When the muscles in the walls of veins and arteries contract, it is referred to as vasoconstriction, which is typically an undesirable event that happens as a result of medications or for psychological reasons. The condition can have mild to...
Everyone knows that there are vitamins and minerals needed to keep your body in good health, but many don't realize that many of these vitamins and minerals have risks to taking them. In most circumstances, obtaining these from your daily diet are...
Are the cups of coffee your drink clamping down on your circulation? Caffeine is the most widely used stimulant and has complex effects on your blood vessels. Initial caffeine intake may promote vasodilation, but continued intake promotes...
During exercise, a redistribution of blood flow occurs. At rest, about 15 percent of blood is given to the skeletal muscles, but during exercise, this can increase up to 80 percent to 85 percent. The sympathetic nervous system influences your...
The Goshen Heart and Vascular Center suggests that approximately 65 percent of all diabetics will die from cardiovascular events or strokes. This is roughly four times higher than complications due to heart disease alone. The National Diabetes...
Nicotine, a chemical found in cigarettes, is one of the most toxic and addictive alkaloid poisons found in the tobacco plant. Alkaloids react with acids to form salts. These salts may be used in medicines. Nicotine is used in gums and transdermal...
Anxiety is defined as the apprehensive feelings that result from a non-specific threat. An article in the April 2002 edition of "Outside Magazine" titled "At Home in the Discomfort Zone" provides a detailed distinction between fear and anxiety....
Circulation problems in the hands cause numbness and tingling, blanching of the skin, bluish discoloration to the nail beds, cold hands, decreased mobility and pain. Certain disease states and medications decrease circulation to the hands or...
As the Merck Manuals explain, the body is able to control blood pressure by expanding and constricting blood vessels. This allows the body to raise blood pressure when it is low and also allows the body to regulate the amount of blood that gets to...
Exposure to tobacco smoke, either directly or from second-hand smoke, introduces your body to hundreds of toxins. Diseases caused by tobacco smoking occur across multiple body systems. The Centers for Disease Control indicate that approximately 21...
Phentermine hydrochloride affects the cardiovascular system in much the same way that fear, excitement and anger do. Essentially an amphetamine, phentermine stimulates the part of the central nervous system that regulates the heart and blood...
Norepinephrine is a potent sympathomimetic drug. This means it mimics the effects of epinephrine, a natural stimulant produced in the body. Because the effects of norepinephrine work on the cardiovascular system, it is used to treat severe...
Decongestant medications are used to provide relief from a stuffy nose (congestion) or runny nose (rhinorrhea). These symptoms are usually produced due to allergic responses or upper respiratory infections. When congestion or rhinorrhea occur,...
Coffee starts the day for many people. It helps to pick you up in the morning and give you a boost of energy because it contains caffeine. Though coffee is generally harmless, consuming too much of it can cause physical problems, and may even...
Angiotensin-converting enzyme is a protein enzyme that is part of the renin angiotensin system of the kidney. It is part of the natural process that occurs when there is decreased blood flow in the kidney. Conditions such as congestive heart...
Ice pack treatments can promote vasoconstriction --- narrowing of the blood vessels --- and help reduce swelling. However, prolonged ice applications can also irritate a swollen hand by causing ice burns, which lead to numbness, redness and...
Vasopressin, also known as antidiuretic hormone, is secreted by the posterior pituitary. The hypothalamus in the brain regulates the secretion of vasopressin. Neurons in the hypothalamus are sensitive to changes in sodium concentration in the...
Nicotine, a poisonous alkaloid, is the chief addictive substance in tobacco, the leaves of which are cultivated for smoking, chewing or as snuff. Nicotine is a highly addictive chemical and reinforcing agent responsible for continued smoking...
Vasoconstrictor drugs cause contraction of muscle cells in the walls of blood vessels, narrowing their internal diameter and raising blood pressure. This effect makes these medications useful for the treatment of low blood pressure, typically in...
Your body undergoes physiologic changes during exercise so that your working muscles receive enough oxygenated blood to sustain strenuous activity. The blood vessels will either widen to allow greater flow to a specific area or narrow to redirect...
Vitamins play a significant role in many of the functions inside your body. Your cardiovascular health depends on your vitamin intake as well. Certain vitamins keep your blood vessels healthy by maintaining their pliability and reducing hardness....
Imitrex is a brand-name prescription drug that was first produced by the pharmaceutical company, GlaxoSmithKline. The active ingredient in Imitrex is sumatriptan succinate, which was approved by the FDA in 1995 as an oral tablet meant to treat...
A hemangioma is a nodule of abnormal blood vessels most often under the skin on the face, scalp or back of the neck. Hemangiomas most often develop in the first year of life and can grow up to two to three inches in diameter, states...
Soak in the tub for a while, and watch the skin on your fingers get all wrinkled and puckered, like the surface of a prune. But a prune's skin gets wrinkly because the fruit underneath it is shrinking as it dries out. As best as scientists can...
Exercise produces reactions from many of the body's systems, including the muscles, the cardiovascular system, the digestive tract, the brain and even the immune system. The rapid changes brought on by the stresses of exercise may cause problems...
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 443,000 deaths occur each year from cigarette smoking. The Surgeon General states that cigarette smoking is "the single greatest avoidable cause of disease and death." This same report...
Caffeine is a naturally occurring substance in tea, coffee and chocolate. It is added to soft drinks and energy drinks in addition to being available in tablet form over the counter. Caffeine is widely recognized as a brain and nervous system...
According to The Merck Manual, techniques such as heat therapy and cold therapy are effective in the treatment of your pain and inflammation. Practitioners use thermal therapies to promote improved range of motion in your injured joints and body...
Migraines -- severe recurrent pain that lasts from between 4 and 72 hours -- occur in two forms, with aura and without. In migraine with aura, there are visual disturbances about 30 minutes before the migraine begins. Sometimes, instead of...
