That's Fit

I don't use Twitter, but I've heard it's pretty addictive. You know what else is addictive? Cigarettes. So some smart person put two and two together and created Qwitter, a Twitter-powered social networking service for people who are trying to quit smoking.

Qwitter does a few things for its users. It tracks the number of cigarettes smoked per day, and provides a place where those who are giving up smoking can turn to to track their progress and share the process with other quitters. They've also provided a few "qwit tips" for newcomers to look over before they get started.

So if micro-blogging and social networking are your thing, and you believe it's time to ditch the cigarettes for good, take a look at Qwitter and see if it could be a part of your support system.

Having trouble sleeping? If you're a smoker, it might be due in part to your cigarette habit. Recent research that studied apparently healthy smokers and non-smokers found that smokers were more likely to report restless sleep during the night. EEG patterns were also different between the two groups.

Researchers theorize that smoking before bed may make it hard to fall asleep, because nicotine is a stimulant. Later in the evening, nicotine withdrawal kicks in, causing smokers to wake more frequently. Now I understand why every smoker I've ever known needed a cigarette in the morning. If you're thinking of quitting, get head to your doctor for help in setting up your own smoking cessation program.

Those smokers who think eliminating smoking in public places withing the U.S. is more akin to democratic rights trampling more than public health, listen up. Our friends in France are going down the same road. That is, banning smoking in public places.

As of New Year's day, smoking in most public places in France is now against the law. Again, health freedom against the inhaling of toxic second hand smoke wins the day.

Smoking bans are not just happening in the U.S. -- far from it. World health officials realize that the fumes from smoking are killing millions of non-smokers globally every year. That's the reason for the ban, as opposed to finding ways to limit one's personal freedom. Agree or disagree?

In most age groups, the number of smokers is dropping. But among 18 to 24-year-olds, smoking is actually on the rise. In response, nearly 60 college campuses in the United States have banned smoking on campus, and they say they're very pleased with their results.

Banning smoking on campus means that students don't have to walk through clouds of secondhand smoke to enter buildings, and there are no butts littering the grounds. It also means that smoking students have to work a little harder to get their fix. Campus leaders -- who offer support materials to students -- hope that having to walk off campus to smoke will get tiresome enough to make students want to quit.

Once addicted, smoking is a very hard habit to kick. By making it difficult for young people to smoke on campus, these colleges are hoping to prevent students from becoming smokers in the first place. What do you think?

If you were able to stop smoking by taking a regular shot, would you do it? Many would, and recent testing showed promise that may lay the foundation for some to kick the habit in the future without all the mental willpower and addiction problems that come with it.

This shot prevents the nicotine buzz that is common with cigarettes and other forms of tobacco and helps a smoker more easily quit because that mental withdrawal (and physical also) is made into an easy transition.

This new experimental process produced smoking cessation results comparable to those of already-available aids made to help someone stop smoking. To those who have had problems quitting using other methods, this could be promising soon.

No matter how many times they hear the dire warnings about how cigarettes are killing them, some smokers are so addicted that their personal well-being is seemingly of no concern.

The only way to get these people to quit is to pester the crap out of them until they finally give in and give up.

That's why I love little reminders like this lung ashtray. The concept of a lung-shaped ashtray isn't entirely new, but the installation -- commissioned by, and stationed outside of Germany's largest health insurance company -- is certainly grabbing people's attention. Written above the lungs is a web address (roughly translated as "i-will-become-a-non-smoker.de") so smokers who are moved by the piece can get information on how to quit successfully.

The Partnership for Prevention recently released findings that outlined five preventative health services and actions that could save over 100,000 lives a year, a study that was partially funded by the CDC. The services include:

• taking one low-dose aspirin every day,: 45,000 lives per year
• advising smokers to quit, and offering treatment options to do so: 42,000 lives per year
• regular screening for colorectal cancer for those 50 and over: 14,000 lives per year
• getting a regular flu shot: 12,000 per year
• regular breast cancer screenings for women over 40: 4,000 lives per year

The next step is funding for programs that will educate the public and to reach those who fall into the gaps. For instance, the study found that Hispanic smokers are over 50% less likely to get help quitting and that Asian Americans are less likely than other groups to get preventative health screenings or take aspirin.

You don't have to wait for program to develop to take action. Take the list with you the next time you visit your doctor and make sure you're protecting your health to the fullest!

Ronald Martinez has become a celebrity in New York City, but not for reasons he would have wished for. Ronald Martinez was a smoker, and he had to have his larynx removed due to throat cancer. His story, told in his own words through the artificial voice box he now needs to communicate, has been enough to frighten thousands of New Yorkers into quitting smoking. The campaign, entitled "Nothing Will Ever Be the Same," has made quite the impact with 92% of New York citizens reporting they've seen at least one of the anti-smoking ads.

As successful as it's been, the Ronald Martinez anti-smoking campaign may or may not continue in the future, as the direction of New York's anti-smoking efforts are up for review and they are "looking at all options." What do you think -- time to move on to something new and fresh or stick with something that has worked in the past?

Over the years, I've had several friends who have tried to quit smoking, only to pick it back up the minute they walk into a bar or drink a beer. "I only smoke when I drink," they'd say. Over at The Cardio Blog, Chris wrote an intriguing post that may help explain the phenomenon. A study recently published in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research found that certain foods enhance the flavor of cigarettes, including alcohol and caffeinated beverages. On the flip side, there are also foods that smokers reported do not go well with cigarettes, like fruits and vegetables, juice, and dairy products. It seems that healthy living and smoking don't mix, something that probably won't surprise anyone. But I'm curious...do you think that eating these foods could help curb cigarette cravings? What do you think?

The tobacco industry continues to take a beating, as the World Health Organization (WHO) now is stating that it wants a global ban on smoking at workplaces and in enclosed public spaces.

This is not some small request, but a campaign on a planetary scale to get rid of smoking wherever it can affect non-smokers. In fact, WHO Director-General Margaret Chan said that "The evidence is clear, there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke."

What do you think? There are some that cite references to evidence that second-hand smoke is harmless, something that is utter nonsense if you ask me. If you're a smoker, what are your thoughts on WHO's directive here?

You've heard this a million times, but just to re-iterate, if you're a smoker, the healthiest thing you can do for yourself is to quit. I used to be a heavy smoker, so I know how annoying it is to have people tell you that -- I also know how difficult it can be to put down the pack.

My biggest excuse was: "I'm young. The health problems won't really start for years, and I'll have quit by then." And it's true, I did quit before I experienced any significant side effects. That said, if I'd stumbled across this list of immediate health benefits, I might've been able to give up even sooner.

Did you know that after you make the decision to quit, your blood pressure will drop back to normal in 20 minutes, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood stream will drop by half within 8 hours, and your chance of having a heart attack will decrease in 48 hours? In 72 hours you'll have increased energy, in 2 weeks your circulation will increase -- the list goes on. The point is, your body begins to heal itself -- and you'll feel a difference -- from the very first day you're smoke-free.

For all the benefits, see the full list on Tips for Your Health. Maybe today is your day to give up for good.

For those looking to quit smoking, there are a number of methods to help you kick the habit. Everything from pills, to patches, to hypnosis have been championed as ways to ease the painful withdrawal symptoms.

But what if there was a product that helped you stop smoking while actually giving you a real smoking experience?

It may seem counter-intuitive, but apparently that's what's possible with the new electronic cigarette, or "e-cigarettes." Building on previous products that offer nicotine replacements (like nicotine gum, for instance), the e-cigarette looks and feels like the real thing -- using a built-in microprocessor and atomizer that combine air intake with a small amount of nicotine, while also releasing a non-toxic vapor to simulate exhaled smoke.

The China-based company has received criticism from the local media, who note that one nicotine cartridge in an e-cigarette contains 18mg of nicotine, as compared with 1.2mg for a typical cigarette. However, the company says that 1 cartridge should last as long as 30 normal cigarettes, thus giving the user a much smaller amount of the drug during each individual use.

It seems like a could be a helpful way for people to beat both the physical addiction, and the psychological addiction associated with the habits and mannerisms of smoking. However, for $208 (the approximate price of the product), I'd want to be sure it worked.

I hated quitting smoking. Hated it. It was a month full of headaches, hyper-stress, and a complete inability to concentrate. In fact, if I hadn't been an expectant father, I'm not sure I would've had the motivation to pull it off.

But the fact that I was able to quit at all might have more to do with my genes than my willpower.

That's according to a recent study by Duke University Medical Center and the National Institute of Drug Abuse that found smokers who were successful in quitting had a slightly different genetic make-up than those who couldn't give up.

"We now have further evidence that there is a biological basis not only for addiction, but for a smoker's ability to successfully beat the addiction," said George Uhl, Ph.D., a neurologist and neuroscientist in the Molecular Neurobiology Branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse.

Doctors are hopeful that this research can be used to help everyone quit -- in that they'll be able to identify these genetic variables, and craft the most effective effective treatment for an individual smoker, based on their genetic information.

This is a fascinating development, but part of me still thinks, if a person was sufficiently determined to give up, shouldn't that be enough?

Here's an idea for smokers that have tried and tried to kick the habit -- how about going on a "smoking diet?" Some U.S. smokers state that milk, water, fruits and vegetables worsen the taste of cigarettes.

On the flip side, these same smokers also state that alcohol, coffee and meat enhance the taste of cigarettes. While it may be close to impossible to stop smoking for some, is it easier or harder to eat and drink right and let the smoking habit wither away if it can?

New research from Duke University may soon lead to a "smoking diet" and may even lead to gums or lozenges that make cigarettes less tasty.

Many of us have heard that a genetic predisposition may make us more susceptible to certain diseases and even lifestyle choices in some form. How about smoking?

New research shows that smokers without certain DNA may face an even tougher battle kicking the habit. So, genetic predisposition comes to the forefront of kicking the smoking habit for good. Perhaps this demonstrates why some folks are successful at quitting smoking while others fails repeatedly?

the new research stated that people who were able to quit smoking had variants in 221 genes that weren't found in smokers who weren't able to kick the habit. Now, if those genes can be proven to be linked to the heightened possibility to eradicating smoking, that's great. Where is the solution for those without the disposition?