A campaign was recently launched by anesthesiologists warning of the dangers of smoking before surgery.
There are many risks to lighting up before a surgical procedure like a higher risk of infection, slower recovery time and increased rates of readmission.
The chair of the Ontario Anesthesiologists, Dr. Steven Bodley stated, "The action plan that we have developed is not only simple and inexpensive to implement, but it will also help patients understand the risks they face if they don't quit before surgery and the benefits if they do."
The action plan includes five basic points: identifying smokers that are scheduled for surgery, explaining to them the risks before and after the operation, referring to a smoking cessation service, gather of data about the last time the patient smoked, attempting to flush out toxins produced by smoking, and following up after the surgery.
This is something worthwhile to consider for smokers, as the complication rate for non-smokers stands at 18 percent and 52 percent for smokers.
[Via: allheadlinenews.com]
According to a recent survey, teen smoking has seen a huge drop since 2000. Nearly 40 percent fewer teens are lighting up in Indiana.
It is said by the Indiana Youth Tobacco Survey that 18.3 percent of high school students in the state smoked last year. This was 31.6 percent fewer smokers than at the start of the decade. There was even a larger drop among middle school students, going from 9.8 percent in 2000 to 4.1 percent in 2008. Furthermore, it has been found that only 10 percent of teen smokers have an established habit.
Karla Sneegas, from the Indiana Tobacco Prevention and Cessation agency, says that this means that very few teens are becoming regular smokers, which is a huge step forward.
This is the most important age group to focus on, there is no point in dogging on smokers who already have an established habit, instead the younger generation should be focused on.
[Via: chicagotribune.com]
Smoking bans in Iowa have really changed the face and identity of the state. Culturally it has become renewed, there are fewer adult smokers and workplaces have become healthier, according to those who back the indoor smoking bans.
Rep. Janet Petersen, who helped enact the smokefree air act in July of last year said, "This is probably one of the biggest cultural shifts in a short amount of time that our state will ever see."
The restrictions on smoking apply to nearly all public places. There is, of course, an exception to gambling areas, the Iowa State Fairgrounds and the Iowa Veterans Home.
State cigarette taxes have also been raised significantly, resulting in a drop in adult smokers from 19 percent to just 14 percent. According to State Attorney General Tom Miller, Iowa has become one of the top states in complying to new anti-smoking laws.
Research ought to be done to see what really motivates Iowan smokers to quit, and perhaps take an example from this state.
[Via: Globe Gazette]
In Australia, smokers spend 17 days a year smoking on average. On average they spend about AU$2500 yearly to pay for their habit, and most smokers say that they will cut back on other expenses before they cut back on smoking.
This research was done by Galaxy for Pfizer Australia, and respirator specialist Dr Peter Holmes from Melbourne. They say that if smokers want to make it through the recession, it would be a good idea to quit smoking before they cut back on other things.
Dr Holmes says, "It takes a few cents to make a cigarette and they charge about 90 cents each, and if someone was ripping you off like that with a television or a car you'd be on the phone to Consumer Affairs instantly. People would rather cut down on going to movies, eating out and buying clothes before choosing to cut back on smoking, and smoking is such a good way to put more money in their wallet - it's after tax income."
Smokers miss out on a lot of things with the money they spend on smoking, but the problem with smoking is that it is an addiction and defies all logic.
[Via: news.com.au]
A report released by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health stated that tobacco companies have been using menthol in their products to keep older smokers and to attract young ones.
Nearly 500 internal tobacco-industry documents were reviewed from 1985 to 2007, with the results showing that tobacco companies researched how levels of menthol could increase cigarette sales. It was concluded that young smokers preferred a mild menthol that would smooth over the rough taste of tobacco. Smokers who had been smoking for years liked the stronger varieties of menthol, as this would have a cooling effect on their throats.
With the Food and Drug Administration controlling tobacco most flavored cigarettes will be taken off the market, with the exception of menthol. But if is found that menthol adds to the health risks of smoking then it will be banned as well.
Pure tobacco is probably a lot less harmful than the chemically soaked cigarettes that smokers smoke today, and all flavored cigarettes should be banned. Especially since they attract children to smoking.
[Via: ajc.com]
