Medical News

The following are the main causes

Ultra-violet rays from the sun – the two associated with skin cancer are UVA (ultra-violet A) and UVB (ultra-violet B) rays. UVB rays are the shorter-wave solar rays and are more unlikely to cause skin reddening and sunburn. UVA rays, however, would have more permanent damages to the skin as they penetrate much deeper to the skin. Latest studies show that UVA not only increases UVB’s cancer-causing effects, but may also directly cause skin diseases including melanomas.

Family History – recent research confirms that the risk of melanoma is more than double in people with a family history of skin cancer. Though having someone in the family with that history does not necessarily mean that you will get it too, it certainly warrants some extra attention because of the higher risk factor.

Chemical Exposure – some chemicals might cause harm when they come into contact with your skin. Insecticides, for instance, often contain substances like arsenic that are dangerous to the skin. They can increase the risk of non-melanoma skin cancer. Nevertheless, people working in environments in regular contact with chemicals and industrial materials (such as petroleum derivatives, arsenicals, and coal tar) are more likely to develop some type of skin cancer.

Smoking — whilst it is common knowledge that smoking is linked to other types of cancer such as mouth and lung cancers, the tobacco used in cigarettes etc could be a cause to developing skin cancer too.

Radiation Exposure – there are concerns that radiation therapy that some children undergo for other cancer treatments may increase the risk of developing a non-melanoma skin cancer. Also, people working with X-rays, including medical, nursing and radiographic personnel are subject to higher risks.

Skin Condition and Geography – certain skin conditions can increase a person’s risk of developing skin cancer. For instance, people with light to fair skin living in tropical or subtropical climates, such as the American Southwest, equatorial Africa, Hawaii, and Australia, generally have very high incidences of skin cancer. Serious injuries to the skin, if not healed in time, could raise the chance for non-melanoma skin cancer. Likewise for scars from very bad burns.

Weak Immune System - the immune system is part of the body’s defense against bacteria and cancerous formations. When the immune system is strong, the antibodies and immune cells are better able to do their job in neutralizing the free radicals and getting rid of the harmful elements from the body. Conversely, a weak immune system would open up a lot of possibilities as cancerous cells could spread out fast and divide in ways that are hard to predict.

Headache pain is put into one of two groups, primary or secondary. All headache symptoms belong to one of these mentioned groups. With primary headaches the headache is the primary disorder, but with secondary headache pain the headache is the result of some other health disorder. Secondary forms can be caused by lots of disorders and conditions such as tumors of the brain, allergies, infectious diseases, drug-caused (whether prescription or over-the-counter), and lots of other unknown conditions. This article will talk about frequent primary headache symptoms and signs and how to make a distinction between them.

The most universal primary headaches are tension-type, also known as stress-type, and migraine headache, which comprise the majority of the occurrences. The primary grouping also includes sinus and cluster types, but they are much rarer. Somewhere in the vicinity of 9 out of every 10 adults undergo tension-type headache pain and women will suffer from them two times as frequently as men. Migraine headaches are the second most common form and will occur in approximately 10% of the populace, which translates into about 30 million Americans.

Stress headache pain types have a few comparable symptoms and signs as migraine pain and can therefore occasionally be mistaken for them. Tension-type pain is normally mild to moderate in severity while migraine attacks are moderate to severe. Typical tension headache pain symptoms and signs typically consist of a dull aching pain, are bilateral, and create the feeling of your head being in a vise. The standard sensation is a pressure-type feeling from the backside of the head all the way to the front. On the other hand, migraine discomfort is most often a throbbing and pulsating one-sided head pain. These are differences that will most likely be able to make it possible to tell them apart.

Migraine attacks can be accompanied by visual disorders, loss of strength, and sense of balance problems while tension headaches are classically not coupled with these headache symptoms. Migraine attacks can be severe enough to be disabling, but tension types are very infrequently severe enough that normal work activities can’t be performed. Migraine attacks can include nausea and throwing up while stress or tension headaches will not. Migraine pain usually begins at a young age, generally between 12 years of age to young adulthood, but they can certainly emerge earlier.

Swollen facial sinus cavities are the disorders that cause sinus headache pain. The Sinus cavity locations are in the forehead, base of the nose, and cheek areas. Sinuses produce mucus that drains into the nose, but when sinus cavities become infected and inflamed, normal mucus flow is prevented. This will cause the mucus to build up, increasing pressure, with the end result being sinus headache pain.

The nature of headache symptoms that are customarily seen with sinus infections are headache pain, classically in the area of the sinuses, increased nasal mucus discharge, swelling in the face, and an increase in body temperature.

Cluster headaches are also in the primary class and can be the source of very severe ache. They are often known as suicide headaches due to their intense pain. Luckily, they affect less than 1% of the populace, making them infrequent. Most of the time they show up in men and their main symptom is intense head pain. They are typically not mistaken with migraine headache pain because they come on very rapidly. They are sometimes confused for tumors due to the fact that the pain is severe and they are felt on one side of the head.

In many instances it can be tricky to accurately identify these different forms of primary head pain. Even professionals often have trouble for the reason that differing forms of head pain may perhaps give comparable symptoms and signs.

I just love this time of the year! The food, the drink and the long days partying with friends and family are so much fun! But for some of us, the end of the day brings about an event that feels like a heart attack.

Just ask any emergency room doctor at this time of the year. The number of admissions for “heart issues” increases dramatically. Most of the time, however, the patient is sent home after a series of tests. The doctor will tell you that you are fine. He’ll tell you to stay away from caffeine and alcohol. He’ll advise you to get some exercise and see your regular doctor. Most of the time, this advice is strictly “textbook” and also pretty much useless.

You felt like you were dying. You had a heart rate nearing 180 beats per minute. You felt as though you were going to pass out. You had some really heavy beats, followed by a series of shallow beats. Your heart was behaving like a sputtering car engine. You will have experienced what it is like to fill your bladder every fifteen minutes! You have no idea what caused the problem, but you do sense that your life is in jeopardy. More than anything, you want it to never happen again!

I am here to tell you that I did find a way to master this beast! I’ve read so many reports on blogs and newsgroups around the world about people who suffer from this affliction. It is important to note here that there are a couple of things that can trigger these attacks. One is related to physical defects – such as a prolapsed mitral valve or scarred purkinje fibers. If this is your reason for suffering heart palpitations, then sadly this report is not for you.

If you are one of the large number who suffer heart palpitations as result of digestive inflammation, then you have come to the right place. It took me seven years to finally determine what was causing my palpitations. As far as I was concerned, it was a heat attack! I knew one thing for sure. Either this beast had to go – or I had to go!

As a professional researcher, I worked day and night to find the risk factors and similarities in diet and lifestyle among as many palpitation sufferers as I could find. I joined dozens of blogs and discussion groups dedicated to nothing more than talking about heart palpitations. I was fortunate enough to get a lot of cooperation from people looking for answers. After seven years, I was able to test my hypothesis. What you are going to learn next, dozens of people all over the world have successfully put into practice in their own lives.

Among those I’ve shared this protocol with are a student in Egypt, an airline engineer in France, an Ultimate Fighter in the USA, a computer programmer in South Africa, a National Hockey League player and many ordinary citizens like you and me. One of the things that happens when you suffer from heart palpitations is that you begin to become afraid to go outside of the house. You are afraid of having an attack in public.

The good news is that you don’t have to give up caffeine, chocolate, alcohol or many of the other little treats we like so much! I call my formula the “Jeffries Protocol”, and while it is available on my site, I want to share the essentials with you here: If you suffer palpitations, then we are brothers.

Concisely, here is my formula:
Inflammation is not something that just happens in our joints. Internal inflammation affects our soft tissues that bind and hold our organs and nerves in place. Inflammation is ubiquitous in those who suffer from palpitations. Certain foods contribute to increasing inflammation and other foods cause inflammation to wane.

I purchase a gallon of Aloe Gel. I was careful not to confuse this with aloe juice as so many people do. They are completely different. I mixed one ounce of gel with my favorite juice twice per day. I made sure to consume one of those ounces right after dinner at night.

I cut out all fish oil supplements. I stopped eating fish all together. I get my omega oils from flax oil. I stopped consuming refined sugar. I use Turmeric spice and put it on everything that I can – like salads and soups and any meat dishes. I take a magnesium supplement. I take a potassium supplement. I eat three bananas per week. If you can, have your mercury fillings taken out and replaced with white ones.
When I go to bed at night, I start out on my back. I do not turn onto either side, especially my left side, until after about 2 hours have passed.

I never miss breakfast! I try to have Quaker oatmeal with blueberries or bananas and Agave syrup for sweetener. I use Agave syrup as sweetener to replace all sugar that I would normally use. If you want to know the science behind this protocol, or if you want to know more about palpitations or related anxiety attacks, there is plenty of research on the subject.

To be in compliance with new Federal Trade rules I must remind you that while this protocol is my personal protocol and worked for me, you should not expect to gain the same benefit if you try to copy it. At the same time, my friends with the FDA will be pleased to know that this protocol has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat or cure any illness or medical condition.

Having said that, I wish you all a health and happy 2010! My sincerest wish is that you all experience a full and healthy life.

You are probably looking for help for sciatic nerve pain. Sciatic Nerve Pain or Sciatica is a painful condition, and so you may consider applying heat or ice to help alleviate the pain. However, it should be emphasized that there are conditions that indicate when’s the best time to use heat or ice.

For instance, when the pain is so intense but there is inflammation present, applying ice on the affected area is recommended. On the other hand, if there is only mild soreness of the area and there is no inflammation, you can apply heat to relieve the pain. Then again, it’s advisable to avoid using heat until you are absolutely certain that no inflammation has developed. You see, if there is inflammation, the heat tends to worsen it. Although you may feel sort of relieved when you apply heat on the area, you’ll actually feel worse once you remove it. So to be safe, wait for at least a couple of days before you even think of applying hot compress on the area, or better yet, just totally avoid using it altogether.

Ice offers a natural help for Sciatic Nerve because of its anti-inflammatory properties, so when you get injured and inflammation and swelling develop, doctors usually recommend that you apply ice packs on the area. Not many people are thrilled of this because it can be quite uncomfortable, but you will experience significant relief from Sciatic pain very soon after. It goes without saying, “no pain, no gain”.

When using icepack or hot compress, make sure that you don’t apply it directly on your skin. Always have a layer of clothing spread on the affected area before you put in the icepack. The application of ice or heat should only be for about twenty minutes at a time, then you have to wait for an hour or two before reapplying, if necessary. This should give enough time for your skin’s temperature to return to normal.

Another thing to keep in mind is never to apply heat or ice if you have just applied topical pain relievers such as Ben Gay, Theragesic, Icy Hot, and Biofreeze. As much as possible, you must wait until the effects of these analgesics have already worn off before you start applying cold or hot compress.

Although cold or heat application is a home remedy, it would be wise to consult your doctor first before using it, more so if you have medical conditions such as impaired circulation or decreased sensitivity.

Cronic sciatic nerve pain
Chronic Sciatic Nerve Pain or Sciatica is a condition in which there is pain felt on the lower back, buttock or lower part of the leg. It’s a fairly common condition, actually, as thousands of people experience this kind of pain, too.

Usually, Sciatica is due to a spinal disk herniation. When, for instance, you try to reach out for something and you are not in the proper posture, you can accidentally cause herniation or displacement of your spinal disk. As a result, the spinal disk would press on the nerve, causing much pain.

The Piriformis syndrome, a condition wherein the piriformis muscle on the buttock presses on the sciatic nerve, may also cause Sciatica.

Spinal tumors, too, may cause severe pain on the back, radiating down to the legs and feet.

So how do you deal with chronic sciatic nerve pain? The most common relief for Sciatica is taking anti-inflammatory meds. Physical therapy is also recommended, as is doing some stretching exercises. It’s always wise to do the exercises under the guidance of a professional to ensure that you get things right. After all, you need to consider the fact that you must rebuild the strength of your muscles in order to obtain relief from Sciatica and there are proper ways you can do it. Doing the exercise on your own or without help from a professional may only worsen your case.

Keep in mind that if you have been a chronic sufferer of Sciatica, obtaining relief may not be immediate in your case. In fact, it can take weeks or even months of physiotherapy and muscle stretching at home before you can experience relief.

If worse comes to worse, the only other option left is to go under the knife. You must know, however, that this is very risky and a very delicate procedure, so it’s not often recommended unless absolutely necessary.

It is easy to find information about candida remedies but it is not always so easy to obtain details about how effective these remedies are over the long term. Most will address the obvious symptoms, and provide short term relief, but they do not necessarily address the underlying issues.

Candida Albicans is the name given to a naturally produced fungus that resides in our bodies. Normally we produce enough “friendly’ bacteria to restrict the fungus from growing to excess. For various reasons, sometimes the “friendly’ bacteria is not able to control the growth of the fungus which then leads to a yeast infection often referred to as candida. It is important to then treat the yeast infection before it does more damage or creates more problems for our bodies.

There are many different types of candida remedies available, including:

Over-The-Counter Products
These include creams, antibiotics, suppositories, and steroids. They are all readily available but are aimed at addressing the external symptoms rather than actually curing the true candida trigger. While immediate relief is obviously very welcome, you always need to keep in mind that these candida remedies are likely to become ineffective and are not a long term solution.

Supplements

These products include essential oils that work to limit overgrowth of candida. Examples are peppermint, garlic, and oregano oil. The garlic and oregano oil should both be taken in capsule form due to the fact that the essential oils can be a bit toxic to ingest and you also don’t want the garlic to be digested until it reaches the intestine. There are some other supplements that you can consider including caprylic oil (coconut) and oleic oil (olive). Acidophillus is another remedy and this can often be found in types of yogurts. It is a beneficial bacterium that assists with making the intestinal tract more acidic. This then discourages the growth which then produces hydrogen peroxide that effectively kills it off.

Home Remedies

Home remedies are becoming increasingly popular as a safe and sound approach to remove this condition. You can even consider getting in touch with a homeopathic practitioner who may advise certain dietary adjustments. They may also suggest certain supplements which should be taken gradually so that you avoid a situation called Herxheimer reaction that can create temporary worsening of your symptoms. This can occur from the toxins and protein fragments that are produced as the candida dies which then starts an antibody response from your immune system.

Other candida remedies that you can prepare at home include foods such as yogurt with no added sugar and apple cider vinegar. You should also look to increase your probiotic food intake and to have a daily supplement of vitamins. These should make a difference in the short term but you need to take a complete and holistic approach if you want to stop the problem from occurring again.

Diet

It is definitely worthwhile to restrict the amount of sugar in your diet as this is what candida feeds off. You also need to limit the volume of carbohydrates too. Restrict your intake of starchy foods like potatoes and instead concentrate on foods that are higher in protein (like lean meat, chicken, and certain nuts). As your symptoms begin to improve, gradually re-introduce more carbohydrates back into your diet.

A lot of candida remedies will give you quick and effective results. These results might not be sustainable though unless you also look to adjust your diet and lifestyle.

Most guys I know would love to get a longer penis. In actual fact, it is estimated that approximately 99% of all men would love to increase their penis length. Therefore, in this article I would like to introduce you to the 3 most popular ways to increase penis length. However, having studied this subject for a number of months, I personally don’t see the need for 2 of the ways to get a longer penis!

1) Surgery – during penile enlargement surgery the suspensory ligament, which runs from the base to the tip of the penis is severed. Once this ligament is cut into, the penis will drop allowing for an additional inch or so in the length of your penis. However, what a lot of guys don’t know is after surgery you will need to carry out a strict routine of hanging weights off your manhood.

If you don’t do this, unfortunately surgery alone will make no difference to your member. What’s even worse is that occasionally scar tissue can form where the penis has been cut into. If this happens, your penis can actually be drawn back into the body, hence giving the illusion of a smaller penis!

2) Penis extenders – Honestly, when I first heard about penis extenders I had to laugh. Then when I saw how popular they were and how many guys actually used them, I started to become worried! In order to increase penis length, you will have to wear a penis extender for many hours a day. The use of these contraptions is often supplemented by taking pills. The pills are intended to increase the blood flow throughout your manhood.

My problem with a penis extender is that although I have never tried one, it must be very uncomfortable to have a 6-7 inch plastic “toy” stuffed down your trousers for hours and hours a day. Additionally, what do you do if you need to use the bathroom, as you surely will many times a day? I have also heard of horror stories of men getting a bruised and battered penis from the constant tension that is applied. Even worse is the fear of burst blood vessels!

3) Penis Exercising – OK I may be biased as exercising to get a longer penis is my method of choice. However exercising to increase penis length involves stretching the suspensory ligament on a regular basis and also increasing the blood flow to your member. There are many other exercises that work on increasing girth, stamina and the overall fitness of your penis.

I find it hard to understand why guys turn to surgery, extenders and pills when you can accomplish exactly the same results through exercising. Perhaps the time involved with exercising to increase penis length may be a factor. However, the cost is substantially less than the other methods. Exercising to get a longer penis is far safer than the other methods and most importantly you are fully in control of your growth and don’t have to rely on any outside influences.

Relaxation is the key to good breathing and so is emotion, the more positive the emotion the better the breathing. Anxiety, fear, stress and tension all quicken breathing and make it shallower; pleasure, contentment and emotional and physical well being deepen and strengthen your breathing. Both conventional and complementary medicine understands the importance of good breathing.

But in some ancient systems it is the cornerstone of health, Indian holy men or yogis practice panorama, or deep breathing, to calm the mind and spirit. In traditional Chinese medicine, harmony comes when your inner life energy is at one with the life energy in the air around you. Shallow breathing is when you inhale an inadequate amount of air, largely because you have not exhaled enough air, is common and can have harmful effects on the body.

The key to avoiding shallow breathing is to concentrate on breathing out. Breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth, sighing as you do so. Every time you sit down, breathe out long and slow. Aim for a count of five on every out breath. When you walk, count two on each in breath and two on each out breath. Gradually increase the count on each out breath to five.

Your doctor can keep symptoms at bay, but if you stop taking medication, they may return, often worst than before. Also many of these ailments may have a psychological origin, caused by difficulties at work or at home, poor housing conditions and so on, and they derive much benefit from the holistic approach. The healthy functioning of the lungs is, of course, a vital part of the body’s survival mechanism. When the tubes carrying air to the lungs become inflamed an asthma attack occurs.

Bariatric surgery, in one form or another is the reduction of ones stomach in the hopes of losing weight through decreased food intake and less absorption of nutrients. Used on severely obese patients with obesity-related diseases, bariatric surgery carries with it tremendous risks as well as life saving benefits. Some of the risks apart from normal exploratory surgery risks include intestinal blockage, gastric bleeding and severe malnourishment. After surgery patients will have incredibly strict diet plans centered around supplying the nutrients they are no longer absorbing through their food. These diet plans are permanent and costly.

There are three popular methods of bariatric surgery. Adjustable gastric banding uses a band filled with silicone to clamp around the top of the stomach, creating a smaller pouch that fills more quickly, creating the sensation of being full. Roux-en-Y gastric bypass uses surgical staples that carry with them the risk of ruptures and leaks. These staples are used to create a small pouch similar to the band method, and in this case a portion of the small intestines is surgically attached to the newly created pouch, bypassing the stomach all together. A third form of bariatric surgery is the biliopancreatic diversion. In this procedure portions of the stomach are removed. The remaining pouch is connected to the last leg of the small intestine right before the colon, where calories and nutrients are not absorbed.

Bariatric surgery expenses range from around $15,000 to over $30,000. Several variables for this price range include type of procedure, the demand for surgeons in that area, price of anesthesia, and length of hospital stay.

These are the three procedures recognized and covered by Medicare and Medicaid after a 2006 announcement from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). It is important to note that not all aspects of the process are covered, like cosmetic surgeries to remove excess skin after weight has been lost, and the dietary needs a patient must fulfill for the rest of their lives. Medicare and Medicaid will only cover the operation if there are health risks involved with a patient’s obesity, like coronary heart disease, osteoarthritis, some cancers, respiratory problems, and a host of others.

Insurance too may cover these surgeries if enough information is supplied by you and your doctor. This information should include all the steps one has taken to try and lose weight and what health complications one is facing while being overweight. It is best to choose a facility that meets the American College of Surgeons high quality standards. These standards have helped spotlight which hospitals do the most procedures and have the best care for their patients.

If you are considering becoming a candidate for bariatric surgery, consult you doctor and your insurance company soon to learn more.

Cancer radiation therapy is a very important part of treating cancer today. It is a fact that almost half of all cancer patients being treated will undergo radiation as a part of their cancer treatment. It is therefore essential to understand what cancer radiation therapy involves, how it is utilized to treat cancer, what the side effects are and how to successfully deal with them.

What is radiation and how does it help ?
Energy carried by a stream or waves of particles is called radiation. This can alter or change genes and molecules of a cell. Thus, cancerous cell genes can be damaged by radiation inhibiting their growth and division. Therefore cancer radiation therapy is generally used to destroy cancer and shrink cancerous tumors in the body.

This type of radiation works better on cells that are active and quickly divide than on cells that are inactive or resting or slow dividing stage (in the G0 stage). Cancer cells usually divide very quickly and are uncontrollable. Radiation therapy kills these cells but also affects tissues of normal dividing cells, causing side effects. Thus every time a patient undergoes cancer radiation therapy the treatment involves a balance between sparing the healthy cells and destroying the cancerous ones.

This types of Cancer takes days or even weeks before the cancerous or normal cells begin to be killed and sometimes they even die months after the treatment has ended. This is the reason for side effects that are long-term in nature. Though at first it was believed that radiation therapy for cancer could not be given to a particular area more than once on account of the damage to healthy cells, recent study and research shows that a second cancer radiation therapy course can be administered in the treatment area for some cases.

Types of Radiation are:

• Ionizing radiation that can kill and destroy cells and change genes to stop cancer cells from growing. These are of two types:

1. Photons (gamma and x rays)
2. Particle radiation (protons, neutrons, electrons, alpha and beta particles)

The more energy this radiation has, the deeper it can penetrate the tissues. The right type of radiation is selected by a “radiation oncologist”.

• Non-ionizing radiation which involves Radio waves, Light waves and Microwaves that do not have that much energy and is unable to ionize cancer cells

Common sources of treatment are:

• High-energy photons: These come from sources like cesium, cobalt, a linear accelerator etc. This is the most common treatment used today.

• Particle beams: These are produced by a linac (linear accelerator). Also, known as electron beams, they are utilized for cancer tumors that are not deeply embedded in tissues but are close to the surface.

• Proton beams: A new form of particle beam radiation. Protons do not cause a lot of damage to normal tissues as they penetrate but kill cells in their path. Thus they cause few side effects while delivering more radiation to cancer cells.

• Neutron Beams: Used for the prostate, neck and head they are helpful when other cancer radiation therapy does not work.

Some of the major side effects of cancer radiation are extreme fatigue, skin damage and discoloration, throat and mouth problems. When certain areas like the brain, lungs are treated, then the side effects can vary and range from memory loss to nausea and vomiting.

Just to get this started, I think it is important to realize that smoking is prevalent in our society. Almost anywhere you go you will see someone either standing outside of the building smoking, or perhaps smoking inside of restaurants. This is because as an American our society has nearly a quarter of its males smoking cigarettes. Women are slightly down with 18%. Still, these are staggering numbers with how cigarettes have become addictive and the problems we face in our society in terms of health.

But, what does God say about smoking? Is it actually a sin? I personally avoid using the common scripture that most non-smoking Christians use when they say use 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

I believe what Paul was getting at here was that you have a body; in general, you should be taking care of it. But where do you draw the line? Why is smoking any worse than what I do on a good Thanksgiving dinner? I mean, every time I go to a buffet I probably down enough food that could feed a small country it would seem. Obviously, this isn’t good for you. People like to point the finger. For this reason, I won’t come out and say that if you smoke you are sinning.

I will say that I do have spiritual reasons for why I do not smoke though. It is not just because I wasn’t raised in a house where there were no smokers and it is generally bad for you. There is more to the picture than that. It has everything to do with my witnessing to others. As Christians, we are infamously known for telling people to do one thing, but living our life a totally different way. This is a scary thought! How can I spread the gospel in a convincing fashion if my actions don’t back up what I say? I’m not saying I don’t sin. I’m simply saying that we should take every measure possible to impact others with the gospel. Paul didn’t just write three quarters of the New Testament and live his life anyway he wanted to.

Rather, he backed up what he preached and put his life on the line for the gospel. Ephesians talks about weighing those things that are on the line and asking yourself, is this helping or hurting me? It is not talking physically it is talking spiritually. I would say that smoking certainly hurts your witness to others. People will want to see you living your life different than others who are no Christians. Otherwise, how can you tell them that God has changed your life? This is a scary thought that I wouldn’t be able to identify how God has changed me to anyone who asked. After all, being delivered from the addiction of smoking is a great testimony for anyone!