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Well-Being of Wyoming August 2008 |
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smokeless tobaccoCLICK TO ENLARGE
Using chewing tobacco and other smokeless tobacco products can cause serious health problems, from gum irritation to oral cancer. Addiction People who use chewing tobacco eventually develop a tolerance for nicotine and need more tobacco to feel the desired effects of the nicotine. Some people switch to brands with higher nicotine content and tend to use chewing tobacco more frequently the longer they've been using smokeless products. More severely addicted users may leave the chew in their mouths overnight and swallow the tobacco juices. Cavities Gum disease Heart problems and non-oral cancer Precancerous mouth lesions Oral cancer Smokeless doesn't mean harmlessIf you aren't convinced that chewing tobacco, spit tobacco and other forms of smokeless tobacco aren't risk-free, consider the words of someone who's seen the damage tobacco can do. Joe Garagiola, a former spit tobacco user, played major league baseball and later worked in broadcasting. After retiring from baseball he became a crusader against spit tobacco — the term he prefers since "smokeless" makes tobacco sound harmless. Joe Garagiola
"I chewed tobacco because it seemed to be the thing to do if you were playing baseball," says Garagiola. "Everybody chewed when I was playing, and nobody knew the dangers of it." But he's seen the dangers since, losing three close friends to oral cancer and seeing the harmful effects of spit tobacco on other people. "You won't die of gum disease or yellow teeth, but develop oral cancer and it's a terrible way to go," Garagiola says. "Here you are with oral cancer from using spit tobacco, your jaw has been removed and you have to eat through a tube. You die one piece at a time. Spit tobacco is a horrible, horrible thing. I just wish I could get this message across to everyone." It's never too late to quitIf you're using smokeless tobacco, quit. Now that you know the dangers associated with it, you have extra motivation to give it up. Here's what to do:
Devise a plan to deal with cravings and know that cravings typically last only a few minutes. Eating licorice, chewing gum, going for a walk or calling a friend can help you get through them. And the interval between cravings increases the longer you've stopped using tobacco and eventually the cravings will go away. Report: Ban smoking in public placesSurgeon general says 126 million nonsmokers exposed to tobacco hazards WASHINGTON - Separate smoking sections don’t cut it: Only smoke-free buildings and public places truly protect nonsmokers from the hazards of breathing in other people’s tobacco smoke, says a long-awaited surgeon general’s report. Some 126 million nonsmokers are exposed to secondhand smoke, what U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona repeatedly calls “involuntary smoking” that puts people at increased risk of death from lung cancer, heart disease and other illnesses. Moreover, there is no risk-free level of exposure to someone else’s drifting smoke, declares the report issued Tuesday — a conclusion sure to fuel already growing efforts at public smoking bans nationwide. Fourteen states have passed what are considered comprehensive smoke-free workplace laws, those that include restaurants and bars. But the surgeon general is especially concerned about young children who can’t escape their parents’ addiction in search of cleaner air: Just over one in five children is exposed to secondhand smoke at home, where workplace bans don’t reach. Those children are at increased risk of SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome; lung infections such as pneumonia; ear infections; and more severe asthma. “Exposure to secondhand smoke remains an alarming public health hazard,” Carmona said. “Nonsmokers need protection through the restriction of smoking in public places and workplaces” — and by smokers voluntarily not puffing around children.
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TOBACCO ANDHEALTHThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) calls tobacco the number one cause of preventable death in America. Since 1964, 28 Surgeon General’s reports on smoking and health have concluded that tobacco use is the single most avoidable cause of disease, disability, and death in the United States. Smoking kills more people than alcohol, AIDS, car crashes, illegal drugs, murders, and suicides combined -- and thousands more die from other tobacco-related causes -- such as fires caused by smoking (more than 1,000 deaths/year nationwide) and smokeless tobacco use. Health Facts(Source: American Cancer Society website)
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The Risky Business of Lighting Up by Mike Mills
IF you smoke, you are taking a deadly risk. According to the American Heart Association ( AHA), smoking is the "single most preventable risk factor" contributing to early death in the United State. This means quitting is the best thing you can do to avoid an early death. And early, preventable deaths from smoking related illnesses-about 442,000 a year- make up nearly one-fifth of all deaths. Because smoking damages the cardiovascular system, it can quadruple the risk of getting coronary heart disease (CHD), the No.1 single caue of death in the United States. Smoking is a major cause of stroke, the No. 3 killer. Cardiovascular Damage The nicotine and carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke do most of the damage to the cardiovascular system. Nicotine, and addictive drug, acutely increases blood pressure and heart rate. It also narrows arteries and damages their lining. Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin, which carries oxygen in the bloodstream. The binding effect reduces the amount of oxygen transported to your body's tissues. Over time this combination of assaults on the cardiovascular system from nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other substances can speed up the process of atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries, resulting in chronic high blood pressure, narrowing of the arteries, restricting the flow of blood, and increasing its tendency to clot. All these factors lead to an increased risk of heart attack and stroke. Artery damage that restricts blood flow to other parts of the body-kidneys, stomach, arms, legs, and feet-is called peripheral artery disease (PAD). PAD is 10 times more likely to develop in a smoker that in a nonsmoker. Smoking can also promote heart disease by reducing HDL (good) cholesterol, which can lead to atherosclerosis. As soon as you quit smoking, your HDL cholestrol levels improve. Secondhand Smoke Breathing someone else's smoke can also cause disease, according to the American Heart Association. Secondhand smoke, a mixture of smoke given off by the cigarette and exhaled smoke, is a factor in about 35,000 deaths a year from cardiovascular disease. In fact, studies show that the risk of dying from heart disease brought on by secondhand smoke is about 10 times greather than the risk of dying from lung cancer. Secondhand smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, of which at least 69 can cause cancer. Other chemicals found in cigarette smoke can do additional damage:
When Smokers Quit After a person stops smoking, the body starts to recover almost immediately: 20 minutes: Blood pressure drops to a level clost to that before the last cigarette. 24 hours: The chance of a heart attack decreases. 2 weeks to 3 months: Circulation improves, and lung function increases up to 30 precent. 1 to 9 months: Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease. 1 year: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker. 5 to 15 years: Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker. 15 years: Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker.
November/December 2005 StrokeCONNECTION pages 28-29
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Natrona County Has Access to Recovery program Access to Recovery (ATR) is an initiative to expand treatment ATR targets 12 to 25 year old persons. ATR can be reached
Smoke Free Home Kits Still Available Smoke Free Home Kits are available free of charge to anyone |
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DID YOU KNOW:
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Funded with the Tobacco
Settlement Trust Funds through the Substance Abuse Division of the Wyoming Department of Health. |
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