Immediate Effects of Smoking include:

One cigarette immediately raises a person's blood pressure and heart rate and decreases the blood flow to body extremities

Brain activity and the nervous system are stimulated for a short while and then reduced

A smoker may experience dizziness, nausea, watery eyes and acid in the stomach while or after smoking

Appetite, and senses such as taste and smell are distorted

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in both men and women, killing more people than cancers of the breast, colon, cervix and prostate combined. In 1991 a group of doctors from Cornell University met with a goal of early lung cancer detection. In 1992 ELCAP (Early Lung Cancer Action Program) was formed.

Among their findings:
·       Curability of Stage I lung cancers is 80-90%
·       Annual CT screening allows at least 80% of lung cancers to be diagnosed at Stage I
·       CT screening creates a counseling opportunity that results in greater smoking cessation
·       Costs of CT screening for lung cancer compare favorably with breast, cervical, and colon cancer screenings 

Pectus excavatum occurs in approximately 1 in 400 live births.  The defect becomes progressively worse with growth and in the teenage years can become disabling.  Although considered cosmetic, and it is most certainly cosmetic, there are also well documented physiological changes such as decreased effort tolerance and cardiac arrhythmias.  The  young patients become used to the disability and are not really aware of any physiologic abnormalities until after the defect is repaired. For a good discription click here.

 The standard repair is the open or Ravitch operation which was first described in 1950 and has become the standard.  This procedure involves resecting multiple cartilages on each side of the sternum and splitting the sternum longitudinally to place it in the new position.  A new procedure was described by Nuss 16 years ago and is  a minimally invasive procedure which involves placing a steel bar behind the sternum pushing the sternum into the new position.  This is a much more cosmetic procedure involving small lateral incisions.  Especially in young girls this is a more preferable operation. The results from many centers are excellent and compared very favorably with the older Ravitch procedure.
There are two main approaches to repair of the defect. Click here for more information.
The Nuss operation is a minimally invasive procedure which was discribed by a Cape Town graduate Dr Nuss 16 years ago. It is a much quicker operation which gives considerably good results. Paper from Iceland click here. The operation is well discribed in this article(click here). For a  good article click here. And here

The Nuss procedure is now being performed in South Africa. For more information contact a Thoracic Surgeon.

Our lifestyles have changed dramatically. With ever-increasing advances in technology we have become physically less active. The most prevalent diseases we suffer from today, i.e. heart disease, stroke, cancer, are related to our lifestyles, of which physical activity is a major part. Physical activity should be part of our daily and weekly routine. It is as essential as sleep and nourishment. Although many of us know that exercising will reduce the risk of disease and illness, the thought of exercise can still be overwhelming. Myths that contribute to an inactive lifestyle are that exercise has to be difficult, it has to hurt and you have to do lots of it to be beneficial. These are all false. Exercise is about enjoying a physically active lifestyle (e.g. walking or cycling to the shops rather than driving) that includes increasing your heart rate (such as brisk walking) a few times a week.

To see the Bandolier article click here