Passive smoking danger was underestimated

The health risks of passive smoking may have been substantially underestimated, according to the first large-scale study looking at tobacco-derived chemicals in the blood of non-smokers.

The new study puts passive smokers' risk of developing coronary heart disease at more than double earlier estimates, which were based only on studies of non-smokers living with a partner who smokes.

The large difference can be attributed to non-smokers breathing in cigarette smoke at work, in bars and other smoky environments outside the home, the researchers suggest.

Between 1978 and 1980, more than 2000 British men aged between 40 and 59 years underwent a blood test for cotinine, a break-down product of nicotine from cigarette smoke. Cotinine remains in the blood for up to 48 hours, and so is an indicator of a person's exposure to smoke up to two-days prior to testing.

The men were rated in four groups according to their blood cotinine levels, and the incidence of coronary heart disease in the groups was measured over a 20-year period.
Elevated concentrations

Researchers at St George's Medical School and the Royal Free UCL Medical School in London, UK, found that elevated concentrations of blood cotinine levels among the non-smokers were associated with a 50 to 60% greater risk of coronary heart disease. Earlier partner-smoking studies estimated the increased risk of heart disease in passive smokers at just 25 to 30%.

Peter Whincup, at St George's Medical School, notes: "The relative risk of coronary heart disease associated with high levels of passive smoking is greater than that estimated by partner smoking alone, even at exposure levels of 20 cigarettes a day or more."

He acknowledges that living with someone who smokes is an important component of exposure to passive smoking, but says "it accounts for less than half the variation in cotinine concentration among non-smokers and does not take account of additional exposure in workplaces and in public places, particularly pubs and restaurants".

On Wednesday, the British Medical Association will present UK prime minister Tony Blair with 4500 letters from doctors calling for a ban on smoking in public places. Whincup agrees, saying: "We advocate restricting passive smoking wherever possible, including in public places."

However, the researchers note that the actual future risks of passive smoking could be less than measured in their study, due to the decline in public and workplace smoking over recent years. Also, the study found that the risk of stroke was not significantly related to cotinine concentrations.

Journal reference: British Medical Journal (DOI: 10.1136/bmj.38146.427188.55)

Six Successful Ways to Quit Smoking

Six Successful Ways to Quit Smoking
By [http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Claire_Bowes]Claire Bowes

Everybody knows how hard it is to quit smoking. Even people who have never smoked understand the tremendous amount of willpower and drive it takes to actually quit smoking for good.

One of the most overbearing symptoms of quitting smoking is the withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal symptoms can be in the form of anxiety, cravings, irritability, difficulty in concentrating and a sheer ‘want’ to have nicotine. And they can be sheer hell!

The good news is that there are many ways to quit smoking, you just need to find out which one will work best for you. You might have to end up trying them all, but if you eventually find one that works for you and you give up smoking for life, then the trials and tribulations will be worth while.

Let’s take a look at six different successful ways to quit smoking.

1) Stop Smoking Aids

Nicotine patches, gum, lozenges, nasal sprays, and inhalers are all aids to help alleviate the cravings of nicotine.

Let’s take nicotine patches for example. They are designed to deliver a small amount of nicotine to your bloodstream, satisfying your nicotine cravings - without the dangerous tars and poisonous gases found in cigarettes. This is a very convenient and easy way to help you reduce your cravings while trying to give up nicotine.

2) Hypnotherapy

A growing trend nowadays is to get hypnotherapy to help quit smoking. By all accounts, hypnotherapy is one of the most successful ways to quit smoking. The reason being is that by using hypnotherapy to stop smoking, you effectively eliminate the cause of the bad habit right at the source, the subconscious mind.

3) Alternative Therapies

As stated above, we are trying to find ways to help you control your cravings and relax you while trying to give up smoking. Many people endure the thought of alternative therapies to help counteract these symptoms. The most popular therapies being acupuncture, aromatherapy, and meditation.

4) Willpower

Willpower is a state of the mind and it always seems to be easier said than done. Just the decision to actually take the step to give up smoking is a tribulation of willpower in itself. But can you carry on along the whole road of smoking cessation with willpower alone? You definitely have to be permanently in the ‘right frame of mind’ to stop smoking with willpower and sheer determination alone. But it can be done!

5) Counselling

Sometimes your willpower needs a boost and counselling is great for behavioural support. You can either have one-to-one counselling sessions, or feel that you would get the best support from a group meeting with like-minded people. You can find private, government and charitable organisations that offer smoking cessation support.

6) Prescription Only Medicine

Prescription only medicine is available from your doctor to help you quit smoking. These medicines for smoking cessation are only available through your GP, so you should make an appointment and talk about your needs.

There you have it. These are the top ways to quit smoking and all are successful in themselves, depending on each individual. So why not give one a try and see if it can work for you. If not, try another one. The main thing is not to give up.

Good Luck!

Claire Bowes is a successful writer and owner of many websites including [http://www.1sthealthandfitnessguide.com/Quit_Smoking_Help.html]Quit Smoking Help where you can find further advice and information.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Claire_Bowes http://EzineArticles.com/?Six-Successful-Ways-to-Quit-Smoking&id=158785

How I Quit Smoking, Cold Turkey

A reader of MENS HEALTH explains the best way to ditch the stick

The First Step: Be Ready!

There are a lot of factors that contributed to how I was able to quit this time around. I knew that I was ready to quit, first of all. That's one of the most important things for people to be able to quit. If they aren't feeling the bad health effects of smoking, they're probably not going to feel the need to want to stop.

Second Step: Pick a Technique

Second, was finding a method for how to quit. For my birthday this past June, my boss signed the two of us up for a hypnotherapy class for smoking cessation. I had gotten hypnotized before, simply to relax and rejuvenate, and I knew that hypnosis could be a real way towards putting a stop to my daily habit. We went to the seminar and I was instantly disheartened. The woman seemed completely unprofessional. We were crammed into a tiny little room and she took the first hour or so to simply read off of pamphlets and papers that appeared to be copied by carbon paper (filled with misprints!). When she finally got to the part of her lecture where she puts us under, I was ready to leave, and felt like the entire night had been a waste of my time. The chair was bothering my sitting posture and I couldn't get comfortable enough to where I thought I was under the hypnosis. Plus, listening to her read a script was not relaxing, and when we left the session, I felt more compelled to smoke than I ever had. I took the train uptown and bought a pack at the deli on my way home and smoked four before I went to sleep that night. I woke up the next morning and that is where the "third of all" comes into play.

Third Step: Put Your Mind to it

I woke up realizing that when it comes down to it, the only thing that's going to make me quit smoking is me, not cutting back one a day until I never smoke another, not some gum, nor some quick-fix hypnotherapy class, just me. That morning, instead of lighting up my usual first cigarette of the day, I went directly upstairs after getting my coffee, and I haven't turned back. I do feel that the hypnosis class had something to do with helping me quit. It put me in a room with people who shared stories of how long they've been smoking, and it showed me that I didn't want to be one of those people. It also taught me that when I get the urge to light up, something as simple as taking a series of long, deep breaths can help calm the need. My advice to people is to quit cold turkey. Nicotine is addictive, it is a drug, and the only way to get that drug out of your system is to detoxify. After three days, the nicotine is out of your system and then it's just a habitual thing, which though difficult, is not impossible. We are in charge of ourselves, not these little sticks. In short, and I apologize, I am often long winded: Cold turkey, TONS of water, Advil (or whatever pain reliever you may need), three days of non-stop activity so you don't find yourself with down-time to want to smoke, NO ALCOHOL (for at least the first week), as much sleep as possible (if you're sleeping you're not smoking) a friend to be your support person, lollipops/gum/sucking candy (for the oral fixation), and maybe that hypnosis class, simply to add a process-oriented event to the quitting. Hope this helps!