Understanding the bigger picture of Lung Cancer

March 3, 2015

Understanding the bigger picture of Lung Cancer: Is Smoking the bigger culprit?

Understanding the bigger picture of Lung Cancer is very important for everybody since symptoms appear very late in life

In our quest of understanding the bigger picture of lung cancer, it is important to appreciate that cancer of the lungs like all cancers, results from an irregularity in the body’s basic unit of life, the cell. Under normal circumstances the body keeps records and controls the production of various cells in the body. This would ordinarily be referred to us having checks and balances. This is very important in the sense that the production or growth of cells is made possible only when new cells are needed. When this systems are disrupted then the production of cells will be uncontrollable resulting in proliferation of cell the consequences of which will be the formation of a mass commonly referred to us tumor. The experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under the leadership of doctor Dalal Akoury says that since lung cancer tends to spread or metastasize very early after it forms, it is a very life-threatening cancer and one of the most difficult cancers to treat. While appreciating that lung cancer can spread to any organ in the body, however there are certain organs particularly the adrenal glands, liver, brain, and bone are the most common destinations for lung cancer metastasis.

Lung cancers can arise in any part of the lung, but 90%-95% of cancers of the lung are thought to arise from the epithelial cells, the cells lining the larger and smaller airways (bronchi and bronchioles); for this reason, lung cancers are sometimes called bronchogenic cancers or bronchogenic carcinomas.

Lung cancer is the top cause of cancer deaths in both men and women. But this wasn’t always the case. Before the widespread use of mechanical cigarette rollers, lung cancer was rare. Today, smoking causes nearly 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths, while radon gas, pollution, and other chemicals play a smaller role. Newly developed drugs can offer hope for people diagnosed today.

Understanding the bigger picture of Lung Cancer: How Smoking Causes Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the most common cause of death due to cancer in both men and women throughout the world. The incidence of lung cancer is strongly correlated with cigarette smoking, with about 90% of lung cancers arising as a result of tobacco use. The risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked and the time over which one has been smoking. Besides that the available statistics indicate that today, smoking causes nearly 9 out of 10 lung cancer deaths, while other factors like radon gas, pollution, and other chemicals play a smaller role. The good news is that professionals are working round the clock to ensure that solutions are found for this problem. And at the moment a lot has been done and newly developed drugs can offer hope for people diagnosed today. Even though this is so a strong warning should go out there that cigarettes are not only packed with cancer-causing chemicals, but they can also disarm the lungs’ natural defense system. The airways are lined with tiny hairs known as cilia. These hairs protect the lungs by sweeping out toxins, bacteria, and viruses. Tobacco smoke stops the cilia from doing their job. This allows the cancer-causing chemicals to collect in the lungs. That now explains why cigarette smoking is the leading cause of lung cancer.

At AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center we appreciate that it is not very easy to quit cigarette smoking owing to its addictive nature. That is why besides being the center for cancer treatment; we are also running a segment of drug addiction and substance abuse to help people get their lives back in totality. We want to help you have your life back and live it to the fullest. If you’re struggling with tobacco smoking or any other drug, you are facing greater risk of contracting this chronic disease (cancer) schedule for an appointment with doctor Akoury today and have your life back. In the meantime, keep reading to get more about understanding the bigger picture of lung cancer with the cancer treatment experts.

Understanding the bigger picture of Lung Cancer: Lung Cancer Symptoms

The reason why periodic checkup is very necessary is because lung cancer begins quietly without any warnings. There are usually no symptoms or warning signs in the beginning stages. If checkups are not done regularly then you will be suppressed to notice the following symptoms as the condition gets worse:

A cough that won’t go away
Fatigue
Wheezing or shortness of breath
Coughing up bloody phlegm
Chest pain, especially during deep breaths

Understanding the bigger picture of Lung Cancer: Diagnosing Lung Cancer

Because little is visible in the early stages of cancer formation, really will healthcare professionals be able to suspect lung cancer. Like I have said before the signs and symptoms do appear very late and therefore doctors will wait until it causes symptoms like a chronic cough or wheezing. At that point, your doctor is likely order for a chest X-ray or other imaging tests. You may also be asked to cough up phlegm for a sputum test. If either of these tests suggests cancer, you’ll probably get a biopsy. The delay in showing the symptoms should motivate you to register with AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center for regular checkup. This way any suspicion will be detected in good time and the right cause of action taken immediately.

Understanding the bigger picture of Lung Cancer: Lung Biopsy

From the results of the diagnosis done, in the event that a suspected tumor is visible on an X-ray and is confirmed or a collection of cancer cells show up in a sputum test, then at this point a biopsy is used to confirm the validity of the diagnosis. The process would then involve the extraction of a small sample of the suspicious mass, this is usually done with a needle, and the healthcare professional will study it under a microscope. By carrying out the investigation of the sample, a doctor can learn whether the tumor is lung cancer or not, and if so, what kind.

In conclusion dear reader, this is very important and I want to bring it to you in the way you will understand best. It is said that the early bird catches the worm. This is a wise saying loaded with facts in our context. Don’t wait until you are 40 or 50 to go for the test. Schedule for an appointment with doctor Dalal Akoury today for that very important life changing journey which will make you know your true position in relation to lung cancer. Finally what we have shared in this article is only part one of our two parts articles of understanding the bigger picture of lung cancer. Be there in time for the second part in the next article.

Understanding the bigger picture of Lung Cancer: Is Smoking the bigger culprit?

Effects of Smoking to a glamorous skin

February 13, 2015

Effects of Smoking to a glamorous skin: How it happens

Effects of Smoking to a glamorous skin and health. Quitting smoking is the best way to keeping beautiful skin

Other than what we already know about the dangers associated with cigarette smoking like risk of contracting cancer, lung and heart diseases, it is emerging that smoking is contributing significantly to the premature aging of the skin and stagnation of wound healing. When you hear the word aging is mention, the bells of deteriorating beauty begins to ring almost immediately. And because of that, we want to highlight certain points in this article to help you keep the glowing skin even when in this toxic environment we live in today. It must interest you to know that the effects of smoking to a glamorous skin are real and threatening the beauty of our skin. Therefore I want to encourage you that for the sake of your beauty keep reading and get to know what you can do to keep the glamorous skin as explain by the experts at AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center under Doctor Akoury’s care.

Effects of Smoking to a glamorous skin: Smoking and aging skin

The reason why keen attention needs to be taken about smoking is because besides its association with other chronic ailments, it can also accelerate the skin ageing process thereby distorting the beauty of your skin at a tender age. Ageing of the skin therefore means that the skins complexion would be rearranged by the formation of wrinkles, skin drooping and formation of cracking lines on the lips. Besides these the skin can also become dry and coarse with uneven skin coloring and broken blood vessels (telangiectasia). The outcome of this is that most smokers can appear gaunt and develop an orange or grey complexion. Nonetheless professional studies has established that smoking cigarettes also result in premature facial wrinkling causing more harm than that accruing from the exposure to the sun. For instance when smoking lines around the eyes called “crow’s feet” can develop at an earlier age alongside these there will also be the formation of multiple vertical lines around the mouth also known as smoker’s lines. Remember that these are not just temporal changes but can progress into old age.

Effects of Smoking to a glamorous skin: How does smoking affect your skin?

It is true that most people are well informed that smoking is bad for your health and that it can increase your risk of cancer, cause problems during pregnancy and make you more likely to suffer from a stroke or heart attack. But even before you experience any of these life threatening health conditions, smoking has already made its mark on you and how do you get to know this, take a keen look on the mirror the impact of smoking on your skin. I really don’t know what you see but the truth is the byproducts found in tobacco products deprive the skin of oxygen and vital nutrients leading to a pale and uneven skin complexion. Doctor Akoury says that you can carry out a simple research by just making observation of people who started smoking at tender ages. Changes in their skin would begin showing certain effects and by the time they are smoking into their tenth year significant changes will be very visible in their faces (young adults).

Effects of Smoking to a glamorous skin: Wrinkled Skin

We have already mentioned that smoking causes wrinkles by thinning blood vessels in the outer layers of your skin. This interferes with the adequate flow of blood thereby limiting the supply of oxygen and a reduction of nutrients that can get to the skin. Smoking damages important connective fibers like collagen and elastin, causing permanent wrinkles. This damage doesn’t take long to be visible and in fact studies have established that even young smokers as young as 20 years old had facial wrinkling that doctors could see under a microscope.

It is important to know that it does not take you to do big things for the damage to be observed, even the little things you do when you puff can contribute to skin damage. Like when you purse your lips to inhale or squint to keep smoke out of your eyes, you are adding even more stress to your skin. These actions create crow’s feet around your eyes and deep lines on the sides of your mouth. And remember that the damage doesn’t stop at your face it accelerates aging below the neck and even on your inner arms.

Effects of Smoking to a glamorous skin: Benefits of Quitting Smoking

Besides the mention risk, smokers are also more prone to develop age spots (liver spots) on the face and body. Your fingers and fingernails can begin to turn yellow or brown after years of smoking; however, the good news is that the moment you quit smoking all these stains will begin to fade almost immediately. Besides that smoking also increases your chances to develop alopecia (hair loss). We can go on and on because the list for the negatives is endless. Therefore we must all pool together to quit smoking. This life is only lived once and we must desire to protect it by all means. Let me now introduce to you some of the benefits of quitting smoking as follows:

Once you quit smoking, your circulation improves leading to an increased amount of oxygen and nutrients delivered to the skin.
Some of the damage from smoking can be reversed by using retinoid, antioxidants (such as A and C vitamins), and chemical peels.
Just in 20 minutes of quitting, your blood pressure and heart rate decrease.
After 24 hours, your risk of a heart attack begins to drop.
After a few weeks, the cilia will begin to sweep impurities from the lungs again.
After a year, you decrease your risk of a heart attack by half.

Do those benefits communicate anything to you? If the benefits of quitting smoking in just one year can bring that great contribution in one’s life, then this should motivate you to quit like yesterday. Finally even though the benefits are very positive, I appreciate that cigarette smoking is very addictive and quitting may not be easy for many. Therefore I want to urge you that this may not take place all at once but it can be gradual. Doctor Akoury will help you in this journey professionally. Remember that doctor Akoury is not just experienced in restoring skin beauty but she is also an addiction expert. She founded a health facility known as AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center where she is offering addiction recovery treatment to all people from all walks of life. Schedule for an appointment with her now and together with her team of experts they will focus on Neuroendocrine Restoration (NER) to reinstate normality through realization of the oneness of Spirit, Mind, and Body, Unifying the threesome into ONE ensuring that your skin complexion is supper and your addiction problem completely defeated for a great and comfortable life thereafter.

Effects of Smoking to a glamorous skin: How it happens

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