Until recently, it was thought that if a person was already diagnosed with lung cancer, which happens to have a low survival rate unfortunately, even if it is caught in earlier stages (although of course they are slightly better when caught early), quit smoking after diagnosis, that they still would have the same odds of survival. Well, not any more.

There are new findings which actually make more sense and wonder why the “duh” factor didn’t come in sooner on the previous thought that you might as well just throw in the towel if you were diagnosed and still a smoker, that quitting smoking even after lung cancer is found increases your odds of survival to the tune of about double. Now, that will make people think twice about continuing to smoke after they are given this devastating news, won’t it!?

Of course, there are unbelievably a lot of people who continue to smoke, even after they are diagnosed with lung cancer because they are so addicted to it that life seems devoid of pleasure if they can’t smoke, and also because they may be under the impression that it won’t do any good anyways. Well now, they have a reason to kick the habit for good if they want to increase their odds of survival.

I’m a former smoker, and of course, since I have been in those shoes before, I know how addictive this habit is, and how hard it is to give it up, not only on a physical level, but also on an emotional and social level since it’s hard to not use smoking as a crutch in social situations and in nervous situations (this is how I used smoking, but I also enjoyed the taste and the buzz immensely as well, don’t get me wrong).

So I highly suggest that people who are trying to quite try an herbal smoking cessation product to help get them through the roughest patches of quitting, since these withdrawal symptoms are ultimately the reason that people keep coming back to smoking before they have fully kicked the habit.

Now that we know that quitting smoking can help double your rate of success in fighting lung cancer even after diagnosed, I think that tells us a lot of how quitting ahead of even getting cancer can do for us, and how truly cancerous of an agent cigarettes are to our lungs. If you haven’t quit yet, definitely look into ways to make it easier on yourself so you don’t have to go through the devastation of questioning if your life will end early due to lung cancer.

As an added health and wellness supplement, there is still one best seller, which will probably continue to be the best seller as long as we live, and that is the omnipresent multi vitamin. That little multipurpose wonder that gives us a little bit of each important vitamin, like B vitamins, iron, folic acid, vitamin C and other essential ones that some diets may be lacking so that we can have an all together more well rounded nutritional intake. However, some people forget that just popping a multi vitamin does not make up for a diet lacking in these essential minerals and vitamins, but that’s for a whole ‘nother conversation on a different day.

Over the past few years, since the benefits of omega 3 fatty acid supplements have been so well publicized and realized through anecdotal and study evidence for their health benefits ranging from cosmetic improvement to better mental function and heart function, fish oil has actually surpassed other formerly popular supplements, and has garnered a number two slot behind the ever present multi vitamin. It’s really no surprise at all to me and other alike who have experienced what a difference a high quality omega 3 supplement can make in their lives on many levels.

One of my favorite benefits of taking my omega 3 supplement is that I really feel that it has helped to improve my mood and my ability to focus on a task at hand, whereas if I forget to take it for a few days, or I take a week off because I run out, I can really start to feel the difference in my mood and my sharpness.

I think this is the reason why they call fish “brain food”, because the omega 3 fatty acids in certain fish, and supplements, actually help to stabilize your blood sugar longer. This is also why fish is an excellent dieting food, because it keeps you full longer, and keeps the brain from sending those “feed me” signals to your stomach.

I also love what omega 3 supplements have done for my hair and my skin. My hair is glossier and stronger, and my skin is visibly healthier looking when I’m taking them. There are also of course, the more intangible, but incredibly all important benefits that omega 3’s have on helping to lower blood cholesterol levels and helping with circulatory health, which benefits the heart and helps prevent heart disease and strokes. If you don’t yet take a good omega 3 product, then it’s well worth looking into, I’d be surprised if you don’t notice several benefits within a few short weeks.

For those of us that chronically do not get those ubiquitous 8 hours of sleep per night, or at least a good solid 7 hours on a nightly basis, or at least the majority of the time, unlike what most of the population thinks, you cannot “catch up” on this missed sleep on the weekends like you may have thought.

I remember this used to be a common thought, especially back in college when you pulled an all nighter studying for exams or finishing that last term paper, that you could deprive yourself of precious sleep during the week and not worry too much about it because you could always build your sleep reserves back up on the weekend, or something like that.

But that thought process, which is not uncommon, nor does it necessarily stray from common sense if you ask me, is nowhere near correct. In fact, if you don’t get your regular sleep, don’t even think that getting more than enough sleep on your longed for weekends will help you pull through by building up your sleep stores again. It’s sort of like once you lose sleep, you don’t get the benefits back, you just have to make sure that from this point forward you get good sleep on a nightly basis if you want to reap it’s rewards body wise and mind wise.

It’s important to note that our bodies respond very profoundly to lack of sleep. When we even go a full 24 hours without sleep, the results are similar to us imbibing a lot of alcohol. Our motor and cognitive skills become greatly impaired. Shoot, I can remember pulling all nighters in college and directly before college, but come to think of it, I always had a little nap in there somewhere along the way.

Try asking someone who works the graveyard shift at the hospital or some other similar job. They become like walking zombies because they are basically fighting their natural circadian rhythm and are also usually not getting the correct amount of quality of sleep that they need to function optimally. I’ve seen this result firsthand in some friends and family of mine.

They openly admit that working this shift has definitely not been good for their health. So, ladies and gents, remember when it comes to sleep consistency is best. As long as we are getting that good, quality sleep every night then that is what is going to make us function at our best levels, on a physical and mental plain.

I decided to write this because right now, at this very moment, I am experiencing one of life’s biggest pains that can be avoided fairly easily – withdrawal from caffeine. My symptoms when I withdrawal after several days of caffein consumption, which I do allow myself occasionally when I’m running ragged one week to the next, always consist of a gigantic headache that just won’t go away no matter how much stuff I take.

I can take Advil and Aleve til I’m blue in the face ( and not I don’t OD on them, I do watch my intake of pain relievers because they can significantly damage the liver if you’re not careful), and it makes nary a dent in my tension-filled, fuzzy thinking head.

However, even though my particular brand of caffeine withdrawal consists of unrelenting headaches, it doesn’t mean that everyone experiences the symptoms the same way.

Some people may become incredibly irritable, for example, when their body has become accustomed to caffeine intake and it is suddenly taken out of the diet for a day. Usually though, the symptoms are visible the day that you take it out of your diet, which shows how quickly your body perceives a withdrawal of this substance.

It can be “healthy” caffeine, like caffeine from a green tea or another natural plant that has antioxidant properties and also happens to have caffeine in it too, or it can be a big old chemical laced energy drink too, it doesn’t really matter, the withdrawal will be the same, depending on the levels of caffeine your body is used to consuming every day and how quickly you take it away or reduce it.

You can help caffeine withdrawal by gradually reducing your intake if you’re thinking about trying to either cut back on caffeine or cut down on it, to help avoid the more extreme bouts of withdrawal. You also can make sure you are totally, 100% hydrated with water at all times, this will help with any headaches that come on.

Also, try not to go cold turkey, maybe sip a little here and there until you are confident that your body has gradually reduced it’s physiological need for the substance. It’s like quitting anything else, you need to ween off of it first.

Vitamin B12 gets a lot of press because of it’s ability to give people so much extra energy. Some people even think that Vitamin B12 helps them to lose weight, but there is really no connection proven, besides the fact that they may just get up and move around more because they have a lot of energy, but there is absolutely no evidence that B12 in itself helps one to burn excess calories or suppresses the appetite. Some people may think it suppresses appetite simply because it sort of replaces the purpose of food that way, by providing the body with energy.

At any rate, there are a lot of people out there taking Vitamin B12 supplements in hopes of helping them with everything from energy levels to mood, to weight loss and exercise enhancement, but what if you take too much B12? Are there any bad side effects or symptoms if you are simply taking too much of this vitamin, to where your body just can’t get rid of it through urinating fast enough. Yes, there can be potential side effects, however, they usually are not severe and they usually pass within 24 hours.

There are always exceptions for the rule of course, so be sure to monitor yourself if you are taking this vitamin in particular. Taking too much B12 vitamin can actually cause you to flush easily. It can also cause heart palpitations and shortness of breath, which is definitely never a pleasant feeling.

Too much B12 can also cause rashes on the body and hives if too much has been taken. I think I actually experienced this in Las Vegas because I was downing Five Hour Energy like no one’s business to keep my energy up constantly, and Five Hour Energy is chock full of this vitamin, and lo and behold, I actually broke out in a mysterious rash for several days.

Not knowing the likely connectiont to the energy drink with lots of B12, I kept taking it, and so I had the rash for several days in a row. I also have experienced the shortness of breath mentioned as well when taking too much of this vitamin, but I must say that this vitamin is one of the best natural energy boosters I’ve every taken, so it’s key just to make sure that you take it normally and don’t overdo it, and you’ll reap the benefits without the bad side effects.