We all have guilty pleasures that we enjoy. Many times we give in to these pleasures because it relaxes us and makes us feel better. But sometimes the same guilty pleasures that we enjoy become hazardous to our health. Smoking is a vice that not only affects your health but it also affects the health of those around you.
It has been reported that tobacco use is the largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the United States. According to the CDC not only does smoking cause heart and lung disease, stroke as well as cancer; but it also shortens the smoker’s life on average by 13 to 14 years. Making the choice to quit is never easy, but sometimes quitting doesn’t have to be a bad thing.
You must be wondering when should I quit smoking? How do I even start? You can start by listing your reasons to quit, putting your health at the top of your list. Choose your quitting date, make a plan, cut back on usage and monitor your progress. Having a support system of course always helps. Recruit a family member or a trusted friend to become your quit coach.
ANY LAB TEST NOW® can be part of the support system you need. Establish a baseline as your starting point with a nicotine/cotinine test that will help you check the levels of nicotine/cotinine in your system and can help you monitor your progress during the various stages of the quitting process. Start living a healthier lifestyle by knowing what is going on inside your body.
Visit an ANY LAB TEST NOW® near you for more information on how we can help you Take Control of Your Health®.
It is important to note that anyone regardless of their age can get infected with the flu. However, age does play a part in the period of contagiousness. A healthy adult may infect others from one day before developing symptoms up to 5 to 7 days after becoming ill. Children, as well as those with weakened immune systems, have the ability of infecting others for a period longer than a week.
Two-thirds of teens who report abuse of prescription medicine are getting them from friends, family and acquaintances. Make sure the teens in your life don’t have access to your medicine. ANY LAB TEST NOW has joined forces with the Partnership at Drugfree.org’s Medicine Abuse Project to help educate our communities about this growing problem.
It is a known fact that the risk factors from this illness include family history and age. The older a man gets the higher the risk. But just because the risks increase as you get older it does not mean that it is best to wait until an advanced age to get tested. Waiting might play an important factor on whether or not you will be able to make a significant difference in the stage of the illness. According to the CDC, PSA is a substance made by the prostate that can be higher in men who have prostate cancer along with the fact that PSA levels may be elevated due to other conditions that affect the prostate. When it comes to your prostate, prevention is key and a PSA test can be a valuable asset in your prevention efforts. This simple test measures the level of PSA in the blood.
According to the CDC 1 in 30 baby boomers has been infected, and most have no clue. This virus can go undetected without symptoms for decades slowly destroying the liver, while causing few symptoms. This characteristic has earned the hepatitis C virus a silent killer status. The CDC recommends that baby boomers get tested for hepatitis C, which in turn will potentially prevent the consequences of the disease. The importance of getting tested is that if detected early hepatitis C can be treated and lives can be saved.
The CDC reported that in terms of symptoms an estimated 80% of individuals infected with the West Nile Virus will not display symptoms at all, while close to 20% will show flu-like symptoms and one in 150 individuals will develop a severe illness. On average it takes between 3 to 14 days after being bitten by the infected mosquito for symptoms to develop. For those who believe their loved ones may have been infected, ANY LAB TEST NOW® offers a simple blood test that can detect the virus. If the virus is detected or an individual develops symptoms they should consult with their physician quickly for appropriate care.
Cortisol has been termed as the “stress hormone” and it is usually increased under stressful responses when the body is experiencing a “fight or flight” response. Cortisol is a hormone that is released by the adrenal gland. The following functions are involved with normal levels of cortisol release; proper glucose metabolism, blood pressure regulation, immune function, and inflammatory response.
According to the