That's Fit

50%. As many as 50% of cancer deaths could be avoided by making healthy lifestyle choices. 50%! That's huge. A recent American Cancer Society report states that, as we already knew, a healthy lifestyle can reduce cancer risk. But adding to that, the report states that 50% of deaths could be avoided. Good nutrition, not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight, exercising, keeping alcohol to a minimum, and getting the appropriate medical screenings (check with your doctor for specific recommendations) are all important in preserving your good health.

More than 170,000 cancer deaths in the US are related to smoking; quitting may be the most important step you take to reduce your risk of cancer. Obesity is another prominent factor in cancer risk; it's the root of more than 180,000 US cancer deaths each year.

We have seen a lot of legislation and banning around smoking lately. The tobacco industry is taking major blows as the harmful effects of smoking are becoming more well-known. The World Health Organization has released an estimate saying that 100 million people died from tobacco use last century and this one could claim one billion more.

It underscores their desire to see as many people kicking the habit as possible. The WHO are encouraging states to do even more to discourage smoking. They say things like advertising bans and higher taxes on tobacco should be implemented.

But with billions of dollars coming in from tax money on these products, why would government jump through hoops to minimize it? I think anyone could agree that smoking is a dangerous habit, but it's one that many people choose to live with. As long as they aren't harming other people around them, that's a freedom they've chosen to exercise. I'm with anyone who wants to see tobacco less prevalent, but it's unlikely we'll see governmental policies this extreme take effect any time soon.

I what could be considered a stunning move, one of the world's largest tobacco companies has said that it will no longer advertise its various brands in newspapers or magazines starting in 2008.

The cigarette industry is dying a slow death (much like it gives many of its consumers) due to a growing anti-smoking contingent worldwide among consumers and governments alike. Good riddance, I say. But for RJR to pull all newspaper and magazine ads is surprising. Power to the intense pressure Congress members and informed consumer groups!

I'm not sure how tobacco marketing executives live with themselves, but in light of this news, possible career moves may be in order for some of them. How about marketing for Budweiser?

Heh.

Here's a bit of an oxymoron: a smoker who's concerned about putting too many chemicals in their body. But apparently they are out there and they're interested in getting their cigarettes in all-natural, organic, and animal-cruelty-free style. The brand "Natural American Spirit" promises all that, and some are calling it marketing genius.

I think it sounds more like an experimental last-ditch-effort to save the dying tobacco industry, but you can't really blame them for trying. Just don't fool yourself: smoking is smoking.


Via Green Daily

Where I live, Hookah bars are lined up out the door on a Friday or Saturday night. The Indian practice of smoking from a Hookah is really trendy recently, and though I'm not a smoker, I can see the appeal -- hanging out in a Middle Eastern-themed cafe is at least something different from the usual bar scene here. Besides, it's not like sitting in a smoky bar; at a Hookah bar, the smoke smells nicer, and it's less invasive.

Fitsugar recently did a post on which is more detrimental to your health -- smoking from a hookah or smoking cigarettes. The surprising answer? Hookahs are worse for you, because not only does the smoke have the same amount of chemicals and nicotine, but those who smoke it are likely to smoke much more -- up to the equivalent of 400 cigarettes in one night. Good grief!

So the moral of the story? Don't get too into the Hookah scene -- it can be harmful to your health. And even though you're not smoking cigarettes, you're still doing yourself just as much harm with the Hookah.

So many girls and young women are still smoking and even taking up smoking, despite all health problems it's been proven to cause. Why? The only reason I can think of is the glamorization of smoking -- it seems to be what the pretty, thin girls do, particularly from a high-schoolers point of view. Here's an new anti-smoking video I recently came across, one which tries to appeal to more to a woman's vanity than her health. Take a look.



What do you think? Will the promise of lack-luster skin appeal more to young women than the chance that they might develop health problem later in life?

Not to sound hyper-critical, but it absolutely amazes me how many people still smoke. Not only do anti-smoking ads point to the dangers related to inhaling toxins directly into your lungs, but the tobacco companies themselves have even put forth evidence that their products are known killers. Nevertheless, the puffing continues.

But, what happens when you stop? Even for a short while? Amazingly, your body kicks right into high gear, endeavoring to repair the damage you have caused your lungs up until that very point. Here's a quick look at just how fast your body begins to heal as soon you quit smoking.

In 20 Minutes: Your blood pressure and heart rate begin to slowly drop

In 12 Hours: Carbon monoxide in your blood gets back to normal

In 3 Months: Lung function increases and circulation improves

In 1 Year: Risk of coronary heart disease is cut to that of what it was for you while you were still smoking

In 5 Years: Your risk of stroke is reduced to that of a non-smoker

In 10 Years: Your chance of dying from lung cancer is cut to half of what it was while you were smoking

For some inexplicable reason, however, people will still continue to smoke, even knowing full-well that it may eventually kill them. Many point to the comfort in constantly taking a drag. To that I say: Your breath smells, your teeth are browning more and more each day, your clothes reek, your phlegm coughs are disgusting, and your fingernails look like the Crypt Keeper's - How comforting is that? Others go for the pity approach; claiming that it's far too difficult to quit. To that equally as poor excuse I say: You're a human being ... you're built and wired almost exactly the same as others who have walked on the moon, cured infectious diseases, invented the automobile, and climbed Mt. Everest - So, I think you're more than capable of quitting a meaningless habit.

The Food and Drug Administration has regulatory approval over food and drugs (over the counter and prescription) in the U.S. -- so why not tobacco? Maybe it doesn't want it.

This past week, the chief of the FDA (who has a dubious past) stated that he proposed a bill giving oversight authority to the FDA when it came to tobacco regulation.

Eschenbach's reason: regulating tobacco could undermine the FDA's role in protecting public health. I'm not so sure the FDA is doing the best job at that anyway. The FDA does not want to be in charge of products that, when used as intended, 'produce disease rather than promote health,' according to the FDA leader.

Retailers who sell tobacco are finally getting with the program in terms of selling those products to underage teenagers, according to a U.S. government report this week.

According to the report, less retailers were found selling tobacco products to teens when unannounced inspections occurred. The percentage? About 10.9 percent of all retailers that were monitored.

This news is encouraging since that is the lowest rate of illegal tobacco sales to minors in the decade since individual states began performing activities to monitor compliance with tobacco sale legality practices.
dropped to 10.9 percent last year, the government reports.

It seems as though another study has linked smokeless (as in, chewing) tobacco with an increase in the risk for throat cancer. Specifically, cancer of the "hypopharynx" was the area cited inside the throat that sees an increased risk of caner.

With many cigarette smokers having turned to the perceived "less harmless" smokeless tobacco venue, this study (among many others) indicates that the switch is just shifting a cancer risk from one are in the body to another.

So, if you've decided to quit smoking recently, don't shift tobacco use somewhere else -- get rid of it completely. Use whatever method works for you, but jettison tobacco use permanently.

According to new research smokers need to be especially conscious of knee pain, as it could be an early indicator of lung cancer. In a small study looking at patients with both knee inflammation and pain, a small percentage (only 2%) were also found to have non-small cell lung cancer. Now that may sound like an extremely small number, but consider this: of that 2% that had both knee pain and cancer all of them were smokers.

Non-small cell lung cancer is very difficult to treat unless it's caught in the early stages, so getting this clue that knee pain could be an indicator could really help save lives.

I've known several people in the last few years who gave up smoking but who replaced the habit with smokeless (chewing) tobacco. The reasoning: no ingestion of smoke is of no consequence. The only thing wrong with this premise is that it is wrong.

In a new study, those who prefer chewing tobacco may be putting themselves at even a higher risk for a cancer-causing compound than even smokers do. Yikes!

The substance, NNK, is a primary carcinogen in tobacco. It has been connected to cancers of the lung, pancreas, liver and others. Guess what? It's in chewing tobacco also, which goes in the mouth if I am not mistaken. Moral of the story: smokeless tobacco is not a "healthier" alternative to smoking. Far form it.

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

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.

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.