In the UK, smoking is one of the leading causes of illness and death.
In the UK, smoking causes over 78,000 annual deaths, and thousands more suffer from crippling illnesses.
More than 50 major health disorders are more likely to develop among smokers.
Some could be fatal, while others could harm your health in the long run in an irreparable way.
You could get sick:
if you personally smoke
if others close to you smoke (passive smoking)
Health effects of smoking
About seven out of ten occurrences of lung cancer are brought on by smoking (70 percent ).
Many other areas of the body are also affected, including the:
throat, mouth, and voice box (larynx)
oesophagus (the tube between your mouth and stomach)
bladder
pancreas
kidney
stomach
bowel
cervix
liver
Smoking harms your heart and blood circulation, raising your risk of contracting illnesses like:
cardiovascular disease
chest pain
stroke
the disease of the peripheral vasculature (damaged blood vessels)
Alzheimer's disease (damaged arteries that supply blood to your brain)
Additionally, smoking harms your lungs, resulting in illnesses like:
Bronchitis and emphysema pneumonia are both components of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Additionally, smoking can exacerbate or prolong the signs and symptoms of respiratory illnesses like the common cold or asthma.
Bronchitis and emphysema pneumonia are both components of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Additionally, smoking can exacerbate or prolong the signs and symptoms of respiratory illnesses like the common cold or asthma.
Smoking can lead to impotence in men because it reduces the blood flow to the penis.
It can also lower both men's and women's fertility.
No one is flawless. However, many individuals struggle with perfectionism, which can trigger a cascade of anxieties. Depending on how it is used, stubbornness can be both a strength and a weakness. Dr. Szymanski teaches psychology at Harvard Medical School and runs the International OCD Foundation as its executive director.
According to Dr. Szymanski, the intention to do something well lies at the heart of all perfectionism. If you can maintain focus on your intention and desired outcome while adjusting your strategy as necessary, you will be fine. But when you cannot tolerate making a mistake and your strategy is to not make any, perfectionism begins to veer in the wrong direction. " In its worst form, perfectionism can make a person afraid to do anything because they don't want to make a mistake.
Dr. Szymanski has given you the following exercise to help you decide which projects and activities are the most important and to keep your personal strategy in place:
Nobody can be a perfectionist in all areas. Consider your current objectives and projects and rank them accordingly. Use the letters "ABCF" to determine where you want to excel (A), where you want to be above average (B), where you want to be average (C), and where you can let go (F) (F). For instance,
A (one hundred percent effort) is reserved for your top priorities. For example, if your career is the most important thing to you, you might want to impress your boss, make sure your clients are happy, and do good work.
B (above average, maybe 80% effort): You might enjoy golf, tennis, or learning a new language. You enjoy these activities but have no plans to pursue them professionally.
C (moderate effort): Perhaps having a clean home is also essential. But how often should you clean your home? People do not visit it on a daily basis. Could you simply clean on weekends? Or concentrate on the few rooms with the most foot traffic?
According to Dr. Szymanski, the intention to do something well lies at the heart of all perfectionism. If you can maintain focus on your intention and desired outcome while adjusting your strategy as necessary, you will be fine. But when you cannot tolerate making a mistake and your strategy is to not make any, perfectionism begins to veer in the wrong direction. " In its worst form, perfectionism can make a person afraid to do anything because they don't want to make a mistake.
Dr. Szymanski has given you the following exercise to help you decide which projects and activities are the most important and to keep your personal strategy in place:
What do you value most in life?
What would you like the past 50 years to represent? If this seems overwhelming, consider where you would like to focus your efforts over the next five years.
Nobody can be a perfectionist in all areas. Consider your current objectives and projects and rank them accordingly. Use the letters "ABCF" to determine where you want to excel (A), where you want to be above average (B), where you want to be average (C), and where you can let go (F) (F). For instance,
A (one hundred percent effort) is reserved for your top priorities. For example, if your career is the most important thing to you, you might want to impress your boss, make sure your clients are happy, and do good work.
B (above average, maybe 80% effort): You might enjoy golf, tennis, or learning a new language. You enjoy these activities but have no plans to pursue them professionally.
C (moderate effort): Perhaps having a clean home is also essential. But how often should you clean your home? People do not visit it on a daily basis. Could you simply clean on weekends? Or concentrate on the few rooms with the most foot traffic?
The ability to manage stress reduces the risk of developing anxiety, depression, and cardiovascular disease.
The more we learn about women's hearts, the clearer it becomes that they differ from men's. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, or broken-heart syndrome, is nine times more prevalent in women than in men. This is one of the most striking differences. It has been cited as proof that sudden emotional stress can cause death in some women.
However, unlike a heart attack, takotsubo cardiomyopathy does not involve clogged arteries. Symptoms include chest pain and shortness of breath. Takotsubo cardiomyopathy is caused by an influx of stress hormones that literally distort the heart. As a result, when the main pumping chamber of the heart (the left ventricle) contracts, it swells, preventing it from effectively expelling blood into the arteries.
In September 2015, The New England Journal of Medicine published the results of a study conducted by an international team of physicians from the United States and Europe on 1,750 patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy. Similar to previous reports, ninety percent of these cases occurred in postmenopausal women in this study. The most common causes of takotsubo cardiomyopathy were lung problems and infections. The second most common trigger was emotional shock caused by grief, panic, or interpersonal conflict. Patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy were nearly twice as likely as patients with other heart conditions to have a neurological or psychiatric disorder.
According to Dr. Thomas H. Lee, a cardiologist at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, Takutsubo cardiomyopathy is an extreme example illustrating a general truth. "There is no doubt a strong connection between the head and the heart," he asserts. Stress and the negative emotions it elicits, such as anxiety, anger, and sadness, have been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease for decades.
How our feelings impact our hearts
Protect yourself from the harmful effects of persistent inflammation.
Chronic, low-grade inflammation can become a silent killer that contributes to cardiovascular disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions, according to scientific evidence. Experts from Harvard Medical School provide simple advice for combating inflammation and remaining healthy.
There is a growing body of research on the relationship between stress and heart health. A small amount of stress can be beneficial, as it stimulates the release of hormones that help you face adversity. These hormones increase your heart rate, muscle tone, and the brain's oxygen consumption. However, prolonged exposure to stress can contribute to a variety of conditions, including high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, anxiety, and depression.
Furthermore, stress-related health issues are frequently interrelated. Not only are anxiousness and depression risk factors for heart disease, but a heart disease diagnosis can also exacerbate emotional issues. To alleviate stress, people with anxiety or depression may engage in unhealthy behaviors such as smoking or overeating, which may also increase their cardiovascular risk.
Relieving stress
Replacing negative emotions such as anxiety, sadness, and anger with positive emotions such as happiness and contentment may be a key to better mental and cardiovascular health, but no single therapy has been demonstrated to achieve this. "We have so much to learn about how to utilize the positive effects of emotions while minimizing the negative ones," says Dr. Lee. In the interim, the following are likely to be of assistance.
The practise of mindfulness meditation.
The practise consists of sitting comfortably, focusing on your breathing, and remaining in the present moment without dwelling on the past or the future. A meta-analysis of thousands of studies published in October 2016 in JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that mindfulness meditation can alleviate psychological stresses such as anxiety, depression, and pain.
Exercise.
There are mountains of evidence that regular physical activity reduces the risk of heart disease, anxiety, and depression. If you're not physically active, you may want to begin with a 10-minute daily walk and work your way up to the recommended 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week.
Social support. In times of stress and crisis, friends and family can provide emotional support that helps to sustain the individual. There is also growing evidence linking a supportive social network to a reduction in anxiety and depression symptoms and a decreased risk of cardiovascular disease.
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The 5 Most Vital Aspects Of Senior Home Care
An increasing number of self-described "elderhood advocates" are working to change outdated social ideas about aging to ones that emphasize exciting new experiences, possibilities, and an abundance of happiness.
Elderhood advocates, who have a positive view of aging, tell us to ignore the crazy ideas that many of our contemporaries have about how aging is a scary, panic-inducing, slow decline into a kind of subhuman nonexistence.
Instead, we're told to trust our own judgment and see aging for what it is: a normal part of life that should be welcomed, dealt with, and added to the many other things that make up and define our lives.
After all, life's many facets—including old age, illness, disability, and long-term care—do not determine who we are as individuals.
One of the most important parts of building a healthy life is making sure that older people get good care for their health problems.
You are in a good position to make a personal care plan for your life that includes all of the key pillars needed to build a happy, healthy, sustainable, and functional life through reflective and affirmative thought, avoiding pessimism and choosing optimism, and focusing on the positive.
Making sure that older people, patients, and even family members get high-quality long-term care and that the tasks we may need help with are taken care of by professionals who treat us with the utmost care, compassion, and respect is one of the most important parts of living a healthy life that lasts.
We need to ensure that we are taken care of properly and appropriately and that our health and well-being are respected and upheld, whether it be through personal care, primary care, nursing home care, in-home care or non-medical home care, patient-centred medical home care, being a part of a retirement community, or any other form of elderly care.
The majority of our health, emotional, physical, and activities of daily living (ADL) needs are professionally met by home health care assistance services, allowing you to focus on being a vibrant, self-assured senior dynamo who is full of zest and zeal for life and is excited about the new experiences to be found with each passing day.
Continue reading to find out more about the key components of home health care services and how they can improve your quality of life.
Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-assisting-elderly-man-7551667/
Make sure the healthcare aides the agency will send to you are trained, licensed, credentialed, and have the depth and breadth of expertise necessary to fulfill your needs before selecting a home health care agency to assist you with your in-home needs.
You should receive consistently high-quality service from your home health care provider, on par with the care you would receive in a skilled nursing facility.
A home health aide who has experience giving this kind of basic care should be willing to help you with any tasks, chores, ADLs, bathing, grooming, medical, or financial issues that you may not be able to handle on your own.
Always provide a patient-centred experience that considers your particular goals and preferences.
What to do: Before deciding on a home health care agency to assist you with your in-home needs, make sure the healthcare assistants the firm will send to you are trained, licensed, credentialed, and have the depth and breadth of expertise required to fulfill your needs.
Make an appointment if you can to speak with the agency and the specialist they plan to pair you with.
Bring a list of your top issues along with a selection of questions that address each one in turn.
Bring relatives and close friends with you to the interview if at all possible to get their opinion of the company's quality.
Reputation
Your home health care provider should have a stellar reputation and have unvarnished reviews that are simple to find online and elsewhere. A quick Internet search for their company name can turn up a ton of extremely helpful information that will help you make an educated decision.
Make sure you read all the available reviews, both positive and negative. You want to get the most accurate picture of the agencies' services overall, including how consistently they deliver top-notch medical treatment and use ethical business procedures.
An increasing number of self-described "elderhood advocates" are working to change outdated social ideas about aging to ones that emphasize exciting new experiences, possibilities, and an abundance of happiness.
Elderhood advocates, who have a positive view of aging, tell us to ignore the crazy ideas that many of our contemporaries have about how aging is a scary, panic-inducing, slow decline into a kind of subhuman nonexistence.
Instead, we're told to trust our own judgment and see aging for what it is: a normal part of life that should be welcomed, dealt with, and added to the many other things that make up and define our lives.
After all, life's many facets—including old age, illness, disability, and long-term care—do not determine who we are as individuals.
One of the most important parts of building a healthy life is making sure that older people get good care for their health problems.
You are in a good position to make a personal care plan for your life that includes all of the key pillars needed to build a happy, healthy, sustainable, and functional life through reflective and affirmative thought, avoiding pessimism and choosing optimism, and focusing on the positive.
Making sure that older people, patients, and even family members get high-quality long-term care and that the tasks we may need help with are taken care of by professionals who treat us with the utmost care, compassion, and respect is one of the most important parts of living a healthy life that lasts.
We need to ensure that we are taken care of properly and appropriately and that our health and well-being are respected and upheld, whether it be through personal care, primary care, nursing home care, in-home care or non-medical home care, patient-centred medical home care, being a part of a retirement community, or any other form of elderly care.
The majority of our health, emotional, physical, and activities of daily living (ADL) needs are professionally met by home health care assistance services, allowing you to focus on being a vibrant, self-assured senior dynamo who is full of zest and zeal for life and is excited about the new experiences to be found with each passing day.
Continue reading to find out more about the key components of home health care services and how they can improve your quality of life.
Photo by Kampus Production from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-assisting-elderly-man-7551667/
Experience
Make sure the healthcare aides the agency will send to you are trained, licensed, credentialed, and have the depth and breadth of expertise necessary to fulfill your needs before selecting a home health care agency to assist you with your in-home needs.
You should receive consistently high-quality service from your home health care provider, on par with the care you would receive in a skilled nursing facility.
A home health aide who has experience giving this kind of basic care should be willing to help you with any tasks, chores, ADLs, bathing, grooming, medical, or financial issues that you may not be able to handle on your own.
Always provide a patient-centred experience that considers your particular goals and preferences.
What to do: Before deciding on a home health care agency to assist you with your in-home needs, make sure the healthcare assistants the firm will send to you are trained, licensed, credentialed, and have the depth and breadth of expertise required to fulfill your needs.
Make an appointment if you can to speak with the agency and the specialist they plan to pair you with.
Bring a list of your top issues along with a selection of questions that address each one in turn.
Bring relatives and close friends with you to the interview if at all possible to get their opinion of the company's quality.
Reputation
Your home health care provider should have a stellar reputation and have unvarnished reviews that are simple to find online and elsewhere. A quick Internet search for their company name can turn up a ton of extremely helpful information that will help you make an educated decision.
Make sure you read all the available reviews, both positive and negative. You want to get the most accurate picture of the agencies' services overall, including how consistently they deliver top-notch medical treatment and use ethical business procedures.
You can be productive at work and offer your elderly parents the care and attention you wish to give them.
Isolation, being alone, and boredom are the most prevalent difficulties among the elderly. It may be exacerbated by mobility problems. The inability to drive as much as they once did may exacerbate their everyday sense of isolation. Even worse, they witness their pals' passing away. Fewer chances to make friends and do fun things with other people is one reason why many older parents choose to stay at home.
Their children's first goal may be to provide for their aging parents. Even if you hire a caregiver to assist with the care of your elderly parent, there is still a chance that he or she will experience a loss of fulfilment, excitement, or enjoyment. Your parents may have no social ties with the housekeeper outside of the cleanliness of the home. Even if you are the busiest person in the world, you should consider the aforementioned concerns when thinking about your parents.
You should not allow a caretaker to replace you in your role in the lives of your aging parents.
Numerous family members do not reside near their aged parents. Seniors who are alone are seeking strategies to alleviate their boredom. This causes some of them to participate in lotteries and contests. According to the Federal Trade Commission, more than half of all adults participated in sweepstakes in the past year. While the majority of events are handled by trustworthy organizers, some are run by those looking to take advantage of the naive. Who doesn't like fun? The elderly enjoy it more than any other population group. Therefore, there is an increase in the number of elderly people who gamble with their money and are subsequently tricked. Even worse, many continue to invest their money repeatedly.
Seniors should be safeguarded against these cons if their offspring make more time for them, regardless of how busy they are. Oftentimes, elderly parents are placed in a precarious position, and their adult offspring must take steps to rectify this. So, what can you do as an adult kid to safeguard your parents from boredom and the realistic chance of being scammed? Here are some tips for staying close to your elderly parents and ensuring they receive adequate care.
You can phone your folks on your way to work in the morning. You could even call them after work hours. You should go above and beyond if any of them has recently lost a significant other. The loss of a significant other raises the chances of depression. Your daily call will assist in keeping boredom at bay. Your parents will even include receiving a phone call from you on their daily to-do list.
Take the best care of your loved ones. Age-related parental care is never simple. With the assistance of home care services, you may continue to be close to your loved one while giving the best care possible.
A retiring individual who is shy can become outgoing after meeting new people.
This can lessen your concern for your parent's well-being. Additionally, it will give them the social contacts they need to stop worrying about their current circumstances. A retiring individual who is shy can become outgoing after meeting new people.
Isolation, being alone, and boredom are the most prevalent difficulties among the elderly. It may be exacerbated by mobility problems. The inability to drive as much as they once did may exacerbate their everyday sense of isolation. Even worse, they witness their pals' passing away. Fewer chances to make friends and do fun things with other people is one reason why many older parents choose to stay at home.
Their children's first goal may be to provide for their aging parents. Even if you hire a caregiver to assist with the care of your elderly parent, there is still a chance that he or she will experience a loss of fulfilment, excitement, or enjoyment. Your parents may have no social ties with the housekeeper outside of the cleanliness of the home. Even if you are the busiest person in the world, you should consider the aforementioned concerns when thinking about your parents.
You should not allow a caretaker to replace you in your role in the lives of your aging parents.
Numerous family members do not reside near their aged parents. Seniors who are alone are seeking strategies to alleviate their boredom. This causes some of them to participate in lotteries and contests. According to the Federal Trade Commission, more than half of all adults participated in sweepstakes in the past year. While the majority of events are handled by trustworthy organizers, some are run by those looking to take advantage of the naive. Who doesn't like fun? The elderly enjoy it more than any other population group. Therefore, there is an increase in the number of elderly people who gamble with their money and are subsequently tricked. Even worse, many continue to invest their money repeatedly.
Seniors should be safeguarded against these cons if their offspring make more time for them, regardless of how busy they are. Oftentimes, elderly parents are placed in a precarious position, and their adult offspring must take steps to rectify this. So, what can you do as an adult kid to safeguard your parents from boredom and the realistic chance of being scammed? Here are some tips for staying close to your elderly parents and ensuring they receive adequate care.
1. Maintain Contact frequently
Nothing prevents you from communicating with your parents on a regular basis. Technology has even enabled you to view their faces even when you are not physically present. You may be accustomed to calling your parents once a week or twice a month. If you have a busy schedule, make the time.You can phone your folks on your way to work in the morning. You could even call them after work hours. You should go above and beyond if any of them has recently lost a significant other. The loss of a significant other raises the chances of depression. Your daily call will assist in keeping boredom at bay. Your parents will even include receiving a phone call from you on their daily to-do list.
2. Visit your parents more often.
The only person who knows how frequently you visit your parents is you. No matter how frequently you visit, you need to boost that number. Even though technology has a lot of benefits, nothing can take the place of a face-to-face meeting.It's advantageous for both of you to see how your parents are doing and for them to see your face. The distance can make it difficult for you to visit them as frequently as you would want. However, you can still plan quality time with them using video call services like Skype or any mobile app that enables video call connections.
Take the best care of your loved ones. Age-related parental care is never simple. With the assistance of home care services, you may continue to be close to your loved one while giving the best care possible.
3. Encourage your elderly parents to attend social events in the neighbourhood if it's a peaceful community.
If your elderly parents reside in the city or the suburbs, their community is probably home to senior social groups and resources. You can nudge them to participate in these social gatherings.
This can lessen your concern for your parent's well-being. Additionally, it will give them the social contacts they need to stop worrying about their current circumstances. A retiring individual who is shy can become outgoing after meeting new people.
4. Take Your Elderly Parents Out!
Do you enjoy going to the movies and concerts when you have the time? Do you ever have the need to go shopping? Why not do everything with your parents? You don't have to take your parents to these urban entertainment spots; you may stay close to home. Older adults don't want to miss any of the local festivities that are held in many areas.
According to research published on March 28, 2021, in Geophysical Research Letters, long, hot summers are becoming longer and hotter, and this trend may continue as a result of global warming. Autumns, winters, and springs have gotten shorter over the last 60 years, while summers have grown by nearly 20 days. Among the many concerns, this raises is an increased risk of heat-related health problems, particularly as we age.
Heat and aging
Maintaining a core (internal) body temperature is critical to your ability to function. "In a hot environment, your body temperature rises. Sweating and carrying blood away from the core of the body to the skin surface, where heat leaves the body, are two ways your body releases heat. However, as you get older, these functions become less effective. Heat can accumulate, putting organs at risk of serious damage "Dr. Kalpana Shankar, director of Geriatric Emergency Medicine at the Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital, concurs.
Even when you can't see it, you're releasing fluid as well as heat — not just through sweating, but also through your breath and evaporation through your skin. You can become dehydrated in a hot environment due to the constant need to release body heat. Meanwhile, we're already prone to dehydration as we get older. "Your fluid intake may be low due to a decreased sensation of thirst and hunger," explains Dr Shankar. "Some medications, such as diuretics, also promote fluid loss."
However, the body requires fluid in order to continue releasing heat and lowering your core temperature. As a result, the cycle continues, causing heat to build up quickly inside you.
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