Reviewing MaleExtra – Worlds Best Penis Enhancer

MaleExtra is currently the world’s most effective penis enhancement supplement. Demand for this product has been rising by day as people using it continue posting very successful results. These results have encouraged more and more to use this awesome supplement.

Ingredients used in this product are medically tested and proved to be very safe for human use. You can therefore use it without fear of any medical complication or side effects. The pills contain about 1500 mg of highly effective components per serving. This is the highest recorded amount of enhancement ingredients that you can find in any pill in the market. This basically means that every single use of MaleExtra gives you 3 times the benefits you would get if you are using other ordinary penis enhancers being advertised all over. No other product ever made by man can equal this supplement. The effects of using the pill appear almost instantly after you commence its use. You can check reviews here.

Its ingredient combination includes about 70% Elagic which is itself a known natural Viagra. This is the only penis enhancer in the world that boasts of this component which is the main reason why its results are almost instant. Buyers of this product will benefit from a bonus enlargement exercise program called Penis Health. This is a highly successful penis enlargement exercise program which when used alongside MaleExtra pills gives very positive results faster. Exercises found in Penis Health will help solve all the problems of weak erections, early ejaculation and erection loss. In addition it will help you attain a longer penis and increased girth.

More benefits of using this product include an improved sexual life and enjoyable sex with your partner. We strongly believe MaleExtra is the best penis enhancement pill that you can ever get anywhere. We have no reservations in recommending it to anyone who wants to attain a longer penis, harder erections, stronger ejaculation and a happy sexual life.

Chris Wiltz a police officer in Essex says of MaleExtra “When I started using MaleExtra some 4 months ago I was just trying it. I did not expect much change. However I am surprised at the experience I got after just a week. My penis increased by a massive 3 inches! I now have longer and firmer erections. My ejaculation has increased in volume and it is much stronger. This pill has completely transformed my sex life. I owe my gratitude to the makes of the product”

In conclusion MaleExtra is the pill you have been waiting for. It offers more benefits than any other product you can ever get in the market. It is also safe as it has been thoroughly tested by medics. It is an affordable supplement. It offers a full amount refund guarantee if you do not achieve desired results after 90 days of continuous use of the pill. You have nothing to lose by using this product but you have everything to gain by trying it. Use MaleExtra today and be part of the success story.

One Way to Look atVitamins: Fat Soluble Versus Water Soluble

Vitamins conveniently fall into two classes, fat soluble and water soluble, which describe a chemical attribute: compounds either dissolve in water or in fat, and those two solvents don’t mix. When you add vinegar, which is a water-based liquid, to oil, they form separate layers. But beyond a chemical trait, this classification gives you some idea of how the vitamins function and how they’re handled by the body. From a practical standpoint, solubility determines if a vitamin can be stored in the body and how easily it’s lost from the body and, for that matter, from foods during processing or preparation. It also gives you a tiny clue as to the foods that might contain them.

Solubility and Vitamin Clues in Foods

Let’s start with how solubility tells you where to look for vitamins. A vitamin has to be dissolved in some part of a food to be contained within it, and in the case of fat-soluble vitamins, the food has to contain at least a moderate amount of fat to be a good source of one of these vitamins. One exception to this rule of thumb is a food that has been fortified with a fat soluble vitamin, such as skim milk which contains no fat. Milk naturally contains a fair amount of fat, 8 grams in one cup to be exact, and a significant amount of vitamin A. When manufacturers remove the fat, they put back in the lost vitamin A and also throw in some vitamin D. Other examples include commercial products like breakfast cereals. These cereals are made from various grains which don’t naturally contain fat soluble vitamins such as vitamins A and D.

Another exception to our rule is when a food contains a precursor of fat soluble vitamin A, such as beta-carotene and other carotenoids. A precursor, sometimes called a provitamin, is a compound that the body can convert into an active vitamin. The most significant food sources of vitamin A precursors are highly colored fruits and vegetables, which tend to be very low in fat. You can eat lots of fruits and vegetables for practically no dent in your daily fat budget and get loads of carotenoids, which your body can turn into active vitamin A as you need it.

Knowing the solubility of vitamins also tells you about how easily these nutrients may be lost in food preparation, most of which occurs with the addition of water and when heating foods. In general, fat soluble vitamins are fairly well retained during food preparation, largely because they don’t dissolve in water. In contrast, water soluble vitamins readily dissolve into the water used in cooking. This is one reason why the Southern practice of using pot liquor, liquid remaining after cooking foods like vegetables, to make soups and stews is a smart idea; the water soluble vitamins that escaped into the water during cooking are recycled back into something you can eat instead of being poured down the drain. Heat is a problem for many water soluble vitamins, more so for some than others. Vitamin C, folate, and riboflavin are among the touchiest vitamins. The following are tips to cut down on nutrient losses from foods during food preparation.

Food Preparation and Storage

  • Use fresh produce as soon as possible after purchase, as naturally contained enzymes destroy nutrients as the produce continues to ripen.
  • Avoid soaking produce in water for long periods of time.
  • Leave skins intact on produce when possible (if you must peel, use a peeler to remove the least amount of flesh, since nutrients are often concentrated between the skin and flesh).
  • Cut produce after washing if possible; cut into larger pieces rather than small pieces because more juice (high in water soluble vitamins) is lost with more cutting.
  • Return milk in opaque plastic jugs to the fridge as soon as possible since riboflavin is readily destroyed by exposure to light; for the same reason, don’t store pasta and other grains in glass containers (glass is okay if stored in the cupboard).
  • Keep juices tightly covered both in fridge and out because vitamin C evaporates into the air.

Cooking

  • Steam vegetables rather than boil in large quantities of water microwaving and stir-frying are also better than boiling.
  • Add vegetables to boiling water, rather than placing in water and then bringing to a boil; quickly reduce heat to a simmer.
  • Limit cooking time and avoid high temperatures for all foods.
  • Never rinse boiled grain products such as pasta because vitamins will also be rinsed off; to avoid stickiness, add just a touch of olive oil.

The Solubility Factor Inside the Body

In general, water soluble vitamins are not stored in the body’s tissues to any great extent, so you need them every day. These vitamins are also readily excreted by the kidneys, which means that when you consume more than you need, the excess ends up in the urine. While this seems wasteful, especially if the excess amount came from supplements for which you probably paid an average of 10 to 50 cents for each tablet, you can be somewhat assured that you won’t accumulate toxic amounts. In contrast, the body can store fat sol,uble vitamins for long periods of time and not excrete them in case of an excess. People don’t often realize that too much of a good thing, even vitamins, can actually kill you!

A favorite story that college nutrition professors regale students with when they get to the vitamins lecture is the one about the Arctic explorers and polar bear livers. It seems that some of the first explorers to those cold wastelands ran out of food supplies and were forced to rely on what they could find around them for sustenance. The only edible food was an abundance of polar bear livers, which are even higher in vitamin A than other types of liver. Because they ate so much, and vitamin A is not excreted, some of them died from vitamin A toxicity-quite a vivid illustration, albeit unlikely to occur in the average town, of the potential toxicity of vitamins. Similarly, vitamin D has a fairly low toxicity range. But those are fat soluble vitamins, which one would expect to possibly cause problems.

Conventional wisdom had suggested that, in sharp contrast, water soluble vitamins were harmless in excessive amounts, as the body was able and willing to dump the overage into the daily urine for excretion. But recent studies and clinical experience have shown that excess amounts of some of the water soluble vitamins can have undesirable effects. A common example is niacin, which is modestly effective in lowering blood cholesterol. The amount needed to lower cholesterol greatly exceeds the RDA, and the nutrient mega dose of up to 100 times the RDA acts like a drug in the body. The megadose produces what are called pharmacological or drug effects, and besides lowering cholesterol, it may also cause liver damage and stomach ulcers. While the water soluble vitamins are not quite as lethal as some of the fat soluble ones, excesses can cause physiologic problems. We’ll explore the potential problems of each vitamin in the upcoming chapters.

An overview of vitamins would be remiss if we neglected to mention the impostors which crafty marketers slip into everything from shampoo to “high-energy snack bars.” If scientists did discover a new vitamin, you’d hear about it on the 6:00 P.M. news before the story made it into print. But some of these fake vitamins sound like the real thing, like vitamin B one of the “newly discovered” vitamins. Following is a brief list of some perennial impostors:

  • Bioflavonoids, vitamin P
  • Gerovital H-3
  • Hesperidin
  • Inositol
  • Laetrile, vitamin B
  • Lecithin
  • Nucleic acids
  • Pan gamic acid, vitamin B
  • Provitamin B complex

How Vigrx Plus Works And All The Amazing Effects Of Vigrx

VigRX Plus was recently improved from its original formula to help increase penis size. There are many advantages of this new formula, and it also provides the same great benefits as the classic version.

The VigRX drug enhances sex drive, and helps a man achieve a harder, bigger, and longer lasting erection. It also provides men with more intense and powerful orgasms and helps prolong the time that it takes for a man to ejaculate.

Additional benefits of using this product include the following:

  • You have less of a need to be anxious about “getting it up.”
  • A man and a woman enjoy greater intimacy together.
  • The man feels more confident that he will be “ready to go.”
  • It improves a mans stamina and increases his energy.
  • His sperm volume may increase.

The Inner Workings

VigRX works very well on a man in that it helps enhances the circulation within the arteries and veins of a man’s penis. This is accomplished as the peripheral tissue vasodilatation, which has a direct affect on the endothelial cells takes place.

As already mentioned above, this action takes place without raising a man’s blood pressure level. Likewise, as you already know a man is calmer while using this supplement because it relaxes his nerves.

Safety and Effectiveness

The VigRX Plus penis is considered non-invasive because no pain, needles, knives, or other instruments are needed to enhance a man who uses it. This natural enhancement pill also does not cause any side effects. This pill is said to be as effective as penis stretching tools, vacuum devices, and other mechanical male enhancement equipment.

Usage Tips

Men are usually advised to take two capsules of VigRX a day. The results are noticed after regular use. In order to improve their male enhancement efforts they might consider using recommended penis stretching and/or exercise routines.

Pros and Cons

The prices of VigRX are very reasonable, and are usually provided in cases of one to five packs for between $80.00 to $350.00. Furthermore, this product can be purchased from the privacy of your own home by visiting this URL https://www.ceraonline.org/vigrx-plus-review/

Furthermore, there is evidence from consumers that it does work. With that, the one reason why most men use this product do is because it has in it all natural ingredients.

Expected Outcome

VigRX users can expect to see a gain of two to three inches after about three months of use. They probably will notice at least a slight higher libido after only using this product for about a week.

Top UK Diet Pills – Recommended Diet Pills in the UK

There are various UK Diet Pills available in the market today. If you really want to lose weight, you may want to consider taking diet pills that can help you achieve your target weight. Of course, it’s important to know the diet pills you’re considering before you purchase one. And that’s why we’re here to help.

In order to attain your weight-loss goals, you will need to choose a credible diet pill that is backed up by consumers who have enjoyed amazing results. Another thing to look for is a diet pill that offers money-back guarantee. There are many UK diet pills that you can purchase online and through high-street shops and we have listed some of the best below.

These UK Diet Pills listed below are some of the most popular ones where a lot of dieters have successfully achieved their weight-loss targets. Take a look.

Phenq Pills

The Phenq diet pill is a fat blocker which blocks about one third of your fat intake. This helps your body avoid absorbing 1/3 of the fats you eat each meal. Phenq is Backed by Science, the only diet pill which was once among the most popular.

It is clinically proven to be an effective supplement in losing weight. There were no reported side effects. You can find a more detailed PhenQ Vs Phen375 here and you can also find links on how to purchase Phenq.

LipoBind Fat Binder

One of the popular diet pills you’ll find at retailers like Tesco, Superdrug, Holland & Barrett and Boots is LipoBind. It’s also avaialble at slimming.com for an even better price point. LipoBind is a fat binder just like Alli. Not only does it reduces the fat being absorbed in your body but it also suppresses your appetite. If you’d like to know more about Lipobind, you can read our review here. There are also links to where you can buy LipoBind.

Zotrim Fat Burner

Last but not the least, another famous diet pill in the UK is Zotrim. It’s a fat burner that you can get from Asda, Boota, Sainsburys and Tesco. It works by lessening the calorie intake and at the same time increases the calories being burned by the body.

Zotrim is backed up by a number o f clinical trials, showing how effective the pill is for losing weight. If you would like to know more about Zotrim, read our review on this diet pill. There are also links here to direct you to their official website where you can purchase Zotrim.

Collapsed Lung

A lung collapses when air enters the pleural space, which lies between the membranes (pleura) that line the chest cavity and the lungs. Although this can occur without a person having any symptoms, usually there is sudden, sharp chest pain, shortness of breath, and occasionally, a dry, hacking cough. With an open pneumothorax, out side air enters the space through a wound that penetrates the chest. With a closed pneumothorax, air may leak from the lungs or airways, either because of an injury or a spontaneous rupture. The latter, referred to as a simple spontaneous pneumothorax, sometimes occurs in a normal, healthy person who has a congenital weakness in part of a lung. This condition is most common among otherwise healthy young men, but it can occur at any age in both sexes. A complicated pneumothorax also involves a spontaneous rupture, but the condition is worsened by the presence of other lung diseases, such as emphy sema or cystic fibrosis. It occurs mostly in middle aged and older people.

Diagnostic Studies And Procedures

If apneumothorax is suspected, a doctor first listens to the chest sounds with a stethoscope, and then orders chest X-rays. In some cases, more invasive procedures such as thoracoscopy may be performed. For this examination a catheter with lighting devices is inserted into the chest cavity so that the doctor can view the pleural membranes and the space between them.

Medical Treatments

A small, simple, spontaneous pneumothorax that is confined to a limited portion of the lung often does not require any treatment other than repeated X-rays to make sure that it is healing on its own. A larger rupture is treated by inserting a tube into the chest cavity to allow air to escape from the pleural space. If the rupture is extensive, it may be necessary to insert a needle into the chest to remove the air. Needle insertion may also be required if the pneumuothorax is increasing in size. As a last resort, surgery may be performed to correct an underlying problem. Some patients have repeated occurrences of pneumothorax; in such cases, surgery may be necessary to remove the weakened segments of the lung. This procedure effectively prevents any future ruptures from occurring.

Alternative Therapies

A collapsed lung should always be treated immediately by a doctor. Alternative therapies can be applied as an adjunct approach during convalescence. These measures are also effective in treating some of the respiratory problems that increase the risk of a collapsed lung.

Herbal Medicine

Hyssop and lung wort teas or decoctions are advocated for treating mild lung problems and promoting respiratory health. Herbalists also suggest garlic because of its ability to fight off infection, build immunity, and generally strengthen the respiratory tract.

Nutrition Therapy

Vitamins A and C are said to strengthen the immune system and heal inflamed lung tissue. Some practitioners also believe that magnesium is beneficial to the muscles used in breathing. In general, maintaining a balanced diet with plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables will help promote healthy respiratory function.

Reflexology

In this form of massage, application of pressure to certain points on the feet and hands relieves tension in specific areas of the body. Lung disorders are treated by pushing the knuckles of the fist against the base of the patient’s toes and the ball of the foot. Pressing on the tips of the fingers and the middle of the palm is believed to improve breathing.

Self Treatment

There is no self treatment for a collapsed lung, because the situation may deteriorate very rapidly into a medical emergency. If you think you have this condition, go immediately to the nearest hospital emergency room. As a follow up to medical treatment, good self care may help prevent a recurrence, especially if bronchitis, emphysema, or another chronic lung disorder is present. If you are a smoker, make every effort to stop, and avoid smoke filled environments. If your job involves exposure to toxic substances or fumes, protect your lungs with the proper safety equipment. People with chronic lung disorders should also avoid going outdoors on days when the air pollution index is high.

Other Causes of Chest Symptoms

Chest pain accompanied by shortness of breath may be caused by angina or a heart attack. Breathing problems may also signal heart failure. Pneumonia and pleurisy, inflammation of the pleural membranes, may cause chest pain that feels similar to the pain of pneumothorax. Anxiety and panic attacks can also produce similar symptoms, particularly pressure in the chest.

The Effects of HGH

Have you ever wondered why some people manage to look youthful right into their sixties while others seem to wither away in their forties? Most people either blame their genes or unhealthy habits, both of which could be the culprit. However, there is a special hormone called Human Growth Hormone (HGH) which is actually the determining factor. Those who have an abundance of HGH in their body are youthful, healthy and energetic right into their old age.

HGH has generated a lot of buzz since television and celebrities, like CNN and Oprah, covered it in their shows. But what is it and why does it merit worldwide media attention? HGH is a natural hormone that is secreted by the pituitary gland located in the brain. It is one of the most important hormones in our body as it triggers the process of growth when we are young. Once we become adults, we stop growing but HGH is still important because it improves:

  • The elasticity of your skin and reduces wrinkles and age lines
  • Your heart function and blood circulation and restores energy and vitality
  • The immune system and protects our body from diseases
  • Your libido and enhances sexual performance
  • Your memory and vision
  • The strength of your bones and muscles

In short, the hormone restores our youthfulness, both in looks and deeds, and makes use healthier, stronger and more energetic. The above are just a few of the positive effects of HGH in our body. But by the time we are in our forties, the production of HGH trickles down to less that our body requires. This deficiency results in wrinkles, crows feet, age lines, sagging skin and other signs of old age such as reduced immunity, energy and vitality. By the time we are in our eighties, the production is down to almost nil.

Fortunately, we live in the age of innovation and there are ways to supplement HGH from external sources. Among the most popular methods are HGH supplement pills and oral sprays that are easy to administer. If taken daily as recommended, these supplements can restore your youthfulness, energy and vitality and make you look ten years younger.

High quality HGH supplements, such as GenF20 Plus and Styropin HGH Oral Supplement, are safe for consumption and do not even need the doctor’s prescription. However, you must make sure that they are FDA-approved because the market is flooded with cheap imitations that may have negative side effects.

Know Your Numbers: Cholesterol Testing

The reason for testing your cholesterol levels is to understand your risk for developing heart disease, stroke, or any of the other consequences of atherosclerosis. High blood-cholesterol has no visible symptoms. The only way to learn whether your cholesterol levels place you at risk for a heart attack or stroke is to measure your levels. You can get your cholesterol levels tested in your medical doctor’s office, at a medical laboratory, or at public screenings.

When to Check Your Cholesterol Levels

Although cholesterol levels alone are not predictive of heart disease in all people, knowing your levels is a valuable first step toward understanding your risk status. When you know your cholesterol levels, as well as the status of your other risk factors, you gain valuable insight into the health of your current lifestyle and what you need to do to create and maintain your well-being. Furthermore, for those people who learn that they fall into high-risk categories, the sooner they begin a treatment plan to lower levels of bad cholesterol and increase levels of good cholesterol, the sooner they can start to reduce their risks of heart attack or stroke.

Cholesterol Testing for Healthy Adults

Federal government guidelines recommend that all Americans check their cholesterol levels with a complete fasting lipoprotein profile at the age of twenty. The measurements taken by this test include your levels of total cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides. If test results indicate that all levels are in a healthy range, then government guidelines recommend retesting at a minimum of five-year intervals. The full lipoprotein profile test is preferred over a test that only provides data regarding total cholesterol and HDL levels. Since diabetes is considered to carry a risk equivalent to that of heart disease, it is also a good idea to have your blood glucose levels checked.

If you do not fast before testing your cholesterol, you can only measure total cholesterol and HDL levels. To receive more detailed information regarding your levels of LDL cholesterol and your triglycerides, fasting is necessary. If your test scores place you in a category for treatment, your health-care provider needs a complete, fasting, lipoprotein profile to plan your therapy.

Although federal government guidelines recommend cholesterol testing for adults at least every five years, if you have had a major change of lifestyle during that five-year period, your cholesterol levels may be different and, therefore, worth checking again before five full years elapse. For example, if you were a college student at age twenty and then became a working professional after graduation at age twenty-one or twenty-two, your physical activity levels, dietary choices, and stress levels may have changed significantly. All of these factors can impact your cholesterol levels. Therefore, it may be worth your time and effort to know your numbers as a measure of your health status in your new lifestyle.

Under current government guidelines, if you fall into a category that requires treatment for your cholesterol levels, you will have your cholesterol tested at much more frequent intervals to evaluate the success of the treatment program and to make any necessary adjustments. For example, if your health-care provider suggests that you adopt therapeutic lifestyle changes, the follow-up visit and test should be within six weeks. If your health-care provider suggests drug therapy, the initial follow-up visit and test should also be within six weeks. Subsequent visits for additional monitoring and adjustment of therapy should be scheduled at appropriate intervals depending on the nature of the individual therapy.

[ Read: Low Cholesterol Diet ]

Cholesterol Testing for Children

Evidence from research shows that atherosclerosis can start in childhood. If heart disease runs in the family, children should have their cholesterol levels checked regularly. In families that are high risk, it’s even more important that from two years of age onward, children follow a healthy lifestyle that includes a nutritious low-fat diet and regular physical activity.

Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, M.D., M.P.H., of the Cooper Institute in Dallas, Texas, recommends that children have a baseline cholesterol test around age five or six. In the future, if any issues come up, this baseline reading can serve as a reference point. If no other problems occur, Dr. Cooper recommends that the next childhood cholesterol test be conducted when the child becomes a teenager.

Cindy Zedeck, Program Director of the Stanford Pediatric Weight Control Program at the Stanford Prevention Research Center in Palo Alto, California, agrees that cholesterol testing for kids is a good practice to motivate families to establish healthy habits for children at an early age. She states:

Many families with overweight children believe that the health risks from poor eating habits either will not occur to their child because their child will outgrow the overweight, or that the health risks are so far away that they will not worry about them now. Seeing the concrete result of high cholesterol may be just what it takes to motivate families to make changes now, reducing worse risk factors in the long run.

Cholesterol testing could also be .just the motivation for a child of healthy weight to improve eating and exercise habits. Many kids who are not “over­weight” do not make healthy choices and feel that they can “get away” with eating whatever they want. Since thin people also have heart disease, perhaps a concrete result of high cholesterol would also motivate a thin child and family to make healthier eating and exercise choices. This would prevent both future disease and the risk of eventually becoming overweight. Since only half of adults who are overweight were overweight as children, this means that a lot of these thinner kids will become overweight in adulthood, if they don’t change their unhealthy eating and exercise habits now.

Influence of Prescription Drugs

Certain prescription medications may also lead to an increase in cholesterol levels. These medications include the following:

  • ACTH (adrenocorticotrophic hormone)
  • Anabolic steroids
  • Beta-adrenergic blocking agents (beta blockers)
  • Corticosteroids
  • Epinephrine
  • Oral contraceptives
  • Phenytoin
  • Sulfonamides
  • Thiazide diuretics
  • Vitamin D

If you are taking any medications that have a potential adverse impact on your cholesterol levels, be sure to discuss this with your health-care provider. Make sure that you understand how you will monitor your cholesterol levels over time to ensure that they remain within a healthy range.

Your Blood Cholesterol Test

When you have your cholesterol tested, the test you should have is the full lipid profile. The results of this test include your levels of total cholesterol, HDL or good cholesterol, LDL or bad cholesterol, and triglycerides. For accurate results, you need to fast for nine to twelve hours before the test. That means you may have nothing to eat or drink but plain water during that time. It is important that you do not consume any alcoholic beverages, coffee, tea, or soda-only drink water.

Why is it so important for me to fast before a lipid profile test?

The reason it is important not to eat for several hours before testing is that after a meal, triglycerides spike. Testing your triglyceride levels immediately after a meal would not give a clear reflection of the typical amount of triglycerides that tend to flow through your bloodstream at all times.

What to Expect

Since you need to obtain a fasting profile, schedule your test for first thing in the morning. Your health-care professional will take a blood sample, either from a vein or from a finger stick. After the health-care provider has collected the blood, he or she will either send it to a lab for analysis-if the test is being performed via a finger stick, a portable testing device will be used to analyze the sample.

If you are on any medications that affect cholesterol levels, work with your health-care provider to determine whether you should not take your prescription for a certain period of time before you take your cholesterol test.

Cholesterol Skin Testing

In 2002, the FDA approved a method of measuring cholesterol levels by testing the amount of cholesterol present in the skin. According to studies by the test manufacturer, International Medical Innovations, Inc., of Toronto, Canada, skin contains approximately 11 percent of all body cholesterol as measured by weight. As the severity of coronary artery disease increases, the levels of cholesterol present in skin also increase.

The test, however, is not designed as a screening device. It only detects cholesterol that is present in large quantities in the skin, a characteristic of people with severe coronary artery disease. The test is more valuable when used together with a blood cholesterol test to identify which people have the most severe arterial blockages.

According to the test’s manufacturer, the skin test provides 4 to 15 percent more information about the risk of severe coronary artery disease than what is already available from blood cholesterol tests and an assessment of other risk factors.

Lipid is the chemical family name for fat. Its root is the Greek word lipos, meaning “fat.” A blood lipid is a fat that circulates in the bloodstream. Cholesterol and triglycerides are both classified as blood lipids. A lipoprotein is a combination of fat surrounded by a protein to enable the fat to circulate.

Public Cholesterol Screenings

You may find public screenings for cholesterol at health fairs, your place of business, or at community events. Make sure that a reputable company is providing the screening and that they provide appropriate educational information, properly trained staff, and referral to health-care providers. Typically, technicians at screenings use a finger-stick sample and a portable testing device to measure test results. This test can still provide you with accurate and valuable information.

Cholestech Corporation offers a portable cholesterol testing system that is used in public screenings as well as in physician office settings. The Cholestech LOX system provides lab-accurate results in five minutes from only a single drop of blood. The Cholestech technology uses a variety of tests that range from a fasting, full-lipid profile and blood glucose levels to a simple, non fasting, total cholesterol test. This technology facilitates quick results.

Share your test results with your health-care provider if you have your cholesterol tested at a public screening. Even if you are only able to take a nonfasting total cholesterol and HOL test, it can provide you with helpful information. If it is available, make sure that you still obtain the fasting, full lipoprotein profile. Keep in mind that learning the individual levels of LOL and HOL cholesterol and triglycerides gives you a much more accurate assessment of the health of your circulatory system.

The Value of Public Screenings

The true value of public screenings for cholesterol is in raising awareness of the prevalence of the risk of heart disease among the public. Public screenings help people who have no idea whatsoever of what their heart health might be to realize that they are in need of further testing and evaluation. According to Claude Lenfant, director of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, “Americans at high risk for a heart attack are too often not identified and, so, don’t receive sufficiently aggressive treatment. Yet, studies show conclusively that lowering the level of low-density lipoprotein, or LOL, the ‘bad cholesterol,’ can reduce the short-term risk for heart disease as much as 40 percent.”

Public Screenings for Children

Both the federal government and the American Heart Association do not recommend mass public screenings of blood cholesterol for all children and adolescents. Health professionals are concerned that this type of mass screening would be costly and that it is likely to be inefficient. Children are often uncomfortable with needles and the sight of blood. Cholesterol testing for children is best conducted in the physician office setting.

According to the American Heart Association, about 10 percent of adolescents between the ages of twelve to nineteen years have total cholesterol levels higher than 200 mg/dL. This level is considered high risk.

Home Testing of Blood Cholesterol

At this time, home testing devices for cholesterol only measure total cholesterol and do not provide a breakdown of HDL cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, or triglycerides. Lifestream Technologies, Inc., based in Post Falls, Idaho, offers a cholesterol monitor for home use that allows you to test your total cholesterol levels. The Lifestream LSP system is not meant to replace the role of a medical professional. Instead, the device is designed to serve as an aid for those who want to monitor their cholesterol levels on a regular basis from the convenience of home.

Possible Future Tests

As scientific research continues to create a clearer picture of the mechanisms behind atherosclerosis, investigators are focusing more attention on other lipid-related risk factors. Studies continue to reveal more information about the subclasses of LDL and of HDL. As knowledge increases about the more exact role that each of these particles plays in the atherosclerotic process, scientists are developing tests that can identify risk with greater precision than simply looking at total LDL or HDL cholesterol levels. The focus of these studies includes the following particles, some of which are mentioned in Chapter “Diagnostic Test for other markers of heart disease”:

  • Small, very dense, low-density lipoprotein particles
  • High apoliprotein B levels
  • Low apoliprotein A-1 levels
  • High lipoprotein a or Lp(a) levels
  • High remnant lipoprotein cholesterol and triglyceride levels
  • Low high-density lipoprotein 2b levels

Watch for results from future research trials and updates to guidelines that incorporate what is being learned about these particles. An understanding of the role of these markers and emerging risk factors may shed more light on why as many as 50 percent of people who do not have high total blood cholesterol levels develop atherosclerotic plaque that leads to heart disease and stroke.

Which is Better Omeprazole or Esomeprazole?

Esomeprazole (Nexium) and omeprazole (Prilosec) and are two of the most popular prescriptions for GERD (gastroesophageal reflux or acid reflux), but which one is better?

Why they’re prescribed?

Omeprazole and Esomeprazole are both PPIs and as such, they used to treat gastric acid-related conditions, including GERD, heartburn, esophagitis, or inflammation or erosion of the esophagus, duodenal ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori, or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs).

They have also been prescribed for the treatment of Zollinger-Ellison syndrome, a disease in which tumors cause the production of excessive stomach acid, Multiple Endocrine Adenomas, Several stomach ulcers, and Systemic Mastocytosis.
Both drugs can be gotten on prescription and over-the-counter (OTC). Omeprazole is available in tablet and capsule forms. While Esomeprazole can be gotten in tablet, capsule, and as liquid suspensions.

How do They Work?

Omeprazole and Esomeprazole belong to the class of drugs known as proton pump inhibitors (PPI). Proton pumps line the cells of the stomach and are responsible for producing hydrochloric acid (the main constituent of stomach acid). By inhibiting these proton pumps, Omeprazole reduces the amount of acid produced in the stomach.

These type of drugs have been used since 1981. They’re considered the most effective medication for reducing stomach acid. They work best when you take them an hour to 30 minutes before a meal. You’ll need to take them for several days before they’re fully effective.
By reducing the production of acid in the stomach, they stop the excess acid flowing back into the food pipe (esophagus) and so relieve painful heartburn symptoms associated with acid reflux. Omeprazole medication also allows the esophagus to heal if it has been damaged by the acid.

What is the Difference Between Omeprazole and Esomeprazole?

Omeprazole and Esomeprazole are remarkably similar. However, there are minor differences in their chemical makeup. The differences are more prominent in their branded variants. For example, Prilosec contains two isomers of the active ingredient omeprazole, while Nexium only contains one isomer.

While this may not be the biggest difference, it alters how drugs work. In Nexium (Esomeprazole), its ingredients are made to be processed more slowly than Prilosec (Omeprazole) in your body. This means that levels of the drug are higher in your bloodstream and that esomeprazole may decrease acid production for a longer period of time.

For this reason, Esomeprazole tends to work slightly faster than omeprazole in relieving symptoms. Esomeprazole is also created to be broken down by the liver, so as to reduce interaction with other drugs. Furthermore, pharmaceutical companies may add different inactive ingredients in producing branded variants of these drugs.

Omeprazole or Esomeprazole, which is Better?

Both drugs have undergone years of clinical trials, and results indicate that Omeprazole and Esomeprazole may offer some advantages to people with treating certain conditions.

An older study from 2002 found that esomeprazole provided more effective control of GERD than omeprazole at the same doses. According to a later study in 2009, esomeprazole offered faster relief than omeprazole in the first week of use. After one week, symptom relief was similar.

In 2007, American Family Physician published an article questioning some of the results of clinical trials. According to the article, the size of the studies, the condition of patients, the amount of active ingredients used in the studies, among other factors affect the results of clinical results.

After analyzing 41 studies on the effectiveness of PPIs, the article concluded that there’s little difference in the effectiveness of PPIs, especially when used for extended periods.