In reality, most of the smoke from a burning cigarette doesn’t get sucked down into a smoker’s lungs – it escapes into the air, where it can be inhaled by anyone unfortunate enough to be nearby.

Second Hand Smoke (SHS) or Passive smoking is the inhalation of smoke or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), by persons other than the intended “active” smoker.

Most exposure to second hand smoke occurs in homes and workplaces. Second hand smoke exposure also continues to occur in public places such as restaurants, bars, clubs, and casinos, as well as in vehicles.

Nathan’s Story

Nathan, a Native American, never smoked cigarettes. 
For eleven (11) years, he worked at a casino that allowed smoking. The exposure to second hand smoke caused him to develop allergies and serious infections that triggered asthma attacks, eventually causing permanent lung damage called bronchiectasis. “The casino was filled with smoke from so many people smoking,” he said. Breathing in other people’s smoke on a daily basis made his health so bad that he had to leave that job. 
Nathan used to be active and athletic. He served in the Marines. He loved to participate in tribal dances. After getting sick, dancing just a few steps wore him out. Nathan hoped that sharing his story would help others understand how dangerous exposure to second hand smoke really is. Nathan’s lung damage led to his death on October 17, 2013. He was 54.

References: http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/

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This is an elevated Blood Pressure (BP). It is a chronic medical condition, with no cure.

What is Blood pressure?

Blood Pressure (BP) is the force of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels as it flows through them. The more pressure the blood exerts on the walls the higher the blood pressure

What blood pressure is normal?

A normal blood pressure is 90- 119/60-79. Hypertension is defined as readings greater than or equals to 140/90. Readings of 120- 139/80-89 have been defined as pre-hypertension. This is an American classification for people whose blood pressure are elevated above normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as hypertensive.

Are there any symptoms ofhigh blood pressure?

Often there are no symptoms. However, symptoms that may occur include headaches, visual disturbances, irregular heartbeat, nosebleeds, tiredness, confusion, chest pain and buzzing in the ears.

Why is Hypertension Important?

Hypertension is important because of the complications that arise when it is not treated or if it is poorly treated. The possible complications include:

• Stroke
• Kidney disease
• Brain damage
• Heart disease
• Loss of vision
• Heart attack
• Damage to the blood vessels known atherosclerosis

How is hypertension treated?

It can be controlled with medication and lifestyle changes/non pharmacological method. These lifestyle changes have been scientifically proven to lower blood pressure and are part of the British hypertensive society guidelines for the treatment of hypertension and pre-hypertension

The non-pharmacological methods include:

• Weight reduction
• Regular aerobic exercise (e.g. walking)
• Reducing salt in the diet
• Diet rich in fruits, vegetable and low fat foods
• Discontinuing tobacco use
• Discontinuing alcohol consumption
• Reducing stress

The medications given are more commonly known as antihypertensive drugs. The drug is usually determined by your doctor. It depends on the severity of the hypertension and the presence or absence of any complication. The drugs once started are often continued for life unless advised by your doctor.

Can Hypertension be prevented and how?

Yes it can. There are various lifestyle changes which one can make to reduce their risk of developing hypertension. This is especially important if there is a positive family history or if you have already been diagnosed with pre-hypertension.

Firstly, all people over the age of 18 years should have regular blood pressure checks. If you are overweight, weight loss is strongly advised. Extra weight puts a strain on your heart. Regular exercise, for at least 30 minutes, 3-4 times a weak reduces the risk of hypertension. Avoid smoking. Consume no more than 1-2 units of alcohol a day. Diabetics should aim to keep their sugar level under control. Finally, avoid and try to minimize stress when possible.

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• To repair or replace heart valves; The heart valves prevent the back flow of blood inside the heart when the heart is pumping, and allow blood to travel through the heart
• To repair damaged or abnormal areas of the heart
• To implant medical devices that help the heart beat properly
• To replace a damaged heart with a donated heart (heart transplantation)
• To repair damaged blood vessels of the heart.

                   CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE (CVD)  

There are three main types of cardiovascular disease (CVD):

• Stroke
• Coronary heart disease
• Heart failure

A lot a people think that cardiovascular disease is more likely to be associated with men; however, one type of CVD, coronary artery disease, causes more deaths in women than men.

CVD can occur at any age. However, for most women, the risk of developing CVD increases significantly around menopause.
There is no one cause for CVD, but there are many causes that increase risk of developing CVD.  Some risk factors cannot be modified such as age, gender or family history but risk factors that can be reduced through lifestyle modification include high cholesterol, high blood pressure, overweight and obesity, physical inactivity, smoking and diabetes.

Coronary heart disease occurs when the blood vessels that provide blood and oxygen to the heart muscle become narrow and hard. This is often called “hardening of the arteries.”
Hardening occurs when fatty material forms a plaque on the walls of the coronary arteries. This plaque narrows the arteries, making it difficult for blood to get through. When blood can’t flow properly to the heart, a heart attack may occur.

Heart health can be improved by eating a healthy diet, cutting back on foods high in salt, fat, and sugar, leading a more active lifestyle, not smoking, controlling high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Open-heart surgery may be done to perform a Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG). A coronary artery bypass graft may be necessary for people with coronary heart disease.

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