subject: What Shouldn't We Do For Our Health? [print this page] Too much sitting causes cancerToo much sitting causes cancer. According to a report presented to the American Institute for Cancer Research, being sedentary has been linked to 49,000 cases of breast cancer and 43,000 cases of colon cancer yearly. There's also evidence that lack of exercise increases the risk of prostrate and endometrial cancers. It seems exercise reduces key factors for cancer such as inflammation; excessive body fat; and the pre-diabetes condition, insulin resistance. However, exercising 30 minutes on a treadmill isn't the answer. One-to-two-minute breaks for every hour of sitting is what's needed to prevent us from being "sitting targets" for cancer.
Low-grade fevers cause discomfort. However, they help us get well faster. Scientists have found additional evidence that low-grade fevers - 102 degrees and below - increase the ability of CD8+Cytotoxin T-cells to destroy both virus-infected cells and tumor cells. However, fevers above 102 degrees can be toxic to brain cells and precipitate seizures, as well as increase heart rate and basal metabolic rate, causing dehydration. Also, persistent fevers of 104 degrees are a sign of infection - not a virus you are going to get over. So ... if you treat high fevers and endure low fevers, you will benefit from this "fever pitch".
Texting causes "text neck". It seems frequent texting causes texters to hunch over their cell phones and tablet screens and flex their necks for extended periods of time. Chiropractors warn that in severe cases the neck muscles can adapt to fit the flexed position, making it painful to straighten the neck. If the condition goes untreated, text neck can result in permanent arthritic damage. Supposedly this condition can be avoided by taking frequent breaks and by looking straight ahead while tucking the chin back toward the neck every few minutes. This exercise may soon be known to texters as "chin-downs".
Smoking doubles stroke risk. A study of 982 stroke patients presented at the Canadian Stroke Congress found smokers had double the risk of stroke caused by a dislodged blood clot (ischemic stroke) and 4 times the risk of stroke caused by a ruptured blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). But that's not all. The average age of stroke victims who smoked was 58 - 9 years younger than the average age of non-smokers. Also, smoking increased stroke complications and the likelihood of having more strokes. However, within 2 years of quitting smoking, stroke risk dropped to non-smoker levels - and strokes of luck increased.
