The number of Americans who smoke has fallen to 14.9 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—a big drop from 1997, when 25 percent of Americans smoked. Sadly, however, smoking still kills about half a million Americans annually, and it isn’t just the obvious smoking diseases … Read More
Unless you live under a rock, you know that smoking is bad for your health. Tobacco-related diseases kill more than 480,000 people each year in the United States alone, accounting for around 20 percent of all premature deaths. If you’re a smoker, the habit can shorten your life by up … Read More
Every year, millions of Americans are hit by cold, flu, and other respiratory infections. While the common cold will rarely cause serious complications, the flu and other infections—such as Legionnaire’s, pneumococcus, and mycoplasma—can lead to severe and potentially life-threatening complications, especially in the young, the elderly, and the chronically sick. … Read More
Here’s a number to think about: 37.2 trillion. That’s not the dollar amount of the U.S. national debt, nor is it the number of people living on planet Earth. It’s an estimate of the number of cells that comprise the human body. It also represents 37.2 trillion places in your … Read More
Scientists don’t know exactly what causes prostate cancer and there is no one answer to how to avoid prostate cancer. Researchers, however, have studied certain preventive measures and determined they have the potential to reduce the risk of prostate cancer. They have evaluated other measures and found that the evidence … Read More
You may be wondering how to prevent wrinkles as you start noticing those first fine lines appear. But to some extent, wrinkles are unavoidable. As you get older, your body slows down its production of two proteins that play an important role when it comes to the appearance of your … Read More
Unless your doctor has informed you that you’re deficient in potassium, the most you’ve probably heard about this mineral is that it’s good for you and is found abundantly in bananas. Perhaps it’s time to take closer look at how potassium benefits some of the most important functions of your … Read More
If you don’t smoke, you may think you're safe from the health complications that can accompany a smoking habit. But secondhand smoke also raises your risk of smoking-related diseases—and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 126 million non-smoking Americans are regularly exposed to secondhand … Read More
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death, accounting for more than a quarter of all deaths from cancer, according to The American Cancer Society. One reason for this high mortality rate is that lung cancer symptoms usually don’t manifest until the disease has reached an advanced state. Yet, … Read More
