Everyone knows that smoking increases the risk of many diseases and illnesses, but what you might not know, is that it also puts you at a greater risk of developing osteoporosis.

And, if you do not think brittle bones is a big deal, think again. It is the fourth leading cause of death after cardiovascular disease, lung cancer, and stroke. A woman is more likely to die of complications from a hip fracture than of breast, uterine, and ovarian cancer combined.

If a woman survives the complications of the fracture, she is at a greater risk of never walking again, and/or being unable to live independently.

Effect of tobacco on your bones

• Smoking decreases the amount of available estrogen to your body resulting in bone deterioration.
• It decreases the amount of available oxygen to your bones making them less healthy and weaker.
• If you are too thin, then your decreased fat stores lower your estrogen levels.
• Tobacco users tend to be less athletic (leading to bone loss), and have poorer diets due to their lowered appetite (the bones weaken from the decrease in calcium and vitamins).
• Tobacco users reach menopause two years earlier than average.

Trying to quit

It is hard to quit during menopause because of the other symptoms we face during this time such as weight gain, irritability and hot flashes. Who wants to add nicotine withdrawal to this set? However, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, cigarette smoking increases hot flashes and mood disturbances during the menopause transition. No matter how many years you have had this bad habit, or how many cigarettes a day, it is in your power to quit. No one is hostage to the cigarette.

Take this test:

• Do you love your cigarettes more than you love your health?
• Do you love them more than you love walking?
• Do you love them more than you love living independently?
• Do you love them more than you love your life?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then it is time for you to quit, my friend. It just does not seem like a fair trade-off.

There is no single method that works for everyone, and many women need a combination of methods and assistance to make it work including social support, counseling and possibly medication. Remember that your withdrawal symptoms are only temporary, whereas the improvement in your health once you quit is permanent.

Living with low vision is a concern for many, especially those age fifty and over. One of the types of eye problems often associated with people in this age range is age related macular degeneration. A degenerative condition of the macula, which is located at the back of the retina in the eye, this can leave the patient with low vision suitable for reading, driving and other close-up work where detailed sight is required.

Your ophthalmologist is your best resource for detecting early macular degeneration. He or she can then offer you preferred treatment options, as well as a full range of eye glasses specific to this disease, low vision magnifiers, and other aids to help you see better and live a full and active life.

What Procedures Will My Doctor Use for Detecting Early Macular Degeneration?

The first step your physician will take is to ask you if you are experiencing any symptoms associated with low vision. Symptoms can include blurry vision in the central vision field or portions of the vision that are missing, as well as straight lines appearing wavy, an inability to detect color variations between two dark or two light colors, and a long recovery time after you have been out in bright light.

When diagnosing or detecting the root of your problems, your doctor will also want to determine how at risk you are for developing age related macular degeneration. Age is a factor; most people with this disease are age fifty and over, although on occasion it will affect children. Those with a family history of the disease are also at a greater risk for developing it as well. Some individuals have a gene that puts them at risk. People who are obese, eat a high fat diet and suffer from high blood pressure stand a greater chance of developing macular degeneration, as do Caucasians.

What vision aids are available?

After the detection process, your physician will provide you with the best options for treatment. They could include the use of low vision magnifiers, as well as specialized eye glasses

Magnifiers can be as simple as a hand-held device all the way up to lenses that clip over your glasses, so that you can use them for detail vision when needed, and then flip them out of the way when you do not need them. Specialized eye glasses with tiny microscopes allow you to have a very magnified central vision area, yet they are placed on your regular prescription glasses, so that you can look under the microscopes when you want to see through the other lenses, working in much the same way as bifocal lenses do. Your physician can determine if you are showing signs of early macular degeneration and provide you with the best treatment options and vision aids.

Physical therapists are health professionals who help in restoring function, relieving pain, and improving the mobility of the persons with disabilities. They treat accident victims and patients with disabling conditions such as arthritis, fractures, low-back pain, head injuries, heart diseases, cerebral palsy and more. Physical therapy specialists advice several exercise programs to increase the strength, balance, flexibility, endurance, coordination and range of motion of the disabled individual. What is more satisfying than bringing back a disabled person to his normal life style?

To become a physical therapist, one must have a master’s degree in physical therapy from an accredited institute and a state license. Moreover, he should possess strong interpersonal skills so as to communicate with the patient and his family. The physical therapy job demands scores of patience from the practitioner.

Physical therapist jobs are gratifying in the sense that board certified physical therapists can practice in hospitals, rehabilitation clinics, long term care centers, acute care hospitals, nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, assisted living facilities, home health agencies, educational institutions, and more. One of the advantages of becoming a physical therapist is that you can opt for temporary, travel, per diem, contract, part-time, full-time or permanent placements.

Another advantage of becoming a physical therapist is that you get to know more people of different age groups, values, cultures, and faiths. The advantages of becoming physical therapist do not end there; qualified and skilled physical therapy professionals receive competitive salaries and excellent benefits as well.

Physical therapy improves the health and fitness of the patient. A physical therapist plays an important role in enhancing the quality of life of disabled people by developing their strength and lifting up their spirit. As the opportunities for physical therapy jobs are expected to rise, it is definitely a lucrative career option.