The Real Truth about Tobacco – Part 3

Comments 19

1. 
   Simple Living Global

   June 6, 2019 at 6:42 am

   HOT SMOKING NEWS

   Neuroscience News – 5 June 2019

   https://neurosciencenews.com/schizophrenia-smoking-14173/

   Tobacco smokers are at increased risk of developing schizophrenia and psychosis.

   Researchers are saying that nicotine is most likely responsible for the link.

   The review of 8 long-running studies has found strong evidence of an association between smoking and mental illness, which they suggest is mostly likely caused by nicotine.

   The findings have raised serious concerns about the increasing use of nicotine through e-cigarettes by young adults.

   “People who smoke tobacco have an approximately twofold increased risk of developing schizophrenia or psychosis.
   While e-cigarettes reduce some of the harms associated with smoking, governments need to consider their potential to harm the mental health of young people.
   More research is urgently needed to examine the association between e-cigarette use and psychosis, particularly in adolescents and young adults.”
   Until there is a better understanding of the harm of e-cigarettes, it would be safest that liquid nicotine remains illegal to buy in Australia without a prescription.”
   Dr. Scott – Associate Professor | University of Queensland

   This is bang up to date news Dear World – are we listening?
   Was this something we were not hoping for or even expecting?

   We have all known for a very long time that smoking is harmfull for the human body.

   We have since learned that the nicotine is not only addictive but has many other side effects.

   Now we are learning that this is having an affect on our mental health.

   How serious is this and are we going to wake up and listen to what this research is spelling out, or are we going to continue to wait for even more research to tell us what we already know?

   The fact is – more and more of our young population are finding ways to take nicotine and becoming addicted.

   We have created something that suits their lifestyle – e-cigarettes.

   Whilst it was said it was to wean smokers off cigarettes there seems to be another group – teens and adolescents who are the biggest users.

   What exactly is this telling us?
   Have we joined the dots here?

   If we now have liquid nicotine causing psychotic disorders – what is going to happen to the future generation of adults who are the current users – our youth?

   Young adults are the largest consumer group for the e-cigarette market and this is a fast growing industry.
   For more on e-cigarettes read part 2 of this series
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-2/

   Do we blame the vaping shops and suppliers or do we take a look at why there is such a strong demand that is on the increase?

   What is going on for our high school children and college students?
   What is going on for our teenagers and all our youth of today?

   Do we need to get on the ground and find some real anecdotal evidence?
   Do we need to answer every question that this 3 part series on the Real Truth about Tobacco is presenting?

   What is needed is to bring awareness and real education to everyone and start it from day dot at school as nothing thus far is working.

   Those presenting – like the author of this book need to deliver because they are free from the ills of tobacco and having never ingested it, they have the vibration to reflect the Truth without any doubt.

   In other words, what they say holds a quality because they are not tainted or moved in any way by what tobacco brings.

   It is time to turn the tides and not wait for more and more evidence and more and more research telling us the harm of this toxic substance called Tobacco.

   Simple Living Global have done the research, joined the dots and applied a dose of common sense so that we can all wake up to THE REAL TRUTH ABOUT TOBACCO.

   To continue and give even more evidence would not change anything as enough has been said to deliver the Truth – Tobacco is not for human consumption and we have enough proof that could fill up libraries telling us so.

   Reply
2. 
   Tim Bowyer

   October 10, 2019 at 3:40 am

   Liverpool Echo – 8th October 2019

   Menthol Cigarettes to be Made Illegal This Year.
   https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/menthol-ban-include-click-dual-17049933

   Menthol cigarettes are to be banned as new laws come into effect in the new year.

   The ban stems from new EU Tobacco Product Directive laws which outlaws menthol cigarettes.

   The move is part of an attempt to stop young people smoking by banning cigarettes with a ‘characterising flavour’ other than tobacco.

   Naturally, the manufacturer of this brand of cigarettes tried to appeal against the law change to the European Court of Justice, but was unsuccessful.

   The charity, Action on Smoking and Health (ASH), said that outlawing menthol tobacco will deter young people from smoking.

   The law has already been changed so that menthol cigarettes are currently only sold in packs of 20.

   This was part of a wider plan to phase out flavoured cigarettes completely by May 2020.

   A spokesperson from ASH told the Echo how policies such as this are making smoking less appealing. She said: “Cigarettes are already expensive and the price of cigarettes is a key factor in making people quit smoking. So by removing the packet of 10 cigarettes, this means people will have to find that extra money for a packet. It will hit poorer and younger smokers who are more likely to buy smaller packs.”

   However, she said that there was little evidence which suggested that menthol cigarettes make it easier for people to smoke.

   She said: “It’s naturally hard to inhale smoke and for many, the first time they smoke it is repugnant, but people persevere with it and that’s when they become addicted. There is evidence that menthol cigarettes relax the airways and the flavour masks the harshness of the smoke, therefore younger people find it easier to smoke. However, it is an absolute myth that menthol cigarettes are better for you. All cigarettes are harmful and menthol cigarettes are just as dangerous as normal cigarettes.”

   Any measure to encourage people to stop smoking is always going to have my vote.

   The UK Government has outlined plans for the England to be smoke free by 2030 anyway, which according to The Independent, “includes an ultimatum for industry to make smoked tobacco obsolete by 2030, with smokers quitting or moving to reduced risk products like e-cigarettes”
   https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/smoking-ban-uk-end-cigarettes-tobacco-health-green-paper-a9016636.html

   This, of course, is an excellent plan apart from one snag – “moving smokers to reduced risk products like e-cigarettes.”

   With this snag it would appear that this is not now such an excellent plan, but more of a compromise.

   Is it possible that all we are doing is changing one poisonous habit for another?

   Is it possible that, like removing the menthol from tobacco, this is just a band-aid to a bullet hole?

   Is banning flavours in tobacco going to have any true lasting effect?

   Is it possible that these younger people will just be encouraged to smoke normal cigarettes?

   At some point, we have all been a teenager. If we really want to do or try something, we are going to do it and putting obstacles in our way is more likely to drive us forward.

   If you take away the flavourings in tobacco, we are still left with the tobacco – the stuff that kills people.

   Is it possible we need to have an outright ban on all cigarettes – full stop?

   Reply
3. 
   Tim Bowyer

   December 30, 2019 at 3:36 pm

   The Telegraph – 20th December 2019

   Smoking to be Banned on all Hospital Grounds
   https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/12/20/smoking-banned-hospital-grounds-next-april/

   Under new NHS rules, smoking will be banned from all hospital grounds from April 2020.

   Next year’s NHS contract with hospitals will say no-one should be allowed to smoke in any areas such as car parks.

   Despite NHS policies that say smoking should be banned, a third of hospital trusts have not brought in such rules.

   The total ban is in a consultation on the NHS standard contract for 2020-21.

   While two in three trusts currently say they have such rules, many struggle to comply with them. Research by the anti-smoking charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) suggested at least 42 out of 52 mental health trusts had introduced a smoke free policy. However, almost all the trusts that responded to the ASH survey reported various levels of non-compliance.

   The research follows the government’s pledges to make the country “smoke free” by 2030.

   The Health Service Journal reported that supplementary documents say the rule would “not apply at this stage to e-cigarettes”.

   Last year, hospitals were told they should let patients vape indoors – and should even be allowed to vape in their beds if they had single rooms.

   Public Health England (PHE), who are totally behind e-cigarettes, said every smoker struggling to quit, including pregnant women, should be encouraged to take up e-cigarettes.

   Is it possible that pregnant women being encouraged to take up e-cigarettes is not conducive to optimum health?

   Is it possible that the lawmakers or policy makers are in some way invested in this product?
   In other words, they may be current smokers or past smokers.

   With all the research that has been done and all the horror stories coming out recently about the harm-full effects of e-cigarettes, it beggars belief that any of us can say pregnant women should take up e-cigarettes.

   It is great that NHS contracts will now stipulate all smoking will be banned, but only time will tell if this new policy will be enforced.

   However we choose to look at it, smoking and the associated clouds of smoke coming from our cigarettes, cigars, roll–ups, e-cigarettes, etc. are certainly harmful to the person smoking and it can be harmful to those who come into contact with the smoke.

   Stories like this have the potential to invoke a lot of passion. On one hand we have people that smoke. People choose to smoke of their own volition and they have that right to choose to smoke.

   On the other hand, we have people that choose not to smoke.

   Is it possible that, those who choose not to smoke, should then not have to suffer those that do smoke?

   If someone wants to smoke and are doing so in their own private space which doesn’t affect anyone else, then that is their choice but when it impacts others around them, isn’t there a responsibility by authorities to minimise any harm or inconvenience?

   With that in mind, how can patients possibly be allowed to smoke in their beds?

   What about the hospital staff, doctors, nurses, cleaners etc. that have to treat these patients?

   What about the next patient coming into that room?

   I have had cause to frequent hospital several times in the last twelve months and the one thing that always amazed me was how people, patients, staff and visitors, were allowed to smoke right outside the entrance doors of the hospital, so when you enter, you have to walk through billowing clouds of poisonous smoke.

   We go to hospital to get better, to heal. It doesn’t bode well if one of our first steps is to walk through a wall of smoke.

   This situation presents a paradoxical image. Is it possible that those in authority need to take more action to halt this practice?

   Reply
4. 
   Tim Bowyer

   January 24, 2020 at 9:12 am

   Edition CNN – 23rd January 2020

   US Surgeon General Says Doctors Aren’t Encouraging Enough Smokers to Quit
   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/23/health/surgeon-general-smoking-cessation-report-bn/index.html

   A new report by the US Surgeon General points to tobacco smoking as the leading cause of preventable disease, disability and death in the United States – and notes that smoking cessation is beneficial at any age.

   Yet about two-fifths of smokers are not routinely told by their physicians to stop smoking, the US surgeon general said.

   As the nation’s doctor, he said that number “jumped out” at him.

   He said: “Forty percent of smokers who see a health provider each year aren’t advised by those health providers to quit.”

   While there are interventions already approved by the US Food and Drug Administration – such as counselling and certain medications – to help people quit smoking, the Surgeon General said that “two-thirds of smokers who try to quit don’t use FDA approved medications and counselling.”

   Behavioural counselling has been found to increase chances of quitting smoking and seven medications have been approved for helping adults quit smoking: five forms of nicotine replacement therapy and two non-nicotine medications.

   The advice accompanies the Surgeon General’s 700-page report on smoking cessation, released by the US Department of Health and Human Services.

   The new Surgeon General report is the first since 1990 to focus solely on quitting smoking. The Surgeon General said: “This report highlights that quitting smoking is one of the most important things that people can do to improve their health.” He added that he lost both of his grandfathers to smoking related conditions.

   He said: “I didn’t even know until this report came out that you can add as much as 10 years to your life expectancy by quitting smoking. In addition to the human toll, smoking related illnesses cost the US more than $300 billion each year.”

   Those in the medical world have known for a very long time that smoking is the leading cause of preventable deaths so why is it that the last report on the very harm-full effects of tobacco was over 30 years ago?

   Even the youngest children know the harm of smoking.
   Do we really need a 700 Page report to tell us, as adults, that smoking is not good for us?

   Yes, the health providers may need to up the encouragement to get more people to stop smoking, but as has just been said, as adults we all know the harm that tobacco causes but yet we still choose to smoke.

   Is it possible that we don’t want any advice to stop smoking?

   Is it possible that smoking gives us something far more deeper than the obvious relief we get?

   As humans, we have a proven track record of abusing ourselves to the point of death.

   Is a report, of any number of pages, really going to get us to stop?

   Reply
5. 
   Tim Bowyer

   January 27, 2020 at 7:57 am

   The Conversation – 23rd January 2019

   Big Tobacco Wants Social Media to Promote its Products
   https://theconversation.com/big-tobacco-wants-social-media-influencers-to-promote-its-products-can-the-platforms-stop-it-129957

   Big tobacco likes to stay ahead of the curve – it has to in order to survive. Its fundamental problem though, is that one in two of its long-term users die from tobacco-related diseases. To hook a new generation into addiction, it has to try every advertising and marketing trick in its playbook.

   And it has to be innovative. As one ex-marketing consultant remarked: “The problem is how do you sell death?” He said the industry did it with great open spaces, such as mountains and lakes. They did it with healthy young people and iconic images. So the…Man became a symbol of masculinity and, for women, the industry promoted smoking as a “torch of freedom”.

   For years, the industry fought the regulators who slowly restricted the places and ways it could advertise and market its products. Then came the Internet, which was a dream come true for a tobacco marketer. The industry could run riot in an unregulated haven. One commentator noted in a magazine in 2017 that the Internet was a contemporary incarnation of the Wild West.

   As old rules no longer applied, Big Tobacco began using social media platforms to bypass advertising ads. They began paying social media influencers to promote traditional tobacco products as well as e-cigarettes online. And they were very successful at it.

   In August 2018, the New York Times investigated Big Tobacco’s social media influences. The paper found 123 hash tags associated with companies’ tobacco products, which had been viewed a staggering 25 billion times.

   A professor at the University of Southern California told the newspaper that what the industry was doing was a “really effective way” to get around existing laws to restrict advertising to young people.

   The pressure on the tobacco industry to act increased in May 2019 when 125 public health organisations called on social media platforms to immediately end the promotion of cigarettes and e-cigarettes. This included banning the use of social media influencers. The industry ignored the request.

   In December 2019, in a landmark decision, the UK Advertising Standards Authority ruled against four big tobacco companies for promoting their products on a social media platform, after complaints by several anti-smoking groups.

   In a follow-up statement, two social media platforms announced what many saw as a long-overdue update to their policy on tobacco. It said that branded content that promotes goods such as vaping, tobacco products and weapons “will not be allowed”. The statement made the bold claim that their advertising policies had long “prohibited” the advertisement of these products. The platforms promised that enforcement would begin on this in the coming weeks.

   Headlines touting the new policy made it clear that the platforms would ban influencers from promoting e-cigarettes and tobacco products. For example, a BBC headline announced a certain social media site had “banned e-cigarette posts by ad watchdog”.

   But three crucial points have been missed: First, a social media platform’s policies are designed for companies that play by the rules, not for tobacco companies whose playbook is to find ways around them or flout them.

   Second, those who track the industry’s activities online say it is notoriously difficult to tell what a social media platform calls “branded content”. On one platform, Big Tobacco’s influencers post glamorized images of vape products with hash tags such as idareyoutotryit and captions such as “feeling Vype AF”.

   Thirdly, serious doubts remain about how any of this will be enforced. The reality is that Big Tobacco needs these platforms to survive and can’t afford to be excluded. A market research company recently noted that 96% of all brands have incorporated a social media platform into their influencer strategy and that one platform’s influencer marketing activity increased by 48% in 2019.

   A spokesperson from Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids said: “In the weeks since the announcement that influencers would be banned form promoting tobacco and e-cigarettes, tobacco companies have continued to exploit influencer marketing on two platforms to advertise addictive products to young people without consequence.”

   She added: “These two platforms are uniquely positioned to cut off Big Tobacco’s easiest access point to kids and young people around the world – but without swift enforcement and strict enforcement of new policies, the announcement is yet another hollow statement from a company that no longer has any excuse for inaction on this issue.”

   Is it possible that Big Tobacco has no interest in the health and well-being of all of us, especially the young who are considered to be their perpetual ‘meal ticket’?

   Is it possible that the aim is for Big Tobacco to continue selling products irrespective of the harm it does to people and everything is done to keep us hooked?

   Is it possible that, although tobacco companies claim to have our best interests at heart, there is, in fact, no true integrity there?

   Is it possible that these social media platforms are just as complicit, or even more so, as well?

   The fact is, these platforms DO have the power to stop these advertisements if they choose to do so.

   But, unfortunately, like many businesses in this world of ours, it appears that money is the sole motivation regardless of who gets harmed along the way.

   Reply
6. 
   Simple Living Global

   February 6, 2020 at 10:46 am

   Action on Smoking and Health – 3 February 2020

   https://ash.org.uk/media-and-news/press-releases-media-and-news/every-day-in-england-280-children-start-smoking-while-government-action-on-its-smokefree-2030-pledge-is-awaited/

   England
   280 Children start smoking everyday
   200 Adults die from smoking everyday

   Since the government first announced its ambition for England to be smoke free by 2030 last year, over 50,000 children under age 16 have started smoking. Two-thirds of young people will end up going on to become daily smokers.

   This news story highlights the limited public funding and tougher regulation of tobacco companies if we are to see a smoke free country in 10 years.

   Hello

   Let’s just stop for a moment and take a pause. How on earth are we going to get on the front foot and make a U turn if we have 280 children starting to smoke daily and 66% of them go on to be daily smokers?

   This means we have future adult generations who are not going to be quitting as this article and the previous 2 in our Real Truth about Tobacco series confirms – smoking is addictive and there is no getting away from that immutable fact.

   https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-1/

   https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-2/

   So how on earth are we going to turn the tides and where do we start?

   We all know that nothing thus far has worked and it is like we are wired in a way that does not let us state the obvious or even consider a simple way that may be worth checking out.

   Real Education – how about that dear world?

   We get those who walk the talk and talk the walk to educate from day dot at schools and see where we go. We can also bring them into colleges and throughout society for those who are ready to quit once and for all.

   Now to be a real role model we need to clear of any form of tobacco or other addictive substances for at least 15 years. Then we need to be well informed about the ins and outs of nicotine, smoking, vaping and everything that has been covered in this 3 part series on this website. Then and only then can we as a society endorse such presenters to deliver to our children a new form of education, where the students can feel that this is making sense.

   Next – what do we do with all the current smokers who know they are on borrowed time when it comes to their health and well-being?
   First we present to those who are ready and willing for true change and that means not swapping smoking for another substance or certain foods just to keep the cravings going. That would not work as no real change has taken place, so no point being fooled.

   Numbers is not the answer. Getting the masses to change will not happen overnight but one by one if there are people genuinely ready they can start just by reading what this website has to offer on smoking and then extend their reading to other well-being blogs which present more than just lifestyle choices.

   Enough said, this is another way being presented and it may just be the ticket as waiting for funding and wanting tobacco companies to give us money is not going to happen. We need to get real and honest that true change can and will happen if we as individuals take the responsibility for our own lives and see how this can reflect to another and so it goes…

   To inspire others, we need to be living the quality we want first and foremost.

   AND finally, let us not forget that our tobacco companies are making huge profits but that is because we, those who want their products demand it. The supply would soon end if we stop the smoking, vaping and chewing their products. Blaming and venting at them is not going to stop these global giants finding other ways to keep the supplies going.

   Reply
7. 
   Tim Bowyer

   April 22, 2020 at 9:20 am

   Scienmag – 21st April 2020

   $17m Invested in Research on Health Impacts of E-cigarettes and Nicotine on Youth
   https://scienmag.com/nearly-17-million-invested-in-research-to-fast-track-studies-on-health-impacts-of-e-cigarettes-and-nicotine-on-youth/

   The American Heart Association, the world’s leading voluntary organisation dedicated to a world of longer, healthier lives, is investing nearly $17 million in scientific research to study the health impacts of e-cigarettes and other nicotine delivery systems on youth and young adults. The ENACT – End Nicotine Addiction in Children and Teens Research Initiative – is funding groundbreaking research to fill a critical need for clear scientific knowledge. This is the latest in a multi-pronged, ongoing commitment to fight the growing epidemic of youth vaping.

   A professor and president of the American Heart Association said: “E-cigarettes are being marketed as a healthy option to traditional cigarettes, but no one knows if vaping is safe in the long run because e-cigarettes haven’t been around long enough to be studied deeply. Some diseases can take years and even decades to develop, so there is more work needed to fully understand all the dangers. There’s certainly plenty of indication they’re harmful for growing minds and bodies because we know e-cigarettes contain nicotine and we know the harmful effects of nicotine, but it’s important we grow that overall body of scientific evidence.”

   The president said that there is a sense of urgency because, at a time when regular cigarette smoking has reached an all-time low, young people are turning to e-cigarettes at epidemic proportions with nearly one in four high school students reportedly vaping. That’s why these research projects will be high impact and fast tracked, only two years in length and funded at levels among the highest individual grants awarded in the Association’s history. The initiative is designed to produce turnkey programs to support youth as well as provide clear evidence to inform policy decisions.

   The president said: “The rapid pace of e-cigarette products entering the market and targeting our youth requires an ambitious, aggressive approach beyond the incremental pace achieved through traditional research mechanisms. Policymakers, regulators, medical professionals and schools are looking to enact strategies, policies and solutions but there’s inadequate evidence to inform these efforts.”

   Exactly how much ‘clear scientific knowledge’ do we need to realise that putting any poison into our bodies is not a good thing?

   The report says that e-cigarettes haven’t been around long enough to get a proper scientific balanced view.

   The professor stated that some disease can take decades to develop – is it possible that a 2 year study really isn’t going to tell the scientists that much?

   “The American Heart Association has funded more than $4.6 billion in cardiovascular research since 1949.”

   Is it possible that all of this research and money has brought us nowhere near to us finding out the truth about cardiovascular disease?

   Why do we need to spend another $17 million on a study where all the answers are already known?

   Is it possible that, ingesting any form of toxic substance, will have a negative effect on us?

   The professor has already said that e-cigarettes contain nicotine and the harmful effects of nicotine are already known – why then would another study be necessary?

   Reply
8. 
   Simple Living Global

   July 14, 2020 at 4:54 pm

   CNN Health – 13 July 2020

   https://edition.cnn.com/2020/07/13/health/young-adults-smoking-risk-coronavirus-wellness/index.html

   According to new research published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, 1 in 3 young adults is at risk of severe Covid-19 and smoking plays a big part in that risk.

   8,000 participants ages 18 to 25.
   32% were medically vulnerable.

   “Recent evidence indicates that smoking is associated with a higher likelihood of Covid-19 progression, including increased illness severity, ICU admission or death. Smoking may have significant effects in young adults, who typically have low rates for most chronic diseases” says Sally Adams, lead author of the study and a specialist at University of California, San Francisco’s National Adolescent and Young Adult Health Information Center.

   What is this telling us and can we read between the lines here?

   Reading the 3 blogs in our Real Truth about Tobacco series on this website will leave the reader in no doubt that smoking is not for human consumption. We have known this for a very long time so its not something new for us to consider.
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-1/
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-2/
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-3/

   What would be a wise consideration is to ask WHY our youth of today are smoking?

   Most have had an education and are so-called “intelligent” according to the current form of intelligence that we all subscribe to in our world.
   So how come these intelligent young beings are choosing to smoke a poison that is toxic and causing harm to their body? Makes no sense.

   Knowing what this research is telling us – do we now have a whole generation, a group of youngsters that are going to ADD to our already depleted health systems because of the vulnerability associated with smoking?

   Have we got a 911 coming and if so, how prepared are we really?

   Research is great as it informs us but with due respect, how many more studies do we need to know about smoking and the knock on effects.

   Is anyone really surprised with this latest research study?

   Is it simply a case of accepting it and hoping things will change out there and not affect the status quo we have in our little world?
   In other words, as long as it is not directly linked to us in our home and our family, we are ok to continue ‘business as usual’ and that means not get concerned about the world and what’s going on out there.

   For the record – our world is in a 911
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/911-emergency/

   Our world if it was a business is very very sick and continuing to get worse.
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/our-world-as-a-business/

   Our world is not coping and our solutions are simply not cutting it.

   We have created smoking and all the other poisons including sugar, caffeine and alcohol that harm the human frame.
   Surely we have the answers to get out of this if we use the word RESPONSIBILITY.

   It is easy to sit back and point fingers, judge and blame the world and its brothers and that will of course guarantee no change.

   What if we took a dose of honesty and started to look at our own lives to see what needs adjusting or changing, so that we can support our body to live in daily life and not just wing it or function?

   Could that be the game changer that we need and would it also benefit our world?

   Our body is very resilient and takes the hit over and over again with harm-full substances that we ingest to poison it. What we do know, even if it is not consciously present at the forefront of our minds is that there will come a point when our body communicates and says enough. We call that illness and dis-ease.

   History has told us smoking kills and continues to kill.
   Let us not forget that immutable fact.

   Reply
9. 
   Simple Living Global

   September 24, 2020 at 7:59 am

   World Health Organization News – 22 September 2020

   https://www.who.int/news/item/22-09-2020-tobacco-responsible-for-20-of-deaths-from-coronary-heart-disease

   Title: Tobacco Responsible for 20% of Deaths from Coronary Heart Disease

   1.9 million people die every year from tobacco-induced heart disease. This equates to 1 in 5 of all deaths from heart disease.

   Just a few cigarettes a day exposure to second hand smoke or occasional smoking can increase the risk of heart disease.

   Smokeless tobacco is responsible for 200,000 deaths from coronary heart disease per year.

   E-cigarettes also raise blood pressure increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

   Will we pay attention as we have the bigwig world organization on health telling us some serious facts that we may not be aware of. Is this new news or the same stuff we already know and that is – smoking tobacco or ingesting it in any form is NOT for human consumption?

   Our new solution is vaping and we also know that it is not cutting it and we have been sold yet another lie telling us it is better than smoking tobacco but they forgot to mention it is highly addictive and has enough evidence confirming it is poison in our body.

   This blog and the previous 2 on the topic of Tobacco are well worth reading.
   It is also an invitation to study for any scholars out there, ready for the Real Truth about Tobacco.
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-1/
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-2/

   The facts and stats are presented and there is enough research confirming what we have known for a very very long time.

   However, it does not mean that people who smoke will suddenly stop.

   If we take India for example – smoking starts at a very young age and is acceptable widely as the norm. Try educating on the reasons WHY they should stop smoking or offer a cessation program when poverty is what they face in daily life and we could say we have no chance.

   What is needed and policymakers take note – real education for children from day dot.

   That means presenting the facts and keeping it super simple. Show graphic images of a smokers lungs, teeth and all the harm tobacco does to the human body.
   Make the teaching real and relatable so for example in India chewing tobacco and having red teeth is the norm, so present about oral cancer so the kids have the awareness.
   https://simplelivingglobal.com/oral-health/

   Our education system is great at teaching everything but how to live human life every day.
   Our Time is up and we need real change and it starts with us – all of us as individuals.

   Those of us who do know then have a greater responsibility to support others.

   On that note, the author of this comment has consistently presented articles, call them blogs on this website that now form a library – a ‘go to’ for any member of humanity who is calling for change and asking – “Is there another way?”

   Reply
10. 
    Simple Living Global

    January 6, 2021 at 11:53 am

    AL-MONITOR – 4 January 2021
    https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2020/12/egypt-observatory-tobacco-smoking-coronavirus.html

    In co-operation with the World Health Organization, Egypt has launched the first observatory to monitor any violations from tobacco companies in Egypt and the Middle East, as the country faces a growing number of tobacco users.

    280 MILLION CIGARETTES – DAILY CONSUMPTION 2017-18

    4 BILLION PACKS OF CIGARETTES CONSUMED IN EGYPT ANNUALLY
    80 BILLION CIGARETTES
    $4.4. BILLION (70 BILLION EGYPTIAN POUNDS)

    50,000 TONS OF MUASSEL (TOBACCO USED FOR HOOKAH)
    $191 MILLION ( 3 BILLION EGYPTIAN POUNDS)
    The above includes other types of tobacco like cigars and pipes.

    The Chairman of Egypt’s Association against Smoking said that tobacco companies make profitable gains from this industry and do not prevent direct sales to minors or those under 18, adding that these companies even pay some scientists to claim that smoking protects against the current virus, without relying on any scientific data.

    Is mr chairman, Essam el-Moghazy on to something different and will it work?
    The plan of the association is to prevent direct and indirect advertising of tobacco companies, prevent advertising campaigns that promote donations from such companies to hospitals or oncology institutes, while they are in fact promoting their own products and causing the death of thousands of citizens suffering from respiratory diseases and cancer.

    The following are the latest statistics from the Central Agency for Public Mobilization & Statistics:

    25% HOUSEHOLD SPENDING IN EGYPT – TOBACCO | ALCOHOL | DRUGS

    171,000 DIE ANNUALLY DUE TO SMOKING-RELATED DISEASES

    Hookah smoking appears to be increasing with age.

    Whilst this article and the other 2 parts cover The Real Truth about Tobacco,
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-1/
    https://simplelivingglobal.com/the-real-truth-about-tobacco-part-2/

    it serves as a reminder for the reader to take note of what doctor Muhammad Amin has to say as he specializes in respiratory diseases and allergies. Here are some important points –

    Smoking is extremely bad for the health under normal circumstances. The hot air resulting from smoking enters the lungs’ airways where the hairs, similar to nasal hairs are shook 20,000 times.

    Nicotine that fills the lungs which is poison, destroys the respiratory system’s cells, causing cancerous infections and diseases. Smoking also causes normal cells to turn carcinogenic inside the body. Plus catarrh, bronchial asthma, pneumonia, enlargement of the heart muscle and respiratory failure.

    And finally, a statistical study in 2019 by the Cairo Center for Economic Studies and Alastaratejah showed Egypt was among the top 10 countries whose population smokes all kinds of tobacco.

    HELLO

    Dear World – we better all listen up and go back on this comment and read those statistics above.
    Tons of tobacco being consumed and billions and billions of cigarettes smoked and this is just one country in our world.

    This is a huge wake up call and a reminder that whilst the masses may have switched to vaping as an alternative to smoking, the real smokers are still puffing away and this country is telling us we are far from turning the tides on all forms of smoking.

    What this report is highlighting is there are those that need to be held accountable and the public deserve to know what is going on behind the scenes, so to speak, when it comes to this conglomerate multi-national gigantic tobacco industry.

    Great that we may have more transparency thanks to this chairman Essam and the World Health Organization, but let’s hope it does not lose traction as most things of this kind do.

    We cannot take on an industry of this epic proportion but what we can easily do is expose what is going on by alerting the public so we are no longer in the dark, being fooled, as the truth is we know things are not right. Governments need to be held accountable for allowing smoking to continue with little or no efforts to support all those addicted to this toxic substance.

    What is interesting is it is these governments and policy makers that get involved in the “consequences”. In other words, their health systems have to have an infra structure and funding to deal with the knock on effect of the ills and harm that smoking does to the human body.
    It makes no sense and yet it continues and has done so for centuries.

    Campaigning, fighting or championing to save the world from Tobacco will never work.
    We need to get down to ground zero and find out why anyone starts smoking. Most of us know of people around us that smoke and ask anyone and it is clear they started as a teenager. Rare do we find an elderly person who has just begun to smoke or ingest tobacco.

    This means we have future adult generations guaranteed to have ill health caused by the effects of smoking and let’s add to that the popularity of the modern day equivalent called e-cigarettes.

    The fact that the electronic version has the name “cigarette” tells us it is one and the same and yet we want to believe and subscribe to the distorted meaning as it suits us. One has flavour and bellows out lots of white cloud (no doubt polluting mother earth, but no research yet on this) and the other is an in your face toxic smell that most of us want to run from – both not designed for human consumption.

    Then we’ve got the hookah, which is like a social past time for many in the middle east and now super popular in the western world. Passing a mouthpiece with a group of people may not be the right move for some now that they have the fear instilled about a virus but let’s get real, it will not stop the habit as hookah is addictive and this forensic article is presenting the finite detail about this important form of ingesting a poison, regardless of the fact it comes in flavours like cherry, chocolate, coconut, cappuccino or watermelon.

    If the World Health Organization told us that Tobacco is the biggest ever public health threat that we have ever faced, do we need to make some decisions fast and not hold back in delay?

    What if we made the point of not having anyone who smokes, vapes, uses tobacco in any form, drinks alcohol or takes drugs to be making decisions on behalf of Public Health?

    In other words, we the public tell them “you cannot hold a position of power and be advising our country and the world on what to do and not do because you mr sir or ms madam have a blind spot and that is you continue in your private life to engage in activities that are harmfull to the human body and the very thing you want us to change in our lives. It will not work so please resign and move on, as we have serious work to do and that means recruiting those that walk the talk, know what they are on about and the quality of how they live their personal and private life is no different to work life. In other words, they offer a transparency so there is nothing hidden or going on behind the scenes.”

    Then we find out if they are doing porn and other such self-medication. We have the right to know this as we deserve not to be kept in the dark about these matters as they have been given these positions of authority that effect us all in a big way.

    Then we check them out and see how they benefit. Have they got a deal going here and there, backhanded? Being in with the so-called right people where they all profit and this will lead to exposing the corruption that we all know goes on but say nothing and do nothing as that is how we have operated and it is because that suits us.

    Now with those that need to go gone, we can bring in real education and present to our children, their parents and all those in our current education system that there is value and importance in teaching our kids about the ill effects of smoking, vaping, drugs and alcohol. We will add sugar on the school agenda as that is also a drug killing the human frame.

    We engage the kids and not just reel off facts, do a memory recall test and set them up to be competitive. No no – we find another way. We do not move on in class until all these young people understand what is being presented. We employ people like the author of this incredible website to lead projects and bring a new way of real education, which is for the people and about the people. This means teaching them from young about how to live human life and letting them know we are here to evolve and not be indulging in stuff that actually hurts our body.

    We keep it light and simple and then we call the shots, yes we the public have our say and demand independent research studies on how many of these kids end up being smokers or seeking any drugs and let’s include in that caffeine and alcohol.

    Enough said, time for change. The way we are living is making no sense, we all know that and yet we keep going and seeking solutions.

    This news article is saying we cannot continue and their aim is to call out the violations taking place within the tobacco industry.

    Reply
11. 
    Simple Living Global

    December 30, 2021 at 5:22 pm

    Sky News – 28 December 2021

    https://news.sky.com/story/teenagers-whose-parents-smoke-four-times-more-likely-to-take-up-the-habit-12504996

    Teenagers with parents who smoke are 4 times likely to take up the habit.

    Research has highlighted the impact adult smokers have on young people.

    Young teenagers who grow up with a smoking caregiver also smoke regularly.

    The NHS have released a film as part of the campaign showing health experts discussing the link between adults smoking and the chances of their children starting.

    It shows a family GP and smoking cessation experts from Imperial College London urging parents to quit for their new year resolution.

    The Health Minister is hoping this film will give people the extra will power and motivation to quit smoking, as many attempt in January.

    Do we need to question WHY we have so much support and the majority continue to smoke?

    Firstly, why are apps, social media, receiving daily emails, texts and an online Personal Quit Plan not cutting it?

    Do we need to consider that there is more at play with a smoker and it is not a simple thing of giving up as it’s a New Year?

    How many of us give up something like smoking and go to another habit forming substance like vaping, cannabis, eating more chocolate, sugary foods or junk foods?

    Are we seriously going to listen to qualified experts in the field of smoking cessation, who urge us to quit or will we nod and say yes but have no real intention of stopping, or are we so owned by the habit that we simply find it impossible to just stop?

    Is quitting smoking really simple or are there deeper and more underlying issues that must be dealt with first if we are to see real change, turn the tides and have statistics that are consistently demonstrating how people stopped smoking?

    Reply
12. 
    Simple Living Global

    August 29, 2022 at 6:34 pm

    European Society of Cardiology – 25 August 2022

    https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/Smoking-is-even-more-damaging-to-the-heart-than-previously-thought

    Smoking is causing even more damage to the heart than previously thought.

    Smokers have weaker hearts than non-smokers, according to research presented at the ESC Congress 2022. The study found that the more people smoked, the worse their heart function became.

    It is well known that smoking causes blocked arteries, leading to coronary heart disease and stroke. It also shows that smoking leads to thicker, weaker hearts. It meaNs that smokers have a smaller volume of blood in the left heart chamber and less power to pump it out to the rest of the body. The more you smoke, the worse your heart function becomes. The heart can recuperate to some degree with smoking cessation, so it is never too late to quit.” said study author Dr. Eva Holt of Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark.

    She concluded: “Our study indicates that smoking not only damages the blood vessels but also directly harms the heart. Some damage is reversible by giving up.”

    The researchers noted that cigarette smoking is responsible for 50% of all avoidable deaths in smokers, with half of these due to atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
    https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2022/08/25/smoking-heart-damage-study/3421661433475/

    They said the detrimental effects of smoking on the arteries and arterial diseases, such as heart attack and stroke, are well established.

    Studies also have linked smoking to a higher risk of heart failure.

    Reply
13. 
    Simple Living Global

    April 6, 2023 at 6:03 pm

    NOTE – 30 September 2022

    UPI Health News – 29 September 2022

    https://www.upi.com/Health_News/2022/09/29/smoking-costs-economy-900-billion/2711664458415/

    $891 BILLION A YEAR – ECONOMIC COST OF CIGARETTE SMOKING IN U.S. 2020

    States lost $1,100 income per person annually (per capita) on average from cigarette smoking, according to a new study from the American Cancer Society. The largest losses were in the states of Kentucky, West Virginia and Arkansas.

    This is almost 10 times the cigarette industry’s $92 billion revenue.

    “Economic losses from cigarette smoking far outweigh any economic benefit from the tobacco industry – wages and salaries of those employed by the industry, tax revenue and industry profit combined.

    As a society, we can mitigate these economic losses through co-ordinated and comprehensive evidence-based tobacco control measures, which encourage people to quit smoking and prevent people from starting to smoke in the first place.”
    Dr. Nigar Nargis – Senior Scientific Director of Tobacco Control Research | American Cancer Society.

    “The damage this industry causes on individuals’ lives and our nation’s economy is horrifying. It is particularly alarming but not surprising to see some of the states with the highest economic loss have the weakest tobacco control policies in place. We know what works to reduce tobacco use and lessen this burden and it is past time we get it done’”
    Lisa Lacasse – President of the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network

    Reply
14. 
    Simple Living Global

    July 9, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    eCancer – 4 July 2023

    Cigarette smoke and HPV have synergistic effect on cells, heightening the risk of head and neck cancer.

    https://ecancer.org/en/news/23312-cigarette-smoke-and-hpv-have-synergistic-effects-on-cells-heightening-the-risk-of-head-and-neck-cancer

    Tobacco smoking and human papillomavirus (HPV) are both well-known risk factors for head and neck cancer and there is ample evidence to show they can interact to increase still further the risk of contracting the disease.

    The results of the study clarify aspects of the molecular mechanisms involved in head and neck cancer, paving the way for novel strategies of prevention and treatment, or other interventions that could benefit patients.

    Head and neck cancer is a group of cancers of the:

    • Mouth
    • Nose
    • Sinuses
    • Tonsils
    • Throat
    • Thyroid

    2020
    830,000 people worldwide affected and causing the death of more than 50%.

    2019
    21,000 deaths in Brazil

    Historically speaking, its main causes have been Alcohol, Tobacco and poor Oral Hygiene, but in recent decades HPV has become a significant risk factor, especially for younger people and relatively well-off patients.

    Head and neck cancer is now one of the fastest-rising types of cancer associated with HPV in the world.

    The researchers first conducted in-vitro experiments to analyse oral cells that expressed the oncoproteins HPV16 E6 and E7 (showing infection by HPV) and were exposed to cigarette smoke condensate.

    Levels of SOD2 and DNA damage were found to increase significantly compared with controls, pointing to harmful interaction between HPV and cigarette smoke.

    The control cells expressed less SOD2 than the cells expressed E6 and E7 or the cells exposed to cigarette smoke, while the cells that expressed the oncoproteins and were exposed to cigarette smoke expressed more SOD2 than either, indicating interaction between the presence of HPV genes and cigarette smoke.

    SOD2 – superoxide dismutase 2, a putative biomarker of oral cancer malignancy and other diseases associated with HPV.
    Enrique Boccardo, Professor in the Department of Microbiology at the University of São Paulo’s Biomedical Sciences Institute, Brazil

    Reply
15. 
    Simple Living Global

    August 6, 2023 at 6:12 pm

    Science Magazine – 1 August 2023

    https://scienmag.com/millions-of-long-term-smokers-have-lung-disease-that-defies-diagnosis/

    According to a new study, millions of Americans with tobacco-related lung disease have symptoms that do not fit any existing tobacco-related disease criteria – including the most common of those, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).

    The researcher found that half of the participants with extensive tobacco exposure had a persistently high level of respiratory symptoms, including shortness of breath, daily cough and phlegm and decreased ability to exercise, but performed well in the breathing tests used to diagnose COPD.

    COPD is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and is frequently associated with long-term tobacco exposure.

    2020
    12.5 million Americans reported having been diagnosed with COPD, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet previous studies indicated that more than 18 million had evidence of impaired lung function – a sign that millions more might be suffering without a clear diagnosis.

    “The findings suggest that a large proportion of tobacco smoke-exposed persons without airflow obstruction have a persistent, symptomatic non-obstructive chronic airway disease that is distinct form COPD” said Prescott Woodruff, MD, MPH, UCSF Division Chief of Pulmonology.

    “Even in persons with no respiratory symptoms and normal breathing tests, smoking continues to harm their lungs. The study results highlight the importance of smoking cessation” said James Kiley – PhD.,
    Director of the Division of Lung Diseases – National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.

    The study also found an increased risk of progression to COPD in black participants as compared with white participants.

    Reply
16. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 20, 2023 at 5:07 am

    The Guardian – 16 September 2023

    https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/16/dire-need-for-labels-on-alcohol-and-ads-about-unhealthy-eating-to-cut-avoidable-cancers

    Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) latest annual Smokefree GB adults and youth survey results say –

    12,000 adults who were weighted to reflect the UK population as a whole, had found
    55% of 18 to 24 year-olds who smoke knew that doing so caused cancer, while even fewer were aware that it also caused strokes

    46% aware it caused strokes
    50% heart disease
    55% lung problems

    That was far fewer than the very large majorities of those aged 25 or over who were aware of those links.

    Adult vaping results among those aged 18+ shows that currently vaping has grown among adult smokers between 2021 and 2023.

    Youth vaping – there was a significant increase in experimentation (trying once or twice) between 2022 and 2023 continuing the trend from 2021.

    https://ash.org.uk/uploads/Headline-results-ASH-Smokefree-GB-adults-and-youth-survey-results-2023.pdf

    Reply
17. 
    Simple Living Global

    September 23, 2023 at 1:06 pm

    University of Florida News – 18 September 2023

    https://www.news.ufl.edu/2023/09/secondhand-smoke-exposure/

    56 million Americans are unknowingly and routinely exposed to toxic secondhand smoke. According to new research, the vast majority of them were unaware.

    “There is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure and long term exposure can increase the risk of many chronic conditions, such as coronary heart disease, respiratory disease and cancers” said Ruixuan Wang – College of Public Health and Health Professionals at the University of Florida.

    51% of adults had the by product of nicotine detected in the blood.

    However, less than half of the people with evidence of secondhand smoke exposure reported being exposed to smoke, leaving a large and previously unreported gap in awareness about secondhand smoke.

    It is unclear why the level of under-reported exposure was so high.
    Researchers say it could be that low-level exposure may not be noticed. Being in a public setting and maybe not even being aware of someone using tobacco and maybe it’s so minor, they forget.

    There is also a possibility say researchers that some respondents were aware of some secondhand smoke exposure but chose not to report it due to the stigma.

    Reply
18. 
    Simple Living Global

    October 15, 2023 at 5:45 pm

    Duke University School of Medicine – 9 October 2023

    https://corporate.dukehealth.org/news/menthol-ban-looming-cigarette-makers-turn-synthetic-substitutes

    According to a new study from Duke Health, synthetic chemicals that mimic menthol’s cooling sensations are being added to newly introduced “non-menthol” cigarettes in states that have banned the additive.

    The additives appear to be an effort to circumvent an expected federal ban of menthol cigarettes by the FDA later this year.

    California and Massachusetts have enacted laws banning sales of menthol cigarettes.

    Menthol cigarettes are often favoured by young people and those just starting to smoke.
    Historically, menthol cigarettes have also been aggressively marketed towards African Americans.

    90% of African Americans who smoke use menthol cigarettes.

    The study results signify “that these new ‘non-menthol’ cigarettes can produce the same cooling sensations as menthol cigarettes and thereby facilitate smoking initiation. Allowing these cigarettes to be marketed would nullify several of the expected public health benefits from state and federal bans of menthol cigarettes.”
    Sairam V. Jabba – Lead Author and senior research scientist at Duke.

    Reply
19. 
    Tim Bowyer

    October 29, 2023 at 5:16 pm

    11 October 2023

    Rutgers State University, New Jersey – 5 October 2023

    https://www.rutgers.edu/news/rutgers-helps-document-how-surge-cheap-flavored-cigars-targets-young-consumers

    The FDA prepares to issue a final rule prohibiting flavored cigars.

    According to a report compiled by Rutgers Institute for Nicotine and Tobacco Studies and the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, sales of all cigars more than doubled between 2000 and 2021, largely driven by increased sales in smaller cigars, many of which are flavoured.

    The hundreds of flavoured cigars make up half the cigar market, with flavours ranging from fruit punch and grape to Berry Fusion Iced Donut and Cherry Dynamite.

    “Kids are the most price sensitive consumers in any market and these cigars are cheap. A pack of three cigars often sells for 99 cents. The sweet flavours also appeal to children.

    The report notes that these flavoured products have helped make cigars the second most popular tobacco product among youth, after e-cigarettes.

    500,000 youth use cigars and each day and more than 800 youth try cigar smoking for the first time.

    Black youths have the highest rates of cigar smoking, with black high school students using cigars at 105 times the rate of white high schoolers.

    The FDA announced a proposed rule in April 2022 based on evidence that cigar use poses serious health risks, flavours increase the appeal of cigars and make them easier to use, especially for the youth, and removing flavoured cigars from the market would reduce the number of youths who smoke cigars.

    Flavours are already prohibited in cigarettes except for menthol flavoured cigarettes – which the FDA is proposing to prohibit.

    Other findings of the report:

    • Flavours improve the taste and mask the harshness of tobacco making it more appealing and easier to smoke for beginners.
    • The most popular cigar brands come in an array of candy and fruit flavours
    • Flavours can create the impression that a product is less harmful than it really is
    • Cigar smoke is composed of the same toxic and carcinogenic constituents found in cigarette smoke.
    • Cigar smoking causes cancer of the oral cavity, larynx, oesophagus and lungs
    • Daily cigar smokers have an increased risk of heart disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and aortic aneurysm.

    Cigar makers use a variety of marketing strategies to attract young people:

    • Shiny colourful packaging that boldly communicates sweet flavours
    • Engaging in social media trends
    • Sponsoring concerts and other events
    • Recruiting celebrities for endorsements and keeping prices low

    Cigars are promoted through in-store displays, in magazines, and with branded merchandise and rewards programs.

    Many of these strategies are used to promote cigars, specifically in Black communities.

    The first thing we probably want to do when reading this is to blame the manufacturers for creating these products.

    Yes, it can be seen a very cynical approach by targeting the youth with these sweet flavours and bright colours and we may feel very justified in our anger towards them.

    But they will only create a product where there is a demand for said product.

    The one thing that stood out for me is the fact that the FDA has already prohibited flavours in cigarettes (except the menthol flavoured ones which the FDA is proposing to prohibit).

    If they have already prohibited flavours in cigarettes, and they know that cigar smoke is composed of the same toxic and carcinogenic constituents found in cigarette smoke, why have they allowed these flavours to be used in the first place?

    Is it due to the demand?

    Reply