HealthDuties

There are two types of risk factors for heart disease: fixed and modifiable.

Fixed factors cannot be modified or corrected. They include age, gender and family history. This may be due to genetic factors or the effect of a shared environment (similar diet, smoking habits, etc.).

Modifiable factors are those that can be changed. They include bad habits such as smoke. Tobacco is considered the most important avoidable cause of coronary artery disease. Another modifiable factors is high blood pressure (or hypertension). The incidence of CAB increases as blood pressure rises.

More modifiable factors for heart disease include:

• Physical Activity: Regular exercise (brisk walking, cycling, swimming for 20 minutes two or three times a week) has shown to have a protective effect
• Obesity: Usually associated with other factors like hypertension, diabetes and physical inactivity.
• Alcohol: Heavy drinking is associated with hypertension and other cardiac conditions.

For birth control, men have everal methods available. These include both temporary and permanent methods to prevent pregnancy.

There are conventional methods like condoms. These methods aim at preventing the direct contact of the sperms with meeting the ovum (egg), thus preventing pregnancy. These are easy to use, are a cheaper method than others and also prevent the transmission of STDs.

Other methods include vasectomy and drugs which inhibit spermatogenesis.

The concept of male enhancement is becoming more and more mainstream with each passing year. What was once a taboo subject amongst older men has become the topic of television commercials, newspaper articles and even race car sponsorships.

With this increased popularity and acceptance surrounding male enhancement, the demand for products such as penis enlargement pills and penis extenders continues to grow (no pun intended). The sheer amount of these products on the market today can be quite overwhelming so it’s best to do your due diligence before making a decision.

Even with the decline in controversy over male enhancement there are still many men out there who are too embarrassed to discuss it with their doctors or spouses. Luckily, thanks to the Internet, there is a lot of information available for you to take in on your own without having to be embarrassed in front of others.

Male enhancement can be a difficult subject to tackle but it is important to try and get over that hurdle if it means improving your self-confidence. If you’re considering purchasing a male enhancement product, or are just curious about what they have to offer, set aside some free time to do a little research online so you’re well prepared and knowledgeable about the products available for you on the market today.

There are no symptoms of HIV infection in most people. Some might experience Acute HIV Syndrome 3-6 weeks after exposure. These flu-like symptoms include fever, headache, nausea, tiredness, diarrhea and enlarged lymph nodes.

It takes approximately 6 weeks for production of antibodies for the standard HIV antibody test results to be considered accurate. The ELIZA test is an HIV antibody test that is very sensitive. The Western Blot is a HIV-specific confirmation test done with ELIZA sometimes. Results take 5-10 days. The OraSure test is a combination of the ELIZA and western blotting tests done on oral swab. A Rapid Test/OraQuick is a pinprick test where preliminary results are available in 30 minutes.

Treating HIV can be done with Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Therapy (HAART): Entry Inhibitors, Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (Nucleoside, Non-Nucleoside, Nucleotide), and Protease Inhibitors.

AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) is caused by the virus HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus). AIDS is characterized by destruction of T-helper cells or CD4 lymphocytes by the virus resulting in increasing suppression of the immune system giving way to various opportunistic infections which might be fatal. An HIV positive person can live up to 8-10 years before developing AIDS.

Modes of transfer:

• Through body fluids: semen, vaginal fluids, blood and breast milk
• Unsafe use of needles
• From infected mother to child (before or during parturition or by breast milk)
• Unsterilized equipment used in hospitals

Metabolic Syndrome can usually be diagnosed using the following factors: waist circumference, triglyceride levels, decrease in HDL levels, blood pressure and/or fasting glucose level.

There are a handful of things you can do to manage Metabolic Syndrome:

• Aggressive lifestyle changes
• Medication to decrease blood pressure, cholesterol or lose weight.
• Aspirin therapy to decrease risk of heart attack and stroke.
• Increase in physical activity; exercising (e.g. 30 to 60 minutes brisk walking each day).
• Lose weight
• Quit smoking
• Healthy balanced diet including fiber-rich foods and having lots of fruits and vegetables. Eating white meat or fish not red meat. Do not have fast foods or deep-fried foods. Keep use of table salt to a minimum.

Metabolic Syndrome, or Syndrome X, is made up of a variety of signs and symptoms. The presence of one or more of which increases the patient’s risk of having a serious diseases like coronary heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease or diabetes.

Some of the more common signs and symptoms of Metabolic Syndrome include: obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal lipid profile (low HDL levels, high triglycerides), inability of the body to use insulin or blood sugar properly (i.e. glucose intolerance or insulin resistance), high levels of C-reactive protein in the blood, elevated blood levels of fibrinogen or plasminogen activator inhibitor.

There are a handful of risk factors that could lead to Metabolic Syndrome:

• Obesity BMI25; abdominal obesity; apple shaped body
• Race (Asians and Hispanics in particular)
• Age
• Family history of diabetes or gestational diabetes
• Hormonal imbalance
• Physical inactivity

A diet rich in cholesterol or saturated fat tends to raise blood cholesterol (LDL). A diet which is rich in carbohydrates, or excessive alcohol intake, may result in increased levels of VLDL (very low density lipoprotein).

For treating hypercholesterolemia, secondary causes need to be taken care of. Diabetes should be treated. In hypothyroidism, the cholesterol levels are automatically reduced when hypothyroidism is treated.

Patients with high cholesterol should be given a fat-modified diet. Thereafter, drug therapy may be started.