Correcting Damage Done to One's Body

There are many ways to damage the body. Typically, many of these behaviors begin during one's youth. Smoking, drinking, obesity, drug addiction, frequent sunburns and other behaviors are known to cause damage to the body and lessen life span. How do we correct the damage already done? In some cases it may be very difficult and costly to correct the damage. For many of these behaviors, therapeutic counseling may be a helpful course of action.

Some dermatologists offer skin treatments that claim to reverse sun damage. Examples of these treatments are chemical peels, IPL fotofacial, vb laser, some dermal fillers, and cosmelan lighteners. Ultimately, sunscreen and preventing the damage is the best option. Sunscreen should be applied every day whether there is a plan to be outside or not. When I was in my late teen years, I spent a lot of time in the sun and as a result I have skin the age of a 50 year old rather than a 33 year old. Blondes like I am need to be especially careful not to sunburn but brunettes sunburn as well.

Drinking alcohol is another behavior many participate in during their youth that is harmful to the body. Obviously, the amount of drinking will relate to how much damage is caused. A problem with heavy drinkers is cirrhosis of the liver. If someone has a problem with drinking, it is best to receive help for it. Drinking is very difficult on the liver. The good news is the liver is a highly resilient organ. My mom has a cancer metastasis on her liver and was told a person can live with only 20 percent of their liver. This fact does not give license to drink but it is important to know if you were once a fan of alcohol and are concerned damage may remain. Living with 20 percent of your liver is not a guaranteed thing forever so the best way to reverse damage from drinking alcohol is to not drink it in the beginning.

Obesity is a problem many Americans and those from overseas have. The best treatment for obesity is exercise and diet. Obesity can lead to diabetes and heart attacks even among the very young. My brother is currently being seen for a heart blockage at age 42 years old and he is obese. Surgery exists to help those who are so chronically obese they cannot exercise safely but should be regarded with caution as these surgeries are often very risky. The best option is to decrease caloric input and increase energy output. It can take a lot of hard work to lose weight but the end result is typically a longer and happier life.

Drug addiction is a pattern of behaviors closely related to drinking alcohol. The best option is to seek rehabilitation treatment to stop taking the drug and correct the body damage. Drugs can also damage the liver and other bodily organs. The best treatment is prevention and not taking the drug in the first place. The second best treatment is getting help for your problem before you become like too many others and overdose. There is no shame in getting help for a drug addiction. There is shame in staying on drugs because of the stigma some people continue to have about drug addiction not being a true disease. To those who believe it isn't, it may be tempting to tell them how ignorant they are but I have found it easier to just be happy they do not have to cope with it so they do not understand. My reference is for street drugs but some prescription pills can be just as deadly. If you have a problem with prescription pills, you need treatment as much as someone who has a problem with street drugs.

Careless driving is one of the easiest behaviors to change that may extend your life. When you are young, I believe you have a veil up on believing bad things cannot happen to you so you take chances. The problem with careless driving is it impacts not simply the driver but those in the car with the driver as well as those in a car they hit if they hit a car. Five years ago, there were a reported 6,420,000 car accidents. My mom's cousin recently lost his 27 year old son due to a car accident. So, what can we do to prevent car accidents? Sometimes nothing can be done. It is always best to wear your seatbelt, resist the urge to be a lead foot and drive the speed limit, and not drive when you are feeling bad. I made the mistake of driving when I had a migraine headache in 1996 and afterward my Pontiac Sunfire looked like it was hit by a train.

I saved smoking cigarettes as a behavior change for last because it seems to have the biggest effect in helping repair damage from years of smoking. There is a chart up in our doctor's office lab about what happens after however often you smoke your last cigarette. The health effects and the financial affects should be enough to convince anyone to try to cease smoking. This past year both my father and father-in-law quit after more than 50 years of smoking. My grandmother quit after she had emphysema and the doctor said she would need an oxygen bag the rest of her life. A heart attack compromised with emphysema and COPD was what caused us to lose her in 1998. It is best to quit before your body develops these problems. When one quits smoking, here is what happens in the time frame afterward...

20 Minutes after the last cigarette, your blood pressure drops to normal

8 Hours after the last cigarette, your carbon dioxide levels will drop by half

48 hours after the last cigarette, your odds of having a heart attack will decrease

72 hours after the last cigarette your bronchial tubes will relax and you will have more energy

2 weeks and time following the last cigarette, your circulation will improve

3-9 months after the last cigarette, it will be much easier to breathe as your lung capacity increases by 10 percent. Coughing and wheezing decrease dramatically also (I've noticed this in both my father and father-in-law who stopped smoking about one year ago.

1 year after the last cigarette, your chances of a heart attack are cut in half compared to a non-smoker.

5 years after the last cigarette, your odds of a stroke return to the same odds as a nonsmoker.

10 years after the last cigarette, your odds of lung cancer return to that of a nonsmoker's odds.

15 years after the last cigarette, your odds of a heart attack return to that of a nonsmoker's odds.

All of these facts compared to not smelling like an ash tray, not having to pay $7 a pack for cigarettes, and saving your body the terror of some of these health problems is more than enough for me to never pick up the habit and if I did, I know it would be difficult, but I would quit. If you choose this route, good luck. Quitting smoking can be done and your loved ones will be happy to hopefully have more time to spend with you. I am so proud of my father and father-in-law for not smoking any more and I tell them almost every day.