There are lot of health risks. Quit Smoking Now!!!

How does smoking affect my bones? 

Recent studies show a direct relationship between tobacco use and decreased bone density. Smoking is one of many factors—including weight, alcohol consumption, and activity level—that increase your risk for osteoporosis, a condition in which bones weaken and become more likely to fracture.

Significant bone loss has been found in older women and men who smoke. Quitting smoking appears to reduce the risk for low bone mass and fractures. However, it may take several years to lower a former smoker’s risk.

In addition, smoking from an early age puts women at even higher risk for osteoporosis. Smoking lowers the level of the hormone estrogen in your body, which can cause you to go through menopause earlier, boosting your risk for osteoporosis.

How does smoking affect my heart and blood vessels? 

The chemicals in tobacco smoke harm your blood cells and damage the function of your heart. This damage increases your risk for:

·         Atherosclerosis, a disease in which a waxy substance called plaque builds up in your arteries

·         Aneurysms, which are bulging blood vessels that can burst and cause death

·         Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes:

• Coronary heart disease (CHD), narrow or blocked arteries around the heart
• Heart attack and damage to your arteries
• Heart-related chest pain
• High blood pressure

·         Coronary Heart disease, where platelets—components in the blood—stick together along with proteins for form clots which can then get stuck in the plaque in the walls of arteries and cause heart attacks

·         Peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a condition in which plaque builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the head, organs, and limbs

·         Stroke, which is sudden death of brain cells caused by blood clots or bleeding

Breathing tobacco smoke can even change your blood chemistry and damage your blood vessels. As you inhale smoke, cells that line your body’s blood vessels react to its chemicals. Your heart rate and blood pressure go up and your blood vessels thicken and narrow.

How does smoking affect my lungs and breathing? 

Every cigarette you smoke damages your breathing and scars your lungs. Smoking causes:

·         Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a disease that gets worse over time and causes wheezing, shortness of breath, chest tightness, and other symptoms

·         Emphysema, a condition in which the walls between the air sacs in your lungs lose their ability to stretch and shrink back. Your lung tissue is destroyed, making it difficult or impossible to breathe.

·         Chronic bronchitis, which causes swelling of the lining of your bronchial tubes. When this happens, less air flows to and from your lungs.

1. ·         Pneumonia
2. ·         Asthma
3. ·         Tuberculosis 

People with asthma can suffer severe attacks when around cigarette smoke.

Can smoking affect my vision? 

Smoking is as bad for your eyes as it is for the rest of your body. Research has linked smoking to an increased risk of developing age-related macular degeneration, cataract, and optic nerve damage, all of which can lead to blindness.

Do cigarettes cause cancer? 

Tobacco smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals. About 70 of them are known to cause cancer. Smoking cigarettes is the number-one risk factor for lung cancer. But, smoking can affect your entire body, and is known to cause cancer in the:

1. ·         Lungs
2. ·         Trachea
3. ·         Bronchus
4. ·         Esophagus
5. ·         Oral Cavity
6. ·         Lip
7. ·         Nasopharynx
8. ·         Nasal Cavity
9. ·         Larynx
10. ·         Stomach
11. ·         Bladder
12. ·         Pancreas
13. ·         Kidney
14. ·         Liver
15. ·         Uterine Cervix
16. ·         Colon
17. ·         Rectum

 In addition, smoking is known to cause leukemia.

Do light cigarettes cause cancer? 

There is no such thing as a safe cigarette. People who smoke any kind of cigarette are at an increased risk for smoking-related diseases. Although it is no longer legal to sell light cigarettes, people who smoked light cigarettes in the past are likely to have inhaled the same amount of toxic chemicals as those who smoked regular cigarettes. They remain at high risk of developing smoking-related cancers and other diseases. 

Do menthol cigarettes cause cancer? 

All cigarettes are harmful, including menthol cigarettes. Many smokers think menthol cigarettes are less harmful, but there is no evidence that menthol cigarettes are safer than other cigarettes. Like other cigarettes, menthol cigarettes harm nearly every organ in the body and cause many diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory diseases. Menthol cigarettes, like other cigarettes, also negatively impact male and female fertility and are harmful to pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Some research shows that menthol cigarettes may be more addictive than non-menthol cigarettes. More research is needed to understand how addiction differs between menthol and non-menthol cigarette use. 

Can smoking cigars and pipes cause cancer? 

Cigar and pipe smoke, like cigarette smoke, contains toxic and cancer-causing chemicals that are harmful to both smokers and non-smokers. Cigar and pipe smoking causes:

1. ·         Bladder cancer
2. ·         Esophageal cancer
3. ·         Laryngeal (voice box) cancer
4. ·         Lip cancer
5. ·         Lung cancer
6. ·         Mouth cancer
7. ·         Throat cancer
8. ·         Tongue cancer

If you smoke cigars daily, you are at increased risk for developing heart disease and lung diseases such as emphysema. 

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Dont avoid Garlic and Onions because of the bad odour, check out 9 ways to get rid of it

Onions and garlic are key ingredients in many dishes around the world, known for their “kick”. Not only that but onions and garlic have a ton of health benefits. Did you know that garlic stimulates the immune system’s function, kills bacteria and fungus? It’s a great source of vitamin C, vitamin B6, selenium and manganese. It’s been also shown to lower the risk of all cancers. Onions on the other hand can reverse and reduce the risk of heart disease. They have countless more benefits.

So why aren’t we using these amazing foods in our diet at home? The bad breath. Once we eat it, we feel like we’re on everyone’s radar. Our co-workers can smell it two floors up. Or so we think. But either way, there’s something you can do about it. You can have onions and garlic, and erase any tracks of ever eating them. Here’s how.

1. Eat Something Minty.

Chewing fresh parsley, minty tea and mint leaves can remove some of the smell from the garlic and onions.

2. Counter The Smell with More Veggies.

Lemons, carrots and mushrooms may help you counter the smell. If you are eating a meal with garlic or onions, eat some of those veggies right after.

3. Mustard

This may sound silly but take a spoonful of mustard and swish it around in your mouth for 30 seconds and then spit it out. Then take another spoon of mustard and swallow it. It has been shown to kill the smell.

4. Good Hygiene.

Good hygiene is always the key to smelling great. Floss your teeth carefully. Brush your teeth, and also your tongue thoroughly. Your tongue is responsible for 80-90% of the germs. Finish it off with mouth wash. If you have the smell of garlic on your hands, wash it off with some lemon juice.

5. The Cook’s Trick

Slice off the end of the garlic and peel it. Cut the garlic in half. Then simply, take out the little stem in the middle from both sides of the garlic. This has been shown to reduce some of the bad breath.

6. Have Some Green Tea

Green tea has been shown to neutralize some of the compounds in garlic and onions that give you the bad smell. Drink some green tea to improve your breath.

7. Be Realistic

Let’s be realistic about this, the smell of garlic and onions is not that bad. Just like everything about ourselves, we magnify it and make it ten times worse. Stop being so self-conscious, it’s just vegetables. But if you really can’t handle it, there are garlic supplements that you can take. And cooking the onions and garlic may reduce or eliminate the bad breath all together.

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You didn't know this 9 health benefit of Swimming

1. Heart Helper

Swimming provides unparalleled cardiovascular conditioning, provided you practice consistently and with good technique. While other forms of exercise may be more effective at elite levels (such as running or cycling), incorporating swimming into a cross-training routine and pushing yourself in practice will result in overall improved fitness.

2. Balance Your Build

Swimming builds longer, leaner muscles that complement the shorter denser muscles that develop from weight training. These "swimmer's muscles" also help boost metabolism to keep calories burning longer.

3. Cross-training

Swimming not only boosts cardiovascular capacity while increasing muscle strength, but it also gives your body a break from higher-impact activities like basketball, running, andweightlifting. By creating a balanced workout routine, athletes avoid injury by allowing their body time to heal, while not forgoing daily training sessions.

4. Increased Flexibility

A heated pool relaxes muscles, increasing flexibility and enabling important stretching. Also, after intense lactic-acid-building endurance workouts (running, cycling, weights), an easy swim helps flush out toxins preventing muscle tightness and soreness the following day.

5. Strengthen Your Core

Swimming develops core body strength because it utilizes all the body's muscles simultaneously. Although 70 percent of a swimmer's effort comes from the upper body, kickboard and fin workouts can provide an excellent leg workout.

6. Endurance

Swimmers are able to swim longer than they can what they could sustain doing other activities. With the right technique, a swimmer will be able to train for longer periods of time than if he/she were running and, as a result, more calories are burned.

7. Adventure

Swimming has branched out from the darkened, indoor community pools of yesteryear. Many new health club chains offer clean lap pools, and local communities are finding renewed interest in outdoor facilities during the summer months. Seek out available natatoriums in your area (swimmersguide.com) and if you are able, locate a natural body of water (lake, ocean, pond, or quarry) and explore the joys of open-water swimming.

8. Social Outlet

Imagine meeting the man/woman of your dreams, and seeing what they look like without their clothes on for your first date! That's one benefit, at least, of joining a Masters team or triathlon training group. In addition to the possibility of romance fueled by mutual interests, team programs offer peer motivation and professional coaching to provide you with increased performance results.

9. Weight Loss

"People who consistently swim strenuously enough to be out of breath when they finish and elevate their heart rate do burn calories and lose weight," says Jane Moore, M.D., a physician and active swimmer from Tacoma, Washington. "The key is to push yourself a bit."

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World TB day March 24 2016. Check out the symptoms of TB

What Are the Symptoms of Tuberculosis?

The symptoms of tuberculosis range from no symptoms (latent tuberculosis) to symptoms of active disease. In fact, you may not even be aware that you have a latent TB infection until it's revealed through a skin test, perhaps during a routine checkup.

If you have active TB disease, you may have these symptoms:

·         Overall sensation of feeling unwell

·         Cough, possibly with bloody mucus

·         Fatigue

·         Shortness of breath

·         Weight loss

·         Low-grade fever

·         Night sweats

·         Chest pain when breathing

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Men, Get in here. Check out all you need to know about Prostate Cancer

What Are the Causes of Prostate Cancer?

As with all types of cancer, an exact cause of prostate cancer isn’t easy to pinpoint. There are often many factors, but ultimately what leads to the growth of cancerous cells are mutations in your DNA, or genetic material. These mutations cause normal cells in your prostate to start growing abnormally.

Abnormal or cancerous cells continue to grow and divide until a tumor develops. In cases of aggressive cancer, the cells may leave the original tumor and spread to other parts of the body.

Genetics

In some cases, the mutations that lead to prostate cancer are inherited. If you have a family history of prostate cancer, you’re at greater risk of developing the disease because you may have inherited damaged DNA.

Approximately 5-10 percent of prostate cancer cases are caused by inherited mutations, according to the American Cancer Society. One such mutation is known as the hereditary prostate cancer gene 1, or HPC1. Other inherited mutations, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, may also lead to a greater risk of developing prostate cancer.

What Are the Risk Factors?

Risk factors are life circumstances that increase your odds of having prostate cancer. For instance, having a family history of the disease is a risk factor.

Age

One of the most telling risk factors for prostate cancer is age. The Prostate Cancer Foundation notes that just one in 10,000 men under the age of 40 will develop prostate cancer. That number jumps to one in 14 for men between the ages of 60 and 69. The majority of cases are diagnosed in men over 65.

 

Race

Although the reasons are not fully understood, race is another risk factor for prostate cancer.

African-American men are twice as likely as Caucasian men to be diagnosed with prostate cancer. They’re also more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and to have a poor outlook.

Asian men and Latino men have the lowest incidences of prostate cancer.

 

Diet

A high-fat diet also seems to be a risk factor for prostate cancer, although it may only slightly increase the odds of developing the disease. Men who eat diets rich in animal fats tend to eat fewer vegetables and fruits. It’s uncertain whether it’s this deficiency or the higher amount of fats that contribute to the increased risk.

Location

Where you live can also impact your risk for developing prostate cancer. Asian men in America not only have a lower incidence of the disease, but those living in Asia are even less likely to develop it.

Men living north of 40 degrees latitude are at a greater risk of dying from prostate cancer than men living anywhere else in the United States. This may be explained by the reduced amount of sunlight, and therefore vitamin D, that men in northern climates receive.

Risk Factors for Aggressive Prostate Cancer

Aggressive prostate cancers may be slightly different diseases than the more innocuous types. They share some of the same risk factors as low-risk prostate cancer, such as being African American and having a family history. 

Other factors are unique to aggressive types of prostate cancer, including:

·         Smoking

·         being obese

·         having a sedentary lifestyle

·         consuming high levels of calcium

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Puzzle. How many 3's can you see in the picture

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Improve the brain power with these foods

You’ve probably heard that certain foods can help your memory improve, and will allow you to think with better clarity.

“But what foods are actually considered brain foods?” you may ask.

Believe it or not, there are a copious amount of foods that protect your brain, improving how good it’ll work, and can even generate new brain cells.

Yes, you read it right… new brain cells! You can still generate new brain cells–even when you’re an adult. A common myth recently espoused that brain cells quit occurring once you’ve reached adulthood, but reputable and prolific new research has debunked this myth. Regardless of how old you are, you can make new brain cells.

Keep in mind that all cells need nutrients to continue their growth. This means your brain needs foods that will give it the building blocks it needs to work right. When you have more neurons and connections within your brain, it means you have a stronger memory and your mind can work better.

Keep your life’s memories alive longer, and sharper than ever, with these six foods that will help keep your brain whole and healthy:

1 – Build Your Brain: Healthy Fats

The majority of the cell structure in the brain consists of healthy fats, including the most important healthy fats, called Omega-3 fatty acids. As the brain continues to fix itself and grow additional neurons, it needs a good amount of Omega-3s to be consumed.

The best food sources to get your Omega-3 from, in order of importance, are:

• Salmon
• Albacore tuna
• Flaxseed oil
• Canola oil
• Walnuts
• Wheatgerm
• Eggs

2 – Protect Your Brain: Antioxidants

As people get older, substances called free radicals, which are floating through the bloodstream, will break down the brain cells. If you don’t put up a fight, you’ll experience loss of memory as you age. However, there are a good deal of antioxidant food sources to choose from. Antioxidants will merge with these free radicals, turning them harmless. Make sure you eat foods that have this healthy food source. Several good sources of antioxidants include:

• Blueberries (other berries too)
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Garlic
• Red grapes
• Spinach
• Soy
• Tea
• Tomatoes
• Whole grains

3 – Spark Your Brain: High Tyrosine Proteins

Your brain doesn’t just have neurons, but also neurotransmitters, which are messengers that bring brain signals from one neuron to the next one. Your brain structure might be good, but if your neurotransmitters are insufficient, your brain won’t work right. Some parts of the neurotransmitters, like the tryptophan, are not able to be made by your body. Thus, you must consume food to get them. However, the body can make tyrosine, but you still need to get the proper foods into your diet.

The greatest sources of food to boost your alertness, concentration, and energy are:

• Dairy products
• Eggs
• Seafood
• Soy

Don’t sabotage yourself, though. Rather, choose the varieties that are low in salt and unhealthy fats.

4 – Hydrate Your Brain: Water

You already know that your body is made mostly of water. And you also know how easy it is to not consume much water and become dehydrated. Even a mild case of dehydration can reduce your mental energy and capacity, causing your memory to become impaired. You should drink at least four liters of water each day, or six to eight 8-ounce glasses.

5 – Brain Building Blocks: Vitamins & Minerals

There are certain kinds of vitamins and minerals that are necessary building blocks for your brain. Of course, you don’t want to become vitamin deficient. So the vitamins and minerals very important to brain functions include:

• Vit. B6
• Vit. B12
• Vit. C
• Iron
• Calcium

Deficiencies of the above have been shown to cause learning impairment.

But remember, there are many other nutrients you need, especially micronutrients, that are best found in food. The easiest way to get all your vitamins and minerals every day is to take a multivitamin. Yet it’s hard to find any one multi-vitamin that contains all your micronutrients, so don’t rely on multi-vitamins alone. And never take your vitamins on an empty stomach. No only does doing so often cause you to have an upset stomach, but taking them with food helps the digestive system better assimilate the, so your body (and brain) can better use them.

6 – Regulate Your Fuel Supply: Fiber

Most people don’t realize that fiber is important to the brain, but it’s extremely important. It can help with your brain functions because it can slow down sugar absorption. Your brain works on 100 percent sugar; however, it needs to be delivered steadily and in the proper amounts so as not to overload your brain.

True, fiber in itself might not be considered ‘food,’ but you often get it through foods. Consuming a fiber-rich diet will slow down digestion and gradually release the sugar into your bloodstream.

Foods that contain a good dose of fiber include:

• Dried fruits – apricots, dates, prunes, raisins
• Vegetables – broccoli, green peas, spinach
• Peas and beans – black-eyed peas, kidney beans, lima beans
• Nuts and seeds – almonds and flaxseed
• Whole fruit – avocadoes, kiwi, oranges, pears and skin-on apples
• Whole wheat grains – barley, brown rice, etc.

That’s it! If you’re looking to improve your memory, consuming the foods above will help you. And remember, steer clear of a high-sugar, high fat diet to help keep your brain as healthy possible as you age.

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