Proud to be smokefree

It was an experience that proved life changing because it forced her to make a serious effort to quit smoking.

Today she can proudly say she hasn’t touched a cigarette in six months.

"I truly believed I was going to die. I had unstable angina, was on morphine and couldn’t get my breath.

"I’m on loads of medication but it’s slowly being reduced and I’m making lifestyle changes.

"I’m prepared to do whatever it takes to live."

Mrs Nankervis’ health has improved dramatically since she quit smoking. Her skin is clearer and she can smell and taste normally.

She has joined a gym and has started swimming and walking regularly.

A culture-shift in the mental health environment in which she works has also helped her stay smokefree.

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World No Tobacco Day today

The younger children are when they first try smoking, the more likely they are to become regular tobacco users and the less likely they are to quit, a news release said.For Kansans wanting to quit, the toll-free Kansas Tobacco Quitline (866) KAN-STOP ((866) 526-7867) provides free and confidential coaching, and assists callers in preparing a personalized quit plan. The Kansas Tobacco Use and Prevention Program manages the Quitline and provides resources to organizations, such as the Tobacco Workgroup of Communities in Schools of Harvey County. For more information about World No Tobacco Day, visit www.who.int/tobacco/wntd/2008.en/. For more information about the Tobacco Workgroup, call Communities in Schools at 284-6520 or the Harvey County Health and Wellness Coordinator at 283-1637, ext. 20.

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octor says Obama in excellent health

Obama has a history of cigarette smoking. His doctor says Obama has quit smoking several times and is currently using Nicorette gum to break the habit.

* A regular exerciser, Obama's resting heart rate was 60 beats per minute. His blood pressure was a low 90/60 and he has a lean, muscular build with no excess body fat.

* Laboratory studies showed a low cholesterol level of 173 and an EKG heart test was normal.

(Reporting by Deborah Charles in Chicago, Editing by Sandra Maler)


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Travel Smoke-Free this Summer

The smoking ban is especially timely as many families are planning their summer road trips and vacations. Smokers who are planning to quit or reduce their cigarette consumption while vacationing or on the road are likely dreading the stress associated with travel and the inevitable chorus of "Are we there yet?" from their kids. The following tips can help smokers control their cravings while travelling this summer: . Set a personal goal Make this summer the season to quit and use your road trip or vacation as an opportunity to change your routine. . Be patient with cravings When you want a cigarette, wait a few minutes - a nicotine craving usually last three to five minutes. Do something else instead of smoking; try chewing gum or drinking water. Be sure to pack enough supply for your entire road trip.

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The walls come down

It may also deter smokers who are trying to quit, from buying a pack.The banning of smoking in public places and workplaces, negative advertising on cigarette packages, and numerous anti-smoking programs have all contributed in reducing the number of smokers in Ontario. This is just another step towards making Ontario smoke-free.While retailers may feel some pain from this decision we're sure those who opt to use the powerwall space for other “impulse" items will quickly make up the difference in any lost revenue.We hope this “out of sight, out of mind" approach leads to what we eventually would like to see— getting tobacco products out of people's hands altogether.

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Mauritius urges youth not to smoke

Speaking at a rally on Friday at the auditorium of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute, Moka, in central Mauritius where a national programme to quit smoking was launc h ed, the Minister said the aim was to sensitise young people on the dangers of sm o king and the importance to remain tobacco-free for a lifetime."We want our students and youth to adopt behaviours that protect their health and well-being, for tobacco kills more than AIDS, illegal drugs, road accidents, murder and suicide taken together," he emphasised.Faugoo added that the problem of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke, commonly known as second-hand smoke, needs to be given due consideration, for non-smokers exposed to tobacco smoke run similar risk as smokers of contracting tobacco-r e lated health problems.The Minister announced that his ministry is revising the existing tobacco regulations to make them compliant to the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control."We aim at reducing both the supply and demand of tobacco products on the local market," he declared.Mauritius ratified the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2004 and a National Plan of Action on tobacco control for the period 2007-2011 has already been put in place. Port-Louis - 31/05/2008Pana < Préc .

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Woman kicks the habit for more than just health

Bailey starting smoking at age 12. "Back then it was cool." By 14, she was smoking a pack of Kools daily. The divorced mother of three quit during her pregnancies in the 1980s. After her first child was born, "I had an ashtray sent to my room," she says. "You could still smoke in the hospital then." She quit for a few years after the last kid, then pretty much smoked nonstop in the 20 years since. "Always menthol. The kind that crystalizes your lungs," she says. "When I've tried to quit in the past, I drove everybody else crazy. My kids would say. ‘Go buy yourself a pack.'" She'd obey. Still, she didn't want to end up like her mom, who smoked for 60 years and died of lung cancer two years ago. "Mom's death had a huge impact on me, watching her die. I held her hand while she died." She tried to quit after that.

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Smell's back no ifs, no butts

Mrs McLaren-Salter, a Wairarapa Hospital orthopaedic nurse specialist, quit smoking just four weeks ago, and is emphatic she will never smoke again in her life.

"I've tried more than 10 times to give up, and briefly succeeded several times before getting sucked back in," she said.

"This time it's different. I read Alan Carr's book  The Easy Way to Stop Smoking  and it's completely changed the way I think about cigarettes.

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Just in case you didn't know smoking is bad for you!

Back in the day, cigarette companies advertised with impunity. Television, roadside billboards and magazines all promoted the smoking habit. It had not then been established that smoking led to all sorts of terrible medical conditions no one wants. It's likely that tobacco companies were in the know, but the general public was not. At worst, it was considered to be a habit of questionable merit and not very physically attractive. It wasn't always so. Remember the old movies with such legendaries as Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall, striking up and puffing away in a seductive and sought-after manner that the young people were eager to emulate? Well, times have changed.

For some decades, the smoking habit has been denigrated, with smokers being declasse individuals without the sense God gave a flea, Bogart and Bacall notwithstanding. Today, there's been a complete turnaround from the advertising campaigns of old. Tobacco companies, in response to class action suits, actually have the audacity to include quitting tips on their website navigation bars.

Magazine ads and billboards are now forbidden territory for the cigarette industry. On the other hand, no smoking signs have become big business indeed. If you want to let everyone know of your distaste for tobacco, you can buy no smoking signs in any material you might imagine – metal, plastic, wood – you name it, you can get it. There are signs suited to posting at factories, home and office applications. There are no smoking signs you can place on doors, walls, and desks. For those who want to make their sentiments perfectly clear, there's a desk plaque available proclaiming the smoking rules in sizes from subtle to you-can't-miss-it. How about stickers? Engraved no smoking signs are yours at the click of your mouse. Custom designs can proclaim the rules in a friendly spirit. “Please! No smoking!”, surrounded by cute little vining plants to lessen the blow to those smokers sensitive to no smoking signs.

Want to establish strict boundaries? Go for legalese phrasing - “No smoking within 50 feet!” - that certainly makes the message clear.

What if you're dealing with non-native English speaking smokers? Never fear. You can get your message across in numerous languages.

Some states, like Arizona and Louisiana, offer free no smoking signs for business owners. You just need to fill out some forms to qualify.

For the thrifty person who wants to make known their disdain for the habit, there's downloadable clip art you can print out on your home printer and plaster all over the place.

Just to cover all the bases, you've got to consider that misled soul holding a cigarette as he approaches your premises. This eventuality is covered. You can purchase smoking shelters, outdoor ashtrays and a variety of trash containers for the safe and prompt disposal of these nasties. Surely there's not a smoker alive who needs reminding. Just in case, there's certainly no shortage of signs that unequivocally, say, no!

World Health Organization calls for ban on tobacco ads

According to a WHO press release, studies show that young people are more likely to start smoking if exposed to tobacco advertising. The WHO notes that only five percent of the world population "is covered by comprehensive bans on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship".

"The WHO appeals to member states and policy-makers to require by law a comprehensive ban on all forms of advertising, promotion, and sponsorship of tobacco products," said WHO Regional Director for Africa Luis Sambo, in a statement released Saturday in Kampala, Uganda.

"In order to survive, the tobacco industry needs to replace those who quit or die with new young consumers," said WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan. "A ban on all tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship is a powerful tool we can use to protect the world�s youth."

The WHO said that tobacco companies are specifically targeting the half billion youth in the Asia Pacific region by tying smoking to the idea of a flashy lifestyle.

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Is the Value of a Smoke Really Worth it?

It is estimated that one in two smokers will die of the habit. This is to say that if you want to live a long and a happy healthy life, you need to quit smoking. However, this is easier said than done. A cigarette is a product that is cleverly crafted to deliver the right amount of nicotine so that it keeps its users addicted for life before it finally takes their life. There are many reasons why you will want to stop the habit of smoking. One is that smoking is a major contributor to heart attack, stroke, various cancers and more so lung cancer and a host of other respiratory diseases. Consider also what we might call 'the aesthetic un-appeal of smokers'. While smoking is portrayed as glamorous and as a healthy habit in most advertisements, the reality is different. Smokers develop bad breath, they have stained teeth and their fingers turn yellowish-brown. Now does that look glamorous to you?

Smoking also contributes to impotence in men and smokers are more likely to develop skin problems and premature facial wrinkling. Well, if these do not seem good reasons to quit smoking, consider also its effects on others. Smoking hurts others. A nonsmoker who lives with a smoker has a 30-percent greater risk of developing lung cancer than one who lives with a nonsmoker. Children who live in households where one parent is a smoker are more likely to develop bronchitis or pneumonia in their first two years of their life than children who live in homes where there are no smokers. Pregnant women also put their unborn at risk if they smoke. Since the nicotine and other dangerous chemicals in the cigarette smoke is passed to the bloodstream and goes directly to the child in the womb, women who smoke are at a greater risk of a spontaneous abortion, a stillbirth or the child dying after birth. It has also been shown that the risk of infant death syndrome is 3 times higher if the mother smoked during pregnancy.

So how can you quit smoking? Quitting is like learning to ride a bike; it is rarely accomplished the first time, but with determination, it can be done. First, be determined in your mind that you want to quit smoking and try to analyze your habits to see why you smoke. Then, plan a quit date and put it down in writing, a sort of a commitment to yourself that ‘this day is the day I quit smoking.’ Millions of smokers have quit smoking and you can too.

'The Other' by David Guterson

Despite those unprepossessing evaluations, the boys become fast friends, hiking, talking, smoking dope and getting into mischief.

After college, John William grows increasingly alienated, he spends more and more time alone in the woods. He digs a cave in a mountainside and gradually refuses to leave its isolation, even to buy supplies.

Neil treks in food, books, booze, dirty magazines and dope -- when what his friend obviously needs is professional help. Neil also keeps John William's whereabouts hidden.

When John William dies of unspecified causes (malnutrition? pneumonia? boredom? flagrant plot device?), Neil wraps the body in a cedar mat and hides it in the cave.

He says nothing about the death until rangers find the body 22 years later.

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Kick the habit

Every year, in conjunction with the Manchester Stop Smoking Service, the club's City In The Community team visit around 140 schools across Manchester, working with over 5,000 children. Their goal - to target kids aged five to 10 at the right age to stop them falling into a smoking trap later in life. It is while still in primary school that many children fall foul of peer pressure to smoke their first cigarette - a move which could lead to all kinds of health problems later in life, including raising their risks of several cancers and heart disease. Three out of four children are aware of cigarettes before they even reach the age of five, whether their parents smoke or not. While a third of children have experimented with smoking by the age of 11. While children whose parents smoke are three times more likely to experiment with cigarettes themselves.

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Doctor who helped establish Berkeley Free Clinic dies at 90

He got health department employees to run up and down the stairs for exercise and always pressed people to quit smoking, urging them to give up their "coffin nails," his daughter said.

"He was always interested in helping people to achieve and maintain good health," Cathy Leonard said. "And he absolutely practiced what he preached."

His other daughter, Barbara Leonard of Levallois-Perret, France, agreed that her father practiced the health ideals he spread to others. She said her father jogged in the Berkeley hills at 6:30 a.m. through his 90th year.

"Five days a week," Cathy Leonard added. "He took off weekends. He started off going for 3, 4 or 5 miles and later it was a couple of miles."

Dr. Leonard's accomplishments ranged from documenting.


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Mother who lent Japan's new smoking "smart card" to teenage son

Some people are viewing the need to get the card as a chance to quit smoking, according to Sankei newspaper, which dubbed it "taspo shock."

Japan's smoking population, now estimated at 26 million, has been dropping every year for the past nine years. The number of cigarette vending machines has also been declining, plunging about 29 percent from as many as 616,000 in 2005.


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Learn How to Quit Smoking Today

Young people do all sorts of stupid things in their lives, and I was no exception. The worst thing I ever did to myself was accept a cigarette that was offered to me by a friend. Before I knew it, that one-time experiment led to a pack-a-day habit that burdened me for 15 years. Then one day, I smartened up and realized that compromising my health wasn't worth the few minutes of pleasure that a cigarette gave me. I wanted to learn how to quit smoking once and for all in order to rid myself of the disgusting habit.

There are lots of different cessation methods out there, but I was able to eliminate a few right from the start. For instance, many people have reported success with hypnosis. Apparently, just having a therapist talk about how to quit smoking while they're in a highly suggestible state is enough to get some folks to stop cold turkey. But hypnotherapy is not something I could get into, so I'm not even going to bother. If it's up your alley, though, then by all means go for it!

Another method that has been successful for smokers is gradually reducing their nicotine intake with the help of patches and gum. These aids have been around for a long time now, and are ideal for those who are scared at the prospect of going through nicotine withdrawals. Read any book on how to quit smoking and you'll see numerous warnings about the likely withdrawal symptoms you'll experience. But with patches and gums, you can still get your daily dose of nicotine without having to smoke. This gives you a chance to wean yourself from the rituals of lighting up and handling a cigarette without having to deal with withdrawal right away.

If you ask your doctor about how to quit smoking, he or she might recommend a prescription drug. There are a few on the market, including Zyban or Wellbutrin. This is essentially an antidepressant that has been effective at reducing nicotine cravings in people interested in figuring out how to quit smoking. This is actually the method that I chose, and despite being extremely skeptical of the pill's efficacy, it truly worked for me!

But I know many smokers don't want to use any drugs at all, and would prefer an all-natural method instead. This is understandable, as patches, gums, and prescription pills are quite a bit more expensive than natural techniques. If you want to try going the all-natural route, then stock up on St. John's wort or make an appointment with a hypnotherapist.

Discovering the different options available to you is the first step in the quitting process. From here, you have to figure out how to quit smoking in a way that fits your personality and lifestyle so that you have the best chance at long-term success.

South students get lesson on dangers of smoking

Daisy Rattan, said more formal training of health care providers was needed which could assist in helping people to quit smoking.

Afterward several students won jerseys, caps and knapsacks for answering questions based on information presented during the seminar.

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Smoking Cessation & Risk of Death; Childhood Traumas & Adult

On the other hand, quitting smoking can, over time, reduce the excess risk of illness and death associated with smoking. This risk reduction begins immediately after smoking cessation, but it appears to take approximately 20 years before all of these smoking-related health risks disappear entirely. The lesson is simple, really. You are much better off, health-wise, if you never start smoking. However if you are already a smoker, quitting (and quitting right now) will allow you to begin that long but worthwhile journey back to the level of health risk that you would otherwise have enjoyed had you never started smoking in the first place.

CHILDHOOD TRAUMAS & ADULT SUICIDE RISK

The experiences that we have during the pivotal developmental years of our childhood can have an enormous impact on our adult lives.

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GUEST COLUMNIST Your choice life or death

She first began smoking at the age of 12 or 13. She is still smoking today. She has tried to quit many times but the addiction is so strong it's very hard to quit. The success rate is about one out of ten who attempt to quit. She has had acupuncture, hypnosis and smoking cessation, used patches, shots behind the ear, and has tried medication to stop smoking. Nothing has worked so far. The nicotine is just so addictive. Now her health has begun to deteriorate. She has been diagnosed with vascular calcification.

I have her permission to tell this. Vascular calcification can be caused by smoking and it is a disease of the elderly, not someone in their forties.

We have been talking to each other through e-mails and over the phone. Through out our conversations, she has expressed over and over her desire to quit this awful habit.

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Variety store owner hopes to trade cigarette displays for booze

He does not believe more people are quitting smoking, but thinks they are just going elsewhere to buy contraband cigarettes.

"That's what I think is the most important issue at this point," he said.

Smith said the ban is a "tough, new law that we feel will protect youth and prevent the kind of impulse buy that drives some teens to start smoking. It's an important health issue and we're glad that several stores have decided to take their power walls down even before they had to."

Mall said the MLHU is anticipating a 95 to 96 per cent compliance rate in the London area. Tobacco control officers have already been visiting stores and sending out letters educating owners about the upcoming ban.

Under the Smoke-Free Ontario Act, which has been in effect for two years now, London's compliance rate is slightly higher than 88 per cent, which is the province-wide compliance rate, Mall said.

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