Don's Home Health Contact
Under Construction

Evaluating

 Maintaining

Disease/
Injuries

Products/Treatments

Other

Vitals
Chemistry
Weight
Fitness
Lifestyle		 Nutrition
Excercise		 Causes
Diagnoisis
Treatment
Travel		 To be added
Medication (Traditional/Herbal)
Wearable (braces/heat pads/...)
Environment (Furniture/beds/humidifiers)
Treatments (Acupuncture, chiropractic, ...)		 Assisted Care - Costs, Insurance
Mental Health (Psychological/Relaationships)
Reference Sites

Evaluating Your General Health

Vitals

Blood Pressure

Category Blood Pressure Reading
Normal Range Below 120/80
Pre-hypertension 120/80 - 139/89
Stage 1 hypertension 140/90 - 159/99
Stage 2 hypertension 160/100 or higher
See: www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp

Heart Rate

Average: 72 beats per minute
Normal range for sinus rythm - 50 to 90 beats a minute.
children 1 to 10 years - 70 to 120 beats per minute 
adults - 60 to 100 beats per minute 
well-trained athletes - 40 to 60 beats per minute 
Optimal Heart Rate when excercising
See Lab Tests Online and Montana St. U.



Temperature/Feaver


Mean temperature for young, healthy adults: 98.2° F +/- 0.7° F
Feaver:
low grade 99.4-102 (call a doctor with 100 or higher in children)
high grade > 103 
 (102 and above with breathing that is rapid and sounds tight 
      or vomiting - see doctor right away)
See Family Doctor

Chemistry

 Cholesterol
Good - Total<200  LDL<130  HDL>60  tot/HDL<4  
Bad  - Total>239  LDL>159  HDL<40 
LDL/HDL Ratio:  Men      Women
1/2 Avg. Risk   1.0-2.3   1.5
      Average   2.4-3.5   3.2
     Moderate   3.5-7.1   5.0
3X average risk ≥ 7.2  6.1
I couldn't find any consistend guidelines for LDL/HDL ratio.
The above numbers are averages from a couple of sources.
Note: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) changed the recomended level for treatment with medication. See Cholesterol for more. 
Triglicerides
 Good <150  Bad >199

Fasting Glucose
  Normal  65-109
 
PSA
<4.0 ug/L, (<2.5 When taking Saw Palmetto)
Note: Values obtained with different methods or reagents cannot be direclty compared. 


Bone Density
T-score > -1

Weight

 Body Mass Index (BMI) = Weight (kg) / Height squared (m2) or lbs. * 703 /in.2   - Table , Calculator at NIH (National Institutes of Health)
Classification of Overweight and Obesity by BMI, Waist Circumference, and Associated Disease Risks




Disease Risk* Relative to Normal Weight and Waist Circumference

BMI
(kg/m2)
Weight
for 5'-7"
Obesity
Class
Men ≤ 40 in
Women ≤ 35
Men > 40 in
Women > 35 in
Underweight
< 18.5
≤ 118
-
-
Normal *
18.5 - 24.9
119-159
-
-
Overweight
25.0 - 29.9
160-191
Increased
High
Obesity
30.0 - 34.9
192-222
I
High
Very High

35.0 - 39.9
223-254
II
Very High
Very High
Extreme Obesity
40.0 +
255+
III
Extremely High
Extremely High
*     Disease risk for type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and Cardiovascular Disease (CVD).
    There is evidence that risk for type 2 diabetes starts to increased at BMI > 22.
+     Increased waist circumference can also be a marker for increased risk even in persons of normal weight.
Source: Classification and Risks of Overweight and Obesity at the NIH's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
Note: BMI Does not work for persons younger than 18, Frail or sedentary elderly people, Competitive athletes, Bodybuilders, Pregnant or nursing women. e.g. "Michael Jordan and Mark McGwire have had BMIs of 30. which make them obese." Body Fat is a better measurement.

* A 2007 report, issued by the American Institute for Cancer Prevention and the World Cancer Research Fund says there is a link between weight and cancer risk. It recommends keeping Body Mass Index between 21 and 23. See: When It Comes to Avoiding Cancer, Weight Matters at U.S.News

Obesity Data by State
More information here.

Other Weight/Height tables are based on frame size (small, medium, large) Although results vary by height an average for ideal BMI by frame size is: Small: 20-22, Medium: 21-24, Large: 22-26
See tables and how to determine frame size at: Am I Fat and U. Michigan

See More information here.

Body Fat

See Body Fat Measurement and Information
Intl. Journal of Obesity 1998 - Men

Age

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60+

Low

13

17

20

22

22

Standard

17

20

23

24

25

Medium

21

24

26

27

28

High

26

28

29

30.7

31.3
Women

Age

20-29

30-39

40-49

50-59

60+

Low

20

22

25

28

29

Standard

24

25

28

32

33

Medium

27

28

31

35

36

High

32

34

36

38

39

Fitness Tests

 
Fitness Test based on Cooper Institute.
How Fit Are You at Health A to Z
MUSCULAR STRENGTH AND ENDURANCE at U. Mass
Fitness quiz  WomenCentral.com

Coast Guard Fitness Requirements
Navy ROTC Requirements

Lifestyle

Real Age.com - Uses factors such as
 general health, lifestyle, medical conditions, diet and nutrition,
 stress, and exercise to determine your life expectancy.

Maintaining Your General Health

Nutrition

 Nutrition page here.
Chronic Disease Prevention - Improving Nutrition and Increasing Physical Activity at the CDC

Supplements and Alternative medicine

Alternative Medicine
Probiotics - Good bacteria in the digestive tract. (Yogurt)

Excercise

 Optimal Heart Rate when exercising.

Hydration

Exercise: A Guide from the National Institute on Aging at NIH
Excercise Library at American Council on Exercise (ACE).
Ab excercises at San Diego online
An article on aerobics vs strength training, by Greg Anderson promotes strength training as a better way to loose weight and improve the cardiovascular system.
Back Exercises
Fitness4Babyboomers.com

See also: Exercise Page
The sports page here
John Hussman's Fitness Page
Baby and Children's health

Other

HealthfulLife.umdnj.edu
The ExRx (Exercise Prescription) site has information about proper exercise, injuries, fitness regiments, etc.
Sun Protection
Electro Magnetic Fields (EMF)
Retirement age and longevity study.

Disease/Injuries

 International Classification of Diseases (ICD) at thw World Health Organization (WHO)
Classification of Diseases,d Functioning & Disability at the National Center for Health Statistics at the CDC.

Diagnosis - Treatments - Cures - Hospitals - Doctors

Heart Attack
Bruises
Traveler's Diarrhea, Altitude Sickness
Anaphylaxis (epipen)
Back Pain and Spinal Injuries
  Symptoms - Cause - Remedy
Cancer
Sleep problems
Diabetes
National Center for Emergency Medicine Informatics (NCEMI)
Germs - Pathogens (Viruses, Bacteria, Protozoans, Fungi)
  Flu, Hantavirus, HIV/AIDS
Ticks
Mental Health
Deaths (Cause, Rate by Age, Life Expectancy)
Treatment:
Antimicrobial
Health Costs by age and Medical Service Costs
Medical Mistakes
Wilderness medicine - first aid kits
 Rescue Squad 911 calls:
Type %
Fall Victim 15.5%
MVA - Motor Vehicle Accident 14.6%
Difficulty Breathing 13.7%
Chest Pain 10.5%
Syncope (fainting) 6.3%
Fire 7.0%
Feeling Ill 4.7%
Abdominal Pain 4.3%
Seizure 4.1%
Unresponsive 4.0%
Dizzy/Faint 3.9%
Weakness 3.5%
Back Pain 3.0%
Possible Stroke 2.9%
Diabetic Emergency 2.0%
Potential Life Threatening 36%
Average 1 medical 911 call per day per 1,250 households
Other:
Dental - Dentist
Alcohol

Here are some Internet reference sources for Health.

Return to Don's Home.
last updated 3 Nov 2007