Tag: Health

Exercising in the morning has lots of health benefits. Starting the day on an active note: Doing physical activities like walking, jogging, running or playing a game in the morning will result in enhancing your productivity as this will make you more energized, focused and organized. Exercise is one of the biggest contributors to effective personal productivity. It gives a sense of clarity and well-being.

By working out in the morning, you will have more energy throughout the day and you won’t be as affected by stressful events at work. By exercising in the morning you will have more energy throughout the day. It is very difficult to motivate yourself to exercise in the evening, especially if you have had a busy, stressful day at work and you manage to reach home wading through heavy traffic. Enhanced creativity: An added bonus of reduced stress, increased energy and focus is creativity.

Many studies have shown that people are more creative when they are in a relaxed frame of mind. Regular exercises also make one’s mind more alert. Happy moods: Exercise puts us in a better mood; the increase in happy hormones in the brain improves the mood and well being. When you are happier, you will tend to be a far better person and as a result you will be enjoying happy, stress-free relationships. Sleep tight: When you rise early to exercise you will find yourself going to bed earlier, but the great part about that is that one tends to go to sleep more easily than before. A good night’s sleep automatically leads to overall physical and emotional well-being.

Bedroom decor should have a romantic essence to it, don’t you think? Considering that we spend a major part of our lives in our bedrooms, we should make it one of the most comfortable zones in our homes. It should be a room that spells romance and makes you feel good as soon as you step inside — a space that stimulates your senses. So, what do you need to make your boudoir a cosy love nest? Read on to find out some tips…

Make it look great

The way your bedroom is lit, can make or break the look you want to create. Interior designer Ketki Passi says, “The right kind of lighting can help create a romantic ambience.”

Candles can work wonders

They are what romance is all about. the mysterious light and shadow effect of a candle can give a very special aura to your bedroom. Bright, harsh bulbs are a big no-no. For the ideal romantic look dim, soft lights are key. Use heavy curtains to escape the glare of harsh street-lights. Of course, table and floor lamps are indispensable.

Make it comfortable

A bed that looks comfortable is a basic essential here. Four-poster beds look romantic. Use light fabric drapes in pastel shades around the bed to get a soft look. When it comes to bedspreads and covers, avoid rough and uncomfortable fabrics — soft, smooth and comfortable ones like satin, silk and very good quality airy cotton are essential. Using sexy colours makes your room look, well, sexy. Choose bright bold colours like red, orange or rust. Place plush pillows on the bed of different sizes to make it look comfortable and inviting. Two large pillows, four medium rectangular pillows and around four to five smaller square cushions. A fluffy and soft comforter can add to the romantic look.

Prioritise privacy

Curtains spell romance — pretty, flimsy, sheer curtains that sway with the breeze, light ones in lovely pastel shades that leave you feeling calm and relaxed. Of course, you should also have those heavy drapes to guard your privacy.

Indulge the senses

Romance is about titillating the senses and the sense of smell is important. Spraying room freshener is passe. Opt for fragrances of incense sticks, scented sachet, aromatic candles in lavender, vanilla, and camomile etc. Go and have fun doing up your bedroom!

Did you know that tomatoes can give you fresh and healthy skin? Not just that, tomatoes can also be effective when it comes to curing pigmentation and removing stubborn acne marks. Rubbing raw tomatoes on your face not only helps reduce sun tan and damage, it also helps you get back your lost glow. Here is how you can make a quick face pack using tomatoes. This pack is helpful in removing those stubborn dark circles. All you need is a tomato and a lemon. Squeeze the juice from the tomato and lemon into a bowl. Mix them together really well with a spoon. Apply this mixture carefully under your eyes before you wash your face.

While you can’t prevent the deteriorating effects of ageing, you can slow down memory loss in the long run through brain-driven activities. One of the frightening things about ageing is the loss of memory that comes with it. While one cannot prevent the cognitive decline that comes with age, one can slow them down or even reverse them through productive brain-boosting activities.

TALK TO YOURSELF: Having conversations with yourself isn’t stupidity. Studies have shown that people who talk to themselves are at lower risk of developing dementia. In fact, telling yourself stories might delay memory loss and help you stay focused on important details of day-today living. LEARN A NEW LANGUAGE: Knowing how to speak and write in a new language will add one more feather to your talent cap, boost your confidence and even reverse memory loss.

Learning a new language leads to a better understanding and recognition of objects and words. It leads to improved vocabulary and grammar, as well as more mental and verbal fluency. SOLVE PUZZLES & WORD GAMES: Get cracking at that Sudoku puzzle in the morning paper, the cryptic or classic crossword in your Sunday read or that game of scrabble gathering dust in your top drawer.

Anything that stimulates your mind with new words and word associations helps prevent memory loss. USE MELOTHERAPY: Music therapy, commonly referred to as melotherapy, is an enjoyable way to enhance mental focus. Studies have shown that listening to classical music boosts the brain capacity and verbal skills of babies and teens, music is also a great healer for memory loss. All you have to do is to listen to your favourite genre of music and try to remember the melody or lyrics.

Sing along if you want to! READ MANY BOOKS TOGETHER: Read as many books as you can and try to remember their plots. It doesn’t matter if you are drawn to books, a magazine article or a newspaper report. Use the spare time you get while commuting to work or during breaks to read something other than work-related material

Say goodbye to protein shakes and other power ups. The ingredient that’s creating a buzz in several health forums and amongst researchers, lies in a new drink — camel drink. It is new here, because unlike in the Middle East and other countries where it is had, India has only just woken up to its benefits. It is still to be legitimised here unlike the West, where it is being touted as a ‘superfood’.

Health benefits

A news report quotes Anand Singh Bhati, a member of Rajasthan’s camelrearing community of Rebaris who owns these animals, as saying of a malaria outbreak, “Ten to 12 days of camel milk cures the person.” The milk is considered rich in potassium, magnesium, iron and other nutrients.

It also contains three times more vitamin C and 10 times more iron than cow’s milk, says city-based dietician Sheela Tanna. She shows different ways of adding it to your diet…

1). Camel milk supports and helps people with autoimmune conditions, including autism, says Tanna. Regular consumption of camel milk by autistic children may show improvements in symptoms.

They have better sleep, increased eye contact, better language and improved gastrointestinal function. Make these treats for your kids Camel milk chocolate burfi: How it’s made: This is prepared from camel milk, mawa and organic sugar by mixing them 4:1.5 ratio along with 10-15 % chocolate powder.

This powerpacked dessert is also full of nourishments and antioxidants, which is well tolerated and relished by children.

Rice pudding
How it’s made: Add cooked rice in camel milk, along with sugar, saffron, cardamom, almonds and pistachio. Cook it on a slow flame for 10 minutes. Let it cool down and refrigerate.

2. It contains insulin and is effective in diabetes and gestational diabetes too. Extremely versatile, camel milk can be used to make smoothies and kheer, which could make it part of the daily diet for diabetics.

Try this
Apple and avocado smoothie or strawberry milkshake: Apples and strawberries have their own sweetness and flavour. Having it with camel milk is doubly beneficial, as fruits help burn fat, boost short term memory, are low in calories, have anti-aging properties and is good for weight loss. It is also apt for pregnant women.

Anew cell study has mapped one of the most important proteins in cell division that has a fundamental process in life and the development of cancer, which might also help fight against it. A team from The Institute of Cancer Research, London, and the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge produced the first detailed images of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C).

Images of the gigantic protein in unprecedented detail would transform scientists’ understanding of exactly how cells copy their chromosomes and divide, and could reveal binding sites for future cancer drugs. The APC/C performs a wide range of vital tasks associated with mitosis, the process during which a cell copies its chromosomes and pulls them apart into two separate cells. Mitosis is used in cell division by all animals and plants.

Discovering its structure could ultimately lead to new treatments for cancer, which hijacks the normal process of cell division to make thousands of copies of harmful cancer cells. The resolution was so fine that it allowed the researchers to see the secondary structure, the set of basic building blocks which combine to form every protein. Alpha-helix rods and folded beta-sheet constructions were clearly visible within the 20 subunits of the APC/C, defining the overall architecture of the complex.

Dr Kat Arney, Science Information Manager at Cancer Research UK, said that shaping out how the fundamental molecular “nuts and bolts” of cells work was critical because better understanding about what goes wrong in cancer cells was required and figuring out more effective ways of tackling them. Revealing the intricate details of biological shapes was a hugely important step towards identifying targets for future cancer drugs. The research is published in Nature.

Did you ever count calories from the soft drink you usually order along with the dinner? Now is the time to factor those in. New research indicates that meals that include a calorific drink are expected to be more satiating than those served with water. “Our work adds important context to a broader ongoing debate about the dangers of liquid calories,” said professor Jeff Brunstrom from University of Bristol’s School of Experimental Psychology.

The researchers looked at whether people factor in liquid calories when they estimate the satiating effect of a meal. Participants completed a computer-based task that assessed the expected satiation of meals that included either a calorific drink, a non-calorific drink or a snack with the same energy content as the calorific drink. The researchers also explored the contribution of carbonation on expected fullness.

Meals served with a calorific drink were not considered to be any less filling than the same meals served instead with a snack. However, both the snack and the calorific drink caused only a small increase in expected satiation. “Calories in soft drinks and calories in snack foods have a small but comparable effect on the expected satiation of meals,” Brunstrom noted. The research was scheduled to be presented at the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior Conference (SSIB 2014) in Seattle, USA this week.

With fad diets and fitness routines round every corner, it is quite difficult to keep a tab on which weight loss tips really do work and which don’t. Should you join that bhangra aerobics class, adopt that no-carb diet, or eat dinner at 6pm? Never mind all that loophole-ridden weight loss jargon, step over to the healthy side. Here are 10 tips for guaranteed weight loss that will set your weight straight, and help you adopt some really healthy, weight-friendly habits for life.

• * Decide how much weight you need to lose – Most people start their weight loss journey by claiming to be xyz kilos overweight. This isn’t a healthy way to project or aim for weight loss. Calculate your desired weight against your height by using reliable methods like the BMI, and set a healthy weight loss target. This is often half the battle won.
• * Time management – This is quite often overlooked. Decide which part of your day will be dedicated to exercise, when in the week you will stock up on groceries, and when you will do the cooking – all within your current work and home life routine. If you don’t do this now, your days will be rushed and unplanned, and you won’t be able to sustain your weight loss efforts.
• * Stock your kitchen – Keep your house well-stocked with fruits, vegetables, healthy meats, grains, cereals, spices, and favorers. Follow our tricks to healthy cooking, cooking vegetables for the week, and low-fat cooking posts to understand how best you can stock your kitchen with healthy and delicious ingredients. All of this will go into helping the next step – cooking healthy meals at home
• * Eat healthy homecooked meals – Whether it’s you who’s cooking, a family member, or house help, ensure that every one practises healthy cooking methods, and ingredients. Ask any person who’s lost weight the healthy way, and you will always hear about how healthy homecooked meals were a big reason behind it. Use less oil, low salt, fresh produce, and you’ll start seeing results in no time.
• Start a cardio + weights workout – A healthy weight loss programme is incomplete without a good exercise routine, and weight training mixed with cardio is the best way to lose weight. Of course, variations and forms exist, but any workout that stresses on muscle tone and increased heart rate will always help you lose weight and keep it off. You can either start a home workout today, or rely on gyms for fitness training.
• * Alter your snacking habits – At Health Me Up, we have several healthy snacking ideas for you. Set those French fries aside, skip that aerated drink, and ban those unhealthy deep fried samosas. Explore the healthy snack world and you will find several appetisers, party snacks, movie snacks and meal accompaniments that’ll satisfy every craving of yours.
• Have at least one active hobby – It isn’t sufficient to rely on just 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity per day. Moving from bed to office chair, and back to bed, isn’t a healthy way to live. Buy a motion sensor gaming console that lets you enjoy social games with friends and family, plan weekend trips, clean your house once a week, dance, play sports, the list is endless. Get out of the coffee shop and dining table rut, and you’ll have fun along with the healthy weight loss.
• * Find a solution to combat stress – As we pointed out in our post about stress and weight loss, stress is always detrimental to healthy weight loss in the long run. Find ways to combat stress and you’ll soon realise that your diet and exercise aren’t sabotaged anymore, and that you truly do see results. Look at yoga, meditation, deep breathing exercises, or simple hobbies like reading to fight stress.

There are some habits we indulge in unknowingly, and frequently, that can become extremely harmful for our skin health. Trying to treat your skin with information researched online, or taking cues from your friends could be detrimental and land you with some major skin problems. Here’s looking at some skin-sins that experts say, you should avoid…


Buying over-the-counter medicines


Using over-the-counter medicines, without having complete knowledge of them, can cause damage to your skin. Dermatologist Dr Shefali Trasi Nerurkar says, “Every individual has a different skin type. Hence, any treatment cannot be standardised. It’s commonly observed that if a patient is given a treatment for any skin condition and if their relative suffers from a similar problem, they tend to use those medicines without consulting the doctor. Such cases have damaged many patients’ skin.”


Going by the brand value


of cosmetics Another common mistake most women make is using wrong cosmetics, solely relying upon their brand value. Just because you watch an advertisement that promises to do away with wrinkles in a few weeks, you should not dab it all over face and wait for the miracle to happen. “Before using the cosmetic on any part of the fact, check it by doing a patch test on the hand or behind the ears,” says Dr Trasi.


Scrubbing skin to become fairer


According to Dr Trasi, rubbing and excessively scrubbing the skin, trying to make it fairer, is a myth. Instead, it becomes darker by these methods. Using Steam at home to clean your face: Dermatologist Dr Apratim Goel says, “Skin needs steaming to open the pores, but it needs to be done at a certain temperature. Moreover, the skin has to be prepped for that, or else it may not only burn the face, but can also dehydrate your skin.”


Using hot water to wash your face


Using extremely hot water for bath and washing your face with it can be damaging. Dr Trasi says, “Hot water removes all the oils present in the skin and as a result, the natural moisturisation is lost with it.”


Waxing your face


Excessive facial hair can be a big problem for some women and sometimes, local salons suggest waxing to get rid of it. Experts warn that this can be harmful. Waxing tugs at the delicate facial skin and could lead to early wrinkles. Dr Goel says, “Waxing your face to get rid of excessive hair is a blunder, but still most of us have done it at some point in our life. Of course, if the hair is thick, laser hair removal is the best, but one could go for bleaching too. Waxing is traumatic to hair follicles and can lead to infection and inflammation. This can result in scars which are difficult to treat.”


Using a razor on face


There are women, who have excessive hair on their sideburns and they resort to drastic measures like using razor on their face to get rid of it. Cosmetologist Dr Rashmi Shetty says, “Whenever you shave, the new hair that grows is darker and thicker than before.” She explains that natural hair on a woman’s face is light and fine because they are at a resting phase. “However, after a woman shaves the hair on her face, it changes and now, is at a growing phase. A good alternative to reduce excessive facial hair is laser removal treatment. This technique not only helps in hair removal, but reduces its growth in six to eight sittings. However, if your facial hair is fine and matches your skin colour, then do not get tempted to go in for a laser treatment as it may not help at all and lead to paradoxical growth and excess hair.”


Haircare mistakes you should avoid

Method – Take the tweezer and scrape off the black eyeshadow into an empty bowl. – Take a spoonful of petroleum jelly and mix it well with the scraped eyeshadow using a spatula. – Now keep alternating between the eye shadow and petroleum jelly, till you have a considerable amount in the bottle. – Once you have the consistency that you require, store the bottle in the refrigerator. What you need – A black eyeshadow – Petroleum jelly – A spatula – Tweezer – A small empty bottle.

The latest research on life expectancy shows that women are still living longer than men. Look deeper, though, and there are many more subtle differences when it comes to susceptibility of the sexes to certain diseases.


Osteoporosis


This bone-thinning disease is strongly associated with women, with 75 per cent of all hip osteoporosis cases suffered by them. However, one in five men over 50 will also develop the condition but they may go undiagnosed because most GPs also see it as a woman’s complaint. Why? Women start with lower bone density than their male peers and they lose bone mass more quickly as they age, especially after the menopause, thanks to the drop in the bone-protective oestrogen.


Reduce your risk: Eat plenty of calcium-rich dairy foods and consider taking a Vitamin D supplement, since most Indians are low in this bonestrengthening nutrient. Spending 30 minutes a day doing weight-bearing exercise – that’s anything where you support your own body weight, such as aerobics or brisk walking – will also help to build stronger bones.


Heart disease


Despite the fact men have more heart attacks than women, death rates by gender are actually 50:50. This is because women are more likely to die if they have a heart attack. Why? Women benefit from the heart-protective effect of oestrogen before the menopause, but after it, their risk becomes even higher than a man of the same age. Until 45, more men than women have high blood pressure – a risk factor for heart disease – but by the time they’re 70, women, on average, have higher. Reduce your risk: Lose weight if you need to, stop smoking and get your blood pressure and cholesterol checked yearly after the age of 40 (younger, if early heart disease runs in your family).


STIs


Women are up to four times as likely as men to contract a sexually transmitted infection (STI). Why? The lining of the vagina is thinner and more delicate than the skin of the penis, making it easier for bacteria and viruses to penetrate the body. Reduce your risk: The best prevention is to use a condom each time you have sex.


Liver damage


More men die from liver disease than women (60 per cent versus 40 per cent). But women can suffer serious liver damage after relatively low alcohol consumption. Why? Men still typically drink more alcohol, but figures show women are catching up – and have less of the enzyme needed to break down alcohol in the body, along with a higher body fat con- tent, meaning they’re less able to dilute alcohol.


As a result, drink for drink, women end up with more alcohol in their bloodstream, and therefore, higher levels reaching the liver. Reduce your risk: Men should drink no more than 21 units per week and women 14. In practice, this means no more than three to four units per day for men (one and a half pints) and two to three units (two small glasses of wine) for women. Two booze-free days per week is also recommended.


Colds and flu


Recent research suggests that women are less likely to catch cold and flu viruses than men. Why? One study by Stanford University last year found that women had more active immune systems, thanks to their high levels of the hormone oestrogen, which appears to boost their ability to battle flu bugs. Men, meanwhile, have a weaker immune response because testosterone has a damping effect on the way their bodies fight viruses.


Reduce your risk: Wash your hands regularly as research shows you’re most likely to pick up a cold by touching an infected person’s hands or from contact with surfaces that they’ve touched, such as door handles.


Lung cancer


Lung cancer rates among women are rising. Why? It’s been noticed that female smokers now outnumber male smokers in some areas. Research shows women are less successful at quitting, plus oestrogen is suspected to increase women’s susceptibility to lung cancer, which may explain why female smokers are three times more likely to develop lung cancer than their male counterparts.


Reduce your risk: As nine out of 10 cases of lung cancer are caused by smoking, quit now. Your risk will drop immediately, and after 10 years it will be half that of a smoker.

Its difficult to trust someone after a heartbreak, learn how deal with trust issues. Breakups are hard and anyone who’s ever been through heartbreak will vouch for it. However, when one door closes, another really does open. You just need to take a few steps and walk through it. It is difficult to trust someone after your feelings have been played with, but its not the end of the world. So hold your head high and walk through.


Identify the right place

To find someone new, first you need to identify a place of your own interest where you will meet like minded people. If you like theater, sign up for a theater group membership or if you like to cook, go for a cookery workshop and you’re bound to make a few friends who think like you and have the same interests.


Find the right fit

Once you have established a connection with someone or some people at your hobby place, be sure to think things over. Go out with them one after the other and don’t rush into anything. Make sure they know that you’re the boss of it all and take the reins in your hand. Until and unless you find the person who you are most compatible with, don’t take the plunge, This is important because if you end up with the wrong guy/girl again, that too when you are so vulnerable, it might put you off dating for good.


Listen to your gut

This may confuse you, after reading the point above, but it is true. Just because something fits right doesn’t mean it has to feel right. If you have great tuning but the chemistry isn’t right, step out right away before you lead the other person on. When you are feeling down the dumps your gut can somehow make a correct decision.


Do away with the past

So he/she is great, you have excellent chemistry and this looks like it can lead somewhere too. Don’t let your past ruin this for you. Just because something ugly happened previously does not mean it is going to happen to you again. You are not cursed, even if you feel so. Let destiny take its course.


Accept things

Just by chance, if it does happen again, you are still not cursed and it is not your fault. Sometimes it takes many wrong choices to make the right one. If the bad things didn’t happen, you’d never appreciate the good ones.

Aromatherapy based spray which you can prepare all by yourself and use regularly. In the stressful and hectic schedules, it is very essential to take good care of skin and hair. It is essential to incorporate a healthy diet to take care but that apart, aromatherapy based treatments can be beneficial to your skin and hair as well. Here’s a quick DIY spray which comprises aroma oils which you can use regularly to fix many skin and hair problems:


Ingredients Tea tree oil 2 drops – Patchouli oil 2 drops – Dead sea salt half teaspoon – Boiled and cooled water 1 glass


Procedure Mix all the above mentioned ingredients and store them in either an aluminum spray bottle or a dark colored spray bottle. It is essential to use a spray bottle through which sunlight doesn’t pass. Also, make sure to store it away from direct sunlight and in a cold place.


Benefits

Do you want to defy age? Here’s what you can do to keep looking fresh and young. They say age is only a number. And it is true to quite an extent. But still there are few things you can do too defy age and look fresh and young.


Think positive Your mental state reflects in your overall appearance. So keep positive thoughts rolling. Negativity can make you feel dull and can make you age faster.


Meditate Even if you manage to sit with your mind open to meditation for a 5 minutes it can help you immensely. Meditation not only clears your mind, but also helps in stabilizing and streamlining your thoughts.


Eye cream Don’t squint your eyes, it is an effective trick to keep looking fresh. If you think such cosmetics are only made for girls, you need to read some new age magazines.


Stop smoking Smoking is one of the main reasons behind fast aging. It not only causes major illness, but also irritates your skin and deprives it of oxygen and water which bring more wrinkles.


Reduce sugar intake Sugar control can not only help you reduce extra pounds piling on, but also help you reduce wrinkles. High level of sugar activates a process called glycation which results in wrinkles.

Do you find yourself dozing off in office? You are not alone, says a new study. Here’s how to tackle sleep deprivation Lack of sleep is so common in the white-collar world today that it is visibly affecting their performance at work. If you often find yourself nodding off in meetings, you have the company of lakhs of corporate employees whose sleep deprivation is upsetting their productive waking hours.

An employee-based health institute in the US recently conducted a study of 1,139 employees from three companies. Lead researcher, Jennifer Turgiss, found that 15% of them doze off on the job at least once a week! Four key factors were preventing them from getting restful sleep — worry or stress, mental activity, physical discomfort, and environmental disruptors.

Another report by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) declared in the past that 29% of respondents fell asleep or became very sleepy at work, while 36% had fallen asleep or nodded off while driving. There are several dangers of sleep deprivation. After a restless night of twisting and turning in bed, you will turn up groggy-eyed. You won’t be as sharp or productive as usual. Even five days of insufficient sleep can reduce energy metabolism and dietary restraint, particularly in women.

A weak immune system, more risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and obesity are the other adverse effects of not getting enough quality sleep. Turgiss found that the resultant tiredness reduced one’s ability to manage stressful situations. This leads to various workplace problems: decreased decision-making abilities, lack of concentration, a decrease in cognitive function, irritability and less patience with colleagues, to name a few.

What to do

What to do

If you are moderately short or even short, do not worry as you will be a champion when it comes to performing the real act. According to an interesting finding, those who are about 5 feet 9 inches and under enjoy sex better and in plenty.

“When comparing men’s sexual activity levels based on characteristics such as age, height, weight and health, the younger, fitter men tended to get more play,” researchers said. However, we were surprised to see that “coital frequency was higher among men with a height of less than 5 ft 9 in”, they noted. For the study, researchers looked at 531 men between ages 20 and 54.

Among men who reported a coital frequency of more than 3.5 times a week, waist circumference showed borderline association with lower sexual activity, while lesser height was associated with higher sexual activity. “Obesity and metabolic diseases can cause all types of sexual function to deteriorate in older age, whereas their effects may not yet be prominent at younger ages (below 45 years),” the study observed.

Irrespective of whether they are suffering from psychiatric disorders or not, cigarette smokers are more likely to commit suicide than people who do not smoke, a study shows. Researchers at Washington University’s school of medicine in St Louis found that smoking itself may increase suicide risk and that policies to limit smoking reduce suicide rates.

“Suicide rates declined up to 15 percent in US states that implemented higher taxes on cigarettes and stricter policies to limit smoking in public places,” said lead researcher Richard A Grucza, an associate professor of psychiatry from Washington University. The results showed that each dollar increase in cigarette taxes was associated with a 10 percent decrease in suicide risk.

“Indoor smoking bans also were associated with risk reductions,” Grucza added. Using statistical methods, researchers compared rates of suicide in states with stricter tobacco policies to rates in states with more lenient laws and lower taxes. They also determined whether people who had committed suicide were likely to have smoked. They learned that suicide risk among people most likely to smoke was associated with policies related to tobacco taxes and smoking restrictions.

Grucza now wants e-cigarettes to come under scanner which deliver nicotine but release vapour rather than smoke. Nicotine is a plausible candidate for explaining the link between smoking and suicide risk, Grucza said. Like any other addictive drug, people start using nicotine to feel good, but eventually they need it to feel normal.