FitSugar

Fight Cancer With Tobacco?

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 03:30:00 -0700

We all know that using tobacco products is a sure way to be on the road to asthma, emphysema, and lung cancer. New research, putting a kind of reverse engineering twist to that carcinogenic scenario, is using tobacco to fight cancer. Scientists at Stanford University are manipulating the tobacco plant to make as a vaccine to fight a type of lymphatic cancer. Once injected, the personalized vaccine prompts the body's immune system to attack cancer cells. So far the technique has been used on 16 cancer patients. Not only was it safe, but 70 percent of the patients' immune systems responded to this tobacco vaccine.

It's pretty ironic to use tobacco to fight cancer, but apparently vaccines made from plants are far less expensive than those made using animal cells. Let's hope this is a breakthrough in the fight against cancer.

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Hookahs vs. Cigarettes

FitSugar — Wed, 31 Oct 2007 02:00:00 -0700

A new coffee shop opened up near where I live, and they serve more than lattes and peppermint tea. When you walk by, you can see tables outside with people puffing on hookahs. This whole hookah bar/parlor scene has found its way into American culture, and its popularity raises an important question. Is it safe?

When you smoke from a hookah, you inhale flavored tobacco from a hose that is attached to an ornate pipe, which is usually made out of glass or clay. There's water in the bottom, which filters the smoke leading people to believe hookahs are safer than smoking cigarettes, but they're terribly mistaken.

The problem is that hookah users tend to inhale far more smoke than cigarette smokers. More smoke means higher levels of nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other nasty chemicals. In a study published by the World Health Organization, they found that an average cigarette smoker took 8 to 12 puffs, and inhaled 0.5 to 0.6 liters of smoke over five to seven minutes. A hookah smoker may take anywhere from 20 to 200 puffs in one night, and each puff equals about one liter of smoke each. That means one hookah smoking session could equate to smoking 40 to 400 cigarettes. Yikes!

Here's the deal. Smoking flavored tobacco from a hookah is not any healthier than smoking regular cigarettes, and could actually be worse since you're inhaling more smoke, nicotine, and other chemicals. So don't get hooked on the hookah scene.

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Are Cigars Healthier Than Cigarettes?

FitSugar — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 13:30:00 -0700

I was out with some friends who were celebrating their engagement, and one of the guys pulled out some cigars. He offered one to me and I gave him this look like "Are you serious?" and he said, "Cigars aren't bad for you because you don't even inhale."

When you smoke a cigar, you're only supposed to suck the smoke into your mouth then blow the smoke out. So does that means it's any better for you than cigarettes?

It's still a tobacco product like cigarettes, right, so I think you know what the answer is. Large cigars typically contain between 5 and 17 grams of tobacco. Some premium brands have as much tobacco in 1 cigar as in a whole pack of cigarettes!

Plus, the tobacco in cigars is different than what's found in cigarettes. It's fermented tobacco, so it has a high concentration of nitrogen compounds. When smoked, these compounds give off several tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs), some of the most potent human carcinogens known. Also, because the cigar wrapper is less porous than cigarette paper, the tobacco doesn't burn as completely. The result is a higher concentration of nitrogen oxides, ammonia, carbon monoxide, and tar -- all very harmful substances.

What about secondhand smoke? To hear all about it read more

Large cigars can take about 1 to 2 hours to smoke. Even though you may not be inhaling directly from the cigar itself, you are still inhaling secondhand smoke for that long. Secondhand smoke has been classified as a known human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent) by the EPA. Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds. More than 60 of these are known or suspected to cause cancer including arsenic, benzene, and vinyl chloride. Still want to take a puff?

Exposure to secondhand smoke has immediate effects on your cardiovascular system, and puts you at risk for developing coronary heart disease and lung cancer. Cigar smokers may be exposed to a bunch of others cancers too, such as mouth cancer, throat cancer, and cancer of the gums. Why would you want to put yourself at risk? I just don't get it.

Fit's Tips: So use your brain. Tobacco is tobacco, in any shape, and smoking tobacco products are known to cause illnesses and countless deaths. So take care of yourself and steer clear of cigarettes AND cigars. If not for yourself, than do it for the people who love you. I know I wouldn't want to have to explain to my family that I got lung cancer from smoking.

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Your Lungs: Cigarettes, Marijuana & Office Equipment and More

FitSugar — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Although it is illicit, stoners for decades have touted their drug of choice as a healthy alternative to cigarettes. An interesting myth created under a purple haze if you ask me. New research proves that cannabis is hard on the lungs, but how hard?

Actually, lung health has been a hot topic in the news recently and when something is bad for the lungs cigarettes are brought out as the measuring stick for damage.

So believe it or not - this is the first cigarette themed quiz here on FitSugar.

Take the quiz

What Causes Hiccups?

FitSugar — Fri, 27 Jul 2007 03:30:00 -0700

Everyone and their mother seems to have a unique cure for a bad case of the hiccups, but what I want to know is, what causes them in the first place?

A hiccup is an unintentional contraction of your diaphragm, the muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen. It plays an important role in breathing, and when it contracts, it makes your vocal cords close briefly and that's what causes the sound of a hiccup.

Hiccups are actually triggered by many things:

Eating spicy foods - It can cause irritation to the nerves that control normal contractions of your diaphragm.
Eating a large meal, eating too fast (swallowing air), or drinking carbonated beverages - These can cause your stomach to expand, which pushes up your diaphragm, making hiccups more likely.
Drinking alcohol - Alcohol can relax your diaphragm and vocal cords, making it easier for other factors to trigger hiccups.
Tobacco use - Tobacco use may irritate the nerves that control the diaphragm.

Want to know what else can cause hiccups? Then read more

Sudden temperature changes - Whether the change occurs inside your body (like drinking hot tea), or outside your body (when you go outside in the snow), it can cause hiccups.
Excitement or emotional stress - It's not clear why this can cause hiccups, but it may have to do with one of the nerves involved in the hiccup reflex being startled.

As annoying as hiccups can be, even if you don't sip water through a straw while pinching your nose, or hold your breath while saying the word "hippopotamus" in your head 5 times, hiccups will eventually go away on their own. Very rarely do hiccups last for more than 20-30 minutes. If they do, like this poor girl who had them for 3 weeks straight, there could be an underlying medical problem such as nerve damage. If this is the case, someone should definitely seek medical attention pronto.

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Today Is International NO Tobacco Day

FitSugar — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:00:00 -0700

Today is International NO Tobacco Day, sponsored by the World Health Organization (WHO). The theme this year is Smoke Free Environments.

Here is what WHO has to day about tobacco and second hand smoke.

Tobacco is the second major cause of death in the world. It is well known that half the people who smoke regularly today – about 650 million people – will eventually be killed by tobacco. Equally alarming is the fact that hundreds of thousands of people who have never smoked die each year from diseases caused by breathing second-hand tobacco smoke.

In attempts to protect non-smokers WHO is making strong recommendations that all indoor public places and workplaces become 100% smoke-free as soon as possible. Since there is no safe level of exposure to second-hand tobacco smoke, let's hope every country takes these recommendations seriously and acts now.

Fit's Tip: If you are considering quitting tobacco I think today is the perfect day to start. Check out these tips from the
American Cancer Society - they will definitely help the process!!!

Cover Your Children's Eyes

FitSugar — Mon, 11 Dec 2006 02:00:00 -0800

Imagine this, you're watching a movie with your child (niece or nephew) and a fairly risky scene comes on so you cover his or her eyes until the characters are done with their sex and onto their cigarettes. Seems normal, right?

Researchers are reporting that each year in the United States, some 1.4 million children under age 18 start smoking, and half of these start as a direct result of tobacco advertising, which includes the portrayal of tobacco use in films, TV or videos.

Exposure to positive images of smoking increased the odds that children would smoke by about 90%. Children that were exposed to tobacco ads and positive images of smoking were about 50% more likely to want to smoke in the future. In addition, tobacco marketing and media increased the chances that children who already smoked would become heavier smokers by 42%.

So you may want to start adding smoking to the list of things you cover your child's eyes for in movies.

Today Is World No Tobacco Day

FitSugar — Sat, 31 May 2008 03:00:00 -0700

I feel that I am a fairly open minded, flexible person. But there is one thing I just can't wrap my head around at all – smoking. It is just plain bad for you and quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health. There are so many reasons to quit lighting up!

Today, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day, sponsored by the World Health Organization. The theme this year is breaking the advertising net, especially those ads targeting kids. Worldwide, most people take up smoking before the age of 18, with a quarter of those beginning at age 10! When people begin smoking at an early age, they are less likely to quit and more likely to become regular tobacco users.

The WHO has an ambitious plan to create a total ban on all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship by the tobacco industry. If you are interested in participating in an event near you, find one here.

Source

Yet Another Reason Not to Smoke

FitSugar — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 17:30:00 -0800

Ever feel like big tobacco is lying to you about what is really in those cigarettes? Well that is because they are.

It is being reported that U.S. tobacco companies increased the level of addictive nicotine in their cigarettes by 11 percent from 1998 to 2005. A study done by Harvard School of Public Health claims that:

...tobacco companies accomplished the increase not only be intensifying the concentration of nicotine in the tobacco but also by modifying several design features of cigarettes to increase the number of puffs per cigarette taken by smokers.

These findings definitely make you wonder if the tobacco industry has changed at all (in terms of getting people addicted) since signing the Master Settlement Agreement of 1998 with the State Attorneys General. Who, by the way, is not going to be happy with these findings.

So don't smoke and if you do, try and quit. By getting people more and more addicted, the tobacco industry is only looking out for themselves.

Smoking and smokeless tobacco

admin — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 18:50:51 -0700

Illustrations

Tobacco and vascular disease

Tobacco and chemicals

Tobacco and cancer

Secondhand Smoke and Lung Cancer

Respiratory cilia

Tobacco health risks

HEALTH GUIDE REFERENCE FROM A.D.A.M

Alternative Names

Second-hand smoke; Cigarette smoking; Cigar smoking; Pipe smoking; Smokeless snuff; Tobacco use; Chewing tobacco

Information

Tobacco is a plant grown for its leaves, which are smoked, chewed, or sniffed for a variety of effects. It is considered an addictive substance because it contains the chemical nicotine.

In addition to nicotine, tobacco contains over 19 known cancer-causing chemicals (most are collectively known as "tar") and more than 4,000 other chemicals. These include acetone, ammonia, carbon monoxide, cyanide, methane, propane, and butane.

Over 38 million people in the United States have successfully quit smoking. Yet there are still around 50 million Americans who smoke. The majority say they would like to quit.

And, while the number of cigarette smokers in the United States has dropped over recent years, the number of smokeless tobacco users has steadily risen. This trend is likely related to the false belief that smokeless tobacco is safe. It is NOT. Smokeless tobacco carries many of the same health risks as cigarettes. Some people who want to stop smoking, but who still crave the nicotine, turn to smokeless tobacco wrongly thinking that they are doing something good for themselves.

THE EFFECTS OF NICOTINE

Nicotine acts as both a stimulant and depressant on your body. It increases your bowel activity, saliva, and bronchial secretions. It stimulates the nervous system and may cause tremors in the inexperienced user, or even convulsions with high doses.
After stimulation, there's a phase that depresses the muscles in your airways. As a euphoric agent, nicotine causes relaxation from stressful situations.
On average, tobacco increases your heart rate 10 to 20 beats per minute, and it increases your blood pressure reading by 5 to 10 mmHg (because it constricts the blood vessels).
Nicotine may also cause sweating, nausea, and diarrhea. Nicotine elevates the blood level of glucose (blood sugar) and increases insulin production. Nicotine also tends to enhance platelet aggregation, which may lead to blood clots.
Nicotine temporarily stimulates memory and alertness. People who use tobacco frequently depend on it to help them accomplish certain tasks at specific levels of performance. Nicotine also tends to be an appetite suppressant. (For this reason, fear of weight gain also influences the willingness of some people to stop smoking.)

Finally, tobacco is highly addictive. It is considered mood and behavior altering. Tobacco is believed to have an addictive potential comparable to alcohol, cocaine, and morphine.

HEALTH RISKS

There are many reasons to quit using tobacco. Knowing the serious health risks may help motivate you to quit. When used over a long period, tobacco and related chemicals such as tar and nicotine can increase your risk of:

Blood clots, which may lead to aneurysms and strokes
Cancer (especially in the lung, mouth, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, and cervix)
Coronary artery disease, including angina and heart attacks
Decreased ability to taste and smell
Delayed wound healing
High blood pressure
Lung problems such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis
Pregnancy-related problems, including miscarriage, premature labor, low birth weight, and risk for sudden infant death syndrome ( SIDS)
Tooth and gum diseases

You have the same risks if you use smokeless tobacco (chewing tobacco, snuff, etc.) for a long time. In addition, smokeless tobacco users have a 50 times greater risk for mouth cancer than those who do not use such products.

SECONDHAND SMOKE

Those who are regularly around the smoke of others (secondhand smoke) have a higher risk of:

Coronary artery disease
Lung cancer
Sudden and severe reactions, including those involving the eye, nose, throat, and lower respiratory tract

Infants and children that are exposed regularly to secondhand smoke are at risk of:

Asthma
Infections, including virus-caused upper respiratory infections, ear infections, and pneumonia
Lungs that do not work as well (poor lung function)
Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)

TIME TO QUIT

There are a lot of ways to quit smoking and many resources to help you. Family members, friends, and coworkers may be supportive or encouraging, but the desire and commitment to quit must be your own.

Most people who have been able to successfully quit smoking made at least one unsuccessful attempt in the past. Try not to view past attempts to quit as failures, but rather as learning experiences.

Feel ready to quit? Here are some tips:

List the reasons you want to quit. Include both short- and long-term benefits.
Ask your health care provider for help. Find out whether prescription medications might help. Also ask about nicotine patches, gum, and sprays.
Ask your family, friends, and coworkers for support.
Set a quit date, and get rid of all of your cigarettes by that date.
Quit completely -- cold turkey.
Get more exercise. It relieves the urge to smoke.
Learn self-hypnosis from a qualified practitioner. This helps some people.
Make a plan about what you will do, instead of smoking, when stressed or other times you have the urge for tobacco. Be as specific as possible.
Avoid smoke-filled settings and situations in which you are more likely to smoke.

Like any addiction, quitting tobacco is difficult, particularly if you are acting alone. If you join smoking cessation programs, you have a much better chance of success. Such programs are offered by hospitals, health departments, community centers, and work sites.

The best quit-smoking programs combine multiple strategies, including peer support and ways to overcome potential relapse situations. Counseling by telephone can be a very helpful reinforcement, even as effective as face-to-face counseling.

Short-term use of the antidepressant medication bupropion (Wellbutrin, Zyban), along with a quit-smoking program, may increase your success. Bupropion requires a prescription from your health provider and should not be used if you have a history of seizures or kidney failure.

If you aren't successful the first time, simply look at what occurred or what didn't work, develop new strategies, and try again. Many attempts are often necessary to finally "beat the habit."

THE BENEFITS OF QUITTING

Within 20 minutes of quitting - your blood pressure and pulse rate drop to normal and the temperature of your hands and feet increases to normal.
Within 8 hours of quitting - your carbon monoxide levels drop and your oxygen levels increase, both to normal levels.
Within 24 hours of quitting - your risk of a sudden heart attack decreases.
Within 48 hours of quitting - nerve endings begin to regenerate and your senses of smell and taste begin to return to normal.
Within 2 weeks to 3 months of quitting - your circulation improves and walking becomes easier; even your lung function increases up to 30%.
Within 1 to 9 months of quitting - your overall energy typically increases and symptoms like coughing, nasal congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath diminish; also, the small hairlike projections lining your lower airways begin to function normally. This increases your lungs' ability to handle mucus, clean the airways, and reduce infections.
Within 1 year of quitting - your risk of coronary heart disease is half that of someone still using tobacco.
Within 5 years of quitting - the lung cancer death rate decreases by nearly 50% compared to one pack/day smokers; the risk of cancer of the mouth is half that of a tobacco user.
Within 10 years of quitting - your lung cancer death rate becomes similar to that of someone who never smoked; precancerous cells are replaced with normal cells; your risk of stroke is lowered, possibly to that of a nonuser; your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas all go down.

WHEN TO CONTACT A MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL

Call your doctor if you are a smoker and:

You want an individual health risk profile
You want to learn about methods to stop tobacco use
You are pregnant, planning a pregnancy in the future, or using birth control pills
You have symptoms of specific diseases associated with tobacco use (even if you are a nonsmoker exposed to secondhand smoke)

Other resources include local chapters of the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society. Both organizations have a wide range of resource materials and comprehensive smoking cessation programs.

References

Metz CN. Metabolism and biochemical effects of nicotine for primary care providers. Med Clin North Am. 2004; 88(6): 1399-1413, ix.

Anderson JE. Treating tobacco use and dependence: an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for tobacco cessation. Chest. 2002; 121(3): 932-941.

Parkes GT. Effect on smoking quit rate of telling patients their lung age: the Step 2 quit randomised controlled trial. BMJ. 2008: 336 (7644): 598-600.

Review Date: 6/19/2008

Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is an independent audit to verify that A.D.A.M. follows rigorous standards of quality and accountability. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial policy, editorial process and privacy policy. A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

A.D.A.M. Copyright

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997-2009 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.

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