The Truth About Heart Murmurs

A heart murmur is an extra or unusual sound heard during your heartbeat.
Murmurs range from very faint to very loud and sometimes sound like a whooshing
or swishing noise. Normal heartbeat sounds–”lub-DUPP” or “lub-DUB”–are the
sounds of valves closing as blood moves through the heart. (Go to the section on
“How the Heart Works” for more information about how the normal heart
works.)

A heart murmur is not a disease; it is a sound that the doctor hears with the
stethoscope. It may be normal for your child, or it could be a sign that
something may be wrong. Most heart murmurs are harmless. Some are a sign of a
heart problem, especially if other signs or symptoms of a heart problem are
present.

TYPES OF MURMURS

Innocent (harmless) murmurs. A person with an innocent murmur has a
normal heart and usually has no other symptoms or signs of a heart problem.
Innocent murmurs are common in healthy children.

Abnormal murmurs. A person with an abnormal murmur usually has other
signs or symptoms of a heart problem. Most abnormal murmurs in children are due
to congenital heart disease–heart defects present at birth. In adults, abnormal
murmurs are most often due to heart valve problems caused by infection, disease,
or aging.

OTHER NAMES FOR HEART MURMURS

INNOCENT HEART MURMURS

• Normal heart murmurs
• Benign heart murmurs
• Functional heart murmurs
• Physiologic heart murmurs
• Still’s murmur
• Flow murmur

ABNORMAL HEART MURMURS

• Pathologic heart murmurs

Go to BlackDoctors.org to read this article in it entirety!

Diabetes Awareness: What is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a disease in which the body has problems producing or using insulin, a hormone needed to convert sugar, starches and other food into energy.

Compared to the general population, African Americans are disproportionately affected by diabetes:

• 4.9 million (an increase from 3.7 million in 2007), or 18.7% of all African Americans, aged 20 years or older, also have diabetes.
• African Americans are 1.8 times more likely to have diabetes as non Hispanic whites.
• 25 percent of African Americans between the ages of 65 and 74 have diabetes.
• 1 in 4 African American women over 55 years of age has diabetes.

Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for a number of serious, sometimes life-threatening complications, and certain populations experience an even greater threat. Good diabetes management can help reduce your risk; however, many people are not even aware that they have diabetes until they develop one of its complications.

• Blindness. African Americans are almost 50 percent as likely to develop diabetic retinopathy as non-Hispanic whites.
• Kidney Disease. African Americans are 2.6 to 5.6 times as likely to suffer from kidney disease with more than 4,000 new cases of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) each year.
• Amputations. African Americans are 2.7 times as likely to suffer from lower-limb amputations. Amputation rates are 1.4 to 2.7 times higher in men than women with diabetes.
• Heart Disease and Stroke. Heart disease and stroke account for about 65 percent of deaths in people with diabetes. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes. The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher and the risk of death from stroke is 2.8 times higher among people with diabetes.

Go to BlackDoctors.org to continue reading this article, read here.

DIG DEEP!

    Keep the focus that you started with when you were so emotionally invested in your health in the beginning. Unable to continue to sustain success in your health goals!? Well, the problem might be that you are losing or have lost that excitement to you had when you first got started...Or you've become boring in your approach. One way to get that excitement back is to "Dig Deep" & get a little more adventurous with your work outs. Whatever you use do before change it by multiplying the numbers a bit. If you use to do 3 sets, do 4 or 5 sets..if you use to do 15 reps, do 25 or 30 reps. You should never plateau if you "Dig Deep". 

God bless you guys
& Please workout hard & workout smart

REASONS TO DRINK

9 Reasons Why You Should Fall in Love With Drinking Water

Today is the second part of our mini-series on water, and why you should love drinking this . 

Many of us try to battle our thirst with other beverages like juice, soda, tea and coffee. Most are fine to drink, in moderation. However, water is a wonderful beverage with many benefits. Here are nine reasons you should drink more water:

Reason #1: Drinking water will help you exercise better. When you drink water your body temperature is regulated. This will allow you to be more energetic. Water also helps fuel your muscles.

Reason #2: Drinking water will help you lose weight. Drinking water is an effective appetite suppressant and will reduce your hunger, which means you will eat less. Water also has ZERO calories.

Reason #3: Drinking water will help your mood. Your body feels very good when you drink water and that will make you feel happy.

Reason #4: Drinking water will give you better productivity at work. Since your brain is made up of primarily water, drinking water helps you think better, it helps you stay alert and allows you to focus better on the task at hand.

Reason #5: Drinking water will help relieve fatigue. Water is used to flush toxin and waste from the body. If your body lacks water, your heart will have to work harder to pump oxygenated blood to all cells, as will other vital organs. Your body works harder when you are not drinking enough water, which will make you feel tired.

Reason #6: Drinking water is a natural remedy for headaches. Sometimes a headache is a symptom of dehydration, which can be remedied by drinking water.

Reason #7: Drinking water will help your digestive system and help eliminate constipation. When you drink water your metabolism will increase, which helps in digestion.

Reason #8: Drinking water will properly hydrate your joints and muscles, which will reduce cramps and sprains.

Reason #9: Drinking water will make you look younger with healthier skin. When you are properly hydrated, your skin will look younger. When you drink water, you are replenishing your skin tissues, which moisturizes your skin and increases the elasticity of your skin.

There are many more benefits of water. If you commit to drinking the recommended 8 glasses per day, you should begin to reap from its benefits.

H2O THE ALL IN ALL

We are going to do a mini-series on water. Yes, H2O. It isn't just something you drink while working out. Drinking water is vital to your overall health. 
Did you know that your body consists of 55 - 78% water? Your muscles and tissues are made primarily of water:

• Muscle consists of 75% water
• Brain consists of 90% of water
• Bone consists of 22% of water
• Blood consists of 83% water

Water helps your body by:

• Transporting nutrients and oxygen into cells
• Moisturizing the air in lungs
• Helping with metabolism
• Protecting vital organs
• Helping organs absorb nutrients better
• Regulating body temperature
• Detoxifying

Every cell in your body from head to toe needs water. Drink up!

Protects and moisturizes our joints.

Health & Wellness

by Unique Health & Wellness Fitness

Unique Health and Wellness is on the mission of transforming the health and fitness industry with innovative training programs with an inspirational and a motivational voice. I am certified in...

"Tomorrow is not promised to you, why not get fit today with me".

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