About 74.5 million Americans over the age of 20 suffer from high blood pressure, a health concern that is a silent killer and has been on the rise over the past fifteen years.
And a study,Rift Gold published in this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, found that the world's top blood pressure drug, hydrocholorothiazide, may not be as effective as once thought.
Alternatives, RIFT Platinumsuch as beta blockers and ACE inhibitors, have been found to be at least 45 percent more effective at knocking down an individual's "top" blood pressure number. Researchers found ACE inhibitors dropped the top blood pressure number by 12.9 points, while beta blockers knocked off 11.2 points.
While, hydrocholorothiazide mainly address fluid and sodium levels, ACE Inhibitors and beta blockers are responsible for relaxing the blood vessels.rift gold Beta blockers also affect the pumping action of the heart.
"Basically what it comes down to is the recipe that is right for you," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg of the New York University Women's Heart Program and a spokeswoman for the American Heart Association, commenting on the study.
Goldberg told AOL Health that patients should talk to their doctors if they have questions or concerns about the effectiveness of their medicine. High blood pressure medicines should not be stopped without first talking to a physician, she said.
Hydrocholorothiazide is "not useless,RIFT Platinum but it may not be as great as previously thought," said Goldberg.
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute currently recommends hydrocholorothiazides as a first line of defense against high blood pressure. In some cases, another medicine may be used in addition to hydrocholorothiazide.
Dr. Franz Messerli, study researcher and head of the hypertension program at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York,TERA Gold believes that when doctors prescribe hydrocholorothiazide, it gives patients a false sense of security. "Hydrocholorothiazide should no longer be used alone," he told Reuters.
Hydrocholorothiazide drugs are sometimes sold under the brands HydroDIURIL, Aquazide H or Chlorthalidon
2011年5月7日星期六
Smoking, Obesity Blamed for U.S. Lag in Life Expectancy
The U.S. spends more on health care than any other nation yet has worse life expectancy than many -- and a new report blames smoking and obesity.
That may sound surprising, considering that public smoking is being stamped out here while it's common in parts of Europe.Rift Gold And obesity is a growing problem around the world.
But the U.S. led those unhealthy trends, lighting up and fattening up a few decades ahead of other high-income countries. And the long-term consequences are life expectancy a few years shorter than parts of Europe and Japan, the National Research Council reported Tuesday.
In the U.S., life expectancy at birth was 80.8 years for women and 75.6 years for men in 2007. In France,RIFT Platinum life expectancy for women was 84.4 years and 77.4 for men. And in Japan, it was nearly 86 years for women and 79.2 for men.
But thanks to the decline in smoking over the last 20 years, the life expectancy of U.S. men is expected to rapidly improve in coming decades. That improvement will be a little slower for U.S. women,rift gold whose peak smoking rates occurred several years after men's.
In countries where women's life expectancies are particularly high, women never smoked as much as men, said gerontologist Eileen Crimmins of the University of Southern California, who co-chaired the report. But in some Northern European countries,RIFT Platinum women's smoking was more similar to Americans' and life expectancy is too.
While smoking is the key factor, the report also said obesity may account for a fifth to a third of the U.S. shortfall in life expectancy.
It's hard to predict if that impact will continue, Crimmins said. Treatments may allow people to survive obesity's damage for longer, although specialists are particularly concerned about the lifespan of children who live all their lives obese rather than getting fat after they're grown.
As for all those health care bills, "it's not enough to trump a lot of our behaviors," Crimmins said.
The council is part of the National Academy of Sciences, TERA Goldan independent organization chartered by Congress to advise the government on scientific matters.
That may sound surprising, considering that public smoking is being stamped out here while it's common in parts of Europe.Rift Gold And obesity is a growing problem around the world.
But the U.S. led those unhealthy trends, lighting up and fattening up a few decades ahead of other high-income countries. And the long-term consequences are life expectancy a few years shorter than parts of Europe and Japan, the National Research Council reported Tuesday.
In the U.S., life expectancy at birth was 80.8 years for women and 75.6 years for men in 2007. In France,RIFT Platinum life expectancy for women was 84.4 years and 77.4 for men. And in Japan, it was nearly 86 years for women and 79.2 for men.
But thanks to the decline in smoking over the last 20 years, the life expectancy of U.S. men is expected to rapidly improve in coming decades. That improvement will be a little slower for U.S. women,rift gold whose peak smoking rates occurred several years after men's.
In countries where women's life expectancies are particularly high, women never smoked as much as men, said gerontologist Eileen Crimmins of the University of Southern California, who co-chaired the report. But in some Northern European countries,RIFT Platinum women's smoking was more similar to Americans' and life expectancy is too.
While smoking is the key factor, the report also said obesity may account for a fifth to a third of the U.S. shortfall in life expectancy.
It's hard to predict if that impact will continue, Crimmins said. Treatments may allow people to survive obesity's damage for longer, although specialists are particularly concerned about the lifespan of children who live all their lives obese rather than getting fat after they're grown.
As for all those health care bills, "it's not enough to trump a lot of our behaviors," Crimmins said.
The council is part of the National Academy of Sciences, TERA Goldan independent organization chartered by Congress to advise the government on scientific matters.
2011年5月5日星期四
Reyes Going 'Crazy' Over Blown Call Just Might Save the Mets' Season
If you're a Mets fan or just someone who would rather see New York's other team be competitive and interesting rather than lifeless and dull, you had to love that sequence Wednesday night with Jose Reyes proving to every copy editor who ever wanted to remove a "literally" that yes a person can be "literally hopping mad." (This Times photo captures the moment beautifully.)
I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the Reyes sequence -- and the unlikely come-from-behind victory it was given credit for sparking -- will be seen as one of the key moments in the entire season for the Mets.Rift Gold Yes, Reyes went a "little crazy," as he put it himself, and that was a great thing to see.
Reyes is in a contract year and yes, he has every reason to step it up a notch for himself this season for that reason alone -- and if you've covered baseball as a newspaper beat writer, as I did four seasons for the San Francisco Chronicle, you are used to the "contract-year effect." But to me the Reyes' explosion of anger at third did not look like anything other than him wanting to win and having competitive fire for the game. His teammates obviously saw it that way or they would not have reacted how they did.
Same for the Times' excellent Mets beat writer, David Waldstein, who emphasized what he called Reyes' "stunning tirade" in his game story and who quoted the team's beleaguered manager way up high in his story with seeing the Reyes' explosion as huge: RIFT Platinum"'This so far is the biggest win of the year,' said Manager Terry Collins, who credited Reyes for igniting the team. 'I don't think there's any doubt about it.'"
I have been a fan of Reyes since his rookie year with the Mets in 2003 when he made an immediate impression with the emotion he brought to the game. When it went well for Reyes, he made it look like smashing triples or stealing bases was both the easiest and most fun thing in the world. The worry came in how he handled adversity: He always seemed bewildered, confused, like a kid who can't figure out why the TV channel has been changed in the middle of his favorite cartoon.
Just the other day I was watching Reyes and thinking: He looks too damn happy out there. The Mets were still at that point way south of .500. It's a safe bet that new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, rift golda former Marine, has had a similar reaction to Reyes at times. One of Alderson's main tasks this summer is deciding whether he thinks Reyes has it, whether he can be a winner, or whether he's a talented enigma who will always remain an enigma.
Here is what Alderson said of Reyes, before Wednesday night's game, as reported by Dan Martin in the New York Post: "The only real surprise, for me, is the sense of sheer joy he has in playing the game. You don't see (that) in a lot of players (and it) certainly doesn't come through to the fans in a lot of players. That's made an impression."
Alderson had talked Reyes up before the game as a catalyst -- and here he was, catalyzing like mad.
There has been a certain amount of speculation that Alderson would see Reyes as not his kind of player,RIFT Platinum based on things like on-base percentage. What those analyses -- and statistics in general -- leave out is the importance Alderson places on character, on team and on passion.
Those of us who knew Alderson out in California during his days as general manger and president of the Oakland A's know that above all else, he wants players who care, and care passionately about winning. His idea of a nightmare was seeing talented-but-happy-go-lucky Ruben Sierra show up at the ballpark with a matching plum suit and top hat and then play like he was thinking about his dinner plans. I'm not saying Sierra did that a lot, but: I believe it happened. And Sierra never had an outburst like Reyes' on Wednesday night. (I will note, though, that I think in his later phase in pinstripes, playing for the Yankees, TERA GoldSierra approached every game with the attitude of a champion and wanting to get everything out of himself that he could every chance he had.)
The point is: Reyes picked a good moment to go nuts. The ump had clearly blown the call. He had every right to be outraged. And so he had his Peter Finch moment: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more."
The Mets gained in two ways: If they can play with fire and intensity this year, even during a rebuilding season that will try the patience of fans, the ups and downs will be a whole lot easier to take; and second, Reyes might not only have shown Alderson something on Wednesday night, he might have shown himself something, too.
I'm going to go out on a limb and predict that the Reyes sequence -- and the unlikely come-from-behind victory it was given credit for sparking -- will be seen as one of the key moments in the entire season for the Mets.Rift Gold Yes, Reyes went a "little crazy," as he put it himself, and that was a great thing to see.
Reyes is in a contract year and yes, he has every reason to step it up a notch for himself this season for that reason alone -- and if you've covered baseball as a newspaper beat writer, as I did four seasons for the San Francisco Chronicle, you are used to the "contract-year effect." But to me the Reyes' explosion of anger at third did not look like anything other than him wanting to win and having competitive fire for the game. His teammates obviously saw it that way or they would not have reacted how they did.
Same for the Times' excellent Mets beat writer, David Waldstein, who emphasized what he called Reyes' "stunning tirade" in his game story and who quoted the team's beleaguered manager way up high in his story with seeing the Reyes' explosion as huge: RIFT Platinum"'This so far is the biggest win of the year,' said Manager Terry Collins, who credited Reyes for igniting the team. 'I don't think there's any doubt about it.'"
I have been a fan of Reyes since his rookie year with the Mets in 2003 when he made an immediate impression with the emotion he brought to the game. When it went well for Reyes, he made it look like smashing triples or stealing bases was both the easiest and most fun thing in the world. The worry came in how he handled adversity: He always seemed bewildered, confused, like a kid who can't figure out why the TV channel has been changed in the middle of his favorite cartoon.
Just the other day I was watching Reyes and thinking: He looks too damn happy out there. The Mets were still at that point way south of .500. It's a safe bet that new Mets general manager Sandy Alderson, rift golda former Marine, has had a similar reaction to Reyes at times. One of Alderson's main tasks this summer is deciding whether he thinks Reyes has it, whether he can be a winner, or whether he's a talented enigma who will always remain an enigma.
Here is what Alderson said of Reyes, before Wednesday night's game, as reported by Dan Martin in the New York Post: "The only real surprise, for me, is the sense of sheer joy he has in playing the game. You don't see (that) in a lot of players (and it) certainly doesn't come through to the fans in a lot of players. That's made an impression."
Alderson had talked Reyes up before the game as a catalyst -- and here he was, catalyzing like mad.
There has been a certain amount of speculation that Alderson would see Reyes as not his kind of player,RIFT Platinum based on things like on-base percentage. What those analyses -- and statistics in general -- leave out is the importance Alderson places on character, on team and on passion.
Those of us who knew Alderson out in California during his days as general manger and president of the Oakland A's know that above all else, he wants players who care, and care passionately about winning. His idea of a nightmare was seeing talented-but-happy-go-lucky Ruben Sierra show up at the ballpark with a matching plum suit and top hat and then play like he was thinking about his dinner plans. I'm not saying Sierra did that a lot, but: I believe it happened. And Sierra never had an outburst like Reyes' on Wednesday night. (I will note, though, that I think in his later phase in pinstripes, playing for the Yankees, TERA GoldSierra approached every game with the attitude of a champion and wanting to get everything out of himself that he could every chance he had.)
The point is: Reyes picked a good moment to go nuts. The ump had clearly blown the call. He had every right to be outraged. And so he had his Peter Finch moment: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it any more."
The Mets gained in two ways: If they can play with fire and intensity this year, even during a rebuilding season that will try the patience of fans, the ups and downs will be a whole lot easier to take; and second, Reyes might not only have shown Alderson something on Wednesday night, he might have shown himself something, too.
Birthers, Racism, Barack Obama and Hank Aaron
The election of Barack Hussein Obama as the 44th President of the United States marked the first time in history that we voted an African American into the highest office in the land. History. Progress. America!
Since that epic night, we've learned that the historical nature of the last presidential election was not what we thought it was.Rift Gold Instead, what made that November day one for the ages is that it was the first time Americans would select a non-American as its commander in chief. In a race that pitted Panamanian John McCain against Kenyan Barack Obama, history would be made. Hail to the other!
What's wrong with this picture? It may be time for a national time out. Can we stop the madness now? Please.
The history of humankind is littered with attacks on "the other." You know who I'm talking about, the guy who's not from around here. He looks different and has a funny name. Never in our history has a president's claim to legitimacy been challenged in such an odd and persistent manner. And please, leave your evidence at home. We won't need any legal documents and other distractions to decide this one. Common sense?RIFT Platinum Nope. We won't need any of that either. Since when can a process based on logic and reason, with its obvious but boring conclusions, compete with a good old fashioned conspiracy theory that provides endless hours of 24/7 cable gabfest fun? Of course, it can't, so why bother.
Really? Is this any way to run "the world's greatest democracy?" We look more like The Greatest Show on Earth, which is of course the famous tagline for a circus!
Let's face it, in the spirit of hard ball politics there are those who will exploit any situation that will help further their political agendas. That doesn't necessarily make them racists, even if you find such crass tactics objectionable. So beyond politics at its most cynical, what is driving Birthermania? Could it possibly be that, gasp, the president is a black man? Many critics of Mr. Obama will be taking me to task for even suggesting such a thing. rift goldAnd in most cases those who doubt the president's place of birth may have no conscious connection to subconscious racist impulses that may be feeding their doubts. But all the denial in the world doesn't make reality go away.
Last summer my family visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in beautiful Cooperstown, New York. My 11-year-old daughter and I stood before the exhibit that chronicled Hank Aaron's quest to become the sport's home run king. Part of the exhibit is comprised of letters received by Hammerin' Hank as he moved closer to replacing Babe Ruth in the record books. Some of the letters are racially motivated death threats and other venom directed at a black man for the simple act of challenging a white man's record. Here's what Sports Illustrated said in a piece written in anticipation of the record being broken:
Is this to be the year in which Aaron, at the age of thirty-nine, takes a moon walk above one of the most hallowed individual records in American sport? Or will it be remembered as the season in which Aaron,RIFT Platinum the most dignified of athletes, was besieged with hate mail and trapped by the cobwebs and goblins that lurk in baseball's attic?
As my daughter stood slack-jawed in response to what she was reading, I attempted to provide historical context. No matter what I said, she found it hard to believe that someone would threaten to kill a man for the crime of hitting more home runs than the next guy. The notion completely assaulted her sense of empathy, fairness and reality. Such is the vile, monstrous and inhuman nature of racism laid bare. She took great comfort in her belief that we have progressed far beyond those times.
My reaction was somewhat different. I was glued to the TV on that magical night in 1974 when Aaron slugged his way to sole possession of the hallowed home run record. I still get goose bumps when I think of it. But last summer in Cooperstown, I was struck by the realization that if I'm still around to look back on that night, so too are the authors of the death threats that rocked my little girl's world.
Is it possible that those who once threatened Hank Aaron's life have seen the light? Could some of them have actually voted for Barack Obama? People change, don't they?TERA Gold But is it also possible that beliefs so strongly held and felt that they motivated a person to write of murder still persist today? And if so, might they drive a person to believe that an African American man is unfit to be president of the United States? If hitting home runs is a crime in the eyes of a racist, becoming leader of the free world must be off the charts as an offense.
Let me be as clear as possible when I say that I do not believe all birthers are racists.
Let me be equally clear when I say that objecting to the president's policy positions or his handling of the job is a racist activity. It is not.
But what is also crystal clear to me is that racism is a factor in the birther movement.
Let the angry denials commence. But as I suggested earlier, all the denials in the world can't make reality go away. And if we can't challenge each other to speak candidly about racism, that won't be going away any time soon either.
Since that epic night, we've learned that the historical nature of the last presidential election was not what we thought it was.Rift Gold Instead, what made that November day one for the ages is that it was the first time Americans would select a non-American as its commander in chief. In a race that pitted Panamanian John McCain against Kenyan Barack Obama, history would be made. Hail to the other!
What's wrong with this picture? It may be time for a national time out. Can we stop the madness now? Please.
The history of humankind is littered with attacks on "the other." You know who I'm talking about, the guy who's not from around here. He looks different and has a funny name. Never in our history has a president's claim to legitimacy been challenged in such an odd and persistent manner. And please, leave your evidence at home. We won't need any legal documents and other distractions to decide this one. Common sense?RIFT Platinum Nope. We won't need any of that either. Since when can a process based on logic and reason, with its obvious but boring conclusions, compete with a good old fashioned conspiracy theory that provides endless hours of 24/7 cable gabfest fun? Of course, it can't, so why bother.
Really? Is this any way to run "the world's greatest democracy?" We look more like The Greatest Show on Earth, which is of course the famous tagline for a circus!
Let's face it, in the spirit of hard ball politics there are those who will exploit any situation that will help further their political agendas. That doesn't necessarily make them racists, even if you find such crass tactics objectionable. So beyond politics at its most cynical, what is driving Birthermania? Could it possibly be that, gasp, the president is a black man? Many critics of Mr. Obama will be taking me to task for even suggesting such a thing. rift goldAnd in most cases those who doubt the president's place of birth may have no conscious connection to subconscious racist impulses that may be feeding their doubts. But all the denial in the world doesn't make reality go away.
Last summer my family visited the Baseball Hall of Fame in beautiful Cooperstown, New York. My 11-year-old daughter and I stood before the exhibit that chronicled Hank Aaron's quest to become the sport's home run king. Part of the exhibit is comprised of letters received by Hammerin' Hank as he moved closer to replacing Babe Ruth in the record books. Some of the letters are racially motivated death threats and other venom directed at a black man for the simple act of challenging a white man's record. Here's what Sports Illustrated said in a piece written in anticipation of the record being broken:
Is this to be the year in which Aaron, at the age of thirty-nine, takes a moon walk above one of the most hallowed individual records in American sport? Or will it be remembered as the season in which Aaron,RIFT Platinum the most dignified of athletes, was besieged with hate mail and trapped by the cobwebs and goblins that lurk in baseball's attic?
As my daughter stood slack-jawed in response to what she was reading, I attempted to provide historical context. No matter what I said, she found it hard to believe that someone would threaten to kill a man for the crime of hitting more home runs than the next guy. The notion completely assaulted her sense of empathy, fairness and reality. Such is the vile, monstrous and inhuman nature of racism laid bare. She took great comfort in her belief that we have progressed far beyond those times.
My reaction was somewhat different. I was glued to the TV on that magical night in 1974 when Aaron slugged his way to sole possession of the hallowed home run record. I still get goose bumps when I think of it. But last summer in Cooperstown, I was struck by the realization that if I'm still around to look back on that night, so too are the authors of the death threats that rocked my little girl's world.
Is it possible that those who once threatened Hank Aaron's life have seen the light? Could some of them have actually voted for Barack Obama? People change, don't they?TERA Gold But is it also possible that beliefs so strongly held and felt that they motivated a person to write of murder still persist today? And if so, might they drive a person to believe that an African American man is unfit to be president of the United States? If hitting home runs is a crime in the eyes of a racist, becoming leader of the free world must be off the charts as an offense.
Let me be as clear as possible when I say that I do not believe all birthers are racists.
Let me be equally clear when I say that objecting to the president's policy positions or his handling of the job is a racist activity. It is not.
But what is also crystal clear to me is that racism is a factor in the birther movement.
Let the angry denials commence. But as I suggested earlier, all the denials in the world can't make reality go away. And if we can't challenge each other to speak candidly about racism, that won't be going away any time soon either.
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