Big Red Tour

Almost 2.7 million Americans have been afflicted with epilepsy. That means 9 out of every 1000 Americans have the disorder.

Although statistics show that more men are afflicted with epilepsy than women, everybody is susceptible to having epilepsy. It can happen to any body, of any race and at any age. However, people with certain conditions are at greater risk of acquiring epilepsy.

It can be remembered that in the twentieth century, some states in America banned people from marrying for fear of passing on the disease to their children. Some even had to go through sterilization to prevent reproduction. This is due to the widespread belief that epilepsy is 100 per cent hereditary. This practice only stopped with the passage of the Disabilities Act.

And yet, although epilepsy is not necessarily inherited, the family members of a person with epilepsy have a higher risk of developing the disease. The siblings of a child with epilepsy, for example, are more likely to develop the disorder. This is not because epilepsy is contagious but is due to the likelihood of a genetic tendency to develop epilepsy. More so, epilepsy is more likely to occur in siblings of the child who suffers from generalized seizures. In fact about 4 to 10 per cent of the other children in the family will develop epilepsy. But this still depends on the type of epilepsy and the number of afflicted family members.

In addition, children of parents with epilepsy are also at a greater risk of developing epilepsy, pegged at 5 per cent. The risk for children whose father has epilepsy is slightly higher than children whose mother has the disorder. However, the risk is even higher if both parents have epilepsy. Although genetics is a risk factor in developing epilepsy, the risk is relatively low and should not be a cause of great alarm. In addition, even if the children develop the disorder, most of them will definitely outgrow epilepsy by the time they become adults. The advances in modern medicine make it possible to control seizures.

Age is another factor in the development of epilepsy. Although the disorder can strike at any age, children and teenagers are more susceptible. In fact, almost 50 per cent of all cases of epilepsy occur before ten years of age while 30 per cent of the cases are those with ages 10-19. The remaining 13 per cent are people aged 20-29 while ten per cent are those aged 30 and above. Although children have a higher risk of developing the disorder, they tend to experience a reduction in frequency and intensity of the seizures as they grow into adulthood. Some even outgrew the disorder completely.

In addition to the genetic and age factors, people with certain conditions pose a greater risk of developing epilepsy. Studies confirm that up to 5 per cent of the world’s total population may experience a single seizure at one point in their lives. Half of seizure cases without a clear cause are more likely to suffer a second seizure within a span of six months. Having two of such seizures, there is 80 per cent chance that it is epilepsy. Although the exact cause of epilepsy cannot be pinpointed, there are known factors that double the chances of developing epilepsy. Such risk factors include the following:

Babies who experience seizures during their first month
Babies with inborn abnormal brain structures
Babies who are too small for their gestational age
Brain hemorrhage or internal bleeding
Abnormal or unstable Blood vessels in the brain
Brain injuries
Lack of oxygen to the brain
Cerebral Palsy
Brain infections such as abscess, encephalitis and meningitis
Brain tumors
Mental illness
Stroke due to the blockage of Arteries
Early posttraumatic seizures
Degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s disease
Drug abuse
Fever-related seizures

Even though finding out the cause of epilepsy is nearly impossible, the best thing one can do is to avoid the so-called seizure triggers such as intoxication, nutritional deficiencies, over-the-counter drugs that decrease the effectiveness of seizure medicines, severe stress, lack of sleep, drug abuse and missed medications.

Gaetane Ross
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/who-is-at-risk-for-epilepsy–162043.html

Dark chocolate is certainly not the first food that would come to mind when considering “Healthy”. However, evidence is mounting that the extremely high concentrations of Heart Healthy antioxidants found on the cocoa bean may well provide a much needed antioxidant boost to supplement our body’s defensive barriers.

An antioxidant is a molecule that is capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation process in other molecules.

Oxidation is a chemical process in which an electron is attracted from a stable substance and moves to an unrelated oxidizing agent. Oxidation reactions can be caused by “free radical” molecules, which by themselves, can cause harmful chain reactions that will damage otherwise healthy cells.

Healthy dark chocolate is an excellent source for providing your system with high concentrations of antioxidants, which can neutralize and thus limit the damaging effects of free radical molecules in your body

Let’s take a look at this cell damaging villain … the “Free Radical”.

Free radicals are not the result of disease or injury. They are created naturally in our bodies as the result certain chemical reactions, such as generating energy to feed our cells during physical exertion. They can also be imported into your system through cigarette smoke and other airborne pollutants.

Free radicals are chemically imbalanced, missing one or more electrons and thus having a ‘positive’ charge.

These radical molecules will seek to balance their charge, and will attract or ‘steal’ electrons from other molecules, including the molecules that make up your body’s DNA and the mitochondria in your cells.

The mitochondria creates the energy necessary to sustain the life of the cells. Damaged mitochondria are weak and have lower energy and less resistance to disease.

The DNA structure in each of your body’s cells carries the blueprint necessary for cellular reproduction and duplication.

When the DNA is altered as a result of the free radical, the new cells that are created are imperfect and possibly malignant with the potential to form tumors or cancers.

Free Radicals are linked as a significant cause of most degenerative diseases, including heart disease, premature aging, diabetes, high blood pressure, and the creation of cancer cells and tumors.

Enter Antioxidants! Antioxidants are molecules that have available one or more FREE electrons. They therefore have a “negative” charge, and attract wandering, positively charged Free Radical, rendering them neutral and removing the threat to healthy cells. This free radical is now chemically balanced, and is no longer a threat to ‘steal’ electrons from your body’s healthy cells.

So, having established the vital importance of having free radical neutralizing antioxidant molecules in your body … where do they come from?

The human body is an amazing organism. Much of what our body requires to sustain life can be generated from within. This is somewhat true for antioxidants; however, dietary supplementation is also required.

Vitamin C is a good example. Unlike most other animals, vitamin C is NOT created within the human body and must be acquired through diet.

Most people are well aware of the importance of a consistent source of vitamin C in their diet. Vitamin C is a monosaccharide antioxidant, and proper levels must be maintained either through diet or supplementation in order to maintain a healthy body.

So, what is the relationship between healthy dark chocolate and antioxidants?

Scientists have known for years that cocoa contains significantly high levels of antioxidants.

According to research cited in The New York Times, fresh cocoa beans are super-rich in the type of flavonoid called flavanols, which are very strong antioxidants. All 3 known flavanols are found in the cocoa bean at an amazing 10% antioxidant concentration level.

Another research study conducted by researchers of the Department of Food Science and Technology at Cornell University showed that flavanols in cocoa make blood platelets less likely to stick together and cause Blood clots. They also prevented fatty substances in the blood stream from sticking together and clogging Arteries.

So, simply eat chocolate and gain these healthy benefits? Well, it is not nearly that simple. Any product resulting from the processing of the cocoa bean can be called chocolate; however, very few of these products would realistically qualify for a clinical definition of being ‘healthy’.

An understanding of how the cocoa beans are processed and the type and quantity of additives in order to create a specific chocolate product is essential for determining potential health benefits.

The multitude of Health benefits certainly appears to justify doing some research and identifying a source for antioxidant rich, Healthy Dark Chocolate.

Timothy Prahl
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/healthy-dark-chocolate-and-antioxidants-give-your-body-a-boost-506811.html

Over the last few years, green tea has garnered much attention for the possibility that it has many health benefits. Green tea has been used in Asian cultures for centuries to prevent and treat all sorts of diseases. This, coupled with the lower incidence of many serious diseases in Asian cultures, has led researchers to seriously study the health benefits of green tea.

One of the areas where green tea may have real health benefits is in preventing and treating heart disease. For example, Japanese men have one of the lowest incidences of heart disease in the world, and the Japanese are some of the most faithful drinkers of green tea; often consuming 8-10 cups per day. This information is even more compelling when you consider that nearly 75% of Japanese men smoke.

Green tea has been shown to be effective in lowering LDL cholesterol. In addition, it inhibits the formation of abnormal blood clots. Blood clots, or thrombosis, are the leading cause of heart attacks and strokes. You may find doctors beginning to prescribe green tea in addition to exercise, dietary changes and medications for lowering cholesterol.

In addition to its ability to lower cholesterol and inhibit blood clots, it also appears that the polyphenols in tea prevent the oxidation of low density lipoproteins (ldls). This is the substance that causes arterial plaque. This plaque sticks to your arteries, restricting blood flow to your heart (artherosclerosis). The plaque can also cause blood clots to form. Drinking green tea seems to prevent the buildup and reduce the risk of getting blood clots, too.

There have been a number of studies that have supported the idea that green tea is healthy for the heart. A study from the Center for Preventive Medicine at Kyushu University in Japan showed that among 302 men and 210 women, there was a significant difference in the level of atherosclerosis between the male participants who drank green tea and those who did not.*

The difference was not significant in women. The difference was noticeable in participants who drank as little as 2-3 cups per day, but was even more noticeable in those who drank 4 or more cups per day. This study concluded that green tea may be effective at preventing atherosclerosis, at least in men.

In addition to its preventive properties, there is also evidence that green tea may help patients who already have heart disease. A study from Harvard Medical School showed that tea drinkers among heart attack patients might survive longer than those who drink something else.

In this study, participants who drank at least 14 cups of tea per week were 44 percent less likely to die than those who didn’t drink tea; moderate tea drinkers (those who consumed fewer than 14 cups per week) were 28 percent less likely to die for up to four years after than those who didn’t drink tea.

Even the Journal of the American Heart Association has come on board. In 2001, they reported that consumption of green tea is likely to be beneficial to patients with heart disease. And, the Journal of Nutrition reported in 2003 that green tea was known to protect against heart disease and lower cholesterol.

Of course, the research will continue, and we will learn more about the benefits of green tea for heart disease and other health issues. One thing seems for sure; green tea does have healthy benefits, primarily due to its powerful anti-oxidants.

Anti-oxidants are one of our bodies’ best defense mechanisms because they fight free radicals that are created during the process of converting the food we eat into energy. Left unchecked, free radicals damage our cells and DNA. The cell and DNA damage caused by free radicals cause us to age more quickly, weaken our immune system and make us more susceptible to a host of serious diseases, including cancer.

But, anti-oxidants combat these free radicals, ridding our bodies of them.

Fruits and vegetables, as well as green tea are good anti-oxidant sources, and can help us fight free radicals regularly if we make them a part of our daily life.

It’s important to ensure that if you’re drinking tea for your health that it is green tea rather than traditional black tea. While black tea is a healthy beverage, it is not as healthy as green tea. This is because black tea goes through a fermentation process that changes the anti-oxidants from their original state. When this happens, some of the health benefits are lost.

So, drink up. Though there is more research to be done it does seem certain that drinking green tea is good for you. With just a few cups of this delicious beverage each day, you may be extending your life and making it healthier, too!

Marcus Stout
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/can-green-tea-prevent-clogged-Arteries-74025.html

Most people that think of diabetes complications have strokes and heart attacks in mind. Do you know that there are multiple other diabetes complications out there that only doctors know about? Let’s change that and bring everyone up to date. Eye complications, foot complications, nerve complications and many more.

Eye Complications

Although damage to the eyes is the most feared complication, it is actually the most manageable. Generally, the disorders are very minor and there are a number of procedures available to treat them. Those who do not properly maintain their diabetes can face blindness when the tiny blood vessels attached to the retina are damaged. Cataracts (a clouding of the lens of the eye) and glaucoma (a buildup of pressure in the eye) can also be a cause of vision loss and the reason for having your eyes checked regularly by a professional is a part of good diabetes maintenance.

Foot Complications

Diabetics also run the risk of neuropathy, a condition that causes a person to lose feeling in their feet. Neuropathy takes away a person’s ability to feel pain or discomfort, meaning any signals of injury will be unheeded leading to further injury. On top of that, poor circulation in the feet reduces the ability to heal. Diabetics often face changes in their feet or toes leading to further problems. Diabetics are more likely to find themselves in the hospital due to foot problems than any other complications linked to diabetes.

Diabetes and Nerve Damage

Those with diabetes can develop nerve damage and when it occurs; it is likely due to a number of factors instead of just one. High blood glucose levels as well as low insulin levels, and irregular blood fat levels mixed with the duration of having diabetes all have a hand in damaging the nerves of the body.

Nerves in the bladder, genitals or intestinal tract can also become damaged. This is called autonomic neuropathy. Damage to these nerves can disrupt their function, making them work less efficiently. This is why diabetics often have trouble with their urinary tract or with maintaining an erection.

Kidney complications

Diabetes alone is the most prevalent cause of kidney failure and those with the disease often have to face this complication. Diabetes patients are likely to suffer frequent kidney and bladder infections. Thanks to the high levels of sugar in the Blood, the kidneys work overtime filtering blood to get rid of waste. Although it can take years, the filters in the kidneys will eventually begin to leak. Kidneys with injured blood vessels just cannot properly cleanse the blood any longer. Waters and salts build up in the body, resulting in bloating and swelling.

Skin Complications

Those with diabetes can suffer from skin afflictions such as:

Pieter De Wet
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-diabetes-complications-that-attack-the-little-Arteries-94603.html

Extensive research in experimental animals has been able to demonstrate how lipids (fat deposits) can leave the bloodstream and enter the artery wall within 24 hours. The atherosclerosis produced in these animals becomes indistinguishable from the atherosclerosis seen in human arteries. What is known and what is important is that there is a definite ratio or relation between the amount of fats in the blood stream and in the artery wall, and this is surprisingly predictable in most cases. Also, the relationship of the fats in the artery wall itself is very close to that in the bloodstream. This direct relationship between the two seems to be in fairly constant balance.

The artery wall consists of three different layers. If the reader can picture a garden hose as representing the artery, it presents an innermost layer called the intima, a middle layer called the media, and an outer layer called the serosa.

The fats circulating in the blood stream are of course closest to the innermost layer of the artery, with which they are in direct contact. When conditions are right for atherosclerosis, the fats attach themselves and enter the inner or intima layer of the artery. A kind of wart or excrescence on the artery is then formed, called a plaque of lat. When the plaque grows larger, it encroaches upon the passageway of the artery. As it grows larger and larger, it may finally block or obstruct it partly or completely. When this clogging or obstruction of the artery takes place in the vital coronary arteries of the heart, then a coronary thrombosis or heart attack assails the victim. If the blockage from these fatty or atheromatous plaques occurs in the brain, then a stroke strikes down the victim.

However, if the artery is only partly blocked by this accumulation of fatty plaques, then the vital organs supplied by the Arteries suffer from a lack of the necessary amount of blood and nutriments contained in it to sustain normal function and health.

Along with the fatty deposits of cholesterol, fatty acids, neutral fats, etc., which make up these atheromatous plaques, calcium and other minerals are also deposited. These make the artery feel hard, giving rise to the term commonly in use – “hardening of the arteries.” Actually we see a softening of the arteries which takes place first because of these fatty deposits.

It is often noticed in many individuals that this free fat will be floating in the blood stream for hours after a meal containing fat has been eaten. The blood is then called lipemic, which means loaded with fats. When these fats are easily visible to the naked eye, scientists speak of such neutral fats as chylo-microns. These fats in the blood are regarded by many scientists to be as dangerous as is cholesterol, in entering the artery wall.

A great proportion of these fats in the blood are combined with proteins, called lipoproteins, which also have been the subject of research by many investigators. Scientists have only recently discovered by new tools of investigation that in these lipoproteins two separate portions can be measured: the alpha and the beta-lipoproteins. The first have been shown to be protective against the development of atherosclerosis. They are found predominating in infants, children, and young women who have no evidence of atherosclerosis.

On the other hand, the beta-lipoproteins have been found universally in excessive amounts in most cases of active athero-sclerosis and so are called atherosclerosis producers or “atherogenic.” The protective alpha-lipoproteins are spoken of as “anti-atherogenic.”

The problem of preventing atherosclerosis and its human ravages is the search for ways of increasing the protective alpha-lipoproteins. There are protective substances, such as lecithin, that can be used against the development of atherosclerosis.

One of the greatest factors influential in the current epidemic of heart attacks has unquestionably been the startling increase in fat intake. In the United States alone, the fat content of our diet has just about doubled in recent times. Where fat formerly constituted some 15 to 20 per cent of our meals 50 years ago, it now has jumped to 30 and 40 per cent or more.

Jimmy Cox
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/how-fats-damage-or-destroy-your-arteries-134404.html

From the Left and Right Common Iliac Arteries and Veins, it branches into the Left and Right External Iliac Arteries and Veins, and the Left and Right Internal Iliac Arteries and Veins. The External Iliac Arteries and Veins Continue down the legs to become the Femoral Arteries and Veins, but what do the Internal Iliac Arteries and Veins connect to? There must be blood flow to the urinary bladder, female reproductive system, and anus, but does it come from the internal iliac arteries and veins?

Yes. The Internal Iliac Arteries and Veins supply the female reproductive organs.

From the Internal Iliac Arteries and Veins the following branch off:
1. Iliolumbar Artery: the psoas muscles (a.k.a. tenderloin muscles)
2. Lateral Sacral Artery: the lower back
3. Superior Gluteal Artery: the upper part of buttocks
4. Obturator Artery: inner thighs
5. Umbilical Artery: bladder
6. Uterine Artery: uterus
7. Vaginal Artery: vagina (=Prostatic Artery in males)
8. Inferior Vesical Artery: neck of bladder
9. Middle rectal Artery: rectum
10. Internal Pudendal Artery: external genitals