Smoking News

06 Mar 2011

Let the butt stop here

Any time is the right time to stop smoking. A host of stop-smoking aids can boost your odds of success.

In the old days, when smoking was just a bad habit, willpower was the only way to shuck it. But sheer willpower didn’t work well then, and it doesn’t work any better today, even when almost everyone knows the health hazards of smoking.

Fortunately, there’s no need to go it alone. Smokers who want to quit can now choose from a variety of tools that double or triple their chances of succeeding. The best approach uses medication to quell cravings for nicotine along with some sort of support or counseling to break the patterns that make a smoker reach for a cigarette.

Know the enemy

Smokers tend to underestimate the hazards of smoking, the benefits of quitting, and the barriers to quitting, says Dr. Nancy A. Rigotti, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and director of the Tobacco Research and Treatment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Hazards: Most people know that smoking increases the chances of developing lung cancer. But many aren’t fully aware it’s also a key cause of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular problems. Smoking also contributes to many types of cancer besides lung cancer, as well as emphysema and other breathing problems, tooth and bone loss, ulcers and acid reflux, sleeping problems, and a host of other ills.

Benefits: Quitting improves the chances of living longer, reduces the odds of developing the problems listed above, and slows the spread of tobacco-related diseases. These benefits hold true even if you stop smoking after age 65 or if you’ve already developed a smoking-related illness. For example, smokers who quit after having a heart attack tend to live longer than those who keep smoking.

Barriers: Many things get in the way of stopping smoking. The two biggest barriers are the physical addiction to nicotine and the psychological addiction to the habit of smoking. Others include stress, a mistaken belief that it’s too late to stop, and the influence of other smokers.

http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsweek/Let_the_butt_stop_here.htm

(This article was first printed in the October 2003 issue of the Harvard Heart Letter. For more information or to order, please go to www.health.harvard.edu/heart.)

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26 Feb 2011

Cigarette Smoking Linked to Lou Gehrig’s Disease

Feb. 14, 2011 — Cigarette smoking may raise the risk of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study that adds new evidence to the growing link between smoking and the rare muscle-wasting disease.

Researchers say previous studies have suggested that cigarette smoking may be a risk factor for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, but the results have been conflicting or involved only a small number of participants.

ALS is a neurologic disease affecting the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control many muscles throughout the body. The diseased nerve cells can no longer communicate with muscles, effectively leading to muscle wasting and weakness.

The study involved more than a million participants. Researchers found that current or former cigarette smokers were 42%-44% more likely to develop ALS than people who had never smoked.

More than 5,500 people each year are diagnosed with ALS in the U.S. There is no cure, and there are limited treatment options for the disease, which causes rapid muscle deterioration.

Researchers say the cause of ALS is unknown in about 90% of cases; environmental factors are thought to play a role in affecting a person’s risk.

Slideshow: 13 Best Quit-Smoking Tips Ever

Smoking and ALS

The study looked at the relationship between cigarette smoking and ALS in five different long-term studies involving 1.1 million people, 832 of whom developed ALS.

The results showed current smokers were 42% more likely to be diagnosed with ALS and former smokers had a 44% higher risk.

Among current or former smokers, the risk of ALS increased as the age at which they started smoking decreased.

Although the risk of ALS increased by 10% for each increment of 10 cigarettes smoked per day and by 9% for each 10 years of smoking, these associations did not persist when the group of never smokers was excluded from the analysis.

“Significant trends in the risk of ALS were observed with the duration of smoking and the number of cigarettes smoked per day, but these trends were largely driven by the low ALS risk among never smokers,” write researcher Hao Wang, MD, PhD, of the Harvard School of Public Health, and colleagues, in the Archives of Neurology.

Researchers say further studies are needed to confirm this link between ALS and cigarette smoke.

But they say there are several possible ways in which cigarette smoking may increase the risk of ALS. For example, nitric oxide or other components of cigarette smoke may cause direct damage to neurons, and chemicals in tobacco may generate free radicals that may also damage cells associated with the disease.

SOURCES:

Wang, H. Archives of Neurology, February 2011; vol 68: pp 207-213.

News release, American Medical Association.

© 2011 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

http://www.webmd.com

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26 Feb 2011

Tobacco companies sue to thwart federal panel, claiming bias

(CNN) — Two leading tobacco companies fired a pre-emptive legal strike against federal authorities Friday, challenging the objectivity and thus validity of a 12-member advisory panel charged with making recommendations on the safety of menthol cigarettes and other matters.

The Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee, which is helping direct the implementation of the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, is set to file a key report on menthol by March 23.

Just over a month before that report comes out, R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard filed their lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court in Washington, naming the Food and Drug Administration, Department of Health and Human Services and those agencies’ respective leaders as defendants, as well as the director of the federal Center for Tobacco Products.

The complaint attempts to prevent federal authorities from “taking any action based on or influenced by” or otherwise using information from the advisory committee “as it is currently constructed.”

That group, which includes three non-voting members representing the tobacco industry, is charged per federal statute with providing “advice, information, and recommendations” to Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius on health, dependence and other issues related to tobacco. Theoretically relying on these recommendations, the secretary has the authority to mandate “good manufacturing practices for tobacco products.”

The lawsuit filed Friday questions the neutrality of the panel members, saying three — including its chairman, Dr. Jonathan Samet — had “conflicts of interests and associated biases that are incompatible with (the committee’s) role as an impartial advisor.”

The tobacco firms allege that the three, plus two members of a subcommittee, have been paid expert witnesses in litigation against tobacco companies and/or consultants for pharmaceutical companies that create nicotine-replacement-therapy products.

Jeff Ventura, a spokesman for the Food and Drug Administration, did not address specific claims in the suit.

“As a matter of general policy, the FDA does not comment on possible, pending or ongoing litigation,” Ventura wrote CNN by e-mail.

According to the panel’s website, most of the committee’s voting members “shall be physicians, dentists, scientists or health care professionals practicing in the areas of oncology, pulmonology, cardiology, toxicology, pharmacology, addiction, or any other relevant specialty.” One must be a local, state or federal government official and one who is a representative of the public.

Before the report’s release late next month, the panel has two scheduled upcoming meetings. It has met approximately once a month since June 2010, with transcripts, webcasts and documents germane to the sessions posted on the FDA website.

The tobacco companies in their complaint noted the panel’s mission to probe menthol cigarettes, including their use among young people, African-Americans, Hispanics and other minorities, as well as smokeless tobacco products.

Menthol cigarettes, which account for one-quarter of the cigarettes sold in the United States, have been under scrutiny by public health officials and public health watchdog groups. Critics claim the flavor makes them more addictive and they denounce the marketing campaigns that they say target menthol cigarettes specifically at minority smokers.

According to a study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, three-quarters of African-American smokers prefer menthol cigarettes to traditional ones.

But Leonard Jones, director of marketing at Lorillard, said last year that “ethnicity does not play a role” in marketing strategies for the Newport menthol cigarette.

“We don’t collect or retain information on ethnicity in our marketing data base,” he said.

R.J. Reynolds, the nation’s second-largest tobacco company, is based in North Carolina and sells Camel, Winston, Kool, Pall Mall and other cigarettes. Delaware-based Lorillard, which ranks as the third biggest in the United States, is behind the Newport, Maverick, True, Old Gold and other brands.

CNN’s Greg Botelho contributed to this report.

www.cnn.com

Smoking has been so glamorized over the years that cigarettes have become a side issue.  Again it’s not what we do but what the media portrays what we can become by smoking. All the while it is incredibly hazardous to our health and all those around.


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24 Feb 2011

Smoking Stinks

Smoking is one of the worst things kids or adults can do to their bodies. Yet every single day about 3,900 kids between the ages 12 and 17 start smoking. Most middle school students don’t smoke — only about 1 in 16 does. And most high school students don’t smoke either — about 1 in 5 does (that means 4 out of 5 don’t).

But why do those who smoke ever begin?

There’s more than just one simple answer. Some kids may start smoking just because they’re curious. Others may like the idea of doing something dangerous — something grownups don’t want them to do. Still others might know lots of people who smoke and they might think it’s a way to act or look like an adult. Fortunately, fewer people are starting smoking than a few years ago.

Maybe that’s because more and more people have learned that smoking and tobacco use can cause cancer and heart disease. But sometimes kids can’t really think that far into the future to worry about an illness they might not get for many years.

So let’s talk about the problems that might affect kids more quickly:

  • bad breath
  • yellow teeth
  • smelly clothes
  • more colds and coughs
  • difficulty keeping up with friends when playing sports
  • empty wallet — cigarettes and tobacco products are very expensive!

Let’s find out more about cigarettes and tobacco.

Why Is It So Bad for You?

Cigarettes and smokeless tobacco kill hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. You know those rubber bracelets that were created to bring attention to different causes? The Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids created a red one with the number 1,200 on it. Why 1,200? That’s the number of people who die each day due to smoking.

The nicotine and other poisonous chemicals in tobacco cause lots of diseases, like heart problems and some kinds of cancer. If you smoke, you hurt your lungs and heart each time you light up. It also can make it more difficult for blood to move around in the body, so smokers may feel tired and cranky. The longer you smoke, the worse the damage becomes.

The Other Cost of Smoking

Using tobacco eats up a lot of money, too. A pack of cigarettes costs $4.50, on average. That means, even if you buy just one pack a week, you’ll spend $234 in a year. Some people smoke a pack a day, which adds up to $1,642! That’s a lot of CDs, computer games, and clothes you could buy instead.

What’s It Like?

Usually, people don’t like smoking or chewing tobacco at first. Your body is smart, and it knows when it’s being poisoned. When people try smoking for the first time, they often cough a lot and feel pain or burning in their throat and lungs. This is your lungs’ way of trying to protect you and tell you to keep them smoke free. Also, many people say that they feel sick to their stomachs or even throw up. If someone accidentally swallows chewing tobacco, they may be sick for hours. Yuck.

What if My Friend Smokes?

If you have friends who smoke or use tobacco, you can help them by encouraging them to quit. Here are some reasons you can mention:

  • It will hurt their health.
  • It will make their breath stinky.
  • It will turn their teeth yellow.
  • It will give them less endurance when running or playing sports.
  • It’s expensive.
  • It’s illegal to buy cigarettes when you’re underage.

If you think it will help, you could print out articles like this one to give to a friend who smokes. He or she may be interested in learning more about the dangers of smoking. But people don’t like to hear that they’re doing something wrong, so your pal also could be a little angry. If that happens, don’t push it too much. In time, your friend may realize you are right.

In the meantime, it could help to talk with a parent or a school counselor if you’re worried about your friend. When your friend is ready, a grown-up can help him or her quit for good. If your friend decides to quit, lend your support. You might say it’s time to kick some butts!

Reviewed by: Neil Izenberg, MD
Date reviewed: March 2010

Smoking Stinks

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