High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is actually a fairly modern illness; 100 years ago, it, like most chronic heart conditions, barely existed. That’s because few people were overweight, and most got plenty of physical activity and ate diets that were relatively healthy, with few processed foods. The way you live is the greatest contributor to your risk of developing high blood pressure. You don’t get high blood pressure from viruses or bacteria. You get it from the way you live. Although researchers aren’t sure of the exact physiological mechanism that increases blood pressure, they certainly know the triggers. Stated simply, the way you live is the greatest contributor to your risk of developing high blood pressure. Among the things that increase your risk of hypertension: • Being overweight • Heavy alcohol consumption • A high-sodium diet • Use of oral contraceptives • A sedentary lifestyle • High levels of anxiety and stress What’s noteworthy is that all of these factors are within your control. While medications exist to deal with the physiology of high blood pressure, the way you eat, move, and deal with the day-to-day stresses of life has the greatest impact on achieving healthy blood pressure.

Reasons for Diabetes

Diabetes is a chronic and debilitating disease marked by high levels of blood sugar. There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 and Type 2. Type 1 diabetes usually affects children and young adults, while Type 2 affects adults mostly and accounts for about 90 to 95 percent of all diagnosed cases. In addition to sugar overload, other factors associated with diabetes include insulin deficiency, genetics, age, ethnicity, diet, physical inactivity, obesity and pregnancy. Sugar Overload and Insulin Deficiency Blood sugar overload due to deficiencies in insulin activity is the primary cause of diabetes. The beta-cells of the pancreas produce the hormone insulin in response to detected increases in blood glucose. The hormone controls how the human body uses sugar for energy. The disease prevents cells in the body from getting adequate energy to function properly. Insulin deficiency is usually due to inadequate production and secretion of the hormone by pancreatic beta cells, or resistance to the actions of insulin in the liver, muscles and fat. Family History and Ethnicity Diabetes is typically associated with family history. According to the American Diabetes Association, a person with a family history of diabetes is more likely to develop the condition than someone without a family history of the disease. Diabetes runs in families partly due to the effect of inherited genes and partly due to the tendency of children learning the bad habits of physical inactivity and poor diet from their parents. Diabetes hardly affects a person who has no diabetes in his immediate family or someone who constantly eats a healthy diet. It is now well-recognized that diabetes affects more African Americans, Hispanic/Latino Americans, Native Americans, Pacific Islanders and Asian-Americans, when compared with white Americans. Other Risk Factors Other risk factors for diabetes include age, diet, sedentary lifestyle, obesity and pregnancy. The chance of developing diabetes increases as people age. The majority of Americans diagnosed with diabetes are older than 60. The aging process, combined with poor diet and lack of physical activity, are huge contributors to the disease. Many people are overfed, undernourished and do not exercise regularly. The diabetes epidemic among Americans is linked to the rising obesity epidemic in the general population. Both epidemics are due to sedentary lifestyles coupled with unhealthy diets, especially the consumption of fast foods and restaurant menus loaded with high calories from carbohydrates, fats and sugar. As body weight increases, so does the chance for diabetes. Diabetes rarely affects people who are physically active, who eat healthy diet and who maintain normal weight, according to the National Institute on Aging and the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse reports. Some women develop diabetes during pregnancy. This form of diabetes is called gestational diabetes. It occurs more frequently among African Americans, American Indians, Hispanic or Latino Americans who are overweight and those with a family history of diabetes. According to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse, women diagnosed with gestational diabetes have a 40 to 60 percent chance of developing full-blown diabetes later in life. References • American Diabetes Association • National Diabetes Education Program • National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse • National Institute on Aging Photo Credit sucre en morceaux image by monregard from Fotolia.com About this Author Paul Mgbonyebi is a stress biologist and research scientist with a Ph.D. in physiology and extensive experience in scientific communications and medical publications. He is skillful in writing for both lay and medical audiences. Mgbonyebi’s expertise includes oncology, endocrinology, metabolic diseases, complimentary and alternative medicine, nutrition and immunology.

Transcendental Meditation Enables You to Live Longer and Healthier

Transcendental Meditation is an anti-aging medicine. It is a true and tested anti-aging technique now known to reduce the biological age of those who practice it regularly. The practice of meditation also slows down the natural aging process of the human body. This ancient practice can prevent diseases, heal several illnesses and conditions, and prolong life. Meditation has proven to be effective as an anti-aging medicine. All human beings, males and females can turn back the aging clock; remain young and beautiful without taking drugs and hormones or indulging in cosmetic surgery. Studies on the physiology of aging have shown that the functions of the nervous, endocrine, cardiopulmonary, and musculoskeletal systems decline and undergo wear and tear as we grow older. According to scientists, the main reason many body functions deteriorate as we get older is due to decrease in the production and secretion of vital hormones by the endocrine system. For instance, the production of growth hormone, which keeps the body energetic, sustains youthful vigor and repair muscle tissues begins to decline around the age of 30. Moreover, there is also a decline in the production and secretion of the sleep hormone, melatonin, as we age due to deterioration of the pineal gland. Sleep disorders that occurs in the aging population is mostly due to decrease in blood level of melatonin. The blood level of the steroid hormone, dehydroepiandrosterone, commonly known as DHEA, also decreases considerably with age. DHEA belongs to the same family of steroid hormones with testosterone, progesterone, and estrogen. Produced naturally in the body from cholesterol and secreted mostly by the adrenal glands and the gonads, DHEA serves as a starting compound for the production of sex hormones such as estrogen, testosterone, and progesterone. DHEA also enhances immune function, helps maintain good moods, improves overall well-being, and sexual function in both males and females. It is important to know that DHEA induces a high level of energy and maintains normal sex drive. Furthermore, the steroid hormone prevents accelerated aging, protects the body against age-related disorders including the loss of muscle mass, sleep disturbance, fatigue and memory loss, protects the body against stress, and the ravages of the unwanted actions the stress hormone, cortisol. Some of the factors that involved in the aging process can also affect the health of young men and women and reduce their quality of life. Although many of the health problems associated with the decline of endocrine functions such as low energy, decreased sex drive, poor muscle tone, poor immunity, depression, insomnia, obesity, and impaired cognitive functions are more prevalent in the elderly population, they are also common among young people. Presently depression and obesity are their highest levels in the history of humankind among our youths. Here is the welcoming news. Meditation can postpone and decrease the ravages caused by the aging process and can induce youthful vigor and vitality to all individuals at any age. It also lowers the secretion of stress hormone. Because it induces and activates the natural anti-aging healing forces within the human body, meditation is a natural anti-aging medicine. It easy to practice and does not cost a dime. Unlike pharmaceutical drugs, medications, and hormonal supplements, meditation is mostly free dangerous side effects. Medical meditation directly rejuvenates many endocrine glands, including, the gonads, the adrenals, the thyroid, the thymus, the pituitary, the pineal, and the hypothalamus. Thus, meditation can more or less be seen as an endocrine exercise to normalize the production and secretion of hormones at any age. Above all, medical meditation is the is a very effective method for coping with stress and for combating most ailments associated with the stress of and the aging process such as Alzheimer’s diseases, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and stroke. Scientific research has shown that people who practiced meditation constantly for five years are 12 years physiologically younger than their non-meditating counterparts. Evidence from well-conducted research studies has also shown that on overage, elderly individuals who meditate live longer than those who do not practice meditation. Meditation is the most potent anti-aging therapy that is readily available to all and sundry. Medical meditation promotes longevity because it stimulates the cardiovascular system, brings balance to the endocrine system, and strengthens the nervous system. By inducing tranquility in the whole body, medical meditation calms the nerves and changes the entire profile of brain chemicals and hormones. Since it does not cost a penny to meditate daily, the dividend derived from meditation is worth the time and effort. If it was good for Jesus to meditate daily, I sincerely believe that the practice of meditation can be helpful to all human beings created in the image and likeness of God. Meditation and Longevity In addition to reversing age-related declines, realization of higher consciousness through meditation extends human life. It is now well-established that all forms of meditation play beneficial role in mental fitness and brain aging. According to scientists, deep meditation enhances mental agility, preserves cognition, and prevents dementia. In addition to the reduction of stress-induced production and secretion of cortisol, meditation is believed to elevate the levels of some brain proteins not yet identified. Furthermore, meditation enhances longevity and optimal mental health by preventing age-related degeneration of brain cells and by decreasing the impact of oxidative stress and cellular aging of the brain. Recent evidence from cognitive, electroencephalographic (EEG), and neuro-imaging studies support the idea that meditation protects the brain from damage and decline, and enhances the longevity of the brain and human life. There is no doubt whatsoever that meditation improves the physical well-being as well the health-span and life-span of its practitioners.

Reduce Your Stress with Transcendental Meditation

Meditation was originally meant to help achieve higher consciousness and deepen understanding of the mystical forces of life in ancient times; however, the practice is now commonly used for stress reduction and relaxation. Medical meditation is a very effective technique for stress relief. Scientific evidence has shown that meditation can remove a day’s stress by bringing tranquility, inner peace, and harmony of the body, mind and spirit.

The meditative experience has a direct impact on physiological pathways that are involved in stress response. By inducing the “relaxation response” meditation reduces the stress level encountered by the body and decreases the levels of the major stress hormone called cortisol, a steroid hormone produced by two small glands located adjacent to the kidneys known as adrenal glands. This hormone is released by the body in response to stress during agitated, abnormal, and stressed states of the mind and body. In addition to being a biological marker of stress levels cortisol is very necessary for the metabolic functions of the body. The important functions of cortisol in the body include the regulation of blood pressure and cardiovascular functions, as well as the metabolic regulation of the body's use of nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins, and fats) for energy. Secretion of cortisol into the blood increases in response to any stressful condition in the body such as temperature extremes, danger, sleeplessness, loss of love, death in the family, divorce, illness, trauma, surgery, and even successful events, results in the breakdown of muscle protein into smaller particles called amino acids, which are released into the bloodstream. The liver then converts amino acids into glucose for energy. This process raises the blood sugar level and provides more energy for the whole body; especially the brain. Cortisol also induces the release of fatty acids from fat cells which provides energy for the muscles. All together, energy provided and mobilized by the functions of cortisol enable the human body to deal with stressors and prevents total breakdown of the human system.

Meditation and the Hypothalami-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis
The HPA axis is the major physiological pathway for stress response. The body has a built-in mechanism for controlling and regulating the production and release of cortisol into the bloodstream during periods of stress. First, the hypothalamus of the brain produces and secretes corticotrophin releasing (CRH) which signals the pituitary gland, a small ductless gland at the base of the brain, to produce and release adrenocorticotrophin hormone (ACTH), which consequently signals the adrenal glands to produce and release the stress hormone, cortisol. Immediately after a stressful event, the levels of CRH and ACTH increase, accompanied by an immediate rise in blood cortisol levels. When cortisol level in the blood is sufficient, a negative feedback mechanism alerts the hypothalamus and the pituitary to reduce the output of ACTH and CRH, respectively in order to reduce cortisol secretion. Abnormal blood levels of cortisol may lead to ill-health, various physical symptoms, and ailments. The good news from scientific research is that meditation decreases cortisol blood level.

Chronic Stress and Your Vibration

Stress alters the natural frequency of your vibration. Chronic Stress weakens the human aura consequently leading to reduction of energy flowing into organs, tissues, and cells in the body. Stressful events in life, such as the loss of a loved one, divorce, loss of employment or failure in some life endeavors, alters the natural frequency of your vibration, blocks or disrupts energy flow in your body and makes you vulnerable to various disorders and diseases. The frequency at which you constantly vibrate is the embodiment of your whole being. It determines how you think, what you think about, how you talk, what you talk about, what you do on a daily basis, and how you do what you do. Stressful life events can decrease the frequency of your vibration and change your thoughts and actions. For example, vile, bad, ignorant, evil, angry, wicked, jealous, envious, unhappy, unhealthy, depressed, and violent individuals vibrate at a lower frequency than loving, peaceful, good, enlightened, and happy individuals. When you raise your own vibration to a higher level, your body, mind, and spirit will begin to resonate at a higher frequency and you will begin to realize your connection with God, the source of all knowledge, wisdom, and power. Raising your vibration has the benefit of supplying you with the inspiration, intuition, and extra-ordinary power to accomplish things that were seemingly impossible to accomplish. Thus, a higher vibration brings you closer to fulfilling your mission and goals in life. How then do you raise your vibration to maintain a good health and improve your general well-being? There are several simple ways and means of raising your vibration for health purposes without spending a lot of money. First and foremost develop a strategy for coping with stress which will always be in your life. Effective stress management will go a long way in raising the vibration of your being to its natural frequency. Tried and tested methods for dealing with stress include positive and creative thinking, constant prayer and meditation, purifying your body, mind, and spirit, practicing compassion in your daily life, loving God with all your heart, mind, and strength, loving your neighbors as you love yourself, reading inspirational books and journals, and listening to good and inspirational music. It is an established fact in life that you get what your mind and heart desire and expect. Fill your heart and mind with thoughts of love, peace, harmony, health, and kindliness. Refresh your memories with previous events and incidents that previously brought joy and happiness to your heart and dwell on those things. Think of the things that inspires you to new heights. When you think positively and creatively, your mind will be filled with thoughts that are not stressful; things that are conducive to growth, good health, happiness, and prosperity. Thus, a positive mind anticipates the good instead of the evil, joy instead of sadness, forgiveness instead of revenge, peace instead of violence, and success of failure. Negative thoughts, words and attitudes are stressful. They bring up negative and unhappy moods and actions. When the mind is negative, poisons are released into the blood, which cause more stress, unhappiness and negativity. This is the way to failure, frustration, disappointment and poor health. Positive thinking brings inner peace, success, improved relationships, better health, happiness and satisfaction. It also helps the daily affairs of life move more smoothly, and makes life look bright promising, and less stressful. Positive thinking is beneficial to your health and general well-being. Positive thoughts elevate your vibrational frequency, whereas, negative thoughts lower it. For example when you harbor thoughts of love, peace, harmony, happiness, joy, purity, health, and good will towards the world and others, your vibration energy shoots high and you will feel good about yourself. However, when you harbor impure thoughts full of hate, anger, revenge, sadness, the frequency of your vibration takes a dive and you will feel bad, depressed, unhappy, despondent, and unhealthy. In essence, the way you think and what you think about determines your rate of vibration, which controls your physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual state of being. When you think positively, the frequency of your vibration increases, your attitude becomes more positive, you feel good about yourself, your whole being becomes radiant, your eyes sparkle, you walk tall, you become more energetic and less stressful, your voice becomes more powerful when you speak, and your body language communicates a message of hope, confidence, goodwill, success, and happiness. Instead of being depressed because of stress, you will remain upbeat most of your life because you are vibrating at your normal and natural frequency.

Chronic Stress and Radiant Health

Stress is a natural physical, mental, or emotional response to threatening or upsetting events. Basically, stress refers to a feeling physical, mental or emotional tension created by our reaction to some particular events in life; like loosing sleep worrying about tests, examinations, and school work, or pressures to meet deadlines and improve our performance at work. The daily pressures of being a wife or husband, parenting, employment, underemployment, unemployment, and finances can be overwhelming and increase the feeling of stress. Other factors such as health disorders, feelings of anxiety and insecurity, very demanding routine, interpersonal conflicts, especially in the work place and traumatic events can lead to chronic stress. Failure to respond adequately to these physical, mental, and emotional demands of life, whether actual or imagined, has health consequences. Chronic stress is a major risk factor for many medical disorders, including nervous breakdown and suicides. Constant and prolonged stress Relaxation counters the effects of stress on the health and well-being of humans. In this fast, wireless, and high-tech age that lacks moderation; life is full of challenges, demands, deadlines, hassles, pressures, frustrations, and stress. In both developed and developing nations, the desire and rush to climb the economic social ladder imposes a lot of stress on most people. However, experiencing stress in life is not always bad or harmful. Stress can good in some instances. In normal or small doses, stress can motivate us to do our very best or help us perform exceedingly well under pressure. However, stress becomes harmful and destructive to our mind, body, and spirit when we are constantly going on emergency mode to meet the demands of our high-paced modern life. Today, stress has become the scourge of modern society. It is the predominant health problem now faced by most human beings. Stress now is experienced by the rich and the poor, the civilized and the uncivilized, the educated and the non-educated, the highly educated and the less educated. It is an irony that the healthcare systems of all nations in this world, both developed and developing nations, spend trillions of dollars on healthcare delivery and treatment of diseases, without adequate care or concern to the root cause of ill-heath suffered by the modern man and woman in this wireless high tech age, which is stress. The primary cause of diseases inflicting humanity today can be traced to the impact of chronic stress on the all men and women living in this planet called Earth. Men and women of all ages now contend with increasing psychological and physical stresses that arise from internal and external forces from man-made technological environment that we live in. In the short-term, stress prepares the body to rise up to a challenge to meet a tough situations we encounter in life with stamina, strength, and focus. However, long-term stress can sap our strength and energy and render us frustrated, overwhelmed, depressed, bedridden, and inactive. Either way, a short-term long-term stress leads to biological changes throughout the body. Stresses in life whether acute or chronic, can cause tension, anxiety, and worry. Some types of insidious and chronic stress may be due to poverty, depression, loneliness, bereavement, and frustration due to lack of dating relationships, or discrimination due to race, ethnicity, body weight and sexual orientation. The react and then recover natural stress response of your body can be disrupted by chronic stress. One prominent obstacle to radiant health is chronic stress. It has a huge impact on your health and general well-being in this fast-paced, multi-tasking, high-tech age that we are living in. Chronic stress facilitates the development of chronic and infectious diseases as well as mental disorders including high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes, heart diseases, and kidney failure, malaria, AIDS, depression, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders. It also triggers negative emotions including fear, doubt, anger, worry, and anxiety. Constant and prolonged stress can kill you if not managed properly. But why are so many people so stressed out? The answer is simple. Too many people live a stressful life because of insatiable desires coupled with the rat race to succeed in a very competitive world. Nations are competing against nations, corporations against corporations, athletes against athletes, students against students, politicians against politicians, lawyers against lawyers, doctors against doctors, pastors against pastors and siblings against siblings. Everyone wants to capture the gold and none is satisfied or thankful with the silver or the bronze. The competition out there is becoming very unhealthy. Modern life is now the survival of the fittest. There lies the cause of the stressful life that we are all living. There is no life without stress. All that matters is how you choose to handle your daily stress throughout life. It is an irony that the healthcare systems of all nations in this world, both developed and developing nations, spend trillions of dollars on healthcare delivery and treatment of diseases, without adequate care or concern to the root cause of ill-heath suffered by the modern man and woman in this wireless high tech age, which is stress. The primary cause of diseases inflicting humanity today can be traced to the impact of chronic stress on the all men and women living in this planet called Earth.