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Health
Bites
1. Stripping the Cigarette –
Some Bare Truths
Every
cigarette contains more than 4,000 chemicals, of which 400 are poisonous
and at least 43 are known to cause cancer. Here are just a few of
them:
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Registered
as a toxic substance and pesticide in many countries. Nicotine
is responsible for causing the addiction to tobacco products.
It first stimulates the brain so that you feel alert, but
later dulls the brain and the senses. |
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Carbon
Monoxide is found in cigarette smoke. It reduces the ability
of red blood cells to deliver oxygen within your body. Carbon
monoxide poisoning occurs when people breathe this colourless,
odourless gas also found in car exhaust fumes. |
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Used
to cover road surfaces, Tar is a sticky black substance which
clogs lung tissues. It contains hundreds of chemicals, many
of which are considered carcinogenic or classified as hazardous
waste. |
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Benzene
is a cancer-causing chemical. It could also cause hallucinations
and brain death. |
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A
poison used in gas chambers, Hydrogen Cyanide is considered
one of the most toxic agents found in cigarette smoke. Frequent
exposure will cause eye and skin irritation, rapid breathing,
nausea and vomiting. |
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Formaldehyde
is used as a pesticide, rat poison and to embalm dead bodies. |
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An
extremely radioactive carcinogen. Polonium-210 is responsible
for hundreds of thousands of death worldwide due to accidental
and industrial exposure. |
2.
Prostate Heatlh
Four
out of five men develop prostate problems during their lives. The
prostate gland surrounds the urethra, the canal through which urine
passes out of the body. While this location serves the gland’s
major function of providing fluid for semen, it has a downside as
a man ages. With age comes enlargement of the gland, due to hormonal
changes. Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is scientific lingo
meaning glandular enlargement that manifests into getting up nights
to go to the bathroom, sudden urges to urinate, a weak start-stop
stream, and difficulties getting the stream to start.
The
enlargement process starts in the middle age. More than half of
men in their 60s and as many as 90% in their 70s and 80s have some
symptoms. It is important to note, however, that different diseases
of the urinary tract can cause similar symptoms. For this reason,
see a physician if symptoms occur and have yearly prostate health
testing done starting at around age 50.
3.
The Latest on Cancer Prevention
Medical science has yet to find a cure for cancer, but a lot of
progress has been made in mapping the path for prevention. The American
Institute for Cancer Research in Washington, D.C., estimates that
30 to 40% of all cancers could be prevented if we ate a mostly plant-based
diet, exercised regularly and maintained healthy weights. In addition
to lacking the recommended 5 to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables
daily. Diet that contains high quantities of meat contains an abundance
of methianine, an amino acid that promotes inflammation and elevated
homocysteine levels. Elevation of homocysteine indicates that the
body’s immunologic system has failed. To boost your immune
system, limit animal protein to 3 to 4 serving per week (lean meat
and fish are best) and increase your fruit and vegetable intake
to 5 servings per day.
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