Blogging with Lee

Scientists have found a link between high sodium intake, low potassium intake and the potential for cardiovascular disease (CVD). A recent study shows that too much sodium and too little potassium may increase the risk for CVD.

Doctors at the Mayo Clinicnote that the term "cardiovascular disease" is often used interchangeably with the term "heart disease." They clarify: "Cardiovascular disease generally refers to conditions that involve narrowed or blocked blood vessels that can lead to a heart...Read More »

Studies validating the importance of vitamin D to human health continue to stream out from research labs around the world. In fact, I have several interesting studies about vitamin D on my desk so I decided to dedicate this week’s update to "the sunshine vitamin."

The National Institutes of Health(NIH) describes vitamin D: "Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that is naturally present in very few foods, added to others, and available as a dietary supplement. It is also produced endogenously when...Read More »

I'm sure everybody knows at least one family member or friend who exhibits signs of depression. "Depression affects one in 10—or nearly 15 million—adults in the U.S.," according to WebMD. And that depression affects their quality of life. The majority of those reporting depression are of the opinion that their work, home life and relationships suffered as a result of it.

"Everyone occasionally feels blue or sad," according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). "But these feelings...Read More »

When I was a youngster, a friend of mine had a grandmother who owned a small neighborhood grocery store. It was always fun to visit "Maude's" grocery and stare into the glass-walled candy cabinet. The five-cent and ten-cent candy bars were located on the top shelf and the penny and two-for-a-penny candy took up the two lower shelves.

Each day the glass was covered with a fresh mixture of hand and nose prints as kids in the neighborhood would spend their hard-earned change. Of course, in the...Read More »

The World Health Organization (WHO) says that diabetes affects more than 220 million people globally. The entity also reports that the consequences of high blood sugar kill 3.4 million each year… and the problem is growing: the WHO is predicting that deaths related to diabetes will double between 2005 and 2030.

Besides the tragic effect diabetes can have on human life, it also robs the pocketbook. Total costs associated with the condition in the United States alone are thought to be as much... Read More »

Stroke is a major issue for Americans. In fact, some 795,000 U.S. citizens suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. That means, according to the American Stroke Association (ASA), that a stroke occurs every 40 seconds.

The ASA states, "Stroke kills more than 137,000 people a year. That’s about one of every 18 deaths. It’s the number three cause of death behind diseases of the heart and cancer. On average, every four minutes someone dies of stroke."

The ASA continues, "About 40% of stroke...Read More »

You may as well call the number of high blood pressure cases in the United States an epidemic. I mean, when one out of three adults in this country has high blood pressure, the numbers are staggering.

High blood pressure is serious business. It can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and other health problems.

One of the problems with high blood pressure is that you can have it for years without knowing it, since there are no symptoms.

The National Heart Lung... Read More »

The great diabetes epidemic gathers more notoriety with each passing day!

A recent study published in the journal The Lancet says that the number of worldwide diabetes cases in adults has more than doubled in the past three decades to 347 million, a much higher number than previous estimates (more recent stats put the number even higher), which had placed the number at a much lower 285 million.

An international research team, working in collaboration with the World Health Organization(WHO),...Read More »

Mothers-to-be are understandably concerned with creating the healthiest environment possible for their unborn infants. They want the gestational period to go smoothly, resulting in the birth of a healthy child, right on schedule.

But that’s not always the result. According to the March of Dimes organization, in the United States "about 12.8% of babies (more than half a million a year) are born prematurely." And things aren’t getting any better. In fact, the March of Dimes reports that "the rate...Read More »

Statistics state that cardiovascular diseases are the world's largest killers, claiming 18 million lives a year. An estimated 81,100,000 American adults (more than one in three) have one or more types of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Of these adults, 38,100,000 are estimated to be age 60 or older.

Furthermore, statistics from the last decade show that the average annual rates of first major cardiovascular events rise from three per 1,000 men at ages 35-44 to 74 per 1,000 men at ages 85-94....Read More »