We know how unpleasant it is always when we suffer from a heartburn. It’s too difficult to bear that burning sensation in your chest. But you may wonder why it always happens when you’re trying to get some sleep. Why is it more likely to happen at night?

Reason is natural force of gravity as it doesn’t work in your favor when you’re lying down. But when you sit or stand, gravity helps move the food into the stomach through esophagus.

“But when you are lying down, you lose gravity’s help in allowing your esophagus to clear food, bile and acids. And that can allow for heartburn to happen,” says gastroenterologist Scott Gabbard, MD.

He says, every person’s experience with heartburn is different. Some have heartburn symptoms during day while some feels it tougher to control at night.

What causes this burning sensation?

When you eat food, it passes to your stomach through esophagus. A muscle controls the opening between esophagus and stomach. Usually it remains closed except when we swallow food.

Heartburn occurs when this muscle fails to close after passing the food and allowing acidic content of your stomach travel back up to the esophagus. This is called reflux in medical terminology. When acidic content touches the esophagus it creates a burning sensation and we call it heartburn or more formally gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). About 10-20% of adults have heartburn problems.

A body pillow or sleeping position could help

Doctor always advises patients to elevate the headside of the bed. However with this patients have mixed results. Dr. Gabbard also recommends using a body pillow that helps you lie on left side with your head elevated.

Lying on left side allows acidic content to pass to the stomach back through lower esophageal sphincter and elevated head allows gravity to to the job.

Tips to reduce heartburn

Lose weight. People who are overweight are at greater risk of suffering from heartburn.
Stop smoking
Eat less fatty meals especially during night.
Give atleast 3 hours after eating to go to bed. Stomach takes usually 4-5 hours to empty the meal.
Use acid reducing medicines.

Usually too much spicy foods create a heartburn problems with the people. It is always advised everyone to keep food sensitivities in their mind and avoid food that creates digestion problem.

“I RAN MY FIRST MARATHON AFTER HAVING OPEN-HEART SURGERY” – Anna Borghesani.

She’s the new internet sensation and becoming an inspiration for everyone. Anna takes on her running a marathon dream post her serious open-heart surgery. Anna Borghesani, 41 now, was born with congenital heart disease, in her case pulmonary stenosis, which is a narrowing of a heart valve. Here’s an inspirational story of her in her words.

“In 2013, when I was 37, I started to feel very, very tired and I was getting sick all the time. I frequently had colds, high fevers and palpitations and kept feeling breathless. I’d always known I’d need to have a new heart valve fitted and, when my cardiologist finally told me I had a surgery date, I felt relieved.”

“However, the week before the operation I was absolutely terrified, as I knew they’d stop my heart from beating and use a heart-lung machine to circulate blood around my body during the operation. The surgery went well, but the psychological stress was immense.”

“A few days after the surgery, I was encouraged to start walking again. I was given an exercise schedule and had to walk for five minutes each day for the first few days and then build up to seven minutes and then 10, and so on.”

Very soon she was able to run 5K and then 10K once a week.

London Marathon Run

Anna wanted to run for charity and raise awareness to those people like her and tell them that they can lead a normal life as well. Her cardiologist wasn’t much happy but he understood her motivation.

“I didn’t do any races in the build-up to London, but on the day I completed it in 5hrs 29mins, which I was thrilled about. I loved everything about the event: the crowds who supported us, and the other runners running for great causes and reasons. Along the way, I raised almost £3,000 for Heart Research UK and the messages I received were incredibly heart-warming!”

This definitely gives an incredible willpower to all those similar people motivating them to beat the pain and inspiring them to live a normal life.

Story inspired from an article published in Women’s Running.

Few things in public health are controversial and often misunderstood such as cholesterol and how they are affected by the diet.

When discussing heart disease, it’s really important to understand what it means exactly. The heart is a muscle that generates the force to propel the blood throughout the vascular system. A key step in the heart disease is a sterol (mainly cholesterol) finding it’s way inside the arterial wall. When cholesterol comes, we often misunderstand the term. Let’s get it understand in a simple human terms.

Cholesterol is absolutely essential for human body. It’s an organic molecule that humans can not live without and is found in the membrane of every single cell, helping to regulate fluidity and structure.

To your surprise, most of the cholesterol in our bodies are actually produced by our own cells. The cholesterol we eat is usually a minor source compared to the amount we produce.

What people call “cholesterol” isn’t really cholesterol, it’s the proteins that carry cholesterol around.

When people are talking about “cholesterol” in regards to heart diseases, they are talking about the cholesterol itself. Instead they are referring a structure that carry cholesterol, called lipoproteins.

Cholesterol is like an oil droplet in a glass of water which simply won’t mix. It can not travel through blood stream on its own. For this reason cholesterol is carried around the blood stream in lipoproteins.

There are many types of lipoproteins, but the two most important ones are called LDL (Low Density Lipoprotein) and HDL (High Density Lipoprotein). These are commonly referred to as the “bad” and “good” cholesterol, but this is actually inaccurate. All cholesterol is the same, it’s the lipoproteins that are different.

So… it is critical to understand that heart disease really is NOT a cholesterol disease, it is a lipoprotein disease. Having a lot of “cholesterol” in your bloodstream is NOT a bad thing, unless this cholesterol is being carried around in the wrong lipoproteins.

The bottom line: cholesterol is NOT the enemy

Let’s accept it, we face multiple moments everyday that are anxiety inducing such as stressful situation at work, being crowded while daily commute, etc.

These everyday moments raise your heart rates causing anxiety. For times like these we came across a GIF trending on internet these days.

Whenever you feel your heart rate is increasing, inhale and exhale along with the expanding and contracting shapes. This will help you manage your breathing. You can save it on your phone for the times you need it.

Infection of any surgical wound is definitely a serious thing to take care of, after a heart surgery in particular. Such an infection after a heart surgery, could be a life threatening.Study says that Surgical Site Infections (SSIs) were the most common healthcare associated infection accounting for 31%.

There are things that doctor will help you to decrease the risk post heart operations. But there are also certain steps, that you can take to help yourself especially if you are overweight or have diabetes.

Take antibiotics

An hour prior to your surgery, doctor will give you a preventive antibiotic. In fact, you will receive antibiotics even after the surgery (within one hour). And for this reason, you are less likely to get a wound infection.

In addition, you will also get another injection about 24 hours after your surgery.

Remove hair

While preparing for a surgery, your medical team will remove the hair from your body where the surgeon will make a skin incision. Timing is much important here. The hair should be removed right before the surgery takes place. If they remove hair too far in advance, you can develop infections in the small cuts.

As per experts, clippers are generally better and safer than razors.

Loose weight (if needed)

IF you are overweight, you are at a greater risk of developing an infection. So it is highly recommended to loose some weight if time allows before surgery. Take this time to eat healthier and focusing on weight loose exercise.

Monitor your blood sugar

If you are a diabetic person, you might want to get your blood sugar under control as much as possible. The better controlled blood sugars are before surgery, lesser the chance of developing a surgical wound infection. Consult your doctor if your blood sugars are consistently above 250.

Take care of your wound

Of course the medical team will teach you on how to take care of your surgical wound. Be sure to understand them well, and ask them if you don’t. Whether you have a large incisions or a minimally invasive smaller incision, be much careful these sites.

Be extra sure that your hands are clean when you check your wounds. Always follow the doctor’s instruction for bathing and showering as well.

Never hesitate to call your doctor for any questions.

Cigarette smoking is one of the leading causes of heart disease and preventable deaths in the world. Despite this, some smokers find it too difficult to quit smoking. It takes too long to see the improvements in their health, that’s everyone believes.

However, health improvement timeline after quitting smoking is much faster than most people realize. Health benefits begin in as little as an hour after the last cigarette and continue to improve.

Quit Smoking: What happens?

After 1 hour
In less than 20 minutes, the heart rate drops and returns to normal. Blood pressure begins to drop to normal.

After 12 hours
After 12 hours without cigarette, the human body cleanses itself of excess amount of carbon monoxide gained cigarettes. Increases body’s oxygen level.

After 1 day
Just after 1 day of quitting smoking, the risk of heart disease start decreasing. Smoking raises the risk of developing coronary heart disease by lowering good cholesterol.

After 2 days
Smoking damages nerves responsible for the senses of smell and taste. In as little as 2 days after quitting smoking, a person may notice an improvement in these senses as these nerves heal.

After 3 days
After 3 days of quitting smoking, nicotine levels in a person’s body are depleted. Most people will experience severe headache and cravings to take nicotine as the body readjusts.

After 1 month
In 1 month, human body’s lung function begins to improve. Former smoker may experience less coughing and may notice a renewed ability for cardiovascular activities, such as running and jumping.

After 9 months
Nine months after quitting, the lungs have significantly healed themselves. The delicate, hair-like structures inside the lungs known as cilia would have recovered from the cigarette smoke. Cilia help push mucus out of the lungs and help fight infections.

After 1 year
Arteries and blood vessels to begin to widen again. One year after quitting smoking, a person’s risk for coronary heart disease decreases by half.

Outlook

Smoking is really a harmful habit that can lead to severe health complications and death. When a person quits smoking, the body will start to naturally heal and regain the vitality of a non-smoker over time.

So let’s accept this excellent choice for your healthy heart & say #IAmHeartHealthy.

Work out to work hard

When the clock hits 1 PM, the IT workers have to jump from their table for a 10 minutes of rigorous stretching and bending. At sharpt 1, the radio of the company starts instructing them “ichi, ni, san (one, two, three)”.

The well suited staff has to compulsorily take part in this regular exercise drill implemented by Adoc International.

Inspired from this company, a many number of Japanese companies are encouraging and implementing exercise breaks in a hope to keep their employees healthy and productive.

“Japan’s population is quickly getting older and there are fewer and fewer kids. This is very big risk for companies,”

said Kenichiro Asano, who works in Fujikura’s healthcare strategy group.

The method

Adoc INternational staffs practice “rajio taiso”, an exercise routine often learned in schools.

“We chose rajio taiso because it was the simplest exercise to put in place,” said Clifton Lay, who works in Adoc International’s human resources department.

Who else

Toyota has their own in-house workout space.

While Sony employees are supposed to join the exercise drill daily at 3:00 PM and it’s for all from small level workers to top level executives.

Rakuten had installed some 12,000 movable desks so that workers can switch between sitting and standing positions throughout the day.

Japan has the world’s fastest ageing populations. The government also wants to take up this exercise drill into their campus to keep the citizens healthy as the growing number of retirees with health issues is a serious concern in Japan.

So what do you think? Do companies in India need such exercising drill? Well, YES since we are not in a list of top 50 healthy countries of the world as surveyed by Bloomberg.

When it comes to living a long healthy life, Italy is the place to be.

Bloomberg initiated a research on health index by collecting information about 163 countries of the world and created a Bloomberg Global Health Index.

Each country in the index was graded based on variables such as life expectancy, causes of death and health risks ranging from high blood pressure and tobacco use to malnutrition and the availability of clean water. – Bloomberg

The infographic below shows the rank of countries from the healthiest to the least healthy.

Unfortunately, India is no where in top 50 countries in their list.

Pregnancy usually stresses your heart and your blood circulatory system. But many women inspite of heart conditions can deliver healthy baby.
Only one thing, that if you have the heart conditions, you need special care during pregnancy. So it’s recommended that before you conceive schedule an appointment with your cardiologist. Let them evaluate and consider any treatment you might need to take before pregnancy begins.
Here’s what you need to know about heart conditions and pregnancy.

How does pregnancy affect the heart?

“During pregnancy, your blood volume increases by 30 to 50 percent to nourish your growing baby. The amount of blood your heart pumps each minute also increases by 30 to 50 percent,” as stated by Mayo Clinic. These changes to your body cause your heart to work harder.
Labor adds to your heart’s workload too. During labor (when you push) blood flow and pressure changes abruptly. After delivering the baby, the decreased blood flow through the uterus also stresses your heart.

What are the risks?

Heart rhythm issues. No cause for concern as it’s normal.
Heart valve issues. If your valves aren’t working properly, you might have trouble tolerating the increased blood flow.
Congestive heart failure
Congenital heart defect. If you are born with a heart conditions or defect, the new born baby has a greater risk of developing some type of heart defect. There is even a risk of premature birth.

What about medications?

Any medication you take during pregnancy, it will definitely affect your baby. So if you need medication to control your heart condition, consult your cardiologist for the safest medication. Because certain medications that are used to control heart conditions are not used during pregnancy.
Hope this post gives you a basic explanation of the risks involved during pregnancy with a heart conditions.

How many of you rely on fresh and green vegetables? Most of you would be relying on spinach, carrots, broccoli, etc. for a healthy lifestyle. But there are some veggies that are still uncaptured from your health radar.
Here’re 6 most underrated vegetables suggested by renowned dietitians around the world.

(1) Artichokes

“Artichokes are a versatile veggie — you can eat the hearts as well as the leaves.” Kate Patton, MEd, RD, CSSD, LD.

(2) Broccoli Rabe

“Broccoli rabe is extremely nutritious, loaded with iron, calcium, zinc, vitamins A, C and K. Like other cruciferous veggies, it contains potentially cancer-fighting glucosinolates.” Brigid Titgemeier, MS, RDN, LD.

(3) Brussels Sprouts

“Properly prepared Brussels sprouts are a tremendous addition to your veggie options. They’re a great source of vitamins C and K, and provide fiber, too.” Laura Jeffers, MEd, RD, LD.

(4) Cauliflower

“Don’t be fooled by its pale color — cauliflower is packed with nutrients. Like other cruciferous veggies (Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale, bok choy and broccoli), it’s rich in glucosinolates. Glucosinolates are being studied for their anti-cancer properties.” Anna Taylor, MS, RD, LD, RD, LD.

(5) Cucumber

“Cucumber may not be as dense in nutrients as other veggies, but considering it has only 16 calories and 4 grams of carb per cup, it packs a punch. They are a good source of vitamin K, potassium, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, copper and manganese.” Julia Zumpano, RD, LD.

Watercress

“People don’t always know what to do with watercress, but this cruciferous veggie packs a serious punch. Researchers are studying its potential in reducing smoking carcinogens, turning off breast cancer signals and alleviating physical stress from workouts.” Kristin Kirkpatrick, MS, RD, LD.