Breaking Bad Habits of Smoking

Smoking causes cancer etc., yeah, so many damage to health and at worst you stumble upon the big danger of poor health. Many people know about the danger of smoking. But they also wonder how to quit their bad habit, not knowing about breaking bad habits of smoking. For you who want to quit smoking there are quick tips that can be used below:
- The first is the intention of the smoker, if you have not been unanimous determination to quit smoking, would be too difficult to quit smoking.
- Gradually reduce cigarette consumption. Usually you buy 2 packs a day, start slowly trying to reduce a 1 pack a day and so on. This will increase your effort in breaking bad habits of smoking.
- Train yourself to resist smoking. Suppose you want to smoke, but try to wait or hold up to 5 minutes, and increase to 10 minutes for the next day and so on. And the longer drive to smoke will disappear slowly but surely.
- Also you can replace cigarettes with other alternatives, such as candy or gum.
- You might be able to allocate your money to buy cigarettes for savings or to buy goods you need more.
- Regular exercise can also make you want to quit smoking. And reduce the staying up late, with adequate sleep. You need little effort but steady in breaking bad habits of smoking.
Perhaps the above are only few ways to stop smoking, you can also find your best ways to live healthy if possible.

5 tips to make the most of your medical consultation

by Peter Yellowlees

Consultations with your doctor can be rushed and stressful, and it is common for patients to forget to ask key questions during the actual consultation itself.

While doctors often effectively have an "agenda" of issues to work through in a consultation,such as taking a history, performing an examination and ordering tests, issues of importance from a patients perspective can often be left out, so patients need to think about their own agenda, and what they would like to get out of any consultation. It is important to work out what are the most important questions to ask your doctor to make sure you get the most out of your consultation, and consequently receive the most appropriate treatment, and make sure that your own agenda is addressed?

How can you make sure that you remember to ask the questions that are of most concern to you?

As a practicing physician, here are my suggestions:

1. Do as much research as possible before you see your doctor - let's face it you don't go and see your accountant to do your taxes without collecting information beforehand, and thinking about the issues you want to discuss. Do the same with your doctor. The Internet is the easiest source of information to use, and the US Government Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has an excellent site where you will find a comprehensive series of questions on many different health topics.

2. Write down your questions - and if necessary take a list with you, including a second copy for your doctor.

3. Prioritize your questions - ask the most important ones first - don't waste time asking about the payment process when you are really worried about whether you have cancer or diabetes.

4. Take someone with you if you have questions that are really concerning you - two sets of ears are better than one - and make sure you have discussed your needs with your friend or family member before the consultation so that they can help you get answers if necessary.

5 Write down the answers - even if this is just a rapid note. Research has shown that only 20% of the information given during a medical consultation is remembered one week later - but if it's written down, the percentage recall is much higher.

Asking good questions is essential in any medical consultation, and it is incumbent on patients to take responsibility for their health and find out as much as possible of relevance so that they can make good decisions in partnership with their doctors.


This article is based on excerpts from the recently published book "Your Health in the Information Age - how you and your doctor can use the Internet to work together" by Peter Yellowlees MD. Available at http://www.InformationAgeHealth.com and most online bookstores.