It is a proven fact that lung diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema, part of the diseases grouped into the category chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), can be caused by smoking cigarettes. However, not much has been shown about the risk factors of other types of smoking for COPD.

A recent study that was reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine seems to suggest that those who smoke pipes and cigars are more at risk for COPD than those who don’t. In the study, 56 participants said they had smoked a minimum of 20 bowls of pipe tobacco or 20 cigars in their lives. The airways of 18% of these participants were blocked. Obstructed airflow is one of the major signs of COPD.

This study had a total of 3500 participants. Those who had never smoked cigarettes, but were pipe or cigar smokers, had lower scores than those who had never smoked on tests that checked for lung function. They were also two times as likely to present with obstructed airflow. For those who had smoked cigarettes, cigars, and pipes during their lifetime, the risk that they would have obstructed airflow increased by three times.

Cigar and pipe smokers are under the misconception that these are safe ways to smoke tobacco because they do not inhale the smoke. This current study refutes this idea and found that these smokers are still exposed to enough of the toxins from the smoke to have an adverse affect on the health of their lungs. Smoking pipes and cigars has also been connected to higher risks of throat and mouth cancers and heart disease besides the lung cancer.

The researchers who conducted this study find their results significant and hope that their findings will take away from the sophisticated way in which pipe and cigar smoking are portrayed. They believe that the tobacco industry wants consumers to believe that “these products play a suitable role in our society.”

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This is a guest blog submitted by webmaster and author of human growth hormone website. You can find lots of information about hgh on their website including growth hormone and weight loss impact, Side effects of GH and lot more.

The constant urge to lose weight makes people take on different methods ranging from dieting to hectic physical exercise and even starving. The use of weight loss supplements is yet another option that is gaining rapid ground. Let us understand what they are and how they function.

These weight loss supplements are popularly referred to as anorexiants and have been found to be worth the money if used in the right manner. To achieve best results, people combine its use with other initiatives like dieting; enough mental discipline and physical activity.

One factor that users must be aware of is the relative lack of data available on the safety and efficiency of these supplements. They have been known to provide immediate results and have also been known to fade out equally quickly. This leads to the user increasing the dosage by him self and without any proper guidance, which could be dangerous.

It is also imperative to remember that these weight loss supplements do not tackle the basic problems of obesity in an individual and does precious little to address any anomalies on that front and that is the primary reason why physicians advocate the natural method of weight loss over such fancy supplements.

Here’s looking at some of these supplements.

• Orlistat which is also famous as Xenical weight loss supplements helps an obese individual shed up to 25% of his body weight. It works by inhibiting the capacity of the body to absorb cholesterol and also helps in maintaining body weight.
• Sibrutamine is another supplement that restores neuro chemical balance and also helps in boosting the metabolism of the body. It leads to greater vigor in the individual and he is able to also sustain the weight lost in the process.
• Sympathomimetics supplements work by reducing as well as by discharging the chemicals responsible for causing stress in an individual. Since they do not cause any addiction, they are a lot safer than the amphetamines that are often consumed. Some popular names are Mazindol, Diethypropion and Phentermine.
• Amphetamines have been used now for a number of years and are no longer specifically recommended for weight loss, due to the side effects of insomnia and possible addiction.
• Accomplia is the newest entrant into this stream and gained popularity by virtue of its effectiveness in curbing the smoking habits of an individual. It reduces the craving for fat and inhibits appetite, with the result the individual eats very less and is thus able to lose weight over a period of time.
• Other supplements like Naltrexone and Trexan have also been found to be effective as they are bereft of side effects. Besides these, people have the option of taking herbal supplements. You only need to take your physician into confidence before taking these supplements.

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Increased positive coverage by respected media outlets has helped clear up many of the inaccurate views about HGH stemming from several professional sports scandals. Unlike the injectable banned substances that were the basis of those problems, HGH supplements are a safe, effective nutritional supplement that can be taken orally.

HGH supplements are available legally without a prescription, making them an attractive option for anyone looking for a boost in protecting their health and vitality. At prices within the range of most budgets, HGH products like Sytropin provide an affordable alternative to prescription injections or artificial hormone therapy.

The surge in HGH interest has been good for the top HGH manufacturers. “To be honest, we were surprised at the number of new people seeking out HGH products that are in the older demographic from our core loyal client group” said Gabe Uris, a Sytropin spokesman. “Two years ago, it was mostly bodybuilders and elite athletes that made up the majority of Sytropin HGH users , but now people of all ages, from all walks of life, have started experiencing the anti-aging effects of HGH supplementation.”

HGH products sold as nutritional supplements are typically aimed at increasing the body’s production of its own natural human growth hormone, called somatotropin.

Products like Sytropin provide the building blocks of our body’s own HGH molecule, eliminating the risk of dangerous side effects, while typically blending them with growth factors and amino acids for enhanced benefits.

For many people, deeper sleep, higher energy levels, and improved vitality are the most common benefits, often experienced within the first few days of usage. For more information about Sytropin, visit

http://www.sytropin.com

Pictures: Sytropin.com

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Prostate milking is simply the act of massaging the prostate gland to release seminal fluid. The prostate gland is found only in males. Sometimes referred to as the male “G-Spot”, the prostate can be milked as a form of sexual pleasure.

It has also been claimed that the practice is a form of preventative medicine, or even as a cure for impotence; although the medical claims have not been proven.

There are several steps to milking the prostate; these steps should be followed exactly as stated.

1. Pay a visit to the bathroom. It is important that the bowl and bladder are emptied before you start; this removes any pressure that may be on the prostrate gland.

2. Wash your hands and the area around your anus. It is also important to clip your fingernails.

3. Use a latex glove on the hand you will be using. Apply some water-based lubricant to the fingers of the glove.

4. Lie down in a comfortable position. You can choose to lie on your side or back. Choose a position that grants easy access to the prostate gland.

5. Carefully insert your finger into the anus. Follow the wall of the rectum towards your belly button. The prostate gland is a firm small ball about the size of a walnut.

6. It is important to massage the gland only on the sides. The top of the gland contains sensitive nerves that could be damaged. You may feel the urge to urinate, this is normal. Ignore the urge and continue to massage.

7. After a few minutes of massage, the gland should contract and release its fluid. Some men experience sexual gratification, or even an ejaculation at this point.

Prostrate massaging can be risky. Men with acute prostatitis should never perform this procedure; it may lead to a spread of the disease to other parts of the body. Hemorrhoidal flare-up and hemorrhaging are other risks of which you should be aware.

There are commercially available products available known as prostrate massagers. These massagers are commonly in the shape of a finger. Most men, however, prefer the method outlined above.

Picture: Imagery Majestic – Fotolia.com

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Nutrition is the main key to staying young and fit. It does not take much sacrifice to achieve a well balanced diet. All it takes is a little common sense and a minor change of of habits.

Starting your lunch with a variety of colorful vegetables can bring many different vitamins to your body. Nice green broccoli or brussels sprouts give you your vitamins A and D. Cauliflower or cream of potato get processed in the liver and transfer into vitamin A. These two vegetables go well with the combination of orange carrots, which are rich with carotenes. Beets could really add some lively color to your plate. They reduce blood pressure and fights anemia.

In the end just add some olive oil to top things off. Olive oil is known for having a list of healing properties too long to enumerate.

Choosing from a wide variety of salads, some pasta and rice, if possible alone or with seafood or white meat. Add some dairy products, which are good for combating osteoporosis. You want to make sure you don’t leave out the two or three pieces of fruit that you need to have each and every day, a small piece of bread and a glass of wine. The variety of these foods will keep you in good shape.

To maintain a healthy weight nutritionists say to try to eat five meals a day. Keep the five meals small in portion. The keeps your metabolism active and keeps your body from going into a deprived state. If you let your body go into the deprived state then your body will start to save all that you have consumed for that day, in anticipation of possible further starvation. If you let your body get into the deprived state it will make it much harder for you to lose weight.

The term antioxidant has become common knowledge and was coined many years ago. Blue fish is one of the richest sources. The antioxidants help fight against free radicals and strengthen the immune system.

Some of the things that can increase free radicals would be bad food, bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, pollution, stress and lack of exercise.

Doctors have come to know that bad cholesterol is known as the “black sheep”. They warn their patients of the risk of heart disease if it accumulates in their arteries.

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Some exciting research findings in the field of aging have been released on the beneficial effects from long-term participation in a physically active lifestyle.

Germany’s Saarland University researchers focused their study on the difference in aging effects experienced by groups of professional athletes who had been training long-term versus control groups of healthy non-smokers in similar age brackets.

The key indicator of anti-aging was found at the cellular level. When cells divide the process results in losing some of the ends of the cell chromosome information and this loss correlates to the aging process and cells changes over time.

These chromosome ends are called telomeres and in the group of long-term athletes it was discovered that exercise activated the telomerase stabilizing enzyme. This enzyme protected the ends from shortening and one marker of the effectiveness was in the infection fighting white blood cells.

So not only were the athletes experiencing anti-aging, their bodies were more effective in fighting off infections. A reduction in the onset of many of the diseases associated with aging such as cancer and strokes as well as measurable health indicators like cholesterol levels and blood pressure were superior in the groups of athletes.

And from Sweden, studies based on over a million men who enlisted in military service produced similar findings. The intense physical training results correlated with increases in intelligence tests and learning capabilities. The increased blood flow to the brain is believed to keep mental processes sharp and lessen the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Picture: © Bernd_Leitner – Fotolia.com

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In recent years, the practice of meditation has gained a tremendous amount of popularity within Western cultures. It seems as though every day there is a new report explaining how meditation is an effective alternative to using drugs to alleviate and prevent maladies of the mind and body. So is this ancient Eastern practice worth all the hype?

Research shows that meditation can combat the negative effects of aging and restore youthful vigor no matter how old you are. Meditation has been proven to improve energy, calm the mind and body and even purge the body of maladies. How does meditation do this? Some research suggests that meditation raises the body’s melatonin levels.

Melatonin is a hormone that regulates sleeps and influences other body hormones. By raising levels of melatonin in the body, meditation is able to activate the body’s own natural healing processes.

The pineal gland of the brain produces the hormone melatonin. According to Hindu spiritual tradition, meditation techniques direct energy flow through seven energy centers in the body, or chakras. By directing energy flow to these different centers, practitioners of meditation are able to selectively activate or suppress glands associated with each center. The pineal gland is believed to influence happiness.

Meditation’s ability to nurture positive emotions and its effectiveness as therapy for depression and stress relief has been documented in medical literature since the 1970s. As a result of meditation decreasing the stress levels in its practitioners, cellular aging associated with high stress levels is postponed.

The exact mechanics of how meditation slows the aging process continues to be researched. However, the average person need not concern themselves with the exact mechanics. All the average person needs to know is that meditation is easy to do and gives the best value package for one’s health because it gives the most benefit for one’s time.

Adding twenty minutes a day of meditation to an anti-aging regimen can provide inner peace, reduce disease risks, and even slow down the aging process, prolonging a lifespan. With benefits such as the aforementionedl, meditation is definitely worth the hype.

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A study completed by Japanese scientists has discovered that people who consume high levels of soy, are at a lower risk for lung cancer. Soy is full of isoflavones, which are believed to help reduce the risks of several types of cancer. Dr. Taichi Shimazu of the National Cancer Center in Tokyo along with several colleagues conducted the study.

The study began in 1995 and included 36,177 men and 40,484 women. All the participants were between the ages of 45 to 74 years of age and lived in Japan. The participants were all cancer free at the beginning of the study. Participants were studied for just over eleven years.

The men’s daily soy consumption ranged from 34 grams to 162 grams. Out of all the men in the study, less than 23,000 were smokers. 481 of the men smokers were diagnosed with lung cancer during the study time frame. 22 of the 13,051 non-smoking men were diagnosed with lung cancer.

This latter group consumed the minimum amount of soy during the research period. Only 13 of the non-smoking men who ate a larger amount of soy, developed lung cancer. The women in the study had much lower lung cancer incidences than the men.

Researchers were not able to make any definitive links between a high soy diet and a lower risk of lung cancer, but they believe it is something to be researched further. Researchers believe the link has to do with the fact that cells around the lungs respond well to isoflavones.

The results of the study are published in the January 13th online edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

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Researchers have finally produced a long awaited study in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture indicating that beers, such as darker ales consumed regularly can be good for you and strengthen your bones as well.

Some beers that are have large amounts of barley and hops are also rich in silicon a key ingredient of our diets could possibly help to improve our bone mineral density which indicates a regular intake of barley and hops found in darker ales can strenthen bones and fight an ever increasing health problem of osteoporsis.

Researchers at the University of California found silicon content higher in paler beers than darker ones because the heating range is less in malting.

Approximately half the silicon, a normal dietary supplement found in beer can be easily absorbed by the body and drinking the ales in moderate consumption can be beneficial to bones, just do not over do your consumption and find yourself laying face down in a dark alley at mid morning !

In essence if you are drinking dark ales merely for the pleasure you are also doing your body a favor in the way of your bones but also remember if you want stronger bones switching from lagers to real ales would be a an excellent suggestion.

In conclusion, one can only surmise that the social art of drinking has its own benefits healthwise.
With your health in mind , be a cautious drinker and a smarter one with less chance of fractures in the future.

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Snoring has long been held as a health risk for high blood pressure, heart attack and stroke. However, recent studies indicate that snoring may increase calorie expenditure and pose no increased health risk to sufferers. While these findings are intriguing, more studies must be done to clarify the role of snoring and sleep apnea in health.

A new study from the University of California shows that heavy snoring burns calories, with sufferers continuing to burn more calories even when awake. Those scoring highest for conditions of sleep apnea and breathing disruptions during sleep also had the highest resting energy expenditure.

However, researchers point out that this study did not examine the correlation between sleep disorders and calorie intake or physical activity during the day. For clear conclusions to be drawn regarding the effects of sleep disorders on total calorie expenditure, more studies are needed.

Another study in Israel involving 600 elderly patients suggests that snoring is not actually a health risk at all. This study showed the risk of early death in those with moderate sleep apnea was actually only half that of people with no such history. A possible explanation of these may be that the continual pauses in breathing during sleep actually work to strengthen the heart, making it easier for the body to handle a heart attack or stroke.

Furthermore, the study found that even in a group suffering from severe sleep disordered breathing, the risk of death was no higher than in the control group. Thus, snoring appears to be of no additional risk and may even be beneficial in moderation.

Snoring and sleep apnea affect millions of people worldwide and have often been associated with a higher risk of death from heart attack, stroke and other diseases. However, the results of these 2 recent studies indicate that these conditions may not be as negative a factor in health as previously thought. Additional studies will provide more insight into how sleep disorders affect the overall health of individuals, though doctors still recommend that patients seek treatment for such conditions.

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