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Public Health England prematurely endorses e-cigarettes

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Vaping remains off the table in UAE for New Year resolutions

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Tobacco tax in Saudi Arabia: 213% increase in smokers seeking help to quit

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Pulmonary toxicity of e-cigarettes

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28522559

Abstract

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or e-cigs) are designed to heat and aerosolize mixtures of vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine, and flavoring additives, thus delivering nicotine by inhalation in the absence of combustion. These devices were originally developed to facilitate smoking cessation and have been available in the United States for over a decade. Since 2010, e-cig use has expanded rapidly, especially among adolescents, despite a paucity of short- and long-term safety data. Patterns of use have shifted to include never smokers and many dual users of e-cigs and combustible tobacco products. Over the last several years, research into the potential toxicities of e-cig aerosols has grown exponentially. In the interim, regulatory policymakers across the world have struggled with how to regulate an increasingly diverse array of suppliers and products, against a backdrop of strong advocacy from users, manufacturers, and tobacco control experts. Herein we provide an updated review of the pulmonary toxicity profile of these devices, summarizing evidence from cell culture, animal models, and human subjects. We highlight the major gaps in our current understanding, emphasize the challenges confronting the scientific and regulatory communities, and identify areas that require more research in this important and rapidly evolving field.

‘Quitting tobacco can decrease cancer chances eight times’

Increase in tobacco consumption has led to rise in cancer cases among the youth in recent years. “It is most common in people between 25 and 40 years of age,” said Dr Satsheel Sapre, HoD of Head and Neck Cancer Department at Rashtrasant Tukdoji Regional Cancer Hospital (RST).

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/nagpur/quitting-tobacco-can-decrease-cancer-chances-eight-times/articleshow/59814866.cms

Sapre was speaking at an awareness programme organized by RST and Indian Medical Association (IMA) to mark Head and Neck Cancer Day, on Thursday, on the premises of the hospital. “Vidarbha is world capital of tobacco related cancers. Quitting tobacco can decrease chances of cancer eight times,” he said.

“Young people mostly start smoking or chewing tobacco due to peer pressure or perceive it as something glamorous. But smoking causes lung cancer and increases development of unwanted, uncontrolled and abnormal cells,” Sapre added.

Making an appeal about quitting smoking, Sapre said, “Our body does not need tobacco. It only harms our body, still many youths take the suicidal path. According to WHO, one among every eight persons is likely to be affected with cancer before death.”

Talking about symptoms of cancer, Sapre said, “Bleeding from mouth, constipation, change in voice, stink from mouth and fever or cough for more than 15 days can be symptoms of cancer. Patients must visit doctors for fighting cancer, it will not disappear by itself.”

A cancer survivor Shrimad shared his experience. “In 2000, I developed a small lump on my chick, which was due to cancer. I use to chew tobacco but I didn’t lose hope and fought it. Now I am living a normal life. I will suggest everyone not to eat tobacco and never lose hope because you can fight cancer. Doctors are your closest friend against diseases like cancer,” he said.

A small play on banning tobacco, alcohol and smoking was also staged at the programme. It illustrated cancer as the ‘boss’ of all addictive materials that are driving people towards destruction.

Dr BK Sharma, director of RST, and Dr Avinash Wase, president of IMA, were also present at the programme.

Depression Or Anxiety Keeping You From Quitting Tobacco? Here’s How To Break The Pattern

If you want to live free of tobacco but struggle with depression, anxiety, or both, you may feel like quitting just isn’t an option. There’s no way you can deal with it all, right?

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/depression-or-anxiety-keeping-you-from-quitting-tobacco_us_59318cd7e4b062a6ac0acf26

It’s time to dispel that myth. With the right plan – one that takes your personal needs into account – you can regain control of your health, body and mind.

A heavy burden

According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four American adults is dealing with a mental illness or battling substance abuse, which are known as behavioral health concerns.

Behavioral health challenges can complicate any quit attempt – even the search for a stable starting point can feel overwhelming. But the need is great. This group alone consumes more than 40 percent of all cigarettes smoked by adults.

Doctors may prioritize treating mental health first and addiction gets sidelined, especially if the addiction is something as common as tobacco use. But that’s a mistake. The mental illness may lead to harm, however, tobacco kills half of those who use the products.

In fact, according to that same CDC data, people with behavioral health disorders die about five years earlier than those without, many from the effects of smoking. Even more concerning, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, statistics suggest people with combined addiction and mental illness die up to 25 years earlier than the general population.

Unfortunately, behavioral health providers don’t usually get trained in helping patients quit. That’s one reason the myth persists that smoking is simply the lesser of two evils. In fact, some addiction treatment programs use cigarettes as rewards in treatment. You can’t tackle one harmful addiction by substituting another, more deadly, one.

However, as overwhelming as it may seem, you can beat addiction despite depression, anxiety and other strains. The key is to look carefully at personal triggers, routines, moods and your environment.

Developing a personalized plan that works

A quit attempt is not a behavioral health treatment, and it shouldn’t replace that process, but it can be integrated into any treatment plan. At QuitLogix, our quit line at National Jewish Health, we’ve learned that patients with behavioral health issues are more likely to succeed when they believe they can quit regardless of the circumstance. The experience will not be the same for any two people.

To customize your quit, consider these five strategies. They can get you off of tobacco while keeping anxiety and depression in check.

1. Smoke on a schedule.

A powerful tool for breaking habits, setting up a schedule for when you smoke can help you gain control of your addiction. A systematic, time-based approach gives you a target, a way to hold off a craving by not smoking at that moment but rather on a pre-determined time, which you’ve set. You can reduce the number smoked slowly, week by week.

2. Set a quit date for the future.

A quit date removes a lot of mental burden, relieving that pressure of feeling like you have to quit immediately. A lot of people who quit cold turkey eventually go back to cigarettes. Setting a quit date is an important way for you to prepare yourself and your environments to support your intention to quit.

3. Track your mood.

Each of us should do more to track our moods. Knowing how we feel helps remain alert to when you may be vulnerable to use tobacco. Pairing that knowledge with an awareness of when you smoke will allow you to retool your day to keep on track toward quitting for good.

4. Know your daily routines.

What is causing stress or anxiety at various points in your day? Who are the people that you are likely to smoke with? What times of the day do you smoke? Which activities do you associate with smoking? These triggers will often have you reaching for a cigarette. Plan for those moments when your cravings are likely to be triggered – they’re not always obvious. Do you reach for a cigarette when you get in the car and drive? When you wake up? When you have your first cup of coffee? When you go outside for your work break? When you gain awareness of those associations, you can have a plan to use different strategies to help in these high-risk situations.

5. Prepare your environment.

Do you have ashtrays or lighters sitting around? Do you have a cabinet where you keep your cigarettes? Things in your everyday environment will trigger you. The smell of the coat you wear when you grab a smoke outside, for example. It may be difficult at first, but go through your home environment, your car, and your work environment to remove those potential triggers before you embark on your quit.

Preparing mentally, physically and environmentally will bring stability, a starting point for getting better. When that preparation is done, the quit process becomes a process you control, even as you are burdened by other challenges. With a plan, and an eye on your target, you can do this.

Amy Lukowski is Clinical Director for Health Initiatives (QuitLogix), Assistant Professor at National Jewish Health, and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine.

Need help with substance abuse or mental health issues? In the U.S., call 800-662-HELP (4357) for the SAMHSA National Helpline.

High cigarette prices can really make you quit smoking

WHO says increased taxation on tobacco is least expensive and most effective tool in reducing smoking worldwide.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/05/high-cigarette-prices-quit-smoking-170525092939544.html

Tobacco remains one of the major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including cancer, lung and cardiovascular diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tobacco is responsible for the death of around seven million people across the globe every year.

Over the last two decades, there has been a significant reduction in the percentage of people smoking every day across the world, but the WHO says a lot more needs to be done to deter people from smoking cigarettes.

In a bid to curb consumption, governments have been enforcing stricter regulations on tobacco products and their usage.

Several countries are increasingly implementing strategies to tighten their tobacco policies in the hopes of deterring smoking, especially among young people.

Raising taxes on tobacco products is seen to be one of the least expensive and the most effective tools in countering the influence of tobacco companies. But it is also the least implemented, with only 10 percent of the world’s population currently living in countries with sufficiently high taxes.

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A 2010 WHO report found that 78 percent of those aged 15 years and over in the WHO member states were non-smokers.

By 2025, the number of non-smokers is expected to rise to around 5 billion out of a projected 6.1 billion people aged 15 and over.

Currently, nearly a third of all men are smokers, making the prevalence of smoking among men considerably higher than among women. Over the past 30 years, smoking among men has decreased by 10 percent.

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The price of a pack of cigarettes

Increasing prices and adding tax measures on tobacco products has been used to decrease the demand for cigarettes.

Many countries have successfully used tax policies to regulate the price of cigarette products. In Australia, a pack of cigarettes can cost up to $18, making it the most expensive country to buy cigarettes.

A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2016 found that the smoking rate in the country was at an all time low. In the last 20 years, smoking had decreased by almost 50 percent.

The study showed that less than 13 percent of Australians are daily smokers and fewer people are starting to smoke.

The report cites Australia as having one of the lowest smoking rates in the world, in part because of their implementation of increased taxes on tobacco products, plain packaging, and more restrictive smoke-free environment laws.

prices-cigs

Illicit trade in tobacco products

The tobacco industry and other interest groups argue that increased taxes on tobacco products allows an illicit black market trade in tobacco to thrive.

But the WHO says that high-income countries with taxes on tobacco products do not face widespread issues related to illicit trade, while low-income countries continue to do so, precisely because of weaker tobacco-control programmes and taxes. Nearly 80% of the world’s smokers live in low to middle-income countries.

cig-consumption

High cigarette prices can really make you quit smoking

WHO says increased taxation on tobacco is least expensive and most effective tool in reducing smoking worldwide.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/interactive/2017/05/high-cigarette-prices-quit-smoking-170525092939544.html

Tobacco remains one of the major risk factors for a number of chronic diseases, including cancer, lung and cardiovascular diseases. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that tobacco is responsible for the death of around seven million people across the globe every year.

Over the last two decades, there has been a significant reduction in the percentage of people smoking every day across the world, but the WHO says a lot more needs to be done to deter people from smoking cigarettes.

In a bid to curb consumption, governments have been enforcing stricter regulations on tobacco products and their usage.

Several countries are increasingly implementing strategies to tighten their tobacco policies in the hopes of deterring smoking, especially among young people.

Raising taxes on tobacco products is seen to be one of the least expensive and the most effective tools in countering the influence of tobacco companies. But it is also the least implemented, with only 10 percent of the world’s population currently living in countries with sufficiently high taxes.

A 2010 WHO report found that 78 percent of those aged 15 years and over in the WHO member states were non-smokers.

By 2025, the number of non-smokers is expected to rise to around 5 billion out of a projected 6.1 billion people aged 15 and over.

Currently, nearly a third of all men are smokers, making the prevalence of smoking among men considerably higher than among women. Over the past 30 years, smoking among men has decreased by 10 percent.

The price of a pack of cigarettes

Increasing prices and adding tax measures on tobacco products has been used to decrease the demand for cigarettes.

Many countries have successfully used tax policies to regulate the price of cigarette products. In Australia, a pack of cigarettes can cost up to $18, making it the most expensive country to buy cigarettes.

A report by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) in 2016 found that the smoking rate in the country was at an all time low. In the last 20 years, smoking had decreased by almost 50 percent.

The study showed that less than 13 percent of Australians are daily smokers and fewer people are starting to smoke.

The report cites Australia as having one of the lowest smoking rates in the world, in part because of their implementation of increased taxes on tobacco products, plain packaging, and more restrictive smoke-free environment laws.

Illicit trade in tobacco products

The tobacco industry and other interest groups argue that increased taxes on tobacco products allows an illicit black market trade in tobacco to thrive.

But the WHO says that high-income countries with taxes on tobacco products do not face widespread issues related to illicit trade, while low-income countries continue to do so, precisely because of weaker tobacco-control programmes and taxes. Nearly 80% of the world’s smokers live in low to middle-income countries.

How to Quit Smoking: 10 Easy Ways to Resist Tobacco Cravings

Smoking is not a disease and does not need medication. A smoker needs an ecosystem of support, guidance, mentoring and self-discipline to kick the butt. World No Tobacco Day is commemorated every year by the World Health Organisation on 31st May. According to their report, tobacco kills more than 7 million people every year around the world. The theme for World No Tobacco Day 2017 is “Tobacco – a threat to development.” It proposes measures that governments and the public can take to promote health and development by confronting this global crisis. But here’s what you can do – quit smoking and start today. These easy tips may prove very helpful in your efforts to quit smoking.

1. Drink plenty of liquids (fruit juice or water) during the first three days of quitting. It will help in flushing out nicotine faster. Milder forms of green tea are also very helpful. Avoid black tea and coffee for a few days.

2. Your body systems are going to work much better, including your senses for smell and digestion. Consider keeping some pre-cut vegetables handy, such as celery, carrots and fruits to beat sudden hunger pangs and avoid binging on candies and pastries.

3. For some smokers, ending a meal means lighting up, and the prospect of giving that up may appear daunting. Here’s a quick tip to deal with this situation. Replace that moment after a meal with something such as a piece of fruit, a (healthy) dessert, a piece of chocolate, and a stick of gum or simply suck on a straw.

4. Distract yourself. Do the dishes, turn on the TV, take a shower, or call a friend. The activity doesn’t matter as long as it gets your mind off smoking.

5. Reward yourself. Reinforce your victories. Whenever you triumph over a craving, give yourself a reward to keep yourself motivated.

6. Whenever the urge of smoking arises, brush your teeth. The just-brushed, clean feeling can help get rid of cigarette cravings. Keep other things around to pop in your mouth when cravings hit. Good choices include mint, celery sticks, gum, and sunflower seeds

7. Practice deep breathing on a daily basis, use it whenever you may get an unwarranted craving.

8. Add ginseng powder to your breakfast. Ginseng is an effective remedy to prevent the release of dopamine, one of the main components found in nicotine.

9. Snap your cravings away. Wear a rubber band around your wrist and snap it if you are considering giving in to a craving. The sting will distract you and give you a moment to remember all of the reasons why you are quitting.

10. Go for a quick work out. Whenever you feel the urge to smoke, take 5-10 push-ups. Your mind and body will be diverted quickly by engaging them in a new activity. A quick gaming session also keeps your mind off from nicotine.

Smoking cessation has definitive milestones which you should take note of. Key ones are 72 hours to reduce nicotine levels significantly, 14 days to recover from physical withdrawal, 48 days to recover from habituation and 3 months to go to sleep without thinking of smoking. Know and understand this journey to be able to quit smoking successfully. Remember that smoking is a one or all proposition. One single puff is sufficient to blow up all your efforts.

Disclaimer:

The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions of the author. NDTV is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, suitability, or validity of any information on this article. All information is provided on an as-is basis. The information, facts or opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of NDTV and NDTV does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same.

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