What are the dangers of using:
Whatever you and I think about cannabis, it is against the law. That is why I have put cannabis under the heading of drugs rather than on this page. Actually, tobacco is a drug, but smoking it is not against the law (unless you are under age) so I have not put it on the drugs page. For that matter, tea and coffee are also considered as drugs. | |||||||||||
Smoking cigarettes can cause:
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Smoking cigars can cause:
It is less likely to cause damage to the lungs because cigar smokers do not usually inhale very much smoke: it is too strong. They are less likely to "chain smoke". | |||||||||||
Smoking a pipe can cause:
Again, the smoke can be very strong, so pipe smokers are less likely to inhale the smoke. | |||||||||||
Taking snuff can cause:
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Smoking herbal tobacco can cause:
You might have thought that herbal tobacco is safe. Well, it does not contain nicotine so that reduces the chances of getting heart disease, but there will still be tar in the smoke which can damage your lungs. | |||||||||||
| Most smokers are aware of the dangers of smoking. They may think that they have a right to smoke; after all, it is not against the law. Perhaps it is not so simple. When a smoker ends up in hospital needing treatment for emphysema, or lung cancer, their treatment costs money. The National Health Service is paid for out of our taxes. Their disease costs us money. |
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The dangers of smoking
What causes heart attack?
What Causes a Heart Attack?
Most heart attacks occur as a result of coronary artery disease (CAD). CAD is the buildup over time of a material called plaque on the inner walls of the coronary arteries. Eventually, a section of plaque can break open, causing a blood clot to form at the site. A heart attack occurs if the clot becomes large enough to cut off most or all of the blood flow through the artery.
Coronary Artery With Plaque Buildup
The illustration shows a normal artery with normal blood flow (figure A) and an artery containing plaque buildup (figure B).
The blocked blood flow prevents oxygen-rich blood from reaching the part of the heart muscle fed by the artery. The lack of oxygen damages the heart muscle. If the blockage isn’t treated quickly, the damaged heart muscle begins to die.
Heart attack also can occur due to problems with the very small, microscopic blood vessels of the heart. This condition is called microvascular disease. It’s believed to be more common in women than in men.
Another less common cause of heart attack is a severe spasm (tightening) of a coronary artery that cuts off blood flow through the artery. These spasms can occur in coronary arteries that don’t have CAD. It’s not always clear what causes a coronary artery spasm, but sometimes it can be related to:
- Taking certain drugs, such as cocaine
- Emotional stress or pain
- Exposure to extreme cold
- Cigarette smoking
Flaxseed
| The seeds and oil of the flax plant contain substances which promote good health. Flaxseed and flaxseed oil are rich in alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), an essential fatty acid that appears to be beneficial for heart disease. ALA belongs to a group of substances called omega-3 fatty acids. |  |
Good health requires the right ratio of Omega 3 fatty acids to Omega 6 fatty acids in the diet. The ideal ratio is around 1:2. The average american diet is more around 1:20 to 1:50, with way too much Omega 6 and not enough Omega 3. The ratio present in Flaxseed oil is about 4:1. So flaxseed oil is a good source of Omega 3. You should consume every day small portions of flaxseed or flaxseed oil. However if flaxseed oil is used in the diet for long time, without other oils, it may cause Omega 6 LA deficiency symptoms. So the best bet is to blend flaxseed oil with other oils that contain more Omega 6, in order to get the right balance, such as sesame oil, sunflower oil, evening primrose oil.
Flaxseed oil is good for the heart because it is the richest source of alpha-linolenic acid. Flaxseed itself (ground or whole) also contains lignans, which may have antioxidant actions and may help protect against certain cancers, though not everyone agrees on this issue.
Benefits of including some flaxseed in your diet
Flaxseeds and flaxseed oil may help to:
- Lower cholesterol, protect against heart disease and control high blood pressure. Several studies indicate that flaxseed oil, as well as ground flaxseeds, can lower cholesterol, thereby significantly reducing the risk of heart disease. Flaxseed oil may also have a protective effect against angina (chest pain) and high blood pressure. In addition, a 5-year study done recently at Boston's Simmons College found that flaxseed oil may be useful in preventing a 2nd heart attack. It may also help prevent elevated blood pressure by inhibiting inflammatory reactions that cause poor circulation and artery-hardening plaque.
- Counter inflammation associated with lupus and gout. Omega-3 fatty acids appear to limit the inflammatory reaction associated with these conditions. In cases of lupus, flaxseed oil not only reduces inflammation in the joints, kidneys and skin, but also lowers cholesterol levels that may be elevated by the disease. Taking flaxseed oil for gout may lessen the often sudden and severe joint pain or swelling that is a symptom of this condition.
- Control constipation, hemorrhoids, diverticular disorders. Because they are high in soluble fiber, ground flaxseeds can help ease the passage of stools and thus relieve constipation, hemorrhoids and diverticular disease.
- Reduce cancer risk. The lignans in flaxseed appear to play a role in protecting against breast, colon, prostate, and perhaps skin cancer. In one study(1), prostate cancer patients who added about 3 heaping tablespoons of ground flaxseed daily to their diet, had more slowly-dividing tumor cells and a greater rate of tumor cell death than men who did not follow such a diet, after about 5 weeks.
The researchers found no significant difference in levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), a protein in the blood which indicates prostate cancer progression, between the 2 groups - although men in the early stages of the disease experienced a trend toward lower levels.
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among American men, excluding skin cancers. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 198,000 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed in the U.S. each year. While the cancer will be diagnosed in about 1 in 6 men, about 1 in 30 will die of the disease.
Flaxseed oil with cottage cheese?
Dr. Johanna Budwig is known and highly respected around the world, as Germany's premier biochemist. Over the years she has published a number of books including "Flax Oil as a True Aid Against Arthritis, Heart Infarction, Cancer, and other Diseases".
In the mid 1950's, Dr. Budwig began her extensive research on the benefits of flaxseed because of its rich essential fatty acid content known as "linoleic and linolenic". Dr. Budwig assisted many seriously ill, even those who were given up for terminal by orthodox medical doctors, helping them to regain their health through a simple regimen of flaxseed oil blended with cottage cheese.
Dr. Budwig supplemented her patients' diets with 2 tablespoons of flaxseed oil combined with 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. Dr. Budwig found that a yellowish green substance in their blood was replaced with a healthy red pigment, hemoglobin. She also found that the tumors receded and disappeared, anemia was alleviated, and vital energy was regained.
Here is Dr. Johanna Budwig's Blend:
| Put in your blender:
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Why cottage cheese? Flaxseed oil is made more effective when 2 tablespoons of the oil are added to 1/4 cup of cottage cheese. The essential fats bind to the proteins in the cottage cheese making them more easily absorbed by your body.
For more information on this dynamic duo, you may want to check out the book “Fats That Heal - Fats That Kill” by Udo Erasmus.
Ground flaxseed or flaxseed oil?
Liquid flaxseed oil is the easiest form to use, although it must be kept refrigerated. It is available either in liquid form, or in capsules.
If you prefer to use ground flaxseeds, just add 1 or 2 tablespoons of to an 8-ounce glass of water and mix. Flaxseeds have a pleasant, nutty flavor and taste good sprinkled on salads, cooked vegetables, or cereals.
I recommend you grind the seeds (or buy ground flaxseed) because whole seeds simply pass through the body. Grinding the seeds just before using them best preserves flavor and nutrition, but pre-ground seeds are more convenient. Keep them refrigerated. There are no nutritional differences between brown and yellow seeds.
For best absorption, take flaxseed oil with food. It is easily mixed into juices and other drinks, and its nutty, buttery flavor complements cottage cheese, yogurt and many other foods. You can also use it instead of olive oil in a salad dressing. Don't cook with it, however, as this will deplete the oil's nutrient content.
In my opinion the best price on the internet for high quality flaxseed oil is here. I also like Puritan Pride's special "Buy 1 Get 2 FREE" promotions on flaxseed oil.
Buy flaxseed oil in an opaque plastic bottle. This will prevent light from spoiling it. Also check the expiration date on the label, as the oil spoils quickly. Keep it refrigerated for freshness. Should the oil develop a powerful odor, discard it.
The differences between margarine and butter
p. 24
Premise/Problem and Goals: The goal is to show the chemical structures of butter and margarine and discuss the chemical differences between them.
Importance: Butter and margarine are different
chemical compounds with different implications for
human nutrition. It is useful and interesting to
understand this difference and make one’s food
decisions accordingly.
Relevance to Course: Butter is made up of fatty
acids, which are long chains of carbon atoms with a
carboxylic acid group at one end. Fatty acids can
be saturated (no double bonds between the
carbons) or unsaturated (some double bonds
between the carbons). The saturated fatty acids
include myristic acid (14 carbons, including the
carboxylic acid carbon), palmitic acid (16 carbons),
and stearic acid (18 carbons) carbons). Saturated
fatty acids are simple linear chains that pack
together easily and stay solid to higher
temperatures (e. g., the melting point of stearic acid
is 70 degrees C). Butter is made mostly of
saturated fatty acids.
Unsaturated fatty acids can be
monounsaturated (one double bond per chain), or
polyunsaturated (several double bonds per chain).
The chains usually have a cis conformation around
the double bond, causing bends in the molecules.
The bends and stiffer chains mean that unsaturated
fatty acids do not pack together well. Thus
unsaturated fatty acids melt at lower temperatures
and tend to be liquids at room temperature. Oils
such as olive oil or corn oil have mostly unsaturated
fatty acids.
Unsaturated fatty acids can be converted to
saturated acids by hydrogenation: heating under
pressure in the presence of hydrogen and a metal
catalyst. The hydrogenation can be complete (all
carbon double bonds changed to single bonds) or
partial (some double bonds remaining). Partial
hydrogenation can convert some cis double bonds
to trans double bonds, producing trans fatty acids.
If the double bonds oxidize in air, then the oil
becomes rancid, so saturated fatty acids keep
better than do unsaturated fatty acids.
Margarine is made from partially
hydrogenated oils. The greater the hydrogenation,
the harder the margarine. Other ingredients are
added for flavor: buttermilk, salt, preservatives,
vitamins. Margarine is lower in cost than butter.
Margarines can be made to have fewer calories per
serving, by reducing the ratio of fats to water.
Saturated fats are known to raise the level
of cholesterol (LDL - low density lipoprotein) in the
blood, which increases the danger of heart disease.
Margarine has no inherent cholesterol and is made
of only partially saturated fatty acids, so it may be
preferable to butter. On the other hand, trans fatty
acids are also known to increase LDL cholesterol,
and margarine has more trans fatty acids than
butter. The makers of margarine are now finding
ways to reduce the trans fatty acid content.
In general, saturated fatty acids and trans
fatty acids are to be avoided in the diet.
Stearic acid is a saturated fatty
acid with a melting point of
53.9 °C.
Oleic acid is a monounsaturated
fatty acid with a melting point
of 16.2 °C.
Linoleic acid is a
polyunsaturated fatty acid with
a melting point of –5 °C.
