Suffering from a Broken Heart

Broken Heart Syndrome is an uncommon condition of the heart that can mimic a heart attack.
CAN you die from a broken heart? The short answer is yes. The longer answer is that it is very unlikely. Is it common? No, but the actual frequency of this condition probably lies somewhere between rare and uncommon.

This story begins rather interestingly with a reported case in Japan by Y. J. Akashi of a 70-year-old woman who continued to have chest pain two hours after a particularly emotional quarrel with her neighbours and was subsequently admitted to a hospital.

She presented with symptoms not unlike a heart attack complicated by heart failure. At the emergency room, she was breathless and very anxious. Her heart was going like a freight train. Like most people at this age, she had hypertension and high cholesterol. However, this was the first time she had such chest pains. She did not have any family history of heart disease either, and no one in the family had died suddenly from a heart attack. Her annual medical checkup was normal (she had the usual electrocardiogram).

This is what happened when she was admitted. Her ECG showed that she had some changes suggestive of lack of oxygen to the heart muscle and an echocardiogram (showing the movement of the heart on television) showed that its contraction was weaker in some areas.

At this point, the most obvious diagnosis would be an early heart attack. She quickly underwent a coronary angiogram and surprisingly, had essentially normal coronary vessels. However, the left heart wall was not contracting as well as it should.

During her hospital stay, the patient continued to have chest pain and one day suddenly lost consciousness. Her blood pressure dropped to unrecordable levels and an echocardiogram showed evidence of a ruptured wall of the heart.

Only for the rich??

It appears that these days, a fat wallet is a prerequisite for getting good medical attention.

IF you’re uninsured and have minimal savings, you better pray hard you stay healthy for the rest of your life. This is because if you’re not financially well-buffered and suffer a serious ailment like cancer or a stroke, turning to the public sector for help may be a very depressing affair.

For illnesses that are less life-changing, waiting to see the doctor is more of an inconvenience. We have heard of the never-ending queues for patients seeking outpatient treatment for fever, migraines, spurs, hypertension or a fractured leg, among many others. Yes, there is torture, especially when one is experiencing real discomfort and pain. But what is worse is when a patient is diagnosed with an advanced-stage disease, and treatment is only available six months down the road due to a long waiting list.

Not only does the patient feel real physical pain, he also experiences fear and hopelessness because he has no financial muscle to improve the situation.

Meanwhile, due to the nature of public hospitals, doctors are often unfamiliar with the medical history of the patient, and this can sometimes lead to ineffective treatment.

Kidney Disease

MENTION “kidney disease” and the first image that springs to mind is that of listless patients,

tucked away in quiet rooms with the curtains drawn and tubed into dialysis machines.
Yet these late-stage patients represent the minority of Malaysians living with damaged kidneys. The majority of them, on the other hand, can be seen all around you, walking, talking, laughing and working; living seemingly healthy and productive lives, while the two fist-sized organs that straddle each of their spines below the ribs slowly close shop.

President of the Malaysian Society of Nephrology, Dr Philip N. Jeremiah ... The message to the public at large is Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is common, harmful and treatable
The majority in this case is about 2.7 million Malaysians, for according to the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF), as many as one in 10 of us, and one in 10 adults globally, are living with some form or level of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

More worryingly, as many as nine out of 10 of these adults living with kidney damage remain unidentified and therefore go untreated. That means around 2.4 million Malaysians are not being treated for CKD. And the numbers are constantly rising.

Hotels for dog

"Hotel For Dogs" is an all round sentimental film on the strong bond between two siblings and a bunch of stray dogs that they so passionately take care of in an abandoned hotel. Interestingly enough, this so-called 'abandoned' hotel is fully furnished and comes with expensive furniture! All that we need is some cleaning up by our four young stars and voila - a cosy hotel is open, complete with unique and wacky inventions, for the benefit of both man and dog. One must admit, these inventions certainly are useful if you are a dog owner!

The story is very simple; Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother Bruce (Jake T. Austin) have a secret - an adorable and intelligent Jack Russell Terrier called Friday with an appetite the size of the world. When they could no longer keep their beloved pet in their apartment, they do whatever they can to find a good home for him. Pretty soon, they stumble across an old abandoned hotel inhabited by two strays - Lenny, a Giant Bull Mastiff and Georgia, the small Bull Terrier with the knack of fetching almost anything. The idea to rescue homeless animals is born. Surprisingly enough, most of the dogs brought in are pedigrees, something that is hard to come by if you're walking on the streets really.

In this typical children's flick, almost all the adults are portrayed as evil, from Andi and Bruce's foster parents to the animal control officers. The only attraction here are of course the dogs and the charismatic Emma Roberts ("Nancy Drew") as she so convincingly plays her part as the protective older sister. The camera absolutely loves her. Seeing Lisa Kudrow once again on screen was also exciting as she plays a foster mother who doesn't really know the true meaning of parenting.

However, not everything is sweet in this film as the dog pound scene is tough - imagine death row dogs and a sign bearing "Dogs will be executed after 72 hours". It touched on the issue of mercy killing for animals and introduces the option of a no-kill animal shelter.

The pets in "Hotel For Dogs" performed extremely well and come off really adorable with their cute antics. However, there's not enough humour to make it a truly memorable comedy.

smoking

Do you have heard about this??

If a person smoke for more than 20 years, how can we stop that person?! It is too addictive for that person. I heard that once there's a lady addcited to smoking for more than 25 years and when she really stop she sould not stand it and she passed away. So now, since that person smoke for 20 years already should she stop or continue? If she/he stop, what if she/he died?

For me, I have heard of people dying because of smoking but never heard of people dying after quitting. I think it maybe a story made up by some smokers, just to find excuses to continue the habit. I personally know a few people who had smoked for 20 plus years and had finally quitted. It's just a matter of will.

Ferrari FXX

The Ferrari FXX supercar is manufactured in Italy, along with all other Ferrari's, and was under production by the end of 2005. This sports car is a great display of new car technology, which includes innovations from Ferrari, along with other companies that have continuously contracted parts in association with the Ferrari brand. The Enzo is the supercar that the FXX is based on, but there are specific functions found on the FXX, that are not found on the Enzo, which makes the FXX a complete car of it's own accord. The engine, and other standard operating systems for the car, are modeled after the Enzo as well, but have been modified to accommodate differing fuel standards, and other technological restrictions.

The FXX boasts a very low gear shifting time (under 100 ms), which is essential for a sports car of this high magnitude. The brake pads have also been tweaked in order to create a safer atmosphere for the driver, while still making the car just as superficially viable as its predecessor. The tires are another feature that are highly touted as an individual characteristic of the car, and are custom made only for the Ferrari FXX, not for any other vehicle. Like the Enzo, the features of the Ferrari FXX's interior are custom made for the user, which means that every driver is measured specifically measured for the car upon purchase.

The Ferrari FXX is definitely a supercar that cannot be mass-produced, mainly due to production costs, but also due to the fact that only a select few are willing to purchase such an exotic car due to the extensively high $ 1,773,000 / 1,500,000 euro price. Thus only 29 units of this sports car were built. The Ferrari FXX computer technology held inside the car also makes for a great driving experience, and tells the driver how their technique can be improved to assist their ability to function along with the car.

Family Stories: Mother and Daughter

I ran into a stranger as he passed by. "Oh, excuse me please" was my reply.

He said, "Please excuse me too; I wasn't even watching for you."

We were very polite, this stranger and I. We went on our way and we said good-bye.

But at home a different story is told, how we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal, my daughter stood beside me very still.

When I turned, I nearly knocked her down. "Move out of the way," I said with a frown.

My daughter walked away, her little heart broken. I didn't realize how harshly I would spoken.

While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger (society), common courtesy you use, but the children you love, you seem to abuse. Look on the kitchen floor, you will find some flowers there by the door. Those are the flowers your daughter brought for you. She picked them herself, pink, yellow and blue. Your daughter stood quietly not to spoil the surprise, and you never saw the tears in her eyes."
By this time, I felt very small, and now my tears began to fall.

I quietly went and knelt by her bed; "Wake up, little girl, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?" My daughter smiled, "I found them, out by the tree.

I picked them because they are pretty like you. I knew you would like them, especially the blue."

I said, "Daughter, I am sorry for the way I acted today; I should not have yelled at you that way." My daughter said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway."

I said, "Daughter, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue."