The strength of the lungs is tested by the simple means of blowing a number of times into a small machine and blood and urine samples are taken to check the efficient functioning of the internal mechanisms like liver and kidneys and, amongst other checks, to spot any signs of diabetes or anaemia. In a screening centre they will also x-ray the chest and carry out a more detailed physical examination that includes tests for rectal cancer and the more basic checks for sight and hearing as both deteriorate as we get older. At a screening centre tests will take up to three hours to complete.
Everyone in the Western world knows the hazards of smoking tobacco but many still continue to do so. If you smoke, quit. Two out of every five men who smoke die before they are sixty-five and it has been calculated that a smoker aged thirty-five will live five years less than his equivalent who is a non-smoker. Cigar and pipe smokers are also at risk even though many would kid themselves they are not. Where cigarettes damage the lungs and cause cancer, cigars and pipes contribute to cancer of the mouth, pharynx and larynx. The risk a man takes smoking are out of all proportion to the pleasure the habit gives.
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