Step One: The Big Decision

One of the most frustrating things about deciding to quit smoking can be peoples reactions: Well, its about time! or It was a filthy habit, why didnt you quit sooner? But as anyone who has been using nicotine knows, its one of the hardest decisions, and one of the most difficult tasks, many people face. For many of us, smoking isnt just a physical addiction: we may associate smoking with our first cup of coffee in Paris or favorite college bar. It may help you relieve stress or even remind you of a fondly loved parent or grandparent, now gone.

So before creating a plan to stop smoking, stop and CONGRATULATE yourself on making a tough decision that will lead to a healthier life both for you and your family.

Step Two: Consider Zyban

There are many things that you can do to prepare yourself for quitting, including taking medication.

Some people use nicotine patches or gum. Keep in mind, though, these substitute one form of nicotine for another. While they do stop you from smoking, they dont help you get over a dependence to nicotine. When you stop using the patches or gum, you may find that you miss the nicotine and need to go back to smoking.

Think instead about asking your doctor to prescribe Zyban for you. Zyban has a chemical found in an antidepressant (Wellbutrin), but Zyban works to change your brain chemistry easier to quit smoking (pretty neat huh?). As long as youre not on Wellbutrin (or other medications) or have a seizure disorder, a Zyban prescription can be the start of your trip to Smoke-Free Living.

Step 3: Planning Ahead

It takes Zyban a week to ten days to start working, so once you start the medication, pick a quit date about two weeks later. In the meantime, you may keep smoking, if you wish. By the time youve reached your official quit date, Zyban will be ready to help you adjust to not smoking.

During that week, do a little more planning ahead of time. There are times during the quitting process that youll probably miss having a cigarette in your hands, so make a list of things you like to do with your hands that you can do instead of smoking. Want to get back to knitting? Maybe you can get rid of some one-time projects on your to-do list: cleaning the car out or create that vacation photo-album or family webpage.

Make a list of the things that motivated you to quit and write it down. Are you worried about your health? Maybe youre thinking about starting dating: being a non-smoker might open up the places you go to meet people. For some people, saving money is a motivator; the amount you spend on cigarettes could buy you golf clubs or a new dress! This list can be a helpful reminder when you feel cravings coming on.

Step 4: The Early Days of Smoke-Free

While Zyban will make it easier to keep from reaching for a cigarette, having distractions in place will help you get through periods of craving. Keep in mind that cravings only last a few minutes and youre tough - you can handle anything for a few minutes! Use deep breathing or a quick walk around the block to ease your tension until the craving passes.

You should also keep an eye out for side-effects of Zyban; common ones are dry-mouth and trouble sleeping, but if you notice other effects (including symptoms of allergy) contact your doctor right away.

Step 5: The Non-Smoking You

People may stay on Zyban anywhere from 7 to 26 weeks, though 7 to 12 weeks is most common. At that point, you are ready to move onto your smoke-free and Zyban-free life!

Copyright (C) Shoppe.MD and Ian Mason, 2004-2005

Ian Mason, owner of Shoppe.MD the only online pharmacy offering smoking help forums. and Zyban online.

Ian is a fat-to-fit student of health, weight loss, exercise, and several martial arts; maintaining several websites in an effort to help provide up-to-date and helpful information for other who share his interests in health of body and mind.

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On Wednesday at 10:15AM October 13th, my body was intact with no parts missing. At two AM, Thursday October 14th, I awakened in someone else’s bed. Lahey Hospital’s. At 3AM, I sat in a large leather reclining chair (I tried wheeling it to my car, but the nurses stopped me) giving thanks for thoughtful and caring friends. Exactly 24 hours after the anesthesiologist put me under, I stood in my kitchen with a catheter and one rather important body part missing. Boy, that all happened rather fast!

The sequence of doctor’s visits, surgery, and follow-up force me to ask, what matters? Our wealth or our health? You might think, Health, of course! Someone else might reply, Wealth; my health will take care of itself if I have plenty of money.

Health never takes care of itself. All kinds of stuff goes on under the skin that needs attention. Overlooking, procrastinating, disliking doctors will not slow-down the creeping effects of cancer or other ailments. Prostate cancer kills. Men need to take careful steps to protect themselves. Actions may not ward off cancer (they did not for me); they will allow time to manage it quickly and wisely. Most men just do not get it.

I get many questions, What did they do? Did they take part of your prostate or all of it? Is it a prostrate or a prostate? What is a PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen) test? Each question is loaded with nuance and fear. This newsletter permits my sharing some valuable thoughts and suggestions. If you like wealth, you better become responsible for your health.

Here are suggestions and observations about prostate cancer. Just the same, knowledge and action encourage a healthy prognosis.

Facts men and women should know

*8 men out of 10 will die with prostate cancer, but not from it

*Get an annual physical (I started them at age 25)

*Request a Prostate Specific Antigen test. Read about it here: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Detection/PSA

*Pay attention to your PSA levels (mine accelerated to 3.9 quickly

*Your doctor will perform a DRE; don’t resist. If DRE does not ring any bells, ask your doctor

*If a biopsy becomes the next step, be sure to take what they prescribe before the procedure; I forgot; it hurts

If you must have the prostate removed; check on multiple options (I met with three specialists at three hospitals.

*Proton Beam Therapy: http://www.llu.edu/proton/

*Davinci laparoscopic surgical method;
http://www.davinciprostatectomy.com/

*Laparoscopic surgical method: http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/localdis/brosmanRP2003.html

For the sake of the body, keep head and heart with:

*Faith: the essence of hope

*Family: the essence of encouragement

*Friends: the evidence of how many care

Learn more: *Unlocking Secrets of Longevity - Read about the Blue Zones http://www.bluezones.com. *Dr. Patrick Walsh’s Guide to Surviving Prostate Cancer

Men know more about the stock market than their bodies. An ancient text reads, We are fearfully and wonderfully made. The outcome of our choices may be answered by our priorities: Health and Wealth?…or…Wealth and Health?

Ray Randall serves clients as a registered investment advisor with his firm, Ethos Advisory Services, Essex, Massachusetts Ethos Advisory Services. He has wide experience within the financial services industry, writes a weekly newsletter for Ethos Advisory Services http://www.ethosadvisory.com, and coordinates the developments at Echievements.com http://www.echievements.com Ray holds a Masters Degree from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Hamilton, MA. You may call Ray (617-275-5565).

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As we discussed in our previous article, you might have been exposed to asbestos airborne particles if you have been building ships, working with heat insulation and changing old brakes pads. There are many dangerous occupations exist, such as, asbestos plant workers, automobile mechanics, boiler workers, plumbers, drywall workers, electricians insulators, painters, even hairdressers and teachers. Many other professions might give an occasional exposure to the asbestos particles.

As the consequence of asbestos exposure you may get asbestosis, but you may also start do develop mesothelioma - relativity rare but deadly type o cancer.

So, how do doctors diagnose the mesothelioma?

When you see your doctor, the first think he does to suspect the mesothelioma is asking about your occupational history. The paramount importance is to catch the asbestos cancer in the early stages of the disease, so time is of the essence. The survival rate is eight to twelve months on average. However, catching and treating the mesothelioma early at some cancer centers gives better results.

Doctors look for signs and symptoms of the cancer. The mesothelioma symptoms often delay up to 20 and more years after asbestos exposure. Yet, in rats intra-pleural introduction of asbestos chrysotile fibers may cause mesothelioma in several months.

People with mesothelioma complain on breath shortness, persistent cough, sputum, and chest pain. The pain comes from pleura - the lungs lining that is very sensitive to irritation. Mesothelioma tends to cause fluid accumulation in the pleural cavity.

Peritoneal mesothelioma causes weight loss, pain and ascites (belly swelling due to fluid in the abdominal cavity). Peritoneal mesothelioma also may block bowels and cause all kinds of troubles with gut obstruction. As many cancers, asbestos cancer also changes blood clotting, causes blood cells decrease (anemia), night sweats, and fevers. Ascites may lead to nausea and feet swelling. Spreading of the cancer will bring pain, difficult swallowing, and neck swelling. This symptom happens because of compression of some great veins going to the heart in your chest. In general mesothelioma symptoms are not very specific. They may characterize any other type of cancer as well as many other non-cancerous diseases. This problem delays diagnosis. Sometimes patients think that they have viral pneumonia. Some patients don’t have any symptoms at all. Mesothelioma in advanced stage, as well as majority of cancers, will cause fatigue.

An x-ray may show a fluid accumulation.

What is a pleural effusion? Pleural effusion means the accumulation of fluid between the pleura on inside chest wall and diaphragm and pleura covering lungs. What is pleura? Pleura is the thin layer of special cells covering the lung and inside of the chest wall. It has an idea of closed plastic bag with some small amount of fluid inside. Basically, this bag helps lungs to slide easily against chest wall during expansion from breathing. The membranes of pleura consist from mesothelial cells. Exactly these cells produce a small amount of the lubricant. The amount of fluid is always in balance. Extra pleural fluid is quickly reabsorbed. When there is too much fluid, it is the effusion. Abdominal cavity has similar lining named peritoneum, which covers abdominal organs the way pleura covers the lungs. Mesothelioma leads to fluid build up, which is caused by cancer cells irritating the pleura or peritoneum. This fluid leads to sickness in your abdomen or difficulty breathing.

Transudation is a pleural effusion with clear fluid. It usually results from imbalance of fluid production and removal. It is more characteristic for some other disease. Doctors would think first about congestive heart failure. Mesothelioma would rather cause an exudate. Exudates are a cloudy pleural effusion with many cells and proteins. Exudates happen after the pleura is irritated and inflamed, as it happen in mesothelioma. To check the type of effusion, doctors would stick a needle and get the fluid sample. This stick is called diagnostic thoracentesis. The fluid will be checked in the lab. If mesothelioma is the cause, cancer cells may be found in the fluid

Why shortness of breath develops? The dyspnea (breath shortness) happens exactly because too much fluid is accumulated and press on the lung, pushing it away form the chest wall inside and thus making the lung smaller. Also the pain from inflamed pleura prevents patient from deep breathing. The receptors in inflamed pleura also cause dry cough. Listening to the lungs with a stethoscope reveals decreased breath sounds. Tapping on the chest sounds dull. This all is the consequence of fluid accumulation.

During your doctor’s visit, you should discuss your concerns about asbestos exposure in the past. Your doctor should check the area of pain and swelling; he also should listen to your breath sounds and check for fluid collection. If your doctors suspect the effusion he may send you for tests and X-rays or refer to a specialist.

If a doctor suspects mesothelioma, he dose not have many specific tests on hands. Many of the usual tests may show no results in mesothelioma. Simple chest x-ray does not always show small pleural effusion. A lateral decubitus film may be required for smaller effusions (the same x-ray but the side view). Otherwise CT scan or ultrasound may show the effusion.

Aleksandr Kavokin, MD, PhD. Medical Articles http://www.kavokin.com, Free On-line diagnostics at http://www.symptomat.com, http://www.rdoctor.com

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There are many natural agents widely available that can improve your health. Here are 10 natural agents proven to help protect against Heart and Lung Disease.

Vitamin C

Study after study has shown how taking a daily dose of Vitamin C (1g a day) really can lower your risk of cardiovascular disease. This nutrient also protects the lungs, especially in smokers. Smoking increases your need for Vitamin C and smokers are recommended to take an extra 35mg a day to compensate.

The richest food source of vitamin C is acerola berries and Viridian (http://www.viridian.com) has launched a new vitamin C made from this fruit.

Hawthorn

Roman physicians used hawthorn as a cardio tonic in the first century AD and clinical studies now show that its healing action is thanks to the presence of proanthocyanidins - red and purple pigments (sometimes called anthocyanins) found in plants which help prevent degenerative disease of the heart, blood vessels and lungs, and are thought to help reverse arthesosclerotic plaque deposits.

Cleverly hawthorn can re-regulate both high and low blood pressure and works to dilate both peripheral and coronary blood vessels, making it a useful aid in the management of angina.

Garlic

With the advent of more cutting-edge remedies, such as red yeast, it seems almost old fashioned now to recommend garlic as a cardiocascular tonic, but it does still merit a mention as a broad-spectrum treatment for arterial disease.

The active agent is an odourless chemical called alliin. When you cut or crush raw garlic, this is immediately converted to allicin, which is the substance that gives garlic its powerful smell.

Allicin then rapidly breaks down into various components and unless herbal remedy manufacturers who want to offer odourless capsules, find a way to stop this process, no active agents will be left. This is the reason there is so much controversy about the different brands and forms of garlic.

Apples

An apple a day may help keep lung cancer at bay, according to preliminary evidence that suggests a very positive relationship between eating five or more apples a week and healthy lung function. Researchers admit they cannot explain why eating apples can offset normal age-related deterioration in lung functioning but suggest it may be thanks to the presence of two active agents quercetin and pectin.

Dandelion

This humble backyard weed is a powerhouse of nutrients that work together to promote healthy heart and lung functioning. Although better known as a digestive tonic it can also work to promote good cholesterol and has a diuretic effect in the body, which then works to regulate blood pressure, when you use the leaves.

Dandelion provides more membrane and lung supporting vitamin A than carrots, is an excellent source of heart-protecting potassium and can help maintain good iron levels to prevent anaemia. The young leaves are delicious tossed into a summer salad.

Guggul

This is a mixture of gum resin substances taken from the plant Commiphora Mukul, which is approved for use as a cholesterol lowering agent in India. Guggul which can also play a role in the treatment of Acne has also been shown to exert protective properties against drug-induced myocardial necrosis and is thought to have useful anti-inflammatory properties.

Taurine

A sulphur-containing amino acid present in high levels in meats and fish, taurine, taken as a supplement has been shown to lower blood pressure and plasma epinephrine (adrenaline) levels. People with high blood pressure and heart problems have higher levels of this hormone circulating in the blood - since it helps the heart work harder to increase its output of blood and thus compensate for any pumping problems - but lower levels in the heart muscle itself, which usually has more taurine present than any other amino acid.

Arginine

Sold in supplement form as L-arginine, the body uses this amino acid as a precursor to nitric oxide, which, in turn, dilates blood vessels and lowers blood pressure. It has been successfully used to help support stable angina patients and in clinical trials, high dosages (17g a day) have been shown to lower bad cholesterol without affecting levels of good choloesterol.

Arginine is found naturally in meats, diary products, poultry and fish.

Homocysteine Modulators

Homocysteine is known to be 40 times a more accurate predictor of the risk of heart disease than cholesterol levels. Homocysteine itself is not a natural protector against heart disease, but the agents usd to regulate its levels are.

Magnesium

Many unexpected adult deaths are thought to occur as a result of fatal hearts rhythm disturbances. We know that magnesium defeciency, which is common in men and women, predisposes to higher risk of these kind of disturbances, so taking a therapeutic daily dose of a magnesium supplement would seem sensible along with increasing your dietary intake of this nutrient.

Potassium

We know that potassium works with sodium to regulate the body’s water balance and normalise heart rythms (potassium works inside the cells; sodium works outside them) and documented research proves that a low-potassium, high-sodium (salt) diet is linked with high blood pressure.

You can receive a free 5 part ecourse on this subject at http://www.be-prepared.naturalremedies4u.com.

You can also submit your own articles for free at http://www.thearticlelibrary.com

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As we discussed in our previous article, you might have been exposed to asbestos airborne particles if you have been building ships, working with heat insulation and changing old brakes pads. There are many dangerous occupations exist, such as, asbestos plant workers, automobile mechanics, boiler workers, plumbers, drywall workers, electricians insulators, painters, even hairdressers and teachers. Many other professions might give an occasional exposure to the asbestos particles.

As the consequence of asbestos exposure you may get asbestosis, but you may also start do develop mesothelioma - relativity rare but deadly type o cancer.

So, how do doctors diagnose the mesothelioma?

When you see your doctor, the first think he does to suspect the mesothelioma is asking about your occupational history. The paramount importance is to catch the asbestos cancer in the early stages of the disease, so time is of the essence. The survival rate is eight to twelve months on average. However, catching and treating the mesothelioma early at some cancer centers gives better results.

Doctors look for signs and symptoms of the cancer. The mesothelioma symptoms often delay up to 20 and more years after asbestos exposure. Yet, in rats intra-pleural introduction of asbestos chrysotile fibers may cause mesothelioma in several months.

People with mesothelioma complain on breath shortness, persistent cough, sputum, and chest pain. The pain comes from pleura - the lungs lining that is very sensitive to irritation. Mesothelioma tends to cause fluid accumulation in the pleural cavity.

Peritoneal mesothelioma causes weight loss, pain and ascites (belly swelling due to fluid in the abdominal cavity). Peritoneal mesothelioma also may block bowels and cause all kinds of troubles with gut obstruction. As many cancers, asbestos cancer also changes blood clotting, causes blood cells decrease (anemia), night sweats, and fevers. Ascites may lead to nausea and feet swelling. Spreading of the cancer will bring pain, difficult swallowing, and neck swelling. This symptom happens because of compression of some great veins going to the heart in your chest. In general mesothelioma symptoms are not very specific. They may characterize any other type of cancer as well as many other non-cancerous diseases. This problem delays diagnosis. Sometimes patients think that they have viral pneumonia. Some patients don’t have any symptoms at all. Mesothelioma in advanced stage, as well as majority of cancers, will cause fatigue.

An x-ray may show a fluid accumulation.

What is a pleural effusion? Pleural effusion means the accumulation of fluid between the pleura on inside chest wall and diaphragm and pleura covering lungs. What is pleura? Pleura is the thin layer of special cells covering the lung and inside of the chest wall. It has an idea of closed plastic bag with some small amount of fluid inside. Basically, this bag helps lungs to slide easily against chest wall during expansion from breathing. The membranes of pleura consist from mesothelial cells. Exactly these cells produce a small amount of the lubricant. The amount of fluid is always in balance. Extra pleural fluid is quickly reabsorbed. When there is too much fluid, it is the effusion. Abdominal cavity has similar lining named peritoneum, which covers abdominal organs the way pleura covers the lungs. Mesothelioma leads to fluid build up, which is caused by cancer cells irritating the pleura or peritoneum. This fluid leads to sickness in your abdomen or difficulty breathing.

Transudation is a pleural effusion with clear fluid. It usually results from imbalance of fluid production and removal. It is more characteristic for some other disease. Doctors would think first about congestive heart failure. Mesothelioma would rather cause an exudate. Exudates are a cloudy pleural effusion with many cells and proteins. Exudates happen after the pleura is irritated and inflamed, as it happen in mesothelioma. To check the type of effusion, doctors would stick a needle and get the fluid sample. This stick is called diagnostic thoracentesis. The fluid will be checked in the lab. If mesothelioma is the cause, cancer cells may be found in the fluid

Why shortness of breath develops? The dyspnea (breath shortness) happens exactly because too much fluid is accumulated and press on the lung, pushing it away form the chest wall inside and thus making the lung smaller. Also the pain from inflamed pleura prevents patient from deep breathing. The receptors in inflamed pleura also cause dry cough. Listening to the lungs with a stethoscope reveals decreased breath sounds. Tapping on the chest sounds dull. This all is the consequence of fluid accumulation.

During your doctor’s visit, you should discuss your concerns about asbestos exposure in the past. Your doctor should check the area of pain and swelling; he also should listen to your breath sounds and check for fluid collection. If your doctors suspect the effusion he may send you for tests and X-rays or refer to a specialist.

If a doctor suspects mesothelioma, he dose not have many specific tests on hands. Many of the usual tests may show no results in mesothelioma. Simple chest x-ray does not always show small pleural effusion. A lateral decubitus film may be required for smaller effusions (the same x-ray but the side view). Otherwise CT scan or ultrasound may show the effusion.

Aleksandr Kavokin, MD, PhD. Medical Articles http://www.kavokin.com, Free On-line diagnostics at http://www.symptomat.com, http://www.rdoctor.com

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