Archive for March, 2008

Smoking Among Medical Professionals

Monday, March 31st, 2008

Doctors might be role models for the greater population, but a new research shows that health pros are one of the utmost users of tobacco in the nation, with above 50 per cent of them engaging in tobacco smoking or other related activities. As per the Global Tobacco inverstgation System, lifetime preponderance of cigarette smoking and use of other tobacco items among third-year medical graduates was reported to be 28.2 % and 22 percent respectively. Women medical students were greatly less than male medical graduates to have ever smoked a cigar or used other tobacco related products, it reported.

The present cigarette smoking and usage of non-cigarette tobacco items among third-year medicine students was said to be 11.6 % and 5.4 percent respectively. Around half of present cigarette smokers (47.1 percent) reported to have craving for a cigarette inside 30 minutes of getting up in the morning, showing strong dependence on usage of tobacco. Below half the students (48 &) reported that their campus had an official policy quit smoking in college premises and clinics, 62.9 % of them pointed out that it was being imposed and over 28 per cent of them reported smoking on medical college premises and 14 per cent in nearby areas during the past year. Medical students should be made fully aware of the dangers of smoking and the necessity to quit smoking.

Anti-Smoking And Height of Teenagers

Wednesday, March 26th, 2008

Cigarettes hinder boys’ growth and don’t assist girls lose weight, as per a new research which busts myths about smoking. Australian anti-smoking organizations have hailed results of a major Canadian research showing the effect the disadvantageous habit has on the height and waistline of teenagers. Investigators tracked 1250 minors from age 12 - 17, regularly equating the non-smokers to the smokers each three months. The study, brought out in the journal Annals of Epidemiology, reasoned out that girls who smoke do not finish up skinnier than young girls who did not smoke but, actually have like body mass index (BMI) and height.

Among teen boys, smokers came out to be shorter by a medium of 2.54 centimetres likened to those adolescent boys that did not smoke. Executive director of Quit Fiona Sharki stated the findings were important given many young ladies cite weight control or weight loss as a cause for smoking and not supporting anti-smoking movements. “Adolescent girls who are distressed about their weight frequently take up smoking since they believe it will make them leaner,” Ms Sharki added. “Nevertheless, this research shows smoking has no bear upon on weight control or weight loss for young ladies.” She pointed out that breaking up the “thin” myth was tremendously important as it might warn teen girls from hooking on smoking and make them aware of anti-smoking efforts.

Teens’ Attitude to Quitting Smoking

Monday, March 24th, 2008

The mental attitude of teenagers to smoking requires to be re-analyzed if quit smoking health movements are to be effectual, in the opinion pf Hunter researchers. Scientists from the Centre for Health Research & Psycho-oncology have reexamined 78 worldwide studies, making some important suggestions on teenage smoking and peer pressure, sellings-to-minor regulations, and young mens’ views on nicotine dependency and quit smoking trends. Flora Telepis of CHeRP pointed out that the review centered on data from focus aggroups and audiences with young people.

“Teens rarely key out teasing or bullying as coercive agents that lead to nicotine depencancy,” Ms Telepis said. “The want to fit in with the grouping is far more potent and permeative and this is what needs to be harnessed in education plans rather than the simple ‘Just say no’ kind of message. “It is very clear that rigid laws are unlikely to prevent youngsters from getting tobacco products, with more youngsters reporting a lot of ways of going around such restrictions. This indicates that governments should not spend too much in imposing sales-to-minors laws in the impression they will play a great part in helping teenagers quit smoking. “Sadly, mid-teens trying out with tobacco lean to see cigarette dependence as something which chances to older people. Elder teens who smoke on a regular basis can promptly accept they are hooked, but this realisation oftentimes comes very late for such an impinged addiction.”

Smoking Cessation And Improvement Of Health

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

Aids to assist people stop smoking can be a good and cost-efficient way of helping people to stop the habit. Smoking cessation can greatly improve long-run health. Smoking leads to many deaths from a lot of diseases including cancer. Passive smoking is also connected with diseases like cancer, heart problems, and aggravation of asthma. Smoking in confined public areas (for example, factories, bars, and pubs) was prohibited in England from July last year. Smoking in confined public places is already under ban in other areas of the United Kingdom and in the Republic of Ireland.

Many treatments are utilized to help people who stop smoking; some of them are given just on prescription and others over the counter. It is vital to always go through the enfolded leaflet. A healthcare employee like a GP may assist someone determine the best smoking cessation treatment and can provide support, including details on a local quit smoking clinic. Before beginning to use a quit smoking aid, it is great to set a particular day to aim to give up smoking.

Varenicline (Champix) is a modern prescription-only drug that was introduced in the UK in 2006 as a quitting smoking aid for grownups. These tablets work on a particular nicotinic receptor and are likely to cut back the craving and satisfaction of smoking and may also diminish withdrawal symptoms while trying to quit. Instantly after treatment, risk of regress is enhanced and some patients have depression, insomnia, or irritability. Hence, a gradual diminution in dose may be advised for some high-risk smokers.

Anti Smoking Tour

Monday, March 17th, 2008

Using jokes, a team of comedians will attempt to assist people quit smoking by spreading anti smoking awareness and warning about the dangers of smoking on overall health. The anti smoking comedy tour will be conducted at Bar One of the Sandman Hotel in Grande Prairie. This tour is contrived to help people know about nicotine addiction and promote them to explore choices to help themselves and their dear ones quit effectively, while rendering entertainment and laughter to all taking part.

The program will have Just For Laughs comic Ryan Bellville, when Lars Calliou, named the best new comedian of Edmonton in the year 2004, will perform as the opening act.
During the event, a group will be on the roads videotaping those who have comic smoking or striving to quit smoking tales. The fishiest stories will be published on the website of comedy tour and on YouTube.com. They will also be featured in the Alberta stand-up comedy program, where they will have an opportunity to win a tour for two to the grand Laughs festival to be conducted in Montreal.

The tour is patronized by Pfizr Canada. To quit smoking is trying, but laughing is one of the best stress relievers one can find, according to Dr. Chal Els. Els, a dependance psychiatrist who cares for tobacco patients, stated he was happy because the tour will raise anti smoking awareness, which would in all probability translate into more smokers thinking about quitting smoking.

Best Time To Stop Smoking

Friday, March 14th, 2008

For those finding it difficult to stop smoking, a new research conducted by the Peninsula Medical School of South West England recommends that retirement is the best time to say good bye to smoking. The team of scientists under the leadership of Dr. Iaine Lung studied more than 1500 smokers aged 50 years and more, taking into consideration their work position (whether a person was retired or working) and smoking position (whether he/she is a smoker or non-smoker). The conclusions of the six-year long research proved that 42.5 per cent of people who had retired lately had stopped smoking, in comparison with 29.3 per cent of people working and 30.2 per cent for individuals who were already retired.

The study indicates people who go through the changeover into retirement are more belike to stop smoking than the ones who do not. “Retirement is one among the great changeovers in life, that is the reason why a greater proportion of individuals may find it simpler to make dramatic changes elsewhere in their lives during the period,” said Lung. “Nevertheless, any person who isn’t preparing to retire just yet shouldn’t put over quitting. The sooner a smoker quits the sooner he/she will get the benefits - in the effort to stop smoking there’s no great time like this!” he said.

High Blood Pressure And Smoking

Wednesday, March 12th, 2008

High blood pressure and smoking are an extremely dangerous combination that greatly increase the danger of a blood vessel breaking inside our brain, an Australian research warns. Smoking and high blood pressure are known to step-up the risk of heart problems, but Sydney scientists have made it clear that the two have a firmer, “interactive effect” if both are present. A research conducted at the George Institute of International Health, Sydney concluded that smokers having high blood pressure are indeed more likely to get a hemorrhagic apoplexy - a kind of “bleeding” stroke when a blood vessel breaks and bleeds in our brain - than people who do not smoke with blood pressure issues.

Head researcher Kosi Nakkamura said the disclosure should promote smokers to stop smoking and control their blood pressure also. “As we found that the two dangerous things have an interactive effect, stop smoking and bringing down blood pressure will help more to precluding stroke than if this antecedently unreported connection is brushed off,” Professor Nakkamura said. A hemorrhagic apoplexy is especially enfeebling as about half of patients die as a consequence of it, when many subsisters are left with palsy or other disabling effects. It is the only kind of blood vessel issue where scientists found this enhanced risk. Smoking does not aggravate the effect of blood pressure on the danger of ischemic stroke or coronary heart problem, which is the result of a blood clot.

Stop Smoking Program For Pregnant Women

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

A residency scheme shared out by a pair of Lebanon Valley hospitals has got a grant to assist new moms stop smoking. This Good Samaritan and Penn State University & Community Medicine Residency Scheme has achieved the $25,000 help from the March of Dimmes Foundation. The check was given to hospital officials recently at the Hyman Capllan Pavilion, Willow and Forth streets, Lebanon, by a March of Dimes functionary from the Harrisburg agency. Dr. Ellen Johnson, affiliate program manager, said the fund will be used to assist mothers stop smoking one they deliver their children.

Studies reveal that around 50 percent of women return to smoking as soon as they deliver their baby. The team is trying to bring that number down. Around 18 physicians in their residence at the hospital, 11 of the faculty members, many nurses and social activists are being trained in a behavioral idea called motivational interview, the director said. It is very effective in helping those with different types of addictions to alter bad behaviors, according to him. He pointed out that the program aims to use the technique to stop smoking with ladies while they are still carrying. Smoking has been connected to low birth weightinesses, poor results in pregnancies, and altered respiratory and ear problems in children, he added.

Smoking Cessation

Thursday, March 6th, 2008

Prominent scientists in the area of smoking cessation are assembling at the annual conference of the Society for Research on Tobacco and Nicotine to exhibit the latest stuedis on smoking cessation, letting in a new study exposing smokers’ misconceptions on cessation therapies. The research’s findings suggest smokers dramatically undervalue the efficiency and safety of nicotine replacement therapy products for quitting smoking, which may cause little use of established smoking cessation treatment that has been tried out to double up the smoker’s success rate of quitting. These findings were relied on a study of 900 women and men smokers in the United States.

A vast majority of smokers fallaciously believe or do not understand whether NRT is more habit-forming than cigarettes. Also, 68 percent of them incorrectly answered or do not have any idea that NRT products are as harmful as cigarettes. Below three percent of these people answered each and every question about NRT correctly, showing the tremendous need for farther awareness programs. The best news is that even as most smokers held such thoughts, around half of them pointed out that they would be more possibly relying on NRT in case they were given scientific evidence that establishes its efficacy. Cessation therapies such as nicotine replacement have been established to greatly enhance the chances of successfully stopping smoking.

Teenage Smoking

Thursday, March 6th, 2008

Smoking habit of a non-biological parent is as potent as the same of a biological parent in deciding whether their adolescent offspring smokes, according to a Cancer Research study issued in the UK journal Addiction. Scientists based at the Health Behavior Research Center of Cancer Research UK at the University College London, queried 650 teens from more than 30 schools in Southern London who were reportedly living in step-households. These students were taking part in a five-year study on Health and Behavior in Teenagers and were evaluated yearly from age 11 to 16.

These students were to describe their teenage smoking status, which was analyzed by a test to measure the degree of cotinine in the saliva. Cotinine is a spin-off of nicotine and indicant of tobacco smoke vulnerability. These teens also had to say whether their parents were smokers, and in case they inhabited with a step-parent, if the step parent smoked. According to the head researcher Jennifer Fitler, the influence of the smoking habit of parents on whether the teens smoke is long-familiar. Adolescents with their parents who smoke are a lot more likely to become smokers than the children without smoking parents. This is considered to be the first study of its kind to study the magnitude to which the smoking habit of step-parents forecasts teenage smoking behavior.