Showing posts with label Smoking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Smoking. Show all posts
Oral Cancer — Causes and Symptoms
ป้ายกำกับ:
Alcohol,
biopsy,
gum disease,
oral cancer,
oral symptoms,
risk factors,
Smoking
by: Avis Ward
Worldwide, there are 350,000 to 400,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year. Even with today's medical and dental advances, this number hasn't improved significantly in years. Oral cancer is particularly dangerous for two reasons: 1) it is routinely discovered late in its development and 2) oral cancer patients have a 20 times higher risk of developing a second cancer even five to ten years after the first diagnosis.
Doctors can't explain why one person gets oral cancer and another doesn't, even when they have the same risk factors. The known risk factors include:
Worldwide, there are 350,000 to 400,000 new cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year. Even with today's medical and dental advances, this number hasn't improved significantly in years. Oral cancer is particularly dangerous for two reasons: 1) it is routinely discovered late in its development and 2) oral cancer patients have a 20 times higher risk of developing a second cancer even five to ten years after the first diagnosis.
Doctors can't explain why one person gets oral cancer and another doesn't, even when they have the same risk factors. The known risk factors include:
- Smoking and Tobacco Use - At least 75% of those diagnosed with oral cancer are tobacco users, including the so-called 'smokeless' tobacco.
- Alcohol - Heavy use of alcoholic beverages increases the risk of oral cancer.
- Smoking and Alcohol Use Combined - Those who smoke and drink heavily are 15 times more likely to develop oral cancer.
- Sunlight - Prolonged exposure to sunlight is a causative factor in lip and skin cancers.
- Diet - Studies have shown that a diet low in fruits and vegetables may put you more at risk for oral cancer, and other studies indicate that a diet high in fruits and vegetables may protect against many types of cancer.
The symptoms of oral cancer can be painless or mimic the appearance of other, non-dangerous oral symptoms. For instance, a cancer lesion can look much like a common canker sore. Because the dangerous tissue changes of oral cancer can look and feel like the benign tissue changes that occur normally, it's important to have regular dental check-ups. Your dentist can see or feel many changes in your mouth that may not even be noticeable to you. Some symptoms that should trigger an alarm and a dental visit include:
- A color change in the mouth, including white, red, smooth, or discolored patches
- Ulcer or sore on lips or gums that doesn't heal
- Rough, crusty or eroded spot that doesn't heal
- A lump, mass, thickening inside the mouth or neck
- Bleeding in the mouth (Healthy gums don't bleed! This can also be a sign of gum disease.)
- Loose teeth
- Pain or difficulty in swallowing, speaking or chewing
- Pain or difficulty moving the jaws
- Wart like masses
- Hoarseness that doesn't go away
- Numbness in the oral/facial region
- Change in the way teeth fit together
- Difficulty wearing dentures
- Earache
- Any oral change or soreness that doesn't go away or heal within two weeks
While an infection, gum disease, and many other problems and conditions can cause these same reactions, it's still very important that you see your dentist right away if you experience any of them. If your dentist or doctor decides that an area is suspicious, s/he can perform a biopsy of the area. A biopsy isn't painful or time-consuming and is inexpensive. In the case of oral cancer, a quick, early diagnosis can mean the difference between life and death.
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Love Your Heart - Quit Smoking!
ป้ายกำกับ:
blood pressure,
HDL,
Heart disease,
quit smoking,
Smoking
From Terry Martin,
Top 5 Tips for a Healthy Heart
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. today, and the leading cause of death for smokers as well. Cigarette smoking is directly linked to 30 percent of all heart disease deaths in the United States each year. Bottom line: Smoking is hard on the heart.Top 5 Tips to Prevent Heart Disease
1) Quit Smoking!
Because cigarette smoking is so prevalent and destructive, it has been identified by the U.S. Surgeon General as the single most preventable cause of disease and premature death in the nation. Smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD}, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), and coronary heart disease (CHD). And, for people with a history of CHD, cigarette smoking is also a risk factor for sudden cardiac death.More:
2) Watch Your Waistline
The risks to heart health that are associated with obesity include heart attacks, heart failure, CVD and CHD, along with a whole host of other negative health effects. Choose a balanced diet that is low in saturated fat and high in lean protein, fruits and vegetables, healthy oils and whole, unprocessed grains. Be good to your heart by maintaining the proper weight for your age and body type.More:
3) Keep Moving
As little as a half hour of exercise daily can protect your heart. Aerobic activities such as walking, running and swimming work the heart and help keep it robust. We all have busy schedules and hectic lifestyles, and fitting in a daily workout can be an overwhelming thought. However, it's important to remember that exercise doesn't have to be done all at once to be beneficial. Take a couple of short walks a day and use the stairs whenever possible. We can all fit in 10 minutes here and 15 minutes there to move our bodies if we make it a priority. Embrace the challenge and think of exercise as a gift, not a chore. And in a very real way, that's just what it is, a gift...for your heart.More:
4) Watch Your Cholesterol
The toxins in tobacco smoke lower a person's high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL or "good" cholesterol) while raising levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL or "bad" cholesterol). A high level of LDL in the blood is a significant risk factor for atherosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries. Other factors that influence cholesterol are genetics and eating a diet rich in saturated fats and trans fats. If it’s been a year or more since your last cholesterol check, call your doctor and schedule an appointment. If your cholesterol is high, there are steps you can take to control it.More:
5) Maintain Normal Blood Pressure
While at the doctor’s office getting your cholesterol checked, have your blood pressure checked also. Maintaining a healthy blood pressure reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure. High blood pressure is considered to be anything over 140 for systolic blood pressure and 90 for diastolic blood pressure. If yours is high, take it seriously and follow your doctor’s recommendations.More: When you quit smoking, other risk factors for heart disease will be diminished as well. Smokers usually exercise less, especially as they get older and lung function becomes impaired. That inactivity in turn often leads to weight gain. Cigarette smoke also increases bad cholesterol, and while smoking won't cause high blood pressure, if a smoker has hypertension, smoking can increase the risk of malignant hypertension, a dangerous form of high blood pressure.
If you’re still smoking, I urge you to make the commitment to quit now. Every cigarette smoked causes additional stress and damage to your body. And it won’t get any easier to stop the longer you wait. I spent years fervently wishing I could find the right combination of motivation and guts to leave smoking behind for good. One important lesson I learned was this: For a nicotine addict, there is no “ideal” time to quit. Don’t believe the fallacy that you’ll stop smoking “when you’re ready.” You could die waiting for that day to come.
Sources:
1. "The Health Consequences of Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General.". 2004. National Center For Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. 2004. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health.
2. "Health Effects of Smoking - Fact Sheet.". December 2006. Centers for Disease Control.
3. "Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases." 2007. American Heart Association.
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