SHOCKING FACTS ABOUT SMOKING

Ok. Now lets chill a bit after all those lengthy and cheesy blogs. Now its time for some shocking facts for everyone. Some may know but its best if i just show it here right? :) There are 9 of them :D

The Shocking Facts:

1.  According to many scientists, a smoker will live 14 year less.
2. There are about 1.1 billion smokers in the world and 300 million of them are in China.
3.  According to British scientists, every cigarette you smoke can shorten your life by 11 minutes.
4.  Due to smoking, the supply of blood to your skin reduced which lowers the level of Vitamin A in your body and also your body gets paler and full of wrinkles.
5. About 3,000 deaths occurred just because of second-hand smoking which means if you are a smoker, you are a direct danger to your family, friends and relatives.
6. In last minute, about 7 people died just because of smoking which means smoking claims 1 life every eight seconds.
7. Lung Cancer, Blood Pressure, Heart Attack, Skin and Mouth Cancer are some major diseases that can be caused due to smoking.
8. If a pregnant woman smokes, the chances of her miscarriage are increased.
9. 90% of the lung cancer patients are smoker

Smoking has become very common in teens as well as older people now-a-days. It starts off with a sense of fun and  style and unfortunately sometimes ends in the death of the user. For many people it is just fun while many people smoke just because their body is addicted to tobacco and according to them they think they can’t live without it. I hope that all those who read this post are going to quit smoking. Think about yourself as well as your family and friends. You are important to them. PLEASE DONT SMOKE AND IF YOU ARE PLEASE QUIT

moos:)

History of cigarettes

HOW ABOUT THE HISTORY OF CIGARETTE? MAYBE ABIT CHEEZY BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW ISN'T IT? :)

The earliest forms of cigarettes were similar to their predecessor, the cigar. Cigarettes appear to have had antecedents in Central America around the 9th century in the form of reeds and smoking tubes. The Maya, and later the Aztecs, smoked tobacco and various psychoactive drugs in religious rituals and frequently depicted priests and deities smoking on pottery and temple engravings. The cigarette and the cigar were the most common methods of smoking in the Caribbean, Mexico and Central and South America until recent times.

By 1830, the cigarette had crossed into France, where it received the name cigarette; and in 1845, the French state tobacco monopoly began manufacturing them.

Production climbed markedly when a cigarette-making machine was developed in the 1880s by James Albert Bonsack which vastly increased the productivity of cigarette companies, who went from making approximately 40,000 hand-rolled cigarettes daily to around 4 million.

In the English-speaking world, the use of tobacco in cigarette form became increasingly widespread when British soldiers began emulating their comrades and Russian enemies, who had begun rolling and smoking tobacco in strips of old newspaper for lack of proper cigar-rolling leaf. This was helped by the development of tobaccos suitable for cigarette use, and by the development of the Egyptian cigarette company.

Cigarettes may have been initially used in a manner similar to pipes and cigars and not inhaled; for evidence, see the Lucky Strike ad campaign asking consumers "Do You Inhale?" from the 30s. As cigarette tobacco became milder and more acidic inhaling may have become perceived as more agreeable. On the other hand, it was seen in the 1830s that Ottomans inhaled the turkish tobacco and other pipes. As early as 1888, cigarettes were described colloquially as "coffin nails.

The widespread smoking of cigarettes in the Western world is largely a 20th-century phenomenon – at the start of the 20th century the per capita annual consumption in the USA was 54 cigarettes  and consumption there peaked at 4,259 per capita in 1965. At that time about 50% of men and 33% of women smoked.By 2000, consumption had fallen to 2,092 per capita, corresponding to about 30% of men and 22% of women smoking more than 100 cigarettes per year, and by 2006 per capita consumption had declined to 1,691; implying that about 21% of the population smoked 100 cigarettes or more per year.

German doctors were the first to identify the link between smoking and lung cancer which led to the first anti-tobacco movement in Nazi Germany.During World War I and World War II, cigarettes were rationed to soldiers. During the Vietnam War, cigarettes were included with C-ration meals. In 1975 the U.S. government stopped putting cigarettes in military rations. During the second half of the 20th century, the adverse health effects of tobacco smoking started to become widely known and text-only health warnings became commonplace on cigarette packets. Warnings became prevalent but unpopular, mainly due to the political influences held by tobacco growers. The United States has not yet implemented graphical cigarette warning labels, which are considered a more effective method to communicate to the public the dangers of cigarette smoking.Canada, Mexico, Belgium, Sweden, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Pakistan, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Greece, the Netherlands,New Zealand, Norway, Hungary, the United Kingdom, France, Romania,Singapore and Turkey however, have both textual warnings and graphic visual images displaying, among other things, the damaging effects tobacco use has on the human body.

Advantages of smoking

Now I am going to tell about the other perspective, which is the advantages or benefits of smoking.  Sounds a bit weird but it is the hard truth. lets find out!

Smoking cigarettes is bad in terms of World Health Organization, Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and every medical board and association on the face of the Earth. haha. 

But should smokers be fortunate enough to dodge all that cancer, heart disease, emphysema and the like, they will be uniquely protected — for reasons unexplained by science — against a handful of diseases and afflictions. 

Call it a silver lining in their otherwise blackened lungs. Although long term smoking is largely a ticket to early death, here are five possible benefits from smoking. Breathe deep. LETS GO!

1. Smoking lowers risk of knee-replacement surgery

While smokers might go broke buying a pack of cigarettes, they can at least save money by avoiding knee-replacement surgery. Surprising results from a new study have revealed that men who smoke had less risk of undergoing total joint replacement surgery than those who never smoked. 

The study, from the University of Adelaide in Australia, appears in the July issue of the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism. What could be the connection? Knee-replacement surgery was more common among joggers and the obese; smokers rarely jog, and they are less likely to be obese.

2. Smoking lowers risk of Parkinson's disease

Numerous studies have identified the uncanny inverse relationship between smoking and Parkinson's disease. Long-term smokers are somehow protected against Parkinson's, and it's not because smokers die of other things earlier. The most recent, well-conducted study was published in a March 2010 issue of the journal Neurology. Far from determining a cause for the protective effect, these researchers found that the number of years spent smoking, more so than the number of cigarettes smoked daily, mattered more for a stronger protective effect.

Harvard researchers were among the first to provide convincing evidence that smokers were less likely to develop Parkinson's. In a study published in Neurology in March 2007, these researchers found the protective effect wanes after smokers quit. And they concluded, in their special scientific way, that they didn't have a clue as to why.

3. Smoking lowers risk of obesity

Smoking — and, in particular, the nicotine in tobacco smoke — is an appetite suppressant. This has been known for centuries, dating back to indigenous cultures in America in the pre-Columbus era. Tobacco companies caught on by the 1920s and began targeting women with the lure that smoking would make them thinner. 

A study published in the July 2011 issue of the journal Physiology & Behavior, in fact, is one of many stating that the inevitable weight gain upon quitting smoking is a major barrier in getting people to stop, second only to addiction.

The relationship between smoking and weight is complex: Nicotine itself acts as both a stimulant and appetite suppressant; and the act of smoking triggers behavior modification that prompts smokers to snack less. Smoking also might make food less tasty for some smokers, further curbing appetite. As an appetite suppressant, nicotine appears to act on a part of the brain called the hypothalamus, at least in mice, as revealed in a study by Yale researchers published in the June 10, 2011, issue of the journal Science.

4. Smoking lowers risk of death after some heart attacks

Compared with non-smokers, smokers who have had heart attacks seem to have lower mortality rates and more favorable responses to two kinds of therapy to remove plaque from their arteries: fibrinolytic therapy, which is basically medication; and angioplasty, which removes the plaque by inserting balloons or stents into the arteries.

There's a catch, though. The reason why smokers have heart attacks is that smoke scars the arteries, allowing fat and plaque to build up in the first place. So, one theory as to why smokers do better than non-smokers after such therapies is that they are younger, experiencing their first heart attack approximately 10 years before the non-smoker.

5. Smoking helps the heart drug clopidogrel work better

Clopidogrel is a drug used to inhibit blood clots for those patients suffering from coronary artery disease and other circulatory diseases lead to stroke and heart attack. Smoking seems to help clopidogrel do its job better.

A study by Korean researchers in the October 2010 issue of the journal Thrombosis Research builds upon work by Harvard researchers published in 2009 that demonstrates the benefit of smoking at least 10 cigarettes a day. It seems that something in cigarette smoke activates certain proteins called cytochromes, which convert clopidogrel into a more active state.

Again, no respectable doctor is encouraging patients to start smoking to get the most out of clopidogrel. 

In conclusion i would like to convey the message of showing you that everything has a limit. I am not encouraging to smoke but the best it to prevent. Hope you had learnt something! Thanks~

Ways to quit smoking

In the previous post i had said this. "Though smoking can reduce the incidence of sarcoidosis, which is a disease in organs, it is obviously meant to be prohibited. It may be hard to quit but the more you learn about your options and prepare for quitting, the easier the process will be. With the right game plan tailored to your needs, you can break the addiction, manage your cravings, and join the millions of people who have kicked the habit for good." 

Today i will be focusing on how to quit smoking!! 

SAY NO!

There have been so many intense efforts to prevent as much people to stop smoking. But to no avail.

Don’t smokers understand that cigarettes are the number one killer in most parts of the world, that they drastically increase risk for heart disease, stroke, cancer, high blood pressure, and almost every other health concern, small or large? How could any habit be worth this?

Truth is, most smokers do understand. They also understand the huge financial toll of smoking, with a pack of 20 cigarettes costing $10 in some areas 

In good part, because smoking provides psychological comfort to some people. Perhaps most of all, because quitting smoking is so hard.

And with every month that passes, there is more research showing the benefits of quitting, and the drawbacks of not quitting.

So if you smoke, consider again whether it is time, finally, to quit. If yes, you’ll need to think through the best approach, perhaps working with your doctor or an expert. But the following, minimal of 5 tips, may help in any other possible way. 

1. Make an honest list of all the things you like about smoking. Draw a line down the center of a piece of paper and write them on one side; on the other side make a list of all the things you dislike, such as how it can interfere with your health, work, family, etc., suggests any other doctors. Think about the list over time, and make changes. If you are brave enough, get feedback from family and friends about things they don’t like about your use of cigarettes. When the negative side outweighs the positive side, you are ready to quit.

2. Then make another list of why quitting won’t be easy. Be thorough, even if the list gets long and discouraging. Here’s the important part: Next to each entry, list one or more options for overcoming that challenge. For instance, one item might be: “Nicotine is an addictive drug.” Your option might be: “Try a nicotine replacement alternative.” Another reason might be: “Smoking helps me deal with stress.” Your option might be: “Take five-minute walks instead.” The more you anticipate the challenges to quitting, and their solutions, the better your chance of success.

3. Set a quit date and write a “quit date contract” that includes your signature and that of a supportive witness.

4. Write all your reasons for quitting on an index card and keep it near you at all times. Here are some to get you started: “My daughter, my granddaughter, my husband, my wife…”
You get the idea.

5. As you’re getting ready to quit, stop buying cartons of cigarettes. Instead, only buy a pack at a time, and only carry two or three with you at a time (try putting them in an Altoids tin). Eventually you’ll find that when you want a smoke, you won’t have any immediately available. That will slowly wean you down to fewer cigarettes.

HOPE IT HAD GIVEN SUFFICIENT INFORMATION FOR TREATING THE SMOKERS FOR A BETTER WAY OF LIFE! :)

Read more: http://www.rd.com/health/wellness/25-ways-to-stop-smoking-cigarettes/#ixzz2aOTbLk8d

Interesting and fun facts about alcohol

These are some interesting facts about alcohol that you may not know about.

1. The word 'toast' which means wishing good health originated from Ancient Rome. A piece of toast was literally dropped into alcohol during that time.
2. The soil of one of the vineyard in France is considered so precious that it is mandatory for workers to scrape soil off their soles before they leave the vineyard.
3. If you are under the age of 21 in Missouri, taking out the trash has to be done with precaution as if the bag of garbage contains an empty bottle of alcohol, you can be charged with illegal possession of alcohol.
4. The national anthem of United States "The Star Spangled Banner" was written to the tune of a drinking tune.
5. Most vegetables and almost all of the fruits contains a little bit of alcohol in them.
6. Adolf Hitler was one of the worlds's best abstainers from alcohol.
7. The world's oldest known recipe is for beer.
8. United States has the highest minimum age for drinking
9. Human body produces it's own supply of alcohol naturally
10. Texas state law prohibits taking more than three sips of beer at a time while standing.

I bet that most, if not all of these facts are not known to most of the readers out there. I hope you enjoyed these interesting facts and would share it with your friends.

Importance of Fitness

Here are the top 10 benefits of physical fitness:

1. You're will live longer and healthier.

Regular exercise reduces the risk of developing heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes and certain types of cancer. It also reduces the risk of having a stroke. In one eight year study of more than 20,000 men, those who were lean but unfit had twice the risk of death as those who were lean and fit.

2. You'll have more energy, strength and stamina.

People who complain that they don't have enough energy to exercise fail to realize that working out gives you energy. In one study, middle-aged women who lifted weights for a year became 27% more active in daily life than before they started lifting weights. Regular exercise also increases your strength and stamina, allowing you to better handle common activities such as carrying a heavy bag of groceries or climbing a flight of stairs.

3. You'll keep have less excess body fat.

If you try and lose weight simply by dieting, you'll lose some muscle along with any body fat you lose and you'll slow down your metabolism. If your weight loss program includes exercise, you'll lose body fat without losing muscle and without slowing down your metabolism. If you're currently at a healthy weight, regular exercise will help you avoid putting on excess body fat in the future.

4. You'll keep your bones strong.

Both men and women start losing bone mass around age 35. Lifting weights can not only stop the loss of bone mass, but in some cases it can even reverse it. This drastically reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Weight bearing exercises like walking and running also help keep bones strong.

5. You'll prevent or reduce low back pain.

Strengthening your abdominal and lower back muscles can help prevent low back pain, and it can also reduce discomfort if you already suffer from this pain. You might also be able to avoid back surgery by strengthening your abdominal and lower back muscles. In one study, 35 of 38 people who had been recommended for back surgery were able to avoid surgery by following an aggressive strengthening program.

6. You'll keep your mind sharp.

Multiple studies have confirmed that regular exercise is one of the best things you can do for your mind. Regular exercise improves brain function, which helps prevent dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

7. You'll improve your mood.

A large amount of research shows that you have a better sense of well-being following a workout. Thanks to chemicals released in the brain during exercise, feelings of depression, anxiety, stress and anger are diminished during a workout.

8. You'll get sick less often.

Both aerobic exercise and weight lifting strengthen the immune system. The stronger your immune system, the less often you'll get sick.

9. You'll sleep better.

People who exercise regularly fall asleep faster and wake up less often during the night than people who are sedentary.

10. You'll enjoy life more.

Life is much more enjoyable when you're fit and healthy. You look good and you feel good, and you're more productive in everything you do.

Mental fitness

Mental Preparation refers to the conditioning and practice that a performer has undergone and enables them to visualize a successful performance. For example, in basketball, the individual will be able to visualize the timing of their actions and imagine the flight of the ball entering the basket.

Concentration is the ability to stay focused on and be fully aware of, what is going on around you. For example, in performing a drop shot in badminton, the individual has to judge the flight of the shuttle, the positioning of their body as well as the movement of their opponent.

Confidence is having a positive frame of mind, in which you feel that you can perform successfully. For example in football, the performer has to be confident that they could control the ball with one touch, dribble past the defender and strike the ball at goal on target.

Motivation is the internal feelings and/or external encouragement by coach/spectators, which make you want to do well.