See How You Can Lower Your Blood Pressure!

13 Ways to Lower Blood Pressure Naturally...

http://www.prevention.com/health/health-concerns/how-lower-blood-pressure-naturally

American Heart Month Is Almost Over!!!

Keep these health heart tips in mind!

1. Stop smoking. Quitting smoking is the single most important thing a person can do to live longer. If you are a smoker, you are twice as likely to have a heart attack than a non-smoker. But from the moment you stop smoking, the risk of heart attack starts to reduce. With public smoking bans recently introduced, there has never been a better time to give up.

2. Cut down on salt. Too much salt can cause high blood pressure, which increases the risk of developing coronary heart disease. Avoid foods like crisps, salted nuts, canned and packet soups and sauces, baked beans and canned vegetables, pork pies, pizzas and ready meals. Many breakfast cereals and breads that appear healthy also contain high levels of salt, so keep your eye on these too.


3. Watch your diet. A healthy diet can help to reduce the risk of developing heart disease, and can also help increase the chances of survival after a heart attack. You should try to have a balanced diet, containing plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables, oily fish, starchy foods such as wholegrain bread, pasta and rice. Avoid foods like biscuits, cakes, pastries and dairy products that are high in saturated fats and sugar.


4. Monitor your alcohol. Too much alcohol can damage the heart muscle, increase blood pressure and also lead to weight gain. Binge drinking will increase your risk of having a heart attack, so you should aim to limit your intake to one to two units a day.

 
5. Get active.The heart is a muscle and it needs exercise to keep fit so that it can pump blood efficiently round your body with each heart beat. You should aim for 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a day. If this seems too daunting, start off gently and build up gradually. Keeping fit not only benefits your physical health - it improves your mental health and wellbeing too.


6. Manage your weight. The number of people who are overweight in Britain is rising fast - already more than half of the adult population is overweight or obese. Carrying a lot of extra weight as fat can greatly affect your health and increases the risk of life-threatening conditions such as coronary heart disease and diabetes. If you are overweight or obese, start by making small, but healthy changes to what you eat, and try to become more active.


7. Get your blood pressure and cholesterol levels checked by your GP. The higher your blood pressure, the shorter your life expectancy. People with high blood pressure run a higher risk of having a stroke or a heart attack. High levels of cholesterol in the blood - produced by the liver from saturated fats - can lead to fatty deposits in your coronary arteries that increase your risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and diseases that affect the circulation. You can help lower your cholesterol level by exercising and eating high-fibre foods such as porridge, beans, pulses, lentils, nuts, fruits and vegetables.


8. Learn to manage your stress levels. If you find things are getting on top of you, you may fail to eat properly, smoke and drink too much and this may increase your risk of a heart attack.



9. Check your family history . If a close relative is at risk of developing coronary heart disease from smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, lack of physical activity, obesity and diabetes, then you could be at risk too.


10. Make sure you can recognise the early signs of coronary heart disease . Tightness or discomfort in the chest, neck, arm or stomach which comes on when you exert yourself but goes away with rest may be the first sign of angina, which can lead to a heart attack if left untreated.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/mar/17/NHS1

Please Enjoy!!!

One of our patients awesome work!

Mr. Katz, Phd, is an anti-sexist activist and expert on violence, media and masculinities. An author, filmmaker, educator and social theorist, Katz has worked in gender violence prevention work with diverse groups of men and boys in sports culture and the military, and has pioneered work in critical media literacy.Katz is the creator and co-founder of the Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program, which advocates the 'bystander approach' to sexual and domestic violence prevention. You've also seen him in the award winning documentary "MissRepresentation."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTvSfeCRxe8

Strecth Stretch Stretch...

Low back/hip pain is commonly caused by a tight quadratus lumborum muscle. The side-bend stretch (shown below) can help relieve some of this pain when done properly.

1. Stand upright with legs shoulder width apart.

2. Raise your arm and bend your body at the waist towards the side opposite of the pain.

3. Hold this stretch for 15 seconds twice.

 

LOVE is in the air!

Belmont Shore Physical Therapy wishes you a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!

February is...

American Heart Month
Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and is a major cause of disability. The most common heart disease in the United States is coronary heart disease, which often appears as a heart attack. About every 25 seconds, an American will have a coronary event, and about every one minute one will die from one.

The chance of developing coronary heart disease can be reduced by taking steps to prevent and control factors that put people at greater risk. Additionally, knowing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack are crucial to the most positive outcomes after having a heart attack. People who have survived a heart attack can also work to reduce their risk of another heart attack or stroke in the future.

Physical Therapy A better choice for pain treatment, according to Americas Heart's statement, is physical therapy, exercise, weight oss, and heat and cold therapy. It is better to be conservative by using physical therapy and other pain relieving methods first to avoid potential risk to the heart that may be associated with certain medications. Another reason patients with heart disease may benefit from physical therapy is that staying active is key to a healthy heart. Physical therapy is a good way to maintain or improve mobility. With a hands-on exam, diagnosis, and treatment, physical therapists can treat many kinds of pain and infammation in patients of all ages, give fitness advice, and assistance to promote overall wellness.