Reduceblood pressure by keeping to a healthy weight

Being a healthy weight is very important in helping to control your blood pressure. If you are overweight, losing weight will help to reduce blood pressure.

Your doctor or nurse will be able to advise you about your weight and tell you if you are a healthy weight or not. To do this, they will often use a calculation called the Body Mass Index (BMI), which tells you what weight you should be for your height.

You can calculate your own body mass index. There are a number of BMI calculators on the internet, or you can calculate it yourself. To do this, you need to measure your height in metres and your weight in kilograms:

·         Divide your weight (in kilograms) by your height (in metres)

·         Then divide the number by your height (in metres) again.

If you are overweight, losing weight should help to reduce blood pressure and lower your risk of other health problems, such as diabetes. Keeping to a healthy weight is a very important way to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.

What your body mass index means

If your body mass index (BMI) is:

·         less than 18.5 – you are ‘underweight’. You may need to gain weight

·         18.5-24.9 – you are in the ‘healthy weight’ range. By eating healthily you should be able to stay in the range.

·         25-29.9 – you are ‘overweight’. Aim to lose some weight for your health's sake, or at least prevent further weight gain

·         30-35 – you are ‘obese’. Losing weight will improve your health

·         more than 35 – you are ‘very obese’. Visit your doctor for a health check, as you may need extra help to manage your weight and health.

The benefits of being a healthy weight

Being your ‘ideal weight’ will mean that you have the energy to do the things you want to do, and can enjoy a varied diet. It also means that you are not putting unwanted strain on your heart and arteries. Your BMI (body mass index) is a useful guide to finding a healthy, comfortable weight for you.

Lifestyle changes

1.    Cut your salt intake to less than 6g (0.2oz) a day. ...

2.    Eat a healthy, low-fat, balanced diet, including plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. ...

3.    Be active: being physically active is one of the most important things you can do to prevent or control high blood pressure. ...

4.    Cut down on alcohol. ...

5.    Lose weigh

Click here to find out more. http://tiny.cc/ytas7

How Is Gum Recession Treated?

Mild gum recession may be able to be treated by your dentist by deep cleaning the affected area. During the deep cleaning -- also called tooth scaling and root planing -- plaque and tartar that has built up on the teeth and root surfaces below the gum line is carefully removed and the exposed root area is smoothed to make it more difficult for bacteria to attach itself. Antibiotics also may be given to get rid of any remaining harmful bacteria.

If your gum recession cannot be treated with deep cleaning because of excess loss of bone and pockets that are too deep, gum surgery may be required to repair the damage caused by gum recession.

What Type of Surgery Is Used to Treat Gum Recession?

The following surgical procedures are used to treat gum recession:

Pocket depth reduction: During this procedure, the dentist or periodontist (gum doctor) folds back the affected gum tissue, removes the harmful bacteria from the pockets, and then snugly secures the gum tissue in place over the tooth root, thus eliminating the pockets or reducing their size.

Regeneration: If the bone supporting your teeth has been destroyed as a result of gum recession, a procedure to regenerate lost bone and tissue may be recommended. As in pocket depth reduction, your dentist will fold back the gum tissue and remove the bacteria. A regenerative material, such as a membrane, graft tissue, or tissue-stimulating protein, will then be applied to encourage your body to naturally regenerate bone and tissue in that area. After the regenerative material is put in place, the gum tissue is secured over the root of the tooth or teeth

Medical Treatments for Receding Gums

If your receding gums are due to mild periodontitis, your dentist may treat you by performing deep cleaning of your teeth, which involves root planing and tooth scaling to remove tartar and plaque on the tooth surfaces and beneath your gum line. Antibiotics may be used to kill harmful bacteria.

Severe gum recession with bone loss and deep pockets may require surgery to repair damage.

The following procedures may be used in treating gum recession:

1. Regeneration of Lost Bone

This procedure involves folding back gum tissue, removing bacteria and applying a material (a membrane, a tissue-stimulating protein or a graft tissue) used to regenerate gums and bone naturally. The gum is secured back over the root of your teeth.

2. Pocket Depth Reduction

This procedure involves folding back gum tissue, removing harmful bacteria from tooth pockets, and securing the gum back over tooth roots, to eliminate or reduce.

3. Soft Tissue Graft

This involves tissue grafting, that is, taking soft tissue from the roof of your mouth, which is sewn to the gum surrounding your exposed tooth root.

Your dentist will recommend the appropriate treatment, depending in the severity of your gum problem. You can refer to the webmd website for more details of surgeries on receding gums

Can Receding Gums Grow Back?

Gum infection (periodontitis) is a common condition that leads to receding gums. Gum deterioration occurs when chronic infection affects the tissues and bones around the teeth. Many people ask “Can receding gums grow back?” because receding gums not only look unhealthy, but also unattractive. The good news is that you can try to improve oral hygiene to stop gums from receding and there are other ways to stimulate its growth. More importantly, ask your dentist about gum health.

Can Receding Gums Grow Back?

Gums are soft tissues that normally cover the bones holding the teeth in place as well as the roots of the teeth. Gums recede when they shrink and appear to be drawn back, resulting in the roots of the teeth becoming visible. This happens when gum infection is not treated, or when you brush your teeth aggressively. Other factors that could lead to gum recession include use of tobacco, hormonal changes and teeth grinding.

In mild cases, natural remedies may help improve receding gums. While it’s possible to reverse receding gums (bring the gums back to the original place), severe cases must be seen and treated by a dentist for better results.

Natural Remedies to Reverse Receding Gums

1. Maintain Proper Dental Hygiene

Brush your teeth using gentle, not aggressive strokes, and circular motion. Avoid pushing the gums upward but gently brush them along gum lines to remove bacteria that cause gingivitis. Use a small-headed toothbrush with a soft bristles. You may use a motorized toothbrush, which has a smaller head and brushes in controlled motion. Regular flossing is also recommended, since it effectively removes plaque between teeth and around gums. Dentists recommend flossing and brushing after every meal to prevent gum disease.

2. Eat More Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables contain a lot of nutrients such as vitamin C, which is important to maintain gum health. Vitamin C reduces inflammation from gum disease and promotes gum regeneration. Eat fresh fruits, such as strawberries and pineapple, and vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, and asparagus, which are vitamin-rich foods.

3. Use a Germicidal Mouth Rinse

Rinse your mouth with mouthwash containing a few drops of essential oils (peppermint, clove, or sage) for about one minute. When done regularly this can help control gum infection that causes receding gums. Water with hydrogen peroxide also works to reduce bacterial growth and promote dental health.

4. Drink Lots of Plain Water for Cleaning and Healing

You can also keep gums healthy by drinking plain water (even tap water) instead of sugary beverages. Use plain water to swish around the mouth after eating to remove particles of food that may be left between the teeth and gums. Repeat this procedure as often as you can to have a clean mouth and teeth and to promote healing of gums.

5. Try Oiling Pulling

Try this Ayurvedic technique called oil pulling, which is believed to reverse gum recession and to promote gum growth. Take one tablespoon of either sesame oil or virgin coconut oil and swish around in your mouth. Pull or suck the oil through your teeth for several minutes until it becomes white and thin. Spit out the oil and rinse your mouth with water. Do this thrice a day before meals.

6. More Remedies

Other ways to keep gums healthy and encourage them to grow back include taking supplements such as calcium for bone and dental health, ginkgo biloba to improve blood circulation, vitamin C , coenzyme Q10 to promote cell renewal, and zinc to enhance immunity.

Experts also recommend avoiding sugary beverages, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, and food products made from white flour.

Watch a video for natural receding gums remedies:

What is prostate cancer? what causes prostate cancer?

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Prostate cancer is a disease which only affects men. Cancer begins to grow in the prostate - a gland in the male reproductive system.

The word "prostate" comes from Medieval Latin prostate and Medieval French prostate. The ancient Greek word prostatesmeans "one standing in front", from proistanai meaning "set before". The prostate is so called because of its position - it is at the base of the bladder.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an exocrine gland of the male reproductive system, and exists directly under the bladder, in front of the rectum. An exocrine gland is one whose secretions end up outside the body e.g. prostate gland and sweat glands. It is approximately the size of a walnut.

The urethra - a tube that goes from the bladder to the end of the penis and carries urine and semen out of the body - goes through the prostate.

There are thousands of tiny glands in the prostate - they all produce a fluid that forms part of the semen. This fluid also protects and nourishes the sperm. When a male has an orgasm the seminal-vesicles secrete a milky liquid in which the semen travels. The liquid is produced in the prostate gland, while the sperm is kept and produced in the testicles. When a male climaxes (has an orgasm) contractions force the prostate to secrete this fluid into the urethra and leave the body through the penis.

Urine control

As the urethra goes through the prostate: the prostate gland is also involved in urine control (continence) with the use of prostate muscle fibers. These muscle fibers in the prostate contract and release, controlling the flow of urine flowing through the urethra.

The Prostate Produces Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 

The epithelial cells in the prostate gland produce a protein called PSA (prostate-specific antigen). The PSA helps keep the semen in its liquid state. Some of the PSA escapes into the bloodstream. We can measure a man's PSA levels by checking his blood. If a man's levels of PSA are high, it might be an indication of either prostate canceror some kind of prostate condition. 

Diagram of the location of the prostate gland and nearby organs

It is a myth to think that a high blood-PSA level is harmful to you - it is not. High blood PSA levels are however an indication that something may be wrong in the prostate.

Male hormones affect the growth of the prostate, and also how much PSA the prostate produces. Medications aimed at altering male hormone levels may affect PSA blood levels. If male hormones are low during a male's growth and during his adulthood, his prostate gland will not grow to full size.

In some older men the prostate may continue to grow, especially the part that is around the urethra. This can make it more difficult for the man to pass urine as the growing prostate gland may be causing the urethra to collapse. When the prostate gland becomes too big in this way, the condition is called Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is not cancer, but must be treated.

Prostate Cancer

In the vast majority of cases, the prostate cancer starts in the gland cells - this is called adenocarcinoma. In this article, prostate cancer refers just to adenocarcinoma.

Prostate cancer is mostly a very slow progressing disease. In fact, many men die of old age, without ever knowing they had prostate cancer - it is only when an autopsy is done that doctors know it was there. Several studies have indicated that perhaps about 80% of all men in their eighties had prostate cancer when they died, but nobody knew, not even the doctor.

Experts say that prostate cancer starts with tiny alterations in the shape and size of the prostate gland cells - Prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN).

Doctors say that nearly 50% of all 50-year-old men have PIN. The cells are still in place - they do not seem to have moved elsewhere - but the changes can be seen under a microscope. Cancer cells would have moved into other parts of the prostate. Doctors describe these prostate gland cell changes as low-grade or high-grade; high grade is abnormal while low-grade is more-or-less normal.

Any patient who was found to have high-grade PIN after a prostate biopsy is at a significantly greater risk of having cancer cells in his prostate. Because of this, doctors will monitor him carefully and possibly carry out another biopsy later on.

Classification of prostate cancer

It is important to know the stage of the cancer, or how far it has spread. Knowing the cancer stage helps the doctor define prognosis - it also helps when selecting which therapies to use. The most common system today for determining this is the TNM (Tumor/Nodes/Metastases). This involves defining the size of the tumor, how many lymph nodes are involved, and whether there are any other metastases.

When defining with the TNM system, it is crucial to distinguish between cancers that are still restricted just to the prostate, and those that have spread elsewhere. Clinical T1 and T2 cancers are found only in the prostate, and nowhere else, while T3 and T4 have spread outside the prostate.

There are many ways to find out whether the cancer has spread. Computer tomography will check for spread inside the pelvis, bone scans will decide whether the cancer has spread to the bones, and endorectal coil magnetic resonance imaging will evaluate the prostatic capsule and the seminal vesicles. http://tiny.cc/qd4how

The Gleason Score

A pathologist will look at the biopsy samples under a microscope. If cancer tissue is detected, the pathologist then grades the tumor. The Gleason System of grading goes from 2 to 10. The higher the number, the more abnormal the tissues are compared to normal prostate tissue.

Two numbers are added up to get a Gleason score:

1. A number from 1 to 5 for the most common pattern observed under the microscope. This is the predominant grade and must be more than 51% of the sample.

2. A number from 1 to 5 for the second most common pattern. This is the secondary grade and must make up more than 5% but less than 50% of the sample.

A Gleason score of 7 can have two meanings. Look at these two examples below:

1. If the predominant grade is 3 and the secondary grade is 4, the Gleason score is 7.

2. If the predominant grade is 4 and the secondary grade is 3, the Gleason score is also 7.

However, the first example, with a predominant score of 3, has a less aggressive cancer than the second example, with a predominant score of 4.

It is crucial that the tumor is graded properly, as this decides what treatments should be recommended.

What are the symptoms of prostate cancer?

During the early stages of prostate cancer there are usually no symptoms. Most men at this stage find out they have prostate cancer after a routine check up or blood test. When symptoms do exist, they are usually one or more of the following:

§  The patient urinates more often

§  The patient gets up at night more often to urinate

§  He may find it hard to start urinating

§  He may find it hard to keep urinating once he has started

§  There may be blood in the urine

§  Urination might be painful

§  Ejaculation may be painful (less common)

§  Achieving or maintaining an erection may be difficult (less common).

If the prostate cancer is advanced the following symptoms are also possible:

§  Bone pain, often in the spine (vertebrae), pelvis, or ribs

§  The proximal part of the femur can be painful

§  Leg weakness (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal cord)

§  Urinary incontinence (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal cord)

§  Fecal incontinence (if cancer has spread to the spine and compressed the spinal cord).

What are the causes of prostate cancer?

Nobody is really sure of what the specific causes are. There are so many possible factors, including age, race, lifestyle, medications, and genetics, to name a few.

§  Age

Age is considered as the primary risk factor. The older a man is, the higher is his risk. Prostate cancer is rare among men under the age of 45, but much more common after the age of 50.

§  Genetics

Statistics indicate that genetics is definitely a factor in prostate cancer risk. It is more common among certain racial groups - in the USA prostate cancer is significantly more common and also more deadly among Afro-Americans than White-Americans. A man has a much higher risk of developing cancer if his identical twin has it. A man whose brother or father had/had prostate cancer runs twice the risk of developing it, compared to other men.

Studies indicate that the two faulty genes - BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 - which are important risk factors for breast cancer and ovarian cancer, have also been implicated in prostate cancer risk.

In a study scientists found seven new sites in the human genome that are linked to men's risk of developing prostate cancer.

Faulty BRCA2 gene linked to aggressive form of prostate cancer - researchers at the The Institute of Cancer Research, UK, reported in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (April 2013 issue) that men who have inherited the faulty BRCA2 gene are more likely to have the faster-spreading type of prostate cancer. The scientists say these men should receive treatment immediately after diagnosis with surgery or radiation therapy, rather than receive the "watchful waiting" approach.

Senior author Ros Eeles wrote that experts have already known that those with the faulty BRCA2 gene have a higher risk of developing prostate cancer. This is the first large study to demonstrate that the faulty gene is also linked to a faster spread of the disease and poorer survival.

This new discovery will make some health authorities around the world rethink their policies and procedures. In the United Kingdom, the National Health Service offers the same prostate cancer treatment for both carriers and non-carriers of the faulty BRCA2 gene.

Prof. Eeles said "It must make sense to start offering affected men immediate surgery or radiotherapy, even for early-stage cases that would otherwise be classified as low-risk. We won't be able to tell for certain that earlier treatment can benefit men with inherited cancer genes until we've tested it in a clinical trial, but the hope is that our study will ultimately save lives by directing treatment at those who most need it."

§  Diet

A review of diets indicated that the Mediterranean diet mayreduce a person's chances of developing prostate cancer.Another study indicates that soy, selenium and green tea, offer additional possibilities for disease prevention - however, a more recent study indicated that combination therapy of vitamin E, selenium and soy does not prevent the progression from high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN) to prostate cancer. A diet high in vegetable consumption was found in a study to be beneficial.

A US pilot study on men with low risk prostate cancer found that following an intensive healthy diet and lifestyle regime focusing on low meat and high vegetable and fruit intake, regular exercise, yoga stretching, meditation and support group participation, can alter the way that genes behave and change the progress of cancer, for instance by switching on tumor killers and turning down tumor promoters.

Other studies have indicated that lack of vitamin D, a diet high in red meat may raise a person's chances of developing prostate cancer.

A study published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research suggests vitamin D deficiency may predict aggressive prostate cancer.

§  Medication

Some studies say there might be a link between the daily use of anti-inflammatory medicines and prostate cancer risk. A study found that statins, which are used to lower cholesterol levels, may lower a person's risk of developing prostate cancer.

§  Obesity

A study found a clear link between obesity and raised prostate cancer risk, as well as a higher risk of metastasis and death among obese people who develop prostate cancer.

§  Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) 

Men who have had gonorrhea have a higher chance of developing prostate cancer, according to research from the University of Michigan Health System.

§  Agent Orange

Veterans exposed to Agent Orange have a 48% higher risk of prostate cancer recurrence following surgery than their unexposed peers, and when the disease comes back, it seems more aggressive, researchers say.Another study found that Vietnam War veterans who had been exposed to Agent Orange have significantly increased risks of prostate cancer and even greater risks of getting the most aggressive form of the disease as compared to those who were not exposed.

§  Enzyme PRSS3 linked to aggressive prostate cancer

Scientists from the Mayo Clinic, Florida, reported in Molecular Cancer Research that PRSS3, an enzyme, changes the environment of prostate cancer cells, making the cancer much more likely to metastasize.

Senior researcher, Evette Radisky, Ph.D., said "This molecule is a protease, which means it digests other molecules. Our data suggests PRSS3 activity changes the environment around prostate cancer cells - perhaps by freeing them from surrounding tissue - to promote malignancy and invasiveness. I don't think PRSS3 is the only factor involved in driving aggressive prostate cancer, but it may be significant for a certain subset of this cancer - the kind that is potentially lethal."

Recent developments on prostate cancer causes from MNT news

Chronic prostate inflammation tied to nearly double risk of prostate cancer - a study reported in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, finds that compared to men with no such signs, men with chronic inflammation in non-cancerous prostate tissue may have nearly double the risk of developing prostate cancer.

Vasectomy linked with aggressive prostate cancer risk - In the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, MA, find that vasectomy is associated with a small increased risk of prostate cancer, and a larger increased risk for advanced or lethal prostate cancer.

Prostate cancer: high cholesterol, triglyceride levels may raise risk of recurrence - Among men who have surgery for prostate cancer, those who have high total cholesterol and triglyceride levels - two types of fat found in blood - may be at increased risk of disease recurrence. This is according to a study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.