Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking

The health effects of smoking are the circumstances, mechanisms, and factors of tobacco consumption on human health. Epidemiological research has been focused primarily on cigarette tobacco smoking,^[1] which has been studied more extensively than any other form of consumption.^[2]

Tobacco is the single greatest cause of preventable death globally.^[3] Tobacco use leads most commonly to diseases affecting the heart, liver and lungs, with smoking being a major risk factor for heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) (including emphysema and chronic bronchitis), and cancer (particularly lung cancer, cancers of the larynx and mouth, and pancreatic cancer). It also causes peripheral vascular disease and hypertension. The effects depend on the number of years that a person smokes and on how much the person smokes. Starting smoking earlier in life and smoking cigarettes higher in tar increases the risk of these diseases. Also, environmental tobacco smoke, or secondhand smoke, has been shown to cause adverse health effects in people of all ages.^[4] Cigarettes sold in underdeveloped countries tend to have higher tar content, and are less likely to be filtered, potentially increasing vulnerability to tobacco-related disease in these regions.^[5]

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tobacco caused 5.4 million deaths in 2004^[6] and 100 million deaths over the course of the 20th century.^[7] Similarly, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco use as "the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death worldwide."^[8] Several countries have taken measures to control the consumption of tobacco with usage and sales restrictions as well as warning messages printed on packaging.

Smoke contains several carcinogenic pyrolytic products that bind to DNA and cause many genetic mutations. There are 45 known or suspected chemical carcinogens in cigarette smoke.^[9] Tobacco also contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive psychoactive drug. When tobacco is smoked, nicotine causes physical and psychological dependency. Tobacco use is a significant factor in miscarriages among pregnant smokers, and it contributes to a number of other threats to the health of the fetus such as premature births and low birth weight and increases by 1.4 to 3 times the chance for Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).^[10] The result of scientific studies done in neonatal rats seems to indicate that exposure to cigarette smoke in the womb may reduce the fetal brain's ability to recognize hypoxic conditions, thus increasing the chance of accidental asphyxiation.^[11] Incidence of impotence is approximately 85 percent higher in male smokers compared to non-smokers,^[12] and is a key factor causing erectile dysfunction (ED).^[12][13][14]

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Obesity Can Lead To...

Obesity can lead to other illnesses from chronic to acute, some very severe and deadly, such as Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Vascular Disease, Heart attack, stroke, and even cancer. All of these diseases are very preventable if one can educate themselves and learn to be more careful with what they eat and how much physical activity they do. 4 of the top 10 leading causes of death are all related to obesity, and are direct causes of obesity.

High blood pressure is one of the major causes of death in the United States. Often referred to as the "silent killer", high blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing it to grow weaker over time. It can also cause stroke, kidney disease, and heart failure. One out of four Mexican Americans have high blood pressure.

Cholesterol is a substance found in cells, produced by the body and also found in food from animals. It is essential to forming hormones, cell membranes, and other body functions. Too much cholesterol can cause plaque formation on the lining of blood vessels. Over time, this creates a narrowing that can cause heart attacks or strokes. Among Mexican Americans 20 years or older, 47 percent men and 43 percent women have total blood cholesterol levels over 200 mg/dl.

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose. It results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Diabetes can be associated with serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take measures to reduce the likelihood of such occurrences. Most Hispanic Americans with diabetes (about 90 to 95 percent) have type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes usually develops in adults and is caused by the body's resistance to the action of insulin and to impaired insulin secretion. It can be treated with diet, exercise, diabetes pills, and injected insulin. A small number of Hispanic Americans with diabetes (about 5 to 10 percent) have type 1 diabetes, which usually develops before age 20 and is always treated with insulin. About one-third of total diabetes among Hispanic Americans is undiagnosed. This is similar to the proportion for other racial/ethnic groups in the United States.

In 2000, of the 30 million Hispanic Americans, about 2 million had been diagnosed with diabetes. About 10.2 percent of all Hispanic Americans have diabetes. On average, Hispanic Americans are 1.9 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites of similar age. Diabetes is particularly common among middle-aged and older Hispanic Americans. For those age 50 or older, about 25 to 30 percent have either diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. Diabetes is twice as common in Mexican American and Puerto Rican adults as in non-Hispanic whites. The prevalence of diabetes in Cuban Americans is lower, but still higher than that of non-Hispanic whites. As in all populations, having risk factors for diabetes increases the chance that a Hispanic American will develop diabetes. Risk factors seem to be more common among Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites. These factors include a family history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia (too much insulin) and insulin resistance, obesity, and physical inactivity.

Source; http://www.asu.edu/courses/css335/whatleads.htm 

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Prevent Obesity

Like this website has been saying, Obesity is a very serious problem and can lead to other forms of illnesses, and is prevalent among Hispanics and Latinos. The most notable way to over come this problem is to educate yourself and others about the problem; knowing is half the battle. Physical activity and a steady diet are other important factors to take into consideration. While you may be able to live on a healthy diet, physical activity is very important to help keep good blood flow to all areas of the body as well as keeping the heart in shape.

Physical Activity:

Regular doses of aerobic exercise will promote cardiovascular fitness. Jogging, walking, swimming, biking, dancing, and exercise classes are beneficial. Recommended levels of exercise from the American Heart Association are 30-60 minutes of activity 3-7 times per week. Public, non-profit, and business sectors need to direct resources and policies toward increasing physical activity among adults and children. An example would be increased access to parks and recreational facilities, organized physical activity programs in communities and in schools: safe neighborhoods and urban and transportation planning to decrease time spent in cars and increased opportunities for walking and bicycling. Before one engages in any type of physical activity, one most consult a physician or a doctor to better educate themselves on where to start with a work out program, as well as what intensity levels to work at.

Lifestyle fitness is the way a person lives their life, some people may work out and have time to run and exercise, whereas some individuals may not have the time in the day to do so. Lifestyle fitness is getting out and doing something that may pertain to your everyday life, such as walking your dog, doing yard work or outside chores, inside chores, what lifestyle fitness is doing, is getting an individual to get moving and and be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day 4-5 days a week. It has been said that this type of activity has been known to reduce blood pressure and reduce weight and fat lost. While lifestyle fitness may not have a major impact on health, it is a good place to start if an individual wants to start a physical fitness program.

Learning to Eat

Learning to eat is one of the biggest problems people face today; with diets such as Atkins and South Beach, some people may think what they are doing is helping, but overall it maybe doing more damage. A healthy diet includes five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables each day, whole grains, moderate portions of lean protein, and limited intake of foods that are high in sugars and fats, and are highly processed. Getting information on nutrition, or getting help from a nutritionist maybe a good way to set up a diet plan or meal plan that is suitable for you.
Source; http://www.asu.edu/courses/css335/whatcanwedo.htm

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Obesity Caused

Obesity can lead to other illnesses from chronic to acute, some very severe and deadly, such as Diabetes, High Blood Pressure, Coronary Artery Disease, Coronary Vascular Disease, Heart attack, stroke, and even cancer. All of these diseases are very preventable if one can educate themselves and learn to be more careful with what they eat and how much physical activity they do. 4 of the top 10 leading causes of death are all related to obesity, and are direct causes of obesity.

High blood pressure is one of the major causes of death in the United States. Often referred to as the "silent killer", high blood pressure increases the heart's workload, causing it to grow weaker over time. It can also cause stroke, kidney disease, and heart failure. One out of four Mexican Americans have high blood pressure.

Cholesterol is a substance found in cells, produced by the body and also found in food from animals. It is essential to forming hormones, cell membranes, and other body functions. Too much cholesterol can cause plaque formation on the lining of blood vessels. Over time, this creates a narrowing that can cause heart attacks or strokes. Among Mexican Americans 20 years or older, 47 percent men and 43 percent women have total blood cholesterol levels over 200 mg/dl.

Diabetes mellitus is a group of diseases characterized by high levels of blood glucose. It results from defects in insulin secretion, insulin action, or both. Diabetes can be associated with serious complications and premature death, but people with diabetes can take measures to reduce the likelihood of such occurrences. Most Hispanic Americans with diabetes (about 90 to 95 percent) have type 2 diabetes. This type of diabetes usually develops in adults and is caused by the body's resistance to the action of insulin and to impaired insulin secretion. It can be treated with diet, exercise, diabetes pills, and injected insulin. A small number of Hispanic Americans with diabetes (about 5 to 10 percent) have type 1 diabetes, which usually develops before age 20 and is always treated with insulin. About one-third of total diabetes among Hispanic Americans is undiagnosed. This is similar to the proportion for other racial/ethnic groups in the United States.

In 2000, of the 30 million Hispanic Americans, about 2 million had been diagnosed with diabetes. About 10.2 percent of all Hispanic Americans have diabetes. On average, Hispanic Americans are 1.9 times more likely to have diabetes than non-Hispanic whites of similar age. Diabetes is particularly common among middle-aged and older Hispanic Americans. For those age 50 or older, about 25 to 30 percent have either diagnosed or undiagnosed diabetes. Diabetes is twice as common in Mexican American and Puerto Rican adults as in non-Hispanic whites. The prevalence of diabetes in Cuban Americans is lower, but still higher than that of non-Hispanic whites. As in all populations, having risk factors for diabetes increases the chance that a Hispanic American will develop diabetes. Risk factors seem to be more common among Hispanics than non-Hispanic whites. These factors include a family history of diabetes, gestational diabetes, impaired glucose tolerance, hyperinsulinemia (too much insulin) and insulin resistance, obesity, and physical inactivity.

Source; http://www.asu.edu/courses/css335/whatleads.htm 

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Rabies

Rabies is a neurotropic virus, viral zoonotic disease that causes acute encephalitis.

Usually, people (and animals) die from it (it is fatal). There is no cure for it. People who are treated soon after becoming infected have a chance to survive.

The disease is transmitted through the saliva and the blood. The usual form of getting is a bite of a rabid mammal. Pets, like dogs need to be vaccinated against it, in most countries.

There is no cure for Rabies. There is a vaccine against it. The vaccine was first developed by Louis Pasteur and Pierre Paul Émile Roux in 1885. This vaccine used a live virus grown in rabbits, and weakened (through drying it). The first person to be vaccinated was Joseph Meister (a 9 year old boy who had been bitten by a dog). Vaccines similar to this are still used today, but other vaccines (growing the virus using cell cultures) are more frequent.

There is also a form of treatment that can be done once a person has been bitten. It needs to be done within 6 days of being bitten. It starts with washing the wound. This is done to reduce the number of virus particles that enter the body. Often patients are given one dose of immunoglobulin and a certain number of vaccines, over a determined period of time, usually a month.

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Bird Flu / Avian Influenza

Bird flu (also called avian influenza, avian flu, bird influenza, or grippe of the birds), is an illness caused by a virus. The virus, called influenza A or type A, usually lives in birds, but sometimes infects mammals, including humans. It is called influenza when it infects humans.

There are many types of influenza A, which was first found in a bird in Italy in 1878. Most types have weak symptoms, such as breathing problems, similar to the common cold.

But some types kill birds, and a few kill humans and other mammals. One type of bird flu, called Spanish flu, killed 50 to 100 million people^[1] in 1918/1919. Another type, called Asian Flu killed one million in 1957, and another one, called Hong Kong Flu, also killed one million people in 1968.

A subtype, called H5N1, killed six people in Hong Kong in 1997, but did not kill again until 2003, this time in China. Until the middle of 2005, it was primarily found in southeast Asia but since then has spread to parts of Africa and Europe. It has killed tens of millions of birds and resulted in the slaughter of hundreds of millions of other birds to limit its spread. So far it is mostly a bird disease and rarely infects humans. The concern about H5N1 is that it is constantly evolving at a very fast rate and could create a human flu pandemic that could kill many millions of people. Governments around the world are spending billions of dollars to deal with this problem: studying H5N1, creating vaccines, conducting pandemic practice exercises, stockpiling useful flu medication, and many other important activities.

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Diseases Caused by Bad Weather

Severe weather refers to any dangerous meteorological phenomena with the potential to cause damage, serious social disruption, or loss of human life.^[1] Types of severe weather phenomena vary, depending on the latitude, altitude, topography, and atmospheric conditions. High winds, hail, excessive precipitation, and wildfires are forms and effects of severe weather, as are thunderstorms, downbursts, lightning, tornadoes, waterspouts, tropical cyclones, and extratropical cyclones. Regional and seasonal severe weather phenomena include blizzards, snowstorms, ice storms, and duststorms.^[2]

Meteorologists generally define severe weather as any aspect of the weather that poses risks to life, property or requires the intervention of authorities. A narrower definition of severe weather is any weather phenomena relating to severe thunderstorms.^[2][3]

According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), severe weather can be categorized into two groups: general severe weather and localized severe weather.^[1] Nor'easters, European wind storms, and the phenomena that accompany them form over wide geographic areas. These occurrences are classified as general severe weather.^[1] Downbursts and tornadoes are more localized and therefore have a more limited geographic effect. These forms of weather are classified as localized severe weather.^[1] The term severe weather is technically not the same phenomenon as extreme weather. Extreme weather describes unusual weather events that are at the extremes of the historical distribution for a given area.^[4]

Organized severe weather occurs from the same conditions that generate ordinary thunderstorms: atmospheric moisture, lift (often from thermals), and instability.^[5] A wide variety of conditions cause severe weather. Several factors can convert thunderstorms into severe weather. For example, a pool of cold air aloft may aid in the development of large hail from an otherwise innocuous appearing thunderstorm. However, the most severe hail and tornadoes are produced by supercell thunderstorms, and the worst downbursts and derechos (straight-line winds) are produced by bow echoes. Both of these types of storms tend to form in environments high in wind shear.^[5]

Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and thunderstorms are considered to be the most destructive weather-related natural disasters. Although these weather phenomena are all related to cumulonimbus clouds, they form and develop under different conditions and geographic locations. The relationship between these weather events and their formation requirements are used to develop models to predict the most frequent and possible locations. This information is used to notify affected areas and save lives.

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