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Smoking Kills

“And do not kill yourselves. Surely, Allah is Most Merciful to you. And whoever commits that through aggression and injustice, We shall cast him into the Fire and that is easy for Allah” [Qur'an 4:29]

“And do not throw yourselves into destruction.” [Qur'an 2:195]

Smoking has turned out to be far more lethal than suicide bombings for Pakistan over the years. According to The Network, a consumer rights’ protection organization, around 100,000 people die of tobacco-related diseases annually in Pakistan, while the number of lives claimed by suicide bombings over the last nine years comes to around 6,000.
Panelists at a discussion on smoking prevention and control on Monday had a unanimous opinion that until the current anti-smoking laws were enforced, smoking-free-Pakistan would be a distance dream.

Presenting a recent Asian Development Bank report, The Network’s Advocacy and Research Coordinator Dr. Anwar Rafay said Pakistan had lost 5,704 lives to around 332 suicide bombings, which it witnessed since 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US.
He said the country currently had around 25 million smokers, while the annual tobacco-related deaths were 98,640.

According to him, National Health Survey of Pakistan, 1990-94, and Pakistan Health Education Survey, 1999, stated 55 per cent of households had at least one smoker but the recent data had now shown that the problem had worsened. TN representatives said 40 per cent of men and nine per cent of women in the country smoked tobacco. He further said the annual per capita consumption of tobacco in the country was 392 cigarettes per adult annually.

He said media and anti-smoking advocates should collaborate for forcing government into implementing Framework Convention on Tobacco Control Guidelines and the Prohibition of Smoking and Protection of Non-Smokers’ Health Ordinance, 2002.

Dr. Anwar alleged tobacco industry carried out hidden promotional activities despite strict ban. He said recently, his organization highlighted promotional activities of a tobacco giant in the flood-affected areas of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa under the garb of corporate social responsibility, but its coverage on media caused Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani to step in and order prompt halt to the activities. He praised journalists for helping The Network make Pakistan smoking-free and wanted them to do more for the cause.

Another speaker said around 12,000 new children in the age bracket of 6 to 15 began tobacco intake every day. He said tobacco companies should not be encouraged by media even if they did something for humanitarian grounds because it would indirectly promote them.

NEW FORM OF SMOKING : SHISHA …A DELICIOUS KILLER!!!

Recently however, shisha has rapidly gained popularity in Yemen, especially among qat chewers. “Yemenis smoked the mada’a in the past, but shisha is now a major fad in Yemeni society.“The health ministry and official information should really establish a health education curriculum in schools and public places about the effects of smoking shisha and other tobacco products. Kids start smoking shisha to imitate celebrities and to be fashionable,”

“One shisha smoking session is equivalent to smoking 60 cigarettes,” said Dr. Ahmed al-Motarreb, a specialist in heart disease at the cardiac center of the Al-Thawra Hospital in Sana’a. “I advise smokers to stop immediately, because it damages the body by causing wrinkled skin, sexual impotence and many chronic diseases. The reason behind the increase in the shisha smoking phenomenon is that people do not take the health risks seriously.”   Research published in the Journal of Periodontology (Nov. 2005) found that the effects of water pipe smoking are the same as that of cigarette smoking.The prevalence of periodontal (gum tissue) diseases in the study was 30 percent among shisha smokers, 24 percent in cigarette smokers and eight percent in non-smokers.  “Research from this study shows that the relative risk for periodontal disease increased five-fold in water pipe and 3.8-fold in cigarette smokers, compared to non-smokers,” said Dr. Kenneth A. Krebs, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Sheesha Smoking

There is a myth that hookah smoking is safer than smoking cigarettes because the hookah smoke is filtered through water before it is inhaled. But recent studies have found that hookah smokers actually inhale more nicotine than do cigarette smokers because of the massive volume of smoke they inhale…According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) advisory, a typical one-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette. Even after passing through the water, the tobacco smoke produced still contains high levels of toxic compounds, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens).Hookahs are marketed as being a safe alternative to cigarettes. This claim is false. The water does not filter out many of the toxins. In fact, hookah smoke has been shown to contain concentrations of toxins, such as carbon monoxide, nicotine, “tar,” and heavy metals, that are as high or higher than are seen with cigarette smoke. Several types of cancer, including lung cancer, have been linked to hookah smoking. Hookah is also linked to other unique risks not associated with cigarette smoking. For example, infectious diseases including tuberculosis (which can infect the lungs or other parts of the body), aspergillus (a fungus that can cause serious lung infections), and helicobacter (which can cause stomach ulcers) may be spread by sharing the pipe or through the way the tobacco is prepared.
Researchers found increased levels of nicotine and cotinine (a byproduct of nicotine) in the blood plasma, saliva and urine of shisha smokers, which is further evidence that water pipe smoking affects the periodontal tissues in the same way as cigarette smoking.  Abdel-Hafiz al-Khameri, a professor of psychology at the University of Sana’a and the head of the Human Development Foundation, said that stress is a major psychological factor driving people to smoke the shisha.“Many young adults resort to chewing qat and smoking shisha to kill time. Shisha and qat help them temporarily escape from their financial and emotional problems.Finally , I can say that Smoking shisha (Arabic water pipes, sometimes known as hookahs) brings the same risks as smoking cigarettes. It can lead to lung cancer and many other health problems. Smoking can also affect your mental health.so THINK before its too late !!!!

Eat Healthy Foods during Tough Times

Organic, free-range, grass fed, non-gmo, dye-free and gluten-free are some of the popular labels that accompany certain healthy food choices these days. Sadly, along with these labels come high prices. According to global organic farming statistics, in 2009 the United States was the number one country (followed far behind by Germany and France) with the largest domestic markets for organic food.

During economic downturns many people need to tighten their belt and re-assess their purchasing habits. Eating healthy when times are tough can be a real challenge. It takes a little ingenuity, patience and research to find where and how you can obtain many of the healthy foods you’ve come to love and appreciate.

Organic vs. Non-Organic

Advertising campaigns can really sway consumers into thinking that what they are purchasing and what they need to purchase are two completely different things. Do not get sucked into the hype. Although organic farming has created a gold rush of business for many corporations much of it is overtly sensationalized, so much so that even the word ‘organic’ has been considerably stretched thin. To compare what may be best to purchase and avoid when considering healthy food choices, it is best to consult the “clean 15” and the “dirty dozen” lists of foods that are susceptible to pesticides and which should be bought organic.

The Dirty Dozen

During tough times you may want to avoid these fruits and vegetables unless you want to buy them organic. The following non-organic foods have been cited as testing positive for between forty-seven and sixty-seven pesticides:

• Sweet bell peppers
• Domestic blueberries
• Lettuce
• Imported grapes
• Cherries
• Apples
• Nectarines
• Potatoes
• Strawberries
• Peaches
• Kale, collard greens and spinach
• Celery

The Clean Fifteen

These fifteen foods present very small amounts to zero traces of pesticides and can be purchased as inexpensive as possible without compromising your health:

• Cabbage
• Kiwi
• Asparagus
• Sweet onions
• Cantaloupe
• Watermelon
• Eggplant
• Sweet peas
• Pineapples
• Sweet corn
• Mango
• Onions
• Avocado
• Grapefruit
• Sweet potatoes

Buy in Bulk but Buy Smart

With so many warehouse shopping opportunities these days it is worth the initial yearly membership fee to get in on some of the ground floor bargains. By purchasing food in bulk you can still make healthy choices without paying exorbitant individual prices. Assess what you or your household consumes on a regular basis and purchase those items in bulk accordingly. It is important to not let your wide eyes do your shopping when you enter these havens of everything or before you know it you will be leaving with four hundred dollars worth of cases of pickles, candy and mayonnaise.  Stick to what will be used quickly so it does not sit in your refrigerator and spoil or take up necessary shelf space.

Go Easy on the Flesh

Meat, poultry and fish prices are on the rise almost daily. In addition, many of these animal products are tainted with antibiotics and irradiation. Cutting back on your meat consumption and replacing your meals with pasta, rice and beans or salads will not only go easier on your pocketbook but will definitely add to more quality health. Legumes alone are high in protein, fiber and minerals that the body has an easier time digesting and assimilating.

Store Brands

Store brands have become savvier in competing with name brands by improving their ingredients, packaging and especially, price. Do not be afraid to try store brand pastas, salsas, snacks, frozen foods and more. You may be surprised at the comparable quality as well as savings.

Coupon-Mania

Do not get caught up in the coupon traps so many stores are apt to set up. It may seem like a good deal at first to purchase three of the expensive name brand items at what seems to be a lower price but after checking the weight or amount it may not hold up. Slow down when you shop and if possible shop alone with your own music in your headphones. This will enable you to concentrate better and not be confused by outside disturbances.

Junk Foods are Less Expensive but Can They Be Healthy?

This is a fine line because junk foods have become more inconspicuous with their packaging and ingredients. Stay away from sugar, high fructose and corn syrup and instead look for things such as pretzels, crackers, rice or soy ice cream and the like. These items can be less expensive while at the same time healthful.

Hopefully some of these tips will help you eat healthy when times are tough. Preparing food at home and keeping vigilant will go a long way and just may stick, even when tough times subside.

Lungs Cancer Increasing

Lung cancer kills more people than breast, prostate and colon cancer combined, reports the Centers for Disease Control, making it the deadliest cancer of them all.  Nearly 200,000 people in the United States are diagnosed each year.  Of those, 160,000 die.

Why is it the deadliest? Lungs are made to withstand a lot of stress, so by the time symptoms of the malignancy become noticeable, the disease is already in the advanced stages. With the rising incidence in women and survival rates scarcely improving, the outlook for the newly diagnosed is grim.

Cigarette smoking is still by far the biggest contributor to lung cancer, although some 30,000 Americans who have never smoked still develop the malignancy. Radon gas, a byproduct of decaying uranium present in the earth’s soil is the second leading cause. Second-hand smoke, asbestos, air pollution and other carcinogen exposures are also contributors.

Although lung cancer appears to happen overnight it in fact, develops very slowly, sometimes over a period of years. As the cancer forms, it releases chemicals that cause new blood vessels to form which feeds the tumor, allowing it to increase in size and strength.

Symptoms include increased cough, wheezing, hoarseness, coughing up blood, (even a little,) and unexplained weight loss.  Mayo Clinic advises people to report to their doctor any sign or symptom that is worrisome.

The first step in diagnosis is a chest x-ray.  If the chest x-ray is negative and there is still suspicion, such as a smoker who suddenly develops a raspy voice, a CT is ordered for a more detailed cross-sectioned image of the lungs.

Traditional treatment includes surgery, radiation or chemotherapy or a combination of any of the three.  New medications are Tarceva, an oral medication that inhibits tumor cell growth and Avastin, an IV medication that blocks the vessels that feed the tumor.  Occasionally, a lung transplant is performed as a last resort and only in cases that meet strict criteria.

As always, a healthy diet and adequate exercise is beneficial in reducing the risk of lung cancer.  According to a European study found that eating a mix of vegetables and fruit decreased the risk of developing the disease in current smokers and the American Association for Cancer Research found that physical activity also lowered the risk.  Still, the best prevention for lung cancer is still to quit smoking and to avoid exposure to known carcinogens.

FATTY BRANDS

Now how culture and eating habits change in just a decade. This is one of the analysis :

1. Mc Donald’s

Why Mc Donald’s ? Mc Donald’s is the initiator in producing a surge of Fast Food , and that wave took human beings towards life time diseases.  Ultimately , makes people unfit , unhealthy,  fatty and diabetic.

1. Pizza Hut

Another additional thing for making people fatty , unfit and unhealthy.

1. KFC

1. Domino’s Pizza

1. Subway

US Health Ad Target Mc Donald's

Us health Ad target Mc Donald’s , for its factory system and ignoring everything just for the business. On the other side Guardian posted something on it :

“Unhappy meals: American doctors’ TV ad features a corpse holding a hamburger and the line ‘I was lovin’ it’. McDonald’s, which has thrived in the recession, isn’t laughing”

Now we must draw few lines before we begin to step up into practical lives, whether Healthy life is important for us or recession. Mc Donald’s who is the basic cause of FAT , Diabetes and other heart diseases not in just USA but in other major countries . Big Question just arises why Mc Donald’s ? Why not others? Because Mc Donald’s was the initiator of this system , they produced a factory system rather than Fresh food system.

Today , a person is seems to be like chicken in case of recession. I want to ask you , than why you are earning ? to whom you want to grow up? if healthy life is less important than recession.

A hard-hitting US television commercial bankrolled by a Washington-based medical group has infuriated McDonald’s by taking an unusually direct shot at the world’s biggest fast-food chain this week, using a scene filmed in a mortuary followed by a shot of the brand’s golden arches logo and a strapline declaring: “I was lovin’ it.”

The line is a provocative twist on McDonald’s long-standing advertisingslogan, “I’m lovin’ it” and a voiceover intones: “High cholesterol, high blood pressure, heart attacks. Tonight, make it vegetarian.”

MC DONALD’S Spokesman:

“This commercial is outrageous, misleading and unfair to all consumers. McDonald’s trusts our customers to put such outlandish propaganda in perspective, and to make food and lifestyle choices that are right for them.”

You Should have to decide what type of life style you want? Do you want to be a burger or FREE as SALAD?

Grapes

Despite the benefits reported for antioxidants, a new study suggests some of these compounds may place the consumers at risk of developing iron deficiency and anemia.

Previous studies have pointed out the various health benefits of polyphenols including their capability for fighting prostate cancer and leukemia, reducing the risk of heart disease, improving bone health, and preventing glaucoma and other eye conditions.

According to a recently released study, some polyphenol antioxidants, commonly found in legumes and fruits as well as chocolate, green tea and olive oil, are responsible for iron deficiency, the most common nutritional deficiency in the world.

Polyphenol antioxidants grape seed extract and epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) found in green tea interact with the mechanism through which iron is absorbed in the intestinal tract.

In other words, the combination of polyphenol and iron cannot pass the intestinal cells to enter the bloodstream, resulting in iron deficiency in high-risk individuals, such as pregnant women and young children.

Scientists therefore urged individuals particularly those who are at risk of iron deficiency to keep an eye on the polyphenols they consume.

Smoking Ban's in UK

In England, following the ban of smoking in public places, the number of heart attacks have significantly reduced – reported by researchers on Wednesday.

The British Medical Journal’s most recent study says that 1200 lesser people were hospitalized due to hear attack since introducing the smoking ban July 2007 compared to the last five years average. This represents a decline of 2,4 percent.

Research leader, Anna Gilmore, associate of Bath University has emphasized at a press conference, that such health intervention is cheap, easy to put into place and it haw significant health benefits.

According to World Health Organization’s (WHO) data, approximately 5 million people dies every year due to smoking-related heart attack, stroke or cancer. A further 430 thousand people die each year all over the world because of passive smoking.

As girls stood side by side with the boys, they also enjoy shisha smoking in gatherings. Here we can see girls smoking shisha and having fun.

A hookah or shisha (Arabic: ?????) is a single or multi-stemmed (often glass-based) water pipe for smoking. Originally from India, hookah has gained immense popularity, especially in the Middle East and is gaining popularity in the USA, UK, Canada, and elsewhere. Today, some of the highest quality and most extravagant hookah pipes come from Egypt, Iran and Turkey. The hookah operates by water filtration and indirect heat. It is used for smoking herbal fruits and tobacco, and is often considered to be healthier than smoking cigarettes, although recent studies have shown that it is just as detrimental to a person’s health.

Antioxidants help preserve memory by protecting brain cells against damage from free radicals, research stated.

Besides helping your memory and protecting your brain, apples have also been shown to lower your risk for many cancers.

Research recommends consuming two-to-three apples or one-to-two 8 ounce glasses of apple juice each day.

Organic Foods

A recent research found out that expensive organic foods may not healthier than traditional ones.

Researchers of The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Health pointed out that there is no stable proof that organic foods – which don’t contain chemicals and genetically modified materials – are more efficient. According to the authors who published this report in the American of Clinical Nutrition magazine, there is no real difference between organic and conventional foods.

Vegies

The researchers found only twelve publications in which the organic food health effects in long term were analyzed. In one case the researches found connection between organic food consumption and the appearance of allergic skin reactions. In the research 2800 – 2 years old Dutch baby took part and the parents were interviewed from time to time about their children’s feeding habits and about how often appeared eczema on their skin. Based on their answers, the researchers concluded that those children who unlike their fellows consumed only organic dairy products, had less eczema.

However, the downside of the investigation is that the symptoms of children were declared by their parents and it didn’t get revealed if the allergic reactions became less frequent because of the organic food consumption or some other reason.