In a recently released report commissioned by the American Heart Association, the costs of heart disease in the United States were predicted to triple between now and 2030, to more than $800 billion a year (Reuters).

The United States already has the highest per capita health costs “in the developed world” and current attempts to find positive ways to lower expenses haven’t yielded any solutions thus far.

According to a recent Reuters story about the study, “Dr. Paul Heidenreich of the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in California and colleagues looked at current costs of heart disease, the U.S. population and trends in behavior and illness for the first such projection of heart disease costs.”

"Between 2010 and 2030, real total direct medical costs of cardiovascular disease are projected to triple, from $272.5 billion to $818.1 billion," reads the report, published in the journal Circulation.

The study found treating high blood pressure, or hypertension, will be the most expensive part of the cost increase. High blood pressure is a very common health problem among Americans, and increases the risk of more serious health problems including heart attack and stroke.

Hypertension is easily detectable, treatable, but most of all – preventable. Some of the risk factors of high blood pressure include being overweight, not being physically active, consuming too much salt (sodium) in your diet, using tobacco, drinking too much alcohol, too little potassium and vitamin D in your diet, and stress. Obviously, to help prevent high blood pressure you simply need to address each of the risks in a proactive way: maintain a healthy weight through physical activity and a healthy diet that limits alcohol and excludes tobacco.

Not interested in any changing your lifestyle habits? If that continues to be the attitude of the majority of Americans the study estimated “that 40 percent of U.S. adults, or 116 million people, will have one or more forms of cardiovascular disease” by 2030. The Reuters story goes on to point out: “Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the United States and most other developed countries.”

The current economy has many people wanting to know how to increase their health both short term and long term, but from this study’s results a change in American’s attitudes towards heart health would be necessary to keep from costing the United States billions more in health costs in the future.  You can start with yourself though, and instead of just saying you want to lose weight, get in shape, or eat better as your New Year resolution you can actually do it this year. Your heart will thank you, and if enough of us make healthy changes we could be tax payers less burdened with rising health costs over the next two decades.

While many Americans frequently report lacking energy or feeling fatigued, there is a difference between general sleepiness and having a sleep disorder. Often stress can complicate sleep, but if your inability to fall or stay asleep remains a problem after the stress has been removed you may suffer from a sleep disorder.

Answer the following questions from a “sleep disorder quiz.” If you answer “yes” to any of the questions you’ll want to discuss your symptoms with your doctor to find out if you suffer from a sleep disorder.

Do you snore loudly and/or heavily while asleep?

Are you excessively sleepy or do you lack energy in the daytime?

Do you have trouble with concentration or memory loss?

Do you fall asleep while driving, in meetings, while reading a book, or while watching television?

Do you have occasional morning headaches?

Do you sleepwalk, have nightmares, or have night terrors?

Do you suffer from depression or mood changes?

Do you have trouble going to sleep or staying asleep?

Have you experienced recent weight gain or high blood pressure?

Have you been told you hold your breath when you sleep?

The four most common sleep disorders are: insomnia, sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless leg syndrome. For more information about sleep disorders and some of the things you can do to get a good night’s sleep even when you suffer from a sleep disorder, click here.

Every adult knows that a healthy diet leads to a healthy, long life. But what some don't understand is that there are individuals who need an extra boost in their daily consumption to get their body working the way it should. Whether it's to help boost protein intake, maintain weight or assist with the management of diarrhea or constipation, nutritional supplements by Nestle and Ensure provide a quick, easy and delicious way to help your body.

Nestle Nutren 1.0 Fiber with Prebio is rich in fiber, lactose-free and gluten-free and designed for those needing assistance with the management of diarrhea or constipation. These ready to drink cans keep users regular without having to rely on harsh medicines or sacrificing taste. Nutren 1.0 contains taurine, carnitine, and ultra-trace minerals, and is ready to drink or use for tube feeding.

For individuals looking to stay healthy and regular but are recovering from surgery, burns or stage 2-3 pressure ulcers, Nestle Replete High Protein is a great nutritional supplement. Packed with elevated levels of protein (25% of calories as protein) and 22 key minerals and vitamins, Nestle Replete supports bowel management, healing and protein repletion with a tasty lactose- and gluten-free formula.

Ensure Plus Drink is another supplemental drink that can be used as a source of complete, balanced nutrition for individuals who need help gaining or maintaining weight. Ensure Plus includes 24 essential vitamins and minerals such as zinc, vitamin C and E to help maintain a healthy immune system, protein for building muscle tissue, folic acid for growth and development of red blood cells and antioxidants to help protect cells from damage. This high-protein liquid nutritional supplement is both lactose and caffeine-free and can be used as a meal supplement, occasional meal replacement or a convenient between-meal snack. Both Nestle and Ensure want to keep you healthy and strong without limitations.

Gallstones are collections of crystals that grow and solidify into "stones" in the gallbladder. Most gallstones are predominantly crystals of cholesterol alone or with some calcium (80-90%). Gallstones can also be composed of crystals containing calcium and bilirubin. Bilirubin is a by-product of red blood cell breakdown and recycling. 

What is going on in the body?

The gallbladder stores bile, a yellowish-green liquid made in the liver. Certain fatty drugs and hormones are excreted from the body in bile. Bile also aids in digestion. When a person eats, bile flows through a series of tubes or ducts into the upper part of the small intestine (the duodenum). It helps to "break up" food, especially fats and vitamins that are dissolved in fat so that they can be absorbed into the body. When bile is supersaturated, that is, when it contains more cholesterol or bilirubin than it can hold in solution, crystals may precipitate that eventually grow into gallstones.

What are the signs and symptoms of the condition?

There are three categories of gallstones: asymptomatic, symptomatic, and those with complications. Sixty to 80% of gallstones are asymptomatic, meaning that they cause no problems.

If gallstones become symptomatic, the person may experience the following symptoms:

• a feeling of abdominal bloating
• nausea and sometimes vomiting
• pain that is usually located in the upper right or middle part of the abdomen and may be described as "colic." This pain may radiate to the right shoulder or shoulder blade.
• worsening of the pain after a heavy or fatty meal

If complications occur, the individual may develop further symptoms:

• abnormally light-colored stools (if the gallstone blocks the excretion of bile into the intestine)
• obstruction (blockage) of the bowels
• dark-colored urine
• fever from infection that ascends into the liver from the gall bladder
• itching
• jaundice, or yellowing of the eyes and skin
• severe, constant abdominal pain

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a condition that makes it hard for the body to control the level of glucose in the blood. Glucose is the main form of sugar that the body uses for fuel. Insulin, made by the pancreas, is a hormone that helps the body control the level of glucose in the blood. When glucose builds up in the blood, the result is a blood glucose level, called hyperglycemia. There are a number of ways to lower the blood glucose level. These include a correct diet for diabetes, medicine, and exercise. Exercise is a natural way a person with diabetes can help control his or her blood glucose levels. Muscles use more glucose during exercise.

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It is absolutely true when it is said that you don’t think about a disease until it hits close to home. Parkinson’s disease is just like any other disease in that not one symptom is a single indicator that you have a problem. Parkinson’s affects the way you move, since the human body is always in motion we usually ignore the first signs of trouble. Saying things like “Wow! I’m getting clumsy”, “I keep bumping into things”, or “Clearly I wasn’t fully awake, my arm wouldn’t move!”

Grandma also takes care of her diet very well. She has refused prescription drugs that specifically treat Parkinson’s, but her ability to feed herself was compromised as her tremors worsened. The first thing she did was purchase some weighted good grips silverware, the extra weight helps stabilize the utensil to make eating easier. It also helps that the metal can be twisted or bent to suit her needs. Once she realized that they were customizable, she bought a second set. She follows her doctor’s orders and eats a healthy balanced diet regularly. Being diagnosed with Parkinson’s is sad, but remember that it is not the end of the world. Grandma is a great example of how learning and using those special little things allow you to adapt and live life the way it was meant to be lived.