Archive for the ‘sleep apnea treatment’ Category

When medical professionals refer to blood pressure they are describing the force applied by the stream of blood within the body on the walls of the blood vessels. A cuff and measuring gauge are generally used to determine an individual’s blood pressure. Measurements are taken in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). Two separate measurements are always taken. Systolic blood pressure is the force exerted on the walls of the blood vessels while the heart is contracting. Diastolic blood pressure is the force exerted on the blood vessels while the heart is at rest.

Every individual’s blood pressure tends to vary greatly and can actually change from one heart beat to the next. In order to determine a person’s average blood pressure it is necessary to take more than one measurement at various times of day over a period of time.

If a person maintains normal blood pressure he or she is less likely to develop cardiovascular problems or other health complications. Blood pressure that is abnormally high or low can lead to potentially fatal problems. Therefore it is very important to make sure that your health care provider checks your blood pressure regularly.

Healthy Blood Pressure Levels

Healthy blood pressure has a systolic measurement of between 90 and 119. It has a diastolic measurement of 60-79. People with low average measurements are less prone to the health complications associated with hypertension and hypotension. Children have lower blood pressure than adults. Generally the older you are the higher your blood pressure is likely to be.

Blood Pressure Prehypertension

If more than one test indicates that you have a blood pressure reading of between 120/80 and 139/89 you have what is called prehypertension. This means that you are at risk of developing hypertension. If you have prehypertension you should make certain lifestyle amendments in the interest of maintaining your health. For instance you should get down to a healthy weight, exercise more and avoid nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, sugar, saturated fats and sodium wherever possible.

Blood Pressure Hypertension

There are two stages of hypertension or high blood pressure. Stage one hypertension is a measurement between 140/90 and 159/99. There are various prescription medications that can be taken to correct the problem of stage one hypertension and the same lifestyle amendments that are used to treat prehypertension are necessary. People with hypertension are at increased risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, aneurysm, kidney failure and eye problems.

Stage two hypertension is a measurement of 160/100 or more. People who have elevated hypertension are at particularly high risk of the aforementioned health problems. They require rapid and aggressive medical treatment if they are to avoid having a massive heart attack or stroke.

Blood Pressure Hypotension

Hypotension is the term used to describe low blood pressure. A low measurement varies from one individual to the next. In other words, a person with a diastolic pressure of 60 may experience no adverse symptoms while the next individual may start to react badly if theirs reaches as low as 70. A severe case of hypotension is dangerous because it means that the oxygen and vital nutrients in the bloodstream are not reaching vital organs. This can cause organ damage or failure. In the most extreme cases it can cause coma or death.

Hypotension has numerous potential causes including pregnancy, certain medications, blood loss, inadequate nutrition, dehydration and septicemia. You can reduce your risk of developing hypotension by eating a healthy diet with sufficient calories, vitamins and minerals and drinking plenty of water.

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Even though there have been many wonderful advancements in Western medicine, many people are alarmed at rising health care costs. In addition, increasing reports of serious complications with prescription medication has alarmed many who had previously thought that FDA approved drugs must be safe. As a result of these concerns, there is a strong and growing movement toward alternative forms of healthcare and biofeedback is one of the modalities that is getting a lot of attention.

Biofeedback, which is also sometimes referred to as neurofeedback, has proven to be an effective therapy for a number of different conditions, but it is most often used to treat headaches, migraines and chronic pain conditions. A biofeedback treatment provides the patient with information from the body about how it is operating and reacting to different conditions. With this type of feedback, the person can better understand their body’s reactions and take steps to change.

In over 40 years of biofeedback use, it has a sterling record for safety and lack of side effects. In many cases this holistic treatment is utilized in conjunction with relaxation techniques and the result of this combined approach is reported to be very successful at lowering levels of stress. As a person’s stress is reduced, so are many of the risk factors of numerous health concerns.

In addition to treating pain, biofeedback therapists are also able to address many other health conditions with varying degrees of success. Some of the other common conditions that have been effectively treated though neurofeedback treatments are epilepsy, attention deficit disorder (ADD), hyperactivity and incontinence. In addition, this non-invasive treatment is often very helpful in rehabilitation after stroke or injury and can even help people to break the bonds of addictive behaviors, such as drug addiction and alcoholism.

Biofeedback therapy is a technique that uses mechanical feedback to teach people how to relax, even in stressful situations. Over time, many people are able to train themselves to control blood pressure, breathing, muscle tension and other bodily functions, through the use of painless electrodes that give on-the-spot feedback through graphs, beeps and flashing lights.

During a neurotherapy session, a biofeedback machine is used that monitors the patient’s brain wave activity and displays the readings on a screen. With the help of a trained technician, the person can learn what relaxation techniques produce the desired responses and can observe these responses through the readout on the machine. With time and practice, a person can eventually learn how to achieve the desired changes, even without the use of the device to provide the feedback.

As a patient becomes more aware of their body and its responses to the biofeedback techniques, they become more sensitive to the internal signals their body is providing. This increased awareness and sensitivity, combined with practice, is what allows a person to gain the same benefits of neurofeedback therapy, even when the neurofeedback equipment is not available to confirm the changes within the body.

While it can appear to be so, the fact is that biofeedback therapy is not a “magic bullet.” Practitioners of biofeedback will be quick to point out that neurotherapy will not “cure” diseases, nor will it “make” a person healthy. What it can do, and does do with a high degree of success, is give people the tools to take more control over their bodily functions and, as a result, they are able to help their bodies to become stronger, healthier and better able to recover from or avoid disease and illness.

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Finland is the birthplace of the steam bath/sauna.The Finnish traditional saunas is a significant part of the Finnish culture. Finns consider saunas not as a treat, but as an essential part of their lifestyle.

Finns have been using saunas for generations. You will find built-in-sauna in almost every residence in Finland.The sauna has now been adopted in every corner of the world.

Cultures from all over the world have caught on and enjoy the benefits of using saunas, although how they are perceived, their customs, and the etiquette involved in using saunas vary greatly. In recent times saunas have become very popular because of the advantages they offer. Apart from stress reduction and relaxation, people now know the other benefits that saunas provide.

An orthodox Finnish sauna gives exhaustive purification to the body. It is considered as the best natural treatment for the skin. it thoroughly cleanses the skin and leaves the skin feeling rejuvenated.
In addition, the Finnish sauna provides a great cardiovascular work out.It is also an immune system developer and provides refreshment for the mind.

Basically, the traditional Finnish dry sauna is a hot air bath in warm and very low humid condition.Due to the hot air bath sauna bathers sweat a lot. Many people find that they sweat excessively while bathing. You may find that you have to use a sauna regularly for 2 to 6 weeks to become adapted to it. This sweating will actually help you become accustomed to the hot and dry environment of the traditional Finnish dry sauna.

There is usually only dim lighting which lends to providing you with a quiet and relaxing atmosphere. The temperature is kept between 80?C and 110?C for the hot air bathing.

Some traditional sauna bathers make for themselves what is called a vihta, where they bind fresh birch branches together with their leaves and tie it around themselves and the other bathers in the sauna. It is considered that employment of vihta betters blood circulation and also it has enthralling birch odour whichaids in relaxation.

However, there are some precautions that you need to keep in mind. The hot temperature increases the cardiovascular activity. As a result, people who have heart disease or other heart-related health issues should not use saunas.

You should consult your doctor before using a sauna if you have high blood pressure.  A hot dry sauna should also not be used by the elderly, pregnant women, and children.

You should also avoid a sauna after a strenuous work out. Be sure you have given you body enough time to cool down before relaxing in the heat of a sauna bath. So just consider these precautions and you can always enjoy the relaxing sauna bath.

The benefits of the traditional Finnish home sauna are proven – both physically and emotionally. Taking a hot sauna bath with not only leave you feeling better, it will leave you looking better as well.You will find that your body works more efficiently and, maybe more importantly, a hot sauna will make you feel more relaxed and mentally at ease.

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Consider this. Many people adore to work with their hands but feel they can’t find the right job that will allow them to do this and make a good living as too. Well…Did you you ever thought about attending a california massage therapy schools ? One of the things you can learn is the art of the time-honored back massage. Here’s a dive into the technique:

A number of rub techniques are as thorough as a foot rub. Definitely, a head massage will give the greatest results with as minimal massage time as probable. A back rub, however, will be rather intensive and will offer enduring results. A hand rub will be the most convenient, of course, a rub strategy you can employ whenever, even to and by yourself. But a foot massage? Alas! A foot massage is definite to stimulate – or bring back – your spouse’s sensual aspect.

The foot, after all, is a universal heterogenous portion, one which has at all times been synonymous with those moments of romantic coupling. Amaze your other half with a refreshing, relaxing and sensually motivating foot rub by obeying the simple tips written below.

1. Ask your souse to lie down on her back, if possible. If not, she may be able to simply sit down. Ask her to bend her knee. Take hold of her foot. Spin the foot gradually and gently to rouse the ankle. Perform this on the left foot as well. Each foot should be alloted about 2 minutes of such motion.

2. Hold her foot up with a single hand. Making use of the palm of your other hand, apply pressure on her heel going near her toes. Using your free fingers, put force on the sole of her foot. Go over this technique not less than 3 minutes.

3. With her foot held up with one hand, turn over your other hand into a fist. Roll the sole of her base on your hand, just like your fist was a single, huge massage ball.

4. Clutch her foot with both hands. Your thumbs should be sustaining the top part of her foot while the rest of your fingers should be sustaining the sole. Make circular movements using your thumbs to stimulate the upper part. Then perform circular movements with the use of your fingers to stimulate the sole. After that, perform circular actions on both portions at the same time. This need to go on for not less than 3 minutes.

5. Grasp her foot using both hands. This time, your thumbs should be sustaining her sole. Apply weight on the sole of her foot, starting from the core slowly heading towards to the outside. Perform this for about 2 minutes. If your spouse is tickling – a difficulty for each person performing a foot rub – bear in mind to put more weight with your strokes. This could eliminate the sensation of the tickle.  If this sounds exciting to you, get more info on massage therapy schools – california and uncover the things that could await you as a skilled practicer in the field.

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WHAT IS OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA(OSA)?
Loud snoring which is interrupted by respiratory arrest (apnea) of more than 10 secs in duration is obstructive sleep apnea. This is usually accompanied by a reduction in blood oxygen saturation followed by a microawakening to breath. In severe cases, hundreds of breathing pauses can occur every night.
In obstructive apnea, the throat closes during inhalation due to excessive relaxation of the pharynx muscles and the floor of the mouth, accompanied by increased tissue pressure from outside. This prevents air from entering the lungs, and the patient is threatened with suffocation.

IS OSA DANGEROUS? WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS?
OSA has been ociated with an increased mortality ratio of 3.33. Sleep apnea has been ociated with an up to 23-fold increased risk of heart attack. A number of studies have now documented sleep apnea in over two-thirds of male stroke victims. In the las JNC-7 Guidelines of hypertension, OSA was the most common etiology for secondary hypertension. In fact, in some series, almost half of subjects with hypertension demonstrated sleep apnea. In many patients, treating sleep apnea can bring blood pressure readings under control: often with less medication.

In some cases, OSA may be fatal. In many instances, the idea that someone died peacefully during sleep clearly must have amounted to wishful thinking, since instead, the deceased was probably fighting violently for breath up to the very end.

The most frequent symptom of sleep apnea is tiredness during the day. The continual lack of quality sleep can affect one’s life in many ways including depression, irritability, loss of memory, lack of energy, sexual dysfunction, a high risk of auto and workplace accidents, and many other problems.

Other common complications of sleep apnea include heart failure, cardiac arrhythmias, and increased levels of fasting blood glucose, insulin, and glycosylated hemoglobin, independent of body weight.

IS OSA COMMON?
Yes, extremely common! Sleep apneaoccurs in all age groups and both sexes but is more common in men. Four percent of middle-aged men and 2 percent of middle0aged women have sleep apnea.

WHO GETS OSA?
People most likely to have or develop sleep apnea include those who snore loudly and also are overweight, or have high blood pressure, or have some physical abnormality in the nose, throat, or other parts of the upper airway. Sleep apnea seems to run in some families, suggesting a possible genetic basis.

HOW WILL I KNOW IF MY PATIENT HAS OSA?
The only definite way to diagnose is to spend a night in a sleep laboratory to have a polysomnogram. The Chong Hua Hospital Center for Sleep Disorders is the first and only complete sleep laboratory outside Manila. During the sleep study, 16 recordings (including Electroencephalogram, EKG, Electromyogram, electrooculogram, sleep position, pulse oximetry, airflow measurements by oronasal thermistor and nasal pressure transducer, thoracic and abdominal efforts, real time video recording, snoriing sensors and limb movement monitor) will be analyzed to make a definitive diagnosis and initiate treatment. Diagnosis of sleep apnea is not simple because there can be many different reasons for disturbed sleep.

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