Blood circulation in the body takes place through the network of veins and arteries. The heart works round the clock in order to pump sufficient amount of blood into the arteries. Unfortunately, not many people care about blood circulation until they experience some kind of health problems. There are numerous factors that can impair blood circulation and give rise to some serious health problems. When organs like the brain, kidney, etc. fail to get the required amount of oxygen and nutrients due to poor circulation, the functioning of your entire body is affected.

Poor blood circulation can produce a number of symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, cold or numb hands and feet, swollen feet, cyanosis, fatigue, constipation, infections that take a lot of time to heal, lack of appetite, high blood pressure, brittle nails, dry skin, hair loss, various veins, and memory loss. The best way to guard against poor circulation is to be aware of its common causes and best treatment options.

Causes of Poor Blood Circulation

Atherosclerosis is the most common reason for poor blood circulation in the body. Also called as hardening of arteries, this condition causes blockage of arteries and reduce the area available for the blood to flow. Eating an unhealthy diet consisting of fatty foods and high cholesterol foods over a period of time causes the deposition of plaque in the walls of the arteries. The symptoms of atherosclerosis do not show up immediately, but take a long time to develop. An increase in plaque buildup causes thickening of the arterial wall and considerably slows down the blood flow. Because of this, there is a significant increase in the amount of pressure exerted on the heart to pump the required amount of blood. This increased pressure on the heart can eventually cause heart attack.

Some people suffer from bad circulation due to the way their bodies respond to cold temperatures. Cool climatic conditions can cause a reduction in blood flow to the hands and feet. Diabetes is another common cause of impaired blood circulation in the body. Poor circulation also affects children with congenital heart disease. Other common causes of bad circulation in the body include obesity, sedentary lifestyle, and smoking.

Treating and Preventing the Problem of Poor Circulation

The problem of bad circulation is diagnosed with the helps to a few essential tests such as MRI, X-rays, etc. In case of not so serious problems, altering your diet and lifestyle habits can help to prevent the buildup of plaque and improve circulation. Diabetics should put in extra effort to keep the blood sugar levels under control. People who are prone to high blood pressure will need to take prescribed medications. In case of bad blocks, angioplasty might be performed to widen the arteries. Serious problems involve undergoing bypass surgery.

The best way of preventing poor circulation is to form a habit of performing cardiovascular exercises regularly and eating healthy foods. Cardiovascular workouts are the best way of enhancing circulation and keeping various medical conditions at bay. Eating a diet full of vegetables and fruits will also help to improve circulation.

Many people tend to ignore the early signs of poor circulation. This can prove to be fatal in the long run and give rise to problems like strokes and heart attacks. Hence, taking the symptoms seriously and seeking proper treatment is essential.

It is necessary to maintain a normal cholesterol level since high cholesterol causes clogging of arteries and increases your chances of heart attack. Your blood contains two types of cholesterol: HDL cholesterol, which is beneficial for the heart and is also called as good cholesterol and LDL cholesterol, which is harmful for the heart and is referred to as bad cholesterol. People who suffer from high cholesterol are often prescribed cholesterol lowering prescription drugs. However, natural remedies are much better than prescription medications. These include eating healthy foods, living an active life, quitting smoking, and controlling stress. This article focuses on foods that you should eat in order to maintain normal cholesterol levels.

Fruits

Blueberries contain pterostilbene, which is a compound that is capable of fighting fat. Pterostilbene is even better than certain prescription drugs when it comes to controlling cholesterol. This makes blueberries one of the best heart healthy foods. Other fruits like apples, strawberries, and grapes are also effective in naturally lowering the cholesterol levels. Resveratrol present in red grapes is another powerful compound that has the ability to reduce bad cholesterol levels. Eating a bunch of red grapes on a regular basis can be of great help in improving your heart health. Eating organs daily is another good way of lowering the cholesterol level. This is because oranges contain pectin, which is a compound that prevents the cholesterol from getting absorbed into the bloodstream.

Nuts

Nuts like pistachios, almonds, and walnuts are excellent sources of healthy fats and antioxidants. Despite having a high calorie count, nuts can be very useful for reducing bad cholesterol when consumed in moderation. Eating walnuts and almonds in the morning is a nice way of keeping cholesterol levels under control.

Yogurt

Yogurt can also be helpful in maintaining good heart health. It contains live cultures, which are good bacteria that can be very useful in binding bile acid, which is a cholesterol byproduct. The activities performed by good bacteria can play an important role in lowering cholesterol naturally.

Fish

Fish is one of the best cholesterol foods since it is high in omega 3 essential fatty acids, which are considered to be very healthy for the heart. Studies have shown that a diet that contains sufficient amounts of omega 3 essential fatty acids increases good cholesterol and decreases triglyceride levels. Eating just about two servings of salmon every week is good enough to get sufficient omega 3 fatty acids and keep the cholesterol levels in check.

Foods Containing Soluble Fiber

Consuming only about twenty five grams of soluble fiber can significantly reduce the cholesterol levels. Fruits and vegetables like bananas, apples, oranges, broccoli, peas, kidney beans, and lentils are some of the richest sources of soluble fiber. Oatmeal and oat bran also contain soluble fiber that helps to lower cholesterol levels.

Olive Oil

Using olive oil for cooking can go a long way in helping to keep cholesterol level under control. It contains quite a few powerful antioxidants and has shown to reduce cholesterol.

Juices

Drinking orange juice on a regular basis has shown to increase good cholesterol and reduce bad cholesterol. Pectin present in oranges promotes good heart health. Pomegranate juice is also a healthy drink for the heart and is known to reduce plaque in the arteries. Pomegranate juice has shown to repair the damage that is caused by hardening of arteries or arteriosclerosis.

Fatty liver, which is among the most common liver problems, causes an accumulation of fat in the cells of the liver. Although fatty liver disease is usually not a life-threatening condition, not treating it on time can lead to several health complications. A high fat diet is the most common cause of fatty liver disease. There are quite a few other factors too like excessive alcohol intake, which can lead to the development of this liver condition.

A liver that contains little fat or no fat at all is considered to be healthy. When the amount of fat accumulated in the liver exceeds about five to ten percent of the liver’s weight, then the person is said to be suffering from fatty liver disease. Mild cases of fatty liver usually do not produce any symptoms or complications. However, excess deposition of fat can lead to serious liver problems like liver failure, cirrhosis, and even liver cancer. Mild cases of fatty liver disease are referred to as hepatic steatosis, whereas serious ones are called as steatohepatitis.

Causes of Fatty Liver Disease

Excessive alcohol consumption is the main cause of fatty liver disease. Other common causes of this liver problem include obesity caused due to a high fat diet and sedentary lifestyle. High blood pressure, diabetes, rapid weight loss, and insulin resistance can all led to the development of this liver problem. In rare cases, gastric bypass surgery might be responsible for fatty liver disease.

Other factors that play a part in causing this problem include malnutrition, long term use of certain prescription drugs, high cholesterol levels, inflammatory disease, hepatitis C, and HIV.

Symptoms of Fatty Liver Disease

The severity of fatty liver disease varies from individual to individual. Some might experience mild case of fatty liver which is not at all life-threatening, while others may suffer from intense discomfort.

Some common symptoms of this liver disease include dull pain in the right abdomen, fatigue, fever, and yellowing of skin and the eyes. Steatohepatitis may eventually lead to scar tissues or the formation of fibrosis in the liver. This can produce symptoms like liver enlargement, nausea, easy bruising and bleeding, discoloration of the skin, fatigue, and occasional pain in the right abdomen.

Fibrosis, over a period of time, can worsen to become cirrhosis. This can in turn lead to liver failure or even liver cancer. Studies have shown that steatohepatitis takes about 8 to 15 years to develop into cirrhosis. Liver cirrhosis is a very serious medical condition that can cause various symptoms like jaundice, swelling in the legs, fluid retention, bleeding of esophageal veins, and gynecomastia.

Since mild cases of fatty liver disease do not cause any symptoms and might go unnoticed, it is recommended to have routine medical check-ups and blood tests to diagnose this condition.

Treating Fatty Liver Disease

Fatty liver disease is treated by taking care of the underlying cause of the problem. In case of fatty liver caused due to excessive alcohol consumption, completely stopping alcohol intake can help to treat the condition. It is very important to correctly diagnose the cause of fatty liver disease. This is because there are far too many problems that can lead to the development of this liver condition. People who are obese will have to lose weight to cure this problem. Identifying and diagnosing this condition at an early stage can ensure complete recovery.

Abdominal pain is usually caused due to the existence of certain health conditions. There are quite a few vital organs that are located around the abdomen. A health problem that affects any of these organs can lead to pain in the abdomen. This pain can be mild, intense, chronic or acute. All these factors depend on the case of the pain. Pain in the lower side of the abdomen is more common in females due to the presence of the ovaries, fallopian tubes, and the womb. Indigestion and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are two of the most common causes of lower left abdomen pain. Other problems that can cause this kind of pain are discussed below.

Constipation

Constipation can be defined as the inability to pass stool on a consistent basis. The most common causes of constipation include lack of fiber in the diet, dehydration, and stress. Abdominal discomfort, pain, and cramps are primary symptoms of constipation.

To treat constipation, you should drink more water and increase the consumption of fiber-rich foods. Serious cases of bowel obstruction might even require surgery.

Crohn’s disease

Crohn’s disease is a health condition that causes inflammation of the intestines. This chronic condition cannot be diagnosed easily. Crohn’s disease causes chronic pain on the lower left side of the abdomen.

Although there is no way to permanently cure Crohn’s disease, medications like antibiotics and inflammatory drugs; dietary and lifestyle changes, and surgery can help  to ease the symptoms of this disease.

 Diverticulitis

Diverticulitis is a problem that affects the large intestine. Pain and tenderness in the lower part of the abdomen are common symptoms of diverticulitis. This health condition commonly affects people who are above the age of 60.

The minor cases of diverticulitis can be cured with the help of medications, healthy diet and antibiotics. However, serious cases involving bowel obstruction might require hospitalization and surgery.

Kidney Stones

High level of uric acid or calcium in the body leads to the formation of kidney stones.  Dehydration is also among the leading causes of this common and painful condition. Kidney stones cause pain in the lower left or lower right of the abdomen, depending on where the stone is located. In addition to abdominal pain, kidney stones cause symptoms like groin pain, nausea, vomiting, and fever.

Kidney stones that are smaller in size often pass by themselves if you drink lots of fluids. However, in case of larger stones, surgery is usually advised.

Ulcerative Colitis

Ulcerative colitis is almost identical to Crohn’s disease. This condition causes inflammation, sores, and ulcers in the inner lining of the rectum and the colon. Ulcerative colitis belongs to the category of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Abdominal pain and cramping, rectal bleeding, and weight loss are common symptoms of this health problem.

Being a chronic disorder, the symptoms of ulcerative colitis appear slowly. Treating this condition involves using antibiotics, anti-inflammatory medicines, painkiller, etc. Serious problems are treated through surgery.

Ectopic Pregnancy

Lower left abdominal pain during pregnancy can be a symptom of an ectopic pregnancy. It can also be a result of ligament pain due to enlarged cysts, uterus, luteal, etc.

Mild cases of ectopic pregnancy can be treated with the help of medications like Methotrexate, whereas serious problems require surgery.

Besides the common causes mentioned above, lower left abdominal pain can be a result of problems like bladder infection, gastroenteritis, pelvic inflammatory disease, abdominal aortic aneurysm, bowel cancer, food poisoning, ovarian cysts, menstrual cramps, urinary tract infection, etc. Having an X-ray is the best way of diagnosing the underlying cause of your abdominal pain.

Resistance training or strength training or weight training are exercises done for enhancing muscle mass in the body. More body has muscles, it is good for health. These workouts put external pressure on the body leading to build up of muscles. Muscles form when body is exerted rigorously. These exercises are amazing escape from health issues and also contribute in melting body fat.

There are exercises also that provide strength, hence called strength training exercises. Apart from them, resistance bands are also available. Dumbbells are also good for increasing muscles in the body. Strength training is for everyone. Especially when it is accompanied by cardio exercises, good diet and proper rest, its results are amazing. Vigorousness is experienced in the body that keeps active and help in carrying out chores in an easy and smooth manner.

People who are new to strength training should be much careful. These workouts can lead to injury too if not done in a proper manner. So, consult a doctor or do with much precision. These workouts can affect people with medical problems. Heart patients, liver patients, kidney patients, blood pressure patients etc should listen to their doctor prior starting strength workouts. Personal trainers are good to keep. They guide well and give you complete attention.

For more motivation to incorporate resistance workouts in routine, its benefits are given below. They will surely trigger you to daily do these exercises and look fantastic. The list of advantages is here:

Fat in the body can be removed with strength exercises. This is one of common and most beneficial benefit. Fatty people can believe on these exercises for losing weight. Weight training is particularly known for increasing muscles in the body. More muscle density help in weight loss. Muscle in the body makes body use more energy. For more energy body has to convert fats into energy fast, this would cause weight loss at last. Therefore, if you seriously want to shed kilos, start weight training workouts today itself.

Bones, muscles and body ligaments become strong and get strength. Resistance workouts have greater positive effect on them. Strength in the body is highly required for performing all actions with smoothness. Strength exercises tone up overall body and makes entire body strong. However, for strength it is important to do these exercises on a regular basis.

Heart disorders are common in people these days. Teenagers and young adults are also highly being diagnosed with heart problems each year. In curbing the number of heart patients strength workouts can come much in use. Sufferers of heart disease can also undertake these exercises and lessen their problem to an extent. Strength exercises keep check over blood pressure and heart rate, thus of use in keeping heart healthy.

These advantages can be enjoyed by anyone. Strength workouts are for everyone. Right execution of the exercises is mandatory. All care should be taken while doing them. Resistance exercises are extremely good to do and bring life on the right track. So, enjoy them and savor benefits.