Battling Heart and Stroke

As the year comes to a close, reports from health authorities and advocacy groups are slowly coming. The American Heart Association’s Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics 2009 Update has just been released - with data from 2005 to 2006. The report gives some good and not-so-good news. On the one hand, US mortalities due to heart disease and stroke are down On the other hand, the risk factors for cardiovascular disease are still on the rise.

Some figures to think about: More →

If you are female and have a waistline circumference measuring 35 inches (about 89 cm), then you are advised to have a detailed risk assessment of your cardiovascular health. This is according to Dr. Erin Michos, a cardiologist of Johns Hopkins Medicine.

This statement was based on a US-wide study which screened 8,936 women aged 35 to 63 years old for risk factors of heart disease. For the risk assessment, the women from 14 cities underwent physical check-ups and filled out a health questionnaire. The results of the screening were as follows: More →

It can be found in abundance in nature. It’s available in most inhabited places in the world the whole year round. And best of all, it’s for free.

I am referring to vitamin D, the “sunshine vitamin.” Vitamin D is an essential vitamin that can only be synthesized by the body when skin is exposed to the sun.

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