fitness

Peripheral arterial disease, commonly referred to as PAD, is clogged arteries in the leg that warn of widespread cardiovascular disease and typically is a warning sign for stroke or heart attack. The risks for PAD are the same as for heart disease: hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, obesity and family history. The more risk factors that you have, the higher your risk will go. People who are diagnosed with PAD are two to four times more likely to also develop coronary artery disease (CAD) and their heart attack risk climbs to 20-60% higher (Source: Palkhivala, 2008).

What we eat each day plays a significant role in how our body functions. Consume too much sugar and our body must release insulin into the bloodstream in order to return blood sugar levels to their normal limits. When we consume carbohydrates, our body digests this fuel and breaks it down into energy so that we can perform our daily tasks or use it during exercise. There is always a cause and an effect. If your body is out of balance because of improper diet, it could result in some serious (and at times painful) consequences. One such consequence of an improper diet can be muscle cramping. This article will help to explain the function of muscle, explain the role that protein plays, discuss some problems and finish off with how your diet is vital for proper function.

Cancer is a devastating disease that can affect virtually every part of the body. There are more than 200 types of cancer, and for the most part, the different cancers are named for the body parts and organs that they affect. Some common types of cancers are:

There has always been a disparity between men and women when it comes to heart disease. For years, it was thought that heart disease only affected men and that it was the rare woman who developed heart problems, let alone had a heart attack. We now know that heart disease does affect women, but that their heart attack symptoms are different from a man’s typical signs and are often more likely to be ignored. There are a number of steps that men and women cannot change that increase their risk for heart disease, including their family history and genetics. However, there are other factors that can be changed. Six updated guidelines are:

Often called the most common mental disorder in children, Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is thought to affect between two to eleven percent of all school age children worldwide, and three to seven percent in the United States. There are some conflicts in the medical community about whether the condition is under diagnosed or over diagnosed, especially when the symptoms can be brought about by other conditions that must be ruled out. (Source: Papalia, Olds, Feldman 2008)

Protein is a major component of every cell, organ, and function in the body. It is vitally important and is found in a number of sources in the typical diet- including in foods that are not so good for the human body, like processed or fast foods. Even though protein is found in so many different food sources there are still many people that do not get enough calories in their diet including protein.

The leading cause of both death and disability in the United States is coronary heart disease, accounting for about 40% of all deaths. A million new cases of coronary heart disease are diagnosed every year as well (Source: Saranson and Saranson, 2005). There are many forms of coronary heart disease, including myocardial infarction and angina pectoris, both caused most typically by veins and arteries that are blocked off and narrowed by deposits called plaque. Known medically as atherosclerosis, this blockage prevents oxygen-rich blood from making it to the heart or can block off blood flow to other areas of the body, including the brain. This reduced flow of blood to the brain can result in a cerebral vascular accident, commonly referred to as a stroke.