Monday, December 3, 2012
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
1 in 4 women die of heart failure in Malaysia
By P. SelvaraniNew Straits TimesSunday, Mar 04, 2012
When 58-year-old Rita (not her real name) experienced episodes of gastric pain and chest fullness, she put it down to the effects of ageing and did not give it much thought.
When the problem persisted, she went to see a general practitioner who prescribed her gastric medication.
One night after a bad episode of "gastritis", Rita, who has a family history of heart disease and has high blood pressure, took her gastric medication and went to bed.
She never woke up. She died of a heart attack in her sleep.
Scary as it sounds, many women, especially those in the post menopausal age, have no inkling that they could be suffering from cardiovascular diseases as unlike men, they rarely display the classic symptoms of a heart attack such as chest pain.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is now the main cause of medically-certified deaths among Malaysian women, with one in four dying of heart failure.
Deaths from CVD is 21/2 times more common than that of all cancers combined and this has been the trend in Malaysia since 1999.
"Often, the symptoms are very atypical. Very few have the classic chest pain. Instead, they usually come in with shoulder pain or stomach pain which may be mistaken for gastritis. Sometimes they just come feeling tired or short of breath. Because of this, they are often misdiagnosed by healthcare professionals," said cardiologist Dr Jeyamalar Rajadurai.
She said because they often mistook these symptoms for the effects of menopause and because of the lack of the classic heart attack symptoms, women tend to come in with fatal heart failure.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2006 revealed that more women die from heart disease than they do from stroke but many are ignorant of this fact.
Dr Jeyamalar, who is the secretary of the Women's Heart Health Organisation, an organisation under the National Heart Association, said a survey that was conducted last year among 5,195 professionals and office workers in Malaysia (71 per cent female) revealed that most were unaware that CVD was the main cause of death for women in Malaysia.
"Some 68 per cent said the main cause was cancer. Only 25 per cent of women were aware that heart disease and stroke occurs in women.
"Some 57 per cent said it never occurs in women and only 14 per cent were aware that CVD can occur even in younger women, that is, before menopause."
She said women tend to have heart diseases about 10 years after menopause although it could also occur before they reach menopause especially among those who were genetically predisposed to the condition.
Menopausal women tend to suddenly put on weight, have increased blood pressure and high sugar levels all of which are risk factors for CVD.
Dr Jeyamalar said women who have symptoms like stomach pain which is associated with sweating or they feel unduly tired or short of breath, especially if they have diabetes or a family history of heart disease, should at least get an ECG done to determine the cause.
"The problem is that a lot of times when it is mild, they think it's nothing. They attribute it to angin (bloatedness and wind), and then they go on and by the time they finally get it, it's already so bad."
Many women, she added, are also in denial and would not make an attempt to get themselves checked even when they know that they could be at risk.
"They think they are superwomen."
She said sometimes financial constraints also prevented these women from seeking treatment. "This is especially so among older women who are dependent on their children to take them to hospital or get their medication for them. So because of that they just keep quiet.
She said because symptoms of a heart attack are vague in women, they should take appropriate preventive steps such as living a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet and regular exercise.
"And if you have a family history of CVD and are at risk, get your blood pressure, sugar level and cholesterol checked regularly."
Dr Jeyamalar Rajadurai says many are unaware that cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death among women in Malaysia.
An extract from:
Exercise your way to a healthy heart
YOU don't have to run a marathon but simple vigorous activity for half an hour at least three times a week will cut your risk of developing CVD, said IJN's physiotherapy manager Erleena Boey Ghod Chee.
Erleena Boey Ghod Chee says women need to start exercising at a younger age to prepare for meno
"Because women go through menopause, they need to start exercising at a younger age to prepare for this phase in their life where they are at greater risk of developing heart diseases.
She said the exercise regime can be as simple as brisk walking, or doing household chores.
"What's important for heart health is to keep moving because the more you exercise, your heart muscles get stronger and your blood circulates better."
Stressing that it's never too late to exercise, Boey said even a 70-year-old can start an exercise regime that is not too strenuous, such as walking. However, exercise must be a sustained activity to achieve the desired results.
"If you cannot find an entire half hour to exercise every day, just do 10 minutes of vigorous activities three times a day. That will also help."
Older women who have knee problems can instead swim, cycle or do tai chi and yoga.
For those who suffer from osteoporosis, Boey suggested weight training as it helped improve bone density.
Many exercises can also be done in the comfort of one's home or office such as using the staircase as a stepboard, skipping with a rope, using a gymball or doing some stretching exercises for the arms by using a chair or bench for support.
"Exercise can be enjoyable and fun. Take dancing for example -- it makes you feel good, it's fun plus it gives you a good workout," she added.
Boey encouraged women to do a lot of resistance training, as it helps break down fat, build up muscle mass and increase the metabolic rate.
"It will help you be lean but you won't look muscular like a man."
An extract from: http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/exercise-your-way-to-a-healthy-heart-1.55229
Erleena Boey Ghod Chee says women need to start exercising at a younger age to prepare for meno
"Because women go through menopause, they need to start exercising at a younger age to prepare for this phase in their life where they are at greater risk of developing heart diseases.
She said the exercise regime can be as simple as brisk walking, or doing household chores.
"What's important for heart health is to keep moving because the more you exercise, your heart muscles get stronger and your blood circulates better."
Stressing that it's never too late to exercise, Boey said even a 70-year-old can start an exercise regime that is not too strenuous, such as walking. However, exercise must be a sustained activity to achieve the desired results.
"If you cannot find an entire half hour to exercise every day, just do 10 minutes of vigorous activities three times a day. That will also help."
Older women who have knee problems can instead swim, cycle or do tai chi and yoga.
For those who suffer from osteoporosis, Boey suggested weight training as it helped improve bone density.
Many exercises can also be done in the comfort of one's home or office such as using the staircase as a stepboard, skipping with a rope, using a gymball or doing some stretching exercises for the arms by using a chair or bench for support.
"Exercise can be enjoyable and fun. Take dancing for example -- it makes you feel good, it's fun plus it gives you a good workout," she added.
Boey encouraged women to do a lot of resistance training, as it helps break down fat, build up muscle mass and increase the metabolic rate.
"It will help you be lean but you won't look muscular like a man."
An extract from: http://www.nst.com.my/local/general/exercise-your-way-to-a-healthy-heart-1.55229
Friday, January 13, 2012
The Wise Words of Buddha
Our life is shaped by our mind; we become what we think. Suffering follows an evil thought as the wheels of a cart follow the oxen that draws it.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.
Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.
On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.
As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.
Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship.
It is a man's own mind, not his enemy or foe, that lures him to evil ways.
Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
The world, indeed, is like a dream and the treasures of the world are an alluring mirage! Like the apparent distances in a picture, things have no reality in themselves, but they are like heat haze.
Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world.
On life's journey faith is nourishment, virtuous deeds are a shelter, wisdom is the light by day and right mindfulness is the protection by night. If a man lives a pure life, nothing can destroy him.
All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.
Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.
We are formed and molded by our thoughts. Those whose minds are shaped by selfless thoughts give joy when they speak or act. Joy follows them like a shadow that never leaves them.
Work out your own salvation. Do not depend on others.
Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned.
As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.
Buddha Quotes
If a man who enjoys a lesser happiness beholds a greater one, let him leave aside the lesser to gain the greater.
I reached in experience the nirvana which is unborn, unrivalled, secure from attachment, undecaying and unstained. This condition is indeed reached by me which is deep, difficult to see, difficult to understand, tranquil, excellent, beyond the reach of mere logic, subtle, and to be realized only by the wise.
It is better to conquer yourself than to win a thousand battles. Then the victory is yours. It cannot be taken from you, not by angels or by demons, heaven or hell.
There is nothing so disobedient as an undisciplined mind, and there is nothing so obedient as a disciplined mind.
What we are today comes from our thoughts of yesterday, and our present thoughts build our life of tomorrow: Our life is the creation of our mind.
Better than a thousand hollow words, is one word that brings peace.
He who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings, and all beings in his own Self, and looks on everything with an impartial eye.
In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.
Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without.
The mind is the source of happiness and unhappiness.
As the fletcher whittles and makes straight his arrows, so the master directs his straying thoughts.
To enjoy good health, to bring true happiness to one's family, to bring peace to all, one must first discipline and control one's own mind. If a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.
Whatever words we utter should be chosen with care for people will hear them and be influenced by them for good or ill.
The thought manifests as the word. The word manifests as the deed. The deed develops into habit. And the habit hardens into character. So watch the thought and its ways with care. And let it spring from love, born out of concern for all beings.
Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and choose the path that leads to wisdom.
Meditate. Live purely. Be quiet. Do your work with mastery. Like the moon, come out from behind the clouds! Shine.
Look within, thou art the Buddha.
Believe nothing merely because you have been told it. Do not believe what your teacher tells you merely out of respect for the teacher. But whatsoever, after due examination and analysis, you find to be kind, conducive to the good, the benefit, the welfare of all beings -- that doctrine believe and cling to, and take it as your guide.
A family is a place where minds come in contact with one another. If these minds love one another the home will be as beautiful as a flower garden. But if these minds get out of harmony with one another it is like a storm that plays havoc with the garden.
Words have the power to both destroy and heal. When words are both true and kind, they can change our world.
The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.
Inspiring Quotes & Sayings
Quotes on Inner Peace
If you're looking for inner peace from the outside world, you're not going to get that. The inner peace starts with looking at you from the inside.
Mary J. Blige
Inner peace is beyond victory or defeat.
Bhagavad Gita
When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities.
The Dalai Lama
When the mind is left without anything to cling to, it becomes still.
Sri Ramana Maharshi
The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.
Norman Vincent Peale
When your daily activities are in concert with your highest priorities, you have a credible claim to inner peace.
Hyrum Smith
When the restless activity of your mind slows down, when your thoughts stop rushing like waves on a windy day, then you will start getting glimpses of the sweet taste of inner peace.
Remez Sasson
Spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.
Susan Taylor
Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.
Gerald Jampolsky
A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly, once your mind is quiet. As the sun on rising makes the world active, so does self-awareness affect changes in the mind. In the light of calm and steady self-awareness inner energies wake up and work miracles without effort on your part.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Learn to be calm and you will always be happy.
Paramahansa Yogananda
When we are unable to find tranquillity within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Constant meditation awakens the ability to enjoy peace of mind while talking, eating, walking, working and throughout any other activity.
Remez Sasson
Meditation gives you an opportunity to come to know your invisible self. It allows you to empty yourself of the endless hyperactivity of your mind, and to attain calmness. It teaches you to be peaceful, to remove stress, to receive answers where confusion previously reigned.
Wayne Dyer
The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.
James Allen
Peace is not achieved by controlling nations, but mastering our thoughts.John Harricharan
When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world.
Maha Ghosananda
Everything you do can be done better from a place of relaxation.
Stephen C. Paul
You can hear the footsteps of God when silence reigns in the mind.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Learn silence. With the quiet serenity of a meditative mind, listen, absorb, transcribe, and transform.
Pythagoras
The real spiritual progress of the aspirant is measured by the extent to which he achieves inner tranquility.
Swami Sivananda
Spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.
Susan Taylor
If you're looking for inner peace from the outside world, you're not going to get that. The inner peace starts with looking at you from the inside.
Mary J. Blige
Inner peace is beyond victory or defeat.
Bhagavad Gita
When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighboring communities.
The Dalai Lama
When the mind is left without anything to cling to, it becomes still.
Sri Ramana Maharshi
The life of inner peace, being harmonious and without stress, is the easiest type of existence.
Norman Vincent Peale
When your daily activities are in concert with your highest priorities, you have a credible claim to inner peace.
Hyrum Smith
When the restless activity of your mind slows down, when your thoughts stop rushing like waves on a windy day, then you will start getting glimpses of the sweet taste of inner peace.
Remez Sasson
Spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.
Susan Taylor
Inner peace can be reached only when we practice forgiveness. Forgiveness is letting go of the past, and is therefore the means for correcting our misperceptions.
Gerald Jampolsky
A quiet mind is all you need. All else will happen rightly, once your mind is quiet. As the sun on rising makes the world active, so does self-awareness affect changes in the mind. In the light of calm and steady self-awareness inner energies wake up and work miracles without effort on your part.
Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj
Learn to be calm and you will always be happy.
Paramahansa Yogananda
When we are unable to find tranquillity within ourselves, it is useless to seek it elsewhere.
Francois de La Rochefoucauld
Constant meditation awakens the ability to enjoy peace of mind while talking, eating, walking, working and throughout any other activity.
Remez Sasson
Meditation gives you an opportunity to come to know your invisible self. It allows you to empty yourself of the endless hyperactivity of your mind, and to attain calmness. It teaches you to be peaceful, to remove stress, to receive answers where confusion previously reigned.
Wayne Dyer
The more tranquil a man becomes, the greater is his success, his influence, his power for good. Calmness of mind is one of the beautiful jewels of wisdom.
James Allen
Peace is not achieved by controlling nations, but mastering our thoughts.John Harricharan
When you make peace with yourself, you make peace with the world.
Maha Ghosananda
Everything you do can be done better from a place of relaxation.
Stephen C. Paul
You can hear the footsteps of God when silence reigns in the mind.
Sri Sathya Sai Baba
Learn silence. With the quiet serenity of a meditative mind, listen, absorb, transcribe, and transform.
Pythagoras
The real spiritual progress of the aspirant is measured by the extent to which he achieves inner tranquility.
Swami Sivananda
Spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order.
Susan Taylor
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