Tuesday, November 18, 2008

A Great Time To Quit Smoking

As I mentioned in my previous post, many important Causes are observed during the month of November. Lung Cancer is one of them. What better time to quit smoking :-) My husband, who is a physician, brought home a flyer recently from the hospital where he is employed. In light of Lung Cancer Awareness Month, they have been handing them out to patients. The name of it is "When A Smoker Quits". He thought it might be something beneficial to share with a few of our 'smoker' relatives and friends. Since, I consider everyone who reads my Blog friends I didn't want to exclude you :-) Anyway, the flyer describes what improvements are happening in your body from the first 20 minutes after that last cigarette. I, for one, was quite surprised. Read for yourself:
WHEN SMOKERS QUIT

Within 20 minutes of smoking that last cigarette, the body begins a series of changes that continues for years.

20 MINUTES
  • Blood pressure drops to normal
  • Pulse rate drops to normal
  • Body temperature of hands & feet increases to normal

8 HOURS

  • Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
  • Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

24 HOURS

  • Chance of heart attack begins decreasing

48 HOURS

  • Nerve endings start regrowing
  • Ability to taste & smell is enhanced

2 WEEKS TO 3 MONTHS

  • Circulation improves
  • Walking becomes easier
  • Lung function increases up to 30%

1 TO 9 MONTHS

  • Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decrease
  • Cilia regrow in lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, reduce infection
  • Body's overall energy level steadily increases

1 YEAR

  • Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker

5 YEARS

  • Lung Cancer death rate for average former smoker (one pack a day) decreases by almost half
  • Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5-15 years after quitting
  • Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, and esophagus in half that of a smoker's

10 YEARS

  • Lung Cancer death rate similar to that of nonsmokers
  • Precancerous cells are replaced by normal ones
  • Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, & pancreas decreases

15 YEARS

  • Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker

END

These facts came from the American Lung Association and I, in no way, can personally guarantee that someone who quits smoking will experience these exact results. I am simply passing on valuable information from an extremely reliable source (it's a shame but I gotta put all of this in here for liability and legal reasons).

Please "put it out" for good. Do it for those who love you. Do it for yourself.

Sandy

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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

New Alzheimer's Awareness Month Designs

Awareness Gift Boutique has just released 4 new Collections of Alzheimer's Disease Awareness designs. Every 71 seconds someone in America develops Alzheimer's. Presently, 5.2 million Americans have been diagnosed with this terrible disease. It's easy to not think about it or to be too concerned about 'losing our memories' when we're young but we WILL grow older and Alzheimers WILL be something that we should, at the very least, know something about. I encourage everyone to learn about this disease and to know its symptoms so that if there ever is a time that it makes its way into your or a Loved One's life, you will be educated on how to recognize it and care for it. What better time to become Educated than now, November, Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month.



HERE IS A SAMPLING OF OUR NEW ALZHEIMER'S AWARENESS MONTH DESIGNS.
CLICK ON THE T-SHIRT TO SEE THAT DESIGN ON LOTS OF GREAT APPAREL & GIFTS.




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Sunday, November 2, 2008

November Awareness

The month of November is the official National Awareness Month for several very important Causes including Lung Cancer & Pulmonary Hypertension, Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer. I would like to encourage everyone to learn something new about each of these Diseases during this Month of Observance. As is the case with pretty much every illness, Early Detection is the key to Survival. And for Early Detection to happen you must know a little bit about the illness in order to recognize it or its symptoms. So, take a moment this month and read up on Lung Cancer, Pulmonary Hypertension, Alzheimer's Disease, Diabetes, and Pancreatic Cancer. Awareness is crucial. Just a little bit of time could literally save your or a Loved One's Life.

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