STORY BY

Nora K. Shire

Smoking 101

"Whenever I see a new patient," the doctor was saying casually, "I usually can tell immediately if they are a heavy smoker or not."

Just keep in mind that, like pretty, sexy is as sexy does. If you are a smoker with premature facial wrinkling, yellowed skin, stained teeth and fingers, bad breath and an overall ashtray essence, sexy isn't the word that comes to mind.

Besides not looking your best, each single cigarette decreases the number of years you could be sexy and healthy. (More about that later.) However, if you decide to quit, almost immediately your body rejoices and begins to heal itself.

And, more about that later.

What happens after the first puff

With every puff on a cigarette, the smoker invites some 3,000-plus chemicals into the body. Many are proven to be carcinogenic.

Nicotine and carbon monoxide combine, resulting in peripheral vasoconstriction (narrowing of the blood vessels) and oxygen depletion. This produces a rise in blood pressure and heart rate. Nicotine also interferes with insulin absorption, exposing the smoker to diabetic complications.

Nicotine has a direct affect on the endothelial cells and the microvascular cells, and when they are impaired, the result can be atherosclerosis (disease of the arteries) and cancer.

Full story...

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Last Updated: 10-09-2009

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Health Tip:

Packing Bag Lunches Safely

If you pack lunches for your child to take to school, be careful that you do not accidentally expose them to foodborne illness.

Bagged lunches, especially those containing perishable foods, need to be packed and handled properly in order to keep the food safe. In general, perishable foods should not be left at room temperature for more than two hours. If left out too long, the temperature of the food can enter the danger zone where bacteria grow most rapidly, which is between 40 and 140 degrees Fahrenheit.

Below are some tips to help families pack bagged lunches safely:

Pack foods that are nonperishable and won't require refrigeration.
If you do pack perishable foods such as luncheon meats or prepackaged cheese and crackers, include a frozen gel pack or a frozen juice carton with the food in an insulated lunch bag or box.
Pack only the amount of perishable food that your child can eat at lunch.
Preparing lunches the night before and storing them in the refrigerator until you pack your child's lunchbox in the morning can help keep food cold longer the next day.
Don't reuse packaging materials such as paper or plastic bags, aluminum foil, etc. as they can contaminate other foods and cause foodborne illness. Have your child discard all used food packaging and paper bags after lunch.