“Keep your dreams alive. Understand to achieve anything requires faith and belief in yourself, vision, hard work, determination, and dedication. Remember all things are possible for those who believe.“

Gail Devers(born November 19, 1966) is a retired three-time Olympic champion in track and field for the US Olympic Team.

Like all organs if your diet is not healthy you’ll effect their functioning, including your eyes.  Take for example the ingredients you include in the foods & fluids you eat.  Just like how some drink from one up to three thousand cc’s of water a day to help prevent dehydration in their tissues if they work out daily from a gym to running miles outside OR take someone who simply includes calcium in their diet for their bones.  Well what is good for the eyes and what can you do to help both your eyes?

Get an annual comprehensive dilated eye exam, know your families eye history since many eye diseases are through heredity, eat an eye healthy & well-balanced diet rich in salmon, tuna, dark leafy greens, colored vegetables and fruits, wear sunglasses with UV protection and avoid smoking (which effects the body everywhere, including the eyes).

What ingredients do we need in our dieting that is so vital for the eyes to stay at their healthiest level?  Well Lutein and Zeaxanthin (Pronounced loo’teen and Zee’-a-zan-thin)-Powerful antioxidants naturally present in the macula (the part of the retina that is responsible for central vision).  Remember damage to the retina causes some degree of lack of vision to 100% blind.  Lutein and Zeaxanthin are critical for helping to filter out harmful blue light, which can damage the macula.  These vital antioxidants cannot be produced by our bodies on their own, so they must be obtained through diet and/or supplements (ex. Ocuvite Supplements in the store).                                               

Another ingredient we need in our diet is Omega 3 Fatty Acids which is a family of fatty acids that help protect our eyes by keeping them healthy.  Omega 3 is an important structural lipid in the retina and helps support proper function; and is vital for the health of your eyes as you age.  Lastly it helps promote healthy tear production necessary for healthy and comfortable eyes.                                                                                                                                             

Other Nutrients Antioxidants Vitamins C and E, Zinc and beta carotene. They help protect eyes from oxidative stress (Oxidative stress reflects an imbalance between the systemic manifestation of reactive oxygen speciesand a biological system’s ability to readily detoxify the reactive intermediates or to repair the resulting damage and oxidative stress can cause disruptions in normal mechanisms of cellular signaling.  It is thought to be involved in the development of many diseases.)

What Your Diet or Daily Health Habits May Be Missing:

–Many dark leafy greens and brightly colored vegetables (including orange foods) are rich in Lutein and Zeaxanthin.  We all heard about carrots (to get Beta-carotene)                             

–Oil-rich fish such as tuna and salmon along with nuts and fortified eggs are an excellent source of omega-3s.  Omega-3s:  A family of fatty acids that help protect the eye to keep it healthy, another important nutrient for your eyes

Unfortunately, many of us do not consume enough of these eye-healthy foods in our daily diets. What should you have in your diet to eat per day to equal the amount of Lutein and Zeaxanthin you should have daily:   5 cups of  broccoli, 6 cups of corn, 1 ounce of salmon or 4 ounces of tuna.  A lot of vegetables in cups but if you mix your foods in the 4 food groups that are healthy for the eye or just simply take supplements that your doctor recommends for eye health you won’t be eating cups and cups of vegetables if you don’t like the taste.

*Other foods high in omega 3 are halibut, spinach, collard and kale.

VITAL NUTRIENTS FOR GETTING THE EYES HEALTHY.                      

Many eye diseases can’t be avoided (like born blind) but there are many diseases that could have been avoided through prevention tactics in what you eat and in what you practice as your daily habits.  For example some that could be prevented if not slowed down or suppressed in the intensity of the disease can be Age-Related Macular Degeneration, Cataracts, Dry Eye Syndrome and more.

Factors that also influence how our eyes turn out are:

–Being overweight or obese is a factor that increases your risk of developing diabetes and other systemic conditions which can lead to vision loss, such as diabetic eye disease (macular degeneration) or even glaucoma.  If  you’re having trouble maintaining a healthy weight, talk to your doctor or go to my website with Dr. Anderson available to help you understand how the body works with calories/sugars, carbohydrates, starches, fats, and sugars; with understanding how portions of meals work with digestion and how it can put weight on the body. 

If you do a lot of work daily on a computer or on any one thing, your eyes may forget to blink or get very fatigued, so attempt to do every 20 minutes looking away from the computer or one thing your focused on for hours (like at work) for 20 seconds.  This helps your eyes in reducing eyestrain (it is an actually an exercise for the eye).                                                                          

–Clean your hands and your contact lenses properly.  This is to avoid local infection in the eye.  Always wash your hands before putting in and taking out the contact lenses.  Follow your doctors and contact lenses website in keeping your eyes healthy and safe with using their service for your lenses.                                                                                                                                     

–Practice workplace eye safety as their organization policy and procedure states but also use common sense with wearing eye goggles when doing work around the house that puts you at risk for eye damage (like weed whacking, painting, using saws etc…)

How do you go about this if you need help in knowing what good foods of all the 4 food groups are, with knowing how to lose weight permanently without going on diets for 3 or 6 or 24 months than gaining it all back again including knowing how the body works with 3 meals a day as opposed to 6 small meals a day (one of them being a meat and vegetable meal that is lean in fat and green in vegetables with other colorful veggies added to it if you want) and understanding how the average American eats (especially with fast foods on a regular basis) with disease?  Did you know you get a physician (Dr. Anderson) and a health coach (me a RN 25 years plus) for FREE?

Go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and there you will learn the answers to all these questions you have and if you decide to become a member after viewing over what we have to offer to you with the viewing for no charge, no prescription, no obligation, and no hacking site!  Our country needs to live healthier and you can get started through this site and eventually become independent or even stay with us but you make all the choices, no one else.  You might be so happy with what you see you’ll even spread the good cheer and pass on the knowledge to family and friends making our country healthier.  We have to start somewhere.  Our health care system is in a disaster but gradually improving and lets add to improving it for us now and ten years from now and for future generations to decrease the amount of disease and illness in our country with giving our government a reason to decrease the price in our health care system (including insurances).  I hope you take a peek at healthyusa.tsfl.com and come aboard with me and so many others in trying to get healthier for themselves including helping others in America and far.  By the way I have lost 22 pounds and love the food.  Take a look, it doesn’t cost you anything. Why not?  Please if you have any diseases or illnesses on your mind with questions that you have let me know in my comment section and I will personally try to make it the next article if not sometime that week.  Thank you for reading my post.

Let’s get healthier in America!  We need to decrease disease and illness with decreasing our expenditure in the health care system (including insurance prices).  One way in doing that is getting healthy, if we all took part it would decrease or lower our disease and illness percentage more in America.  To do that we have to become better in our diets and health habits for us now, our children later and future generations who will have a harder economy to live in then.  Let us all learn about diseases and illnesses and how to prevent them.  Go to my blog striveforgoodhealth.com and for free learn each day about the ones I discuss.  Today’s article is on the EYES.  Take a peek;)

Its a progressive bonedisease that is characterised by a decrease in bone mass and density and that leads to an increased risk of fracture.In osteoporosis, the ^{bone mineral density (BMD) is reduced, bone microarchitecture deteriorates, and the amount and variety of proteins in bone are altered.}

Osteoporosis causes bones to become weak and brittle —- so brittle that a fall or even mild stresses like bending over or coughing can cause a fracture.  Osteoporosis-related fractures most commonly occur in the hip, wrist or spine.  Bone is living tissue, which is constantly being absorbed and replaced.  Osteoporosis occurs when the creation of new bone doesn’t keep up with the removal of old bone.  Osteoporosis affects men and women of all races; but white and Asian women–especially after menopause–are at highest risk.  Medications, healthy diet and weight bearing exercise can help prevent bone loss or strengthen already weak bones.

A weight bearing exercise is any exercise that has your legs and feet holding all of your weight. An example of this would be walking, yoga or even dancing.

The form of osteoporosis most common in women after menopause is referred to as primary type 1 or postmenopausal osteoporosis.  Primary type 2 osteoporosis or senile osteoporosis occurs after the age 75 and is seen in both females and males at a ratio of 2:1.  Secondary osteoporosis may arise at any age and affect men and women equally.  This form of results from chronic predisposing medical problems or disease, or prolonged usage of medications such as glucocorticoids, when the disease is called steroid or glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis.

The risk of osteoporosis fractures can be reduced with lifestyle changes and in those with previous osteoporosis related fractures medications. Lifestyle change includes diet, exercise, and preventing falls.  The utility of calcium and vitamin D is questionable in most.  Bisphosphonates are useful in those with previous fractures from osteoporosis but are of minimal benefit in those who have osteoporosis but no previous fractures.  Osteo- porosis is a component of the frailty syndrome.

Take the problem of Astronauts with osteoporosis:

Space travel has made it widely known that a stay outside the atmosphere – and thus outside the earth’s gravitational influence – disturbs the metabolism irreparably: the human body does not need any hard bones in zero-gravity, which leads to decalcification. A four year study of the ‘International Space Station’ showed that the bones of astronauts　did not regenerate after even one year past their return to earth.

Anti-gravitational  training is the key to osteoporosis if you can handle it (like jumping on a trampeline)  Actual studies show that physical anti-gravitational activity helps the effected patients to regain their mobility and lessen the risk of bone fractures .

Benefits of exercise:

Women who have been physically active throughout their lives generally have stronger bones than do women who have led more sedentary lives. But it’s never too late to start exercising. For postmenopausal women, regular physical activity can:

Increase your muscle strength

Improve your balance

Make you better able to carry out daily tasks and activities

Maintain or improve your posture

Relieve or decrease pain

Improve your sense of well-being

Exercising if you have osteoporosis means finding the safest, most enjoyable activities for you given your overall health and amount of bone loss. There’s no one-size-fits-all prescription.

Before you start exercising do the following:

Consult your doctor before starting any exercise program for osteoporosis. You may need some tests done first, including:

Bone density measurement

Fitness assessment

In the meantime, think about what kind of activities you enjoy most. If you choose an exercise you enjoy, you’re more likely to stick with it over time.

“Maintaining a healthy weight and eating a healthful diet are major factors in preventing heart disease.   These heart-friendly recipes are low in cholesterol, saturated fat and refined starches, high in fiber, and full of nutritious vegetables, fruits, nuts, lean proteins and healthy fats.”

LifeScript.com healthy living for women

Complications of CHF:

Through the Mayo clinic as a reference regarding complications their website stated: “If you have heart failure, your outlook depends on the cause and the severity, your overall health, and other factors such as your age. Complications can include:

Kidney damage or failure.

Heart failure can reduce the blood flow to your kidneys, which can eventually cause kidney failure if left untreated. Kidney damage from heart failure can require dialysis for treatment.

Heart valve problems.

The valves of your heart, which keep blood flowing in the proper direction through your heart, may not function properly if your heart is enlarged, or if the pressure in your heart is very high due to heart failure.

Liver damage.

Heart failure can lead to a buildup of fluid that puts too much pressure on the liver. This fluid backup can lead to scarring, which makes it more difficult for your liver to function properly.

Stroke.

Because blood flow through the heart is slower in heart failure than in a normal heart, it’s more likely you’ll develop blood clots, which can increase your risk of having a stroke.

Some people’s symptoms and heart function will improve with proper treatment. However, heart failure can be life-threatening. People with heart failure may have severe symptoms, and some may require heart transplantation or support with an artificial heart device.”

Tips on CHF:

See your doctor regularly in evaluating your CHF.

Closely follow your doctor’s instructions, being compliant with the instructions and taking your meds.

Immediately call your doctor of any significant change in your condition, such as an intensified shortness of breath or swollen feet or weight gain of 3lbs or more within one week.

Control your weight in making it easier for your heart, that’s in failure, to function better (less stress).

Watch what you eat and how much.　 Watch the diet intake of cholesterol and sodium that can cause a negative impact on the heart by causing stress to the organ through either high B/P=high sodium intake that causes vasoconstriction or high cholesterol intake frequently　that commonly causes blockage in an artery.　 Both high sodium　or high cholesterol　cause diminishing of oxygenated blood getting to the heart.　 Without oxygen to our tissues or cells this causes tissue & cellular starvation (ischemia).　 What is starvation to the heart=ischemia to the heart=chest pain (what we call angina).　 Take a brittle diabetic, the furthest area from the heart is the feet the first area to experience starvation is the toes, foot or lower extremity which is why this is usually the first to be amputated if necessary (you usually see an upper extremity amputated due to trauma not disease).

Limit or stop alcohol consumption as your doctor informs you.

Of course, stop smoking permanently if actively smoking.

The best defense against heart failure is PREVENTION!　 Almost all the cardiac risk factors can be controlled　by eliminating the bad unhealthy habits　(smoking, obese, high cholesterol, high B/P, diabetes).

Going to the doctor can be stressful but know he is there for you.　 It is hard to remember everything you want to ask the doctor with everything you hear at your visit.　 It helps to prepare a list of questions you may have and bring it with you at your appointment to address to the concerns you listed to the doctor.　 In doing this it helps you with your appointment so you can record the answers by listing them on the paper you have.　 Before you leave the doctor’s office, be sure you understand your condition, its treatment, including any medications your taking this doctor that he or sheprescribed for you with　that doctor　knowing any other medications you may be on through a different doctor to prevent side effects or adverse reactions occurring but if you forget this about the medications there is always your pharmacist you can ask, than your personal　M.D. later.　 With you knowing all this information you will see why it is so vital for you doing all these actions or interventions for your disease that　your doctor prescribed or ordered and you’re more out to follow them as well with understanding the whole picture about the treatment for CHF.

If you are needing any guidance in how to lose weight through using all 4 food groups, with assistance in what to eat now to lose weight till you are in therapeutic range for your height rather than eating food from the market or if you　need to understand how the body works with food and metabolism with where activity comes into play go to healthyusa.tsfl.com.　 See what we can provide you in answering all these questions for you through Dr. Anderson and myself as your coach free.　 SO LIVE AS HEALTHY AS POSSIBLE IN YOUR ROUTINE HABITS,　 YOUR DIETING OF THE 4 FOOD GROUPS, MAINTAINING YOUR WEIGHT IN A THEREPEUTIC RANGE (look as calculating BMI online for free to find out what your weight range for your height is), and BALANCING REST WITH EXERCISE TO HELP DECREASE THE CHANCE OF GETTING HEART FAILURE.　 Go to healthyusa.tsfl.com to learn what Dr. Anderson through his book of “Dr. A.’s Healthy Habits” and me (for free) as your health coach could provide you with.　 Just take a view of what can be offered to you for no price with no hacking go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and take a peek;)　 Join me like many who are trying to live life healthier with making America a healthier home and we all should take part to help the health care system to be more effective for our society.　 Recommended to anyone with disease before changing your diet, activity/exercise program review　your changes with your　doctor to get clearance first to maintain your safety.

We can fulfill this goal, the one step America is by getting healthier (through diet, exercise, and living healthier habits) which would impact cardiac disease by decreasing it in time which would decrease congestive heart failure.  Learn more about CHF on striveforgoodhealth.com with learning how to reach this goal.  Let us the people of America take part on decreasing disease and not just leave it the health care or government’s hands.  Look at the results already and we the society need to take be responsible in being better for ourselves, our children and our future generations.

“In addition to relieving patient suffering, research is needed to help reduce the enormous economic and social burdens posed by chronic diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, diabetes, Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, cancer, heart disease, and stroke.” 

Ike Skelton (born December 20, 1931) is an American politician        who was the U.S. Representative for Missouri’s 4th congressional district from 1977 to 2011)

Treatments for CHF:

Heart failure caused by an excessive workload is curable by treating the primary disease, such as anemia or thyrotoxicosis or hypertension or diabetes.　 Also, curable are forms caused by anatomical problems such as a heart valve defect.　 These defects can be surgically corrected.

However, for the common forms of heart failure due to damaged heart muscle no known cure (like a heart attack that damages the heart muscle where the attack took place on the organ) but prevention of it happening again can take place in many cases through treatment of the disease or illness with being compliant in following up with your doctor for the disease or illness and being compliant in following doctor’s orders.　　 The worst thing you can do is ignore them.　 The treatment seeks to improve patients quality of life and length of survival through lifestyle change and drug therapy.

Patients can minimize the effect of heart failure by controlling the risk factors for heart disease they may have.　 Obvious steps include:　 Don’t smoke or quit smoking, lose weight if necessary, abstaining from alcohol, making those dietary changes to reduce the amount of salt and fat consumed.　　Also,　regular with modest exercise is also helpful for many patients; though the amount and intensity should be carefully monitored by a physician.

Even with lifestyle changes, most heart failure patients must take medication.　 Many patients receive 2 or more meds.　 Types of common medications given are:　 ACE inhibitors, Digitalis, Diuretics, Hydralazine, and Nitrates.

These are some of the meds given for heart failure.　　 Not all medications are suitable for patients, and more than one drug may be needed.　 Always review the list your pharmacist provides in the action, side effects, with instructions of how to take the drug to make it most effective in your body with what to look for while on this medication to keep you the patient most informed on what you should be aware of since your on the medication.　 You should know what your taking.

Results of studies over the years have placed more emphasis on the use of drugs known as angiotensin converting enzymes (ACE) inhibitors.　 Several studies have indicated that ACE inhibitors improve survival among heart failure patients and may slow perhaps even prevent the loss of the heart pumping activity.　 This drug　 prevents the transfer of your enzyme Angiotensin 1 to convert into Angiotensin 2 which prevents the vessels in your body to do vasoconstriction which prevents the pressure in the bloodstream to raise = high B/P (hypertension) but this medication prevents this from happening.　　By the medication doing this it　prevents stress to the heart; with　vasoconstriction in causing the B/P to go high this now　causes the 　blood to get to the heart slowly and more difficult causing the heart to pump harder but the ACE inhibitor with allowing vasodilation (opening of vessels) keeps the　pressure down to make the job easier= less stress on the heart.　 Originally these medications where for patients in the treatment of hypertension but they help patients with heart failure, among other things, decreasing the pressure inside the blood vessels causing the heart to do its job easier.

Digitalis increases the force of the heart’s contractions, helping to improve circulation in the body.

Diuretics are for reducing the amount of fluid in the bloodstream and body by releasing them via the kidneys and having us void the excess of water out in our urine, these are useful for patients with fluid retention.

Those who aren’t prescribed or cannot take these meds already mentioned may be given a hydralazine medication and/or a drug in the Nitrate classification, each of which help relax tension in the blood vessels to improve blood flow.　 Also, both Hydralazine and Nitrates function is they cause vasodilation in the vessels improving blood flow to the heart.

Sometimes heart failure is life threatening.　 Usually, this happens when drug therapy and lifestyle changes fail to control its symptoms.  In such cases, a heart transplant may be the only treatment option. However, candidates for transplantation often have to wait months or even years before a suitable donor heart is found.

Studies over the years indicate that some transplant candidates improve during this waiting period through drug treatment and other therapy, and can be removed from the transplant list.

Transplant candidates who do not improve sometimes need mechanical pumps, which are attached to the heart.　 Called left ventricular assist device (LVADs), the machine takes over part or virtually all of the heart’s blood-pumping activity.　 However, current LVADs are not permanent solutions for heart failure but are considered bridges to transplantation. Worldwide, about 3,500 heart transplants were performed annually. The vast majority of these are performed in the United States (2,000-2,300 annually). Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California has performed the most heart transplants in the last three consecutive years performing 95 transplants in 2012 alone. About 800,000 people have a Class IV heart defect indicating a new organ.　 The degrees of CHF are I, II, III and IV.　 In learning more about CHF with heart transplants (including becoming a candidate for one) go to wwwtransplantexperience.com or even hearttransplant.com.

Another surgical procedure for heart failure that is available in America is cardiomyoplasty.　 This is a surgical procedure in which healthy muscle from another part of the body is wrapped around the heart to provide support for the failing heart. Most often the Latissimus_dorsi_muscle”  is used for this purpose. A special pacemaker is implanted to make the skeletal muscle contract.　 The electrical stimulator icauses the back muscle to contract, pumping the blood from the heart (this allows the heart to do its job more effectively).

“Many tests are used to  diagnose and monitor heart failure.  An echocardiogram (echo) is often the best test for heart failure. Your doctor will use it to guide your treatment.  Other imaging tests can look at how well your heart is able to pump blood, and how much the heart muscle is damaged.”

Medline.com

DIAGNOSIS

In many cases, physicians diagnose heart failure during a simple physical examination.  Readily identifiable signs are shortness of breath, fatigue, and swollen ankles and feet.  The physician also will check for the presence of risk factors, such as hypertension, obesity and a  history of heart problems.

Using a stethoscope, the physician can listen to a patient breathe and identify the sounds of lung congestion.  The stethoscope also picks up the abnormal heart sounds indicative of heart failure.

If one or not both symptoms or the patient’s history point to a clear cut diagnosis, the physician may recommend any of a variety of laboratory tests, including, initially, an electrocardiogram (EKG), which uses recording devices placed on the chest to evaluate the electrical activity of a patient’s heartbeat which will be affected by CHF.

Echocardiography is another means of evaluating heart function from outside the body.  This works through sound waves that bounce off the heart are recorded and translated into images.  The pictures can reveal abnormal heart sizes, shape, and movement.  Echocardiography also can be used to calculate a patient’s ejection fraction which is a measurement of the amount of blood pumped when the heart contracts.

Another possible test is the chest x-ray, which also determines the heart’s size and shape, as well as the presence of congestion in the lungs.

Tests help rule out other possible causes of symptoms.  The symptoms of heart failure can result when the heart is made to work too hard, instead of from damaged muscle (like in a heart attack).  Conditions that overload the heart occur rarely and include severe anemia and thyrotoxicosis (a disease resulting from an overactive thyroid gland).

Prevention of CHF:

-If not diagnosed yet your already possibly ahead.  Without this diagnosis you can get started on making yourself further away from being diagnosed with this disease.  How to reach this goal is through living a routine life through healthy habits practiced, healthy dieting over all, and balancing rest with exercise during the week 30-40 minutes a day or 1 hour to 1.5 hours 3 times a week and not being obese.  They all would benefit the heart in not stressing it out making the heart’s function harder in doing its function.  When the heart stresses out it is at risk for lacking oxygen putting it at potential for angina (heart pain) to a heart attack with over time leading toward failure of the heart.  Need to learn more about what is and how to get your weight in therapeutic body mass index range through dieting of all 4 food groups, balancing exercise/rest, and knowing how the body works with all ingredients in foods including portion sizes (fats, calories, starches, carbohydrates, proteins with vitamins and minerals) to understanding how all this information takes effect in how your metabolism operates in being beneficial or against you?   Well than go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and take a peek at what we offer at such a reasonable price and more of a reachable goal with having Dr. Anderson through access of his book “Dr. A’s healthy habits” with me as your personal coach and if you want foods to eat in helping you lose weight if needed I’m there to help you with any questions you may have and even for support.  To take a peek go to healthyusa.tsfl.com and see what we offer for no price and with no hacking.  Join me and so many others in attempting to reach this goal. So far I have lost 22lbs. and hope to lose more.