Although it is environmentally friendly, blue light can affect your sleep and potentially cause disease. Over the last few years (prior to COVID-19), the amount of time we spend glued to our electronic devices has steadily increased, and the pandemic (plus the ensuing lockdowns) have exacerbated the situation since most interactions have gone virtual.
This means the amount of blue light to which we are exposed has also seen a substantial increase. And if you are wondering whether the blue light from your smartphone (and other devices) is harmful, the answer is a resounding yes. Extraordinary pressure on the retina, dry eyes, fatigue, and disturbed sleep cycles (or disturbances to the circadian rhythm) are only some of the harmful effects caused by addiction to our tablets and smartphones. Researchers have learned that blue light can also lead to vision loss. Worse, research shows that it may contribute to the causation of cancer, diabetes, heart disease, depression, and obesity.
What Is Blue Light?
Not all colors of light have the same effect. Blue light, also known as high-energy visible (HEV) light is a high-energy visible light and has shorter wavelengths. It has the highest energy level and the shortest wavelength (detectable by the human eye) of all the visible colours. Its main source is sunlight; thus, we all get our fair share of it when we’re out in the sun. It is known as blue light because it is on the violet-blue band of the spectrum.
Blue wavelengths ~ which are beneficial during daylight hours because they boost alertness, helps memory and cognitive function, elevates mood, plus regulates circadian rhythm seem to be the most disruptive at night. Blue light is emitted by digital devices, including laptops, tablets, smartphones, notebooks, and computers. The proliferation of electronics with screens, as well as energy-efficient lighting, is increasing our exposure to blue wavelengths, especially after sundown.
Though, the blue light exposure you receive from screens is small compared to the amount of exposure from the sun, there is concern over the long-term effects of screen exposure because of the close proximity of the screens and the length of time spent looking at them.
How Does Blue Light Affect the Eyes?
Almost all visible blue light passes through the cornea and lens and reaches the retina. This light may affect vision and could prematurely age the eyes.
Early research shows that exposure to intense amounts of blue light may be harmful to the eyesand could lead to:
Blue light from computer screens and digital devices can decrease contrast leading to digital eyestrain. Bad lighting, or how you sit in front of the computer can cause eyestrain. Symptoms of eyestrain include sore or irritated eyes, dry or watery eyes, blurred vision, headaches, facial muscles fatigued by squinting, and difficulty focusing.
Studies suggest that continued overexposure to blue light over time could lead to blurry vision, cataracts, anddamaged retinal cells as occurred in the development of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye disease that can blur your central vision. This concern comes from the fact that blue light and ultraviolet light place oxidative stress on the retinal pigments.
Human eyes have receptors that contain a photopigment called melanopsin that is sensitive to blue light. Exposure to blue light is detected by the eyes and signals the pineal gland (a tiny organ deep within the brain that produces the body’s melatonin) to suppress the secretion of the hormone melatonin (a sleep hormone that helps to regulate your circadian rhythm). By suppressing the secretion of melatonin, this results in a disruption of the sleep-wake cycle.
In short, screen time, especially at night, is linked to poor sleep. The blue light from electronic devices messes with your circadian rhythm, or sleep cycle. It signals your brain to wake up when it should be winding down.
Blue light exposure might raise your risk for certain cancers. One study found that people who work the night shifts are at greater risk for breast, prostate, and colorectal cancers.
Another potentially serious condition that can be caused by high night time exposure to blue light was linked to increased risk of depression or depressive symptoms in animal studies. However, exposure to blue light during the day may have the opposite effect and it has been used to treat seasonal affective disorder, or SAD (a form of depression related to the changing of the seasons).
Not many know about blue light’s negative effects on the skin ~ which can stimulate photo-ageing and over time lead to skin discoloration, inflammation and a weakened skin surface.
The findings from a preliminary study observed from a group of lighter-skinned people by exposing them to visible blue light, showed a lot of swelling, redness as well as pigment changes in the skin. This suggests that visible blue light can penetrate through the skin and cause reactive oxygen species (ROS). These reactive species can damage skin DNA and cause the breakdown of elastin fibers and collagen.
A study was published in February 2015 in Oxidative Medicine and Longevity regarding blue light exposure and skin. The study highlights a connection between blue light rays and the production of free radicals in the skin. Free radicals in the skin can speed up the process of skin aging or premature aging of the skin. Another way that blue light from computer screens may be speeding up the aging process is through pigmentation, as it can cause pigment changes. Furthermore, blue can also cause other changes to the skin, such as the shrinking of cells and even death, which leads to speedy aging.
Ways to Minimise Exposure to Blue Light
If you're one of the millions of people across the world who spend a lot of time on your phone, then it's crucial that you find ways to reduce your blue light exposure along the way. A research from the University of Toledo reveals that blue light from smartphone screen can cause blindness. The study found that blue light causes toxic reactions in retinal molecules in the eye that sense light and signals the brain. As a result, the poisonous chemical reactions kill the photoreceptors in the eyes and cannot be recovered once they die.
It's not just phones or computer screens that emit blue light. You also need to think about display screens on products like refrigerators, and lightbulbs too. To avoid serious problems, here are some ways you can work towards reducing your exposure to blue light on a daily basis:
According to Harvard Health, blue light exposure in the hours leading up to bedtime can directly interrupt your body's circadian rhythm. In turn, this affects your sleep quality, and might even contribute to other more serious afflictions. As a result, you should try to avoid screen time at least 2 hours leading up to bedtime.
One great option for minimizing blue light exposure is wearing protective glasses whenever you're looking at a computer screen, like during your work hours. Usually blue light glasses which are customizable, have virtually clear lenses, and have a special coating that helps prevent blue light and UV rays from passing through to your eyes.
Having screen brightness that is too high or too low can cause eyestrain and can make the eyes get tired faster. Look for a light-reduction application that automatically adjusts your computer's or smartphone’s color temperature display so that the display does not feel as bright and to make it less jarring to your vision at night. If possible, equip your smartphone with anti-glare glass or you can download to reduce the blue light.
The best thing you can do for your eyes (and your overall mental and physical health) at the end of the day is to cap your screen time to a daily limit and hold yourself to that limit.
Stop staring at the smartphone screen every 20 minutes for 20 seconds. Then look at something 20 feet away. It aims to temporarily relax the eye muscles and give your eyes a little rest.
When you concentrate on your smartphone, your blink rate also decreases. It can cause the tears on the surface to dry and leads to irritation, redness, pain and blurry vision. Try to also blink more often as this will make the eyes moist and reduce irritation. Blink at least 10 times every 20 minutes.
Holding your smartphone only about 20 cm from the face is very bad for the eyes. Give a distance of at least 40 – 46 cm from the eyes. Maybe it will feel strange for the first time, but you will get used to it.
In contrast, you should avoid lightbulbs whose brightness is described with phrases like "daylight" or "cool white."
There is no time better than the present, to start taking action.
Hydrogen’s potent antioxidant properties selectively scavenges free radicals thus reducing oxidative stress, and anti-inflammatory properties effectively reduces inflammation. Learn more how Hi-Bliss Hydrogen Therapy can help to take care of your eyes here: https://wordpress-851564-2937612.cloudwaysapps.com/treatment-services-eye-therapy/
Shingles is a viral infection that usually causes a stripe of blisters that wraps around your torso. Although the rash can appear on any part of your body, it is most common to appear around the left or right side of your torso.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who has had chickenpox may develop shingles. Sometimes the virus remains dormant within their nervous system for a long time before re-emerging as shingles.
Eventually, the virus may reactivate and travel along nerve pathways to your skin — producing shingles. But not everyone who's had chickenpox will develop shingles
The exact cause of shingles remains unclear. It may be due to lower immunity as people age. Shingles can happen at any age and in people with weakened immune systems.
Shingles isn't usually life-threatening, but can cause pain. Pain is usually the first symptom of shingles. Sometimes it can be intense but usually lasts for a few weeks. Some people might mistake the pain for other problems, for example heart, lungs or kidney issues.
Most commonly, the shingles rash develops as a stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or right side of your torso. Sometimes the shingles rash occurs around one eye or on one side of the neck or face.
After having shingles, you might feel constant pain for a long time or until the blisters on your body heal. This is called postherpetic neuralgia and is one of the most common complications of shingles.
People who are eligible for vaccinations can reduce the risk of getting shingles. Early treatment makes it less likely to have complications from shingles. Nobody can say that the shingles vaccine will protect you from ever getting this illness again. However, the odds of it happening may be reduced and you're at a lesser risk of complications.
The molecular Hydrogen in Hydrogen Water can help facilitate the healing of Shingles and assist in skin recovery. This is because Hydrogen can fight against the inflammatory free radicals in your body. Find out more about how Hydrogen can be the way to improve your health here.
Gout is one of the oldest recorded diseases, with accounts dating back to ancient Egypt. This incredibly painful arthritis affects millions of adults today just as it did in historic times. Though this old disease is becoming more common, but gout can be easily treated and then prevented — with the right care.
Gout is the most common type of inflammatory arthritis that happens when levels of uric acid — a normal byproduct of metabolic reactions in your body (from the breakdown of purines) - become too high. When levels of uric acid get so high that your body can’t easily dissolve and excrete it (via urine), uric acid starts to crystallize. Uric acid crystals deposit themselves in the joints where they cause severe inflammation.
When gout causes severe joint pain, it is called a gout attack, a gout flare-up, or acute gout. Pain is typically accompanied by extreme joint tenderness, swelling, warmth, and skin redness. Gout causes sudden (without warning) and severe joint pain that usually starts in the big toe. Though the big toe is a well-known site of gout attacks, but gout can strike many different joints and areas around the joints. Joints commonly affected include the big toe, the foot’s instep, heel, ankle, and knee. Less often, gout affects the elbow, wrist, fingertips, or spine. These attacks may last a week or two, and another may not occur for months or even years.
Men are three times more likely than women to develop gout. It tends to affect men after age 40 and women after menopause. It is also interesting to know that there are differences between men and women and in which joints are affected:
While women are less likely to get gout, they are more likely to have multiple joints affected by gout.
Gout symptoms can be confused with another type of arthritis called calcium pyrophosphate deposition (CPPD). However, the crystals that irritate the joint in this condition (CPPD) are calcium phosphate crystals, not uric acid.
How a Gout Flare-Up Develops
Gout often develops in some people who have high levels of uric acid from the breakdown of purines, which are found in human cells and many foods, including red meat, organ meats and some seafoods.
Gout results from a build-up of uric acid crystals (monosodium urate crystals) in a joint. These needle-like, microscopic crystals collect in the soft tissue of a joint, causing pain that can be excruciating, as well as swelling, redness, and warmth.
What are Purines?
Purines are important substances necessary for making amino acids, which are the basic building blocks of the human body. Purines are a natural substance found in some foods and is present in all body tissues (and human cells). Our bodies are continually processing purines, breaking them down and recycling or removing the byproducts. When your body digests purine, it produces a waste product called uric acid. A buildup of uric acid crystals in the joints can cause certain health issues.
Purines are found in many foods, aren't all bad, but you want to avoid high amounts. Purines can be found in many foods including (red meat, organ meats and some seafoods), and at different levels. Here are the list of foods that are high in purine content:-
How uric acid crystals form
The build-up of uric acid crystals begins with purines, a chemical compound found in many foods.
Other causes of Gout may result from genes and gender; other health conditions, like high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity or psoriasis; some medications; a high-purine diet. Stress and Injury, an infection or severe illness can also trigger a flare. Starting medicine to lower uric acid may also trigger a flare, so you may need another medication to prevent it.
Why do Gout Flare-Ups Happen at Night
It is not uncommon for gout to flare-up in the middle of the night, waking a person from a sound sleep. In a research study (Nocturnal risk of gout attacks. Arthritis Rheumatol) conducted on more than 700 gout patients, found that flare-ups were 2.4 times more likely between midnight and 8 am than between 8 am and 4 pm. Researchers theorize gout attacks often occur at night because:
Acute Gout vs. Chronic Gout
Acute gout attacks are characterized by a rapid onset and escalation with joint pain typically peaking within 24 hours of attack onset. The pain starts suddenly, often during the night. Other symptoms may include severe pain, often described as throbbing, crushing, or excruciating, the joint appears warm and red, and often very tender and swollen and there may be a fever.
An acute attack often begins to remit after 5 to 12 days without treatment, but complete resolution may take longer in some patients. The pain and swelling most often will go away after the first attack, however many people will have another attack in the next 6 to 12 months.
Others experiencing repeated instances of acute gout ie relapsing problem with multiple severe attacks that occur at short intervals and without complete resolution of inflammation between attacks are called Chronic gout (aka gouty arthritis). This condition can cause significant joint destruction and deformity and may lead to permanent damage of a joint’s tissues and decrease/loss of motion in the joints. May also be confused with other forms of chronic inflammatory arthritis such as rheumatoid arthritis. People with chronic gout will have joint pain and other symptoms most of the time.
People who already have osteoarthritis — the most common form of arthritis ~ often experience their gout attacks in the joints of the finger.
For this reason, it is important to recognize symptoms, understand risk factors, get an accurate diagnosis, and treat and prevent gout.
A combination of one or more of these strategies can help prevent uric acid build-up that leads to a gout attack.
Consuming alcohol inhibits the body’s ability to excrete uric acid, increasing the risk of hyperuricemia and a gout attack. If you can’t avoid alcohol, stick to wine instead.
Instead, increase the intake of foods that are high in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties plus Vitamin C-rich vegetables and fruits. Examples of foods to add in your diet are:- dark berries, like blueberries, cherries, legumes, nuts (almonds and walnuts), Omega 3 fatty acids (salmon, mackerel), Tofu/Soy, Pineapple, oranges, grapefruit, broccoli, red peppers. and Coffee.
Increasing water intake will help keep the kidneys healthy and help them flush out uric acid from the body.
Obtaining and maintaining a healthy weight through diet and exercise helps reduce the risk of gout. If you do need to lose weight, make sure your weight loss is gradual as crash diets can increase uric acid levels.
Aim to complete at least 30 minutes of physical activity at least 3 – 4 days in the week.
While more research is needed, some evidence suggests that treating sleep apnea may significantly affect the frequency of gout episodes as increasing oxygen intake may lower uric acid production and thus reduce the risk of a gout attack.
Emotional stress can also bring on a gout attack. So can physical trauma to the foot (such as might occur during running), which may release some crystals and cause an inflammatory reaction.
Learn more how Hi-Bliss Hydrogen Therapy and our Detox Program can help eliminate excess Uric Acid here: https://hi-bliss.com/muscle-joint-programs/ Hydrogen with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties is able to effectively reduce inflammation and flush-out toxins hence minimizing Gout flare-ups.
Every 12 minutes, a person is diagnosed with cancer in Malaysia. It is statistically very likely for you to develop cancer in your body. Let's learn some quick facts and statistics about cancer and how you can protect yourself from it .
Normal blood pressure readings will fall below 120/80. Higher results over time can indicate hypertension. Elevated blood pressure is consistently just above the normal level -- anywhere between 120 and 129 for systolic pressure and less than 80 for diastolic pressure. People in this range are more likely to get heart disease than those with a lower reading.
What damage can high blood pressure (Hypertension) cause?
To get some idea of the scale of the problem that high blood pressure can cause, think about it this way. Every single blood vessel in your body, every area where blood is present is under increased pressure every second of every day, 24/7, 365 days a year. Every capillary, artery and vein is at risk of bursting whether you are at rest or active whilst the major organs of your body could be flooded with excess blood or just give up at any time.
Consequently, the simple answer to the question of what damage high blood pressure can cause is, everything. The following (scary) litany will give you some idea of the problems that high blood pressure can cause and why you should get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis.
High blood pressure is the number one cause of deaths from cardiovascular disease and heart attacks, with nearly 70% of people who suffer their first heart attack being a high blood pressure sufferer as well. The fact that your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body means that over time, it will become thicker and stiffer, which often leads to an increasing degree of heart failure as your heart is far less capable of doing the job that it is supposed to do. There is an alternative scenario where your heart becomes enlarged because of the increased blood pressure. An enlarged heart is not capable of pumping blood as efficiently as it should do, meaning that you are once again at an increased risk of suffering a heart attack.
Strokes are the third most common cause of death. Uncontrolled blood pressure can result in damaged or narrow blood vessels in the brain, which in turn increases the risk of a blood vessel becoming blocked or bursting.
In this situation, restricting blood flow to a certain part of the brain can cause the cells of that particular area of your brain to cease functioning either temporarily or permanently (in effect, part of your brain dies and that carries a significant risk that you will die as well.)
If you suffer from persistent, severe headaches, this may be a sign of impending blood vessel failure in your head. Similarly, dizziness, blurred vision, feeling inextricably weak or numb or losing the ability to talk clearly could all be signs that a stroke caused by high blood pressure could be imminent.
Another problem to which high blood pressure can contribute is a form of dementia known as vascular dementia. This occurs when a certain portion of the brain is damaged because of erratic or irregular blood flow caused by high blood pressure which causes the sufferer memory loss, confusion and sometimes a loss of speech.
High blood pressure can cause kidney problems, or in some cases, pre-existing kidney damage can cause high blood pressure. However, whichever way this happens, the main problem is that kidney damage is less likely to lead to kidney failure and far more likely to lead to heart attacks and strokes.
This often happens because as your kidneys become less efficient, they are less able to filter and clean your blood, meaning that dirt and other possible blockages are left to flow around your body in the bloodstream.
Not only does high blood pressure have the potential to damage your heart, brain and kidneys, it can damage any area of your body where there are blood vessels. Hence, it is possible that high blood pressure can have an adverse effect on both your eyesight and your mobility.
If you have been established to have a high blood pressure problem, your eyes will often be investigated (whether any of these capillaries have expanded, burst or suffered any other damage) because the small blood vessels, the capillaries at the back of your eye are the only blood vessels which are visible.
And because high blood pressure makes your heart become thicker and less able to do its job properly, it is not uncommon for high blood pressure sufferers to experience swollen ankles and other swollen limb extremities.
This happens because your heart is less efficient than it was before you suffered a high blood pressure problem so that it is less capable of pushing blood around your body. Hence, blood starts to accumulate in your ankles and lower legs and whilst in the short term this may be nothing more than an unsightly inconvenience, it can lead to more serious problems over the longer term such as varicose veins, cellulitis and venous ulcers.
If you are a diabetes sufferer, high blood pressure can be a very serious problem indeed. As a diabetic, the risk of suffering heart problems, strokes and kidney disease are increased whilst having high blood pressure has the potential to exacerbate these problems still further.
Natural ways to lowering your blood pressure
The majority of medical treatments that might be prescribed to combat hypertension do have potential side-effects. In most cases, these side-effects are likely to be relatively mild and temporary, but this fact is never a guaranteed given. Some people will suffer far more serious adverse side-effects whilst others will find that their side-effects linger considerably longer than expected.
The bottom line is, as with all chemical-based pharmaceuticals, there is always a risk of adverse side-effects ranging from extremely mild – almost unnoticeable – to very severe and those side-effects can be purely temporary, or they might last longer than you expected.
It is also extremely pertinent to repeat that none of these medical treatments for high blood pressure deal with the central problem, instead being focused on reducing the severity of the symptoms. Rather than just reducing the severity of the symptoms, it would in truth make far more sense to isolate and attack the root cause of your hypertension problem whilst reducing the severity of the symptoms at the same time totally naturally.
The first line of treatment for high blood pressure is to make healthy lifestyle changes as these changes can help you control the factors that cause hypertension. Here are some of the most common natural or home remedies:
You do not need a fancy, fashionable diet plan to lose weight. All you need to do is reduce your calories to below the level that you need according to your age, gender and lifestyle, and you will lose weight. The ‘Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension’ or DASH Diet is a diet plan specifically formulated to reduce/ lower hypertension as it emphasizes on foods that are lower in sodium as well as foods that are rich in potassium, magnesium and calcium — nutrients that help lower blood pressure. The use of this diet could reduce blood pressure by a few points in only two weeks and reduce it eight to fourteen points over time.
If you seriously want to get rid of hypertension, you must lose weight. Losing weight is a simple matter of taking on board less energy than you need every day, with the energy in your food being measured in calories or kilo-calories. You need so much energy every day based on your age, gender, activity levels and current weight, and if you eat (and drink) less than you need, you will lose weight.
Exercise should form an integral part of any sensible weight loss program as well. Taking up exercise always accelerates the effectiveness of sticking to a weight loss diet plus taking no exercise is bad for your heart and your general health in any case. In addition to following the DASH diet, people with high blood pressure should follow an active lifestyle, including at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week, or 40 minutes of moderate to high-intensity exercise three to four days a week if you have hypertension. Whilst one of the primary reasons that you’re doing exercise is to help accelerate your metabolism in an effort to shift some weight, it is also a fact that exercise helps to make your general lifestyle far healthier and more conducive to lower blood pressure. In order to keep your blood pressure levels low, a reasonable amount of exercise, two or three times a week is absolutely essential.
Stress is a factor that often contributes to hypertension problems, as tension naturally makes the heart pump more strongly. It is therefore essential that if you are a person who is naturally prone to stress or if you work or home environment is overly stressful, you will need to effectively combat stress (keep your stress levels down).
You should also avoid smoking completely as well, as tobacco speeds up the process of hardening the arteries and damages blood vessel walls as well. If you are a smoker who suffers hypertension, you therefore face a double hazard from cigarettes in terms of the damage you are doing to yourself.
Too much sodium encourages excess fluid retention which in turn leads to hypertension. Hence, you should reduce your sodium intake and the easiest way of doing so is to reduce the amount of salt you eat every day. One very obvious way of reducing the amount of salt that you consume every day is to make a concerted effort not to add salt to your food before consuming it.
There is no time better than the present, to start taking action.
Learn more how Hi-Bliss Hydrogen Therapy and Hydrogen Water can help lower the Blood Pressure here: https://hi-bliss.com/our-wellness-programs/
Ever wondered why the first thing that your doctor does every time you visit a doctor’s office or hospital, (regardless of the complaint that brought you there) is to take your blood pressure? There’s a reason why your blood pressure is taken. every single time.
Hypertension (HPT), or also known as High Blood Pressure (HBP), is a long-term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated and is a common condition in most countries, including Malaysia. High blood pressure is rightly known as “the silent killer” because it doesn't always have outward symptoms, meaning that you could have it for years and not know. It often carries no symptoms or warning signs but over time, uncontrolled high blood pressure can drastically become a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease, including stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and aneurysm. According to a Harvard study, having hypertension can increase your risk of stroke by 220%. The older you are, the more likely you are to get it. Keeping blood pressure under control is vital for preserving health and reducing the risk of these dangerous conditions.
Blood pressure is the force of blood pressing against the walls of your arteries. In simplistic terms, blood pressure is a measurement of the force with which your blood is pumped round your body. It is the pressure that your pumping blood places on the walls of your arteries, the blood vessels that carry blood away from your heart. When it's too high, your heart has to work harder. This can cause serious damage to your arteries. The higher the number, the harder your heart is having to work to pump blood around your body and the more likely it is that damage is being done to the heart muscle. Since all parts of your body rely on circulation, though, it’s not just your heart that high blood pressure can impact. If blood doesn’t flow easily, it can harm your arteries as well as vital organs such as the kidneys, eyes, and brain.
High blood pressure (or “hypertension”) has been shown to damage the tiny blood vessels in the parts of your brain responsible for cognition and memory, greatly increasing your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease or another dementia. Being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease can also take an emotional toll, affecting your outlook and making you more susceptible to anxiety and depression. And just as blood pressure may have an impact your mood, the reverse can also be true:
Your exact blood pressure is measured by reference to two different factors. The first of these factors is the strength of each heartbeat, whilst the second is the resistance put up by the ‘tubes’ through which you blood passes, primarily your capillaries and arteries.
It is the arterioles, the tiny blood vessels that feed into the capillary network that regulate blood pressure more than any other part of your body. These arterioles expand and contract in rhythm with the beating of your heart as result of the muscular tissue in their walls. Hence, measuring blood pressure is in effect checking the strength or weakness of your heart.
Your blood pressure is measured by reference to two different numbers which represent the systolic and diastolic pressures.
Generally, it is the diastolic pressure measurement which medical professionals pay most attention to, because if your diastolic pressure is too high, it suggests that your arteries and capillaries are under too much pressure even when your heart is at rest.
You have stage 1 high blood pressure if your systolic reading is between 130 and 139 or your diastolic is between 80 and 89. A reading of 140 or higher systolic or 90 or greater diastolic is stage 2 hypertension. You may not have symptoms. If your systolic is over 180 or your diastolic is above over 120, you may be having a hypertensive crisis, which can lead to a stroke, heart attack, or kidney damage. Rest for a few minutes and take your blood pressure again. If it's still that high, call 999. Symptoms include a severe headache, anxiety, and nosebleeds. You might feel short of breath or passing out.
Low blood pressure (known as “hypotension”) is a much less common problem than hypertension, but it can still significantly impact blood flow to the brain and increase your risk of shock, stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.
What are the symptoms?
One of the biggest problems for people who suffer high blood pressure is that a very significant percentage of them have no symptoms that might otherwise give them a clue that everything is not well. Some people do of course suffer symptoms that might give them an idea that they have a blood pressure problem. Given that high blood pressure naturally means that the pressure of blood being pumped around the body is too high, there are some conditions that might suggest a high blood pressure problem.
What causes hypertension or high blood pressure?
There’s no single cause of high blood pressure, but rather many contributing factors. Some are out of your control, such as age, race, gender, and family history - blood pressure tends to increase over the age of 70, affects more women than men over the age of 55, and is more common in African Americans than Caucasians, perhaps due to a genetic sensitivity to salt.
However, numerous other risk factors for hypertension are within your control, and it is a combination of these factors that most commonly causes high blood pressure. These factors include:
There are also specific substances that can raise your blood pressure, such as:
We shall learn more on the damages Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) cause plus more about how to lower your High Blood Pressure naturally in the next blog.
Learn more how Hi-Bliss Hydrogen Therapy and Hydrogen Water can help lower the Blood Pressure here: https://wordpress-851564-2937612.cloudwaysapps.com/treatment-services-detox-wellness/
Atopic Dermatits (juga dikenali sebagai AD), adalah jenis ekzema yang paling biasa terjadi di mana keadaan kulit yang gatal dan meninggalkan bintik- bintik merah, kebiasaanya berlaku di wajah, lengan, dan kaki anda. Dermatitis atopik mempengaruhi sebahagian besar populasi dunia.
Dermatitis atopik biasanya bermula pada masa kanak-kanak, biasanya pada enam bulan pertama kehidupan bayi. Walaupun ia adalah bentuk ekzema yang biasa, ia boleh menjadi gangguan yang teruk pada seumur hidup. Biasanya, AD hilang ketika kanak-kanak meningkat dewasa, tetapi sebilangan orang dewasa masih boleh menderita disebabkan AD.
Atopik merujuk kepada ”alahan”. Dermatitis atopik juga biasanya wujud bersama dua keadaan alahan lain, iaitu asma dan demam (rhinitis alergi). Orang yang menghidap asma, demam hay atau ahli keluarga dengan menghidapi AD lebih cenderung menghidapnya.
Ekzema
Ekzema adalah keadaan kulit yang gatal dan meradang. Juga dikenali dalam istilah perubatan sebagai dermatitis atopik, ekzema sering berlaku di wajah, pergelangan tangan, dan permukaan siku dan lutut yang boleh menyebabkan kulit menjadi tebal. Kondisi ini bermula dari masa bayi di mana terjadi ruam merah dan sensasi gatal pada kulit menekuk, seperti di siku, belakang lutut, dan di area depan leher. Ketika tergores, ruam mengeluarkan cairan dan mengeras.
Seperti namanya, dermatitis kontak disebabkan oleh reaksi terhadap bahan sentuhan. Dermatitis kontak alergi (sistem imun bertindak balas terhadap perangsang ) dan Dermatitis kontak (bahan kimia atau bahan lain yang merengsakan kulit anda).
Dermatitis kontak berlaku apabila anda bersentuhan dengan bahan yang merangsangkan kulit anda atau menyebabkan reaksi alergi. Ini termasuk bahan pencuci, peluntur, perhiasan, dan tumbuhan beracun lain, produk penjagaan kulit, sabun minyak wangi.
Ekzema jenis ini menyebabkan lepuh kecil terbentuk di tangan dan kaki anda. Ia lebih biasa pada wanita berbanding lelaki. Ia boleh disebabkan oleh alergi, tangan dan kaki yang lembap, terdedah kepada bahan seperti garam kromium, bahan pencuci, peluntur dan tekanan.
Jenis ekzema ini seperti dengan dermatitis atopik kerana ia menyebabkan tompok tebal dan bersisik pada kulit. Neurodermatitis sering kali muncul saat penderitanya mengalami tekanan atau kontak dengan alergen. Selalunya terjadi kepada orang yang mengalami ekzema atau psoriasis yang boleh memberi tekanan kepada kulit.
Ekzema biasanya akan menyebabkan kegatalan. Bagi kebanyakkan orang, kegatalan boleh berlaku dari ringan sehingga sederhana. Tetapi dalam beberapa kes, ia boleh menjadi lebih teruk dan anda mungkin mengalami kulit yang sangat meradang dan kemerahan. Kadang-kadang kegatalan menjadi teruk menyebabkan penderitanya menggaru sehingga berdarah, menjadikan keadaan ekzema bertambah teruk. Ini juga dikenali sebagai "kitaran kegatalan”.
Tidak ada sebab yang tepat di sebalik berlakunya dermatitis atopik tetapi penyelidikan menunjukkan gabungan genetik dan faktor luaran mungkin terlibat. Kajian yang diterbitkan oleh Nature Genetics mendapati bahawa beberapa orang dengan penyakit ekzema mengalami kekurangan protein untuk membina penghalang yang kuat pada lapisan kulit paling luar (epidermis).
Kumpulan ini, terutama mereka yang mempunyai dermatitis atopik mungkin mempunyai mutasi separa atau lengkap pada gen yang bertanggungjawab untuk membuat protein yang dikenali sebagai filaggrin. Filaggrin membantu badan kita untuk mengekalkan penghalang pelindung yang sihat pada epidermis.
Mutasi genetik ini akan menyebabkan kekurangan filaggrin pada lapisan epidermis yang menyebabkan keupayaan untuk mengekalkan jumlah air semula jadi pada kulit sehingga mengakibatkan kulit menjadi kering dan gatal. Kekurangan filaggrin juga membolehkan alergen memasuki kulit dan kemudian akan mencetuskan tindak balas keradangan oleh sistem imun, dan membuatkan kulit menjadi merah, ruam dan gatal. Inilah sebab utama mengapa ramai orang yang menderita dari dermatitis atopik akan cenderung mempunyai kulit yang sangat kering dan mudah dijangkiti.
Kira-kira 50-75% daripada semua kanak-kanak dengan dermatitis atopik awal sensitif terhadap alergen. Contoh alergen termasuk haiwan, debu rumah atau bahan makanan. Dermatitis atopik lebih daripada sekadar keadaan kulit yang dikenali sebagai "gatal yang ruam". Ia adalah penyakit yang disebabkan oleh sistem imun yang terlalu aktif yang menyebabkan keradangan di dalam badan. Ia juga penyebab utama keradangan dalaman yang menyebabkan simptomnya menjadi merah dan terbakar. Selain itu, menggaru hanya melegakan sementara tetapi boleh memburukkan lagi dalam jangka yang masa panjang. Ini dipanggil kitaran kegatalan.
Pada kulit yang sihat, lapisan luar (epidermis) melindungi bahan asing seperti bakteria, virus dan alergen daripada memasuki badan. Apabila anda mempunyai dermatitis atopik, lapisan luar kulit menjadii lebih lemah dan mudah terdedah kepada keradangan akibat sel-sel imun di dalam badan.
Aktivi menggaru juga akan menyumbang kepada
kerosakan sel kulit yang memudahkan bahan asing memasuki ke dalam badan.Setelah bahan asing ini menembusi penghalang kulit, sel-sel imun memberi amaran kepada tubuh bahawa ia diserang. Sel-sel imun ini bergerak ke kelenjar getah bening di dermis yang disebut sebagai lapisan kedua kulit. Setelah memasuki kelenjar getah bening, sel-sel imun ini akan mengaktifkan pelindung tubuh anda, yang disebut sel penolong T.Sel-sel imun melepaskan bahan yang menyebabkan kemerahan dan ruam pada kulit. Ini akan menyebabkan proses keradangan berterusan, sehingga kulit bertindak balas. Walaupun ruam tidak dapat dilihat dengan jelas, keradangan yang lagi masih aktif di bawah kulit.
Orang akan mudah menggaru apabila merasa gatal, dan ini akan melemahkan sel kulit di epidermis yang membolehkan lebih banyak bahan asing memasuki dan akhirnya akan meningkatkan risiko jangkitan.
Kajian menunjukkan bahawa hampir 50% - 70% kanak-kanak dan 7% - 9% orang dewasa dengan dermatitis atopik yang teruk akan menghidapi asma. Adakah gangguan sistem imun menyebabkan reaksi berlebihan terhadap alergen yang bersentuhan dengan kulit dan saluran udara paru-paru atau adakah kulit dan saluran udara yang bertindak balas imun yang berlebihan?
Penyelidikan oleh Dr. Kopan menunjukkan bahawa masalah kulit bermula dengan kulit yang rosak atau cacat itu sendiri. Para penyelidik mendapati bahawa sel-sel pada kulit yang rosak dapat mengeluarkan limfopoietin strom thymic (TSLP), yang dapat menyebabkan tindak balas imun dan kerana keberkesanan kulit dalam mengeluarkan TSLP ke dalam sistem darah, zat ini bergerak ke seluruh tubuh kita, menyebabkan AD menyala. Ketika sampai ke paru- paru kita, ia kemudian mencetuskan ciri-ciri hipersensitif terhadap masalah pernafasan yang boleh menyebabkan serangan asma.
Dermatitis atopik (AD), mempengaruhi 2 hingga 3 kali ganda di negara perindustrian, yang mempengaruhi kira-kira 20% kanak-kanak dan 3% orang dewasa di seluruh dunia. Mereka yang tinggal di negara maju atau iklim yang sejuk akan cenderung untuk menghadapi AD. Kajian mendapati bahawa 33% hingga 67% kanak-kanak dan orang muda dengan AD juga mempunyai alahan makanan. Selain itu, aspek umum AD akan mempengaruhi antara 8% hingga 18% bayi dan anak kecil. Kira-kira 50% orang yang menderita dermatitis atopik mengalami gejala pada tahun pertama kehidupan mereka, dan mungkin sebanyak 95% mengalami permulaan AD ketika mereka berusia di bawah lima tahun. Kira-kira 75% orang dengan permulaan penyakit pada masa kanak-kanak telah melihat gejala mereka menurun sebelum remaja. Selebihnya 25% terus mengalami ekzema semasa dewasa atau mungkin mengalami gejala yang berulang setelah beberapa tahun tanpa mengalami sebarang gejala.
Sekiranya anda berminat untuk mengetahui lebih lanjut bagaimana Hidrogen membantu penderita Dermatitis Atopik, sila layari laman sesawang berikut www.hi-bliss.com.
Rujukan : http://www.myhealth.gov.my/ekzema/
Psoriasis, though is not a condition that is life threatening (although it has been suggested that the condition increases the risk of heart attack). People with more severe psoriasis may be more likely to develop certain other conditions. Around a quarter of people with one autoimmune disease will go on to develop at least one more, and people with severe psoriasis are more likely to develop conditions like thyroid dysfunction or coeliac disease. That still means that three-quarters of people with psoriasis will not be diagnosed with another autoimmune condition – it’s just important to be aware of possible links and risk factors when other symptoms are being investigated.
People with psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis are at an elevated risk of developing a comorbidity. A comorbidity is a disease or condition that occurs because of or is related to a health condition that you have, such as psoriasis.
Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) causes swelling, pain and stiffness in the joints and in areas where tendons and ligaments connect to bone. PsA is the most common comorbidity of psoriasis. An estimated 30 to 33 percent of people living with psoriasis also experience PsA
Cardiovascular Disease
Cardiovascular disease (also known as heart disease) refers to numerous conditions including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, arrythmia (irregular heart rhythm) and heart valve problems.
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome refers to the presence of increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat and abnormal cholesterol levels, which increase the risk of heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes.
Diabetes
Type 2 diabetes (also called insulin resistance) refers to cells in the body that do not respond normally to insulin. Normally insulin works to let blood sugar into the cells in the body to use as energy. Type 2 diabetes may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, vision loss and kidney disease.
Anxiety and Depression
People with anxiety disorders often struggle with intense feelings of anxiety, worry, fear and/or panic. Anxiety can interfere with daily activities and may last a long time. People with depression experience a persistent sad mood that lasts a long time and interferes with daily activities.
Other Conditions
Includes Obesity, Cancer, Hypertension, Dyslipidemia, Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) such as Ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.
What is Psoriatic Arthritis ?
Psoriasis is also associated with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). PsA is a chronic, inflammatory disease of the joints and the places where tendons and ligaments connect to bone. Inflammation can lead to swelling, pain, fatigue and stiffness in the joints. Left untreated, PsA can cause permanent joint damage.
Both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis can result in chronic pain.
There are five different types of Psoriatic Arthritis:-
This type affects the same joints on both sides of your body, for example both your left and right knees. Symptoms can be like those of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Symmetric PsA (though can be disabling) tends to be milder and cause less joint deformity than RA. About half of people with PsA have this type.
This affects a joint or joints on one side of your body. Your joints may feel sore and turn red. Asymmetric PsA is generally mild. It affects about 35% of people with PsA.
This type involves the joints closest to your nails. These are known as the distal joints. It occurs in about 10% of people with PsA;
This is a severe, deforming type of PsA. About 5% of people with PsA have this type. Psoriatic arthritis mutilans usually affects your hands and feet. It can also cause pain in your neck and lower back.
This type of PsA involves your spine. Your entire spine from your neck to your lower back may be affected. This can make movement very painful. Your hands, feet, legs, arms, and hips may also be affected.
Irrespective of the particular type of psoriasis that an individual is suffering from, it usually causes at least a degree discomfort which in some cases can become mild to severe pain. For psoriasis sufferers, it is a fact of their life that their skin is almost always itchy, and that it can often crack and bleed as well.
In the most severe cases, the pain suffered by someone who has psoriasis can be significant enough to prevent them handling everyday tasks whilst also making settled sleep extremely difficult as well. Unfortunately, because psoriasis is a chronic condition, meaning that it is one that is a lifelong thing, there can be no total relief for any sufferer. Psoriasis is a condition that can apparently clear up and then return (often with a vengeance) many times throughout life, and because there is no recognized cure for the condition, this is a fact that every psoriasis sufferer has to get used to and live with.
What are the symptoms of psoriatic arthritis?
A further complication that is suffered by up to 30% of people who have psoriasis is a condition known as psoriatic arthritis. Irrespective of which particular type of psoriasis you suffer from or the degree of severity of the condition, it is still possible to develop psoriatic arthritis, which is a lifelong condition that causes pain and stiffness in the joint, accompanied by gradual deterioration.
Signs that you might be developing psoriatic arthritis are:
Psoriatic arthritis is most commonly seen in the joints of fingers and toes but other critical bone joints such as knees, elbows, ankles and neck may also be affected in some individuals. No matter which joints are affected, the area surrounding the joint is almost always stiff and painful and often tends to have a darker coloration. You may also notice that the affected area feels warmer to the touch than surrounding non-affected areas.
Psoriatic arthritis can vary in severity and symptoms from one individual sufferer to another. For example, whilst some people will suffer ‘full blown’ psoriatic arthritis day, others might only suffer mild joint stiffness. Furthermore, despite the name of the condition, it is not only people who have psoriasis already that will develop psoriatic arthritis.
Nevertheless, around 70% of people who develop the condition will already have psoriasis. In this situation, studies indicate that in the majority of people, arthritis will set in somewhere around 10 years after they first suffer psoriasis, although there are cases reported where arthritis begins within a matter of months of the initial psoriasis diagnosis. As a further general guideline, the majority of people who suffer psoriatic arthritis are likely to see the first signs of the condition somewhere between their 30th and 50th birthday.
Whilst there are many chemical drug based treatments available for both psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis, there are also a wide range and number of natural treatments for both of these conditions as well. As with almost any medical condition, because most natural treatments have few adverse side-effects (if any), it always make sense to consider using a natural treatment method before using chemical drug-based solutions that may treat the condition but cause other problems in the process of doing so.
For anyone who suffers from psoriasis, it is an unfortunate fact that there is no known cure for the condition at present. However, as you should understand by now, there are plenty of natural treatments that you can use to deal with your psoriasis or psoriatic arthritis that can reduce or even eliminate the worst effects of the condition plus help manage and keep the flare-ups under control.
Learn more how Hi-Bliss Hydrogen Therapy and Hydrogen Water can help improve the Quality of Life of Psoriasis patients here: https://wordpress-851564-2937612.cloudwaysapps.com/treatment-services-detox-wellness/
Psoriasis is a condition that is suffered by many millions of people all over the world, with various developed countries reporting incidence rates that are remarkably similar.
125 million people worldwide – 2% to 3% of the total population have psoriasis, according to the World Psoriasis Day consortium. Studies show that between 10% and 30% of people with psoriasis also develop psoriatic arthritis. (Source: http://www.psoriasis.org/learn_statistics)
Given that the population of Malaysia is 28,250,400, it is estimated that 500,000 to 800,000 Malaysians are afflicted with Psoriasis. (Source: Population, Household and Living Quarters (2010), Department of Statistics, Malaysia.)
For psoriasis sufferers, there is something of a ‘good news, bad news’ paradox with which most of these people have undoubtedly already learned to live. The good news is that, on the one hand, psoriasis is not a condition that is life threatening (although it has been suggested that the condition increases the risk of heart attack). Balanced against this however is the fact that psoriasis can bring a great deal of misery to both sufferers and their families, so it is not a condition that can be ignored. Furthermore, because it can develop into something far more unpleasant and painful, psoriasis is a condition that sufferers have to treat.
Source: 10-Year Review from the Malaysian Psoriasis Registry (2007–2016)
What is Psoriasis?
Psoriasis is an inflammatory skin condition which is not contagious.
Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease, meaning that a dysfunctional immune system is a key cause of the disease. In the case of psoriasis, an overactive immune system can cause a rapid increase in skin cell production that leads to raised, scaly patches on the skin. These patches can be red in Caucasian skin and purple in skin of color. Many people report that psoriasis itches, burns and stings.
Psoriasis is not just a skin disease but a systemic one, which means it affects your whole body. It is associated with other serious health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease and depression. If you develop a rash that doesn’t go away with an over-the-counter medication, you should contact your health care provider.
There are five different types of psoriasis, of which by far the most common is plaque psoriasis.
The other less common types of psoriasis are:
Irrespective of the particular type of psoriasis that an individual is suffering from, it usually causes at least a degree discomfort which in some cases can become mild to severe pain. For psoriasis sufferers, it is a fact of their life that their skin is almost always itchy, and that it can often crack and bleed as well.
In the most severe cases, the pain suffered by someone who has psoriasis can be significant enough to prevent them handling everyday tasks whilst also making settled sleep extremely difficult as well. Unfortunately, because psoriasis is a chronic condition, meaning that it is one that is a lifelong thing, there can be no total relief for any sufferer. Psoriasis is a condition that can apparently clear up and then return (often with a vengeance) many times throughout life, and because there is no recognized cure for the condition, this is a fact that every psoriasis sufferer has to get used to and live with.
What causes psoriasis?
As with a surprising number of medical conditions, the exact causes of psoriasis have not as yet been established beyond all doubt. But, whilst the traditional view of psoriasis was that it is a condition of the epidermis, the uppermost layer of the skin, research over the past few years has begun to indicate otherwise.
This research has indicated that far from being a condition that is only related to the epidermis, the causes of psoriasis go much deeper than this. In fact, this research indicates that psoriasis is a condition that is caused by malfunctions in the sufferer’s immune system when certain immune cells are activated and subsequently become overactive.
In any individual who has a perfectly normally functioning immune system, white blood cells or T-cells produce antibodies that are designed to repel bacteria and viruses. However, it is now believed that in the case of a psoriasis sufferer, these cells begin to fight an imaginary infection or try to heal a wound that doesn’t exist by creating a surfeit of new skin cells to repel the imaginary invader or to repair the nonexistent damage.
This in turn causes the plaques or skin lesions that are endemic to plaque psoriasis to appear.
Under normal circumstances, the life cycle of the average skin cell for someone who is totally healthy is around about 28 days, but it is believed that in psoriasis sufferers, their immune system is creating far too many cells. Moreover, because these cells are being produced so quickly, they mature in as little as three to six days before moving to the surface of the skin.
Consequently, because these cells are not dying quickly enough, they build up on the surface of the skin, layer upon layer, and thus the psoriatic plaques are formed.
There are some generally accepted factors that make some individuals more likely to suffer psoriasis than others. Certain triggers can cause a psoriasis sufferer’s immune system to start to create skin cells at such an accelerated rate that they suffer an outbreak of skin lesions or symptoms to flare up. Some common triggers include:
We shall learn more on the Psoriasis and other Conditions plus more about Psoriatic Arthritis in the next blog.
Learn more how Hi-Bliss Hydrogen Therapy and Hydrogen Water can help improve the Quality of Life of Psoriasis patients here: https://wordpress-851564-2937612.cloudwaysapps.com/treatment-services-detox-wellness/
Pengertian Arthritis.
Arthritis merupakan keradangan yang sering berlaku di setiap sendi kita.Contohnya seperti di lutut, bahu dan juga jari . Kebiasaannya, terdapat beberapa jenis arthritis seperti Keradangan sendi (OA) dan keradangan autoimmune sistem (RA).
Keradangan sendi (OA) :
Keradangan Autoimmune sistem (RA) :
Terdapat 5 tanda-tanda OA (keradangan tulang) :
Berikut merupakan testimonial daripada pesakit kami :
Puan Sabariah merupakan salah seorang pesakit kami yang mendapatkan rawatan di Hi-Bliss. Beliau telah menderita penyakit arthritis selama lebih dari 30 tahun. Beliau tidak mampu untuk berjalan sendiri dan juga terpaksa menggunakan kerusi roda ataupun tongkat untuk bergerak.
Selepas bangun daripada tidur, beliau terpaksa memegang perabot yang berdekatan untuk menampung berat badannya semasa berjalan.Beliau telah mencuba pelbagai kaedah rawatan dan pelbagai jenis ubat-ubatan untuk mengurangkan rasa sakit di dalam sendi tetapi tiada perubahan.
Selepas beberapa kali rawatan bersama Hi-bliss. Beliau dapat merasakan perubahan dari segi pergerakan menjadi lebih mudah.Selain itu ,kadar kesakitan juga semakin berkurangan. Sekarang beliau mampu untuk berjalan sendiri tanpa bantuan daripada ahli keluarga.
Apa itu Hidrogen terapi?
Hidrogen merupakan molekul terkecil didunia .Dimana ia mudah meresap kedalam sel-sel badan tanpa mengganggu fungsi sistem di dalam badan.
Rawatan hidrogen telah terbukti merupakan salah satu rawatan yang berkesan untuk mengurangkan keradangan kerana ia mempunyai sifat antioksidan. Ia juga mampu meneutralkan radikal bebas di dalam badan.Hidrogen juga membantu untuk melambatkan proses OA (keradangan sendi) dan menghalang kecederaan yang lebih teruk kepada sendi.
Selepas rawatan bersama hidrogen, kami juga melakukan rawatan secara manual untuk membantu meningkatkan peredaran darah, mengurangkan ketegangan otot dan senaman fisio bagi menguatkan otot .
Jika anda menderita kerana penyakit keradangan sendi (OA). Anda boleh menghubungi kami untuk membuat temu janji bersama kami.
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