A Strong Message from an Obituary
The family of Laura Jean Konrath wants you to share the story of their mother with your smoker friends. It is a sad, but informative obituary. PostiveTip: Never start to smoke--it is much better than trying to quit!
Read MoreDid Your State Make the Grade?
Tobacco kills 400,000 Americans every year. Another 16 million are living with tobacco-caused diseases. The American Lung Association has released its 15th annual State of Tobacco Control report. View the Federal Government grades here. Find out how your state is doing? PositiveTip: Let your state and national representative know you want them to do more to control…
Read MoreCompounding Health Choices
Swiss researchers looked at the health risks of poor diet, irregular exercise, smoking and high alcohol consumption among 16,700 Swiss men and women. Smokers were most likely to die prematurely, but people with all four risk factors were 2.5 times more likely to die. However, people free of all risk factors could increase their life…
Read MoreThe Sneaky New Tobacco
Cigarette smoking in the US has declined by 33% in the last decade, but hookah smoking is on the rise, especially amongst educated young adults and high school seniors. Many believe the ancient communal water pipe tobacco ritual is safe but hookah smoking is linked to cancer, heart disease and respiratory disease.
Read MoreTV Portrayals of Smoking Influences Adults
Kids tend to start smoking more often when they are exposed to tobacco advertising. Tobacco use on television also seems to influence adults. Researchers found as smoking was shown less on prime time TV from 1955 to 2010 (five smoking instances per hour to 0.29 per hour), U.S. adults smoked less. This reduction was half…
Read MoreBonus Benefits to Quitting Smoking
New research has found that smokers who quit may have greater success in addressing mental health or addiction issues. Based on surveys from 35,000 people, researchers found that people who quit smoking were 33% less likely to have mood disorders, 36% less likely to have alcohol problems and 69% less likely have drug problems than…
Read MoreAnother “Marlboro Man” Dies
Eric Lawson, one of the iconic, rugged "Marlboro men" in ads for the Marlboro cigarette brand died of respiratory failure due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). A smoker since 14, he was featured in print ads for the product from 1978 to 1981. Others who pitched the brand have also died from smoking's consequences. PositiveTip: Refuse…
Read MoreHow Long Till Ex-smokers Return to Ideal Heart Health?
Previous estimates predicted smokers must be abstinent for 15+ years to reduce their cardiovascular disease risks to that of non-smokers. However, recent research has found it can happen in closer to 8 years. Study subjects were 65+ years old and had quit smoking 15 or fewer years ago. The faster health benefits happened for those…
Read MoreWomen Have Caught Men in Smoking Deaths
"Most people in the U.S. assume that smoking is on its way out. But the grim reality is that smoking still exerts an enormous toll on the health of Americans," wrote Steven A. Schroeder, MD of UCSFO. Smoking killed about 100 million people in the 20th century, and is predicted to kill about 1 billion…
Read MoreEarly Smoking Shortens Life
Even though the significant negative health effects of cigarette smoking are well known, smoking rates in young people continue to rise. Analysis of data from the Harvard University Alumni Study found that men who reported smoking at age 18 experienced a 30% increase in all-cause mortality (P<0.001). Deaths from smoking-related cancers increased by 91% in…
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