Smoking leads to different cardiovascular diseases like angina, acute coronary syndromes, sudden cardiac death, brain stroke, claudication, gangrene or amputation of limb.

The three main poisons in tobacco smoke are

Nicotine

A highly addictive toxic substance which diffuses into the bloodstream providing a quick fix for smokers.

Tar

A solid irritant, tar coats lungs, blocks airways & causes emphysema, lung cancer.

Carbon monoxide

CO is absorbed via lung into the blood stream where it binds to haemoglobin replacing oxygen.

How to Stop Smoking

All it requires is a strong determination. If you believe in yourself and make up your mind, you can do it.

Set a date. This would be the ‘first day to your new life’ as a non-smoker

Guidance from an expert is the best way of self-motivation

Indulge in physical activities. Exercise and smoking are incompatible.

Exercise for at least 30 minutes daily.

Make a mind set and commitment to yourself once you quit to never start smoking again.

Benefits of quitting smoking

Nicotine levels reduce by half in 8 hours, and CO level is down within 24 to48 hours of quitting.

Within one year of quitting, the excess risk of heart disease reduces by half.

For those who already suffer from a heart disease and quit smoking, the risk of premature death or another attack reduces by 50% or more.

Health professionals have high credibility with smokers and can be effective in helping them stop for good. Smoking cessation intervention programme comprises of:

Counseling and education

Nicotine replacement therapy.

The above tips to stop smoking will make you to quit smoking if you really use it.

Cancer is a disease distinguished by uncontrollable cell growth. Among 100 different cases of cancer, one is separated from the other by the kind of cell it originally affected.

Our body includes various organs, muscles, skin, blood and bones. Each of these parts consists of dedicated cells and genes respectively. The functionality of the cells get interrupted with the advent of germs of cancer and readily takes over the control of the genes after they multiply and breed freely to take possession of the whole human metabolism.

In the year 2007, it was estimated that cancer alone has taken lives of 7.6 million people across the globe. It was observed that this disease was mostly detected much after the second or third stage where there was very little the doctors could do to save the cancer patients. This is pathetic but more of helplessness a person would feel being either the patient or someone close in relation.

Signs and symptoms of cancer

Cancer can often be managed more easily when it is diagnosed in the early stages. Being aware of your body and what is ‘normal’ for you, and reporting symptoms to your GP, can help to make sure that, if you do have cancer, it is diagnosed as early as possible.

There are some common signs and symptoms of cancer that may alert you to the fact that something is new or different. You should contact your doctor if you have any of the following:
• Lumps
• Coughing, breathlessness and hoarseness
• Changes in bowel habit
• Bleeding
• Moles
• Unexplained weight loss

Who gets cancer?

Each year more than a quarter of a million people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK, and 1 in 3 people will develop cancer during their lifetime. But cancer is not common in children or young people – it mainly occurs in the later years of life. Cancers can occur at any age, but the risk of developing cancer increases with age. 64% (64 in 100) of all newly diagnosed cancers occur in people aged 65 years or more. Less than 1% (1 in 100) of cancers are diagnosed in children, aged 0-14 years.

Some cancers are very common and others are very rare. The most recent statistics for the UK (from 2003) show that for men the most common cancer is prostate cancer (23%), followed by lung cancer (16%), large bowel cancer (14%) and bladder cancer (5%).
For women the figures are breast cancer (31%), large bowel cancer (11%), lung cancer (11%) and cancer of the ovary (5%).
Many people with cancer can be cured. Even if a cancer cannot be cured, it can often be controlled with treatment for months or years.

Like all cancers, cancer of the cervix is much more likely to be cured if it is detected early and treated immediately.
• One of the key features of cervical cancer is its slow progression from normal cervical tissue, to precancerous (or dysplastic) changes in the tissue, to invasive cancer.
• The slow progression through numerous precancerous changes is very important because it provides opportunities for prevention and early detection and treatment.
• These opportunities have caused the decline of cervical cancer over the past decades in the United States.

Invasive cancer means that the cancer affects the deeper tissues of the cervix and may have spread to other parts of the body. This spread is called metastasis. Cervical cancers don’t always spread, but those that do most often spread to the lungs, the liver, the bladder, the vagina, and/or the rectum.

Cervical Cancer Symptoms – Signs Of Cervical Cancer
You may not experience any cervical cancer symptoms — early cervical cancer generally produces no signs or symptoms. This is why regular screening is so important. As the cancer progresses, the following signs and symptoms of more advanced cervical cancer may appear:
• Vaginal bleeding after intercourse, between periods or after menopause
• Watery, bloody vaginal discharge that may be heavy and have a foul odor
• Pelvic pain or pain during intercourse

Cervical cancer treatment
Treatments – There are many ways to treat cervical cancer.
(1) Loop Electrosurgical Excision Procedure {LEEP} which can be performed in the doctors office under local anesthetic, where electrically charged wire loop is used to remove the outer portion of the cervix that contains the abnormal tissue.

(2) Cryosurgery can also be performed in the doctors office and this does not require an anesthetic. This procedure freezes and kills the abnormal cells of the cervix when a silver probe is placed against the cervix.

(3)Cryosurgery Hysterectomy is another treatment that I would want to mention. Here the uterus is removed through the abdomen or vagina. This is a major surgery that requires the patient staying overnight in the hospital. It is usually performed on pre- invasive lesions and sometimes for women who have had more than one relapse and no longer have enough tissue to perform another LEEP

Skin cancer begins in the epidermis, which is made up of 3 kinds of cells: Squamous cells: Thin, flat cells that form the top layer of the epidermis. Basal cells: Round cells under the squamous cells. Melanocytes: Found in the lower part of the epidermis, these cells make melanin, the pigment that gives skin its natural color. When skin is exposed to the sun, melanocytes make more pigment, causing the skin to tan, or darken.

Causes of Skin Cancer
Ultraviolet (UV) radiation from repeated bouts of sun exposure is believed to be the main preventable cause of skin cancer. Energy from the sun is actually a form of radiation, with the ability to cause damage to living cells. Solar energy consists of visible light and other rays that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Infrared radiation, for instance, makes sunlight feel hot. Ultraviolet radiation causes sunburn and sun tan. UV radiation causes damage to the skin cell DNA, the genetic material of the cells. DNA controls the growth and overall health of skin cells. If the DNA damage is severe, a normal skin cell may begin to grow in an uncontrolled and disorderly way and turn into a cancer. UV also can cause sunburn, and other damage that makes the skin look prematurely old and wrinkled.

Types of skin cancer
Skin cancer affects people of all skin tones, including those with darker complexions. When melanoma occurs in those with dark skin tones, it’s more likely to occur in areas not normally considered to be sun-exposed.

A cancerous skin lesion can appear suddenly or develop slowly. Its appearance depends on the type of cancer.

Basal cell carcinoma
This is the most common skin cancer. It’s also the most easily treated and the least likely to spread. Basal cell carcinoma usually appears as one of the following:
• A pearly or waxy bump on your face, ears or neck
• A flat, flesh-colored or brown scar-like lesion on your chest or back

Squamous cell carcinoma
Squamous cell carcinoma is easily treated if detected early, but it’s slightly more apt to spread than is basal cell carcinoma. Most often, squamous cell carcinoma appears as one of the following:
• A firm, red nodule on your face, lips, ears, neck, hands or arms
• A flat lesion with a scaly, crusted surface on your face, ears, neck, hands or arms

Melanoma
This is the most serious form of skin cancer and the one responsible for most skin cancer deaths. Melanoma can develop anywhere on your body, in otherwise normal skin or in an existing mole that turns malignant. Melanoma most often appears on the trunk, head or neck of affected men. In women, this type of cancer most often develops on the arms or legs.

Warning signs of melanoma include:
• A large brownish spot with darker speckles located anywhere on your body
• A simple mole located anywhere on your body that changes in color, size or feel or that bleeds
• A small lesion with an irregular border and red, white, blue or blue-black spots on your trunk or limbs
• Shiny, firm, dome-shaped bumps located anywhere on your body
• Dark lesions on your palms, soles, fingertips and toes, or on mucous membranes lining your mouth, nose, vagina and anus

Treatments for Skin Cancer
Surgery is an important treatment for many skin cancers. Surgery can be done in a variety of ways. Small cancers can usually be removed under local anaesthetic.

When larger tumours are removed, skin grafts or flaps are sometimes needed to replace the removed skin. A skin graft is a thin layer of healthy skin taken from another part of the body. This is done under either a local or general anaesthetic. In many cases, surgery is the only treatment needed. Rarely, patients with squamous cell skin cancers will also have surgery to remove nearby lymph nodes .

Radiotherapy may be used instead of surgery. It can be a very effective alternative for basal and squamous cell cancers. Radiotherapy is often used in areas of the face where surgery might be difficult or cause unacceptable scarring. However, its use is not recommended in young people as it causes skin damage which becomes more visible over the years.

Radiotherapy may be given after surgery if there is a risk that some cancer cells may still be present. Sometimes it is used for tumours that have grown into the deeper layers of the skin.

Cryotherapy destroys cancer cells by using liquid nitrogen to freeze them. It is a very quick way of treating small, low-risk skin cancers.
Photodynamic therapy (PDT) is a newer treatment for skin cancer. It uses light sources, combined with a light-sensitive drug (sometimes called a photosensitising agent) to destroy cancer cells.

Topical chemotherapy Some early squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs) and superficial BCCs can be treated using a chemotherapy cream, containing a drug called 5FU (Efudix®). The cream is applied directly to the skin cancer and it works by destroying the cancer cells.

Topical immunotherapy Another cream that is used to treat some BCCs and SCCs uses the immune system to attack the cancer cells. The cream is also applied directly to the skin cancer and is known as imiquimod (Aldara®).