You Have to Know

12 No-Cost Ways to Treat Depression Yourself

2008-08-21T15:51:00.001+07:00

12 No-Cost Ways to Treat Depression Yourself

the most effective treatments for depression, home treatment is also important. There are many steps you can take to help yourself during a depressive episode and to prevent future episodes.

Set realistic goals for yourself, and take on a reasonable amount of responsibility.
Break large tasks into small ones, and set priorities. Do what you can when you are able.
Postpone major life decisions (such as changing jobs, moving, or getting married or divorced) when you are depressed.
Try to share your feelings with someone. It is usually better than being alone and secretive.
Let your family and friends help you.
Even if you don't feel motivated, try to participate in religious, social, or other activities.
Get regular exercise.
Eat a balanced diet, If you lack an appetite, eat small snacks rather than large meals.
Avoid drinking alcohol or using illegal drugs or medications that have not been prescribed to you. They may interfere with your medications or make your depression worse.
Get adequate sleep. If you have problems sleeping:
- Go to bed at the same time every night and, more importantly, get up at the same time every morning.
- Keep your bedroom dark and free of noise.
- Don't exercise after 5:00 p.m.
- Avoid caffeinated beverages after 5:00 p.m.
- Avoid the use of nonprescription sleeping pills or alcohol, because they can make your sleep restless and may interact with your depression medications.
Be patient and kind to yourself. Remember that depression is not your fault and is not something you can overcome with willpower alone. Treatment is necessary for depression, just like for any other illness.
Try to maintain a positive attitude—remember that feeling better takes time, and your mood will improve little by little.

High Cholesterol

2008-08-21T15:47:00.005+07:00

Overview

What is high cholesterol?

Cholesterol is a type of fat called a lipid. The body uses it for many things, such as making new cells. Your liver makes the cholesterol that your body needs. You also get cholesterol from the foods you eat.

Your body needs some cholesterol. But if you have too much, it starts to build up in your arteries. (Arteries are the blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart.) This is called hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. It is usually a slow process that gets worse as you get older.

To understand what happens, think about how a clog forms in the pipe under a kitchen sink. Like the buildup of grease in the pipe, the buildup of cholesterol narrows your arteries and makes it harder for blood to flow through them. It reduces the amount of blood that gets to your body tissues, including your heart. This can lead to serious problems, including heart attack and stroke To find out how you are doing, compare your total cholesterol number to the following:

Best is less than 200.
Borderline-high is 200 to 239. Even borderline-high cholesterol makes you more likely to have a heart attack.
High is 240 or above.

What are the symptoms?

High cholesterol doesn't make you feel sick. But if cholesterol builds up in your arteries, it can block blood flow to your heart or brain and cause a heart attack or stroke.

By the time you find out you have it, it may already be clogging your arteries. So it is very important to start treatment even though you may feel fine.

What are the different kinds of cholesterol?

Cholesterol travels through the blood attached to a protein. This package of cholesterol (a lipid) and protein is called a lipoprotein. Lipoproteins are either high-density or low-density, based on how much protein and fat they have.

Low_Density_Lipoproteins (LDL) : are the “bad” cholesterol. LDL is mostly fat with only a small amount of protein. It can clog your arteries. If you have high cholesterol, your doctor will want you to lower your LDL.
High_Density_Lipoprotein (HDL) : are the “good” cholesterol. HDL is more protein than fat. It helps clear the bad cholesterol from your blood so it does not clog your arteries. A high level of HDL can protect you from a heart attack.
Triglycerides : are another type of fat in the blood that can affect your health. If you have high triglycerides and high LDL, your chances of having a heart attack are higher.

It may help to think of HDL as the “Healthy” cholesterol and LDL as the “Lousy” cholesterol. Or you could remember that HDL should be High and LDL should be Low.

Experts have come up with the best level for each type of cholesterol. Compare your numbers to these targets:

LDL should be less than 100. LDL increases your risk of heart problems, so the lower your LDL, the better. A level of 160 or above is high.
HDL should be more than 40. HDL over 60 helps protect against a heart attack. HDL below 40 increases your risk of heart problems. The higher your HDL, the better. A high HDL number can help offset a high LDL number.
Triglycerides should be less than 150. A level above 150 may increase your risk for heart problems.

What causes high cholesterol?

Many things can cause high cholesterol, including:

Diet. Eating too much saturated fat and cholesterol can raise your cholesterol. Saturated fat and cholesterol are in foods that come from animals (such as beef, pork, veal, milk, eggs, butter, and cheese), many packaged foods, stick margarine, vegetable shortening, and snack foods like cookies, crackers, and chips.
Weight. Being overweight may raise triglycerides and lower “good” HDL.
Activity level. Not exercising may raise “bad” LDL and lower HDL.
Overall health. Diseases such as hypothyroidism can raise cholesterol. Smoking may lower HDL.
Age. Cholesterol starts to rise after age 20. In men, it usually levels off after age 50. In women, it stays fairly low until menopause. After that, cholesterol levels rise to about the same levels as in men.
Family. Some people inherit a rare disease called a lipid disorder. It can cause very high total cholesterol, very low HDL, and high triglycerides. If you have this problem, you will need to start treatment at a young age.

How is high cholesterol diagnosed?

Doctors use a blood test to check cholesterol.

A fasting cholesterol test (also called a lipoprotein analysis) is the most complete test. It measures total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and triglycerides. You cannot have food for 9 to 12 hours before this test.
A simple cholesterol test can measure total cholesterol and HDL. You can eat before this test. Sometimes doctors do this test first. If it shows you have high cholesterol or low HDL, then you will get a fasting cholesterol test.

How is it treated?

The two main treatments are lifestyle changes and medicines. The goal of treatment is to lower your "bad" LDL cholesterol and reduce your risk of a heart attack. You may also need to raise your "good" HDL cholesterol. A high level of HDL helps reduce your risk of heart problems.

Some lifestyle changes are important for everyone with high cholesterol. Your doctor will probably want you to:

Follow the Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes (TLC) diet. The goal is to reduce the amount of saturated fat you eat. Eating saturated fat raises your cholesterol. The TLC diet helps you learn to make better food choices by picking lean meats, low-fat or nonfat products, and good fats like olive and canola oils.
Lose weight, if you need to. Losing just 5 to 10 pounds (2.3 to 4.5 kilograms) can lower your cholesterol and triglycerides. Losing weight can also help lower your blood pressure.
Be more active. Exercise can raise your “good” HDL and may help you control your weight.
Quit smoking, if you smoke. Quitting can help raise your HDL and improve your heart health.

Sometimes lifestyle changes are enough on their own. But if you try them for a few months and they don't lower your cholesterol enough, your doctor may prescribe a cholesterol-lowering medicine called a statin. You also may need medicines to lower triglycerides or raise HDL.

You may need to start taking medicine right away if your cholesterol is very high or if you have another problem that increases your chance of having a heart attack. People who have a high risk for heart attack benefit from taking higher doses of statins to lower their LDL cholesterol as much as possible. The more these people can lower their LDL, the less likely they are to have a heart attack.

It is important to take your medicine just the way your doctor tells you to. If you stop taking your medicine, your cholesterol will go back up.

You will need to have your cholesterol checked regularly. Your results can help your doctor know if lifestyle changes have helped or if you need more or different medicines.

Chronic Pain:Arthritis

2008-08-21T15:43:00.001+07:00

What is osteoarthritis?
Healthy joints help your body move, bend, and twist. Knees glide up and down stairs without creaking or crunching. Hips move you along on a walk without a complaint. But when osteoarthritis affects your joints, such simple, everyday movements can hurt. Taking the stairs can be painful. Walking a few steps, opening a door, and even combing your hair can be hard.

Osteoarthritis is mainly a disease of the hips, knees, hands, neck, and low back. But it can happen in other joints too. A joint is where two bones connect. And you have them all over your body.

Tackling Everday Life With Arthritis

Osteoarthritis is most common in older people. Although you cannot cure arthritis, there are many treatments that can help with your pain and make it easier for you to move. And you can do things to keep the damage from getting worse.

What causes osteoarthritis?
The simplest way to describe osteoarthritis is that it is wear and tear on the cartilage, of your joints. Your joints have cushioning inside them called cartilage. This tissue is firm, thick, and slippery. It covers and protects the ends of bones where they meet to form a joint.

With osteoarthritis, there are changes in the cartilage that cause it to break down. When it breaks down, the bones rub together and cause damage and pain. Experts do not know why this breakdown in cartilage happens. But aging, joint injury, and genetics may be a part of the reason.

Diseases & condition (allergies)

2008-08-21T15:40:00.003+07:00

What is allergic rhinitis?

Allergic rhinitis, often called allergies or hay fever, occurs when your immune system overreacts to particles in the air that you breathe—you are allergic to them. Your immune system attacks the particles in your body, causing symptoms such as sneezing and a runny nose. The particles are called allergens , which simply means they can cause an allergic reaction.

People with allergies usually have symptoms for many years. You may have symptoms often during the year, or just at certain times. You also may get other problems such as sinusitis and ear infections as a result of your allergies.

Over time, allergens may begin to affect you less, and your symptoms may not be as severe as they had been.

What are the symptoms of allergic rhinitis?

In most cases, when you have allergic rhinitis:

You sneeze again and again, especially after you wake up in the morning.
You have a runny nose and postnasal drip. The drainage from a runny nose caused by allergies is usually clear and thin. But it may become thicker and cloudy or yellowish if you get a nasal or sinus infection.
Your eyes are watery and itchy.
Your ears, nose, and throat are itchy.

Which allergens commonly cause allergic rhinitis?

You probably know that pollens from trees, grasses, and weeds cause allergic rhinitis. Many people have allergies to dust mites, animal dander, cockroaches, and mold as well. Things in the workplace, such as cereal grain, wood dust, chemicals, or lab animals, can also cause allergic rhinitis.

If you are allergic to pollens, you may have symptoms only at certain times of the year. If you are allergic to dust mites and indoor allergens, you may have symptoms all the time.

How is allergic rhinitis diagnosed?

To find out if you have allergies, your doctor will ask about your symptoms and examine you. Knowing what symptoms you have, when you get them, and what makes them worse or better can help your doctor know whether you have allergies or another problem.

If you have severe symptoms, you may need to have allergy tests to find out what you are allergic to.

Your doctor may do a skin test. In this test your doctor puts a small amount of an allergen into your skin to see if it causes an allergic reaction.
Your doctor may order lab tests. These tests can find substances in your blood or other fluids that may mean you have allergic rhinitis.

How is it treated?

There is no cure for allergic rhinitis. One of the best things you can do is to avoid the things that cause your allergies. You may need to clean your house often to get rid of dust, animal dander, or molds. Or you may need to stay indoors when pollen counts are high.

Unless you have another health problem, such as asthma, you may take over-the-counter medicines to treat your symptoms at home. If you do have another problem, talk to your doctor first. Others who also should talk to their doctor before starting self-treatment include older adults, children, and women who are pregnant or breast-feeding.

If home treatments do not help or the over-the-counter medicines make you sleepy or cause other side effects that bother you, then your doctor can prescribe medicines. These medicines can relieve your allergy symptoms with fewer side effects than over-the-counter medicines. You may need to try several medicines before you find the one that works for you.

If your allergies bother you a lot and you cannot avoid the things you are allergic to, you and your doctor can decide if you should get allergy shots (immunotherapy) to help control your symptoms. For allergy shots to work, you need to know what you are allergic to.

Extra benefits of stopping smoking

2008-04-03T06:52:00.000+07:00

Stopping smoking isn't about losing something it's about gaining a lot! The benefits will soon start adding up:

Have more money ...

At nearly £5 for 20 cigarettes, stopping a pack-a-day habit is like a £30-a-week pay rise! What will you do with your extra spending power? Use our money calculator to find out exactly how much you'll save.
You can also save money in other ways. Life, fire and car insurance can all be cheaper.
The money soon adds up when you stop. Think about what you could buy when you quit:

1 day: £4.80 = a movie rental or a few magazines
1 week: £33.60 = a cheap flight to Europe or a few CDs
1 month: £146 = a shopping spree or the monthly food bill
3 months: £438 = two weeks in the sun or a new computer
6 months: £876 = a family holiday or some new furniture
1 year: £1,752 = a second-hand car or the start of a deposit for a house

Improve your looks ...
Within days of stopping smoking you'll no longer smell of stale smoke and cigarette butts. Clean your clothes, house and car to make your whole life sweet smelling! Your skin will be brighter and your eyes less red and sore.

Get fitter ...
Your energy levels will soon soar when you stop smoking, making it easier to run for the bus or play sports with your friends.

Taste ...

Food will become a pleasure again as your taste buds kick back in!
Have more time ...
It takes about 10 minutes to smoke a cigarette so a 10-a-day smoker can save nearly 2 hours a day when they give up. That's enough time to watch a new blockbuster at the cinema!

Improve self confidence
Many smokers are shocked to find how quickly they get hooked on smoking and stopping gives a real boost to confidence and self-esteem.
Job prospects 85% of British workplaces currently have some kind of restriction on smoking, so you'll be able to get on with your work more quickly if you don't have to keep nipping out for a cigarette break. It can also improve your chances of getting a new job as employers can employ only non-smokers if they wish.
From summer 2007 all enclosed workplaces will be smoke free, so now is a great chance to plan ahead and go smoke free.

A Package of Pleasure

2008-04-03T06:51:00.002+07:00

A new pack of cigarettes gives one a pleasant feeling. A full, firm pack in the hand signifies that one is provided for, and gives satisfaction, whereas an almost empty pack creates a feeling of want and gives a decidely unpleasant impression. The empty pack gives us a feeling of real frustration and deprivation.
During the seventeenth century, religious leaders and statesmen in many countries condemned the use of tobacco. Smokers were excommunicated by the Church and some of them were actually condemned to death and executed. But the habit of smoking spread rapidly all over the world. The psychological pleasures derived proved much more powerful than religous, moral, and legal persuasions. As in the case of the prohibition experiment in the United States, repressive measures seem to have aroused a spirit of popular rebellion and helped to increase the use of tobacco.
If we consider all the pleasure and advatnages provided, in a most democratic and international fashion, by this little white paper roll, we shall understand why it is difficult to destroy its power by means of warnings, threats, or preachings. This pleasure miracle has so much to offer that we can safely predict the cigarette is here to stay. Our psychological analysis is not intended as a eulogy of the habit of smoking, but rather as an objective report on why people smoke cigarettes. Perhaps this will seem more convincing if we reveal a personal secret: We ourselves do not smoke at all. We may be missing a great deal.

"No, Thanks, I'll Smoke My Own"

2008-04-03T06:51:00.001+07:00

This is the reply of most smokers when they are offered a brand different from their own. Brand loyalty among smokers is strong and persistent. Individuals smoke one brand consistently, so that they become identified with it. A guest who discovers that his host smokes the same brand considers this a personal flattery. If a young lady changes to the brand of an admirer, he understands that he has surely made an impression. Here is the experience of one young man, and his interpretation of it: "I was very fond of a girl. She was giving a farewell party before leaving the country. I didn't have any idea how I stood in her affection. The only clue was that at her party she had my brand of cigarettes. I always felt that that was in deference to me." "My brand" has a special significance, as if it were a part of the smoker's credo and personality.

The First Cigarette

2008-04-03T06:50:00.000+07:00

Much of this guilt feeling can be traed directly to one's first cigarette, which the older generation remember as a forbidden and sinful thing. Their fathers considered the habit an educational problem, whereas many parents nowadays have adopted a "modern" attitude toward smoking. Here is what one such father said: "I told my son I thought he was a little young... He is seventeen. It might not do him any harm to wait another year or two. Then I remembered my own first cigarette and what awful stuff I had to smoke in secret. In a way, my son is lucky to be able to start with a good cigarette without running the danger of ruining his health. I gave him a pack of the brand I smoke."
Most of us remember vividly the first cigarette we smoked. "I certainly remember my first cigarette," said one of our respondents. "We were a bunch of boys on our way to a football game. I had trouble lighting my cigarette, and at that moment a man passed by and yelled at me: 'Throw that cigarette away, you rascal!' I was so shocked and frightened that I obeyed his command without hesitation. But only a few minutes later, I lighted another one just to demonstrate to myself that I was not afraid.

How Many a Day?

2008-04-03T06:49:00.002+07:00

Despite all the millions spent on comparing the potentially harmful effects of different brands of cigarettes, our respondents seemed very little concerned about this matter. But all of them, even those who do not smoke excessively, worry abbout the quantities they smoke. Scientific and medical studies on the physiological effects of smoking provide a confused picture: Some conclude that smoking is harmful; others deny it. This same confusion prevails among smokers themselves. Nevertheless, all of them worry about smoking too many cigarettes, as shown by the fact that nearly everyone has tried, at one time or another, to "cut down on" smoking. "I'll tell you something I do," one smoker confided. "I give up smoking cigarettes every year for one month, and I say to myself that I'll prove to myself I can still do without them." Periodic abstemiousness of this kind indicates an underlying feeling of guilt. Such individuals really think that constant smoking is not only harmful, but also a bit immoral. Efforts to reduce the amount of smoking signify a willingness to sacrifice pleasure in order to assuage their feeling of guilt.
The mind has a powerful influence on the body, and may produce symptoms of physical illness. Guilt feelings may cause harmful physical effects not at all caused by the cigarettes used, which may be extremely mild. Such guilt feelings alone may be the real cause of the injurious consequences.

Cigarette Taste Has to Be Acquired

2008-04-03T06:49:00.001+07:00

Most people like the smell of tobacco but dislike the taste of a cigarette. Frequently we were reminded that "a cigarette never tastes as good as it smells. One usually very much dislikes his first cigarette. Taste for cigarettes must be acquired slowly. And whenever a smoker tries out a new brand, with a lightly different taste, he finds that he has to repeat this process of becoming accustomed to the taste. Often smokers who say they do not like the taste of certain brands really mean that they are not accustomed to it. Few advertisers of cigarettes realize that it takes time for a smoker to change his taste habits. No matter how pleasant the taste qualities of a brand may seem to be, at first the unaccustomed taste will be disliked. One of our respondents made the following interesting comment on this point: "I went to Bulgaria once and was forced to smoke Bulgarian cigarettes. I tried one brand after another till I had gone through five brands. Finally, the sixth brand seemed to be perfect. I discovered much later that any of the other brands might have become my preferred brand if only I had tried it in the sixth place. It just took me that long to learn to appreciate Bulgarian tobacco."

"I Blow My Troubles Away"

2008-04-03T06:48:00.002+07:00

In times of high tension, cigarettes provide relief, as indicated by the following typical comments of one of our respondents: "When I have a problem, and it comes back and back, warningly saying, 'Well, what are you going to do about this?' a cigarette almost acts like a consolation. Somehow it relieves the pressure on my chest. The feeling of relief is almost like what you feel in your chest after you have cried because something has hurt you very much. Relaxing is not the right kind of word for that feeling. It is like having been in a stuffy room for a long time and at last getting out for a deep breath of air." That man's explanation comes very close to stating the scientific reason why smoking brings relief. Worry, anxiety, depress us not only psychologically but also physiologically. When a person feels depressed, the rhythm of his breathing becomes upset. A short and shallow breath creates a heavy feeling in the chest. Smoking may relieve mental depression by forcing a rhythmic expansion of the breast and thus restoring the normal pace of breathing. The "weight on the chest" is removed.
This connection between smoking and respiration accounts for the common expression, "Smoking helps us to let off steam." When we are enraged, we breathe heavily. Smoking makes us breath more steadily, and thus calms us down.

Cigarettes Help Us to Relax

2008-04-03T06:48:00.001+07:00

One shortcoming of our modern culture is the universal lack of adequate relaxation. Many of us not only do not know how to relax, but do not take time to learn. Smoking helps us to relax because, like music, it is rhythmic. Smoking gives us a legitimate excuse to linger a little longer after meals, to stop work for a few minutes, to sit at home without doing anything that requires effort. Here is a nostalgic comment contributed by a strong defender of smoking: "After a long day's work, to get home and sit in a chair and stretch my legs 'way out, and then to sit back and just smoke a cigarette and think of nothing, just blow the smoke in the air - that's what I like to do when I've had a pretty tough day." The restful effect of moderate smoking explains why people working under great stress use more tobacco.

"Smoking Helps Me Think"

2008-04-03T06:47:00.000+07:00

The mind can concentrate best when all outside stimuli have been excluded. Smoking literally provides a sort of "smoke screen" that helps to shut out distractions. This explains why many people who were interviewed reported that they cannot think or write without a cigarette. They argued that moderate smoking may even stimulate mental alertness. It gives us a focal point for our attention. It also gives our hands something to do; otherwise they might make us self-conscious and interfere with mental activity. On the other hand, our respondents admit that smoking too much may reduce their efficiency.

Smoking Mannerisms

2008-04-03T06:46:00.000+07:00

Usually the way we smoke is characteristic of our whole personality. The mannerisms of smokers are innumerable. Some people always have cigarettes drooping from their mouths. Others let the cigarette jump up and down in their mouths while they are talking. Men sometimes complain about the way women smoke: "A lot of women blow out the smoke with a gust of wind, right into your face. They just puff it at you." Some men, when they want to appear to be aggressive, hold their cigarettes with thumb and forefinger so that the glowing end shows toward the palm of the hand.
Often smokers will assume a pose, because they have found that it fits their personality best, or at least they think so. A not too modest glamor girl revealed to us some of her "smoking secrets": "I think it looks so much better to smoke with a holder. I studied that very carefully. Don't you think I'm somewhat of a Latin type? It all really depends on what type you are.... I always have holders that are long and dark. I think a long holder is somewhat like a big hat: it's alluring and 'don't dare come close' at the same time."
While every smoker has to go through the motions of lighting and inhaling the smoke, the way in which these acts are carried out varies according to his mood. The nervous smoker has a faster smoking tempo than the relaxed one. The angry smoker blows the smoke in an aggressive way, almost as if he were trying to blow somebody down. A smoker who is about to ask for a raise in salary will press his lips tightly around the cigarette as if to gain courage by holding it that way.

Smoking Memories

2008-04-03T06:45:00.002+07:00

Certain moments in our lives are closely linked with cigarettes. These situations often leave on people's memories an important imprint never to be forgotten. Here is such an occasion, described by an office clerk of twenty-one. "...I can remember the moments when I returned home - no matter how late - after having been out with a girl on a Saturday night. Before going to bed, I'd sit on the fire escape for a while and enjoy a smoke. I'd turn around so that I could see all the smoke going up. At the same time, the windows would be bright with lights on the other side of the courtyard. I would watch what the people were doing. I would sit, and watch, and think about what my girl and I had talked about and what a nice time we had had together. Then I'd throw the cigarette away and go to bed. I feel these were really the most contented moments in my life...."
"I remember one time we were in North Africa on a trip and it was evening," said one of our respondents, a nurse about twenty=seven years of age. "During the day, I had noticed there was a lovely spot to sit, across the way from the hotel where we were staying. I went there at night, and sat looking at the stars and the tall cypresses illuminated against the night sky. I was far away in my thoughts. I was thinking of God and the beautiful world he had made. The smoke from my cigarette rose slowly into the sky. I was alone, and at the time I was a part of all the world around me...."

"Got a Match?"

2008-04-03T06:45:00.001+07:00

Some of the appeals of a lighted cigarette derive from the appeals of fire in general. Fire is the symbol of life, and the idea of fire is surrounded by much superstition. In this connection, it is interesting to note that traces of superstition can be seen in the smoking habits of modern man. For instance some people never will light three cigarettes on one match. It is said that this superstition is based on experiences during World War I. As three soldiers were lighting up the third man was hit when the light of a match flared up for the last time. Our custom of lighting another smoker's cigarette for him may sometimes have an erotic significance, or it may serve as a friendly gesture. Match and cigarette are contact points.

"With a Cigarette I Am Not Alone"

2008-04-03T06:43:00.000+07:00

In mythology and religion, smoke is full of meaning. Its floating intangibility and unreal character have made it possible for imaginative man to see therein mystery and magic. Even for us moderns, smoke has a strong fascination. To the cigarette smoker, the clouds he puffs out seem to represent a part of himself. Just as most people like to watch their own breath on cold winter days, so they like to watch cigarette smoke, which similarly makes one's breath visible. This explains the emotional attitudes of many toward smoke. "Smoke is fascinating," said one of the people we interviewed. "I like to watch the smoke. On a rainy day, I sort of lie in a haze in the middle of the room and let my thoughts wander while I smoke and wonder where the smoke goes."
The desire to make things is deep-rooted -- and smoke is manufactured by the smoker himself. Smoking provides satisfaction because it is a playful, creative activity. This fact was well stated by one cigarette devotee as follows: "It's a fascinating thing to watch the smoke take shape. The smoke, like clouds, can form different shapes.... You like to sit back and blow rings and then blow another rings through the first ones. You are perfectly relaxed."

The Cigarette -- A Modern Hourglass

2008-04-03T06:42:00.000+07:00

Frequently the burning down of a cigarette functions psychologically as a time indicator. A smoker waiting for someone who is late says to himself, "Now I'll smoke one more cigarette, and then I am off." One person explained, "It is much easier to watch a cigarette get smaller and smaller than to keep watching a clock and look at the hands dragging along."
In some countries, the farmers report distances in terms of the number of pipes, as, for example, "It's about three pipes from here to Smithtown."
A cigarette not only measures time, but also seems to make time pass more rapidly. That is why waiting periods almost autuomatically stimulate the desire to smoke. But a deeper explanation of this function of smoking is based on the fact that smoking is ersatz activity. Impatience is a common feature of our times, but there are many situations which compel us to be patient. When we are in a hurry, and yet have to wait, a cigarette gives us something to do during that trying interval. The experience of wanting to act, but being unable to do so, is very unpleasant and may even, in extreme cases, cause attacks of nervous anxiety. Cigarettes may then have a psychotherapeutic effect. This helps to explain why soldiers, waiting for the signal to attack, sometimes value a cigarette more than food.

Why Do We Smoke Cigarettes?/ Smoking is Oral Pleasure

2008-04-03T06:40:00.000+07:00

As we have said, to explain the pleasure derived from smoking as taste experience alone, is not sufficient. For one thing, such an explanation leaves out the powerful erotic sensitivity of the oral zone. Oral pleasure is just as fundamental as sexuality and hunger.

It functions with full strength from earliest childhood. There is a direct connection between thumbsucking and smoking. "In school I always used to chew a pencil or a pen," said a journalist, in reply to our questions.

"You should have seen the collection I had. They used to be chewed to bits. Whenever I try to stop smoking for a while, I get something to chew on, either a pipe or a menthol cigarette. You just stick it in your mouth and keep on sucking. And I also chew a lot of gum when I want to cut down on smoking...."
The satisfied expression on a smoker's face when he inhales the smoke is ample proof of his sensuous thrill. The immense power of the yearning for a cigarette, especially after an enforced abstinence, is acknowledged by habitual smokers. One of our respondents said: "When you don't get a cigarette for a long time and you are kind of on pins, the first drag goes right down to your heels."

Why Do We Smoke Cigarettes?/ Smoking is a Reward

2008-04-03T06:37:00.000+07:00

Most of us are hungry for rewards. We want to be patted on the back. A cigarette is a reward that we can give ourselves as often as we wish. When we have done anything well, for instance, we can congratulate ourselves with a cigarette, which certifies, in effect, that we have been "good boys." We can promise ourselves: "When I have finished this piece of work, when I have written the last page of my report, I'll deserve a little fun. I'll have a cigarette."
The first and last cigarette in the day are especially significant rewards. The first one, smoked right after breakfast, is a sort of anticipated recompense. The smoker has work to do, and he eases himself into the day's activities as pleasantly as possible. He gives himself a little consolation prize in advance, and at the same time manages to postpone the evil hour when he must begin his hard day's work. The last cigarette of the day is like "closing a door." It is something quite definite. One smoker explained: "I nearly always smoke a cigarette before going to bed. That finishes the day. I usually turn the light out after I have smoked the last cigarette, and then turn over to sleep."
Smoking is often merely a conditioned reflex. Certain situations, such as coming out of the subway, beginning and ending work, voluntary and involunatary interruptions of work, feelings of hunger, and many others regulate the timetable of smoking. Often a smoker may not even want a cigarette particularly, but he will see someone else take one and then he feels that he must have one, too.
While to many people smoking is fun, and a reward in itself, it more often accompanies other pleasures. At meals, a cigarette is somewhat like another course. In general, smoking introduces a holiday spirit into everyday living. It rounds out other forms of enjoyment and makes them one hundred per cent satisfactory.

Why Do We Smoke Cigarettes? / Smoke is Fun

2008-04-03T06:36:00.000+07:00

What is the nature of this psychological pleasure? It can be traced to the universal desire for self-expression. None of us ever completely outgrows his childhood. We are constantly hunting for the carefree enjoyment we knew as children. As we grew older, we had to subordinate our pleasures to work and to the necessity for unceasing effort. Smoking, for many of us, then, became a substitute for our early habit of following the whims of the moment; it becomes a legitimate excuse for interrupting work and snatching a moment of pleasure. "You sometimes get tired of working intensely," said an accountant whom we interviewed, "and if you sit back for the length of a cigarette, you feel much fresher afterwards. It's a peculiar thing, but I wouldn't think of just sitting back without a cigarette. I guess a cigarette somehow gives me a good excuse."

Why Do We Smoke Cigarettes?

2008-04-03T06:35:00.000+07:00

1947

None of the much flaunted appeals of cigarette advertisers, such as superior taste and mildness, induces us to become smokers or to choose one brand in preference to another. Despite the emphasis put on such qualities by advertisers, they are minor considerations. This is one of the first facts we discovered when we asked several hundred people, from all walks of life, why they liked to smoke cigarettes. Smoking is as much a psychological pleasure as it is a physiological satisfaction. As one of our respondents explained: "It is not the taste that counts. It's that sense of satisfaction you get from a cigarette that you can't get from anything else."

there are really very few "studies" to discredit

2008-04-03T06:27:00.000+07:00

Anti-smokers, brought up in schools where the teachers showed them phony
pictures of "healthy lungs" and "diseased smoker's lungs" tend to think that
there have been thousands and thousands of "studies", linking smoking to
every disease from emphysema to heart attacks to lung cancer.
When I began researching the subject, however, I found that, like the myth about smoker's
lungs turning brown from cigarette tars, the "thousands and thousands of
studies" was also a myth.

Now, there *were* thousands of animal studies (if you consider each
animal studied to be "study"), in which researchers tried to induce lung
cancer and other diseases in rats, rabbits, mice, monkeys, dogs, etc., by
forcing the animals to smoke.

But these studies all *failed*; no diseases
were induced. So, I don't have to discredit those studies.
In the late 1950's, the lung cancer societies in England and
the U.S. conducted seven epedemiological studies, described in great detail
in my book, which purported to establish a statistical correlation between
*cigarette* smoking and lung cancer. Strangely, however, the same studies
showed no such correlation between cigar/pipe smoking and either lung cancer
or morbidity. In fact, the studies actually showed that pipe smokers live
longer than people who don't smoke at all.
Correlation, of course, does not prove causation. In my book, I discuss the biases in the studies which resulted in flawed conclusions.
My point here, however, is simply that virtually everything written about the
dangers of smoking is predicated on these seven ancient studies.

There*have* been a few new studies, e.g., Wynder's study of smoking in the U.S.
and Japan, but I don't have to discredit them, because they prove my point,
i.e., that Japanese smoke more than Americans but live longer and have far
less lung cancer!!!

The health benefits of stopping smoking

2008-04-03T06:24:00.000+07:00

The health benefits of stopping smoking start almost immediately:

After...

20 minutes: Blood pressure and pulse return to normal

8 hours: Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in the blood are halved, oxygen levels in the blood return to normal

24 hours: Carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body and the lungs start to clear out the build up of tar

48 hours: There is no nicotine left in the body. Taste and smell are greatly improved

72 hours: Breathing becomes easier, bronchial tubes begin to relax, energy levels increase

2 - 12 weeks: Circulation improves, making walking and running a lot easier

3 - 9 months: Coughs, wheezing and breathing problems improve as the lungs have room for up to 10% more oxygen

1 year: Risk of heart attack is halved

10 years: Risk of lung cancer is halved

10 years: Risk of heart attack is at the same level as non-smokers

Medium to long-term: Risk of developing lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke and chronic lung disease is reduced - the sooner you stop, the sooner your risk starts going down

Medium to long-term: Stopping smoking at any age increases your life expectancy, provided that you stop before the onset of serious disease. Even if you have developed a disease, you can benefit from stopping as your body will be under less strain and be able to fight it more easily

Medium to long-term: A smoker who has suffered from a heart attack can halve the risk of a second heart attack by stopping smoking

Medium to long-term: Ten years after stopping smoking an ex-smoker's risk of lung cancer is reduced by 30 - 50% compared with that of a continuing smoker

Medium to long-term: Smokers who stop before the age of 35 have a life expectancy not significantly different from that of a non-smoker

Medium to long-term: Smokers who stop between 65 and 74 years of age have a better life expectancy beyond 75 than those who continue to smoke

For life:

Reduce stress

Any physical activity is easier

Don't tire as quickly

Improve sense of taste and smell

Improved skin

Stopping the Clock (Calendar) on Smoking (Tobacco)

2008-04-03T06:19:00.000+07:00

I would like to suggest that the age at which one can buy tobacco (cigarettes, etc.) should eventually start rising. Stores that sell it have those little signs, worded something like "your birthday must be on or before this date in 1986 to buy tobacco." Why don't you sponsor a bill to fix that year, rather than letting it change every year? Obviously, this would make it illegal, in the future, for some people over the age of 18 to buy tobacco.

It might be difficult to start right away, but as there are few current smokers under the age of 10, maybe you could set the upper limit for the year at 1994.

Given how long this might take to enacted; maybe we should set a more modest objective and use 2000 instead, so no one born this century would ever be old enough to smoke.

With appropriate publicity, that group would know that they could never buy cigarettes, giving them one more reason never to start smoking.

Similar campaigns are planned in all states. Allowances would eventually have to be made for immigrant smokers, so holders of foreign passports could be exempt.

Those that were naturalized but still addicted could get an appropriate certificate upon naturalization. Please do what you can to make this idea come about.

Ensuring data protection on the path to Linux

2007-10-28T15:21:00.000+07:00

Open source technologies are gaining momentum as a viable backbone for core computing requirements, resulting in soaring popularity for Linux worldwide. In fact, 2006 was a banner year for Linux, powered by a record surge in enterprise deployments as well as broad-based validations from industry heavyweights, including Oracle and Microsoft.

As the fastest growing operating system and storage management software opportunity in the market today, Linux continues to gain substantial traction in companies of all types and sizes, from mid-range organizations to large-scale enterprises running mission-critical applications.

Perhaps the most valuable validation that Linux is ready for primetime in enterprise and data center environments is its ever-increasing application support. Beyond its distinguished trademark as a staple for use in web portals and web hosting as part of the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP), Linux is winning broader acceptance as a platform for mission-critical databases, messaging, enterprise resource planning (ERP) and payroll. In response, enterprise software vendors are increasingly porting applications to Linux, resulting in wide-scale deployments across all industries, including finance, retail, government, manufacturing and education.

The ability to install more affordable hardware and take advantage of many more software choices results in higher-performance, lower-cost technology deployments. To that end, the long-term value proposition for migrating to Linux is a compelling incentive. Reducing costs has been a dominant driver for Linux adoption, especially at the expense of UNIX, because the tab for software and porting is low to non-existent.