Popular Post Yessongs Posted February 22 Popular Post Share Posted February 22 Yesterday at the gym, my pal "Kate"....she was concerned about taking a pic......why? "Oh I do not have any make up on"??? Who cares, neither do I 😩 5 4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 54 minutes ago, Yessongs said: "Oh I do not have any make up on"??? Who cares, neither do I She looks great ! 😋 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golfingboy Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 (edited) My BP measurements have been near-perfect lately, even though I’m back to around 130KG which is still on the low side for the last 15 years. Spring thaw is here soon, walking will be increased, and KETO will be implemented again But have a question for @lazarus or anyone else who can chime in? What does a relatively higher systolic signify, and is it cause for concern? Example, ideal is 120/80, but I’ll have like 125/71, 135/80, and so on..,.,, Thanks for any help Edited February 22 by Golfingboy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazarus Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 35 minutes ago, Golfingboy said: What does a relatively higher systolic signify, and is it cause for concern? Example, ideal is 120/80, but I’ll have like 125/71, 135/80, and so on..,.,, Since you asked... . . . High Blood Pressure Symptoms and Causes https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/about.htm The guidelines used to diagnose high blood pressure may differ from health care professional to health care professional: Some health care professionals diagnose patients with high blood pressure if their blood pressure is consistently 140/90 mm Hg or higher.2 This limit is based on a guideline released in 2003, as seen in the table below. Other health care professionals diagnose patients with high blood pressure if their blood pressure is consistently 130/80 mm Hg or higher.1 This limit is based on a guideline released in 2017, as seen in the table below. What problems does high blood pressure cause? High blood pressure can damage your health in many ways. It can seriously hurt important organs like your heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes. The good news is that, in most cases, you can manage your blood pressure to lower your risk for serious health problems. 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasseye Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 9 minutes ago, lazarus said: Since you asked... . . . High Blood Pressure Symptoms and Causes https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/about.htm The guidelines used to diagnose high blood pressure may differ from health care professional to health care professional: Some health care professionals diagnose patients with high blood pressure if their blood pressure is consistently 140/90 mm Hg or higher.2 This limit is based on a guideline released in 2003, as seen in the table below. Other health care professionals diagnose patients with high blood pressure if their blood pressure is consistently 130/80 mm Hg or higher.1 This limit is based on a guideline released in 2017, as seen in the table below. What problems does high blood pressure cause? High blood pressure can damage your health in many ways. It can seriously hurt important organs like your heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes. The good news is that, in most cases, you can manage your blood pressure to lower your risk for serious health problems. Sheeeet. The silent killer. Been around my entire life. Old man made it to 96. I'll live to 104, but not without managing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 I am due a telephone consultation with my GP at 7:30 this morning. I don't believe I have ever had a problem with my BP but I left hospital after my mild heart attack in December with a whole batch of medications to take each day including one for BP. As requested I sent my own subsequent PB readings to the Practice and he subsequently reduced the amount of the PB dose. Earlier this week I sent him my BP results for the last two weeks which average out at 115/52 which presumably is good. On the other hand, my pulse rate seems very low and I previously drew this to his attention and also to the Practice Nurse who takes and monitors my bloods from time to time. Neither seemed to be concerned but I intend to raise this today during the consultation. It could be that I am getting a false reading from the pulse rate. When I was in the hospital they discovered that I apparently have an "extra" beat in my pulse. Again, that did not appear to be of any major concern and may be heriditory as my grandaughter has the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fygjam Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 40 minutes ago, Jambo said: It could be that I am getting a false reading from the pulse rate. When I was in the hospital they discovered that I apparently have an "extra" beat in my pulse. Again, that did not appear to be of any major concern and may be heriditory as my grandaughter has the same. They're called PVCs and are almost as common as arseholes. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/premature-ventricular-contractions/symptoms-causes/syc-20376757 I was having an ECG once and I asked the technician "how long a strip do you take". She said the usual 30 seconds. I said "make it 2 minutes and we'll probably catch a PVC". She did and we did. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fygjam Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 I had been thinking about making a post on "How do you take your blood pressure". Maybe now is the time. Usual caveats. This should not be taken as medical advice blah, blah, blah. My thoughts. Use a blood pressure monitor that has been validated against one of the recognised protocols. BIHS, British and Irish Hypertension Society in the UK or AAMI, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation in the US. There are some other protocols. BHIS validated monitors can be found here https://bihsoc.org/bp-monitors/for-home-use/ This site is more for the US. https://www.stridebp.org/bp-monitors/ Make sure you check the validation against the list suitable for the market you're buying in. Omron, for one, uses different model numbers for the US compared to Australia so it's pointless trying to check a model available in Australia against the US list. Validation is a statistical exercise where the monitor under evaluation is almost correct most of the time when compared to a mercury or aneroid sphygmomanometer. It's not like a tyre pressure gauge or a volt meter where you would expect the same result each time. Follow the instructions that came with the monitor for taking a reading. Do not try to take a reading while having a wank, after a stimulating beverage like coffee, after a meal or exercise etc. Use a cuff suitable for your arm circumference. Fit the cuff according to directions, usually 2 finger should fit comfortably under the cuff when deflated. Too loose or too tight a cuff can give incorrect readings. An abnormally slow or fast heart rate can give an incorrect reading. Unless otherwise specified, center the tube down the middle of your arm, palm facing upwards. Some cuffs may have a mark indicating the cuff to be lined up with the brachial artery. The brachial artery can be located towards the inside of the elbow, palm facing up. How many readings? I've seen various recommendations. One reading , just like your doctors office, and that it. Three readings 1-2 minutes apart and average the results. Three readings 1-2 minutes apart and take the best one. The one that works for me at the moment. 3 readings 1-2 minutes apart. Discard the first reading, it was seating the cuff. Average the second and third readings. I use the Samsung health app on my Samsung phone, it averages however many readings entered so I have a record of the individual readings and the average. The various validation protocols I have read all discard the first reading and only take note of subsequent readings. On the website of a company that manufactures both home and clinical blood pressure monitoring equipment they said that lab testing indicated 15 seconds between successive readings was sufficient. That's my thoughts. What do you do? 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizondave Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 2 hours ago, Jambo said: I am due a telephone consultation with my GP at 7:30 this morning. I don't believe I have ever had a problem with my BP but I left hospital after my mild heart attack in December with a whole batch of medications to take each day including one for BP. As requested I sent my own subsequent PB readings to the Practice and he subsequently reduced the amount of the PB dose. Earlier this week I sent him my BP results for the last two weeks which average out at 115/52 which presumably is good. On the other hand, my pulse rate seems very low and I previously drew this to his attention and also to the Practice Nurse who takes and monitors my bloods from time to time. Neither seemed to be concerned but I intend to raise this today during the consultation. It could be that I am getting a false reading from the pulse rate. When I was in the hospital they discovered that I apparently have an "extra" beat in my pulse. Again, that did not appear to be of any major concern and may be heriditory as my grandaughter has the same. Your blood pressure seems low to me, maybe that is why they are calling you in. Obviously sounds better than high blood pressure but hypotension is also a concern to doctors I believe.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Painter Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 11 minutes ago, fygjam said: I had been thinking about making a post on "How do you take your blood pressure". Maybe now is the time. Usual caveats. This should not be taken as medical advice blah, blah, blah. My thoughts. Use a blood pressure monitor that has been validated against one of the recognised protocols. BIHS, British and Irish Hypertension Society in the UK or AAMI, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation in the US. There are some other protocols. BHIS validated monitors can be found here https://bihsoc.org/bp-monitors/for-home-use/ This site is more for the US. https://www.stridebp.org/bp-monitors/ Make sure you check the validation against the list suitable for the market you're buying in. Omron, for one, uses different model numbers for the US compared to Australia so it's pointless trying to check a model available in Australia against the US list. Validation is a statistical exercise where the monitor under evaluation is almost correct most of the time when compared to a mercury or aneroid sphygmomanometer. It's not like a tyre pressure gauge or a volt meter where you would expect the same result each time. Follow the instructions that came with the monitor for taking a reading. Do not try to take a reading while having a wank, after a stimulating beverage like coffee, after a meal or exercise etc. Use a cuff suitable for your arm circumference. Fit the cuff according to directions, usually 2 finger should fit comfortably under the cuff when deflated. Too loose or too tight a cuff can give incorrect readings. An abnormally slow or fast heart rate can give an incorrect reading. Unless otherwise specified, center the tube down the middle of your arm, palm facing upwards. Some cuffs may have a mark indicating the cuff to be lined up with the brachial artery. The brachial artery can be located towards the inside of the elbow, palm facing up. How many readings? I've seen various recommendations. One reading , just like your doctors office, and that it. Three readings 1-2 minutes apart and average the results. Three readings 1-2 minutes apart and take the best one. The one that works for me at the moment. 3 readings 1-2 minutes apart. Discard the first reading, it was seating the cuff. Average the second and third readings. I use the Samsung health app on my Samsung phone, it averages however many readings entered so I have a record of the individual readings and the average. The various validation protocols I have read all discard the first reading and only take note of subsequent readings. On the website of a company that manufactures both home and clinical blood pressure monitoring equipment they said that lab testing indicated 15 seconds between successive readings was sufficient. That's my thoughts. What do you do? Much the same as you, figgy.... take it 3 times, 2ish minutes apart, and average them out. Omron device in the uk, a lazada special in Thailand, but it has WHO on it, so might be good.... Then an app on my phone that averages the averages.... My gp is happy for 135/85. In Thailand it's under that, back in the uk it's that or slightly over. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coxyhog Posted February 22 Share Posted February 22 20 minutes ago, fygjam said: That's my thoughts. What do you do? The BP monitor I have is the same as they use in our GP's surgery. I've been told a couple times by GP's to take at least 2 readings. I take 2 BP meds,usually one in the morning & one just before bed. Being in Thailand now I keep forgetting the late one....must be something to do with what I'm eating,can't be the booze surely? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Jambo Posted February 22 Popular Post Share Posted February 22 (edited) 6 hours ago, Horizondave said: Your blood pressure seems low to me, maybe that is why they are calling you in. Obviously sounds better than high blood pressure but hypotension is also a concern to doctors I believe.. My telephone consultation this morning was not quite what I expected. It turned out that the readings I had sent were described as being just what they hoped to see. When I mentioned the low pulse rate I told that too at mid 40's was fine. I was told that although my heart attack was mild it will take some considerable time to fully recover from the effects. To improve my general fitness they would like me to sign up for a cardio fitness program they have in conjunction with the Excite Leisure center one of which is a short bus ride from where I currently live. It is designed specifically for someone like me recovering from a heart condition. Ending on a positive note the doctor confirmed that there is no reason why I cannot undertake flights once again. I can now update my annual travel insurance policy and pay the additional substantial surcharge they now require. Edited February 22 by Jambo 1 2 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpuynarak Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 15 hours ago, fygjam said: I had been thinking about making a post on "How do you take your blood pressure". Maybe now is the time. Usual caveats. This should not be taken as medical advice blah, blah, blah. My thoughts. Use a blood pressure monitor that has been validated against one of the recognised protocols. BIHS, British and Irish Hypertension Society in the UK or AAMI, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation in the US. There are some other protocols. BHIS validated monitors can be found here https://bihsoc.org/bp-monitors/for-home-use/ This site is more for the US. https://www.stridebp.org/bp-monitors/ Make sure you check the validation against the list suitable for the market you're buying in. Omron, for one, uses different model numbers for the US compared to Australia so it's pointless trying to check a model available in Australia against the US list. Validation is a statistical exercise where the monitor under evaluation is almost correct most of the time when compared to a mercury or aneroid sphygmomanometer. It's not like a tyre pressure gauge or a volt meter where you would expect the same result each time. Follow the instructions that came with the monitor for taking a reading. Do not try to take a reading while having a wank, after a stimulating beverage like coffee, after a meal or exercise etc. Use a cuff suitable for your arm circumference. Fit the cuff according to directions, usually 2 finger should fit comfortably under the cuff when deflated. Too loose or too tight a cuff can give incorrect readings. An abnormally slow or fast heart rate can give an incorrect reading. Unless otherwise specified, center the tube down the middle of your arm, palm facing upwards. Some cuffs may have a mark indicating the cuff to be lined up with the brachial artery. The brachial artery can be located towards the inside of the elbow, palm facing up. How many readings? I've seen various recommendations. One reading , just like your doctors office, and that it. Three readings 1-2 minutes apart and average the results. Three readings 1-2 minutes apart and take the best one. The one that works for me at the moment. 3 readings 1-2 minutes apart. Discard the first reading, it was seating the cuff. Average the second and third readings. I use the Samsung health app on my Samsung phone, it averages however many readings entered so I have a record of the individual readings and the average. The various validation protocols I have read all discard the first reading and only take note of subsequent readings. On the website of a company that manufactures both home and clinical blood pressure monitoring equipment they said that lab testing indicated 15 seconds between successive readings was sufficient. That's my thoughts. What do you do? I took my Omron to my doc here in Thailand and he checked my BP reading against his equipment, mine was 5 higher than his. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pumpuynarak Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 I found the best treatment for my high BP was to take Kamagra every day, no need for any other med 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post fygjam Posted February 23 Popular Post Share Posted February 23 3 minutes ago, Pumpuynarak said: I found the best treatment for my high BP was to take Kamagra every day, no need for any other med So what are the readings? Hanging slack - ok Horizontal - monitor Poke your eye out - time to do something 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yessongs Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Just this morning, wifey is even lower then me. I notice though, after drinking even a small cup of coffee, it will jump to 123/70 or so. Any of you ever check your blood oxygen levels? We do that too. @Pumpuynarak Agree with you, took my blood pressure with my Dr. in Jan for my yearly physical, mine was a bit higher too. Diet and exercise are both key here...... I never use salt on anything...but my weakness is a bit of pepper on my food. 1 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forcebwithu Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 I have an Omron unit and take my BP on an infrequent basis. Most of the time it's in the 140/80 range, but my reading just now is at 118/69. I've seen that before, the wide fluctuation from day to day in my readings. Since I don't take a reading at the same time every day, I don't worry about the wide fluctuation, just attribute it to something I've done prior to taking a reading. This morning it was about an hour after getting back from an 8 km walk and a good breakfast. I'm on a low dose BP meds which has brought my BP down from 160/90. I know if I would stop drinking so much and exercise more I could probably eliminate the BP meds, but where's the fun in that. Better living through chemistry as they say. 1 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasseye Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 18 hours ago, fygjam said: I had been thinking about making a post on "How do you take your blood pressure". Maybe now is the time. Usual caveats. This should not be taken as medical advice blah, blah, blah. My thoughts. Use a blood pressure monitor that has been validated against one of the recognised protocols. BIHS, British and Irish Hypertension Society in the UK or AAMI, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation in the US. There are some other protocols. BHIS validated monitors can be found here https://bihsoc.org/bp-monitors/for-home-use/ This site is more for the US. https://www.stridebp.org/bp-monitors/ Make sure you check the validation against the list suitable for the market you're buying in. Omron, for one, uses different model numbers for the US compared to Australia so it's pointless trying to check a model available in Australia against the US list. Validation is a statistical exercise where the monitor under evaluation is almost correct most of the time when compared to a mercury or aneroid sphygmomanometer. It's not like a tyre pressure gauge or a volt meter where you would expect the same result each time. Follow the instructions that came with the monitor for taking a reading. Do not try to take a reading while having a wank, after a stimulating beverage like coffee, after a meal or exercise etc. Use a cuff suitable for your arm circumference. Fit the cuff according to directions, usually 2 finger should fit comfortably under the cuff when deflated. Too loose or too tight a cuff can give incorrect readings. An abnormally slow or fast heart rate can give an incorrect reading. Unless otherwise specified, center the tube down the middle of your arm, palm facing upwards. Some cuffs may have a mark indicating the cuff to be lined up with the brachial artery. The brachial artery can be located towards the inside of the elbow, palm facing up. How many readings? I've seen various recommendations. One reading , just like your doctors office, and that it. Three readings 1-2 minutes apart and average the results. Three readings 1-2 minutes apart and take the best one. The one that works for me at the moment. 3 readings 1-2 minutes apart. Discard the first reading, it was seating the cuff. Average the second and third readings. I use the Samsung health app on my Samsung phone, it averages however many readings entered so I have a record of the individual readings and the average. The various validation protocols I have read all discard the first reading and only take note of subsequent readings. On the website of a company that manufactures both home and clinical blood pressure monitoring equipment they said that lab testing indicated 15 seconds between successive readings was sufficient. That's my thoughts. What do you do? Excellent post. I finally learned over the years to get a top quality monitor. My Dad had horrible hbp and enlarged heart. Mom managed him well, he lived to 96. Omron is what I have also. Japanese I believe. 52 seems low, but I ain't no doctor. Jambo... good job on getting the med recommendation for the fitness. Certainly will be good for you, and with the med recommendation probably won't cost you much. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasseye Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 Vitamin V.... https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/02/22/viagra-alzheimers-dementia-erectile-dysfunction/ ssBodyLife BRAIN MATTERS Why Viagra has been linked with better brain health By Teddy Amenabar February 22, 2024 at 8:20 a.m. EST (George Wylesol for The Washington Post) Listen 6 min Share Comment593 Add to your saved stories Save Viagra can be a wonder drug for men with erectile dysfunction, helping them maintain their sex lives as they age. Now new research suggests the little blue pill may also be beneficial to aging brains. The findings are based on a massive study of nearly 270,000 middle-aged men in Britain. Researchers at University College London used electronic medical records to track the health of the men, who were all 40 or older and had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2000 and 2017. Each man’s health and prescriptions were tracked for at least a year, although the median follow-up time was 5.1 years. During the study, 1,119 men in the cohort were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers noticed a distinctive pattern. The men who were prescribed Viagra or a similar drug had an 18 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, compared with men who weren’t given the medication. The researchers also found an even larger difference in men who appeared to use Viagra more often. Among the highest users, based on total prescriptions, the risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s was 44 percent lower. (Men with erectile dysfunction are instructed to only take Viagra before sex, and no more than once a day.) “I’m excited by the findings but more excited because I feel this could lead to further, high-quality studies in a disease area that needs more work,” said Ruth Brauer, a lecturer in pharmacoepidemiology at the University College London School of Pharmacy and the principal investigator of the study. There’s a limit to how much we can conclude from the study results. The findings show an association between lower Alzheimer’s risk and Viagra use, but don’t prove cause and effect. For instance, it may be that Viagra use is a marker for better overall health, and that men who have more sex also are more physically active as well. Physical activity is independently associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Brauer said. Why Viagra may be linked with a lower risk of dementia Sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, was never supposed to be a sex drug. Pfizer had developed the drug as a cardiovascular medication to treat hypertension and chest pain called angina. The company had been conducting clinical trials using sildenafil as a heart medication when some patients reported an unexpected side-effect — erections. Skip to end of carousel Get Well+Being tips straight to your inbox data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg%20xmlns=%27http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%27%20version=%271.1%27%20width=%272048%27%20height=%271365%27/%3e (Abbey Lossing for The Washington Post) Sign up for the Well+Being newsletter, your source of expert advice and simple ideas to help you live well every day. End of carousel Viagra is part of a class of drugs known as phosphodiesterase Type 5 Inhibitors, or PDE-5 drugs. The drugs work by dilating blood vessels and increasing blood flow throughout the body, including to the penis. Since its discovery as an erectile dysfunction treatment, sildenafil also has been used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension for both men and women. The link between heart health and sexual health is strong. Erectile dysfunction can be an early warning sign of coronary artery disease. And an unhealthy vascular system is one of the reasons men start having problems with erections. Vascular risk factors have also been linked to certain types of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, so researchers have been intrigued about whether erectile dysfunction treatments can affect brain health as well. Animal studies of PDE-5 inhibitors have shown the drug may help prevent cognitive impairment by, in part, increasing blood flow in the brain, but researchers who conducted a review of the available research say the efficacy of the class of drugs “remains unclear.” And Brauer said the findings in animals are only “possible mechanisms” in humans. Share this articleNo subscription required to readShare “There is an idea that if we can help with improving blood flow in the brain, maybe we can also reduce the risk for Alzheimer’s disease,” said Sevil Yasar, an associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University and the co-author of an editorial that accompanied the study in Neurology. AGING WELL Next Should severe menopause symptoms be a disability? One country thinks so. Why Viagra has been linked with better brain health They’ve lived 100 years. Here’s their advice about everything. Now you can buy at-home menopause tests. Are they worth it? How exercise increases brain volume — and may slow memory decline Will your older self refuse to give up the car keys? Here’s how to plan. Want to slow memory loss after 60? A multivitamin may be the answer. At 93, he’s as fit as a 40-year-old. His body offers lessons on aging. Advice Tune up your body: A health checklist for every age Sleep problems can increase as you age. 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Other reasons for the effect Stanton Honig, a professor of urology at Yale School of Medicine, said the newest study is far from definitive. “You can’t draw any conclusions” from the study because “there are so many other factors” at play besides whether a man takes a pill for erectile dysfunction. “Someone who is more likely to take a pill like that at 70, they’re probably more active, they’re more likely involved with their partners, things like that,” Honig said. “There’s too many confounding variables to make a definitive statement that it’s the pills or it’s the patients that are taking the pills that are less likely to be neurologically impaired.” Brauer said the average “pack” per prescription is four tablets. But it’s not clear if the men took all the tablets prescribed and, if so, how often. “We do not know if people used the prescribed drugs as intended nor could we measure sexual activity or physical activity levels,” Brauer said. “We need further studies to show if our results would hold up in a group of men without erectile dysfunction and — even better — it would be better to run our study in a group of men and women.” Previous studies on different populations have come to somewhat contradictory conclusions. A Cleveland Clinic study found a significantly reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease among those using sildenafil, said Feixiong Cheng, the director of the Cleveland Clinic Genome Center and the principal investigator of the study. But a study by researchers at Harvard Medical School and the National Institute on Aging found “no association” between the use of sildenafil, or other PDE-5 inhibitors, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, said Rishi Desai, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School. More study is needed Rebecca Edelmayer, the senior director of scientific engagement for the Alzheimer’s Association, said in an email that it remains unclear whether Viagra and similar drugs have an effect on Alzheimer’s risk. “Further research and specifically designed, randomized clinical trials are a necessary step,” she said. For now, the findings don’t suggest that men should start taking Viagra if they don’t need it. But we do know that Viagra is an effective treatment for erectile dysfunction, and men who are experiencing the problem should see a doctor and discuss both their sexual health and cardiovascular health. “You should not take Viagra to reduce your risk,” Yasar said. “You should eat healthy. You should exercise. There’s plenty of evidence for that.” 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(George Wylesol for The Washington Post) Listen 6 min Share Comment593 Add to your saved stories Save Viagra can be a wonder drug for men with erectile dysfunction, helping them maintain their sex lives as they age. Now new research suggests the little blue pill may also be beneficial to aging brains. The findings are based on a massive study of nearly 270,000 middle-aged men in Britain. Researchers at University College London used electronic medical records to track the health of the men, who were all 40 or older and had been diagnosed with erectile dysfunction between 2000 and 2017. Each man’s health and prescriptions were tracked for at least a year, although the median follow-up time was 5.1 years. During the study, 1,119 men in the cohort were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. The researchers noticed a distinctive pattern. The men who were prescribed Viagra or a similar drug had an 18 percent lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, compared with men who weren’t given the medication. The researchers also found an even larger difference in men who appeared to use Viagra more often. Among the highest users, based on total prescriptions, the risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s was 44 percent lower. (Men with erectile dysfunction are instructed to only take Viagra before sex, and no more than once a day.) “I’m excited by the findings but more excited because I feel this could lead to further, high-quality studies in a disease area that needs more work,” said Ruth Brauer, a lecturer in pharmacoepidemiology at the University College London School of Pharmacy and the principal investigator of the study. There’s a limit to how much we can conclude from the study results. The findings show an association between lower Alzheimer’s risk and Viagra use, but don’t prove cause and effect. For instance, it may be that Viagra use is a marker for better overall health, and that men who have more sex also are more physically active as well. Physical activity is independently associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease, Brauer said. Why Viagra may be linked with a lower risk of dementia Sildenafil, the generic name for Viagra, was never supposed to be a sex drug. Pfizer had developed the drug as a cardiovascular medication to treat hypertension and chest pain called angina. The company had been conducting clinical trials using sildenafil as a heart medication when some patients reported an unexpected side-effect — erections. Skip to end of carousel Get Well+Being tips straight to your inbox data:image/svg+xml,%3csvg%20xmlns=%27http://www.w3.org/2000/svg%27%20version=%271.1%27%20width=%272048%27%20height=%271365%27/%3e
forcebwithu Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 On 2/21/2024 at 2:50 PM, fygjam said: A while ago and in another thread I mentioned I had acquired one of these. A CO2 monitor. Not being able to stop at one, I then got basically so I could compare results. They have sensors from different manufacturers. The good news is that, once stabilized, they agree with each other. Difference usually less than 10 ppm, quite often only 2-3 ppm. Anyway, today I thought I'd take the latest acquisition, an Aranet4, on a little road trip down to the shops. I first placed the unit outside to get a baseline reading and then we were off. 21/02/2024 11:28 430 21/02/2024 11:29 502 21/02/2024 11:30 872 21/02/2024 11:31 1017 21/02/2024 11:32 1093 21/02/2024 11:33 1233 21/02/2024 11:34 1395 21/02/2024 11:35 1490 21/02/2024 11:36 1547 21/02/2024 11:37 1658 21/02/2024 11:38 1806 Doesn't take long for the CO2 to start rising. It's a "family size" car, AC was on but with recirc, no fresh air vents open. The unit and associated app can export the data to a CSV file. After that it was a bit of stop and shop but then time for the return journey. 21/02/2024 12:04 1243 21/02/2024 12:05 1678 21/02/2024 12:06 1572 21/02/2024 12:07 1690 21/02/2024 12:08 1813 21/02/2024 12:09 1891 21/02/2024 12:10 1972 21/02/2024 12:11 2004 21/02/2024 12:12 2119 21/02/2024 12:13 2105 21/02/2024 12:14 2182 21/02/2024 12:15 2237 21/02/2024 12:16 2302 21/02/2024 12:17 2264 21/02/2024 12:18 2330 21/02/2024 12:19 2318 21/02/2024 12:20 2430 21/02/2024 12:21 2496 21/02/2024 12:22 2564 21/02/2024 12:23 2578 Ok. This trip was starting from a higher reading. It takes about 3-4 minutes for the unit to stabilize to the ambient conditions and I wasn't going to stand in the shopping centre carpark holding the unit above my head. You can get arrested for behaviour like that in some places. Why is this important. The levels of CO2 in the air and potential health problems are: 400 ppm: average outdoor air level. 400–1,000 ppm: typical level found in occupied spaces with good air exchange. 1,000–2,000 ppm: level associated with complaints of drowsiness and poor air. 2,000–5,000 ppm: level associated with headaches, sleepiness, and stagnant, stale, stuffy air. Poor concentration, loss of attention, increased heart rate and slight nausea may also be present. 5,000 ppm: this indicates unusual air conditions where high levels of other gases could also be present. Toxicity or oxygen deprivation could occur. This is the permissible exposure limit for daily workplace exposures. 40,000 ppm: this level is immediately harmful due to oxygen deprivation. When the weather cools down I might take a longer trip. Perhaps see how long it takes to get to 5,000 ppm and then see how much difference occurs with the fresh air vents open. Other readings. 430 ppm. Indoors, windows and doors open, a couple of fans moving the air around. 550-650 ppm. Indoors, windows and doors closed. 800 ppm. Bedroom when I wake up, windows and doors closed. Life is just a science experiment. After seeing your post I was curious as to the what the CO2 levels were in my small home office where I spend too many hours every day. As they're cheap enough I bought an inexpensive monitor from Lazada (link) and am happy to see the reading of 435 ppm is on the low side of what to expect in an occupied space. I did get it to beep at me by breathing on it. Reading shot up to 1835 which is the drowsiness level. Makes sense as it's time for my mid afternoon siesta. 😴 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fygjam Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 11 minutes ago, forcebwithu said: Makes sense as it's time for my mid afternoon siesta. 😴 It is called a SCAN. Senior Citizen Afternoon Nap. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jambo Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 22 hours ago, Painter said: Much the same as you, figgy.... take it 3 times, 2ish minutes apart, and average them out. Omron device in the uk, a lazada special in Thailand, but it has WHO on it, so might be good.... Then an app on my phone that averages the averages.... My gp is happy for 135/85. In Thailand it's under that, back in the uk it's that or slightly over. That is exactly how I monitor my BP also using an Omron device with the band that goes around the arm. I also still have my original Omron wrist device which is well over 10 years old which still gives broadly very similar results but always with slightly higher readings. The cardiologist who telephoned me yesterday told me to stop getting fixated about daily BP readings. Just to take them once a week as my readings were now very consistent. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golfingboy Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 16 minutes ago, Jambo said: That is exactly how I monitor my BP also using an Omron device with the band that goes around the arm. I also still have my original Omron wrist device which is well over 10 years old which still gives broadly very similar results but always with slightly higher readings. The cardiologist who telephoned me yesterday told me to stop getting fixated about daily BP readings. Just to take them once a week as my readings were now very consistent. When I had my Long-COVID tachycardia/POTS, got a good BP monitor. Sometimes I would go weeks without a reading, then take a couple on each arm same time…..Thought I had heart issues next day, left arm kept pinching watching TV….Maybe the cuff was too tight, I don’t know, but yes if you take too many readings you will probably feel something after. I know the more fixated I get on something, the anxiety still amps up & just makes things worse….I’m not 100% healed, been told many times heart is in great shape but there are some lingering effects from that damn virus 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fygjam Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 A bit more in vehicle CO2 monitoring. Prior to starting each leg had the monitor in fresh air to purge. First leg, AC on, fan on, recirc on. 23/02/2024 19:43 431 23/02/2024 19:44 953 23/02/2024 19:45 1216 23/02/2024 19:46 1316 23/02/2024 19:47 1561 23/02/2024 19:48 1680 23/02/2024 19:49 1763 23/02/2024 19:50 1837 23/02/2024 19:51 1924 23/02/2024 19:52 1985 23/02/2024 19:53 2056 23/02/2024 19:54 2105 23/02/2024 19:55 2224 Second leg, AC on, fan on, recirc off. 23/02/2024 20:09 436 23/02/2024 20:10 829 23/02/2024 20:11 751 23/02/2024 20:12 706 23/02/2024 20:13 623 23/02/2024 20:14 581 23/02/2024 20:15 509 23/02/2024 20:16 474 23/02/2024 20:17 507 23/02/2024 20:18 497 23/02/2024 20:19 533 23/02/2024 20:20 523 23/02/2024 20:21 642 The 497 reading was immediately after I pulled off the road into the driveway. The following three readings were when I was parking the car and sitting in the cool using my phone to turn off the house security alarms. I guess the takeaway is to keep the fresh air vents open. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glasseye Posted February 23 Share Posted February 23 5 hours ago, Golfingboy said: When I had my Long-COVID tachycardia/POTS, got a good BP monitor. Sometimes I would go weeks without a reading, then take a couple on each arm same time…..Thought I had heart issues next day, left arm kept pinching watching TV….Maybe the cuff was too tight, I don’t know, but yes if you take too many readings you will probably feel something after. I know the more fixated I get on something, the anxiety still amps up & just makes things worse….I’m not 100% healed, been told many times heart is in great shape but there are some lingering effects from that damn virus Good point. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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