Excess SALT

Salt is a very basic element that is need by our body. We take salt by different methods like via food, drinks etc. Without salt many mechanisms of the body stop working properly and we will get ill. But taking excess salt also can make you sick. Intake of excess salt is highly dangerous.

According to the studies the intake of excess salt may cause problem to you. Intake of excess salt can lead to death also because of high blood pressure.

77.9 million American ADULTS have high blood pressure.
Too much of salt can lead to muscle cramp, electrolyte disturbance which can cause neurological problems. Intake of excess salt with low amount of water can lead to water intoxication.

The effect of high salt consumption on long term health outcomes is controversial. Some associations include:

• Stroke and cardiovascular disease.
• High blood pressure: Evidence shows an association between salt intakes and blood pressure among different populations and age range in adults. Reduced salt intake also results in a small but significant reduction in blood pressure.
• Left ventricular hypertrophy (cardiac enlargement): "Evidence suggests that high salt intake causes left ventricular hypertrophy, a strong risk factor for cardiovascular disease, independently of blood pressure effects. "...there is accumulating evidence that high salt intake predicts left ventricular hypertrophy."Excessive salt (sodium) intake, combined with an inadequate intake of water, can cause hypernatremia. It can exacerbate renal disease.
• Edema: A decrease in salt intake has been suggested to treat edema (fluid retention).
• Stomach cancer is associated with high levels of sodium, "but the evidence does not generally relate to foods typically consumed in the UK." However, in Japan, salt consumption is higher.

According to the studies 9 out 10 people consume too much of salt/sodium.

Hyperthyroidism

Hyperthyroidism

The thyroid gland is a small butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of the neck below your Adam’s apple. It produces tetraiodothyronine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), two hormones which control how your cells use energy. The process by which cells use energy is called metabolism.

Hyperthyroidism occurs when too much T4 and/or T3 is produced. Proper diagnosis and treatment of the underlying cause relieves symptoms and prevents complications. Hyperthyroidism can run in families. Make sure to tell your doctor if there is a family history of the condition.

What Causes Hyperthyroidism?

A variety of conditions can cause hyperthyroidism. Graves' disease (an autoimmune disorder) is the most common. It occurs more often in women and tends to run in families. In Graves' disease, antibodies stimulate the thyroid to secrete too much hormone. Other causes of hyperthyroidism include:

• excess iodine (iodine is needed to make T4 and T3)
• inflammation of the thyroid gland (thyroiditis causes T4 and T3 to leak out of the gland)
• tumors of the ovaries or testes
• benign tumors of the thyroid or pituitary gland
• taking large amounts of tetraiodothyronine (through dietary supplements or medication)

What are the Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism?

Symptoms are related to the effects of excess thyroid hormone. Thyroid hormones control metabolism, so excessive amounts of T4 or T3 cause a metabolic rate that is too high. This is called a hyper-metabolic state.

People with hyperthyroidism typically have rapid heart rates, weight loss, and heat intolerance. The thyroid gland can be visibly enlarged (goiter). You can also have elevated blood pressure, nervousness, and hand tremors. You may also sweat a lot, feel hungry and restless, and have difficulty concentrating. Your bowel movements may be more frequent and women may have irregular menstrual cycles. In Graves' disease, the eyes may appear quite prominent. This symptom is called exophthalmos. Other symptoms include:

• weakness
• irregular heartbeat
• difficulty sleeping
• itching
• hair loss
• nausea and vomiting
• breast development in men

Hyperthyroidism can also cause atrial fibrillation, a dangerous arrhythmia that can cause strokes. Congestive heart failure may also occur. Seek medical care immediately if you notice dizziness, shortness of breath, loss of consciousness, or fast irregular heart rate

How is Hyperthyroidism Diagnosed?

The first step is a complete history and physical exam. This can reveal common symptoms, such as weight loss, rapid pulse, elevated blood pressure, protruding eyes, and/or an enlarged thyroid gland (which can either appear either symmetrical or one-sided).

Other tests may be performed to further evaluate your diagnosis. These include:

Cholesterol Level Test

Cholesterol levels vary with the metabolic rate. The metabolic rate is the rate at which cells use energy. In hyperthyroidism, cholesterol can be low due to the elevated metabolic rate.

T4 and T3RU (T3 Resin Uptake)Tests

These tests measure how much thyroid hormone is present in your blood.

TSH Level Test

TSH is a hormone produced by the hypothalamus that stimulates the thyroid gland to produce thyroid hormone. When your thyroid hormone levels are normal or high, TSH should not be elevated.

Triglyceride Level Test

Reasons for low triglyceride levels are the same as for low cholesterol levels.

Thyroid Scan and Uptake

This allows your doctor to see if your thyroid is overactive. It can also tell if the entire thyroid gland or just a single area of the gland is causing the over activity.

Ultrasound

A doctor can use ultrasound to measure the size of the entire thyroid gland, and any masses within it. An ultrasound allows doctors to know if the mass is solid or cystic.

Computed Tomography (CT) Scan or Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI):

A CT or MRI of the head is done if a pituitary tumor is suspected.

Treatment of Hyperthyroidism

Medication

Anti thyroid medications and radioactive iodine are treatment mainstays. Anti thyroid medications inhibit the synthesis of thyroid hormone and radioactive iodine effectively destroys the thyroid producing cells. Methimazole (Tapazole) is an example of an anti thyroid medication. However, these medications can have severe side effects, such as low white blood cell count.

Surgery

Sometimes, a portion or all of your thyroid gland may have to be surgically removed. When this happens, thyroid hormone supplements must be taken to prevent hypothyroidism. Beta-blockers (propranolol) can help to control rapid pulse, sweating, anxiety, and blood pressure. Most people respond well to this treatment. Your doctor may refer you to an endocrinologist, a specialist in hyperthyroidism and other endocrine problems.

Treatment also is important to prevent thyroid storm or thyrotoxicosis and other complications. Thyroid storm is a sudden worsening of symptoms as a result of the release of large amounts of thyroid hormone. It can occur due to stress or infections.

What you can do at Home to Improve Symptoms

Getting the proper amount of calories, calcium, and sodium during and after treatment is important. A diet with too many calories can result in weight gain or obesity. Talk with your doctor and obtain healthy guidelines for your daily diet, nutritional supplements, and exercise.

Hyperthyroidism also can cause your bones to become thin (osteoporosis). Taking vitamin D and calcium supplements during and after treatment can help strengthen your bones.. Make sure to ask your doctor about how much daily vitamin D and calcium is appropriate for you.

Long-Term Outlook for Hyperthyroidism

The long-term outlook depends upon the cause. Some causes go away without treatment. Others, like Graves' disease, get worse over time. Complications of Graves' disease can be life threatening and affect quality of life for a long time.

Dehydration & effects on performance

Dehydration & its effects on performance

Fatigue toward the end of a prolonged sporting event may result as much from dehydration as from fuel substrate depletion. Exercise performance is impaired when an individual is dehydrated by as little as 2% of body weight. Losses in excess of 5% of body weight can decrease the capacity for work by about 30% (Armstrong et al. 1985; Craig and Cummings 1966; Maughan 1991; Sawka and Pandolf 1990). Sprint athletes are generally less concerned about the effects of dehydration than are endurance athletes. However, the capacity to perform high-intensity exercise, which results in exhaustion within a few minutes, is reduced by as much as 45% by prior dehydration corresponding to a loss of only 2.5% of body weight (Sawka, Young, Cadarette, et al. 1985). Although sprint events offer little opportunity for sweat loss, athletes who travel to compete in hot climates are likely to experience acute dehydration, which persists for several days and may be serious enough to have a detrimental effect on performance in competition. Even in cool laboratory conditions, maximal aerobic power ( .VO2max) decreases by about 5% when persons experience fluid losses equivalent to 3% of body mass or more, as is shown in figure 8.6 (Pinchan et al. 1988). In hot conditions, similar water deficits can cause a larger decrease in .VO2max. The endurance capacity during incremental exercise is decreased by marginal dehydration (fluid loss of 1% to 2% of body weight), even if water deficits do not actually result in a decrease in .VO2max. Endurance capacity is impaired much more in hot environments than in cool conditions, which implies that impaired thermoregulation is an important causal factor in the reduced exercise performance associated with a body-water deficit. Dehydration also impairs endurance exercise performance. Fluid loss equivalent to 2% of body mass induced by a diuretic drug (furosemide) caused running performance at 1,500, 5,000, and 10,000 m distances to be impaired (Armstrong et al. 1985). Running performance was impaired more at the longer distances (by approximately 5% at 5,000 and 10,000 m) compared with the shortest distance (approximately 3% at 1,500 m). A study investigated the capacity of eight subjects to perform treadmill walking (at 25% .VO2max with a target time of 140 minutes) in very hot, dry conditions (49° C [120° F], 20% relative humidity) when they were euhydrated and when they were dehydrated by a 3%, 5%, or 7% loss of body mass (Sawka, Young, Francescone, et al. 1985). All eight subjects were able to complete 140 minutes walking when euhydrated and 3% dehydrated. Seven subjects completed the walk when 5% dehydrated, but when dehydrated by 7%, six subjects stopped walking after an average of only 64 minutes. Thus, even for relatively low-intensity exercise, dehydration clearly increases the incidence of exhaustion from heat strain. Sawka et al. (1992) had subjects walk to exhaustion at 47% .VO2max in the same environmental conditions as their previous study. Subjects were euhydrated and dehydrated to a loss of 8% of each individual’s total-body water. Dehydration reduced exercise endurance time from 121 minutes to 55 minutes. Dehydration also appeared to reduce the core temperature a person could tolerate, as core temperature at exhaustion was about 0.4° C (0.7° F) lower in the dehydrated state. REASONS:- • Reduction in blood volume • Decreased skin blood flow • Decreased sweat rate • Decreased heat dissipation • Increased core temperature • Increased rate of muscle glycogen use A reduced maximal cardiac output (i.e., the highest pumping capacity of the heart that can be achieved during exercise) is the most likely physiologic mechanism whereby dehydration decreases a person’s .VO2max and impairs work capacity in fatiguing exercise of an incremental nature. Dehydration causes a fall in plasma volume both at rest and during exercise, and a decreased blood volume increases blood thickness (viscosity), lowers central venous pressure, and reduces venous return of blood to the heart. During maximal exercise, these changes can decrease the filling of the heart during diastole (the phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart is relaxed and is filling with blood before the next contraction), hence, reducing stroke volume and cardiac output. Also, during exercise in the heat, the opening up of the skin blood vessels reduces the proportion of the cardiac output available to the working muscles. Even for normally hydrated (euhydrated) individuals, climatic heat stress alone decreases .VO2max by about 7%. Thus, both environmental heat stress and dehydration can act independently to limit cardiac output and blood delivery to the active muscles during high-intensity exercise. Dehydration also impairs the body’s ability to lose heat. Both sweat rate and skin blood flow are lower at the same core temperature for the dehydrated compared with the euhydrated state (see figure 8.4) (Nadel et al. 1979 1980; Sawka and Wenger 1988). Body temperature rises faster during exercise when the body is dehydrated. The reduced sweating response in the dehydrated state is probably mediated through the effects of both a fall in blood volume (hypovolemia) and elevated plasma osmolarity (i.e., dissolved salt concentration) on hypothalamic neurons. As explained previously, as core temperature rises towards about 39.5° C (103° F), sensations of fatigue ensue. This critical temperature is reached more quickly in the dehydrated state. Dehydration not only elevates core temperature responses but also negates the thermoregulatory advantages conferred by high aerobic fitness and heat acclimatization. Heat acclimation lowered core temperature responses when subjects were euhydrated. However, when they were dehydrated, similar core temperature responses were observed for both unacclimated and acclimated states (Pinchan et al. 1988). A person’s ability to tolerate heat strain appears to be impaired when dehydrated, so the critical temperature for experiencing central fatigue is likely to be nearer 39.0° C (102.2° F) when dehydrated by more than about 5% of body mass (Sawka et al. 1992). The larger rise in core temperature during exercise in the dehydrated state is associated with a bigger catecholamine response, and these effects may lead to increased rates of glycogen breakdown in the exercising muscle, which, in turn, may contribute to earlier onset of fatigue in prolonged exercise.

EMF effects

Electromagnetic Radiation Effects On People From Everyday Electronics

The technologies we use today, from our everyday appliances, cell phones, even our cars, emit electromagnetic radiation & EM radiation that can penetrate and affect us, seriously compromising our health and disturbing our environments.

• For years, scientists have conducted research linking EM radiation to serious diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and others. (See studies.)
• After an extensive review of 2,000+ such studies, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences concluded EMFs “should be regarded as possible carcinogens.”
• An international group of leading researchers recently came out stating, “the existing standards for public safety are completely inadequate to protect health.” (more on the Bioinitiative report below).
• Forward-thinking nations around the world are starting to set stricter EMF safety limits.
• Even the EPA now cautions you to “limit your exposure.”

Why Is EM Radation Exposure So Dangerous?

You may not realize it, but your own body uses electromagnetic fields to function properly. In fact, research has demonstrated that every cell in your body may have its own EMF.

In his book “The Body Electric,” researcher and author Robert Becker demonstrates that our cells actually communicate with each other via bioelectrical signals and electromagnetic fields. These natural EMFs help regulate important biochemical processes of all kinds. Maintaining balance in those cellular electromagnetic fields is crucial to your physical health.

What Are The Dangers Of EM Radiation To Humans?

Unfortunately, your body can also be influenced by the powerful artificial EM Radiation around you. That’s where the trouble starts.

How Does Harmful Electromagnetic Radiation Get Into Your Body?

When it comes to magnetic radiation (which is part of any EMF—see EMF explained for more on that), the body is as easily penetrated as air. This means if you are near a powerful EMF, electromagnetic radiation isn’t just around you, it’s inside you.

According to Dr. Becker, your body’s electrical signals are well within the range of those that can be stimulated by ambient radio waves, microwaves and other forms of electromagnetic radiation. That harmful, unnatural type of stimulation can seriously impact your body.

EM Radiation Can  Cause Health Chaos…

Artificial EMFs change the frequency of your body's electromagnetic fields through a process called entrainment (or sympathetic resonance). Entrainment is the tendency of an object to vibrate at the same frequency as something outside of it. In other words, powerful artificial EMFs overwhelm your body’s own electrical fields, changing their frequency and distorting the balance of the body's electromagnetic field and its communication systems. This causes physical, mental and emotional chaos.

The danger doesn’t always pass once you get away from the strong electromagnetic field. That’s because biological systems have been proven to store electromagnetic radiation within the cells in the form of electromagnetic oscillations. These oscillations can stubbornly remain inside you, wreaking havoc with your body’s most important processes.

Compounding this problem, metallic objects all around us act as antennae. These include electrical circuits, telephone wiring, water and gas pipes, even your keys and jewelry, which collect and re-radiate these disorienting energy waves.

The highest frequency energy waves (X-rays, gamma rays and others) can break chemical and molecular bonds, and can literally rip atoms apart, disrupting the basic biochemical structures of life.

The healthy human body resonates at around 10 hertz. Frequencies above that create biological stress, tissue damage and serious health problems.

LEAD EFFECTS and SOURCES

Though lead is found frequently in our environment, it has no known purpose in our bodies. When lead gets inside the body, the body confuses it with calcium and other essential nutrients. This confusion can cause permanent damage to the health of both children and adults.

Children

In children, lead is most damaging when they are six years and younger. Children are growing at a very fast rate - growing bones, developing stronger muscles and creating many connections in their brain. When lead instead of essential nutrients is "available" to the body to make bones, muscle, and brain connections, permanent harm to health can occur. Even at low levels, lead can be harmful and be associated with:

Learning disabilities resulting in a decreased intelligence (decreased IQ)
Attention deficit disorder
Behavior issues
Nervous system damage
Speech and language impairment
Decreased muscle growth
Decreased bone growth
Kidney damage

High levels of lead are life threatening and can cause seizures, unconsciousness, and death.

Adults

Lead exposure is a concern for adults, even though they have finished growing. Since an adult's body is much larger than a child's body, more lead is needed to cause injury but the harm lead can do to an adult is very serious. High levels of lead can cause:

Increased chance of illness during pregnancy

Harm to a fetus, including brain damage or death
Fertility problems in both men and women
High blood pressure
Digestive issues
Nerve disorders
Memory and concentration problems
• Muscle and joint pains

SOURCES

There are many sources of lead in our environment. Here are a few of the most common: Lead paint: The most common source is lead paint. Lead carbonate [PbCO3/Pb(OH)2)] was added to paint to speed drying, improve durability, and protect the surface from corrosion. Even though the negative health impacts of leaded paint were known as far back as the early 1900s, lead in residential paint was not banned until 1978. If a building was built before 1978 and has older paint, it should be assumed to have lead paint. Children are at particular risk from lead paint because they occasionally eat paint chips (sometimes on purpose). Lead paint can have a sweet taste, and babies and toddlers will often lick or suck windowsills, crib bars, and other objects that may be coated with lead paint. Leaded dust from peeling, chipping, cracking or otherwise deteriorating lead paint will collect onto floors and other surfaces. Children touch the dust, and then put their fingers in their mouths. Lead paint will only harm you or your family if it is peeling, flaking, or otherwise coming off of the surface. Leaded dust from paint can be a big problem during remodeling, when lead dust can become a hazard for the whole family, but particularly children. There are many tips for safe remodeling, which guide the use of sanders, scrapers, heat guns, keeping children and pets out of work areas, and how to clean up afterwards. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for more information. Imported candies:Lead has been found in candy and candy wrappers imported primarily from Mexico and Asia. Learn how the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is trying to control lead in imported candies. Hobbies and art:Some art supplies, such as artists' paint, still have lead in them. Buy only non-toxic paints for your children. Some hobbies require the use of lead, such as stained glass, firing guns, making ammunition, and making fishing lures and sinkers. Keep children away from areas where lead is being used. Be sure not to bring lead dust on your clothing into the home. Contaminated soil:Another common source of lead. Two possible sources of contaminated soil are leaded gasoline and industrial operations like smelters. While gasoline is generally no longer a major source of lead, decades of leaded gasoline left contamination in the soil next to roadways up to one-quarter of a mile from the road. While gasoline is generally no longer a major source of lead, decades of leaded gasoline left contamination in the soil next to roadways up to one-quarter of a mile from the road. Historic smelter operations, such as the ASARCO copper smelter that operated near Tacoma for almost 100 years, may also have contaminated the soil. ASARCO's "Tacoma Smelter Plume" pollution was carried by the wind throughout the Puget Sound, leaving elevated levels of lead and arsenic in the soil in some parts of King County. People and pets track the contaminated dirt into their homes. Children play on or near the floor, getting their hands dirty, and then put their fingers in their mouths. To learn how to reduce exposure to contaminated soil, read the Guidelines to reduce exposure to contaminated soils on the Tacoma Smelter Plume website. Jewelry:Some jewelry is made of lead and can pose a danger to children if they put the jewelry in their mouths. Lead is not absorbed through the skin. Teach children to keep jewelry out of their mouths, or do not allow children to have lead jewelry. Learn more from the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Lead at work:Adults who work in industries that use lead (battery manufacturing, pipe fitting, firing ranges, demolition, glass production, smelting operations, etc.) should be careful not to bring lead home with them. Shower and change clothes and shoes at work. Do not contaminate your car. Dishware:Imported glazed pottery and leaded crystal may also be sources of lead. Minimize the use of these products. Drinking water:Drinking water may have lead in it, though permitted levels in municipal sources are carefully regulated. The largest source of lead in drinking water occurs through leaching from lead-containing pipes, faucets, and solder, which can be found in plumbing of older buildings. If you have older pipes in your home, be sure to run the water for 60 seconds every morning before using it. Do not use hot tap water for drinking purposes. Learn more about drinking water from the EPA. Mini-blinds:Vinyl mini-blinds imported from China, Indonesia, Taiwan and Mexico before 1997 contained lead, which was used to make them less brittle. Lead dust forms on the blinds, particularly when the blinds are exposed to sun and heat. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, different blinds contained different amounts of lead. While the blinds are no longer imported into the United States, older blinds containing lead may still be in use or available for purchase in thrift shops. Learn more about this topic. Lunch boxes:There is evidence that some soft vinyl lunch boxes may contain lead in the lining. The Center for Environmental Health claims that there is a real risk to children. However, the Consumer Products Safety Commission does not believe the amounts of lead present pose a serious risk to children.

Mobile phone radiation

Effects of mobile telephone radiation

So far, the only known mechanism that mobile telephone radiation has had an effect on living tissue is heating. The rise in temperature on the surface of the brain caused by radio waves is 0.3 degrees at the most. This kind of temperature rise is not known to have biological significance. The temperature of the brain normally fluctuates by about one degree, and only after a five degree increase in temperature do cells become damaged.

Several studies, in several countries, have tried to find out any other effects apart from heating. On the basis of the results obtained from the studies, it has not been possible to conclude that radiation from mobile phones would be detrimental to health.

Experiments performed on cell cultures, also performed at STUK, have produced indicators that mobile telephone radiation could cause temporary changes in the functions of cells. These functions include the functions of genes, activation of proteins, and the internal chemical communication within cells. The trigger for these changes is unknown. It is only known that this phenomenon is not the result of excessive heating of tissue.

Radio waves at the radiation level of mobile phones may increase the permeability of the so-called blood-brain barrier. The blood-brain barrier regulates the passing of material between the bloodstream and brain cells. Possible changes are, however, minimal and disappear quickly when the radiation stops. This could possibly be a case of a change caused by microscopic heating. The occurrence falls within the realm of physiological fluctuation and is not known to be harmful.

Approximately 20 general population studies concerning the causal relation of possible tumour risk and mobile phone use have been carried out. On the grounds of the studies to date, it is not possible to make such a conclusion that mobile phones would cause a health risk. Nevertheless, certain analyses that combine several earlier studies have reported an increased risk of brain tumour in people who have used a mobile phone for a long time (more than ten years). These studies however involve uncertainties. One source of error is a memory illusion related to the fact that mobile phone use and call duration that took place many years are ago are difficult to recall exactly.

Since it takes years to develop a cancer and mobile phones have been in common use only for about ten years, the possibility, that a link between mobile phone use and cancer might be found in later population studies, cannot be ruled out.

Effect of UV rays on eyes

Effect of UV rays on eyes

Macular Degeneration

UV rays may lead to macular degeneration, a leading cause of vision loss for older Americans.

Cataract

UV rays, especially UV-B rays, may also cause some kinds of cataracts. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, the part of the eye that focuses the light we see.

Pterygium

Another UV-related problem is a growth called pterygium. This growth begins on the white of the eye and may involve the cornea. Eventually, the growth may block vision. It is more common in people who work outside in the sun and wind.

Skin Cancer

Skin cancer around the eyelids is also linked to prolonged UV exposure.

Corneal Sunburn

Corneal sunburn, called photokeratitis, is the result of high short-term exposure to UV-B rays. Long hours at the beach or skiing without proper eye protection can cause this problem. It can be very painful and may cause temporary vision loss.

High blood pressure causes and effects

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

The exact causes of high blood pressure are not known, but several factors and conditions may play a role in its development, including:

• Smoking
• Being overweight or obese
• Lack of physical activity
• Too much salt in the diet
• Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day)
• Stress
• Older age
• Genetics
• Family history of high blood pressure
• Chronic kidney disease
• Adrenal and thyroid disorders 

Effects :-

Damage to your arteries

Healthy arteries are flexible, strong and elastic. Their inner lining is smooth so that blood flows freely, supplying vital organs and tissues with adequate nutrients and oxygen. If you have high blood pressure, the increased pressure of blood flowing through your arteries gradually can cause a variety of problems, including:

• Artery damage and narrowing. High blood pressure can damage the cells of your arteries' inner lining. That launches a cascade of events that make artery walls thick and stiff, a disease called arteriosclerosis (ahr-teer-e-o-skluh-RO-sis), or hardening of the arteries. Fats from your diet enter your bloodstream, pass through the damaged cells and collect to start atherosclerosis (ath-ur-o-skluh-RO-sis). These changes can affect arteries throughout your body, blocking blood flow to your heart, kidneys, brain, arms and legs. The damage can cause many problems, including chest pain (angina), heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, blocked arteries in your legs or arms (peripheral arterial disease), eye damage, and aneurysms.
• Aneurysm. Over time, the constant pressure of blood moving through a weakened artery can cause a section of its wall to enlarge and form a bulge (aneurysm). An aneurysm (AN-u-rizm) can potentially rupture and cause life-threatening internal bleeding. Aneurysms can form in any artery throughout your body, but they're most common in the aorta, your body's largest artery.

Damage to your heart

Your heart pumps blood to your entire body. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage your heart in a number of ways, such as:

• Coronary artery disease. Coronary artery disease affects the arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle. Arteries narrowed by coronary artery disease don't allow blood to flow freely through your arteries. When blood can't flow freely to your heart, you can experience chest pain, a heart attack or irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
• Enlarged left heart. High blood pressure forces your heart to work harder than necessary in order to pump blood to the rest of your body. This causes the left ventricle to thicken or stiffen (left ventricular hypertrophy). These changes limit the ventricle's ability to pump blood to your body. This condition increases your risk of heart attack, heart failure and sudden cardiac death.
• Heart failure. Over time, the strain on your heart caused by high blood pressure can cause your heart muscle to weaken and work less efficiently. Eventually, your overwhelmed heart simply begins to wear out and fail. Damage from heart attacks adds to this problem.

Damage to your brain

Just like your heart, your brain depends on a nourishing blood supply to work properly and survive. But high blood pressure can cause several problems, including:

• Transient ischemic attack (TIA). Sometimes called a ministroke, a transient ischemic (is-KEM-ik) attack is a brief, temporary disruption of blood supply to your brain. It's often caused by atherosclerosis or a blood clot — both of which can arise from high blood pressure. A transient ischemic attack is often a warning that you're at risk of a full-blown stroke.
• Stroke. A stroke occurs when part of your brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, causing brain cells to die. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke by damaging and weakening your brain's blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries leading to your brain, blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke.
• Dementia. Dementia is a brain disease resulting in problems with thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision and movement. There are a number of causes of dementia. One cause, vascular dementia, can result from narrowing and blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. It can also result from strokes caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain. In either case, high blood pressure may be the culprit. High blood pressure that occurs even as early as middle age can increase the risk of dementia in later years.
• Mild cognitive impairment. Mild cognitive impairment is a transition stage between the changes in understanding and memory that come with aging and the more serious problems caused by Alzheimer's disease. Like dementia, it can result from blocked blood flow to the brain when high blood pressure damages arteries.

Damage to your kidneys

Your kidneys filter excess fluid and waste from your blood — a process that depends on healthy blood vessels. High blood pressure can injure both the blood vessels in and leading to your kidneys, causing several types of kidney disease (nephropathy). Having diabetes in addition to high blood pressure can worsen the damage.

• Kidney failure. High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of kidney failure. That's because it can damage both the large arteries leading to your kidneys and the tiny blood vessels (glomeruli) within the kidneys. Damage to either makes it so your kidneys can't effectively filter waste from your blood. As a result, dangerous levels of fluid and waste can accumulate. You might ultimately require dialysis or kidney transplantation.
• Kidney scarring (glomerulosclerosis). Glomerulosclerosis (glo-mer-u-lo-skluh-RO-sis) is a type of kidney damage caused by scarring of the glomeruli (glo-MER-u-li). The glomeruli are tiny clusters of blood vessels within your kidneys that filter fluid and waste from your blood. Glomerulosclerosis can leave your kidneys unable to filter waste effectively, leading to kidney failure.
• Kidney artery aneurysm. An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. When it occurs in an artery leading to the kidney, it's known as a kidney (renal) artery aneurysm. One potential cause is atherosclerosis, which weakens and damages the artery wall. Over time, high blood pressure in a weakened artery can cause a section to enlarge and form a bulge — the aneurysm. Aneurysms can rupture and cause life-threatening internal bleeding.

Damage to your eyes

Tiny, delicate blood vessels supply blood to your eyes. Like other vessels, they, too, can be damaged by high blood pressure:

• Eye blood vessel damage (retinopathy). High blood pressure can damage the vessels supplying blood to your retina, causing retinopathy. This condition can lead to bleeding in the eye, blurred vision and complete loss of vision. If you also have both diabetes and high blood pressure, you're at an even greater risk.
• Fluid buildup under the retina (choroidopathy). In this condition, fluid builds up under your retina because of a leaky blood vessel in a layer of blood vessels located under the retina. Choroidopathy (kor-oid-OP-uh-thee) can result in distorted vision or in some cases scarring that impairs vision.
• Nerve damage (optic neuropathy). This is a condition in which blocked blood flow damages the optic nerve. It can kill nerve cells in your eyes, which may cause bleeding within your eye or vision loss.

Effect of SMOKING

Now a day most of the people smoke. They got addicted to it very soon but they forget about the effects of smoking. They not only effect themselves but also smoke effect their near ones too. Smoking cause cancer and many other life taking diseases. According to the studies many people die cause to smoking. People who smoke in their house ,the smoke from cigar etc. also effect their children,wife also. Some effects of smoking are following.

Smoking shortens lives

A large 2013 study of women in the United Kingdom found that 2 out of 3 deaths in smokers who were in their 50s, 60s, and 70s were caused by smoking. The researchers observed that continuing smokers lose at least 10 years of their lifespans, but added that smokers who quit before age 40 were able to avoid 90% of the early deaths caused by continued smoking. If the women quit before age 30, they were able to avoid more than 97% of these early deaths.

Cancers

Tobacco use accounts for nearly 1 in 3 cancer deaths. Women who smoke are about 26 times more likely than non-smokers to develop lung cancer. Tens of thousands of women will die this year from lung cancer, which has shot past breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer death in women. About 70% of lung cancer deaths in women will be caused by smoking.

Not only does smoking increase the risk for lung cancer, it’s also a risk factor for cancers of the:

• Mouth
• Larynx (voice box)
• Pharynx (throat)
• Nose and sinuses
• Lips
• Esophagus (swallowing tube)
• Kidney
• Liver
• Bladder
• Pancreas
• Stomach

Smoking is also linked to acute myeloid leukemia.

Smoking raises the risk of heart disease and stroke

Women who smoke greatly increase their risk of heart disease (the leading killer among women) and stroke. The risk goes up with the number of cigarettes smoked and the length of time a woman has been smoking, but even people who smoke less than 5 cigarettes a day can have heart and blood vessel disease. Even though most of the women who die of heart disease are past menopause, smoking increases the risk more in younger women than in older women. Studies suggest that smoking cigarettes increases the risk of heart disease even more among younger women who are also taking birth control pills.

Smoking damages your lungs

Smoking damages the airways and small air sacs in the lungs. This can cause chronic coughing, wheezing, trouble breathing, and long-term (chronic) lung disease. More than 90% of deaths due to chronic bronchitis and emphysema – together these are known as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – are caused by smoking. Today, more women than men die from COPD, and evidence suggests that women are more likely to get severe COPD at younger ages than men.

The risk of COPD goes up with the number of cigarettes smoked each day and with the length of time a woman has been smoking. Female smokers aged 35 or older are almost 13 times more likely to die from emphysema or bronchitis than those who have never smoked.

The lungs grow more slowly in teenage girls who smoke. And adult women who smoke start losing lung function in early adulthood.

Smoking causes other health problems

Smoking can cause or worsen poor blood flow to the arms and legs (a condition known as peripheral vascular diseaseor PVD). This can limit everyday activities such as walking, and may lead to open sores that don’t heal. Even worse, surgery to improve the blood flow often fails in people who keep smoking. This is why many doctors who operate on blood vessels (vascular surgeons) won’t do certain surgeries on patients with PVD unless they stop smoking. Stopping smoking lowers a woman’s risk of PVD. And in people who already have PVD, quitting smoking improves the odds that PVD treatments will work.

Women who smoke, especially after going through menopause, have lower bone density (thinner bones). This means they have a higher risk for broken bones, including hip fracture, than women who do not smoke. They may also be at higher risk for getting rheumatoid arthritis and cataracts (clouding of the lenses of the eyes), as well as age-related macular degeneration, which can cause blindness.

Smoking affects your reproductive health

Tobacco use can damage a woman’s reproductive health. Women who smoke are more likely to have trouble getting pregnant. Smokers tend to be younger at the start of menopause than non-smokers and may have more unpleasant symptoms while going through menopause.

Smoking can also cause problems during pregnancy that can hurt both mother and baby. Smokers have a higher risk of the placenta (the organ that protects and nourishes the growing fetus) growing too close to the opening of the uterus. They’re also more likely to have an ectopic pregnancy (where the embryo implants outside the uterus), which can threaten the mother’s life. Smokers are also more likely to have early membrane ruptures and placentas that separate from the uterus too early. Serious bleeding, early delivery (premature birth), and emergency Caesarean section (C-section) may result from these problems. Smokers are more likely to have miscarriages, stillbirths, babies with cleft lip or palate, and low birth-weight babies, too.