Looks like smoking soldiers might just be a thing of the past if Pentagon health experts have anything to do with it. They are recommending that Defense Secretary Robert Gates adopt a phased-in smoking ban in the military over a period of years.
This proposal is based on the results of recent federal study done by the Institute of Medicine that shows increased tobacco use among soldiers.
 The study found that…

one in three servicemembers use tobacco.
tobacco use in the military has increased since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan started.
troops dealing with repeated deployments are often relying on cigarettes as a form of ‘stress …read more

Despite all the smoking bans in place, there are still some places, such as casinos, where workers are still consistently exposed to second hand smoke.
A new study, funded by the Flight Attendent Medical Institute, finds that casino workers face higher risks of heart disease and lung disease because a smoke filled work environment.
In the study, the air quality in three Pennsylvania casinos was tested for levels of two indicators of tobacco smoke – cancer-causing chemicals and particles small enough to inhale. 
At the same time, eight volunteers, each of whom spent four hours in the casinos, provided urine samples which were …read more

There is no ‘them’ and ‘us’ when it comes to smoking. It affects all of us.
As an ex-smoker I truly understand the ease in which smoking can change from a casual fling to a full blown addiction. And I know how very, very difficult it is to give it up.
But as a health professional, I have seen the damage that smoking can do.
Therefore, I’d like to recommend that everyone have a read of this free e-book Toward a Tobacco Free World, written by by Kaiser Permanente psychiatrist and UCLA researcher Dr. Michael Rabinoff.  It not only highlights the societal costs worldwide …read more

Bad for your health and bad for the environment.
But for some reason that doesn’t seem to deter the one billion or so people around the world who smoke.
Governments have tried to encourage smoker’s to stop with ‘quit smoking’ programs. Many countries and cities have banned smoking from inside public buildings. But unfortunately that has resulted in increased cigarette litter outside the same buildings that ban smoking.
So what to do? The World Health Organization has designated today World No Tobacco Day and are focusing on health warnings on tobacco product packaging as a way of encouraging smokers to quit.
But does it …read more

iPhone users wanting to quit smoking now have a new tool at their disposal – a new app that will link them to the National Cancer Institute’s quitline service where they can use live txt or speak directly to a live quitline coach to get advice and help on quitting smoking.
The app, which offers smokers a proven quit smoking therapy, was developed by the School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) at George Washington University and the National Cessation Collaborative (NTCC) with support from the National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Smokers can find this new app on their  iPhone or itunes site …read more

Ads about smoking have changed dramatically over the years. Once upon a time, when none knew any better, cigarettes were advertised as something that would make you feel good, strong, happy, even healthy.
But as more and more evidence pointed to the dangers of smoking on your health, the ads changed. They were no longer put out by tobacco companies trying to entice people to buy their product. Instead, they were produced by government departments and non-profit health organizations trying to encourage people to quit (or not to start).
And along the way, they’ve become increasing gruesome and graphic. For example, cigarette cartons …read more

Everyone knows that smoking really is bad for your health. Turns out it’s not so good for the health of the planet either.
Here’s why…

Tobacco growing requires the use of more pesticides per acre than any other crop.
Flue curing, the process of drying out tobacco leaves requires an external heat source and this contributes to deforestation. While the US mostly uses oil, coal, or liquid petroleum gas, developing countries account for 85% of all tobacco grown and use wood-burning fire for flue curing.
Each cigarette emits around 14 milligrams of fine particulate matter which doesn’t seem like much. But if you …read more

The Academy Awards might be just a couple of days away but they’ve already been trumped by the Hackademy Awards. Created by the anti-smoking group Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, the ‘Hackademy Awards’ outs movies that make smoking look glamorous with a ‘Thumbs Down’ award and movies that portray smoking as uncool with a ‘Thumbs Up’ award.
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which had more than 100 incidents of cigarette smoking throughout the movie, won the Thumbs Down award, as did actor Robert Downey, Jr. (Tropic Thunder) and Penelope Cruz (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) for their smoking characters.
Thumbs Up …read more

Size does matter according to John Coates, the author of a stock trading study. He found that men with longer ring fingers relative to their index fingers seem to be better at high-stakes, fast-paced stock trading as compared to those whose index finger was almost as long as their ring finger. Honestly. I’m not making this up. Researchers gathered together 44 male stock traders working in high finance arenas making quick decisions with large amounts of money and measured their right hands. The study then followed these traders for the next 20 months and discovered that those whose ring fingers …read more

Today is the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, an annual event that has been held for the last three decades. with the aim of encouraging smokers to quit by providing information, support, and resources.
An ex-smoker myself, I know how very, very difficult it is to give it up. But I also know the up side of giving up the smokes and I’d encourage anyone who has been thinking about giving up cigarrettes to stop thinking and act.  You’ll thank yourself in the end.
Healthbolt already has a fairly active support system going on at the comment section of a post – …read more