Around the world, there are concerted efforts from various sectors of government to tough laws against smoking because of the evidence that smoking causes lung cancer and impose other serious diseases. These laws are also made to prevent the spread of second-hand smoke causes serious disease and premature death in adults and children.
There is no more question regarding the veracity of the ill-effects of cigarettes to people who smoke as well as to those who do not smoke. Second hand smoke is a proven cause of lung cancer and heart disease in non-smoking adults. It is also blamed for the so-called sudden infant death syndrome, low birth weight, acute respiratory infections, ear infections and asthma attacks in infants and children. It is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths in the United States of America each year.
There is no risk-free level of exposure to second hand smoke. Every exposure has substantial and immediate adverse effects on cardiovascular and respiratory health. Each cigarette actually contains more than 50 carcinogens.
It is about time that a comprehensive smoke-free law is enacted that will be applied to all workplaces and public places. Comprehensive smoke-free workplace policies are the only effective way to protect non-smokers from second hand smoke. Other approaches, such as the installation of air ventilation systems and the setting-up of smoking and non-smoking sections of rooms are not effective and do not not eliminate chances of exposure.
Contrary to what the critics are saying, the laws protect the health of the general public without harming the business sector. Evidence from peer-reviewed studies shows that smoke-free policies and regulations do not have an adverse economic impact on the hospitality industry.
With this report, all arguments and excuses not to take action are eliminated.

Many research and hard economic data have revealed that smoke-free laws do not harm sales or employment in restaurants and bars. In fact, they sometimes have positive feedbacks, such as what happened in New York City after the law has taken effect, business receipts for bars and restaurants increased, their job employment rose, and the number of liquor licenses increased. This happened despite the fact that most establishments complied with the law, and the great majority of New Yorkers supported the law.
Another positive outcome is that smoke-free laws resulted in significant cash savings. According to statistics from the Society of Actuaries in the United States, second hand smoke cost the country around US$ 10 billion a year in health care bills, lost wages, and related expenses.
Even the corporate world has joined the bandwagon by maintaining smoke-free workplaces and providing a specified area for smoking. Some countries, states, provinces, territories, and districts have adopted full smoking bans inside restaurants and bars. Second hand smoke, or passive smoking, is a major preventable cause of death. Since smoking hurts more people than just smokers, smoke-free laws need to be upheld at all times to protect everyone’s right to breathe clean air.

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Do you have high cholesterol and need to lose it? This is not surprising, considering how many people who have high cholesterol today. This will help lower your cholesterol, here are 10 tips you can start today.

As with anything related to health, diet and exercise are two important components. What you eat is important to lower your cholesterol, so this is what is included.

One thing you should know is the difference between LDL and HDL cholesterol. Simply think of HDL as “healthy” and LDL as “lousy.” HDL can actually help carry cholesterol out of your blood vessels while LDL allows it to deposit inside your artery walls.

The good news is that you can change your cholesterol for the better. Here is how to do just that:

1. Have a nice sandwich on whole wheat bread or a pita with some lean turkey and lots of fresh veggies. Skip the hot dogs, bologna, and salami, and hold the Mayo. All of those are highly processed and filled with fat and cholesterol.

2. Fish, like salmon, is good. Look for wild red salmon varieties, which are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids (good fat.) Also, flax seed is a good source of Omega-3s.

3. Avoid Trans fats! Not only do they raise the lousy LDL cholesterol, they can also lower your HDL levels! Stay away from foods like margarine, shortening, and processed foods containing partially hydrogenated soybean oil.

4. Go ahead, go nuts! Look for walnuts mainly but also try almonds, macadamia nuts, cashews, and pecans. Nuts are high in fat, but it’s the good kind. (Also, use natural peanut butter instead of the normal kind which contains unhealthy Trans fats.)

5. Limit desserts and try to eat only the healthier ones like angel food cake, graham crackers, Jell-O, and fat-free frozen yogurt.

6. Eat foods that are high in fiber. Examples include whole wheat bread, oatmeal, fruits, vegetables, beans, and some cereals. (Look for the boxes that say “may help lower cholesterol.”)

7. Use the grill. If you’re going to have steak or burgers, grill them at home and use lean meat. This practice avoids the grease, is fun, and the meat tastes great.

8. Find a new salad dressing. Most of them are full of Trans fats and cholesterol. Olive oil is good, and maybe add vinegar or lemon juice. Also, skip the bacon bits, croutons, and egg yolks.

9. Go overboard on fruits and vegetables. They contain no cholesterol and they have lots of nutrients like antioxidants.

Here are some examples: green peas, broccoli, cauliflower, apples, oranges, mangos, papaya, pineapple, tomato, garlic, onions, spinach, water chestnuts, bananas, apricots, blueberries, and kiwi.

10. Avoid fast food like french fries and anything else from the deep fryer. Those foods will raise your cholesterol like crazy, so stay away from the burger joints if you can.

11. Bonus tip: Use spices like pepper and oregano to add flavor to your dishes. They are a healthy alternative to other toppings like Mayo.

That was easy, wasn’t it? Just make some of these changes and get plenty of exercise like walking, jogging, swimming, or playing basketball. You will have lower cholesterol in no time!