The Health Blog

We’ve all heard it before—especially those people who use tobacco regularly— cigarettes and other forms of tobacco are addictive. We even know that nicotine is the drug in tobacco which causes addiction, and that all tobacco products contain substantial amounts of nicotine. The nicotine is absorbed quickly in the lungs from tobacco smoke and in the nose and mouth from smokeless tobacco, such as snuff and chewing tobacco. Even knowing all of this, millions of people continue to use tobacco, many of them, perhaps, because the addiction is so powerful.

How powerful is nicotine? Here are some facts, according to the 1988 Report of the Surgeon General on the Health Consequences of Smoking:

1) Used regularly, levels of nicotine accumulate in the body both day and night. In other words, daily tobacco users are exposed to the effects of nicotine 24 hours a day.

2) The more and longer you smoke, the more your body builds up a tolerance to nicotine, meaning the more nicotine you get, the more you need in order to produce the same feelings. That’s the reason that certain unpleasant symptoms, such as headaches and dizziness, which usually accompany beginning smoking disappear once tobacco is used regularly.

3) Nearly every component of the body’s endocrine and nonendocrine system is affected by nicotine and smoking.

4) Most patterns of tobacco use are regular and compulsive, and any attempt to give it up usually results in a withdrawal syndrome.

Whenever someone who uses substances that contain nicotine—cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff, chewing tobacco—attempts to quit, he or she usually experiences varying levels of the following withdrawal symptoms:

1) A craving for nicotine.

2) Frustration, irritability, anger.

3) Anxiety and tension.

4) Decreased heartrate.

5) Increased appetite.

6) Lack of concentration.

Most withdrawal symptoms seem to reach their zenith within the first 24 hours after quitting tobacco use and then decline gradually after that over several days or a few weeks.

Scientific research suggests that medicines can help reduce certain withdrawal symptoms as well as the likelihood of starting tobacco use again, but they seem to be more effective when used with behavioral intervention, such as relaxation methods and hypnosis.

Local offices of the American Cancer Society, the American Heart Association, and the American Lung Association can provide pamphlets on how to stop smoking and information on low-cost cessation programs. For those people who find quitting smoking “cold turkey” too difficult, the information supplied by these organizations can be very helpful.

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Recent research suggests that some natural chemical compounds found in fruit may help prevent certain types of cancer . The compounds are known as limonoids and were tested on rats. The results showed that limonoids caused an increase in the secretion of an anti-cancer enzyme in the rats’ stomachs, providing them with added protection against stomach tumors and stomach cancers. Limonoids are the natural compounds that create the slightly bitter taste in some fruits, including oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit.

Many Nuts And Berries May Help Prevent Cancer

According to results from a study conducted at the Medical College of Ohio in Toledo, elegic acid—a substance found in many nuts and berries—may help your body tend off cell damage caused by certain Cancer-causing chemicals or carcinogens.

Researchers discovered that elegic acid neutralizes carcinogens which have invaded the bloodstream.

The researchers note that the substance only seems to work if it is introduced into the body’s system immediately before or during the time the body is exposed to the cancer-causing carcinogens.

Because the body has difficulty absorbing elegic acid in a concentrated form, supplements of the substance aren’t very effective. The researchers indicate that elegic acid in its natural form—in nuts and berries, such as Brazil nuts and strawberries—is more easily absorbed by the human body.

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Nutrients are substances YOU need to get every day from what you eat and drink, and by that definition water is an essential nutrient. The recommended amount of water is 8 glasses (64 ounces) per day. That may seem excessive, but under average conditions—a moderate temperature, and only light exercise—the body loses 2 to 3 quarts (2 quarts equals 64 ounces) of fluid a day through sweating, breathing and waste products.

All that fluid must be replaced to maintain an adequate fluid balance in the body. Some of the fluid is replaced when you eat solid foods, such as fruits and vegetables— which contain a lot of water. Other liquids, such as juice, milk, soup, and soft drinks, also help replace lost fluids.

Plain water is best, however, because it is more efficiently absorbed than other fluids, especially those that are high in sugar. Coffee and caffeinated soft drinks are not good replacements either because caffeine acts as a diuretic and causes even more fluid to be lost. Alcohol has the same negative effect.

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Findings from a new study suggest that people who wear disposable contact lenses may be up to 14 times more likely to get sight-threatening eye ulcers than those people who

wear non-disposable soft lenses.

Researchers say, however, that the condition may not be due to the lenses, but rather to improper care by wearers. Apparently, many people fail to heed the limits stated on the recommended wearing times for the lenses.

The study was focused on 42 cases of eye ulcers associated with contact lens wear. The results showed that compared with people who use d daily-wear soft lenses; disposable soft lens users had a 14-times greater risk of developing a potentially dangerous eye ulcer called ulcerative keratitis. The ulcers can be treated effectively by antibiotics, but if left untreated, can cause scars and blindness. Key: Don’t wear your contact lenses longer than you are supposed to.

How To Save Over Seventy Percent On Your Contact Lenses

It isn’t always necessary to consult an eye doctor if you want to replace your contact lenses with the same brand, type and prescription. Several mail-order firms offer over 70% off most brands and types of contact lenses. However, many experts are opposed to this type of lens buying because they feel that mail-order customers will stop seeing their doctor for regular vision checkups.

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