If you’ve been thinking about quitting smoking but think the damage has already been done, take a look at the progress your body can make when you finally stop. Consider these from the Discovery web site:
- About 20 minutes after you quit smoking, your blood pressure decreases and your pulse rate goes down.
- Some 8 hours after you quit, oxygen levels increase to normal and carbon monoxide levels drop to normal.
- One day after you quit, your risk of heart attack goes down.
- After 1–9 months, coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease.
- After a few weeks, circulation and lung function increase.
- A year after you quit, your risk of heart disease is cut in half.
- Approximately 5–15 years after you quit, your risk of stroke is reduced to the same risk of someone who never smoked.
- After 15 years, your risk of death is almost the same as someone who has never smoked.
Community Hospital offers a stop smoking class. Call 649-7780 for more information.
Secondhand smoke poses serious threat
The U.S. Surgeon General has issued a report calling secondhand smoke a health hazard. Almost one-half of all non-smoking Americans are regularly exposed to tobacco smoke, which increases their risk of lung cancer and heart disease by 20–30 percent.
Children of smokers face special risks including sudden infant death syndrome, lung and ear infections, and asthma attacks.
Sinking your teeth into whole grains
Eating whole grains may reduce the risk of gum disease, according to a study of more than 34,000 men. Those who ate an average of three whole-grain servings a day had a 23-percent lower risk than those who consumed little or no whole grains.
Whole grains help control blood sugar and reduce the odds of developing type 2 diabetes. High blood sugar and diabetes increase the risk and severity of gum disease.
Firing up the grill...
September and October can be the warmest months on the Monterey Peninsula. Perfect for a little
barbecue. But the high heat of grilling meat, poultry, and fish can create potential carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).
To reduce your risk:
• Choose lean cuts and trim any visible fat so less fat drips during cooking.
• Marinate meat, even briefly, before you grill it. This can decrease certain types of carcinogens by more than 90 percent.
• Use lower heat.
• Raise the grill rack farther from the heat.
• Flip the meat frequently.
• Don’t use mesquite. This soft wood produces very high heat.
— Wellness Letter®, University of California, Berkeley
Can CHOCOLATE help you avoid colon cancer?
Yes. Foods rich in magnesium — that includes dark chocolate — can help reduce the risk of colon cancer, according to a recent study of more than 35,000 women. Those who consumed the most magnesium from food (more than 350 milligrams a day, the recommended daily level) were 23 percent less likely to develop colon cancer over a 17-year period than women who consumed the least magnesium. The best sources for magnesium are leafy greens, nuts, beans, whole grains, some fish, and — yes — dark chocolate.
— Wellness Letter®, University of California, Berkeley
Feel the burn? Try this . . .
Whether it is from the foodfilled day at the fair or the wine-tasting trip, most of us have experienced heartburn at one time or another.
If you seem to suffer from it frequently, here are a few tips to avoid the burn:
• Lose weight.
• Don’t eat within three hours of bedtime.
• Avoid large meals.
• Stop smoking.
• Cut back on alcohol.
• Avoid spicy, fatty, or fried foods; chocolate; peppermint; or anything you think might be the culprit.
• Don’t drink milk to ease heartburn. It may feel soothing at first, but can promote acid production later.
• Elevate the head of your bed. Put wooden blocks under the headboard to raise it by at least four to six inches. It’s important to raise your upper body, not just your head.
• Cut back on fluids with meals.
• Chew gum after meals.
• Wear comfortable, loosefitting clothes.