Sorry for the length, lots to read . Part one of your problem

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I hope this helps someone understand, headaches, dizziness, vertigo,

are distortions , because oxygen is not getting to our brain. The

next part will discuss what you can use. There are also issues of

your blood being thick, sticky, and not moving properly. This also

can be corrected safely.

Circulatory System

All animals must exchange materials with their environment, including

nutrients and wastes, O2, CO2, etc., thus need a system that will do

this. The more complex the organism, the more complex this system

must be. Arthropods, like insects and spiders, have an open

circulatory system, in which the blood is pumped forward by the

heart, but then flows through the body cavity, directly bathing the

internal organs. Vertebrates, like humans, have a closed circulatory

system in which the blood stays in the circulatory system as it

circulates, and chemicals are exchanged by diffusion. Our system is

also called our cardiovascular system, and is composed of our heart

plus our arteries and veins. In a person's heart, the atria (plural

of atrium) receive blood from the veins and the ventricles send blood

to the arteries. As the arteries become more finely divided, they are

called arterioles. The finest divisions of our vascular system are

called capillaries. As the vessels get larger again, the smallest are

called venules which join and enlarge to form veins. Note that the

distinction between arteries and veins is by direction of blood flow,

not oxygen content. Veins carry blood toward the heart and arteries

carry it away from the heart. Because of this, not all arteries carry

oxygenated blood. The two major exceptions, in which arteries are

carrying deoxygenated blood are the pulmonary artery which carries

deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs (to pick up oxygen

there) and the umbilical arteries which carry deoxygenated blood away

from the baby's body to the placenta (to pick up oxygen there). We

have double circulation: we have a separate pulmonary circuit to the

lungs and a systemic circuit to the body.

This illustration is orientated as thought you were looking at this

heart in another person standing in front of you. The path of blood

flow in a human, then, is as follows:

1. The superior (a) and inferior ( vena cava are the main

veins that receive blood from the body. The superior vena cava drains

the head and arms, and the inferior vena cava drains the lower body.

2. The right atrium receives blood from the body via the vena

cavae. The atria are on the top in the heart.

3. The blood then passes through the right atrioventricular

valve, which is forced shut when the ventricles contract, preventing

blood from reentering the atrium.

4. The blood goes into the right ventricle (note that it has a

thinner wall; it only pumps to lungs). The ventricles are on the

bottom of the heart.

5. The right semilunar valve marks the beginning of the artery.

Again, it is supposed to close to prevent blood from flowing back

into the ventricle.

6. The pulmonary artery or pulmonary trunk is the main artery

taking deoxygenated blood to the lungs.

7. Blood goes to the right and left lungs, where capillaries are

in close contact with the thin-walled alveoli so the blood can

release CO2 and pick up O2.

8. From the lungs, the pulmonary vein carries oxygenated blood

back into the heart.

9. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs.

10. The blood passes through the left atrioventricular valve.

11. The blood enters the left ventricle. Note the thickened wall;

the left ventricle must pump blood throughout the whole body.

12. The blood passes through the left semilunar valve at the

beginning of the aorta.

13. The aorta is the main artery to the body. One of the first

arteries to branch off is the coronary artery, which supplies blood

to the heart muscle itself so it can pump. The coronary artery goes

around the heart like a crown. A blockage of the coronary artery or

one of its branches is very serious because this can cause portions

of the heart to die if they don't get nutrients and oxygen. This is a

coronary heart attack. From the capillaries in the heart muscle, the

blood flows back through the coronary vein, which lies on top of the

artery.

14. The aorta divides into arteries to distribute blood to the

body.

15. Small arteries are called arterioles.

16. The smallest vessels are the capillaries.

17. These join again to form venules, the smallest of the veins.

18. These, in turn, join to form the larger veins, which carry

the blood back to the superior and inferior vena cava.

The atrioventricular and semilunar valves prevent backflow as the

heart contracts. Defects in any of these that allow some blood to

leak backwards cause distinctive sounds through a stethoscope, thus

are called heart murmurs.

The sinoatrial node controls the heart beat. This natural pacemaker

is located in the upper wall of the right atrium, and is composed of

muscle tissue that sends electrical impulses to the rest of both

atria to contract. The impulse then spreads to the ventricles,

causing them to contract. The heart cycle involves three phases:

1. The atria contract and force blood into the ventricles. If

the atria don't contract, this is called atrial fibrillation and

pooled blood in the atria can begin to clot. When the atria start

beating normally again, these clots may be sent throughout the

person's system. If one of these clots lodges in an arteriole

somewhere, it could cause a stroke, heart attack, or similar problem.

As blood is pushed into the ventricles, when the A-V valves close,

the ventricular walls vibrate a little casuing the first sound of the

heart beat, the " lubb " sound.

2. The ventricles contract and force blood into the arteries.

This is called systole and the systolic blood pressure (BP) is the

higher of the two numbers, when the heart is actively contracting and

putting pressure on the blood. When the semilunar valves snap shut,

this causes the second sound of the heart beat, the " dup. "

3. The heart relaxes and blood flows into the atria and

ventricles. This is called diastole. The diastolic BP is the lower of

the two numbers, when the heart is relaxed, and so, is a measure of

how much pressure the arteries, themselves, are putting on the blood.

Clogged arteries are less elastic, so the blood is under more

pressure, thus more likely to cause the arteries to burst.

The rate of contraction is the heart rate. A baby's heart starts

beating when it is about four weeks old (the mother's period is two

weeks late, and she's just beginning to suspect she might be

pregnant). A newborn's heart rate is around 135 to 140 beats per

minute (bpm). By age 15 to 30, the rate decreases to about 65-75 bpm,

then speeds up slightly as the person ages. The pulse is a wave of

contraction of the artery walls (which roughly corresponds to the

heart rate) as blood is forced into the arteries. Pulse is usually

measured using the radial artery (the one along the radius). To find

your pulse, rest your right arm in the palm of your left hand. Curl

the fingers of your left hand up around the thumb side of your right

wrist. Place several fingers of your left hand along and just to the

outside (thumb side) of the tendon that runs along your wrist. With

gentle pressure, you should be able to feel your pulse.

Blood pressure is maximum during systole, when the heart is pushing,

and minimum during diastole, when the heart is relaxed. In a living

person, the blood pressure doesn't go to zero because the thick,

elastic artery walls exert pressure on the blood. A sphygmomanometer

is the instrument used to determine BP. The artery used to determine

BP is the brachial artery, which runs down the upper arm, splitting

into the radial and ulnar arteries near the elbow. The cuff of the

sphygmomanometer is wrapped around the arm just above the elbow and

pumped up to block off blood flow (the pressure exerted by the cuff

is higher than the systolic pressure). The pressure in the cuff is

gradually decreased, and when it equals the person's systolic

pressure, the heart can force blood under the cuff, and a sound is

heard as the pulses of blood surge under the cuff. As the pressure in

the cuff is lowered, when it equals the diastolic pressure, blood can

flow freely, so the sound disappears (not enough pressure is exerted

by cuff to restrict blood flow). Thus, by listening for the first

sound, and when the sound becomes faint, while watching the pressure

indicator on the sphygomomanometer, it is possible to determine

someone's blood pressure. Typically, when you go to the doctor's

office, one of the first things that is done to you is that someone

(a nurse?) takes your blood pressure. I have frequently had the

experience that when I ask what the results were, I initially get the

answer " It's OK. " Here's a tip: you, not they, are in charge of your

health. The only way you can educate yourself to how your body works

is to keep re-asking the question until you get a real answer. You

need to know the actual numbers to be able to evaluate if things have

changed or are good or bad. Be persistent and eventually they'll tell

you what your BP is.

(clipart edited from Corel Presentations 8)

A neonate's BP is around 80/45 mm Hg meaning that the systolic

pressure is equivalent to air pressure that will support a column of

mercury 80 millimeters high in a barometer, and the diastolic is

equivalent to the air pressure that will support a column of mercury

45 millimeters high. For adults in their 20s, 120/80 mm Hg is

considered average for a male and 115/75 mm Hg for a female, thus the

accepted average is said to be 120/80 mm Hg. With age, the arteries

become less elastic (due in part to undesirable lipid deposits in

their walls), so the BP rises. Hypertension is when the BP is too

high. There are two ways this could happen: either the systolic

pressure is greater than 145 to 160 mm Hg and/or the diastolic is

greater than 90 to 100. Major contributing factors include the

amounts of salt, cholesterol (and other lipids), and sugar in one's

diet and the amount of exercise the person gets. Frequently,

diuretics are prescribed to try to remove water from the person's

blood, thus lowering the blood volume and hopefully thereby, the BP.

However, many diuretics also remove potassium (and other beneficial

minerals?) from the person's system, and if serum potassium levels

are not carefully monitored and go to low, this could cause a heart

attack!

A thrombus is a blood clot (platelets and fibrin) which forms within

a vessel and blocks the blood flow. These can result from surgery or

from conditions like atrial fibrillation. An embolus is a moving

thrombus which may " get stuck " somewhere. If thrombi or emboli lodge

in an artery supplying blood to the heart, this can cause a coronary

embolism or heart attack or myocardial infarction. If one of these

becomes lodged in an artery in the lungs, it is also a life-

threatening pulmonary embolism, and if in the brain, a cerebral (or

cerebellar) embolism or stroke or cerebrovascular accident (CVA).

A hemorrhage is bleeding, especially profuse, and can be severe if

internal.

A hematoma is a local swelling or tumor filled with blood; a bruise,

especially a large one. Sometimes, if the injury is extensive, it can

calcify as it heals, leading to a hard lump (which may need to be

surgically removed).

Hemorrhoids are dilated or varicose veins in the anal area.

Typically, these are caused not enough fiber in diet causing the

feces to be very hard so the person has to strain to pass them.

Increasing the amount of fiber in one's diet can help prevent

hemorrhoids and possibly aid in healing mild cases. Because vitamin C

is necessary for collagen synthesis, it is necessary for strong

capillary walls (one of the first signs of a vitamin C deficiency is

easy bruising), so that and the bioflavonoid rutin (found in

buckwheat) have proven useful for strengthening blood vessels and

preventing/treating hemorrhoids and other varicose veins.

Edema is an accumulation of fluid (plasma) within tissues and/or the

lymph system. There are many possible causes of edema from injury, to

too much salt, to improperly functioning kidneys, to lack of

exercise, to female hormonal changes, to a number of other possible

causes. If in doubt, see a doctor.

Much like a heat pump for your house or your refrigerator coils, your

cardiovascular system is also involved in countercurrent

heating/cooling of your body. Arteries and veins lying near each

other in your extremities, but flowing in opposite directions can

absorb heat from each other as needed. When your core temperature is

too high, the arteries carry heat to the extremities to be

dissipated. As the blood returns via the veins, any excess heat still

in the blood is transferred to the arterial blood and sent to the

extremities, again. When your core temperature is too low, as the

blood flows out in the arteries to nourish the extremities, its heat

is transferred to the venous blood and sent back into the body to

keep it warm.

In Raynaud's Phenomenon, when the person (more common in women than

men) gets cold, spasms in the tiny arteriole muscles cause the

circulation in portions of the fingers or toes to completely " turn

off, " and that portion of the finger/toe turns completely white. As

the person warms up and circulation is restored, initially these

areas of the fingers/toes will be cyanotic (blue), then will be

flushed and red, before returning to normal. The Merck Manual

suggests that there may be a relationship between migraine headaches

and Raynaud's. Diagnosis is confirmed by testing the blood pressure

in not only the brachial artery, but also the radial and ulnar

arteries, and using tiny cuffs made of Velcro® and aquarium tubing,

each finger, both when the person is comfortably warm and when the

person's hands have been soaking in ice water. People with Raynaud's

need to make sure to wear warm mittens and heavy socks in winter

weather, and since much heat is lost from our heads, wearing a scarf

or hat can actually help to keep the person's whole body warm and

lessen the chances of a Raynaud's episode in the fingers/toes!

Hardening of the arteries is also called arteriosclerosis, a generic

term for a number of diseases in which the artery walls become

thickened and lose elasticity. One special form of this is

atherosclerosis which is a build-up of lipids on the inside of blood

vessels. Major risk factors for atherosclerosis include hypertension,

elevated serum lipids, elevated LDL (low-density lipoproteins, the

bad guys) and lowered HDL (high-density lipoproteins, the good guys),

smoking, diabetes, obesity, male sex, and family history. Female

hormones offer protection against accumulation of arterial plaque, so

usually, premenopausal women do not have as many problems with this

as men do. However, after menopause, lipids will start to accumulate.

I once hear a statistic that the average 55-year-old woman has a

build-up equivalent to the average 18-year-old man.

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