For women, heart disease is the number one killer. But what's interesting is that women's risk of heart disease is moderately low until after menopause. Suddenly the risk jumps as women grow older and the hormonal changes of menopause occur. And scientists still aren't quite sure what causes this change.

One reason may be that estrogen provides some protection for your body from the damaging effects of cholesterol because the two are chemically similar. But the jury is still out on that cause. What is certain is that as women age, their risk for heart disease increases dramatically and it's important to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

At one time doctors recommended hormone replacement therapy as a way to decrease the risk of heart disease. Now, the experts at the American Heart Association are not recommending hormone replacement therapy.

This is because hormone replacement therapy causes an increased risk of breast cancer and in some cases an increased risk of stroke. In fact, two major studies of hormone replacement therapy and heart disease were completely halted because the risks of these other diseases grew so rapidly.

So, what that means for women is that as the risk for heart disease grows it's even more important to follow healthy guidelines for nutrition and physical activity. It's also important to get screenings performed by your physician as recommended. You should also quit

But, it isn't that easy. The rational side of your brain might be telling you all this but your subconscious may still be hanging on to the fact that you are a smoker and could be telling you to go into the nearest store and buy a pack right away! So, to put it simply, hypnosis deals with the subconscious thus making it far easier for you to quit effectively.

Going for hypnosis sessions to cure a bad habit will simply help ALL of your mind focus on the goal of giving up. The methods used by hypnotherapists vary. Some, for example, use a form of aversion therapy that makes you feel slightly nauseous at the thought of smoking. Others simply tell your subconscious that you are not a smoker so - after your session; you'll act like a non-smoker because your brain is telling you to.