You have had a stroke. Hopefully, you went to the hospital when you developed your symptoms of weakness, numbness, altered speech or visual impairment. Your hospital care enabled you to limit the damaging effects of the loss of circulation to a portion of your brain. You’ve made it through the acute phase of stroke management. Now what?

You will want to obtain the best achievable outcome from the impairments you already have. If you have “motor” impairments weakness or clumsiness you can rest assured that randomized, controlled trials — the gold-standard method for determining a treatment’s effectiveness — have shown that physical therapy can improve your level of functioning. If you have speech impairment, then speech therapy might be beneficial, though this has never been proved by means of randomized, controlled trials.

While it is important to focus on rehabilitation following a stroke, there are also other issues to attend to. As a survivor of a stroke you are at increased risk for another.

Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Columbia University in New York studied 655 people who suffered first ischemic strokes. Ischemic strokes are due to plugged blood vessels and not bleeds, and comprise 85-90 of all strokes. Publishing their results in a March 2006 issue of the journal “Neurology,” the investigators found that in the first five years following the stroke there was an 18 likelihood of another. Over the same time period the research subjects also experienced a 5 likelihood of a heart attack.

Can you improve your odds? Absolutely! The process of using information from the first stroke to help prevent another is called “secondary stroke prevention.” The idea is that if there is something that can and should be done to reduce one’s risk, now is the time to do it. There is no point in waiting for yet another attack to occur before getting started.

A blue-ribbon panel from the American Stroke Association and American Heart Association reviewed the state of knowledge concerning secondary stroke prevention for patients with ischemic strokes and published their results in a March 2006 issue of the journal “Circulation.” They found that use of blood-pressure-lowering medications has a powerful effect in reducing the risk of a second stroke — ranging from 24-43 in better studies — and this benefit might even extend to patients who have normal blood pressure to start with.

If you have diabetes, then it is especially important to control high blood pressure. Using a medication from the groups of drugs known as “angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors” ACEIs and “angiotensin receptor blockers” ARBs will not only help control blood pressure, but will additionally help protect the kidneys. If you have diabetes, then it is also important to consider use of cholesterol-lowering medication, especially from the class of drugs known as “statins.” Statins can additionally benefit people without diabetes and even those without elevated cholesterol levels. Of course, in diabetes it is also important to keep the blood-sugar levels as close to normal as is humanly possible.

Quitting smoking is also pivotal in preventing another stroke, and it is never too late in the game to benefit from this difficult but important change. Consumption of more than two standard drinks of alcohol per day also increases the risk of stroke and should be avoided. If you are obese, then it is in your best interests to lose weight through a combination of calorie reduction and sensible exercise.

If your hospital studies showed that a carotid artery is 70-99 narrowed severe stenosis and your recent stroke was downstream from this blood vessel, then you are much less likely to have another stroke if you have a surgical clean-out endarterectomy by an experienced surgeon whose complication rate is less than 6. If you have severe narrowing, but because of some medical or surgical problem the surgery is considered too risky, then insertion of a stent into the narrowed artery can serve as a substitute for endarterectomy.

The carotid arteries are pulsating blood vessels in the front of the neck that carry blood to much of the brain. If the carotid artery on the same side of the stroke is 50-69 narrowed moderate stenosis, then an endarterectomy can be considered, but the benefit of surgery in these circumstances is much less clear-cut. If the narrowing is less than 50 mild stenosis, then you are better off leaving the artery alone.

The above recommendations are based on studies in people with atherosclerosis hardening of the arteries which is the most common cause of strokes and, for that matter, heart attacks. But not every stroke is caused by atherosclerosis. That’s why medical testing is important in stroke patients — so that treatment can be tailored to individual circumstances.

What about blood-thinners? If you have atrial fibrillation a specific pattern of irregular heartbeats then you are at particular risk to have a stroke due to a blood clot being thrown into the circulation from the heart. In this case warfarin Coumadin is the blood-thinner of choice. If for some reason the warfarin cannot be tolerated or is considered too risky, then aspirin is a second-best choice.

If your stroke was due to atherosclerosis, then studies support the use of an “anti-platelet” drug. Platelets are the building blocks from which blood clots are made, and anti-platelet drugs interfere with the ability of the platelets to clump together to form a clot. Antiplatelet drugs of first choice include aspirin by itself, aspirin in combination with extended-release dipyridamole Aggrenox, and clopidogrel Plavix.

It’s important to realize that patients who address every risk factor for a second stroke are likely to have the best outcome and the lowest chances of another attack. Handling some risk factors and not others is better than doing nothing at all, but in fighting off a second stroke, you want to use every weapon in your arsenal.

C 2006 by Gary Cordingley

Let me start off by saying, that this is not an article about how to stop smoking. In a way, it is quite the opposite. Whether it is a pipe, cigar, or cigarettes, some of us have found that we are smokers. Maybe you have attempted to quit, and maybe you havent cared enough to try. Either way, the truth remains, I am a smoker. If this sounds familiar, then you I write this for you.

It came to me one afternoon, when I was trying to fight off a sore throat, and I held my pipe in my left hand, and searched for my lighter with my rightI shouldnt be doing this. I have had this sore throat for a week, and I cant stop smoking.

Well, the truth was the truth, and I really didnt have intentions of stoppingSlowing down, yes; stopping, no. Though this moment was quick, it was important, as it was then that I accepted my fait. And more importantly, was now able to balance the scales.

Smoking makes you look old, smoking causes cancer, smoking smells, smoking makes your teeth yellow, and a million other STOP SMOKING ads rushed through my head

I accepted them all

Ok, now whatWell, I began to think. With a sore throat nagging me at the moment, I decided to attack this enemy first. Mouth wash, medicine, vitamins; I found these were all good ideas. But although I was helping the issue, my throat still hurt, and I was beginning to cough.

Perhaps the coughing was a blessing in disguise as I reached for cup of tea to help stop a fit of coughs. The steam helped me breathe, and the hot water cleared my throat. If nothing else, this experience got me thinking.

I looked further into the matter, as I of course stepped up my tea intake.

I found out that drinking tea, Rooibos Tea and Jasmine Green Tea in particular, will help me to relax calming down my nerves, contain large amounts of anti oxidants to fight against the increased level of free radicals in my body from smoking the cause aging skin and of course, Cancer, clean my body of toxins, help me breathe, and help my previously mentioned sore throat. I looked at this list, and the STOP SMOKING ads returned

Could it be that a pot of tea was a helpful accessory walking down this smokey path?? From personal experience, I have found that tea helps. And NO, I do not think drinking tea will protect me from all ailments, or that I will never get sick again, or I will avoid any other ill drawn fait that may await me, but with certain facts that I had to accept, I can only do my best to minimize the damage. And as I end this article with no promises, I will restate a simply written statement that proves itself time and time again, Drinking tea is a good idea

During the ’80s, many men and women were attracted by the advertising campaign launched by Philip Morris. Filmed in the beautiful outdoors, the television advertisements showed the hardy cowboy lighting a cigarrette, relaxing in front of a camp fire after a hard day’s work. The chilly, mountain night scene blended well with the lights and shadows created by the camp fire. Any thought of cold temperature was extinguished by the warmth of the fire, and the lit cigarrette. Other versions of the commercial showed cowboys on horseback traversing wild, white rivers and galloping across grazing lands of the West. The images are made more powerful by the music composed by Elmer Bernstein which was originally used for the ’60s Western film entitled Magnificent Seven. The score was used extensively in Marlboro commercials prior to the implementation of the cigarrette advertisement ban. At the center of this commercial was the quintessential Marlboro Man — rugged, tough, manly, and a smoker. The commercial ends with an appealing invitation to, Come to where the flavor is…

Wayne McLaren and David McLean both played the iconic Marlboro Man in those series of commercials. Both men died of lung cancer and other medical complications related to smoking. McLaren posed for some promotional posters of Marlboro in 1976 He was a professional rodeo rider and appeared in some television series during the ’70s. He smoked a one pack and half every single day. By age 49, he was already diagnosed with lung cancer. He underwent chemotherapy that led to the removal of one of his lungs. However, when he began the treatments, the cancer cells had already spread to his brain and eventually killed him. David McLean started smoking at the tender age of 12 and continued his habit until he was diagnosed with emphysema in 1985. By 1993, doctors had to remove a cancerous tumor from his lung. Two years later, he died due to the spread of cancer cells to his brain and spine. Before they died, both former cigarrette models launched anti-smoking campaigns to warn the public about the very harmful effects of smoking.

Smoking is more than just a habit, it is very similar to drug abuse. Research upon research has substantiated claims about the highly addictive content called nicotine. At least one milligram of nicotine is found in an average cigarrette and acts as a stimulant. The nicotine in the cigarrette causes glucose to be released from the liver and the production of epinephrine — both of which result to stimulation. It also activates the so-called reward pathways in the brain which are responsible for the production of feelings of euphoria.

The average smoker will easily say that cigarrette smoking helps reduce stress and anxiety. Others smoke right after eating a large meal or during stressful situations. Others see the cigarrette as an importance prop or ingredient to their overall lifestyle. This reasoning should not come as a surprise especially if it comes from smokers who were born during the ’30s to the ’50s. Television programs were usually interspersed with cigarrette commercial during those eras. In fact, during the ’60s, it was very common to see t.v. and screen heroes smoking in reel and real life.

Those who became addicted to cigarrettes, whether they knew it or not, were really on a path to self-destruction. To this day, many are still hooked on tobacco despite the cigarrette commercial ban and the aggressive anti-smoking campaign by government health agencies. Indeed, smoking cigarrettes is not an adventure as once portrayed in commercials. Tobacco addiction is, in truth, a habit that quite literally leads to the grave. Fortunately, for those who want to kick the deadly habit, cold turkey methods and anti-smoking medications are now available to help them stop puffing their lives away.

Smoking cigarettes could cause lung cancer and increases the risk of cardiovascular and other diseases, but there is even more bad news for men who smoke regularly. Men are more likely to have an increased risk of experiencing sexual impotence or ED Erectile Dysfunction, and the more they smoke cigarettes, the greater the risk, according to a study of researchers in Tulane University.
Even if sexual impotence, the consistent inability to maintain or achieve an erection sufficient for satisfactory sexual performance, is not a life-threatening condition, it still compromises the well being and quality of life. The study that covers this have results that suggested smoking prevention as an important approach in reducing the risk of sexual impotence. The team of researchers from Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine led by Jiang He, MD, PhD, examined the connection and association between cigarette smoking and sexual impotence in a one year study in China involving almost eight thousand men. They used questionnaires to be able to evaluate and assess the status of cigarette smoking and sexual impotence. The lead researcher, He, a professor and chair of epidemiology with his team of researchers who examined the relation between cigarette smoking and sexual impotence in men, said that the association between cigarette smoking and sexual impotence was found in earlier studies. However, most of those studies were only conducted in patients dealing with hypertension, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. This specific study differs from the previous since this is the first to find such association with healthy men.
Those men who were surveyed by the team of researchers were aged 35 to 74 and does not have vascular disease. This study also found out that there was a significant statistical connection between the number of cigarettes that the men smoked and the likelihood they would experience sexual impotence. According to the study, as a whole, it is an estimated 22.7 percent of sexual impotence cases among Chinese men might be attributable to cigarette smoking. Although this study was conducted in China, it would still be applicable to the US, says He.
There are more than 18 million American men nearly one in every five who are experiencing sexual impotence, according to another study from Bloomberg School of Public Health. There have been analysis done in the country that shows the same association between cigarette smoking and sexual impotence, but those were conducted in patients suffering from either diabetes, hypertension, or cardiovascular diseases. This particular study shows that even healthy men, the association is very strong. Both smoking and erectile dysfunction have often been associated individually with plaque build-up in the arteries, called atherosclerosis. The plaque obstructs blood flow through vessels, causing a host of circulatory problems throughout the body, such as erectile dysfunction.
Bringing further caution about the dangers of starting to smoke cigarettes, researchers found that even when cigarette smokers quit, their risk of developing sexual impotence did not decrease. The risk is about statistically the same for former cigarette smokers as for current cigarette smokers. This research study has a really strong message for young men. This might get their attention if they know that smoking cigarettes is associated with sexual impotence even in a healthy population. Young men should not even think about starting to smoke, for this would not bring any good for their health.

A cigarette is a pipe with a fire at one end and a fool at the other said Dr. Johnson in his sarcastic comment on cigarettes and smoking.

Smoking is in fact a pernicious craving for tobacco products, especially cigarettes and cigars.

An organic compound, nicotine, which is richly found in tobacco smoke, is very detrimental to your health. It is linked with various health risks. It can cause diseases of the cardiovascular system, myocardial infarction heart attack, stroke, diseases of the respiratory tract such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease COPD chronic bronchitis and emphysema, cancer particularly lung cancer and cancers of the larynx and tongue, peripheral vascular disease, birth defects of pregnant smokers’ offspring, Buerger’s disease thromboangiitis obliterans, impotence, and in some cases it may develop cataracts that may cause blindness.

The statement One thousand Americans stop smoking every day – by dying ironically expresses the risks of smoking.

Sooner or later, everyone stops smoking. Major health risks can be minimized by cessation smoking. Smoking cessation means to quit smoking, but the cardinal point is how to quit smoking.

Smoking can be quitted by using nicotine-containing tobacco substitutes. Nicotine replacement therapy has been quite an effective treatment. It uses various other nicotine delivery methods to replace nicotine obtained from smoking or other tobacco usage. The nicotine patch, inhaler, nasal spray, gum, gel, and lozenge are some effective tools of NTR. Nicotine gum is a chewing gum, which delivers nicotine to the body.

Nicotine patches are also used to quit smoking. Nicotine patches are transdermal patches that release nicotine into the skin. The patch therapy has been considerably successful in helping many people quit.

Hypnosis Stop-Smoking programs are another alternative that can help people who seriously want to quit.

Quit smoking help with hypnosis involves consultations and sittings with a hypnotherapist, who generally squeezes out the reasons for ones smoking and the reasons for wanting to quit. Various hypnotherapy techniques, positive affirmations, and suggestions, are used to help the patient undertake a change of mindset and therefore quit smoking. Tools like stop smoking tapes or CDs are provided to the patient. Quit smoking hypnosis therapy is also proving to be a great quit smoking support.

The best way to quit smoking is to develop a strong will power to want to quit smoking. People who have weak will power cannot quit smoking. Weak will power can make even the effective therapies useless.

James I of England expressed his hate for smoking while he quoth, A custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless.

Smoking is not only injurious to health but rather to society also. It should be eradicated as early as possible.

Many Americans feel that Marijuana is helping fund the war on terror, but making a war on drugs and keeping Marijuana illegal has not stopped millions of Americans from smoking pot everyday. So what is the answer?

First, why is Marijuana illegal? In the 1930′s William Randolph Hearst, who had significant financial interests in the timber industry testified to congress on the evils of marijuana, saying things like it make people insane and commit acts of cannibalism? at this time very few even knew what it was and to stop people from going insane Congress decided to make it illegal.

The truth is many paper manufacturers were thinking of changing from using trees to make paper to using hemp because it was cheaper and easier to grow and better for the environment, and Hearst stood to loose millions so he used his influence and testimony to help get marijuana banned in the USA.

So now that we know why it was made illegal, we can realize that not only would making it legal in the United States stop terrorist from smuggling it into the USA, but would give us another option to cutting down of millions of trees every year for paper products that can be made better from hemp.

Hemp has thousands of uses that we are unable to exploit because of its illegal status.

During WWII hemp was used for the rigging on parachutes as well as rope and material for uniforms.

Nowadays Marijuana can be used to relieve pain and some of the effect of cancer treatments and old age.

It has been proven to slow down the spreading of Alzheimer’s, relieve the pressure behind the eyes from glaucoma. It also helps relieve migraine headaches and the side effect of cancer treatment.

But until the United States realizes how much money can be made from legalizing it, it will remain illegal.

This is much like the situation with online casinos in the USA. America was sending billions of dollars out of the country and the government needed to do something to keep the money here, so they banned and just like online casinos and online gambling I believe one day the government will learn to take advantage of these things instead of just banning them.

Eventually the USA will realize that the best way to stop the flow of money out of the country is not to ban marijuana or online casinos, but to enter the market and compete.

If the USA did what Amsterdam has done the government would make not only billions in Taxes from the sales of Marijuana, but the economy would boom from all the tourism that it would bring in from all over the world.

The truth of the matter is that legalization is inevitable. The attitude of people has changed so drastically over the last 30 years, that eventually when the younger generations start to take over marijuana will eventually become legal because they understand the truth, and that is banning something only makes the market for it stronger.