Herbal News Magazine
All About Herbal Medicine, Alternative Health News and Natural Supplements
-
Would You Quit Smoking After Finding Out You Are Ill?
Filed under Alternative & Herbal Health News, Smoking CessationJan 25I read the most fascinating article about people who are diagnosed with a disease that is clearly related to smoking such as COPD, lung cancer, Emphysema and other commonly related diseases. You would think people would quit the habit after finding out they ar diagnosed with one of the top causes of death, but many of them don’t. It’s not quite fifty percent of people who don’t quit but let me tell you it’s darn near that.
Roughly estimated, it’s about 40% of people who are diagnosed with one of these devasatating diseases that still do not quit smoking. This goes to show just how mentally and physically addictive nicotine and tobacco are to the human body. I even have a personal story to tell about this.
Someone close to me in my family was diagnosed with prostate cancer in his late fifties. He never did quit smoking the entire time even when he was going through chemotherapy and all the other various poison therapies he unfortunately had to be on.
Now, I get that when a person is near the end of their life and are in the terminal stages of cancer they should just “do what they want”, but there is always a chance to come back, and smoking carcinogens into your lungs is certainly a good way to hasten the disease along.
He really couldn’t quit. He was that addicted to smoking and figured he still wanted to enjoy the habit even after his cancer took a turn for the worse and he became terminal. Stopping the habit is indeed challenging. I was a smoker in college and had a hard time quitting, even though I had asthma and I never should have picked up the habit in the first place.
My conscious, intelligent mind was telling me to quit, yet my body and mind were also telling me how good it felt to hold that cigarette in my hand, inhale slowly and let the chemicals take control of my mind, giving me that great buzz that cigarettes give you.
It is indeed a huge challenge, but it’s worth it. I’ve been off cigarettes for almost a decade now and feel so much healthier. It’s a shame that so many people, even after diagnosed with life threatening disease, cannot find the willpower to quit – this is a testament to how addictive and dangerous this pastime is.
Related Posts:
Tagged as: cancer, diagnosed, emphysema lung cancer, high, keep smoking, people, percentage, quit, smoking, terminally ill -
Jan 22
Everyone knows that smoking cigarettes, cigars and other things you inhale hot smoke into your lungs with are dangerous to your health. That has definitely been more than established by the medical community. As if to drive the point home even further, the Center for Disease Control has released their top death causes list.
And guess what? The top three causes are related in some way to smoking. That’s not to say there are not other factors involved such as genetics, other lifestyle choices and environmental factors. However, each of them can have a direct relation to the act of smoking. Which makes quitting smoking all that much more important.
3 Smoking-Related Causes of Death
1.) Emphysema and other lung function disease such as COPD. This one is one of the most undeniably smoking-related health issues that can lead to death pretty easily. Aside from lung cancer, it is a definite link to smoking – although, as with everything else, it can also happen on its own without smoking, but that is pretty rare and the link is a well known one.
2.) Cancer. There are several types of cancer that are related to smoking. Cigarettes are a carcinogen. Not only does the smoke produce toxic by-products, but the cigarettes themselves contain harmful chemicals that permeate not only the lungs and other organs in the body, but also the surfaces of furniture, the walls in homes, the surfaces in cars, and everywhere else the harmful habit is done, making it carcinogenic not only to the smoker, but also to “second hand smokers”. Basically, cigarette smoke is a cancer causing agent, and for that reason, it has been linked to everything from breast cancer to prostate cancer.
3.) Heart disease. Heart disease can be partially genetic, true. It can also be greatly attributed to your diet and lack of exercise. However, smoking is also another acknowledged risk factor in determining likelihood of heart disease. Your ticker is affected by smoking because smoking raises heart rate and also increases blood pressure and stress levels, all of which are not heart friendly and cause damage over the years.
Smoking generally makes the smoker feel relaxed in the very moments they are smoking (and gives them a feel-good buzz too, hence the addictiveness). However, this is misleading because in the end smoking really jacks our nervous system up and increases dangerous anxiety and stress hormone levels, none of which is good for the heart.
Related Posts:
-
Jan 20
The changing weather starting in the fall and going into winter means an increase in the incidence of colds and flu for all of us. If you have young children, you are even more exposed to cold and flu germs on a regular basis.
Certain measures can be taken to decrease the occurrence of cold and flu outbreaks in your family. Getting an annual flu shot is one important proactive step you can take for flu prevention. Many people simply so not get one because they fear getting a flu shot will make them sick. The flu shot does not use a live virus, so it shouldn’t make you ill.
A flu shot is effective after 4 weeks and then through the flu season. When choosing between the flu shot and the nasal spray version, choose the shot because it does not use a live virus. The nasal spray for flu prevention does use a live virus. You can get a cold after receiving the nasal spray for flu prevention.
Flu and cold shots are very controversial, and I don’t get them myself as I don’t believe in them and don’t like that they still use what I consder unsafe additives, but this is up to your discretion.
Handwashing can’t be emphasized enough for it’s importance in reducing the incidence of contagious diseases of all types. Many people think they have good handwashing habits but they don’t spend the recommended amount of time washing their hands. You should spend at least 20 seconds washing your hands and you need to teach your children to do the same.
If you are somewhere that you can’t wash your hands at the recommended times, the second best thing to do is use a hand sanitizer. Make sure you use a hand sanitizer that is at least 40 to 60% alcohol to be effective.
The recommended times for handwashing that should be followed are; before and after eating, after going to the bathroom and after coughing and sneezing. Parents should make sure they instruct their children on these important measures to prevent illness and remind themselves as well so they will set a good example.
Teach children to cough or sneeze into their elbow to avoid the spread of cold and flu germs. It is also important to avoid touching your mouth, nose and eyes since cold and flu germs can enter the body this way.
During cold and flu season, household surfaces should be wiped down regularly with an alcohol based cleaner. Children, on average, according to experts, will get between 8 to 10 colds per year. Each cold lasts between 5 to 7 days. Parents should use common sense and keep a child home when they have a fever.
Another situation where a child should be kept home includes when they have flu like symptoms such as chills, sore throat, muscle aches, headaches or vomiting or diarrhea.
Using these methods of reducing the spread of cold and flu germs should suffice. Do not go to extreme measures of avoiding holiday gatherings because of possible cold germs. That would not be psychologically healthy for anyone.
Related Posts:
-
Jan 18
We talked last time about stress and how everyone has to deal with it in their own special way. I wanted to talk about another very important aspect of stress. That is, that even though it seems that it would always be destructive, it is actually needed to an extent to push us to new levels and heights in our lives.
The greatest achievers in our history had to overcome many obstacles. They came out ahead though. It is essential that we go through various levels of stress to learn something new, do something that scares us, or be in situations that make us uncomfortable. That is how we grow – how we evolve.
Avoidance of all potentially stressful situations and responsibilities will actually increase fears and anxieties. If attitude, itself, doesn’t get you through in controlling your anxiety, it is time to look at either herbal solutions or, if it is severe, seek professional medical help.
Certain cases, such as panic attacks or ongoing depression with a loss of interest in things you used to enjoy call for professional guidance. Severe anxiety and depression, as a response to stress, can affect all parts of your body, physically, and your mind, emotionally.
Physical responses to anxiety can include fast heartbeat, excessive sweating, nausea, lightheadedness, shakiness, muscle tension, difficulty breathing naturally and difficulty falling asleep. Of course, these symptoms, if anxiety is chronic, will adversely affect almost every body part physically.
Getting enough sleep, exercising regularly and eating well are positive steps to take in controlling anxiety. Taking measures to boost your confidence, such as mastering a new challenge, can help with self esteem issues that may be at the base of some anxieties.
The reasoning behind my personal choice for my New Year’s resolution is because a dysfunctional response to daily stressors can so adversely affect your body, mind and spirit. As I’m getting older, I can see that things I got “stressed out” about ten years ago are insignificant to me today.
I don’t want to give any more time to excessive anxiety taking over and getting in the way of enjoying my life more. I want to be in a good mood more often than not, and taking control of my stress is a major part of that for me.
Related Posts:
-
Jan 16
This is part one of a two part article that is about something very important, and near and dear to my heart since I am a born perfectionist in a multitude of ways. Being this way has been a blessing as well as a curse in my life. It has allowed me to achieve a great many of my goals.
However, it has also lead me to be a natural worrier, and I tend to feel out of control and helpless a lot if I can’t 100% control the outcome of a situation. For this reason I’ve taken a lot of precautions to relieve stress in my life.
Monthly massages, yoga practice and herbal supplements for anxiety are a few of them. I also will take to an entire day of doing nothing but slacking off watching television on the rare occasion when I just can’t take the stress any more, and these all work wonders for me.
It’s the nearing the end of January and, if we haven’t already thought about it, it’s time to make New Year’s resolutions. My personal New Year’s resolution may seem unusual or uncommon but it actually makes a lot of sense for many of us. It is to stop stressing so much about the little details and responsibilities of everyday life.
In order to do that, we must realize that stress is a part of everyday life and it is inevitable. We do get to choose, to a large degree, how we respond to stress. My New Year’s resolution is to realize and believe that it will all work out if steps are taken to take care of the stressors, i.e., finances, relationships or work issues.
This is, for me, a valuable New Year’s resolution as the signs and symptoms of a dysfunctional response to stress are many. Anxiety, as a response to stress, is actually functional, up to a certain point.
An example of this would be as a motivator to prepare for a speech or a big test that is coming up. Anxiety that comes out of nowhere and becomes overwhelming can lead to chronic worrying, fear and a constant feeling of unease.
This kind of anxiety will translate into a host of physical and psychological symptoms. Chronic anxiety and fears can lead to an avoidance of daily responsibilities, such as going to work, to school, partaking in social activities or dealing with ongoing bills or home maintenance issues. When anxiety is extreme and constant, it can lead to psychological depression.
Attitude and a faith in yourself and significant others to work through life’s responsibilities and frustrations will help to alleviate chronic anxiety and depression. Attitude can help to rediscover joy and pride in jobs well done. Overcoming frustrations and pitfalls can help you to continue working your way through stressful situations and it can boost your confidence and self esteem.
Hope you enjoyed part I of Taking Control of Your Stressors. Part II will be published shortly.
Related Posts:
Tagged as: anxiety, attitude, chronic anxiety, confidence, control, depression, faith, resolution, self esteem, stress, stress relief, stressors
Related Stuff :
Recent Comments