A Breathing Exercise

Warm hands by rubbing them together. Place warmed hands on either side of naval.

Exhale slowly and press hands lightly on abdomen aiming to form a slight hollow. Gently force air out of lower lungs and abdomen.

After exhaling completely, begin to inhale, slowly extending the abdomen outward so that it extends like a balloon. Take two or three seconds to balloon the abdomen outward. Use a bit of of downward pressure with the diaphragm.

Avoid chest breathing.

Repeat four or five times.

Adrenal Damage

A person with a damaged adrenal system may eat huge amounts of salt.

My Health Blog

I've deleted my Health Blog. I'll do most health related posting here in "A Journal" from now on.

Health Blog

Seem to have lost heart for keeping up my health blog. Never was much of a blog anyway.

Amazon.com

I wonder if Amazon offers a book discusing mineral availabilty in various foods.
American Dietetic Association Complete Food and Nutrition Guide

Can you tell us more about this book?  Might it help me find specific foods to help my zinc uptake.

Who Are You?

I don't know who you are. I don't know anything about you? I don't know what you like? I don't know any of your interests, values, fears, problems, loves, convictions.

One reason I am having trouble writing to you is that I don't have any idea of who you are.

As you can tell, by checking out the posts on this blog, I don't know much about health. I will add that I am more motivated to learn of things little related to health than I am to learn about health.

So, a second reason I have trouble writing to you is my lack of knowledge about health.

Yet, I can sincerely say, that I'd like to see you have a better chance for better health. I also assure you that I want to increase my chances for better health.

I am willing to continue this blog a bit longer on the chance of: getting to know you; learning to write a bit more helpfully; learning a bit more about health; giving us a better chance of maintaining better health.

I've Become a Complainer

How can I give myself a chance for better health?
I feel so bad I can ignore the bad effects of my four,not very effective blood pressure medications.

I have more headaches now that I had during my preteens and early teens. I've had headaches nearly every day; some days, all day

I have not learned to talk effectively with doctors nor have they learned to talk with me.

I fact doctors have often ignored me when I am speaking directly to them.

I still have the hope of finding a doctor who will act as a health teacher. How can I continue with such foolishness? Of late I care much less and have slight hope.

The pain in my right leg started deep in my hip joint in the mornings; now it is lasting much of the day and and is strongest in muscles of calf and thigh. I believe the pain originates in my spine.

Happy Days!

This blog of mine is much about this journey through my days.
and
It is a way I relate the content of these days to you.

At this time of year I am reminded of my strong wish that:
your days be happy,
your merry moments be many,
you and yours prosper and thrive,
you love reality,
you grow in honesty and wisdom.

A toast to your good health!
Happy Holidays!
Happy New Year!

Well Enough

I am willing to die well enough. I'm not in a hurry, yet.
However:
I am exhausted much of the time.
Have my share of aches and pains.
Have become short tempered and forgetful.
Have had diarrhea for 18 months now and doctors find it easy to call it chronic and forget it.
My blood pressure has been out of control for over six months now.
After taking my blood pressure successfully for nearly 4 decades, I now seem incapable of doing so.
Ignorance more that my lack of energy keeps me from doing more to take care of myself.
I do what I can as energetically as I can.
Doctors say something is wrong, but they don't know what.
Something is wrong, but I don't know what.

Another Breathing Exercise

Breathing exercises are often associated with meditation or relaxation. They may help in lowering blood pressure. I might feel better if I'd complete a couple of breathing exercise each. I do attend a bit more to my breathing than I once did and seem to be better for doing so.

Here is a exercise I've tried, but not done regularly. Allow me to address it to you.
a) lie on your back,knees up, feet flat on floor. Support head and shoulders on a pillow.
b) Relax. Breathe slowly and deeply through the nose, allowing the air to fill the lower part of your lungs. In doing so push abdomen downward and upward so that it appears to rise above the level of your chest. See that the air is allowed to flow to the bottom of your lungs.
c) Once the lower portion of your lungs is filled with air, hold the position for a few seconds, and then slowly contract the abdomen and lower the ribs, exhaling strongly at the same time.
d) Try counting to, say, 4 as you inhale, 2 as you hold, and 6 as you exhale.
e) Continue this round for 10 to 15 times.

Within the posts on this site you will find other breathing exercises which might please you.

Diabetic?

I

You may experience remission by adding about 2 oz of dietary fiber supplement to your daily intake. Continue to eat plenty of high fiber foods for about 60% of your caloric intake, figure out how to reduce sugar to less than 5% of caloric intake.

We Don't Live as Long

Why don't we Americans,live as long as the peoples of many other countries.

We are shown evidence that our heath care system does a better job of protecting life than do the systems of many other countries. So, why our poor longevity?

Could it be that a significant number of us have poor access to that system?

Taking Care of Ourself

It sometimes seems hard to take care of oneself.
Even little things sometimes seem difficult.
Sometimes every little things seems difficult.
Might it be that taking care of oneself nearly everything?
Finding and keeping a doctor may seem hard.
Keeping a good medical record may seem hard.
Seeing blood pressure jump up for no apparent reason seems hard to deal with.
Realizing that one has had nearly continuous pain for a long time seems hard.
Getting enough exercise to keep metabolism up and weight down seems hard.

Other things seem much easier. for example:
1. taking chicken soup for a cold
2. not getting most vaccinations
3. avoiding protracted bed-rest
4. exercising enough to control restless leg syndrome
5. washing ones hands often
6. drinking plenty of fluids

We don't all find the same things hard or easy, but we all find some things easier than others.

Then there are things that fall in between. For me its:
1. tetanus and diphtheria booster shots
2. icing a headache; putting ice where the pain is.
4. licking a wound.

There are hard and easy things to in situations that don't involve physical health.We also assume the task of taking care of the economic, spiritual, social, political and emotional self. We take care of the home and family self. the church and work self. Where does it all end. We do get to be with the happy satisfied self and to indulge the R and R self.

A Healthy Housewife

Not many years ago this was a common picture.

Today she is pursuing a career or out working.

I wonder if she is smoking on the job.

I wonder how the children are.

Is that an anachronism on the counter?

I wonder if anachronism were available then.

Exercise Is Probably More Effective

I think that I can profit from more zinc in my diet.
Why?
I've heard that many Americans lack sufficient zinc.
I have experienced angina for which zinc is prescribed.
I have experienced prostate enlarging for which zinc has been indicated,
Polish zinc miners have an unusually low incidence of angina.
MDs have lowered angina in their patients with high dosages of zinc.
Some believe that they have evidence for a chelating effect from zinc which reduces hardening of arteries.

I'd like to have a good menu of foods high in zinc. I've heard that pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, but also hear that most of the zinc is in the husks. And, pumpkin seeds don't make much of a menu.

It would be wonderful if you could tell me of a food high in zinc.

Oh, by the way, when I did have exercise induced angina, I got rid of it by jogging to the point of pain and then changing to a walk until the pain receded and then jogged to the point of pain again. I don't remember how long it took until my pain was gone, but feel sure that it was much less than half a year.

Damn!

I take my blood pressure, but still forget the difference between diastolic and systolic pressure. I'm pretty sure that one can be called resting pressure and the other working pressure. the lower of the tow resting and the higher, working.

Pulse pressure is the name given by some to the difference between resting and working pressures. Pulse pressure may be a true and useful measure of the condition of my arteries. the lower it is the more flexible my arteries. the higher it is the stiffer my arteries. I take it that generally flexible arteries are healthy arteries.

I might say that the lower my pulse pressure the healthier I am. Then again when the difference is zero, one is probably dead or very close to being so.

Still is a heuristic, a difference of below 40 might be a useful indication of healthy arteries and a difference above 40 may be an indication of hardening arteries.

At the moment my readings are as follows: 155 systolic
90 diastolic
65 pulse pressure
75 pulse rate
Oh, my God! My readings have really gone bad. They have been this bad and worse in the past.
In recent years they have been more like: 135 systolic
70 diastolic
65 pulse pressure
60 pulse rate

So, even when I thought my readings were good, I had indications of hardening arteries.

Damn!

The Dear, the Crane, and the Turtle

Health thoughts prompted by a consideration of the dear, crane, and turtle symbols of classic Tao:

There is a Taoist art or practice some call Chi-kung or internal energizing exercises. Chi-kung exercises combined with meditative and breathing techniques may form a useful self-healing system. These internal exercises are probably more important and useful than are ones regular external exercises and may be profitable to continue when one is not continuing what one may consider ones regular exercises regime. An online search may start you on the the path of these exercises.

Go on, go far, return, follow the laws.

If you decide to try one or more of the deer, crane, or turtle related exercises I recommend that you determine to stay with the exercise you choose for more than three months, or twice that, if you would benefit. If you would give yourself a chance to benefit fully from associated meditative and breathing practice, the masters would have you determine to continue for a decade or more. Of course the only practice benefiting use is the one we are in the midst of and some benefits accrue throughout your practices.

Let go of that which does not include bliss, vitality, and wellness.

Modern knowledge of the workings of our bodies helps.
Learn more of your glandular system.
Begin to gather facts about supplementation or augmentation of the endocrine system by your fourth decade.
I have been slow to take this advise.
Can you help me with motivation or information?

Terazosin

It may be time for me to seek some help in adjusting my blood pressure medication.
I have been taking fairly small doses of four medications which have been keeping my pressure within healthy ranges for some time with, apparently, no horrific side effects. In the past i have suffered some really ugly side effects and perhaps settling too easily into the use of my present med.
Now I am experiencing some symptoms that may be do to my present medication as I grow into my 70s.

Some of the symptoms which seem to have increased recently are the following, in more or less descending order of annoyance; worst first: fatigue, diminished erectile functioning, nasal congestion, drowsiness.

On of the medications I am taking is 2mg of terazosin a day. I take it for enlarged prostate symptoms and hypertension symptoms. It is a 'Alpha blocker' and I believe it works by blocking action of adrenalin on the smooth muscles of my bladder and blood vessels.

Breathing Exercise

We know that breathing is very important. Still we often don't have well in mind what one old aunt of mine often repeated. "It aint what you do, but the way how ya do it." She didn't usually talk that way. She may have been quoting some old song. The idea is that the way we breathe counts.

Just remembering to take a few deep breaths several times a day may do one a great deal of good.

There are a large number of more formal breathing exxerecises available to us. I think that it is as good idea to find and use a number of them and then to choose two or three of them to practice with some regularity.

Here's one I have called "Crane" for no very good reason that I can remember. If you are in cold country you might start this exercise by rubbing your hands together to warm them. Then continue by placing warmed palms on either side of the naval. Sounds like something I picked up east of Suez, doesn't it?

Exhale slowly and press hands lightly on the abdomen aiming to form a slight hollow. Gently force air out of lower lungs and bring abdomen in.

After exhaling 'completely,' begin to inhale, slowly extending the abdomen outward so that it extends like a balloon. Take two or three seconds to balloon the abdomen outward with downward pressure of the diaphragm.

Repeat 4 or 5 times,

Avoid chest breathing.

We know that the important parts of breathing are inhaling and exhaling. Attending consciously to our inhaling and our exhaling a few times a day may do us a world of good; perhaps as much good as more formal exercises. Still I do believe that formal breathing exercises may add greatly to our well-being.

Miscelaneous Hypertension Notes

There are a variety of symptoms for hypertension and not all of equal value. For example numbness and tingling may not be very good ones. They do occur in hypertension but there could very well be do to other things including dietary or absorption problem es. Numbness and tingling have been cured by correcting a vitamin deficiency. Of course diet may effect blood pressure in other ways.

On the other hand blood vessel damage in the eyes is often a good indicator of long time high blood pressure;especially when there has not been physical trauma to the eyes. The degree of damage may well be a good measure of how long the hypertension has been present or of repeated episodes of very high presser.

The most useful symptom may be a record of pressure cuff measurements with high average pressure. In one clinic, I was hooked up to a gauge that not only continually recorded my pressures and its changes over many hours, but also provided a continual visual display of my pressure readouts across as long wall. To that information it also added a running average. I was impressed at the time by the very large differences in pressure from one second to the next. Just a few words from me caused my pressure to jump.