Orble - health2know

health2know

follow this blog

1 daily readers

rank of 1644

E-mail Subscription

Receive an e-mail notification of new posts on this site:

Electrocardiography (ECG Or EKG) Test

December 11th 2011 11:24

What Is An ECG Or EKG Test?
The EKG test is a medical device used to assess electrical and muscular functions of the heart. It is painless and takes 10-15 minutes to perform. This simple test takes experts in the cardiac environment to interpret its results. Blood and urine tests may be performed before the EKG test to supply the specialist with as much information as possible.
What conditions are diagnosed with an ECG (EKG) Test?
1. Cause of abnormally fast or too slow or irregular heart rhythms;
2. The reason for palpitations;
3. Abnormal conduction of cardiac impulses, which may suggest underlying cardiac or metabolic disorders;
4. Are the patient’s symptoms the result of a prior heart attack (myocardial infarction);
5. Is the patient in danger of a threatening, acute heart attack;
6. Severe chest pain pointing to the possibility of angina;
7. Adverse effects on the heart from various heart, lung or systemic conditions such as high blood pressure, thyroid conditions, emphysema, lung or other pulmonary embolus (blood clots);
8. History of congenital heart abnormalities;
9. Abnormal blood electrolytes such as potassium, calcium, or magnesium;
10. Certain insurance companies or employers to ensure that the client or employees are suitable for specific life or other policies or work situations.
Some Results Of An EKG include:
1. The Electrocardiogram (EKG) reports the electrical activity of the heart;
2. Shows the exact size and position of the heart chambers;
3. Indicates blood flow to the heart muscle;
4. Reports any heart damage
The working of prescribed drugs or a pacemaker should be tested regularly.
What Happens During An EKG Test?
The heart is a two stage electrical pump. During an EKG test the heart’s electrical activity is measured via electrodes placed on the skin. These electrodes are placed according to a standardized system developed for the ideal electrode placement for a routine ECG.
The electrocardiogram’s results are either printed onto paper or shown on a computer monitor. Ten leads are necessary to report 12 electrical views of the heart.
Anyone who underwent surgery or had EKG tests done, is familiar with the vervat electrode leads. These leads are placed on the patient’s arms, legs and six are placed across the chest wall. During the test the skin must be completely dry as correct information cannot be gained if the skin is wet or sweaty. some clear gel is applied to the skin before the leads or patches are put in place. Electrical cables are then connected to the leads and the EKG machine or computer.
A Little History
According to Wikipedia “During his studies as Doctor of Science in 1872 at the St Bartholomew's Hospital, Alexander Muirhead is reported to have attached wires to a feverish patient's wrist to obtain a record of the patient's heartbeat. the British physiologist John Burdon Sanderson, recorded and visualized the procedure using a Lippmann capillary electrometer (a device for detecting small rushes of electric current).
“His electrocardiograph machine consisted of a Lippmann capillary electrometer fixed to a projector. The trace from the heartbeat was projected onto a photographic plate which was fixed to a toy train. This allowed a heartbeat to be recorded in real time. In 1911 he still saw little clinical application for his work.
“An initial breakthrough came when Willem Einthoven, working in Leiden, Netherlands, used the string galvanometer that he invented in 1903. This device was much more sensitive than both the capillary electrometer that Waller used and the string galvanometer that had been invented separately in 1897 by the French engineer Clément Ader. Rather than using today's self-adhesive electrodes Einthoven's subjects would immerse each of their limbs into containers of salt solutions from which the EKG was recorded.
“Though the basic principles of that era are still in use today, there have been many advances in electrocardiography over the years. The instrumentation, for example, has evolved from a cumbersome laboratory apparatus to compact electronic systems that often include computerized interpretation of the electrocardiogram.”
The next time you need to be hooked up for an EKG test, appreciate the comfort of computerised technology and that you needn’t place your limbs in a container with a salt solution!

Vote

Comments (1)

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Hettie - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Healthy Horse, Healthy man

September 10th 2011 21:26

Horses play a very important role in the healthy lives of disabled children and adults. Amongst other qualities are the companionship developing between man and horse. Let’s look at other aspects in which horses benefit disabled people’s health and general wellbeing. Although we pay more attention to disabled persons, horse riding benefits any child or adult as riding in the fresh, open, often countryside, will calm any rider’s built-up stress level resulting from our stressed and busy every-day lives.

A Little History

Ever since the creation man and animals were close together. Very often animals were killed as man needed food and animals were there for the kill. They were convenient to provide transport for people to move from one place to another. Their masters sometimes over loaded them with all man needed on his nomadic travels.

Today horses are one of man’s best friends. There is a bond between master and horse which non-horse lovers don’t understand. It is well-known that a horse will give his life for his master in dangerous situations.

Health Through Horseback Riding Therapy (equine-assisted activities (EAA) or also called Hippo therapy)

This therapy may only be presented by a certified or specially-trained riding instructor. After a Thorough assessment by the therapist, an equine-assisted
therapeutic riding program must be worked out to address this person’s specific needs. Equine refers to any animal therapy, we will look at Hippo therapy in this article.

Benefits of Hippo therapy

Parents and spouses were astounded by the confidence and increased self-esteem that comes from being able to maneuver and control an animal that may weigh in the excess of 1000 pounds. The interaction between rider and horse may be the only free activity the rider may have. A few wheelchair users reported that “I felt as though I was walking again.”

Horses are not kept on small premises in towns or cities. Horseback riding, out in the fresh air and away from facilities associated with chronic illness and disability, imparts a sense of general well-being, freedom and satisfaction.

Disabled children and adults talk about this experience, thereby adding to their communication skills. While on horseback, their experience of motion, rhythm, and broadening of their small world by riding in the open, helps them integrating in any conversation with family and friends. During the ride the rider is encouraged to experience the ride through all senses: smelling the aroma of their surroundings be it trees, flowers, grass, crossing or riding through water; hearing nature’s sounds and silence; looking to remember what he/she sees and even tasting nature. Holding the rains when riding by themselves or holding onto or touching the saddle or the horse’s manes, are all unforgettable enjoyment.

Riding encourages risk taking,- even getting onto a horse may seem like a risk for a new rider - development of patience, emotional control and self-discipline, sense of normality, and expansion of the locus of control.

Opportunities to compete with horse riders increases their socializing skills. Participating in horse shows, endurance competitions and being with other animal lovers, add to a healthy, competitive and fulfilling life style.

Caring for the horse before and after a ride, attributes to self discipline, responsibility. Feeding, grooming, loving and patting the horse has a calming effect on persons with emotional problems, depression, being stressed or other physical problems and diseases. These activities also increase bonding between human and horse. Being able to spend time with other animal lovers and people with the same interests, is priceless

When asked, parents and teachers commented on the child’s improved ability to concentrate and perform better at school and interact at home.

You are encouraged to introduce horse riding sessions to disabled children and adults, elderly people who are feeling alone, as well as all your friends to add horse riding to your health-building and exercising program.

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Hettie - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Laugh For Health

September 4th 2011 22:43

Last time we looked at relationships and health. A very important building block in relationships and our health, is the role of humor and laughter as part of our daily diet. Yes, laughter is as important to our health as is a well balanced diet. Unfortunately laughter had succumbed to man’s ideas of when, how loud or soft, the reason for laughter and even more man-made rules. We lost our in-born ability to laugh even where there seems to be no reason for a laugh. As babies and small children we all laughed spontaneously and even brought smiles to family and stranger’s faces.

“Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.”
~ Victor Borge

Why Do People Laugh?

“What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul.”
~ Yiddish Proverb

We think people laugh when they are happy. It is true but not always so. People also laugh when embarrassed, uneasy or hurt. laughter is literally the loss of control. For example – as a child I often fell down stairs, over nothing in particular and would start laughing to hide the shame, hurt and embarrassment. The situation placed me in a state of uncontrolled emotions; if I didn’t laugh I would have bursted into tears and that would have made me feel even worse.

We laugh when it is expected of us. Your boss tells jokes and you are expected to find it funny as you don’t want to insult him, after all, you want a pay rise next month. What you don’t realise is that the boss is controlling his personnel’s emotional dependence on his power.

Laughter counteracts stress and unease. A speaker once stood in front of the audience fidgeting, sighing, rearranging his speech papers and at last he covered his face with his hands and it seemed as though he was going to burst out in tears. The audience was embarrassed, stressed and felt uneasy not knowing how to react. Suddenly the speaker started laughing and the audience reacted with nervous, embarrassed laughter. That was a display of body language and the message was conveyed successfully. It was one of the best ice breakers as he had the attention of every attendant, stirred their emotions and relaxed the built-up attention through laughter.

Let’s talk about laughter and a healthy body, mind and soul.

Quality relationships are one of the most important building blocks of our mental and physical health. Laughter forms an important part of this balance as it binds people together.

Stress hormones are reduced when we laugh and acts as a safety valve that shuts off the flow of these hormones

Our immune system also benefits from laughter as it balances all the components that help the body prevent diseases.

We all at some time or other experience hiccupping and coughing until the tears run down our cheeks after a hearty laugh. In doing this, the body clears our respiratory tract by dislodging mucous plugs. Laughter also increases the concentration of salivary immunoglobulin A, which defends against infectious organisms entering through the respiratory tract.

Don’t like exercising on a rowing machine or an exercise bike? Then laugh for 15 minutes as it is said that that is equal to a good work-out on these apparatus. Much easier and enjoyable don’t you think?

Another bonus of laughter is that your diaphragm, abdominal, respiratory, facial, leg and back muscles are exercised effortlessly.

Laughter is a pain stiller

Mr. Norman Cousins found out how laughter can kill pain. In his book entitled 'Anatomy of an Illness', he tells his reader how he was diagnosed in 1964 with Bettered Disease which usually results in acute inflammation of the spine as well as other parts of the human body. Norman Cousins' doctors gave him only a few months to live. His philosophy was that negative thoughts and attitudes can result in illness, therefore positive thoughts and attitudes may have the opposite effect. Instead of staying in hospital to wait for death, he left hospital and went to stay in a hotel where he took mega doses of vitamin C and watched humorous movies and shows, like 'Candid Camera' and the Marx Brothers. The result of his positive attitude and energetic laughter as he watched these movies for a few minutes, resulted in at least two hours of pain-free sleep. He continued this routine until he finally recovered. Thus, he proved that laughter is the best medicine, and paved the way to mind-body medicine.

Brighten your day, with as much laughter as possible and better your mental and physical health. Someone said that, if there is nothing to laugh at, then you should laugh on credit. Invest in this health credit to ensure that you will never become insolvent, .

Vote

Add Comments

[ Link ]

Posted By: Hettie - Category: No Category

Email this Post to a Friend

Health Affected By Relationships?

August 22nd 2011 12:09

Your text goes hereWe have relationships with any and everything in our lives. You have a relationship with your favourite chair; with your pillow, that’s why you carry it with you whenever you sleep over with friends or in hotels; a child carries its blanket, favourite toy or whatever it loves, with where ever he/she goes. We have relationships with people around us. Many years ago I had a “street” relationship with people who travelled on the same bus each morning; people I met regularly on the street on or from work to the bus stop.

What does this all have to do with my health? Everything

[ Click here to read more ]

Vote