Cardiovascular Disease and Women

Cardiovascular disease, also known as CVD, is the number one killer of men and women of all ethnic groups in the United States.  Cardiovascular diseases include such ailments as high blood pressure, arrythmia, valve disease, congestive heart failure and stroke.  Though worries of more "high profile" diseases such as breast cancer are on the forefront in many women's minds, the hard truth is that one in four women are affected with some form of cardiovascular disease.

Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases are things such as high blood pressure, obesity, abnormal blood glucose, and even the use of tobacco, among other factors.  When caught at an early age, these risk factors can be muted to help prevent manifesting themselves as cardiovascular disease later on.

Altering your lifestyle can help to lower your chances for cardiovascular diseases.  Such alterations as eating a diet that is low in fat and cholesterol, adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet, drinking enough water daily, and exercising for half an hour a day are all ways that physicians suggest can assist in lowering your chances for cardiovascular disease.

Cardiovascular diseases are known as silent killers, as they often have no symptoms.  If you think you may be having any symptoms of heart disease, you should speak to your doctor about the many tests available.  Doctors often begin with simple tests, the results of which can lead to tests that are more complex.

In connection with cardiovascular disease are "extra" heartbeats, which typically happen when there is an irritation in the lower part of the heart's pumping chambers.  They interrupt the normal heart rhythm, which can feel like a missed beat.  This can actually be a harmless "quirk" of your body's functions, or can lead to problems that are far more serious.

If a woman has these palpitations or any other symptoms such as dizziness, blurred vision, or shortness of breath, she should contact her doctor right away.  A complete medical history, physical exam, and other tests will be run to determine the cause of these behaviors, which can be anything from stress-related behavior to something far more dangerous.  The advice and consultation of a physician where heart disease is concerned is the only way to go.

3 Credit Report,Discover How To Improve your Credit Rating

This 3 credit report article was written to answer many of the most frequently asked questions, I hope you find all of this information helpful. 

A 3 credit report can be useful for a variety of reasons. There are three major credit reporting agencies: Experian, Equifax, and TransUnion, and each of them has their own information about your credit, so to get a good credit report, you have to use all 3. Fortunately, you can get a 3 credit report for about $24, and this will tell you all you need to know about your credit rather than wasting time with a so called free online credit report.

Many institutions need to know your 3 credit report before they will approve of you, and so knowing your credit record can give you a heads up on your chances of receiving all kinds of services. For example, a home loan will not be given if you have a bad credit score, and neither will you qualify for low cost life insurance, a credit card with a low apr, or some times even a lease on a house or car. So knowing your 3 credit report can be a short cut to save you time applying to services which you won't receive. 

Another thing about knowing your 3 credit report score is that it can show you if someone has been defrauding you or stealing your identity. If, for example, someone has been getting accounts in your name and not telling you or paying them, they will show up on your 3 credit reports as a bad score. This will let you take appropriate legal action to get them removed from your record and to get the guy who did it by calling the cops. 

Getting the bad fraud charges off of your 3 credit report score can be a major hassle. Once my mon had serious charges on her 3 credit report because someone was filling for a cellphone using her name from Detroit, and the company would not believe it was not her, even though it was a different residence. To get them to believe it, she had to produce several pieces of identity and mail, as well as her home title to show where she was living. They would not believe that he address was what she said it was until she showed them lots of proof. What a hassle.

There are many ways you can improve your credit score. One of them is to own credit cards and regularly pay off your payments to show that you are reliable and can be trusted with credit. If you regularly pay off your balance, and are on time with gas, phone, electric, and utility bills, this also can help. In the long run, it is worth it for you to keep your credit good, because it means you qualify for better interest rates, bigger lines of credit,equity line of credit,home equity line of credit ,low apr credit card, and all kinds of other financial benefits that you wouldn't have otherwise. Really, it's easy and you've got nothing to lose.

0 APR credit cards are Not Just for Christmas

0 APR credit cards are here to stay. Now that we're well into the New Year we've learned (again) the lessons of the festive season. Zero interest credit is a nice idea, but why not extend it beyond your present credit card to the next, and the next. This seven point checklist will assure the clever consumer of having that constant low APR credit for years to come.

1. Read the small print. Make sure it matches the offers on the credit card's advertising copy. In particular, check for clauses that differentiate between purchases and cash transfers, or even cash withdrawals. Check that the card doesn't stipulate a ratio between purchases and cash, charging an excess if the cash activity rises above the purchase activity (that is usually the way it is biased, but check to make sure).

2. Keep to the agreed credit limit as specified in the agreement. Do not exceed the balance limit as specified on your original agreement, or that'll be the trigger for extra charges.

3. Pay at least the minimum charge in full. Even better, set up a standing order or direct debit with your bank. You can arrange to have the minimum paid directly and electronically from your bank account every month.

4. Avoid late fees by paying on time. There is a danger with people who have the benefit of a 0% APR credit card that they will tend to become complacent about it and forget to pay it. Yes, it does happen. But every time a payment is received late credit card providers can and will charge a late fee. This can add up, especially if someone is habitually late. Again, an automatic direct debit from your bank account is the best answer.

5. Factor in any extras in the agreement, as stated in the small print (which you will have read). For example, an annual charge may be applied to offset the 0 APR. Some 0% APR cards do this but others do not. Bear in mind that the whole APR concept was meant to level the playing field as far as extra charges were concerned. By paying an annual charge for your card you are not truly getting a 0 APR card.

6. Make sure you have in mind a new low interest or 0 APR credit card waiting by to which you can transfer the balance of your present credit card. Why have 0 APR credit for 6 months or 12 months when you can have it for years and years? Always check the press and financial columns for new deals and credit card offers with this in mind. Join an Internet forum that specialises in such matters.

7. Make sure that you transfer the balance of your existing credit card to your new credit card in full and on time. In particular, allow for time to process the balance transfer and for all the paperwork involved (yes, even in the age of the Internet there is still a certain amount of paper involved!) and be careful to check that the opening balance allowed on your new 0 APR credit card is at least the same or exceeds the balance that you wish to transfer from your existing credit card, or the shortfall will cost you money!