Helping you talk to kids about smoking

Got a minute? Before you talk to a child about smoking, learn the facts from The Lung Association's Lungs Are For Life Program.

If one or more parent smokes, how likely is a child to smoke?

A child is twice as likely to smoke.

How likely are children who buy imitation candy cigarettes to eventually smoke real cigarettes?

A child is 4 times more likely to smoke a real cigarette

The average age cigarette smoking begins is:

12.8 years of age

In 2000, what percentage of Canadians aged 15 to 19 smoked?

25 percent

Smoking is Ontario's worst public health hazard. True of false?

True

Custody has been denied to a parent who refused to stop smoking around a child with asthma. True or false?

True

What should you avoid when speaking to a child about smoking?

Suggesting that kids who smoke are "bad", implying that smoking is "dumb" and telling children that smoking will kill you.

How many teens who try smoking get hooked?

8 out of 10

How much does the average teenager spends on cigarettes a year?

$1000

For more information, Lungs Are For Life now has an online address! At www.lungsareforlife.ca, kids, teachers and parents can discover all the disgusting facts about smoking and reasons not to smoke.

There is truly something for everyone. Teachers can download the Lungs Are For Life curriculum materials, parents can learn how to speak to their child about smoking and kids can take a totally gross quiz, print out cool downloads and much more, all while learning to identify unsafe substances, resist pressures to use harmful drugs and understand the health risks associated with smoking.

Cigar Smoking

While most of the uninitiated might consider the generic habit of smoking to be one thing, and one thing only, any cigar aficionado will be at great pains to tell you otherwise. While the smoking of cigarettes is something that most teenagers have tried, and increasingly is viewed socially as something a person does because they simply haven't managed to give up yet, cigar smoking is something akin to a hobby, and for many, a passion. While cigarette smoking is something you simple do, the smoking of cigars is done with panache, and like any other skilled pastime, there is a whole sub-culture that participates in it.

Because cigar smoking is undoubtedly a skilled art - as any common cigarette smoker can tell you after making the leap from what might be considered the waif of the smoking world, the paltry and ten-a-penny cigarette, to the voluptuous and charismatic cigar. Cigars have a depth that delves into all five senses, and a flavor that is completely unexpected by those familiar only with cigarettes. The novice cigar smoker will be nauseous and headachy for days! But apparently this is a barrier that is worth working through - you only have to mention cigars to an aficionado to hear them wax lyrical on the wonders of cigars.

Like fine wine, there is a wealth of different types of cigar available whose differences seem incomprehensibly subtle to the disinterested. It is a brave relative or friend who attempts an unguided shopping trip to purchase cigars for a loved one, as the variations available are overwhelming. And, because of the enthusiasm with which cigar lovers love their cigars, the wrong choice can cause a family rift that might linger for years.

Thankfully, the popularity of cigar smoking means that there are a variety of resources available to help, from magazines to websites, whether you are looking to purchase a gift, or simply pretend to be more knowledgeable when next in the company of a cigar smoker. Just remember - don't ask him if he would like a cigarette.

Who else wants to quit smoking once and for all?

Most of us know that smoking is indeed a habit that can have many serious implications on our health but there is a tendency to view the problem lightly. It’s important that every smoker be aware of the facts concerning smoking and so I have included certain facts and figures that I hope will serve as eye openers.

I don’t know how it is with you, but as far as I am concerned as soon as I have to look at statistics, my eyes get bleary and something just turns off in my head. But for your own good I implore you to take a good look at the statistics given below, remember, it could save your life.

As a wannabe quitter, you're in excellent company. People all over the world are trying to quit and stay away from cigarettes. There appears to be a correlation between a country's standard of living, level of education, and income and the number of people who have quit smoking. The more and better-informed people are, the more likely they are to quit smoking.

The Benefits of Stopping Smoking (Part Two)

In part one we talked about the benefits in the first few days of giving up smoking and how within twenty minutes good stuff is going on in your body. In this part we’re going to talk about the benefits after a couple of weeks up until 15 years where your risk of coronary heart disease becomes the same as a person that never smoked.

Lets start within a couple of months of giving up. Through these weeks your circulation and breathing improve making it easier to walk. Your lungs start functioning up to 30% better.

Starting in this time and sometimes taking up to a year your coughing, fatigue and shortness of breathe decrease and your immune system improves. This makes you a lot healthier in only a year and you will be able to feel the difference, I know I did.

Within one year of giving up smoking your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker and then within two years the risk of you having a heart attack drops to near normal. This means that after two years you are one your way to been almost as healthy as someone who doesn’t smoke.

Within five years of quitting your risk of having a stroke is reduced and the risk of getting lung cancer is halved. This is almost reduced to similar of someone who has never smoked by ten years and chances of getting other cancers such as mouth, larynx, bladder and kidney are dramatically reduced.

After 15 years the risk of you having coronary heart disease becomes the same as someone who has never smoked.

That is good news isn’t it. From day one your becoming more healthier and after a couple of years the risk of disease is been reduced. After around 10 to 15 years your body is almost that of someone who has never smoked adding years to your life which goes to show that it’s never too late to quit smoking.

The Benefits of Stopping Smoking (Part One)

So your thinking of giving up smoking but just need a little persuading of the good things that will happen to you if you quit. You’ve been forced to hear about the bad things that will happen if you carry on but like me your probable fed up of that so let me tell you some of the benefits of stopping smoking.

Scare campaigns get you thinking of quitting but the truth is that few people go through with it. What the government should be telling you about is the good stuff and how quick it starts to happen.

Let me tell you about some of the things that happen within a few days of stopping smoking. Think about it for a minute, how long does it take before there are benefits of stopping smoking. Most people think a few days or even a week but the truth is that it only takes twenty minutes before the magic starts happening.

Within 20 minutes of stopping smoking your blood pressure and pulse rate drops to normal. Within 8 hours the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal and the oxygen level increases and by the end of day one (24 hours) your chance of having a heart attack has decreased.

Amazing isn’t it but the good stuff is still to come. After day two your destroyed nerve ending will begin to re-develop and re-grow. Your ability to smell and taste things improves noticeably.

After day 3 your Bronchial tubes begin to relax making breathing easier.

Wow! Who would have thought that stopping for such a little amount of time could make a difference to your health and everyday life. Your body is constantly recovering and getting better each day. Please just try and stop smoking for 3 or 4 days and see if it is easier to breathe. I’m sure you will want to stop when you see the improvement.

In part two of the article I’m going to tell you about the benefits that happen after quitting for a couple of weeks to 15 years where your risk of heart disease becomes the same as a person that has never smoked. People don’t normally believe they can improve there health like this and that’s why they never stop but now you know this I’m sure your going to make a better decision.

7 Proven Ways to Resist the Urge to Smoke

When you decide to stop smoking the most difficult part is to resist the urges. It doesn't matter that each craving lasts only 3-5 minutes. It's still the whole 5 minutes to battle with your willpower! These 7 tips will help you to resist the urge to smoke one urge at a time.

1. Remind Yourself Why You Quit

Every time you experience a craving remind yourself why you quit. It's the excellent idea to take a blank index card and list all the reasons why you decided to quit smoking. List as many as you can, the more the better. If necessary, take the second index card. Carry them with you all the time. Every time you feel the urge to smoke take the index card and slowly read all your reasons why you decided to stop. After you finish reading your urge will pass! (If not, read them one more time or come up with more reasons.)

2. Reward Yourself

Make it a habit to reward yourself at the end of each nonsmoking week. Think of something you want (it doesn’t have to be something expensive, a nice home made meal or hot bath will work). Take the index card and write down what would you give yourself at the end of the week. When the urge comes take a look at the index card with your reward. Isn't it worth coping for 3 minutes? :)

3. Be prepared for your urges

Get yourself prepared for the urge to smoke in advance. In most cases something triggers the craving (certain feelings, people, or places). You have to know what triggers the urge.

Lets do a really quick exercise. Take a blank piece of paper and divide it into 2 columns. On the one side list your triggers (like “stuck in traffic”, “drinking morning coffee”, “arguing with colleague”...) and in the second column write down the alternative course of action.

For example, instead of smoking while drinking your morning coffee you could read a newspaper. Instead of smoking after the hot argument with your colleague you can take a walk around a block or write down everything you think about this person, then tier this piece of paper in shreds and throw it away. Don't be lazy, write it down! This exercise really works!

4. Call your friend

This method works great. Call someone who can support you, who can talk with you for a couple of minutes. You can call your nonsmoking friend, or someone who's trying to quit smoking too.

5. Distract yourself with a quick task

Think of a small task you have to do, something what would take you 5-10 minutes. Make a call, send a fax, make yourself a cup of coffee, water the plant in your office. Anything! Your task is to distract yourself until the urge will pass. (Hint: Try to find activity that makes smoking impossible!)

6. Drink a Glass of Water

Take a glass of water and drink it with a straw. First of all having something in your mouth to chew on will help, second it will take you a couple of minutes to drink the whole glass and the urge will pass. Plus, don't forget that you're supposed to drink 8 glasses of water every day!

7. Power Tip

That’s the disgusting one, but it often works. Print a small picture of smoker's lungs (you can find one here: http://www.quitsmokingsupport.com/lungphotos.html ) and put it somewhere in your wallet. I know the view is not pretty, but something like this can stop you dead on your track from lighting up. Take a look! Really! THIS could be your lungs! You love yourself, and you respect your body. Why harm yourself?

You Can Stop Smoking

The facts are clear. There is nothing worse you could do to adversely affect your health. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death. Women are three times more likely to develop lung cancer then men. Cancer has now replaced heart disease as the number one killer of Americans aged 85 and younger. 1/3 of all cancer deaths are related to smoking.

Although there has been a huge decrease in the number of smokers between 1965 and 2000, 22f American adults still continue to smoke. The good news is that surveys have shown that 70f active smokers want to quit.

When you quit smoking the benefits are immediate. Blood cells that transport carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke begin to transport healthy oxygen. Even though quitting doesn't completely eliminate the risk of developing lung cancer, the risk of lung cancer starts to decline. One year after quitting smoking your chances of having a heart attack drops by half. The risk of lung cancer continues to decline and drop dramatically five to ten years after quitting. So we know that quitting is essential to enjoying a long and healthy life. The question is how do you pick the right way to stop smoking for you?

The first thing you need to know is that most smokers quit unsuccessfully several times before they quit for good. You will most likely not be successful your first time around - but you must still try! Each time you attempt to quit you come closer to finally quitting for good.

There are many organizations available to help you take control of your health and quit smoking. Most smokers find a greater success rate in groups. Organizations such as SmokEnders have community based seminars and will come to the workplace to counsel smokers. SmokEnders is a gradual stop smoking program that says it's success is based on treating the physical and the psychological aspects of smoking. They offer unlimited toll-free phone counseling.

Some people prefer to try to stop cold turkey. They stop smoking completely with little or no reduction in the number of cigarettes they smoke beforehand. As with any smoker who quits, those who quit cold turkey will experience the withdrawal symptoms of irritability, increased appetite and restlessness. For someone trying to stop smoking cold turkey help can be obtained using medications such as Zyban which lessens withdrawal symptoms. Zyban can only be obtained with a prescription.

Some smokers obtain relief from smoking withdrawal with a nicotine replacement commonly known as a nicotine patch. Patches are used for up to eight weeks. Nicotine patches are available over the counter. It is suggested that you talk to your doctor before trying any over the counter nicotine replacement therapy.

The American Cancer Society and American Lung Association have free information available. The federal government also has free information for smokers available at http://www.smokefree.gov.

The Reasons Behind Smoking

So what are . Both you and me know that it is not good for our health? There are very many reasons to it but in this article we will look over the biggest reason in today’s world and that is to release STRESS. So what is stress, can we get rid of it through smoking, if not then how can we get rid of it, lets look at the reason behind smoking.

Stress – What is it?
Stress is the result of feeling helpless, incapable to perform, not able to meet the deadlines and pressurized. Stress could be due to any reason, be it down to pressure at the office, home or even a bad financial situation, or it could be due to anything your not happy with.

Can smoking get rid of it?
Can we get rid of stress through smoking? Will smoking make us relax and even feel better about life? Well lets look at it like this, will smoking get you out of that bad financial situation or do your work for you at the office or even ease things at home. I don’t think so! Then why carry on smoking, it’s not going to cure the problems but just ease it for a few minutes at the very most.

So what do you do?
Then what should I do in a stressful moment? The answer is to confront it head on. You need to find a long term solution to the problem. If you having financial trouble, go to the bank. Trouble at the office, see your boss. Don’t go to the shop and buy more cigarettes, they won’t sort the problem out long term. By confronting it head on you will ease your stress over time.

Don’t Smoke
Smoking is bad for you. Smoking increases the chances of death due to lungs and breast cancer by a number of times. It wrecks the lungs during sports. One good way of easing stress for the short term is to do sport, it can control it way better than smoking can.

Tobacco the chemical contained in the cigar narrows the blood vessels and strains our heart. This gives you a larger risk of strokes and heart disease. If you haven’t stopped yet them you need go for a stress free way of stopping. That way you’ll not feel worse off than when you smoked.

BREATHE EASY SALTPIPE SALT INHALER

The natural respiratory aid to easier breathing! Clinically proven to relieve suffering from asthma.

BREATHE EASY SALTPIPE SALT INHALER.The natural respiratory aid to easier breathing! For centuries salts have been used as folk remedies by many different cultures in regions around the world. Today people suffering from respiratory disorders travel to curative mines such as Wieliczka in Poland, Hallen in Austria or Praid in Romania. Now you can achieve the benefits of salt therapy easily simply and in the comfort of your own home. The BREATHE EASY SALTPIPE SALT INHALER. The modern way to experience salt therapy.

BREATHE EASY SALT THERAPY PIPE Clinically proven to relieve suffering from asthma. Studies reveal that salt therapy shows an improvement in 85% of cases of mild, moderate asthma, 75% of cases of severe asthma and 97% of cases of chronic bronchitis!

Off to the salt mines? Whatever for!

Hundreds of thousands of people suffering from allergies, asthma, and other respiratory system disorders have found that visits to the salt mines of Wieliczka in Poland, Hallen in Austria or Praid in Romania or the Dead Sea to inhale the salt brine vapour have brought amazing natural respiratory relief and treatment of asthma, nasal catarrh, sinusitis, breathlessness, bronchitis, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, night coughing, rhinitis, irritation and coughing caused by pollution and smoking, hay fever and other allergies. Breathe easy! Now you can achieve the benefits of rock salt vapours easily and simply and in the comfort of your own home with the COMPACT BREATHE EASY SALT PIPE SALT INHALER. - the modern way to experience salt therapy.

Salt of the Earth

The benefits of salt therapy or speleotherapy are well documented. In the mid 18th Century a Polish health official Felix Botchkowski noticed that the workers of salt mines did not get ill with lung diseases. He wrote a book about the effects of salt dust in 1843. His successor Mstislav Poljakowski founded a Salt Spa in Velicko near Krakow, which is still in operation.

During the Second World War salt mines were often used as bombproof shelters. After spending time there many people who suffered from asthma felt that their health had improved!

The BREATHE EASY SALT PIPE SALT INHALER is a patented porcelain pipe inhaler filled with Miocene Mineral Halite Salt Crystals from the Transylvanian Praid Salt mine placed in the pipe chamber between ceramic filters so air is drawn through the salt. Its salty therapeutic microclimate calms and cleanses the cells of the respiratory system. When using the pipe the moisture of the passing air absorbs the micron sized particles of the salt that penetrates into the respiratory system to induce natural self cleansing mechanisms that flush away the impurities from the surface of the cells, mechanically cleanse the passage ways, help clear out the nasal cavities and help calm, heal and repair inflamed lungs and airways. Acting as a ‘muco kinetic’ it helps restore the normal transport of mucus and unclog blockages in the bronchi and bronchioles.

Just a few minutes or regular daily use can be of major benefit not only to asthma, hay fever and allergy sufferers, smokers and snorers but can also help overcome stuffiness, persistent coughing, shortness of breath, and wheeziness during colds, flu and other infections and neutralise the daily damaging effects of air pollution, dust, smog, fog and secondary cigarette smoke.

What You Need To Know About Pregnancy And Tanning Booths

If you are pregnant, there are things you should know about pregnancy and tanning booths. Tanning beds safety while pregnant has become very questionable. A better choice might be to use the sunless tanning spray booth equipment to keep your golden tan.

Initially it was believed that the use of a tanning bed after the first trimester was okay. During the first trimester the concern was about overheating yourself and the baby. However, in the past few years health officials are taking a harder stance and are encouraging pregnant women to not use the tanning bed at all.

You’re pregnant, feeling a little less attractive than you normally would. Well you shouldn’t! Pregnant women look beautiful with a glow that cannot be achieved any other way.

However, if you are a little down and missing that sun-kissed skin of previous years, the safest tan you can achieve is from a bottle or a booth. The ingredients in self tanners are harmless to you and your baby. So you can get that golden tan without worrying about hurting your baby.

Not only are sunless tanners safe, they’ve come a long way in the past few years. No more orange skin or weird uneven finishes. You can choose from spray, lotions, or mousse. Apply evenly and within a few hours you’ll be golden gorgeous!

Although there is no conclusive evidence that a tanning bed will harm your baby, there is plenty of proof that it’s harmful to you. So if its harmful to you it only makes sense it could be harmful to your baby. So error on the side of caution and don’t do anything to harm your baby.

Tanning beds have been directly linked to skin cancer. So if you can increase your risk of skin cancer, doctors are becoming concerned that you may also increase your baby’s risk.

One very big concern with direct implications to your baby is “heat”. Lying in a tanning bed raises your body temperature. The increase in body temperature can be hazardous, even deadly to your baby. Studies have shown the first trimester to be the period of highest risk. However, many doctors believe that risk continues throughout the pregnancy.

Having a temperature above 102 degrees F during pregnancy has been associated with spinal malformations on developing babies. Your body temperature in a tanning bed always exceeds 102 degrees F. So why would you want to take the chance of causing a serious birth defect to your baby?

There are also concerns that lying on your back too long can restrict blood to your heart and thus to your baby. When this happens, you’ll know because you’ll become light headed. Restricting blood to your baby can have serious consequences.

Finally, pregnant woman with sensitive skin are more prone to chloasma. Chloasma are those dark skin splotches that appear on the face and arms during pregnancy. Perhaps not dangerous to the baby but certainly not attractive and that’s what this tanning thing is all about right? Looking better.

From the moment you found out you were pregnant, the health of your baby became your biggest concern. You stopped socially drink, if you were a smoker you quit smoking. You started eating healthier and exercising regularly. You started taking better care of yourself for both of you.

So why would you risk the unknown, just to have a tan. Yes I admit a tan does make you feel good about yourself. There’s something about deeply tanned skin that makes one feel attractive. But you can get that beautiful tan right from a bottle or from a spray tan booth. The sunless tanning has been shown to have no bad effects to your baby. So you can have the best of both worlds.

You can have that wonderful glow that pregnancy brings to a woman and you can have that tan you so desire. Take good care of yourself and your baby!

What You Don't Know Can Harm You: Know Your Cleaners Before You Buy

The next time you visit your supermarket or neighborhood retailer, take a quick walk down the household cleaning isle. Take just a few seconds to notice the smell, then move on.

If you've already noticed the smell, have you ever wondered if breathing that in might be harmful to your health? Well, that "clean-smelling" odor you detect all the way down the cleaner isle is caused by something industry experts have termed "out gassing." Out gassing is the process by which those chemical vapors escape from the containers as they sit store shelves. And, just breathing them can be extremely hazardous.

As you may know, inhalation (or breathing) is one of three major ways that harmful chemicals can enter your body. The other two ways include ingestion (or swallowing) and absorption through the skin.

Inhalation is even more dangerous than actually ingesting a chemical, because the harmful agents go directly into the blood stream to affect the lungs, heart, brain, liver, and kidneys. It happens almost instantly. These chemically-based cleaners may get the cleaning job done, but the vapors can enter your system and start doing their damage before you even realize what's happening.

Now let's talk about absorption. One square centimeter of your skin contains millions of cells and nerve endings. This is why we're seeing advertisements for anti-smoking or weight-loss patches. They work because the ingredients enter your body easily through the skin. Unfortunately, the same applies to chemicals.

Every time a cleaning product or other chemical touches your skin, it gets absorbed. Washing your hands after using such cleaners cannot prevent some level of absorption. In fact, even days after you've cleaned a surface, touching it, preparing food on it, or even walking across it can result in harmful chemicals being absorbed into your body.

The third way harmful agents can enter your body is the most obvious: ingestion. If you swallow something, it will eventually get into your blood stream and affect your internal organs.

Ingestion is what most parents of young children worry about when it comes to cleaners. Putting them up high or locking your cabinet may help, but unfortunate accidents still happen, leaving the parents of about 1.5 million children devastated each year when their children are poisoned in the home.

Now you're aware that ingestion shouldn't be your only concern. Armed with this information, perhaps you can better protect yourself and your family. However, there are a lot of other things most people don't know about the household cleaners they're using. For example:

1. Of 17,000 household chemicals, only about 5,100 (or approximately 30%) have been adequately tested.

2. The government has very limited power to regulate and require proper testing of household cleaners for their potentially harmful effects.

3. Less than 10% of our household cleaners have been tested on the human nervous system.

4. Products that kill 50% of lab animals they're tested on may still be legally designated as non-toxic.

5. No law requires manufactures to list the exact ingredients on the cleaning products package label.

If those facts make you a bit nervous, you're not alone. Many parents and consumer protection agencies are already calling for stricter regulations and better testing. More research is also needed to find safer alternatives to the harmful chemicals currently being used.

Still, many families are simply opting to avoid these cleaners altogether and purchase bio-safe, non-toxic household products. Many of these safe cleaners are not only worry-free, but clean just as well or better than their commercially-made counterparts. These products are readily available online and elsewhere.

Those who are concerned about their family's health can purchase a myriad of safer products, and find numerous outlets to voice concern, including calling their state representatives to ask for government action.

Study Links Tobacco Smoke With Belly Fat

Exposure to cigarette smoke raises the risk among teens of metabolic syndrome, a disorder associated with excess belly fat that increases the chances of heart disease, stroke and diabetes, metabolic syndrome, according to a study.

Researchers said it is the first study to establish such a link in teenagers.

"The bottom line to me is: As we gear up to take on this epidemic of obesity, we cannot abandon protecting our children from secondhand smoke and smoking," said lead author Dr. Michael Weitzman, executive director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Center for Child Health Research in Rochester, N.Y.

For the study, metabolic syndrome was defined as having at least three of five characteristics: a big waist, high blood pressure, high levels of blood fats called triglycerides, low levels of good cholesterol, and evidence of insulin resistance, in which the body cannot efficiently use insulin.

In the study, published Monday in the American Heart Association online journal Circulation, researchers found that 6 percent of 12- to 19-year-olds had metabolic syndrome and that the prevalence increased with exposure to tobacco smoke.

The study found that 1 percent of those unexposed to smoke developed the syndrome, 5 percent of those exposed to secondhand smoke had the disorder and 9 percent of active smokers had it.

Looking at teens who were overweight or at risk for being overweight, the effect of smoke was even more marked, with 6 percent of those not exposed to smoke developing syndrome, 20 percent of those exposed to secondhand smoke getting it and 24 percent of smokers suffering from the disorder.

"What this shows is that the percentages of kids who are at risk is vastly higher if they're overweight and they're exposed to secondhand smoke, down to very low levels," Weitzman said.

Weitzman said it is not clear what it is about smoking that appears to make teenagers more susceptible to metabolic syndrome.

However, in adults smoking has been linked to insulin resistance, a risk factor for metabolic syndrome. Doctors also point out that smoking can lower levels of good cholesterol and raise blood pressure, two more markers for the disorder.

The researchers looked at 2,273 adolescents, using information from a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey. The youngsters reported their own use of tobacco. Also, the study looked at measurements of cotinine, a product of nicotine after it enters the body. Two-thirds of teens who did not smoke had cotinine levels that indicated secondhand smoke exposure.

"It's sobering," said Dr. Michael Lim, assistant professor of internal medicine in the division of cardiology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine. "What it points out is a very high-risk group of people - young adults 12 to 19 - who are exposed to tobacco products and sedentary."

The number of overweight teens in the United States has tripled in the past two decades.

Mouth Cancer: A Painful Disease that can Strike Anyone

Mouth cancer is a painful disease. It can affect your lips, tongue, cheeks and even your throat in a short period of time. The sign is a non-healing mouth ulcer or a red o white patch in the mouth.

This disease can affect anyone. It does not matter if you are a young or an old person.The important thing is the way of leading your life,because experts believe that mouth cancer is increasing probably due to drinking alcohol and smoking in huge quantities, and to a poor diet also.

It is believed that these people are up to 30 times more likely to develop this type of cancer thann those who do not smoke nor drink alcohol.

The Brithish Dental Health Foundation estimates mouth cancer kills 1,700 people in the United Kingdom every year, meanwhile 4,300 new cases are diagnosed.

Thereby the importance of warningpeople of all ages to check their mouth regularly, since if mouth cancer is diagnosed early, it can be treated successfully in most cases.

Rememberthat the way to diminish considerably your risk of being affected by mouth cancer is leading a healthy lifestyle, giving up smoking, cutting down on alcohol and eating a healthy diet.

Regular self-examination is very important too, because you shall visit your doctor or dentist if you notice persistent ulcers, lumpsor red or white patches in your mouth.

Laser Teeth Whitening

There's something about a big smile. Especially a big smile that shows beautiful white teeth. A bright white smile says "healthy", and admit it, people with beautiful white teeth somehow even look happier. A whiter smile can make a person more confident and outgoing in social situations. Unfortunately most of us don't have the whitest smile that we could. Years of drinking dark colored beverages such as coffee, tea, soda, and red wine, smoking, and aging take their toll on the color of tooth enamel. The great news is that today anyone can have a dazzling white smile.

Teeth whitening has become the most common form of cosmetic dentistry performed. It's a very simple and fairly inexpensive way to greatly improve your smile. There are several ways to whiten your teeth depending on the amount of money you want to spend, and your level of patience. You can choose from tooth whitening gels and whitening toothpaste, bleaching strips, bleaching gel with a fitted mouth tray, or laser teeth whitening. Laser teeth whitening is sometimes called in-office bleaching. Of all these different types of alternatives laser teeth whitening is the fastest way to a white smile, it's also the most expensive. A one hour teeth whitening session generally runs around $600.00.

Laser teeth whitening is considered the top of the line treatment. It takes about one hour. The dentist applies a bleach solvent containing hydrogen peroxide to the teeth. You will find that hydrogen peroxide is found in all teeth whitening products. The higher the amount of hydrogen peroxide the faster the tooth whitening will take place. Once the bleach is on the teeth the teeth are subjected to a light source, usually a laser. This laser activates the hydrogen peroxide. This application is left on your teeth for twenty minutes. This process is then repeated two more times before you are done.

Of course, the results you receive from any tooth whitening system will fade over time. Trying to avoid dark colored drinks and not smoking will help you enjoy the results longer.

Beneficial Devices to Prevent Sinus Infections

One of the main causes of sinus infection is cause and triggered by a polluted air that we breathe. Almost every corner of the space we move in is affected and was contaminated by air pollutants that in serious cases can contain harsh elements that can give a greater possibility of causing sinus infection. Even offices, motels, restaurants and shops including apartments, warehouses, laboratories, dark rooms and production areas is not anymore a pollutant free. But now devices are invented to help you control some of those elements that pollute the air. Especially made to prevent sinus infection problems, the following are beneficial devices.

Air Purifiers

Sinus infection air purifiers are designed to treat the indoor air that has become polluted by particulates or gases. Sinus infection air purifiers and air cleaners are terms, which are synonymous with each other. Breathing clean air is of great importance to anyone who wants a healthy life, and especially for those who suffer from allergies like rhinitis, dust mite allergy, pet allergy, hay fever or multiple chemical sensitivities.

Many units of sinus infection air purifiers are available in the market today and most of them filter pollen, dust, mould spores, pet dander, airborne particles and some smells, and some of the higher tech models will also deal with an array of chemicals as well.

Air can be composed of organic and inorganic compound, bacteria and viruses. Gaseous pollutants including carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, nitrogen dioxide or the organic chemicals released from gas appliances, cigarette smoking and vehicle exhaust. Other pollutants can arise from gases released by building materials such as insulation, plywood or particleboard.

People with multiple chemical sensitivities can react to almost anything, so the correct choice of air purifier is extremely important, since this person could react to the material that makes up the air purifier such as glue on the hepa filter or out gassing from plastic parts. With the availability of air purifiers the chances of having a sinus problem becomes lesser, the cleaner the air we breathe the safer it is for sinus infections.

Sinus Dehumidifier

Sinus infection dehumidifier is another device that removes the moisture from the air. It converts the moisture to a cold surface. It is same as air conditioner that has both hot and cold coils in one box. A fan draws the room's air over the cold coil of the air conditioner to condense the moisture. The dry air then passes through the hot coil to heat it back up to its original temperature.

Sinus infection furnace

Sinus infection furnace filter is important thing in your home, office and other industrial sites. All of the people are looking for a clean air. It helps because it can reduce visible dust in present in your surroundings. It is best remedy in sinusitis problems

There are types of air filters. There are fiberglass filters which is the least expensive, that is designed to block the large dust and particles to protect the furnace. Another is the washable electronic filters that attracts dust and have coarse much effective than the disposable one. Pleated filter helps eliminate large allergens like molds and pollens. Meanwhile, the most innovative filter is the electronic air cleaner that magnetizes the pollutants and collects them on the filter material.

Sinus infection steam cleaner

Sinus infection steam cleaner is a device used for cleaning houses, offices and other facilities. This device uses steam in order to clean. Sinus infection steam cleaner is easy to use. There are portable sinus infection steam cleaners that can remove stains fast and easy, with high durability. These portable steam cleaners are easy to carry around a house or office.

This device, aids those who are suffering from any types of sinusitis, like, acute sinusitis, chronic sinusitis or fungal sinusitis, by eliminating all dusts and other allergy causing bacteria inside the house office or building. By doing this, further complications to a person's sinuses are evaded. This is good especially for those persons who have acute sinusitis and for those who have fungal sinusitis.

Always remember the importance of bringing fresh air into our body. The air we breathe usually affects and even added to the accumulated dirt in our nose that causes sinus infection. Securing such kind of device is beneficial not just by giving us comfort but also providing us with healthy breathable air.

All about smoking and how to quit

Why do we smoke?

Why do we smoke, when we all know that it is not good for health? There are very many reasons to it but in this article we will ponder over the biggest reason in today’s times and that is to release STRESS. What is stress, can we remove it through smoking, if not then how can we remove it, lets talk a little in the light of these questions.

What is Stress?

What is Stress? Stress is the situation when we feel helpless, incapable to perform, not able to meet the deadlines and pressurized. Stress could be due to any reason, be it work pressure, differences at personal front, may be due to financial crisis, or it could be due to anything.

Can we remove it through smoking?

Can we remove it through smoking? Can we smoke away our blues in the air and relax? Perhaps the answer is in the negative. If I have to submit a report to my boss in an hour, which I know, is just impossible and I am thus nervous, will smoking a complete cigarette down my lungs make me build a ginnee of that smoke that will do some miracle for me. Perhaps that could have happened, but alas it is not so. Then why am I smoking, if it is doing no good to me?

Then what to do?

Then what should I do in a stressful situation? The answer is confront it. Face the problem and find a solution to it. As for in my case above I would have talked to my boss, for some more time to prepare the report or if that could not have been possible to, provide me with some helping hand. Thus in a nutshell it is only positive attitude and logical thinking that helps you come out of a crisis situation. That’s why it is rightly said that it’s your attitude and not your aptitude that decides your altitude.

Dangers of smoking

Smoking not only does no good to us but it is bad for us, it thus does double harm to us. Smoking increases the chances of death due to lungs and breast cancer by a number of times. It wrecks the lungs during sports.

Tobacco the chemical contained in the cigar narrows the blood vessels and strains our heart. The biggest harm of tobacco is that it makes a person addictive to its use. So one should watch out, so as not to become addictive to its use in his plight to get rid of his worries and frustration.

How To Quit Smoking

One of the most vicious diseases in today’s times is smoking. It makes a person baffle for air 3 times more than a non-smoker. It has very many repercussions on the life of the smoker and those around him. It leads to lung cancer and various heart diseases like asthma and emphysema. We should thus abhor this deadly disease and quit smoking.

Quitting is not easy

But to actually quit smoking is not easy, because it is an addiction. However there are very many ways and methods that help us to quit smoking for instance we can opt for acupuncture therapy or aromatherapy. We can also opt for non-nicotine cigarettes or go for precise prescription by a doctor.

But first and foremost we need to decide in our heart to stop smoking and should also fix a day for the same. Inform your family about your decision and seek for their help and assistance. Throw away all the cigarette packets, ashtrays and lighters. Stop buying any more cigarettes. Rather think of the more useful and better things that you can buy with the money thus saved. Ask the other family members also, who smoke, to stop smoking. Keep yourself busy. Exercise regularly and meditate occasionally. Eat healthy food.

After doing all this you may still feel severe urges to smoke. You may also actually retort back to it, but that’s no problem, just be persistent and bring back your decision on to the right track after this break, because most of the people are successful only after 2-3 attempts.

Be prepared for withdrawal symptoms

About 80% people retort back to smoking after once leaving it and only 20% successfully accomplish the task. People retort back due to many reasons. Some say they feel agitated. Others say that the aroma when someone lights up is irresistible. But most of them do so due to the fear of symptoms that appears after that last puff viz. weight gain, aggressive thinking, dry throat, fatigue, muscle cramps, constipation, dizziness, hypersensitivity to stimuli, etc. but these are all just temporary symptoms and disappear in a few days. In fact after the initial bout is over the blood pressure, heart rate, pulse arte all get back to normal. You thus need to keep your will power strong and stick to your decision for a few more days.

Some people are not able to continue with the smoke cessation programs because they say that they are costly. But this is a wrong perception because they are not costlier than the price spent for buying cigarettes. And then isn’t it more logical to spend on your health rather on a disease.

How Your Smoking Affects Your Loved Ones

Your cigarette, cigar or pipe smoking doesn't only have an affect on your health. The U.S. Surgeon General's report "The Health Consequences of Smoking," released in 2004, states it has been proven that smoking (or living with a person who smokes) can cause disease in nearly every organ of the body, in men as well as women. This means that every time you "light up" you are potentially damaging the health of your children, your spouse and your loved ones.

It is a fact that second hand smoke (also known as environmental tobacco smoke or ETS) is a major cause of children's illness. As children have developing lungs and have higher breathing rates than adults they run the greatest risk of health effects. In children under the age of 18 second hand smoke has been linked with pneumonia, lower respiratory tract infections, upper respiratory tract irritation, increased severity of asthma and asthmatic symptoms. It has been associated with sudden infant death syndrome, middle ear infections, upper respiratory tract infections (colds and sore throats) and cancers and leukemia. Japanese researchers just released a study that suggests that second hand smoke may affect childrens gums. 70f the children of smokers had a brownish or black pigmentation of their gums.

Statistics show that approximately 3,000 non-smoking adults die of lung cancer each year as a result of second hand smoke. Second hand smoke has been linked to nasal sinus cancer, cancer of the cervix, breast and bladder. Second hand smoke also causes an increased risk of death from heart disease.

If you must smoke, it is essential that you protect your loved ones, especially children. Don't smoke in your home. If you must smoke, smoke outside. Do not smoke in your car when your children are with you. Make sure that childcare providers and others who work in your home or around your children do not smoke.

There are many publications available to you free online that provide information on environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) and it's affects on your family. Visit the US Environmental Protection Agency at http://www.epa.gov/smokefree/publications.html for a free booklet.

The fact is that it's not only your own health at risk when you smoke.

You quitting will make your loved ones healthier, and happier too.

How to overcome smoking

“Quit Smoking” is the slogan of the hour.

We all know that smoking is hazardous to health. It has very severe ill effects like respiratory problems, lung cancer, breast cancer, bronchitis, emphysema, reproductory problems, etc. It is thus the need of the hour that we should free our selves from the clutches of the deadly disease. But it is not an easy task to actually quit smoking completely once a person has started it. Smoking makes a person its slave and he becomes addict to its use.

Difficult but not impossible

It is though difficult but not impossible to quit smoking because the word impossible itself says “i-m-possible”. The most important attribute that a person needs to have to quit smoking is self-belief and persistence. It is difficult to stay away from smoking in initial stages but with the help of adequate medical aid and strong will power if a person overcomes the initial bouts to smoke, then he will be the master over this deadly disease. He should love himself and not let the ill effects of smoking show on the god’s greatest creation.

As a stimulant to help him quit smoking a person should regularly exercise and meditate. This keeps him physically fit and mentally strong. He should also take proper diet, because proper diet not only satisfies the body’s needs but promises to deliver a trim and healthy you, producing undeniable pride and happiness in your body, mind and spirit.

Chain smokers should delay the next cigarette .In the meantime they should keep their hands busy and minds diverted from the thoughts of smoking. They should drink water to keep cool and calm and resort to deep breathing. If still the urge is irresistible they can resort to use of chewing gums or fake cigarettes or herbal cigarettes.

Seek Specialists help

Also a person can take help of an acupuncture specialist or he may occasionally go for aromatherapy. A person should also bring a major change in his routine to be on the smoke cessation wagon. He may change the route to his office, should take tea for coffee, should avoid the company of smokers, etc.

Thus we should all come together and make concerted efforts to bring the smoking addiction to its knees. All the smokers out there should take a vow this minute that they will buy no more cigarettes. Rather they will expense that money on their children, families, and their own health, which mean much more to them.

How To Have A Healthy Heart

Keeping our hearts healthy is important, but how do we do it? Fortunately the answers to this are very clear.

Being overweight, particularly if you carry the weight around your waist, puts unnecessary strain on the heart. To find out if you have a problem you need to know your height to weight ratio (WHR). To work this out measure round your waist in centimetres and divide it by your hip circumference. The measurements need to be in centimetres, so if your measuring tape is in inches, multiply each measurement by 2.5 before dividing one by the other. If the figure you end up with is greater than 0.9 for men and 0.8 for women then your fat distribution is likely to be associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Research has shown that many overweight people with angina, raised blood cholesterol and high blood pressure found their condition improved greatly, even after losing only some of their excess weight. Many of those who kept their weight off were able to reduce their medication or even stop it entirely.

Exercise is important for your heart too. If you take regular exercise, it will speed up your basal metabolic rate. This means that you will burn more calories, not only when you are exercising but for some time afterwards as well. People often imagine that they have to exercise hard to have an effect, but it’s enough just to take exercise that leaves you warm and breathing heavily, but still able to hold a conversation.

Did you know that each day most of us take between 3,000-4,000 steps? And that's just not enough. Experts say that we should aim to take 10,000 steps to maintain a healthier lifestyle. Increasing to 10,000 steps a day will burn between 2,000 and 3,500 extra calories per week, which will result in achieving a vastly better health profile and longer lifespan. There are lots of ways you can increase the number of steps you take: get up to change the TV rather than using the remote; park further from the supermarket; take a walk around the local park or your garden/yard; walk rather than take the car on short journeys. Using a pedometer will help motivate you to clock up those extra steps.

Giving up smoking is likely to have a dramatic effect on your heart. Carbon monoxide produced when you smoke cigarettes attaches to red blood cells, so that in smokers up to half the blood can be carrying carbon monoxide rather than oxygen. No wonder many smokers are breathless! If you need help giving up smoking, try one of the books or CD’s by Allen Carr. He has helped thousands of people to give up.

And, if you don’t already, start flossing your teeth! This may seem bizarre in relation to the heart, but it has been shown that there is a link between gum disease and heart disease. The exact mechanism isn’t understood fully yet, but flossing your teeth and having regular dental checks is important for a healthy heart.

Finally, give and receive love. The scientific evidence isn’t there (yet) for how important this is for our hearts, but it has been established that people who have loving relationships also tend to have long and happy lives.

10 Powerful Hints to Stop Smoking

Whether you are using Nicotine Replacement Therapy, Hypnosis or just Cold Turkey, these strategies and hints for aiding you in stopping smoking are sure to assist. It is up to you to ensure that you do these things to really enhance what you are doing, the more effort you put into these exercises, the easier it is to stop smoking for good.

Powerful Hint 1

Being a smoker is like cycling with stabilisers attached to the wheels, you can find it hard to be balanced without smoking. Now, when you cycle freely again, the natural balance returns.

When people smoke, more than half of what they breathe is fresh air - pulled through the cigarette right down into the lungs. So if you feel any cravings you can instantly overcome them by taking three deeper breaths. Imagine breathing from that space just below your belly button. Whenever you do this you put more oxygen into your bloodstream. This means you can use deep breaths to change the way you feel instantly and give you power over the way you feel and help you let go of those old cravings and thus making it easier to stop smoking.

Powerful Hint 2

Next, think now of all the reasons you don't like smoking, the reasons that it's bad and the reasons you want to stop smoking. Write down the key words on a piece of paper. For example, you experience breathlessness, it's dirty, filthy and your clothes smell, your friends and family are concerned and it's expensive, unsociable and so on. Then, on the other side of the paper, write down all the reasons why you'll feel good when you've succeeded in stopping. You'll feel healthier, you’ll feel in control of your self, your senses are enhanced, your hair and clothes will smell fresher and so on. Whenever you need to, look at that piece of paper.

Powerful Hint 3

Next, we are going to programme your mind to feel disgusted by cigarettes. I want you recall 4 times when you thought to yourself "I've gotta quit", or that you felt disgusted about smoking. Maybe you just felt really unhealthy, or your doctor told you in a particular tone of voice 'You've got to quit' or somebody you know was badly affected by smoking. Take a moment now to come up with 4 different times that you felt that you have to quit or were disgusted by smoking.

Remember each of those times, one after another, as though they are happening now. I want you to keep going through those memories and make them as vivid as possible. The more vivid you make those memories, the easier it will be to stop smoking. See what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how you felt. I want you to take a few minutes now to keep going through those memories again and again, overlap each memory with the next until you are totally and utterly disgusted by cigarettes.

Powerful Hint 4

Have a think to yourself about the consequences of you not stopping smoking now, if you just carry on and on. Imagine it, what will happen if you carry on smoking. What are the consequences? Imagine yourself in 6 months time, a years time, even 5 years time if you do not stop smoking now. Think of all the detrimental effects of not stopping right now and how a simple decision you make today can make such an impact on your future.

Next, imagine how much better is your life going to be when you stop smoking. Really imagine it's months from now and you successfully stopped. Smoking is a thing of the past, something you used to do. Keep that feeling with you and imagine having it tomorrow, and for the rest of next week. In your mind, imagine stepping in to that non-smoking version of you and feel how it feels to be a non-smoker.

Powerful Hint 5

Also, your mind is very sensitive to associations, so it's very important that you have a clear out and remove all tobacco products from your environment. Move some of the furniture in your house and at work. Smokers are accustomed to smoking in certain situations. So, for example, if you used to smoke on the telephone at work move the phone to the other side of the desk. Throw away ashtrays, old lighters and anything that you used to associate with smoking. Make your environment conducive to stopping smoking.

Powerful Hint 6

Smokers sometimes use their habit to give themselves little breaks during the day. Taking a break is good for you, so carry on taking that time off - but do something different. Walk round the block, have a cup of tea or drink of water, or do some of the techniques on this programme. In fact, if possible drink a lot of fruit juice. When you stop smoking the body goes through a big change. The blood sugar levels tend to fall, the digestion is slowed down and your body starts to eject the tar and poisons that have accumulated. Fresh fruit juice contains fructose which restores your blood sugar levels, vitamin C which helps clear out impurities and high levels of water and fibre to keep your digestion going. Also try to eat fruit every day for at least two weeks after you have stopped.

Also when you stop, cut your caffeine intake by half. Nicotine breaks down caffeine so without nicotine a little coffee will have a big effect. Drink 8-10 glasses of water (ideally bottled) to help wash out your system.

Powerful Hint 7

You were used to using cigarettes to signal to your body to release happy chemicals, so next we are going to programme some good feelings into your future. Allow yourself to fully remember now a time when you felt very deep ecstasy, pleasure or bliss, right now. Take a moment to recall it as vividly as possible. Remember that time - see what you saw, hear what you heard and feel how good you felt. Where abouts in your body were those feelings, imagine turning them up and spreading them through your body to make them more intense.

Keep going through the memory, as soon as it finishes, go through it again and again, all the time squeezing your thumb and finger together. In your mind, make those images big and bright, sounds loud and harmonious and feelings strong and intensified. We are making an associational link between the squeeze of your fingers and that good feeling.

Okay, stop and relax. Now if you have done that correctly when you squeeze your thumb and finger together you should feel that good feeling again. Go ahead do that now, squeeze thumb and finger and remember that good feeling.

Now we're going to programme good feelings to happen automatically whenever you are in a situation where you used to smoke but now you stop smoking.

So, next I'd like you to squeeze your thumb and finger together, get that good feeling going and now imagine being in several situations where you would have smoked, but being there feeling great without a cigarette. See what you'll see hear and take that good feeling into those situations without a need for a cigarette.

Imagine being in a situation where someone offers you a cigarette and you confidently say 'No thanks, I don't smoke'. And feel fantastic about it!

Powerful Hint 8

Get social support. Your commitment to stopping smoking for the rest of your life can be made much easier by talking about it to friends and family and letting them support you. They will congratulate you on doing so well too! You really did stop smoking.

Powerful Hint 9

Be aware of making excuses for yourself. Some people talk themselves into smoking, especially if they encounter a stressful situation and in the past they used to deal with it by smoking. If those old thoughts pop into your head, shout the word “STOP” in your head, to stop the thoughts from progressing. Nicotine just stresses your body more and is like that itch that can never be properly scratched; the more you smoke, the more you have to. So say “STOP” and steer clear of old slippery slopes.

Powerful Hint 10

Reward yourself. Congratulate yourself. Treat yourself each time you get past a certain milestone; the first week or first month, the six month target. Let yourself know that you did something really special here.

Keep on using your brain, stretching it and helping your self, by running through these exercises time after time; you are sure to be able to make it easier and easier and successfully stop smoking for good.

Five Things You Need to Ask Your Doctor about Stroke

Stroke is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States. Every year, stroke strikes approximately 750,000 Americans, killing 160,000 and forever changing the lives of many who survive. The good news is that up to 80 percent of strokes can be prevented every year; the bad news is that studies conducted by the National Stroke Association show that fewer than 30 percent of those surveyed said their doctors discussed the topic of stroke during annual exams.

A stroke is a “brain attack,” cutting off vital blood and oxygen to the brain cells that control everything we do -- from speaking, to walking, to breathing. Most strokes occur when arteries are blocked by blood clots or by the gradual build-up of plaque and other fatty deposits. Some strokes can be caused by arteries rupturing when weak spots on the blood vessel wall break.

To help patients get the information they need to control their risk factors for stroke, the National Stroke Association has launched the Ask Your Doctor education campaign, urging you to ask your doctor the following five questions on your next visit.

1. Am I at risk for stroke?

Most people have some stroke risk. A few stroke risk factors are beyond your control, such as being over age 55, being a male, being an African-American, having diabetes, and having a family history of stroke.

There are medical and lifestyle risk factors you can control. Medical stroke risk factors include previous stroke, previous episode of transient ischemic attack, or “TIA,” high cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart disease, atrial fibrillation and carotid artery disease. Lifestyle stroke risk factors include smoking, being overweight, and drinking too much alcohol.

2. How do I lower my risk for stroke?

Address the risk factors you can control. Know your blood pressure, and work with your doctor to keep it under control. If you smoke, stop. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. Know your cholesterol, and if it is high, ask your doctor for advice on lowering it. If you have diabetes, follow your doctor’s recommendations carefully to control your condition. Include exercise in your daily routine; a brisk walk, swim or other activity for as little as 30 minutes a day can improve your health in many ways. Cut down on sodium and fat in your diet. Finally, ask your doctor if you have circulation problems.

3. What if I have a stroke?

If you have a stroke, seek immediate medical attention -- stroke is an emergency. Learn to recognize stroke symptoms. Common symptoms include: sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg -- especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; and sudden severe headache with no known cause. Call 911 if you see or have any of these symptoms. Treatment can be more effective if given promptly -- every minute counts.

4. What are my recovery and rehab options after my stroke?

Rehabilitation starts in the hospital as soon as possible after the stroke. In patients who are stable, rehabilitation may begin immediately after the stroke, and should be continued as necessary after release from the hospital. Depending on the severity of the stroke, rehabilitation options include physical, speech or occupational therapy delivered in a number of settings: a rehab unit in the hospital, a rehabilitation hospital, home therapy, outpatient therapy clinics, and a long-term care facility that provides therapy and skilled nursing care.

5. How can I support those touched by stroke?

If you are the primary caregiver for a stroke patient, you may want to find a support group. Check with your doctor or hospital, or contact the National Stroke Association. If a friend or relative has a stroke, offer to relieve the caregiver for a few hours a week; volunteer to run errands, do grocery shopping or provide meals. Don’t be afraid to ask the patient and caregiver what they need.

For more information on stroke prevention, treatment and recovery, visit www.stroke.org, the National Stroke Association’s Web site or call (800) STROKES.

Courtesy of ARA Content