People who are trying to quit smoking cigarettes use nicotine chewing gum. It is a substitute for oral activity and provides a source of nicotine that reduces the withdrawal symptoms experienced when smoking is stopped. However, some people who have successfully stopped their smoking habit are turning out to be addicted to the nicotine gum itself.
We don’t have to fully understand all the hazards that smoking cigarette brings just for us to realize that indeed we need to quit the habit. And those in the know say that cigarette smoke has over 4000 chemicals in it, 40 of which are known carcinogens. On top of that, at least 200 of those chemicals are flat out poisonous. Inhaling second hand smoke kills, that is why smokers are in greater risk of its hazardous effects because they breathe in both mainstream and sidestream smoke. And while cigarette smoke is worse than nicotine in itself, it does not discount the fact that nicotine is a harmful drug.
Long term use of nicotine may lead to cancer. It also affects how our bodies function by putting stress on the heart and increases blood pressure. According to the reports of The Journal of the American College of Cardiology, nicotine harms the linings of our arteries which leads to the build-up of plaque, thus, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke. Moreover, nicotine suppresses insulin output creating a hypoglycemic condition.
Nicotine chewing gum is a nicotine replacement therapy NRT product. It can be a perfect quit aid for some people as it already helped many thousands of people stop smoking successfully. It isn’t easy to quit from smoking and having a wide variety of quit aid options to get clear of this addiction ultimately means more lives saved.
However, some quitters are getting addicted to the nicotine chewing gums and lozenges that they find it hard to quit from the new habit.
NRTs are not intended for long-term use. It is not only expensive to maintain but the gum can also potentially stick to and damage dental work. Pregnant and nursing women, as well as people taking certain medications may also be advised against using nicotine products due to the side effects such as headaches, hiccups, sore jaw and hives.
Though chewing a couple of pieces of nicotine gum everyday is a much better choice over smoking a stick of cigarette, treat it the way you would a prescription drug. Use it as per instruction by your doctor and follow the product directions. Proper use can ease the discomforts of recovery from nicotine addiction. Everything in life has some level of risk. NRTs are not excluded.
Be sure to wean yourself off of the product in the time period suggested. Remaining dependent on nicotine, regardless of the form it comes in, may lead to an increased risk of a smoking relapse. Moreover, as in the case with habit-forming drugs, tolerance will increase over time and so will the intake.
According to Lynn T. Kozlowski, Interim Dean of the School of Public Health and Health Professions at the University at Buffalo, The problem is not that people use it too much. The greater problem is that they use it too little. People use it for a week, and then they are back to smoking cigarettes.
Smoking cessation experts said that although nicotine therapy doubles a smokers chance of successfully kicking the habit, use of the products remains relatively low. Most people often find nicotine gums and lozenges having unpleasant taste. And the thought that nicotine is what makes cigarettes harmful also keep them from trying the gum.
The goals of most therapists is to get more people to try NRTs as an aid to help them kick the smoking habit. Although a few people may get hooked on the nicotine products, managing to stop smoking is a good sign that you can eliminate your dependence on the NRTs as well.
Susan Zafarlotfi, Clinical Director of the Breath and Lung Institute at Hackensack University Medical Center in New Jersey said that once someone has stopped smoking, she tries to encourage patients hooked on nicotine gum to start substituting real gum from time to time. You may get a placebo effect, she noted.
Suffice it to say that nicotine is a poison, and that the human body is much better off without it, nevertheless, the shot of nicotine you get from the gum is definitely small in comparison to smoking.

Men – What You Do On A Daily Basis Affects Your Sperm Maturation Process
While a woman is born with all the eggs she’ll ever have, men produce sperm on a continual basis. Therefore, what a man does on a daily basis can affect the sperm maturation process.

Smoking, drinking, drugs, stress, poor nutrition and lack of exercise all can contribute to poor sperm quality. And, it was recently discovered, a man’s sperm quality begins to decline around the age of 25.

There are five main factors that contribute to overall sperm quality. They include sperm motility, speed, count, concentration and morphology shape and size.

A weakness in any of these areas can affect the chances of conception.

Motility
Sperm motility is a term that describes sperm’s ability to move in an active fashion in other words, are the sperm “strong swimmers?” In healthy sperm, typically more than 50 are active with over 25 moving forcefully in one direction. Motility enables the sperm to travel through the cervical canal, into the uterus and the fallopian tubes and, finally, to penetrate the egg.

Speed
The forward movement of sperm called progressive motility, forward progression or rapid linear progression. There are also several different ways to classify forward movement.

According to the World Health Organization 1999, in a healthy male, greater than 25 of sperm will exhibit progressive motility. It is thought that these are the sperm with the best chance of successfully fertilizing an egg. Rapid linear progression showed a greater than 60 improvement after four months of treatment with acupuncture, herbal medicine and supplements.

Sperm Count
Sperm count refers to the number of sperm in the fluid that is ejaculated semen. There are over 40 million sperm in a normal ejaculate. A total count below 40 million may indicate decreased fertility.

With the Berkley Center’s unique protocol of acupuncture, herbal medicine and supplements, count increased more than 14 after four months of treatment.

Concentration
Concentration is a measure of the number of sperm cells in a milliliter of semen. Normal concentration is at least 20 million sperm cells per milliliter of semen.

With the Berkley Center’s unique protocol combining acupuncture, herbal medicine and the appropriate supplements, concentration improved after four months of treatment.

Morphology shape and size
A healthy sperm cell will have a shape similar to a tadpole. The sperm’s oval head contains the genetic material, the center provides energy and the tail propels the sperm forward.

Using the strict criteria put forth by the World Health Organization 1999, studies of Assisted Reproductive Technology programs show lower pregnancy rates with less than 15 normal forms. Furthermore, experts believe that abnormally shaped sperm cannot fertilize an egg.

Subfertility
The term, subfertility, refers to couples that are unable to achieve conception after a year of unprotected intercourse or 6 months if the woman is over age 35. It is different from infertility. A subfertile couple merely has lower odds of conceiving during any given month than fertile couples.

Statistics at a glance
Human reproduction is surprisingly inefficient and quite complex — the likelihood of pregnancy within any given month is believed to be only 25 percent among fertile couples.

1 out of 12 couples have subfertility.

Male-related factors account for 40 percent of subfertility. Female-related factors account for another 40 percent and a combination of male- and female-related factors account for about 20 percent.

About 90 of all subfertility can be traced to specific causes that can be treated.

Typical causes of male subfertility
Sperm production problems

Blockages in the sperm’s delivery system

Injuries to the testicles

Low or high hormone production

Anatomical problems

Varicocele varicose veins around the testicle

Past illnessesinfectionsvarious diseases

Certain medications

Sperm quality
Sperm quality is a contributing factor for 40 percent of couples experiencing infertility. There are five main factors that contribute to sperm quality

Motility The ability to move in an active fashion. In healthy sperm, typically more than 50 are active with over 25 moving forcefully in one direction. Motility is what enables a sperm to travel up the cervical canal, into the uterus and the fallopian tubes and, finally, penetrate the egg.

Speed Progressive motility. In a healthy male, greater than 25 of sperm will exhibit progressive motility. It is thought that these are the sperm with the best chance of successfully fertilizing an egg.

Count The number of sperm in the fluid that is ejaculated semen. There are over 40 million sperm in a normal ejaculate. A total count below 40 million may indicate decreased fertility.

Concentration A measure of the number of sperm cells in a milliliter of semen. Normal concentration is at least 20 million sperm cells per milliliter of semen.

Morphology The shape and size of the sperm. A healthy sperm cell will have a shape similar to a tadpole. The sperm’s oval head contains the genetic material, the center provides energy and the tail propels the sperm forward.

Using the strict criteria put forth by the World Health Organization 1999, studies show lower pregnancy rates with less than 15 normal forms. Furthermore, experts believe that abnormally shaped sperm cannot fertilize an egg.

Motility, speed and morphology appear to be the most important factors to assess the fertilizing capability of sperm. Despite a low sperm count, many men with high-quality viable and highly mobile sperm may still be fertile.

It’s time to start a Healthy life
your 7 days program

How many times have you gone to sleep at night, swearing you’ll go to the gym in the morning, and then changing your mind just eight hours later because when you get up, you don’t feel like exercising?

While this can happen to the best of us, it doesn’t mean you should drop the ball altogether when it comes to staying fit. What people need to realize is that staying active and eating right are critical for long-term health and wellness — and that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

The more you know about how your body responds to your lifestyle choices, the better you can customize a nutrition and exercise plan that is right for you. When you eat well, increase your level of physical activity, and
exercise at the proper intensity, you are informing your body that you want to burn a substantial amount of fuel. This translates to burning fat more efficiently for energy.

In other words, proper eating habits plus exercise equals fast metabolism, which, in turn gives you more energy throughout the day and allows you to do more physical work with less effort.

The true purpose of exercise is to send a repetitive message to the body asking for improvement in metabolism, strength, aerobic capacity and overall fitness and health. Each time you exercise, your body responds by upgrading its capabilities to burn fat throughout the day and night, Exercise doesn’t have to be intense to work for you, but it does need to be consistent.

I recommend engaging in regular cardiovascular exercise four times per week for 20 to 30 minutes per session, and resistance training four times per week for 20 to 25 minutes per session. This balanced approach provides a
one-two punch, incorporating aerobic exercise to burn fat and deliver more oxygen, and resistance training to increase lean body mass and burn more calories around the block.

Here’s a sample exercise program that may work for you

Warm Up — seven to eight minutes of light aerobic activity intended to increase blood flow and lubricate and warm-up your tendons and joints.

Resistance Training — Train all major muscle groups. One to two sets of each exercise. Rest 45 seconds between sets.

Aerobic Exercise — Pick two favorite activities, they could be jogging, rowing, biking or cross-country skiing, whatever fits your lifestyle. Perform 12 to 15 minutes of the first activity and continue with 10 minutes of the
second activity. Cool down during the last five minutes.

Stretching — Wrap up your exercise session by stretching, breathing deeply, relaxing and meditating.

When starting an exercise program, it is important to have realistic expectations. Depending on your initial fitness level, you should expect the following changes early on.

From one to eight weeks — Feel better and have more energy.

From two to six months — Lose size and inches while becoming leaner. Clothes begin to fit more loosely. You are gaining muscle and losing fat.

After six months — Start losing weight quite rapidly.

Once you make the commitment to exercise several times a week, don’t stop there. You should also change your diet andor eating habits,’ says Zwiefel. Counting calories or calculating grams and percentages for certain nutrients is
impractical. Instead, I suggest these easy-to-follow guidelines

Eat several small meals optimally four and a couple of small snacks throughout the day

Make sure every meal is balanced — incorporate palm-sized proteins like lean meats, fish, egg whites and dairy products, fist-sized portions of complex carbohydrates like whole-wheat bread and pasta, wild rice, multigrain cereal and potatoes, and fist-sized portions of vegetable and
fruits

Limit your fat intake to only what’s necessary for adequate flavour

Drink at least eight 8-oz. glasses of water throughout the day

I also recommend that you take a multi-vitamin each day to ensure you are getting all the vitamins and minerals your body needs.

I suppose that’s all I can think of for now. I should extend my thanks to a doctor friend of mine. Without him, I wouldn’t be able to write this article, or keep my sanity.

Enjoy life, we all deserve it.

You’ll find many more useful information and articles at Health & Vitality – to Enjance Your Life.

Health & Vitality for all your life-enhancing and personal development products. – Visit

Smoking, they say, is the leading cause of lung cancer world-wide. A recent study shows that, in the United States alone, 157,200 people have died of smoking-related lung cancer. Some of which are caused directly by smoking, and some due to second hand smoke. However the effect of smoking does not only stop at lung cancer.

Smoking and cancer

Statistics show that smoking attributes to 54 of mouth cancers, 50 of esophageal cancers, and 70 of cancer of the larynx. And also, in relation to men and womens sexual health, smoking increases risks of cervical cancer by 19 to 80 depending on the frequency of consumption, and it also increases risks of penile cancer by 50.

These numbers certainly prove that smokers are at a bigger likelihood to develop a lot of different kinds of cancers as compared to non-smokers. Male smokers have a 20 increased chances of developing lung cancer while women have a 13 increased risk.

Tobacco smoke is composed of four thousand different harmful substances, chemicals, and toxins. Sixty out of those four thousand chemicals are known to cause cancer. These cancer causing toxins are mainly found in tar that smokers inhale from a cigarette. About 70 of that tar stays inside the lungs. Studies have shown that benzpyrene, one of the carcinogens found in tar, damages and slowly destroys genes responsible for fighting cancer causing cells and subsequently prevent development of cancerous tumors. In almost 60 of smoking-induced cancers, these genes were seen to be damaged.

Oral or throat cancer

Oropharyngeal cancer may involve the lips, mouth, tongue, gums, salivary glands, esophagus, larynx, thyroid glands, andor the cells lining the throat. Its earliest symptom may be a pale lump inside the mouth that will not seem to heal. An estimated 7,000 Americans die of oropharyngeal cancer yearly. Smoking may cause cancer development in the mouth alone, on the throat alone, or a combination of both. Symptoms of oropharyngeal cancer may include the following

o A sore in your mouth that doesn’t heal or increases in size.
o Persistent pain in your mouth.
o Lumps or white, red or dark patches inside your mouth.
o Thickening of your cheek.
o Difficulty chewing or swallowing or moving your tongue.
o Difficulty moving your jaw, or swelling or pain in your jaw.
o Soreness in your throat or feeling that something is caught in your throat.
o Pain around your teeth, or loosening of your teeth.
o Numbness of your tongue or elsewhere in your mouth.
o Bad breath.
o A swelling or lump in the throat.
o A persistent cough.
o Blood-flecked phlegm.
o The sensation of something permanently stuck in the throat.
o Voice changes, such as persistent hoarseness or huskiness.
o Throat pain.
o Referred pain into the ears.
o Swallowing difficulties.
o Breathing difficulties.
o Swollen lymph glands.
o Gastrointestinal disorders, such as excessive reflux, diarrhea or constipation.

Treatment

Treatment of oropharyngeal cancer will depend on the size, type, and location of the cancer and whether it has already spread. It may include one or a combination of the following

o Surgery. This includes surgical removal of the tumor and its affected organs. The amount of tissue to be removed may depend on the size of the tumor and the mass it has already affected.
o Radiation therapy. This includes exposing the cancer causing cells to small, precise doses of radiation.
o Chemotherapy. It involves the use of cancer cell-killing medications that is used in conjunction to radiation therapy.
o Long term monitoring. This may include regular examinations and x-rays to check that the cancer has not come back.
o Rehabilitation therapy. This includes assistance from health professionals such as dietitians, speech therapists, and physiotherapists to regain motor functions of the affected areas.

The best way to avoid getting yourself into this situation is to avoid smoking. It is understandable that this will be difficult to do if youre a chain smoker. Cutting back on cigarette consumption may help to gradually get you into the path to being smoke free. All it takes in enough will power and discipline to keep yourself healthy and cancer-free.

In a lot of old movies you can see men smoking pipes or cigarettes or cigars and wearing smoking jackets or a woman in a sexy pose, a cigarette between her fingers, blowing smoke up in the air. Those were cool looks back then. Since finding out how bad smoking is for you and the people around you, it isn’t cool anymore.

Have you ever watched someone die from lung cancer? I have. It is a horrible way to die. The person who is dying is in pain most of the time and throwing up from the drugs that are suppose to help, but never do. The caretaker wants to help, but there is nothing that can be done to make the person feel better.

When it gets bad enough someone has to tend to all of their personal needs 24 hours a day. The person dying feels humiliated and the caretaker suffers from the strain of it all. It is a heart-breaking job to watch someone you love die this way and there is nothing you can do to make it easier for them.

When the person dies it doesn’t end for the caretaker. There are feelings of quilt for “letting” the person die, thinking they didn’t do everything they could, even though nothing could be done to stop it. It takes a lot out of the caretaker and a long time to get over it.

The person dying or the caretaker could be your mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, or you. I quit smoking 25 years ago because I wanted to live; you can too. So please quit smoking, you are killing the people you love and you are killing me.

Unknown to many, the most preventable cause of death in the United States is smoking. The average male smoker will die before reaching the age of 62, the early retirement age to be eligible to collect social security. The mortality rate of smokers who consume two or more packs of cigarettes daily is 12 to 25 times greater than nonsmokers. Smoking causes approximately 30 percent of all cancer deaths, and is associated with 87 percent of lung cancers. Smoking also contributes to cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, pancreas, uterus, cervix, kidney, and bladder. These are just some of the harmful effects of excessive, long-term smoking. Despite the health risks, millions of people still buy cigarettes to satisfy their nicotine cravings.

According to Denver urologist Lawrence Karsh, M.D., smoking is one of the worst things a young man can do to his body. We already know about smoking’s link to lung cancer and heart disease. But smoking, if done over the course of many years, can also damage and block the blood vessels inside the penis, resulting in a failure to sustain a normal erection. In most cases, the damage won’t be seen until it’s too late.

A new study confirmed that men who smoke have greater risk of sexual impotence. Sexual impotence is the consistent inability to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance. In a study of almost 5,000 Chinese men aged 35-74 who were free of blood vessel disease and who reported that they had been sexually active within the last 6 months, the researchers found a significant link between the number of cigarettes smoked and the likelihood of sexual impotence. Researchers from Tulane University School of Public Health in New Orleans have found that the association between cigarette smoking and sexual impotence had already been established in earlier studies. However, most of those studies were conducted in patients with hypertension or high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease. Based on the research, men who smoked had a 41 percent greater risk of sexual impotence than men who did not. Also, there was a clear dose response relationship, meaning that the more men smoking, the higher their risk of sexual impotence. Compared with non-smokers, men who smoked up to 10 cigarettes a day had a 27 percent greater chance of sexual impotence, and those who smoked 11-20 sticks a day had a 45 percent greater chance of sexual impotence, while those who smoked more than 20 had a 65 percent chance of suffering from sexual impotence.

The researchers found that even when cigarette smokers quit, their risk of developing sexual impotence did not decrease. The risk of sexual impotence was about the same for former cigarette smokers as for current cigarette smokers. According to study released by Tulane University, preventing smoking should entail a strong message for young men that gets their attention. Such a message should include clear information regarding the the links between smoking and sexual impotence — a problem that may be encountered by even healthy individuals. But another clear and simple message about smoking should be — don’t even start.

One of the best and proven ways to quitting smoking is by making changes to a lifestyle that has been hindered by that dangerous and addictive habit. You must substitute your old lifestyle with a new one. Focusing on your new lifestyle allows you to live and visualize the end result – smoke-free, healthy, and vibrant – and not just talk about it.

A very successful way of starting a new lifestyle without smoking is to begin a fitness program.

A fitness programs offers a lot of help for the person quitting smoking. Exercise helps to reduce stress which is a major trigger for smoking with many people.

It will also help to sustain a healthy bodyweight and this can be a fear for people who are prone to put on weight once they stop smoking as nicotine helps to keep weight down.

Statistics have shown that those people who are involved in some form of exercise regimen have a greater chance of triumph when quitting smoking.

The endorphins that are released with exercise are a superior substitute than those that people get from nicotine. One of the main reasons why quitting smoking is so hard for people is because of the endorphins that are released in the brain while smoking. Endorphins are also known as the feel good chemical.

The release of endorphins with exercise can bring about a sense of well-being for several hours following your workout.

As your health will begin to progress within 20 minutes from your last cigarette and continue to do so as your body overturns the damage that smoking has done, one of the first things you will notice will be the capacity to breathe more freely.

Being able to breathe more freely will also boost your energy levels and this will also be augmented by the improvements in the ability for the blood to carry oxygen to all parts of the body.

Increased energy makes working out easier and the upward cycle of fitness can bring some exceptional improvements over a relatively short term.

Changing lifestyles to include exercise usually pushes people to make other improvements to their life with superior nutrition and leading a more stable life. The extra money that you will save from not having to buy cigarettes will allow for more options to get the most out of life and experience things that were previously unattainable when smoking was a part of it.

Quitting smoking is not suppose to be life ending; only life changing for the better.