Blood Donation - What You Should Expect as a First Timer?

While you are reading this, there are so many people who are in dire need of blood donors to overcome their health difficulty. For every two seconds that count, there are 4 people who are in need of blood in India. It is required for various reasons and almost all medical procedures require blood.

Everyone above 18 years old and is in good health can donate blood irrespective of gender. Donating blood is a simple and easy task and wouldn't even take 15 minutes. The assessment and screening will take about 15 minutes. So, all it takes to save up to 3 lives is 30 minutes. Yes, a single donation can save 3 lives, sometimes even more.

There are various components in the blood and after the donation, the components such as red blood cells, platelets and plasma etc., will be used for patients in need of that particular component. The human body consists of 4.75 to 5.5 liters of body and only a 400ml to 500ml blood is collected per donation. The donated blood volume will be refilled in the body within a day or two. Overall, there is nothing to lose by donating this vital fluid.

People are still struggling for blood when they are undergoing major procedures such as heart transplants in India. Frequent blood donations can address this issue.

If you are donating the blood for the first time and you have been declared to fit to do it, here is what you should expect after donating the blood.

Medical Tests and Screening

• Even though you are in good health condition, certain blood tests and physical examinations need to be conducted before you donate the blood.
• The doctor may ask for your medical history to check if you have any medical condition that could be transmitted to the other person through blood.
• Questions regarding the current medications usage, chronic disorders, heart conditions and hypertension are also asked.
• Recently done tattoos and body piercing need to be conveyed as the chemicals of the ink in the blood may cause serious health complications.

Blood Donation

• It is absolutely normal to feel a bit anxiety just before you are preparing to donate blood. All you need to do is sit back and relax.
• It would not pain more than an injection or a vaccine shot. The needle is inserted in your skin and sucked the blood slowly with into a sack.
• You will be provided with a stress ball that increases the blood flow into the sack whenever you press it.
• The whole process of blood donating takes 10 to 15 minutes. However, the plasma or platelet's donation takes 45 minutes.

After Donation

• As a first time donor, you may feel nausea and uneasiness for the initial few minutes after the blood donation.
• The medical staff at the donation center may ask you to sit back and relax for at least 10 minutes.
• You will be given a refreshing drink or snack as a complimentary and it will mostly consist of the nutrients that give you instant energy.
• You will also be given a water bottle that you need to drink the way back to the office or home in order to stay hydrated.

You can resume your day to day work right after donating blood. Avoid workout or any heavy physical work on the same day. Eating healthy and staying hydrated is very important.

You will feel fantastic about donating blood and enjoy every bit of it. Share the good deed you have done with others not because they praise you for your good work but it may motivate them as well to donate blood.

5 Ways Gender can Impact Hypertension

High-blood pressure aka hypertension is one of the leading causes of cardiovascular diseases. It is often left unnoticed as there are no particular symptoms that a person with hypertension may experience. Untreated and prolonged hypertension may affect the arteries and lead to impaired blood circulation to multiple organs, including to the heart and brain. 

Gender of the person, along with the age and lifestyle, influences the chances of getting hypertension. Recent medical researches have proven that women develop cardiovascular diseases more than men due to the increased blood pressure after menopause.

A study conducted by the Wake Forest Baptist Medical Centre has revealed that women will have 30 to 40 percent higher chances to be affected by the heart and artery-related disorders, even though both genders’ elevated blood pressure readings were almost same. In addition, factors such as pregnancy, oral contraception and menopause affect the blood pressure in women. 

The research also cites that the differences in the inflammatory chemical levels, estrogen levels and hormonal imbalances between both genders may also increase the chances of cardiovascular diseases in women compared to men.  

There are various other factors that influence the blood pressure rate and cause various health complications in women compared to men. 

1.  Reduced Estrogen Levels 

    • Women’s cardiovascular system features some differences compared to men’s. This differences may vary starting from the hormones that regulate the blood pressure.

    • The decreased anti-inflammatory immune cells in women leads to inflammation in the blood vessels.

    • The reduced levels of estrogen as women age would be the major cause of the increased cytokine-stimulating hormone. 

2. The Size of Blood Vessels 

    • In addition, men have bigger blood vessels compared to women. The blood circulation would be seamless in bigger blood vessels. 

    • This is also the reason why women experience higher blood pressure rates even though the BMI of a man and woman are same. 

3. Menopause 

    • Women will experience various psychological and health-related challenges in personal life when they are around the menopause age. 

    • The increased mental tensions simultaneously trigger the blood pressure rates in the women.

    • Hormonal imbalances due to the menopause can trigger increased blood circulation and kidney-related health issues. 

4. Pregnancy 

    • Pregnancy is considered as the greatest gift of all but the sad fact is it also leads to few health issues. One among them is blood 

      pressure. 

    • The blood pressure rate in a normal woman is lower than the pressure in a pregnant woman.     

    • High-blood pressure in pregnant women has become a common issue these days, triggering health complications 2 to 3 percent in 

      overall pregnancies. 

    • According to a study, the weather shows a significant impact on the chances of increased blood pressure. 

5. Reduced Physical Activity 

        • Health issues in women start once the menopause occurs and there are various reasons for it. 

    • The level of physical activity significantly gets reduced as women age and the plaque forms in the blood vessels of a woman faster 

       than in a man. 

    • Obesity or overweight is the main reasons for blood pressure both in men and women

Apart from that, men and women who live in the cold weather conditions are likely to increase their blood pressure compared to the people who live in warm weather conditions. 

It is a common myth that men are at higher risk of getting hypertension compared to the women. The results of few medical researches have proven that women develop hypertension faster than men after menopause. Especially, few health conditions and reduced estrogen levels put the women at the receiving end of hypertension than the men. 

It is imperative for women above 40 to check their blood pressure at regular intervals, stick to a balanced and healthy diet and involve in some kind of physical activities everyday is the best treatment for hypertension.

For preventive health check-up, Visit: www.healthopinion.net

Effective Post-Delivery Exercises to Ease Lower Back Pain

Delivering a baby is a miraculous experience- one which gives a new life to not only the baby but the mother too.  All the nerves, muscles and joints in a mother's body have to work in a coordinated effort to push the baby out into the outside world. Most often, women complain of severe back pain after delivery. This back pain might persist for few months and can be cured with proper medical treatment and exercises after delivery. If left uncared for, it might lead to chronic back pain issues which might even lead to back pain surgery.

Reasons for lower back pain after pregnancy

       1. The pelvic joints and ligaments are loosened and made flexible by hormones to ease the baby out of the womb. If these joints become very loose, this might cause back pain.

        2. The abdominal muscles supporting the spine also stretch and become loose, causing back pain.

      3. The weight of the baby and expanding uterus alter the mother's posture, triggering pain in the back.

      4. After delivery, the baby gains weight and all activities involving the baby like lifting, feeding, bathing etc. cause a strain on the back muscles which are already weakened by pregnancy.

          5. Pregnancy and breastfeeding deplete the calcium levels in a mother's body. This makes the bones brittle causing severe back pain and at times fractures leading to back pain surgery.

Lower back pain after pregnancy can be relieved by doing some exercises after delivery.

Essential exercises after delivery to relieve lower back pain

The lower abdominal muscles are the ones to concentrate on during exercises after delivery. These exercises are a must as they are the ones that support the spine and back and are responsible for posture. Exercising the lower abdominal muscles strengthens the back, corrects the posture and burns belly fat.

    1. Breathing

Soon after the delivery, start these abdominal breathing exercises. Breathe in, hold your breath for 5 seconds thereby stretching your abdomen. Exhale by pulling the muscles in and hold for 5 seconds. Repeat this procedure 5 times.

    2. Pelvic floor exercises

These floor exercises are for strengthening the pelvis and must be done immediately after delivery, even if it is a caesarean operation. Use an exercise ball for this with a carpet to ensure that the ball does not slide away from you.  

Sit on a ball. bending slightly forward. Squeeze and lift the pelvic and lower stomach muscles as if you are controlling your bladder from urinating. Hold this squeeze by lifting one foot up for 5-8 seconds. Relax and repeat this 5-10 times using both legs and keep breathing as you exercise.

    3. Pelvic Tilts

Lie on your back on a yoga mat and bend your knees, relaxing your abdomen. Now slowly flatten your back on to the floor towards the spine, hold for 5-8 seconds and release. You should feel your back lengthen as you press it down. Repeat this 5-10 times slowly.

    4. Knee Hugs

Lie on your back, fold up your knees and bring them forward to your chest. You should not lift your head or move your shoulders towards the knees. Only the knees should be brought towards the chest. Hold the knees together while stretching your back comfortably. Hold for 15 seconds and release. Repeat this at least 3-5 times.

Lower back pain after pregnancy is common but should not last beyond 2-3 weeks. It should be cared for instantly with exercises after delivery and proper medical treatment else this might lead to chronic spine problems later.