Dear Healthy Friend,

Smoking is bad for you. I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't agree to this. And there's no such thing as a bad time to quit. In fact even if you've been smoking all your adult-life, there are more reasons why should pack the puff away...

Christine O'Brien reveals this eye-opening research...

In the name of good health,

Taryn Strugnell
Managing Editor of Nutrition & Healing

P.S. A lot of us tend to lean towards the 'wait and see' approach to getting better. Dr Wright tells us when this could be a bad idea....

Stop smoking, save your sight!
Christine O'Brien
Contributor, Nutrition and Healing

Maybe you've been smoking all your life. And it's a tough addiction to kick. By the time you're in your later years, you might not even see the point in stopping. After all, isn't it just too late?

Don't give up just yet. New research might have you pledging a belated New Year's resolution. Because it shows that it's never too late to reclaim good health by kicking the habit.

Researchers at UCLA found that for smokers, the risk for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of blindness in people over 65, continues to increase even after age 80. Smoking is actually the second most common risk factor for AMD.

The findings of the study, published month in the American Journal of Ophthalmology, suggest that it really is never too late to stop smoking.

Up until this point, research on AMD has mostly been conducted on people younger than 75, even though age is the biggest factor for the disease. In this study, researchers followed a group of 1,958 women - they examined retinal photographs taken at 5-year intervals.

What they found was that smokers over the age of 80 were actually 5.5 times more likely to develop AMD than women their age who didn't smoke.

Researchers found the combination of age and smoking to be compelling enough to conclude it's never too late to stop smoking - you can lower your risk of AMD at any age.

Ready to kick the habit and looking for more ways to ward off AMD? Late last year, researchers at the US National Eye Institute found that omega-3s could slash the risk of both wet and dry AMD. The best sources of omega-3 fatty acids are fish such as cod, salmon, mackerel, sardines, walnuts, flaxseed and fish oils.

There are loads of ways to help you curb the craving and halt the habit, speak to your doctor about the best one for you.

When not to "wait and see"

Q: Shortly after going on a statin, I started to feel like I had the flu - my back aches, my legs feel weak, every muscle hurts and I'm extremely tired. My doctor said it was safe and I know lots of other people on statins who haven't had this problem. But it's gone on for a few weeks now, and I think if I had the flu, I would have been over it by now. I would appreciate any information you might have that could help me figure out if I do have the flu or if a statin is related to my symptoms.

Dr. Wright: Although I can't say for sure that a statin is causing your particular problem, they have been widely reported to cause the symptoms you report - all part of a condition called peripheral neuropathy or nerve damage. Also, it is thought that statins deplete the system of coenzyme Q10, which can cause fatigue.

You should let your doctor know about the symptoms you've been having and discuss other treatment options, preferably natural ones. In some cases, the damage caused is permanent, so I wouldn't recommend the wait-and-see approach.