, squeezing, or heaviness. Many people also have at least one other symptom, such as:
Pain or discomfort that radiates to the back, jaw, throat, or arm.
Discomfort in the upper abdomen, often mistaken for heartburn.
Sweating, nausea, and vomiting.
Difficult breathing, palpitations, dizziness, and fainting.
Weakness, numbness, and anxiety.
However, chest pain is not always present. In a recent review of 700 people treated for heart attack, 47% came to the emergency room because they had symptoms other than chest pain, including shortness of breath, dizziness, weakness or fainting, and abdominal pain. 1 Women, older adults, and people with diabetes are less likely to have chest pain during a heart attack and more likely to have other symptoms.

Prevent a heart attack:
Lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking, exercising regularly, and eating foods such as fish, fruits, vegetables, cereals, beans, grains, and olive oil (called a Mediterranean diet); taking cholesterol- and blood pressure–lowering medications; and taking a daily aspirin can help prevent a heart attack.
If you have already had a heart attack, you may be able to prevent a second one by reducing your risk factors. Your doctor will often recommend daily aspirin to help reduce your risk of another heart attack. Participating in a cardiac rehabilitation program will help you learn how to eat a balanced diet and exercise safely to reduce your risk of more heart problems.
In past decades, heart attack was thought to be mostly a male disease. However, a recent study—looking at 1,820 people hospitalized for heart attacks in Minnesota from 1979 to 1994—found that while heart attack rates for men had dropped by 8 percent, heart attacks in women had increased by 36 percent. Recently, health associations have stepped up their efforts to make women aware of their risk.