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 release’.
• the heaviest smokers are the soldiers and Marines who have done most of the fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
• about 37% of soldiers use tobacco and 36% of Marines.
• combat veterans are 50% more likely to use tobacco than troops who haven’t seen combat.
• tobacco use costs the Pentagon $846 million a year in medical care and lost productivity.
• the Department of Veterans Affairs spends up to $6 billion in treatments for tobacco-related illnesses.

Given that military personnel are provided with reduced cost tobacco products at base exchanges and commissaries it‘s not all that surprising that tobacco usage is higher amongst military than civilians. Plus the military installations gain from these tobacco sales, with 70 percent of profits from tobacco sales — $88 million in 2005 — paying  for recreation and family support programs.

Recommendations from the report include

• requiring new officers and enlisted personnel to be tobacco-free.
• eliminating tobacco use on military installations, ships and aircraft.
• expanding treatment programs and eliminating the sale of tobacco on military property.
• tobacco use while in uniform to be prohibited

According to Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith, the department supports a smoke-free military and does believe it is achievable.

But for those of us who grew up on images, both on the big screen and in the news, of  “the battle-weary soldier in fatigues and helmet, fighting for his country, has frequently included his lit cigarette”, it’s hard to imagine it will happen.

A good first step, however, might be having the Commander-in-Chief, who claims to be ‘95% cured’  become 100 percent smoke free.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

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 measured for levels of a tobacco smoke byproduct.

Measuring the air quality revealed that the tobacco smoke indicators inside the casino was four to six times higher than outside.

And testing the volunteer’s urine samples showed a 10 fold increase in tobacco smoke byproduct levels in the urine.

All in all, a fairly clear indication that the air that you breathe in casinos is full of smoke.

Seems to me it might be time for casinos to follow the lead of restaurants and bars and ban smoking altogether.

It works pretty good here in New Zealand. And there doesn’t seem to be any evidence it’s reduced the number of people visiting the casino. If anything, it might have actually increased the number of visitors.

(image source)

Post from: Healthbolt

Download this free e-book

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 that stem from tobacco use but also outlines actions that can be taken immediately to help save lives worldwide.

Download it.

Read it.

And pass it on.

Let’s all work Toward a Tobacco Free World.

Post from: Healthbolt

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 work? Or do dedicated smokers wear blinders that give them tunnel vision and stop them from seeing the graphic and often disturbing pictures that now are strategically placed on the front and sides of cigarette packs ?

Smokers, what do you think?

Are these graphic photos effective or a waste of money?

Post from: Healthbolt

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 by simply by searching ‘My Quitline’ or ‘quit smoking’.

Sure, there are plenty of other iPhone apps aimed at encouraging, assisting, and supporting smokers who are trying to quit, but the ‘My Quitline’ app is the only one that links smokers with a proven evidence-based therapy on how to quit smoking.

Sounds like a winner for quitters to me.

(source and image)

Post from: Healthbolt

Image from flickr

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 with pictures of blackened lungs and rotting gums.

But many of the television ads, such as this one recently released by the New York City Department of Health, aim straight for the heartstrings and elicit strong emotions.

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Some people say these public service ads are going too far.

Personally, I don’t think they are going far enough.

What do you think?

Post from: Healthbolt

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 multiple it by the estimated 5.5 trillion cigarettes smoked annual, it becomes more than 80,000 tons of fine particular matter emitted each year.
• Cigarettes might go up in smoke but the butts remain and account for 1.7 billion pounds of non-biodegradable trash.

You can read the full article here…

(image from SXU.hu)

Post from: Healthbolt

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 awards went to the movie What Happens in Vegas which was apparently smoke free, as well as Will Smith (Hancock) and Nicole Kidman (Australia) for their non-smoking characters.

(source)

Post from: Healthbolt

Seeing ghosts or hearing strange voices? Then maybe you need to cut back on your caffeine intake. A recent UK study has found that people drinking more than seven cups of instant coffee a day were three times more likely to hallucinate than those who took just one.

The ‘Green Cigarette’. Smoker’s beware. Just because it’s green doesn’t make it healthier.

A rundown of celebs and their health news:

• Oprah’s weight battle continues
• Apple CEO Steve Job’s ‘hormone imbalance
• Entourage Stars Brush with Mercury Poison
• Patrick Swayze recovering from pneumonia

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Post from: Healthbolt

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 – What Happens to Your body if you stop smoking Right now? – that was written by the Wade Meredith, the original Healthbolter. 

Here’s the highlights of that post…

• In 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop back down to normal.
• In 8 hours the carbon monoxide (a toxic gas) levels in your blood stream will drop by half, and oxygen levels will return to normal.
• In 48 hours your chance of having a heart attack will have decreased. All nicotine will have left your body. Your sense of taste and smell will return to a normal level.
• In 72 hours your bronchial tubes will relax, and your energy levels will increase.
• In 2 weeks your circulation will increase, and it will continue to improve for the next 10 weeks.
• In three to nine months coughs, wheezing and breathing problems will dissipate as your lung capacity improves by 10%.
• In 1 year your risk of having a heart attack will have dropped by half.
• In 5 years your risk of having a stroke returns to that of a non-smoker.
• In 10 years your risk of lung cancer will have returned to that of a non-smoker.
• In 15 years your risk of heart attack will have returned to that of a non-smoker.

Click here for a high-quality Graphic representation of this chart.

Does it help you make the decision to stop any easier ?

I sure hope so.  

If it does, head over to the Great American Smokeout for support and advice and have a look at.  And check out these 5 Smoking Gadgets That Might Help You Quit Smoking.

Good Luck…

Post from: Healthbolt