“Why do I think that beer is beneficial for health?” – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com Although it is commonly believed that alcohol consumption should be avoided for health reasons, data shows that there is not a significant difference in life expectancy between countries with high alcohol intake and those with low consumption. The Czech Republic remains the leader in per capita beer drinking for the 29th year. In 2021, the average Czech drank more than 184 litres of beer. The life expectancy for Czechia in 2023 was 79.85 years, a 0.18% increase from 2022. If your family doctor is a teetotaler, he will advise you to stay away from alcohol entirely. However, if your doctor enjoys a drink, he may suggest you consume it in moderation. This story is about the conflicting reports that arise in the media from time to time about whether alcoholic beverages are beneficial ...

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Understanding the impact of age on high blood pressure – By Dr harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com Understanding the impact of age on blood pressure is crucial for maintaining good health and preventing serious medical conditions. Learning about the changes in blood pressure that occurs as we age, we can take proactive steps to manage our health and well-being. Almost every adult will face this health problem as they get older. But knowing how blood pressure might change over a lifetime can give people a better appreciation of why it’s important to keep it in check at any age. So, why does blood pressure change with age? Let’s explore the reasons behind this phenomenon and empower ourselves to make informed decisions about our health. and what should be done? It’s perfectly natural for blood pressure to increase as we age. In fact, it’s an expected part of the ageing process. Don’t ...

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How does salt affect your health? – By Dr Harold Gunatillake www.Doctorharold.com As much as 85 percent of the salt we eat is already in the food we buy, rather than being added during cooking or eating. Table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl), is a naturally occurring mineral essential for animal life. Salt is one of the most widely used and oldest forms of food seasoning. Saltiness is one of the five basic human tastes in addition to sweetness, sourness, bitterness, and umami (a savory, meaty taste, such as that of cooked mushrooms, cheese, or soy sauce). It is estimated that we need about 500 mg or 6 grams. of sodium daily for vital functions. But did yo know that, on ..average, working-age adults in England consume 8.4g a day – that’s 40 percent above the national guideline? In Sri Lanka, the National Population Salt Consumption the survey estimated the salt ...

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Why should you keep your blood pressure within the normal range? – By Dr harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com When you visit your GP, whilst talking to you, the first thing he does is check your blood pressure. That reveals how important it is for managing your health and wellbeing. The force of blood pressure is generated with each heartbeat as blood is pumped from the heart into the blood vessels. The size and elasticity of the artery walls also affect blood pressure. Each time the heart beats (contracts and relaxes), pressure is created inside the arteries. Through healthy living with a plant-based diet, daily exercise, and fish oil supplements, you could keep the blood vessels elastic and expandable, resulting in less forceful action of heart left ventricular contractions, resulting in lower blood pressure, naturally. That is an essential health tip to keep your blood pressure within the normal range. Unhealthy ...

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Need to check your blood pressure, frequently – By Dr Harold Gunatillake Website: www.Doctorharold.com Transcript: Normal blood pressure is essential for proper blood flow to the body’s organs and tissues. Blood pressure is created when the heart pumps, mainly from the left ventricle, against the peripheral resistance of the arteries and needs to remain within the considered normal range. Each heartbeat forces blood to the rest of the body. The ideal BP for an adult is systolic 120 and diastolic 60-90mm Hg, regardless of age. Systolic blood pressure is the pressure when your heart is pumping. Diastolic measures the pressures in your arteries when they are resting and refilling. This is also when the heart fills up with blood to pump again. Many years back, the systolic blood pressure was calculated according to the person’s age: Age plus 100 was supposed to be the upper limit. If you are 50 ...

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Health benefits of Coffee and Tea compared – By Dr Harold Gunatillake   Written by Dr Harold Gunatillake OAM -Health writer Drinking Tea or coffee as a beverage is a personal choice, but health benefits favor coffee. Both beverages have caffeine. Tea leaves have more caffeine than coffee beans before they are brewed, but the caffeine in tea is extracted more during brewing within ten seconds and further diluted more when adding hot water. Also, most of the caffeine is left behind with the tea leaves at the base of your cup. For these reasons, brewed tea you enjoy has less caffeine than brewed coffee. Both tea and coffee in excess can increase anxiety, rapid heart rate, high blood pressure, insomnia, restlessness and nausea in hypersensitive people. Tea and coffee have protective antioxidants to neutralise free radicals in your body; coffee is a better source of antioxidants. Tea has catechins ...

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What does extra salt do to your body- the planet’s tastiest mineral?-By Dr Harold Gunatillake Website:www.Doctorharold.com Transcript: During the migration in evolution from the sea to the land, we brought sea salt with us in our evolutionary phase. Human body contains many salts of which sodium chloride or table salt is the major one, making around 0.4 per cent of the body’s weight a concentration pretty well equivalent to that in seawater. So, a 50kg person would contain around 200g of sodium chloride, and that is 40 teaspoons. Sodium is a mineral your body cells need to work normally. It helps efficient function of nerves and muscles. Salt is essential to health. We can’t survive without it.Your body can’t make it, and your cells needs it for proper function, help muscles and nerve function and keep the body cells hydrated. New dietary guidelines came out with an upper limit of ...

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High Blood Pressure and Stroke-by Dr Harold Gunatillake Website:www.Doctorharold.com Transcript: Yes, most strokes are preventable. Unchecked high blood pressure is the most common and important known risk factor for stroke, heart attacks and kidney failure, loss of eyesight and even Alzheimer’s disease. You can effectively and successfully lower your blood pressure and prevent the above episodes by checking your blood pressure at home. Increase blood pressure due to extra forceful pumping of the heart, really the left ventricle, cause intense pressure on the walls of your arteries. This high blood pressure causes damage or injury to the inner lining of the arteries, which progresses to a condition called atherosclerotic plaques. ...

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What are Angiotensin inhibitors and Angiotensin 11 receptor Blockers?-By Dr Harold Gunatillake   Transcript: When you are over 60, high blood pressure also called Essential hypertension is most likely to occur in men and women equally. There is no identifiable cause, but is thought to be linked to genetics, poor diet, lack of exercise obesity and stress factors. It is a silent killer, unless BP is checked regularly and treated with antihypertensive medication if the readings are above the normal range and lifestyle changes. Other inevitable causes are insulin resistance, high alcohol intake, high salt intake, aging, low potassium, and calcium intake ...

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Health & Views – August 1st Issue – by Harold Gunatillake   Download the PDF file . Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general information purposes only, and whilst the author will endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, eLanka makes no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the eLanka website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in this article for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk. In otherwords, eLanka In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website / ...

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