Treatment of Heart Disease with Coenzyme Q10Written by Greg Post
Since its discovery in late 1950’s Coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) has received much attention as a necessary compound for proper cellular function. It is essential coenzyme necessary for production of ATP (adenosine triphosphate) upon which all cellular functions depend. Without ATP our bodies cannot function properly. Without CoQ10, ATP cannot function. This connection has made CoQ10 a very important object of study in relation to chronic disease. In many cases presence of chronic disease is associated with inadequate levels of CoQ10. But no area of study has received more attention than relation between CoQ10 and heart disease. That is because CoQ10 is believed to be of fundamental importance in cells with high metabolic demands such as cardiac cells. A further reason connection of heart disease and CoQ10 has gained so much attention is because heart conditions of many kinds are associated with chronically low CoQ10 levels.CoQ10 is highly concentrated in heart muscle cells because of their high energy requirements. Add this to fact that heart disease is number one killer in developed and developing countries and one can see why bulk of scientific research on CoQ10 has been concerned with heart disease. Specifically, studies on congestive heart failure have demonstrated a strong correlation between severity of heart failure and degree of CoQ10 deficiency. The lower levels of CoQ10 in heart muscles more severe heart failure. If indeed CoQ10 deficiency is a primary cause of congestive heart failure then, in such cases, remedy is simple and cost effective; CoQ10 supplementation. Congestive heart failure is a condition where heart does not pump effectively resulting in an accumulation of fluid in lungs. Symptoms may include shortness of breath, difficulty breathing when lying flat and leg or ankle swelling. Causes include chronic hypertension, cardiomyopathy (primary heart disease) and myocardial infarction (irreversible injury to heart muscles). Heart muscle strength is measure by ejection fraction which is a measure of fraction of blood pumped out of heart with each beat. A low ejection fraction indicates a weak heart. Several trials have been conducted involving patients with enlarged weak heart muscles of unknown causes. For those of you who like difficult phrases this condition (or variety of conditions) is known as idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. In these trials CoQ10 supplementation was compared to placebo effects. Standard treatments for heart failure were not discontinued. The results were measured by echocardiography (a diagnostic test which uses ultrasound waves to make images of heart chambers, valves and surrounding structures). The overall results of CoQ10 supplementation demonstrated a steady and continued improvement in heart function as well as steady and continued reduction in patient symptoms including fatigue, chest pains, palpitations and breathing difficulty. Patients with more establish and long-term cases showed gradual improvement but did not gain normal heart function. Patients with newer cases of heart failure demonstrated much more rapid improvement often returning to normal heart function.
| | How to Avoid Weight Gain While Working at HomeWritten by Rachel Greenberg
We have all heard many benefits of working at home – set your own hours, spend more time with your family, avoid commute, etc. And many people (including myself!) have actually reaped these benefits. But one thing we aren’t told is that for some of us, one unfortunate side effect of being at home all day is weight gain.Now I know that a lot of work-at-home crowd is really only at home in an office part of time. Salespeople are always out on sales calls, and well, if you run a day care center in your home, then you’re probably chasing little ones around all day. These work-at-home types are probably immune to weight gain. I’m talking about rest of us. Those of us who are home alone, all day, with nothing but a computer and a bag of cookies to keep us company. How can we fight urge to indulge? Let’s take a look at top 5 options: 1. Set a routine and stick to it. Yes, I know, one of benefits of working at home is not having rigid work schedule, but we still need to have some sort of structure. Your routine should only allow for a few minutes of snacking a day, so that you know when and where you will be eating. 2. Don’t keep tempting foods in house. This is much easier said than done, especially if you have children. I do not have kids, (but I do have a husband who can eat whatever he wants and never gain weight. Don’t you just hate him?) so I have to watch which foods get put into pantry. And let’s face it, we could all stand to make some healthier selections. Buy apples instead of chips, or protein bars instead of candy bars. Just one substitute here and there can make a difference.
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