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Blood Pressure Basics

6:55 pm by Admin in General Medicine

There are no hard and fast figures which represent a normal blood pressure. And very often doctors and other experts cannot even decide between them what an ideal blood pressure range is for an adult.

However it is usually agreed that somewhere between 110/70 and 125/80 is considered to be an average blood pressure for a grown person, though someone with naturally low blood pressure may be closer to a range of 100/60

A blood pressure of 140/90 is considered to be high, though as a person gets older, this falls into the more normal range for people.

Blood doesn’t circulate in an even stream around the body, but travels in a constant series of spurts. Therefore the pressure peaks in the blood vessels just after a heart beat and then ebbs until the next one. This is a continuous process.

The two blood pressure figures represent the pressures when the forces are at their peak and at their lowest ebb. The stronger the arteries are, the more they resist the force of the blood and the lower the blood pressure.

As a person gets older, and the elasticity of their arteries weakens, the figures tend to rise. However the lower figure should still be under 90 until that person at least reaches their sixties.

Many studies looking at blood pressure in both black and white people have found there is a higher prevalence of hypertension (High blood pressure) in black people than there is in white. This has led to further research in determining whether this is racially determined or just based on socioeconomic and dietary factors.

Some people suffering high blood pressure may find they just can’t pinpoint a cause for their problem. They may be fit, have a very healthy lifestyle yet their blood pressure remains consistently high for no apparent reason. This is called Primary or essential high blood pressure. However if the raised blood pressure is due to an underlying medical problem, it is known as Secondary High Blood Pressure.

Nearly one in four people in the Western world have high blood pressure. Many people don’t appreciate it is a dangerous condition that can lead to a heart attack kidney failure or stroke if it is left untreated. Yet there are thousands of people unaware they have high blood pressure who are walking around with a lethal time bomb ticking away inside them.
Diana for Guide to Blood Pressure, and low blood pressure.

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Pain Control In Chronic Non-Cancer Patients

6:54 pm by Admin in Cancer

Why would an article with such an esoteric title be of interest, of importance and relevancy to more than just Pain Management health care workers. Shouldn’t such an article be of more importance and interest in a Professional Journal than it would be to the educated general populous. What is behind the idea of publishing it on the Internet, situated so that many more than just medical minds would come across it by happenstance.

A large percentage of the general population is thought to either listen to, watch, or read any of the many ways the News Media bombards us with what their financial backers’ opinions would have us know. Therefore we must assume that this same population should, by now, understand how the median age of death, in our country as in others, has been prolonged. We attribute this increasing life expectancy, over the previous few centuries, by all of the many scientific advances, by the formation of and stabilization of standardized-religion, and by the many laws of behavior, in-acted to prevent man’s destruction of his/her fellow man/woman.

For these and other reasons, the percentage of the population living over the age of 65 increases with every passing decade and century. At this point I hope that you can begin to better understand the importance of pain control in chronic non-cancer patients. Since the percentage of the population over 65 is getting larger with each passing decade, it is becoming more common place to know or to know of an individual requiring pain control for a chronic non-cancerous problem.

Breakthrough pain in cancer patients is associated with poor outcomes, a greater incidence of hospitalization, more difficult to treat pain syndromes, and, of course, the inevitable patient dissatisfaction with therapy. None of the previous characteristics are found, in general, amongst the non-cancerous patients.

Breakthrough pain in non-cancerous patients is known to be prevalent, severe, and it shares several characteristics with cancer patients, such as that it is typically rapid in onset and frequently encountered. Studies have shown that nearly three quarters of patients with non-cancer pain have significant episodes of breakthrough pain.

For the general population, is not important what the actual treatments are for pain control in chronic non-cancerous patients. What is important for everyone to understand is that a growing part of our general population will be suffering with chronic non-cancerous pain. We need to start to modify and/or drop, when appropriate, our misconceptions of individuals (young and old) that complain of chronic pain that proves to be non-cancerous in origin. We must study how individuals on narcotic therapy do when attempting to continue with accepted normal daily functions. Such functions would include work, play, and care-giving. I feel that we will be surprised how much of a normal life these individuals can live if given the chance.

Reed Oxman, the author of the above, is also creator and owner of the best place to purchase your needed Travel accessories electronics. Born and raised in California, he attended UC Berkeley Undergraduate, UC Los Angeles School of Medicine and became Board Certified in Emergency Medicine and Pain Management.

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Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in seniors years

5:06 pm by Admin in Pulmonary Diseases

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) develops slowly over many years sometimes before you notice symptoms such as “feeling short of breath.” Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of COPD. It can also be caused by breathing in lung irritants like pollutions, dust, or chemicals over a long period of time.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is usually diagnosed in people 40 years old or older, and is a major cause of death and illness throughout the world. In the U.S.A., chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the 4th leading cause of death. There is no cure for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is not a contagious disease. Damage to airways and lungs cannot be reversed. There are only things you can do to feel better and slow the damage to your lungs.

In a healthy person airways of the lungs are clear and open and the air sacs are small, elastic, and springy. In people diagnosed with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the airways and air sacs lose their shape and become floppy.

Causes of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease include:

�Cigarette smoking (most common cause)
�Breathing fumes and other pollutants that irritate and damage the lungs and airways
�Pipe, cigar and other types of tobacco smoking can cause COPD especially if the smoke is inhaled.
�People with a family history of COPD are more likely to get the disease if they smoke
�Secondhand smoke plays a role in causing COPD
�Frequent, severe lung infections in childhood may increase the risk for acquiring COPD later in life

Symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease start years before the flow of air in and out of the lungs is reduced and include:

�Cough with sputum production (most common is a cough that does not go away and coughing up lots of sputum)
�Shortness of breath especially with exercise
�Wheezing or whistling sound when you breathe
�Tightness in the chest

It is important to note that not everyone who has a cough and sputum goes on to develop chronic pulmonary obstructive disease.

A doctor looking for chronic pulmonary obstructive disease will examine you, listen to your lungs and ask you questions about your medical history. Physician questions will include what kind of lung irritants you may have been around for long periods of time and if you smoke.

A breathing test called “spirometry” may be used. It is painless and used to show how well your lungs work. Based upon this the spirometry test results, your doctor can determine if you have chronic pulmonary obstructive disease and just how severe it is. There are four levels of chronic pulmonary obstructive disease severity, they are:

�People at risk for COPD
�People with mild COPD
�People with moderate COPD
�People with severe COPD

Goals of treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease include:

�To relieve symptoms with no or minimal side effects from the treatments
�To slow progress of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
�To prevent complications from the disease
�To improve overall health

The exact treatment plan for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can be different for each person and is based on whether symptoms are mild, moderate or severe.

Treatments used for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease include:

�Medications such as bronchodilators that work by relaxing the muscles around the airways to open them up and make it easier to breathe. Bronchodilators are inhaled directly into the lungs via an inhaler
�Pulmonary or lung rehabilitation
�Oxygen treatment
�Surgery
�Treatments to manage complications or sudden onset of symptoms
�Pneumococcal vaccine may be recommended to prevent pneumonia
�Annual flu shot to avoid breathing complications from the flu

Surgery is usually done for patients with severe symptoms that do not improve from other types of treatments, and have a hard time breathing most of the time. The two types of surgery that are considered in cases of severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are:

�A bullectomy to remove a large air sac that may compress a good lung
�A lung transplant

Hospitalization may be needed if:

�You have a lot of difficulty catching your breath
�You have a hard time talking
�Your lips or fingernails turn blue or gray

Source: The American Lung Association

Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The information in this article is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. All health concerns should be addressed by a qualified health care professional.

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