Smoking is the inhalation of the smoke of burning tobacco encased in cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Casual smoking is the act of smoking only occasionally, usually in a social situation or to relieve stress. A smoking habit is a physical addiction to tobacco products. Many health experts now regard habitual smoking as a psychological addiction, too, and one with serious health consequences.
Smoking during pregnancy puts children at risk of psychotic symptoms – Mothers who smoke during pregnancy put their children at greater risk of developing psychotic symptoms in their teenage years. New research published in the October issue of the British Journal of Psychiatry shows a link between maternal tobacco use and psychotic symptoms.
Banning smoking in public places and workplaces is good for the heart — Inhaling secondhand smoke greatly increases risk of heart attack, even among young and nonsmokers. – Public smoking bans appear to significantly reduce the risk of heart attacks, particularly among younger individuals and nonsmokers, revealed by researchers in a new study.
Anti-smoking law helps waiters to quit smoking — The results confirm that 5 percent of waiters have stopped smoking. – Researchers from the Catalan Institute of Oncology have studied the impact of the law banning smoking in public places such as bars and restaurants on those working in these places.
Smokers’ tongues fail taste test — Nicotine may cause functional and morphological alterations of fungiform papillae or taste buds on the tongue. – Smokers have fewer and flatter taste buds. A study of the tongues of 62 Greek soldiers, published in the open access journal BMC Ear, Nose and Throat Disorders, has demonstrated how cigarettes deaden the ability to taste.
Pre-Cessation Patch Doubles Quit Success Rate: Researchers Call for Labeling Changes – Using a nicotine patch before quitting smoking can double success rates, revealed by researchers at the Duke University Medical Center. This should be highlighted on nicotine patch labeling.
FDA: Boxed Warning on Serious Mental Health Events to be Required for Chantix and Zyban – Smoking cessation drugs Chantix and Zyban are causing unusual changes in behavior, depression, and suicidal thinking in those who have taken these drugs to quit their smoking habits.
Researcher explores why smoking increases the risk of heart disease and strokes – Researchers at Charles Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles and Western University of Health Sciences in Pomona have discovered a reason why smoking increases the risk of heart disease and strokes.
Report on US tobacco control policies and use finds stark contrasts in progress among states – The United States is becoming a nation of haves and have-nots when it comes to tobacco control, according to a comprehensive publication on cigarette smoking prevalence and policies in the U.S. that was released today.
WHO urged governments to require that all tobacco packages include pictorial warnings to show the sickness and suffering caused by tobacco use. – Warnings on tobacco product packaging increase public awareness of the serious health risks of tobacco use. Images are a particularly powerful and cost-effective vehicle for communicating the risks.
Computer-based programs provide help for smokers trying to quit – Trying to quit cigarettes but don’t know how? A new analysis led by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Public Health, suggests that Web- and computer-based smoking cessation programs are worth a try, and fortunately during these tough economic times, many of them are free.
Enforcement of underage sales laws as a predictor of daily smoking among adolescents – a national study. – Increased merchant compliance with underage tobacco sale laws contributes to lower daily smoking in adolescents and provides a complementary measure to raising cigarette prices in order to decrease smoking rates among youth.
Tobacco smoke could possibly harm cardiovascular function. – Secondhand tobacco smoke and smoke from cooking oil and wood smoke affected cardiovascular function of men and women who were exposed to small doses of the smoke for as little as 10 minutes, according to a study from the University of Kentucky.
