Gadling is giving away free tickets to Amsterdam!
Posts with tag quit smoking

New smoking ads feature man who still smokes

Posted: Jan 12th 2008 10:11AM by Bethany Sanders
Filed under: General Health, Health in the Media, Healthy Habits

Highlighting just how hard of a habit smoking is to quit, New York state is running a new ad campaign that features a lifelong smoker. Skip Legault, 48, shares his smoking-related health problems -- including two heart attacks before age 30 -- in ads that will reach viewers through TV, Internet, and newspapers.

The fact that Mr. Legault is still smoking has brought the ads some criticism, but state health officials say that his smoking status shouldn't matter. The whole point is to show people the damage that smoking can do, and how hard it is to stop once you've started.

You can view the ad here. What do you think about it?

Anti-smoking campaigner speaks out right before dying

Posted: Dec 20th 2007 4:33PM by Brian White
Filed under: Health in the Media

It's not often that we hear of a former smoker that turns tide and becomes a outspoken critic of smoking, but that is just what Maureen Hamilton did before her death last week.

Right up until the end, Hamilton, who passed away from emphysema complications, wanted the world to see what the smoking of cigarettes can do to a human body. Did she want to be remembered with a glamorous photo from her past?

No -- Hamilton wanted photos of her ravaged body to be on display after she died to give those who smoke a perfect picture of what all that smoking can result in. It's not a pretty picture -- but it is the truth. What are you doing to quit?

What works to cut smoking rates

Posted: Dec 10th 2007 5:30PM by Brian White
Filed under: General Health

What are the best ways to discourage smoking? That question sometimes invites excited conversation when I ask it, but a new study from international tobacco control researchers has an answer.

The most effective: graphic warning labels on packages, bans on cigarette advertising and increasing cigarette prices are some of the most effective ways to curb smoking.

An ineffective approach: mandating tar and nicotine levels in cigarettes, which is a weak approach to begin with since it's mostly passive.

Anti-smoking drug Chantix linked to depression

Posted: Nov 21st 2007 4:28PM by Brian White
Filed under: Healthy Products

Pfizer's smoking cessation drug Chantix may cause depression and suicidal thoughts, according to the FDA.

Since it seems almost any new prescription drug causes some bizarre array of side effects, it seems appropriate that Chantix is one of them. Doctors have reported severe mood swings, suicidal thoughts and depression from patients taking he drug.

What do do? Quit some other way, that's what. Although the FDA told the media that patients shouldn't stop taking Chantix (not just yet, anyway), doctors need to monitor those patients very closely. Yeah, I am sure that will happen fast. Here's an idea: stop taking Chantix. Use another smoking cessation aid.

Four women who found a way to stop smoking

Posted: Sep 3rd 2007 8:37AM by Brian White
Filed under: General Health

Those who read That's Fit regularly will probably know that I am a huge opponent of smoking. It's killed family member, friends and the places where smoking is allowed don't get my business (or my breathing, heh). It's just plain nasty to me, although many will disagree with that statement. No problem I say -- it's our differences that make us human.

But for those that have been addicted to nicotine (read: smoking), but who have had issue after issue giving up the habit, there are those who have made successful attempts that stuck. Reading those stories can sometimes shift a smoker to try and give up smoking. If some method works, so be it. It doesn't matter as long as it works, rights?

It's been said that about 66 percent of smokers want to quit, but only about five percent made it to the banishment stage in 2006. Why all the trouble? And, why do 20 million American women continue to puff away ever day when it's more dangerous to them than to their male counterparts? If you're a female smoker, you can quit -- and for proof, read this. Yes, you can do it.

Is a nicotine inhaler headed to a pharmacy near you?

Posted: Aug 19th 2007 8:24AM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: General Health, Healthy Products

What if somebody said you could get your nicotine fix, just as fast and just as effectively as smoking, but without the smoking? Next Safety Inc., a new company based in North Carolina, says it can do just that with a new device it's hoping will be approved for use soon. It's a small machine that allows users to inhale nicotine directly, which provides for faster and more direct brain absorption than nicotine gums and patches do.

As of now the device is still in the testing stages and waiting for FDA approval, but it looks like it might be the next big thing. Will you be on board if it comes to a pharmacy near you?


Via Engadget

Don't fool yourself: Smokeless tobacco is just as bad as cigarettes

Posted: Aug 12th 2007 2:42PM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: General Health, Healthy Habits

If you're a smoker who's looking to quit, and the words "smokeless tobacco" sound appealing, please think again. Although in theory getting rid of the smoke should solve the problem, the truth is smokeless tobacco is just as dangerous, if not more dangerous, than cigarettes when it comes to cancer-causing chemicals. The soot and smoke isn't the only thing you're avoiding when you avoid smoking.

The good news? Although smokeless tobacco isn't the way to go, nicotine replacement therapies (the patch, the gum, etc) is a fairly safe choice. It's a step down, not just trading one evil for another equal evil.

Fewer smokers in Washington than ever before!

Posted: Aug 7th 2007 8:28AM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: General Health

Yeah, that's right, some good news on the smoking front. The number of smokers in Washington has been dropping steadily since 1999 and has reached an all-time low (so far, anyway) of 17%.

So that's the good news. The bad news is that of those 17% remaining smokers most are lower-income less-educated adults, and although they are interested in quitting they seem to be having a harder time doing it than the rest of the population.

But Washington seems to be on the right track, currently sitting with the 5th lowest smoking rate in the country. There's talk of routing funds towards giving the low-income population some help to quit smoking, in addition to their already successful approaches of an indoor smoking ban and increased tobacco taxes.

10 ways to get younger-looking skin (without surgery!)

Posted: Aug 2nd 2007 11:25AM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: Healthy Aging, Natural Beauty

The quest for the "fountain of youth" of age treatments to keep ourselves looking our youngest is not something new, but it's not going away anytime soon either. And although cosmetic surgery procedures are getting more and more advanced all the time, going under the knife isn't an option for many people for obvious reasons. So here's a list of some of the latest and greatest in non-surgical age-erasing treatments, ranging in price from free (quit smoking!) to upwards of $2500 (ArteFill injections).

Continue reading 10 ways to get younger-looking skin (without surgery!)

The coughing and screaming ashtray

Posted: Jul 24th 2007 9:03AM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: Healthy Products

I don't smoke, but if I did and somebody gave me this ashtray I don't know if I would laugh or cry. I think at this point even the die-hard smokers who have no intention of quitting know it's an unhealthy habit, but this might be taking things a little far even for someone like that. It's an ashtray that not only looks like a real pair of lungs (I've seen them before) but it screams and coughs when you put a cigarette in it. How long will somebody actually use this thing before it gets the batteries taken out or gets kicked across the room?


Via Book of Joe

He has no voice, but he's been telling thousands to quit smoking

Posted: Jul 21st 2007 6:00PM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: Health in the Media

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?

No butts about it: UK approves smoking cessation pill

Posted: Jun 2nd 2007 12:01PM by Maggie Vink
Filed under: General Health

The UK National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recently gave a thumbs-up to Champix (varenicline), a twice-daily drug used to help smokers kick the habit. During a 12-week trial almost half of the smokers tested were able to quit with the help of Champix. The prescription drug minimizes cravings and reduces withdrawal symptoms.

In Europe alone, over 1.2 million people die each year from smoking-related illness. The World Health Organization predicts smoking/health costs will skyrocket to approximately $500 billion by 2010. My guess is most smokers are fully aware of the health risks their habit creates and the economic drain it places on society, but an addiction is and addiction is an addition. There's no two ways about it -- smoking is a hard habit to break.

Champix has been on the market for a while, but the new approval comes at an appropriate time -- just one month before a UK-wide ban on smoking in public places goes into effect.

The health effects of global warming

Posted: May 7th 2007 8:51PM by Brian White
Filed under: Eco-Travel, General Health

If you think you have allergies now due to the rapid changes in environment that trend towards more warm seasons, the possibility of global warming makes those afflictions worse may be of concern to you.

What about those who aren't heat-friendly? Reports out of the UK that suggest more warm weather and less cold weather are nothing to sneeze at (no pun intended).

The heatwave in France that killed thousands three years ago would not be a welcome commonplace scenario. But, what if it was?

Yet another reason to quit smoking: TB

Posted: Feb 28th 2007 11:14AM by Rigel Celeste
Filed under: General Health, Healthy Habits

Okay, if you've got a running list, get it out and add this to your reasons to quit smoking: smoking has been linked to an increased risk for catching and developing tuberculosis.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, compiled data from 24 previous studies on the subject and came up with some scary numbers. Smokers are 73% more likely to become infected with TB when exposed, and then more than twice as likely to develop the active form of the disease.

TB is no laughing matter (not to say that lung cancer or emphysema are either), but now that smoking has been pinpointed as a risk factor education and policies can be modified to hopefully help with prevention.

Drugs help smokers quit, even if it takes a few times

Posted: Feb 26th 2007 5:45PM by Brian White
Filed under: General Health, Health in the Media

Many smokers who have tried to quit and who have succeeded probably has used all available methods to try and ditch the habit. From nicotine gum to patches to cold turkey to drugs, some smokers go through the entire gamut trying to find a method that works best for them.

Even though you may fail at stopping smoking the first few times, experts say that using pills to try and kick the habit may take time and several attempts before success comes.

Now, I don't know if this is the age-old argument from a marketing standpoint (rinse and repeat method from hair shampoo) gussied up to sell more drugs, but when the question of quitting smoking is on the table, any method needs to be tried for many, as it can take several weeks for many people to fully wean themselves off tobacco (according to researchers.)

Next Page >



That's Fit Features





How many calories burned? What is my BMI?
More weight loss tools!


Features
AOL Health Bloggers (58)
Ask Fitz! (79)
Ask Laura! (27)
ATIO: Summer Quick Fix Challenge (6)
ATIO: Wednesday Weigh-In (4)
ATIO: Weekly Weight-loss Results (4)
Celebrity Fitzness Report (43)
Daily Fit Tip (428)
Diet Derailers (6)
Fit Beauty (92)
Fit Factor (98)
Fit Gadgets (32)
Fit Kicks Videos (9)
Fit Links (100)
Fit Mama (10)
Fit Pregnancy (22)
Fitku (14)
FitSpirit (46)
FitTV (8)
Fitzness Fiends (52)
Gut Busters (4)
Healthy Handful (11)
How Many Calories? (108)
Jogging for Normal People (18)
Jumpstart Your Fitness (89)
Life Fit Chat with Laura Lewis (106)
Life Fit with Laura Lewis (57)
Meet the Bloggers (20)
One Small Step (7)
Podcasts (43)
Recipe Rehab (23)
Retro Review (3)
Road To Fitville (16)
Stress Less (37)
Taking Off Ten (12)
That's Fit In The Field (4)
The 5 (42)
The Daily Turn On! (114)
The Good, The Fat and The Hungry (13)
Tuck It In (17)
Walking the Walk (2)
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs (71)
We Love To Gawk At Fit Celebs Weekly Roundup (37)
Week In Review (64)
Working In the Workouts (55)
Workplace Fitness (90)
You Are What You Eat (68)
Your Turn (40)
Healthy Living
Alternative Therapies (303)
Book Reviews (99)
Celebrities (946)
Cellulite (236)
Diet and Weight Loss (2543)
Eco-Travel (81)
Emotional Health (1299)
Fit Fashion (90)
Fitness (3869)
Food and Nutrition (4592)
General Health (5569)
Giveaways (10)
Health and Technology (673)
Health in the Media (1287)
HealthWatch (468)
Healthy Aging (757)
Healthy Events (164)
Healthy Habits (2157)
Healthy Home (459)
Healthy Kids (1609)
Healthy Places (251)
Healthy Products (963)
Healthy Recipes (353)
Healthy Relationships (312)
Men's Health (1539)
Natural Beauty (231)
Natural Products (243)
Obesity (320)
Organic (222)
Spirituality and Inspiration (288)
Stress Reduction (547)
Sustainable Community (242)
Vegetarian (306)
Vitamins and Supplements (283)
Women's Health (2097)
Work/Home Balance (198)

RESOURCES

Powered by Blogsmith

Featured Stories

Featured Galleries

Fitz's Fit Family Disney Vacation Day 1
Cooking with winter squash
The Great 8
Mad about Mo'Nique
Jennifer Hudson
Pink workout gear
Justin Timberlake
Sandra Bullock -- Nothing butt beautiful
Celebrity Fitzness Report: Travis McGriff
Black raspberry serving ideas
Green tomato rice ingredients are healthy
Top 7 fruits and veggies for juicing

Sponsored Links

Most Commented On (60 days)

Recent Comments


Aches, pains? Find out what your symptoms mean:

Sites We Love

Other Weblogs Inc. Network blogs you might be interested in: