How To Give Up Smoking

Smoking. The gentle, luxurious intake of the smoke from a burning plant of the variety Nicotiana tabcum, one of the family N.O. Solanaceæ. First introduced into England by Sir Francis Drake, but prior to this it was taken to France by Joan Nicot, a Portuguese who brought if from Haiti.
Now everyone is trying to force us to discard this long history and go smoke-free! Why, I ask?
Think of all the benefits of smoking.
If we didn't smoke there would be no research done into the causes of Lung Cancer, Heart Disease, Colon Cancer, Oesophageal Cancer (I like the sound of that one), acute myeloid leukaemia, cancer of the cervix, the pancreas, the kidneys and the stomach. Abdominal aortic aneurysm, cataracts, peritonitis and pneumonia.
We wouldn't get any new knowledge into these deadly diseases, that will kill ONE BILLION SMOKERS by the year 2099, and not only that, think of all those poor scientists out of work and trying to get jobs driving taxis. There will be so many taxis there won't be room for private cars.
What's worse, imagine the amount of carbon monoxide and other greenhouse gasses that come out of those taxis.
No, I say, smoking may be killing us like flies, but it is essential for full employment and to slow the effects of Global Warming and Climate Change.
It is also essential to the economy. It's 2007 and western economies are thriving. Everybody is making a pile of money so what difference does it make if you smoke one measly pack of cigarettes a day? I mean, that's only about $5,475 a year. Chicken-feed at today's wage rates. Personally, I never even notice it's gone.
I'd only waste it on something else, like a skiing holiday, a fast car, a younger woman. I think that I'd best take up smoking again, this is starting to look quite dangerous!
It's also important for us to remember that we have a government to support. How could we ever hope to keep our politicians in the luxurious manner to which they are accustomed without paying around 80% of the price of a packet of ghaspers in tax? Each year the smokers of the developed countries of the world are contributing $4,380 each in taxes to help keep these great economies running. This is a worthy and noble effort and should be applauded and encouraged. It should not have draconian restrictions put upon it.
Smoking is to be banned in bars, restaurants and clubs. Great! More people out of work and even more taxis on the roads! Not that there will be any need for them because the smokers will all stay home and drink themselves into a stupor in a smoke filled hovel moaning about not being able to go out and get drunk because they can't smoke in the pub. There will be hundreds of taxis lined up outside empty bars at three in the morning, with taxi drivers in lab coats and chef's hats leaning against them having a smoke.
In the UK all the Curry Houses will be closed, Australia's Pizza Joints will be gaping empty barns at 2am and, in the US, well, you may as well turn the streetlights out at 10pm!
This is not where we should be heading in the 21st century. After all, Doesn't everyone have the right to die?
Of course they do. If you smokers out there want to kill yourselves, horribly, let me be the first one to encourage you to do so.
Take no notice of the "do-gooders" who are trying to get us all driving taxis. You just KEEP ON PUFFING.
For the weaklings amongst you who decide that you need more taxis on the roads, you can just go and look long and hard at CLICK GRUMPY
Sad though it may be, it WILL help you to stop smoking. Don't worry, though, there will be more than enough smokers to keep the medical fraternity occupied for a long time to come.
Right, that's me out of here. Could someone call me a taxi?

Sunscreens Do They Work?

• Are sunscreens, effective in protecting your skin against the damaging rays of the sun?
  Study after study by dermatologist has proven the most effective way to protect the damaging effects of ultraviolet rays on our skin is simply to stay out of the sun whenever possible.
  


• Since staying out of the sun is not a practical choice for most of us or even one that we would like to make. The next best precaution is to use a sunscreen.
  


• One thing to keep in mind is that a sunscreen, although each active in helping protect the skin does not give one a license to abuse the time spent in the sun.
  


• Sunscreens come in two varieties, inorganic and organic.
  


• The inorganic sunscreens basically work by scattering the UV light using a zinc or titanium oxides to achieve this. They form a reflective shield on the skin.

• Most dermatologists recommended using a sunscreen of the SPF 30 or greater achieve maximum protection.
  


• Another fact to keep in mind is while sunscreens have been proven effective for limited time in the sun to protect against acute UV skin damage and non-melanoma skin cancers.

• It's not clear whether or not they do help protect against melanoma, which is the most dangerous form of skin cancer.
  


• As most sun worshipers already know, different times of the day represent different health risk for your skin as far as the degree of the intensity of the sun's rays.
  


• I came across a neat little rule for determining when the sun's rays are the most dangerous for your skin it goes like this... "The shorter your shadows, the more dangerous, the rays of the sun are for your skin".
  


• The example of this would be, at noon when the sun is at its highest point you will have a very little shadow or no shadow at all. This would be the best time to stay out of direct sunlight, if at all possible.

Sunscreens Do They Work

• Melanoma and non-melanoma malignancies are the most common of all cancers as a matter of fact, they account for about half of all cancers.
  
• With what we now know about the damaging effects of the sun on our skin it is more important than ever to take proper precautions whenever exposure to the sun is unavoidable.

• Sunscreens though effective are limited in their ability to keep your skin protected and healthy.

• Keep in mind that the use of sunscreen is merely a tool and is not meant as a free pass to spend unlimited hours baking in the sun without suffering the consequences.

• One last point... The diminishing ozone layer of our atmosphere results in an increase of the harmful UV rays from the sun.

• What your grandparents may have gotten away with as far as safe time spent in the sun is not relevant to the conditions of today.

• Be skin smart! You will look younger and have healthier skin for years to come.

Physical well-being is the number one reason to stop smoking

• No matter how we look at it, countless studies have already proven that smoking can, indeed, kill, but why is it that people still find it hard to quit smoking even after learning about its dangers?
  
• This is because smoking is a real addiction, and even if a large portion of the 400,000 Americans who die each year from smoking may have intended to give it up, most likely the addiction was too strong that they failed in their attempts.
  
• One reason to stop smoking is that your likelihood of contracting a heart disease is cut in half. You will also be less likely to get sick of cancer of the throat or the mouth if the habit is discarded as early as possible.
  
• This means that life expectancies will increase and people will live to their 80s or 90s if only smoking was eliminated for good. Now, isn't that a good enough reason to stop smoking? Wouldn't you want to enjoy the prime of your life, your retirement years, your grandchildren? It's much better to watch them growing up rather than to spend the rest of your life hooked to a respirator.
  

Reasons To Stop Smoking Are Countless

We all know that smoking not only damages us physically but emotionally, psychologically, and socially as well. These are the very reasons why the reasons to stop smoking are valid and need to be heeded as early as possible.

We all have our personal reasons to stop smoking. Some may already be experiencing the symptoms of the damage that smoking does to our physical health; some may be constantly ostracized by his or her own circle of friends; yet some may simply want to have an overall feeling of wellness.

Squamous

Squamous cell carcinoma is a tumor of the epithelium cells. It occurs in many areas of the body besides the skin including the mouth, lungs and cervix. Squamous cell carcinomas make up about 20% of all skin cancer cases. It is most often caused by continuous exposure to sunlight over a long period of time. If an area is suspected to be cancerous, a biopsy will be done. If cancer is found, surgery will be done to remove the area.

Melanomas

Melanomas are usually noticed by detecting a change in skin moles. If there is any change to the mole, this might mean that a melanoma is present. Individuals should check their moles to see if the size, color or shape has changed. They should also alert their doctor if a mole becomes itchy or starts to bleed. If a patient has a family history of melanoma, they should be examined by a doctor at least once a year as part of a preventative plan.

Types of Skin Cancer

• Although there are several types of skin cancer, the most common are melanoma, basal call carcinoma, and squamous cell carcinoma.

• Although melanoma is not found as often as other skin cancers, it is one of the most well known because it causes the most deaths related to skin cancer. Melanoma is hard to treat, with the most effective option being simply removing the part of the skin that is affected.

• However, this has to be done early in order to be at all successful. There are approximately 160,000 new cases of melanoma each year. Approximately 48,000 people die of melanoma each year.

• Melanoma can be caused by exposure to the sun. This is particularly significant if a person has had a bad sunburn during childhood. White males usually get melanoma more than any other group, and people living in sunny climates are at higher risk. There is also a genetic risk factor.