PAD AND SMOKING

A report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, June 7, 2011 found that when researchers tracked more than 39,000 women for over 12 years they found that smoking led to a 10-fold increase in the risk for PAD - Peripheral arterial disease.  PAD is a serious disorder that occurs when narrowed arteries reduce blood flow to the lower extremities, namely feet and legs.  Stopping smoking lowered the risk but the risk is still greater than those who have never smoked.  Whether you are a man or a woman, if you are a smoker you need to do yourself a big favor and quit!  As the wife/caregiver of a man who smoked for many years and now struggles daily to breathe because of COPD, I highly recommend you stop smoking now if you enjoy life.  I can promise you, your life will be diminished from cigarette smoking.  Of course eating a healthy diet is always good for you, but it cannot cure the ills smoking does to the body!