If you think high blood pressure only poses a risk to your heart, better think twice. It can actually harm your cognitive thinking, making it impossible for you to think, concentrate and learn. According to the doctors at the Columbia University Medical Center in New York, hypertension is connected with cognitive impairment by means of the different cerebrovascular diseases that may arise when a person has hypertension. Hypertension can also play a big role as a blood to brain barrier dysfunction. This dysfunction is seen by the doctors as somewhat connected with the Alzheimer’s disease and other known cerebral problems.

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Meditation is one of the most soothing and most relaxing of all activities. It requires silence and isolation (not at all times) for better focus. Contrary to what people believe or know, there are actually a lot of variations of meditation. If you have troubles concentrating, then might as well try transcendental meditation. Transcendental meditation is different from the other meditations known to many as most meditations require concentration; however, transcendental meditation does not. It only requires closing of ones eyes and submerging oneself into silence. University of Kentucky said that this kind of meditation can in fact help a person lower down his or her high blood pressure if done 20 minutes a day.

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The Olympics is an international event held every four years. Those who participate in the said event are said to be the cream of the crop of every country—basketball athletes, football/soccer stars, the most flexible gymnasts—name it and the participating country has it (depends if it is winter or summer Olympics). The marathon runners too, are perhaps considered as one of the fittest of all the athletes since they run everyday during practice to perfect and increase their running speed. However, according to a recent study made by University Hospital in Germany, revealed that these marathon runners are indeed in danger of future heart problems. Through MRI, they were able to see that the left ventricle muscle of the marathon patients (all of which ran 5 marathons 3 years before the study was made) are heavier than the normal heart. This can actually be considered as an early sign of cardiac arrest according to the doctors supervising the study.

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A new study has surfaced the medical world: the attack that happened last September 11 is causing increased stress and fear amongst the American populace. This increased stress and fear can actually contribute to the risk of various heart problems of the Americans. According to the statistics, there was a total of 53 percent increase in cardiovascular problems after the said incident occurred. People who are very concerned about the “terrorist” attacks will most likely be diagnosed of having heart problems 3 to 4 times higher than those who careless. It should be noted though that even the people who were not in the scene when the event happened or even those who are not connected (by blood or by marriage) to the victims, are affected by it.

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A research was released recently by the Center for Disease Control stating that educational attainment is in fact connected with heart disease. They said that the lower the educational attainment of the person, the higher the chance that he/she will have a heart ailment. They were able to collect data in all the US states and according to their regional report, the top states who are in danger of heart diseases are Alabama, Arizona, Florida, Louisiana, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas and Tennessee. They collected data through phone survey and asked the respondents (over 18 years of age) if ever the have had myocardial infarction (heart attack). Personal pieces of information were also collected such as age, educational attainment and the like for the purpose of the study.

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A scientist has broken the silence: Vioxx, a well known drug known to cure osteoarthritis, severe pain and dysmenorrhea, is causing permanent damage to the heart to many of its users. The scientist said that he followed the users of the said drug after they stopped taking it and has recorded the results in a 107 page report. The drug is said to accelerate atherosclerosis and other heart diseases, making it a very dangerous drug to take. Since the discovery, Vioxx has been pulled out in the market, and more than 10,000 cases have been filed against the manufacturer of the said drug.

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