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Why do people smoke? Even though a lot of people know that on average, smokers cut short their life expectancy by around 10 years or so, many are still enslaved by this bad habit. Why? There are a lot of reasons why cigarettes are so tempting. Not only does it bring pleasure and company, it is also said to be effective in calming and soothing the nerves whenever you feel mad, nervous or anxious about something or someone. For some, smoking is a means to kill boredom.
Cigarette smoking causes different kinds of illnesses, especially lung disease. You damage your respiratory system and other body organs every time you smoke. Worse, it could even bring death. Your body weakens and then you develop a disease from this habit, slowly leading to your death bed.

Smoking can become more than a habit. It can pave the way toward dependence and addiction. Remember that the nicotine content of cigarettes can make you crave for more cigarettes. A single cigarette also holds more than 4000 other chemicals and substances that are cancer-causing and can give other kinds of diseases. Smoking is linked with approximately fifty diseases, with new diseases or cases springing up every year. Around twenty of these ailments are fatal. This habit does not affect the smoker alone. It also harms non-smokers who take in second-hand smoke that surrounds them in their home or workplace.

Think about how much money your wasting, on top of the cost to your health and the health of others. You should be concerned about the amount of earnings you burn along with your health. The prices of cigarettes increase each and every year. If you smoke a pack a day, that’s at least $90 a month or $1080 a year. Think about how much of a difference that would make in your financial life if you invested that money in an IRA instead. Add your savings to your bank account. At the end of the year, you may be surprised at how much you have saved - and at how your health has improved!

That figure doesn’t include the long term costs of smoking when your health takes a turn for the worse. If you calculate all of the hospital bills and therapy treatments that you will have to pay when you damage your health, isn’t that motivation enough to stop the habit? One cancer treatment session costs more or less $20,000. The total treatment for a year will reach approximately $300,000. Besides, who wants to spend their money on hospital bills? Can your health insurance shoulder all these costs?

If you are part of the smoking statistics, doesn’t it make more sense to just quit smoking than to cause harm to yourself and to other people? Quitting is hard but once you are determined to do it, you can. There are many people who have successfully freed themselves from the slavery of smoking. Although it may seem impossible at first, once you have taken the first step of reducing your cigarette intake and then gradually stopping the habit, you’ll be free. You’ll be amazed to find out that the result is indeed very rewarding.

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Low back pain is a usual symptom among the modern civilised people.It affects mainly the middle aged and young adults of both sexes.People who work on the chair with out exercise and those who carry heavy loads regularly are prone to get this complaint.We can hardly find a person who has not suffered from back pain at least once in life.The causes of  low back pain ranges from simple reasons like muscular strain to cancer of spine and hence backache should not be ignored.The pain is felt in lumbar and sacral region and may radiate to nearby sites.

The following are some causes for backache.

1) Backache due to diseases in the back.

2) Backache due to gynaecological problems.

3) Backache due to problems in other parts of the body.

1) Backache due to diseases in the back:–

a) Injuries :-

1) Compression fracture of the vertebral column.
2) Rupture of intervertebral discs.
3) Injuries to ligaments and muscles of back.
4) Lumbosacral strain.
5) Intervertebral joint injuries.
6) Fracture of processes of vertebra.

b) Functional backache due to imbalance:-

1) During pregnancy.
2) Pot belly.
3) Diseases of the hip joint.
4) Curvature in the spine due to congenital defect.
5) Short leg in one side.

c) Backache due to inflammatory conditions:-

1) Infection of the bone due to bacteria.
2) Tuberculosis of the spine.
3) Arthritis.
4) Brucellosis.
5) Lumbago or fibrositis.
6) Inflamation of the muscles.
7) Anchylosing spondylitis.

d) Backache due to degenerative diseases in the back.

1) Osteoarthritis.
2) Osteoporosis in old people.
3) Degeneration of the inter-vertebral disc.

e) Tumour in the spine:–

1) Primary tumour of the bones in the spine.
2) Metastatic tumours from other sites like prostate,lungs,kidneys,intestine ect.

2) Backache due to gynaecological problems:-

a) After childbirth.
b) After gynaecological operations.
c) Prolapse of the uterus.
d) Pelvic inflammatory diseases.
e) Cancerous lesions of the pelvic organs.
f) Endometriosis.

3) Backache due to problems in other parts of the body.

a) Renal stones.
b) Ureteric stone.
c) Cancer of prostate.
d) Pancreatitis.
e) Biliary stones.
f) Peptic ulcer.
g) Inflammations of pelvic organs.
h) Occlusion of aorta and illiac arteries.

Investigation of a case of backache:-

1) Complete blood count.

2) Routine urine examination.

3) Ultrasonography of the abdomen and pelvis.

4) X-ray of the lumbar and sacral region.

5) MRI of the spine.

5) CT scan of abdomen and pelvic region.

6) Examination of rectum, prostate, genito urinary organs.

Treatment of back ache:-

1) Removing the cause for backache.

2) Symptomatic treatment.

2) Back exercises.

3) Traction.

3) Yoga.

5) Surgery.

7) Homoeopathy.

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Why should you use olive oil? Well there are several reasons. Substituting olive oil, a monounsaturated fat, for saturated fats or polyunsaturated fats can:
• Reduce blood pressure
• Inhibit the growth of some cancers
• Benefit people at risk for or with diabetes
• Lessen the severity of asthma and arthritis
• Actually help your body maintain a lower weight

HEALTHY HEART BENEFITS
Atherosclerosis, also called hardening of the arteries, occurs when particles of LDL cholesterol stick to the walls of the arteries. Eventually these particles build up and form plaque. This plaque narrows the blood vessels and increases the work load of the heart in an effort to get oxygenated blood to the entire body. The result can be a heart attack or stroke.

Olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat and antioxidants like chlorophyll, carotenoids and vitamin E. Scientists have identified a compound in olive oil called oleuropein which prevents the LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. It is the oxidized cholesterol that sticks to the walls of the arteries and forms plaque. Replacing other fats in your diet with olive oil can significantly lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart attack.
CANCER INHIBITOR
A study published in the January 2005 issue of Annals of Oncology has identified oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid found in olive oil, as having the ability to reduce the affect of an oncogene (a gene that will turn a host cell into a cancer cell). This particular oncogene is associated with the rapid growth of breast cancer tumors. The conclusion of the researchers was that oleic acid when combined with drug therapy encouraged the self-destruction of aggressive, treatment-resistant cancer cells thus destroying the cancer. Olive oil has been positively indicated in studies on prostate and endometrial cancers as well.

Unlike other fats, which are associated with a higher risk of colon cancer, olive oil helps protect the cells of the colon from carcinogens. A study published in the November 2003 issue of Food Chemistry Toxicology suggests that the antioxidants in olive oil reduce the amount of carcinogens formed when meat is cooked.

BLOOD SUGAR CONTROLLER
Diabetics or those at risk for diabetes are advised to combine a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet with olive oil. Studies show this combination is superior at controlling blood sugar levels compared to a diet that consists entirely of low-fat meals. Adding olive oil is also linked to lower triglyceride levels. Many diabetics live with high triglyceride levels which put them at risk for heart disease.

ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES
The body uses the healthy fats in olive oil to produce natural anti-inflammatory agents. These anti-inflammatory agents can help reduce the severity of both arthritis and asthma. Uninflammed cell membranes are more fluid and better able to move healthy nutrients into the cells and move waste products out. A lower incidence of osteoporosis and dementia is found in areas where people consume large quantities of olive oil.

  A FAT THAT HELPS YOU LOSE FAT
Sounds impossible, right? A study conducted on eight over-weight men published in the September 2003 issue of the British Journal of Nutrition yielded results that indicate a significant loss of body weight and fat mass can be achieved without increasing physical activity and making only one change in eating habits: the substitution of olive oil for saturated fats. The eight men were divided into two groups and for four weeks ate similar foods with the exception that the first group ate more saturated than unsaturated fats. The second group consumed the same number of calories as the first group, but the fats were mostly monounsaturated fat (olive oil). At the end of four weeks, the men from the second group were lighter and had a lower body-fat index than the men who ate the saturated fats.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ON BUYING AND STORING OLIVE OIL
Exposure to light and heat can turn olive oil rancid. This destroys the healthy, antioxidant properties of the oil. Look for olive oil that is sold in darkly tinted bottles. Also, look carefully at the display in the grocery store. Are there glaring lights or sunny windows nearby? If so, you will want to check out some different stores. My favorite grocery store keeps the olive oil on the shelves closest to the floor and away from the fluorescent lights.
When you get home, find a dark, cool cupboard for storage. One suggestion is to pour some of the oil from the original container into a smaller container. The original container can be kept in the refrigerator for maximum protection. (The oil will become cloudy and more solid in the refrigerator.) The smaller container you select for your weekly supply of olive oil should be opaque and have a tight-sealing lid. Exposure to air is another enemy of the fragile antioxidants.

Confused about the different grades of olive oil? Extra-virgin olive oil is produced from the first pressing of the olives. It has the lightest flavor and contains the richest array of antioxidants. The next pressing of the olives produces fine virgin oil. Refined means that chemicals were used to extract the oil instead of pressing. Avoid refined olive oils. Pure olive oil is a blend of refined and virgin olive oils. I don’t recommend pure grade either. If you see the words cold pressed on a bottle of olive oil that means heat was not used when extracting the oil. Remember, heat destroys antioxidants, so cold pressed is a good thing.

One last thought on this subject. If you are considering switching to olive oil from other oils, you might be shocked when you first look at the differences in price. I’m a serious bargain hunter. I always buy generic and look for bulk discounts whenever possible. But even the most determined penny pincher understands that there are simply some things that are worth the extra money. Olive oil is one of them.

Glycemic index (also glycaemic index, GI) is a ranking system for carbohydrates based on their effect on blood glucose levels. It compares available carbohydrates gram for gram in individual foods, providing a numerical, evidence-based index of postprandial (post-meal) glycemia. The concept was invented by Dr. David J. Jenkins and colleagues in 1981 at the University of Toronto.

Carbohydrates that break down rapidly during digestion have the highest glycemic indices. Carbohydrates that break down slowly, releasing glucose gradually into the blood stream, have a low glycemic index. A lower glycemic index suggests slower rates of digestion and absorption of the sugars and starches in the foods and may also indicate greater extraction from the liver and periphery of the products of carbohydrate digestion. A lower glycemic response is often thought to equate to a lower insulin demand, better long-term blood glucose control and a reduction in blood lipids. The insulin index may therefore also be useful as it provides a direct measure of the insulin response to a food.

The glycemic index of a food is defined by the area under the two hour blood glucose response curve (AUC) following the ingestion of a fixed portion of carbohydrate (usually 50 g). The AUC of the test food is divided by the AUC of the standard (either glucose or white bread, giving two different definitions) and multiplied by 100.

 

 

The effect on blood glucose from a high versus low glycemic index carbohydrate

The average GI value is calculated from data collected in 10 human subjects. Both the standard and test food must contain an equal amount of available carbohydrate. The result gives a relative ranking for each tested food.^[1]

The current validated methods use glucose as the reference food, giving it a glycemic index value of 100 by definition. This has the advantages that it is universal and it results in maximum GI values of approximately 100. White bread can also be used as a reference food, giving a different set of GI values (if white bread = 100, then glucose ? 140). For people whose staple carbohydrate source is white bread, this has the advantage of conveying directly whether replacement of the dietary staple with a different food would result in faster or slower blood glucose response. The disadvantages with this system are that the reference food is not well-defined, and the GI scale is culture dependent.

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