Tobacco is a killer and new laws are being implemented to prevent the nation's youth from becoming the latest statistics of the killer. After a year of waiting, President Obama signed the bill with the intent of curtailing tobacco use in the young and to educate consumers on the drug. The law officially went into effect on June 22, 2010 and include the following three active provisions:
* New limitations regarding the sale, distribution and marketing of tobacco products to those under age 18
* Rules that limit the misleading language on cigarettes and smokeless tobacco products such as light," "mild," or "low"
* The law requires better labeling methods on smokeless tobacco products.
For decades, tobacco use has been a major contributor to the nation's mortality statistics. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that smoking causes nearly 1 of every 5 deaths (nearly 443,000) of the countrys annual death toll. Additionally, smoking increases the risk of contacting numerous diseases including:
* Coronary heart disease by 2 to 4 times
* Stroke by 2 to 4 times
* Men developing lung cancer by 23 times
* Women developing lung cancer by 13 times
* Dying from chronic obstructive lung diseases by 12 to 13 times
According to the Surgeon General, tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease and the new tobacco laws may also have a positive affect on that statistic. Smoking and smokeless tobacco products are major contributors to several oral care issues such as tooth decay, mouth cancer and tooth loss. Although these problems may not occur immediately in the youngest tobacco users, over time constant use will increase their risk of developing health issues associated with the behavior.
If you are parent concerned about your children smoking, the best move is to lead by example and stop smoking yourself. Visiting your dentist can be the first step in breaking the habit. The American Dental Association (ADA) "offers a variety of materials and information designed to help dentists assist patients who want to quit tobacco and prevent youth tobacco use." A discount dental plan can help offset the expenses associated with the visit and will be a valuable tool to ensure the continued oral health of both you and your loved ones.
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Smoking In Public Places
Smoking is an outright public nuisance, which should be restricted to the privacy of ones home or other private venues. However, smoking in public places is a privilege that should be snuffed out for good. Smoking is one of the longest lasting bad habits that has permeated American culture since the founding of the country. Its longevity is a testament to its addictiveness.
From the very beginning, smoking was a controversial habit, which was frowned upon due to its addictive nature. One of the original English settlement companies, The London Company, discouraged its American colonists from growing tobacco since it contained some habit-forming compound. Smoking was called "a vile and stinking habit dangerous to the lungs" by King James I in a booklet he wrote attacking tobacco after its introduction into England.
Smoking brings out the worst in otherwise decent people. When a smoker is asked to extinguish their cigarette because the smoke offends a non-smoker, many smokers will argue that they have a right to smoke. There is no truth to that statement. Smoking is a privilege, not a right. However, the Declaration of Independence does say that we have a right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It has been proven that cigarette smoking is an extremely dangerous habit to both the smoker and non-smokers that inhale their second hand smoke. Anything that endangers a persons health, infringes upon that persons right to life as guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. Therefore, a persons' right to life is superior to a persons smoking privilege.
There are many reasons that smoking in public should be banned. One of the most important reasons is that smoking is a public health risk. Second hand smoke is sometimes referred to as environmental tobacco smoke. In years past, there were theories that second hand tobacco smoke caused health problems in non-smokers. Doctors now say there is no doubt that second hand smoke causes an increased risk of health problems to non-smokers. Ross Brownson, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology at the St. Louis University School of Public health says, "Environmental tobacco smoke is clearly a cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. If your spouse smokes or you are around somebody who smokes, don't breathe their smoke". Non-smokers may also be getting the worst effects of smoking because they are inhaling cigarette smoke without the benefit of the cigarettes filter.
Second hand smoke greatly increases the risk of bronchitis and lung cancer. In fact, smoking is the cause of ninety-five percent of all cases of chronic bronchitis. In the Department of Health and Human Services report Healthy People 2010: Understanding and improving Health smoking is cited as the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. According to Dr. Peters-Golden, breathing second hand smoke can increase the likelihood of acute bronchitis because even one exposure to cigarette smoke poisons the cilia in a persons lungs.
Since it has been proven that environmental tobacco smoke can cause health problems such as lung cancer and bronchitis in non-smokers, banning smoking in public places would lessen the rates of those illnesses in the non-smoking population. If these non-smokers were not endangered by second hand smoke, they would not contribute to the strain on an already stressed health care system.
The tobacco smoke that lingers after a cigarette has been lit can cause damage to property. Smoke can dull paint, ruin pictures, and cause photographs to deteriorate. If a person who chooses to smoke wants to destroy their own property, that is their choice to make. However, smokers do not have the right to destroy public property, to which all taxpayers contribute.
Wherever there is public smoking there is always the very public and unsightly mess of cigarette butts that litter the ground. At many public places such as stadiums and parks there can be hundreds of used cigarettes on the ground. In many locations, tossing discarded cigarettes on the ground is against the law. Apparently, many smokers do not care about the law and toss their used cigarettes on the ground with impunity.
Clearly, smoking is a scourge upon our society that needs to be eliminated. In many cases, smoking is a social habit. Bans on public smoking will greatly reduce the amount of social places where smokers can meet, socialize and smoke. Banning smoking in public places would not only clean the air of second hand tobacco smoke, but also clear the ground of the infestation of discarded cigarettes.
From the very beginning, smoking was a controversial habit, which was frowned upon due to its addictive nature. One of the original English settlement companies, The London Company, discouraged its American colonists from growing tobacco since it contained some habit-forming compound. Smoking was called "a vile and stinking habit dangerous to the lungs" by King James I in a booklet he wrote attacking tobacco after its introduction into England.
Smoking brings out the worst in otherwise decent people. When a smoker is asked to extinguish their cigarette because the smoke offends a non-smoker, many smokers will argue that they have a right to smoke. There is no truth to that statement. Smoking is a privilege, not a right. However, the Declaration of Independence does say that we have a right to Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It has been proven that cigarette smoking is an extremely dangerous habit to both the smoker and non-smokers that inhale their second hand smoke. Anything that endangers a persons health, infringes upon that persons right to life as guaranteed by the Declaration of Independence. Therefore, a persons' right to life is superior to a persons smoking privilege.
There are many reasons that smoking in public should be banned. One of the most important reasons is that smoking is a public health risk. Second hand smoke is sometimes referred to as environmental tobacco smoke. In years past, there were theories that second hand tobacco smoke caused health problems in non-smokers. Doctors now say there is no doubt that second hand smoke causes an increased risk of health problems to non-smokers. Ross Brownson, Ph.D., a professor of epidemiology at the St. Louis University School of Public health says, "Environmental tobacco smoke is clearly a cause of lung cancer in nonsmokers. If your spouse smokes or you are around somebody who smokes, don't breathe their smoke". Non-smokers may also be getting the worst effects of smoking because they are inhaling cigarette smoke without the benefit of the cigarettes filter.
Second hand smoke greatly increases the risk of bronchitis and lung cancer. In fact, smoking is the cause of ninety-five percent of all cases of chronic bronchitis. In the Department of Health and Human Services report Healthy People 2010: Understanding and improving Health smoking is cited as the single most preventable cause of disease and death in the United States. According to Dr. Peters-Golden, breathing second hand smoke can increase the likelihood of acute bronchitis because even one exposure to cigarette smoke poisons the cilia in a persons lungs.
Since it has been proven that environmental tobacco smoke can cause health problems such as lung cancer and bronchitis in non-smokers, banning smoking in public places would lessen the rates of those illnesses in the non-smoking population. If these non-smokers were not endangered by second hand smoke, they would not contribute to the strain on an already stressed health care system.
The tobacco smoke that lingers after a cigarette has been lit can cause damage to property. Smoke can dull paint, ruin pictures, and cause photographs to deteriorate. If a person who chooses to smoke wants to destroy their own property, that is their choice to make. However, smokers do not have the right to destroy public property, to which all taxpayers contribute.
Wherever there is public smoking there is always the very public and unsightly mess of cigarette butts that litter the ground. At many public places such as stadiums and parks there can be hundreds of used cigarettes on the ground. In many locations, tossing discarded cigarettes on the ground is against the law. Apparently, many smokers do not care about the law and toss their used cigarettes on the ground with impunity.
Clearly, smoking is a scourge upon our society that needs to be eliminated. In many cases, smoking is a social habit. Bans on public smoking will greatly reduce the amount of social places where smokers can meet, socialize and smoke. Banning smoking in public places would not only clean the air of second hand tobacco smoke, but also clear the ground of the infestation of discarded cigarettes.
Monday, August 2, 2010
How to Quit Smoking Without Annoying Anyone
Everyone wants to quit smoking... except of course for those who were wise enough not to start in the beginning. But those of us who were wise, are also very judgmental (not too wise) of those who continue to smoke even though they know that there are hundreds of statistics that say smoking causes death of some sort.
I have a mother-in-law who has emphysema but continues to smoke. I want to shake her and say "What in the world are you doing?? You're going to die if you don't stop smoking!" but I know better. She is my mother-in-law you know... and would most likely be my X-Mother-in-Law if I said that to her.
Anyway, smoking is a serious thing. I have been told it is extremely difficult. I think the reason it is so hard to quit is because ones desire to quit smoking most of the time is just not as strong as ones desire to smoke... period. That is why I think most attempts to stop smoking do not work.
So when looking for a way to stop smoking, look for a way that would make your desire to stop smoking greater than your desire to smoke. My goodness, this is starting to sound like a math equation. But hey, maybe if we turn it into one, it will make more sense. The equation is...
Desire to quit smoking > Desire to smoke (for those who stunk at math, ">" means "greater")
Since we are into equations now, we mine as well add another:
Smoking = Death (ok, but who is being judgmental).
Anyway, the following ways to quit smoking do nothing to change ones desires and therefore, are typically ineffective:
* Patches (Have you ever heard of anyone that stopped smoking by using this method... and how many times have you tried this and it didn't work?)
* Cold turkey" (They should probably call this "hot turkey" instead of a cold turkey since you wouldn't want to get near someone who is quitting smoking "cold turkey"!)
* Exercise (How many people do you know who smoke and exercise, too??)
* Chewing Gum (How much sense does this make? Typically most people who want to stop smoking are older and wouldn't chew gum to save their life unless they wanted all of their fillings to come out. )
So what is the best method to quit smoking? You need to change your mind... change how you think... change what you find "appealing"/desirable.
So how is that done? Aha! The answer is simple... psychology. Think about it. Remember how you manipulated your kids... I mean "trained them". How many ways did you use psychology to get them to do what they should do?? Be honest. It works! So when looking for a method to stop smoking, look for a class or a book ... one that manipulates... I mean "trains" your brain to make your desire to quit smoking greater than your desire to smoke. It's that simple.
I have a mother-in-law who has emphysema but continues to smoke. I want to shake her and say "What in the world are you doing?? You're going to die if you don't stop smoking!" but I know better. She is my mother-in-law you know... and would most likely be my X-Mother-in-Law if I said that to her.
Anyway, smoking is a serious thing. I have been told it is extremely difficult. I think the reason it is so hard to quit is because ones desire to quit smoking most of the time is just not as strong as ones desire to smoke... period. That is why I think most attempts to stop smoking do not work.
So when looking for a way to stop smoking, look for a way that would make your desire to stop smoking greater than your desire to smoke. My goodness, this is starting to sound like a math equation. But hey, maybe if we turn it into one, it will make more sense. The equation is...
Desire to quit smoking > Desire to smoke (for those who stunk at math, ">" means "greater")
Since we are into equations now, we mine as well add another:
Smoking = Death (ok, but who is being judgmental).
Anyway, the following ways to quit smoking do nothing to change ones desires and therefore, are typically ineffective:
* Patches (Have you ever heard of anyone that stopped smoking by using this method... and how many times have you tried this and it didn't work?)
* Cold turkey" (They should probably call this "hot turkey" instead of a cold turkey since you wouldn't want to get near someone who is quitting smoking "cold turkey"!)
* Exercise (How many people do you know who smoke and exercise, too??)
* Chewing Gum (How much sense does this make? Typically most people who want to stop smoking are older and wouldn't chew gum to save their life unless they wanted all of their fillings to come out. )
So what is the best method to quit smoking? You need to change your mind... change how you think... change what you find "appealing"/desirable.
So how is that done? Aha! The answer is simple... psychology. Think about it. Remember how you manipulated your kids... I mean "trained them". How many ways did you use psychology to get them to do what they should do?? Be honest. It works! So when looking for a method to stop smoking, look for a class or a book ... one that manipulates... I mean "trains" your brain to make your desire to quit smoking greater than your desire to smoke. It's that simple.
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