What Smoking Costs You ?

Smoking is the leading cause of mortality despite having the status being a preventable death. The average smoker lives seven years less than a non-smoker due to an increased risk for heart disease, stroke and cancer. Smoking has the infamous distinction of affecting all the internal body systems from head to foot. Apart from the effects of smoking on your financial health- with the average price for a pack of cigarettes in the US, being $4.35 means that a person who smokes one pack of cigarettes per day spends roughly $1,600 per year on smokes.

So, if you can’t quit smoking for the health benefits, at least try it for the financial benefits. Either way, down the road you’re going to be a lot better off if you kick the habit now - or better yet, you don’t even start.

Each time a cigarette is smoked there is an acute rise in blood pressure. Further more studies have shown that smoking interferes with the metabolism of multiple anti-hypertensive medications.

Heart Diseases

Smoking is one of the major risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease by the action on the blood vessels; by increasing the work load of the heart; by decreasing exercise tolerance.

Coronary artery disease (CAD)

Cerebrovascular disease

Abdominal aortic aneurysm

Peripheral vascular disease

Above are some of the diseases caused by smoking. Cigarette smoking increases the duration of ischemia in patients with Coronary heart diseases and also the number of times a patient gets ischemic attacks. Smoking decreases HDL (good) cholesterol.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases

Cigarette smoke also contains substances that directly damage the lung tissue thereby , reducing their capacity to absorb oxygen. Substances released by the immune system in response to cigarette smoke also destroy the lung cells. Smoking irritates the bronchial tree in the lungs, which in turn results in the production of more mucus causing the typical smokers' cough. Bronchitis and emphysema are some of the common consequences of cigarette smoking.

Tobacco use may be one of the most significant risk factors in the development and progression of periodontal disease which results in poor mouth hygiene and bad breath.

Stroke

Smoking causes deposition of fatty deposits in the blood vessels which is called atherosclerosis. Slowing of blood flow also occurs which in turn can lead to thrombus formation. This can result in stroke. The risk of stroke due to cigarette smoking is dose related i.e. the more number of cigarettes one smokes, greater is the risk of stroke.

Premature Wrinkling of Skin

Tobacco use causes thickening and fragmentation of the elastic fibers of skin and decreases the formation of collagen that maintains a healthy and supple skin. Oxygen supply and the water content of skin is also reduced by reducing circulation.

Gum, Dental and Mouth Disease

Tobacco use may be one of the most significant risk factors in the development and progression of periodontal disease which results in poor mouth hygiene and bad breath.

Ulcer

Studies have shown that smoking increases acid secretion, and decreases mucosal blood flow resulting in acid peptic ulcer and also delays the healing of gastric and duodenal ulcers.

So, if the prospect of poverty can not convince you to quit these hazards, will. Each puff of nicotine from tobacco smoke temporarily increases heart rate and blood pressure, even as less oxygen-rich blood circulates through the body.

Article Source: Medical Health Care Information

Alcohol and your health: Weighing the pros and cons

For every article you read about the benefits of alcohol consumption, another seems to warn you of its risks. You might find such conflicting information confusing and frustrating.

Though moderate alcohol use seems to have some health benefits, anything more than moderate drinking can negate any potential benefits. Moderate drinking is defined as two drinks a day if you're a male under 65, or one drink a day if you're a female or a male over 65.

So should you avoid alcohol? Or can you continue to enjoy your glass of wine with dinner? It's up to you and your doctor. Here are some points on alcohol consumption for you to consider.

Health benefits

Moderate alcohol consumption may provide some health benefits. It may:

* Reduce your risk of developing heart disease, peripheral vascular disease and intermittent claudication

* Reduce your risk of dying of a heart attack

* Possibly reduce your risk of strokes, particularly ischemic strokes

* Lower your risk of gallstones

* Possibly reduce your risk of diabetes

Health risks

Excessive alcohol consumption can lead to serious health problems, including:

* Cancer of the pancreas, mouth, pharynx, larynx, esophagus and liver, as well as breast cancer

* Pancreatitis, especially in people with high levels of triglycerides in their blood

* Sudden death in people with cardiovascular disease

* Heart muscle damage (alcoholic cardiomyopathy) leading to heart failure

* Stroke

* Brain atrophy (shrinkage)

* Cirrhosis of the liver

* Miscarriage

* Fetal alcohol syndrome in an unborn child, including impaired growth and nervous system development

* Injuries due to impaired motor skills

* Suicide

What counts as a drink?

A drink is defined as 12 ounces (oz.) of beer, 5 oz. of wine or 1.5 oz. of 80-proof distilled spirits. Again, keep in mind that people age 65 and older shouldn't drink more than one drink a day. With increasing age, adults break down alcohol more slowly, leading them to become intoxicated more quickly and increasing alcohol's damaging effects.

Who shouldn't drink alcohol?

People with certain health conditions shouldn't drink any alcohol, as even small amounts could cause problems. Don't drink alcohol if you have:

* A history of a hemorrhagic stroke

* Liver disease

* Pancreatic disease

* Evidence of precancerous changes in the esophagus, larynx, pharynx or mouth

If you have a family history of alcoholism, be particularly cautious when it comes to drinking, as you are at higher risk of alcoholism. And if you're pregnant, avoid alcohol entirely because of the health risks for your unborn baby.

In addition, alcohol interacts with many common prescription and over-the-counter medications. Check with your doctor, if you take:

* Antibiotics
* Anticoagulants
* Antidepressants
* Diabetes medications
* Antihistamines
* Anti-seizure medications
* Beta blockers
* Pain relievers
* Sleeping pills

If you combine alcohol with aspirin, you face an increased risk of gastrointestinal bleeding. And if you use alcohol and acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), you increase your risk of liver damage. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration requires all over-the-counter pain relievers and fever reducers to carry a warning label advising those who consume three or more drinks a day to consult with their doctors before using the drug.

What to make of all the evidence

Weigh the pros against the cons of moderate drinking and decide whether drinking is OK for you. Be sure to consult your doctor if you have questions or are unsure.

Above all, don't feel pressured to drink. Few medical experts, if any, advise nondrinkers to start drinking. But if you do drink and you're healthy, there's no need to stop as long as you drink responsibly and in moderation.

Article Source: Medical Health Care Information

A Walk a Day Keeps the Eye Doctor Away?

It is no surprise that regular exercise can lower your risk of heart disease and diabetes, but did you know that it may prevent age-related eye disease as well?

Age-related macular degeneration is an eye disease affecting more than 10 million Americans, causing the gradual deterioration of the light-sensitive cells of the eye, often resulting in blindness. Macular degeneration is the leading cause of blindness for Americans over the age of 55.

However, exercise seems to protect the eye against macular degeneration for many of the same reasons it protects the heart against heart disease.

“Regular physical activity benefits health by reducing abdominal fat, weight, blood pressure and inflammation,” wrote Dr. M.D. Knudtson and colleagues in the British Journal of Ophthalmology. “These factors have a role in the [development] of age-related macular degeneration.”

To test this connection, over the course of 15 years, Knudtson looked at the rates of exercise and macular degeneration in almost 4,000 men and women between the ages of 43 and 86. Every five years, the participants were given an eye exam and asked about their general physical activity, including how many stairs they climbed, how many blocks they walked and how often they exercised long enough to break a sweat.

The researchers found that 25 percent of the study participants had an active lifestyle, and this population had a 70 percent lower risk of developing macular degeneration than the rest of the population. Even those who tended to walk more regularly than the rest of the study participants had lowered their risk of macular degeneration by 30 percent.

“Regular physical activity, such as walking, may have a protective effect against age-related macular degeneration,” the authors conclude.

Article Source: Medical Health News Today

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