Tag Archives: cigarettes

Stub out unsightly yellow teeth in Stoptober

Posted on by

The most recognisable sign of a smoker is yellow stained teeth from the build-up of toxic chemicals from tobacco onto the surface.

If your teeth have been discoloured by the effects of smoking (or coffee or wine), erase stains and turn back the clock to a more healthier-looking you this Stoptober no-smoking month, by restoring your smile with a new at home products Luster and iWhite. All are available to buy atBoots.com

iWhite Whitening Toothpaste attacks surface and deep tooth staining with an active whitening formula for daily use. iWhite Instant toothpaste also strengthens and remineralises teeth, for an intensely shining smile that is strong as iron. iWhite Whitening Toothpaste 75ml, £9.95.

120637sim-iWhite-Instant-box

Buy at Boots.com

 

iWhite Whitening Mouthwash gives an immediate instant whitening effect with ONE USE and DEEP teeth brightening with DAILY USE thanks to triple-action whitening technology. iWhite Whitening Mouthwash 500ml, £8.95.

 

IW_mouthwash

Buy at Boots.com

Luster Premium White Pro Light Whitening System is the UK’s first complete DIY teeth whitening kit to use the same paint-on whitening gel and Dual-Action ‘blue light’ technology used by dentist, to quickly and safely achieve a smile that makes you feel new. And best of all, you can do it right at home – on your schedule. Luster Premium White Pro Light Whitening System £49.99.

 

Luster Prolight Kit

Buy at Boots.com

Hollywood legend Nick Nolte finally bins his tobacco habit

Posted on by

noltenick.jpg 

Hollywood actor Nick Nolte has binned his bad smoking habit with the help of an “electronic” cigarette.

NN.jpgNick who has had more than his fair share of negative publicity over the years.
Who can forget his mad haired police mug-shot below following his 2002 arrest on suspicion of drink driving?
When blood tests revealed the presence of the date rape drug GHB, Nolte, who starred alongside Eddie Murphy in 48 Hours back in 1982, allegedly said, “I’ve been taking it for four years and I’ve never been raped yet.”

Now though it seems the 69 year old has put his well publicised battles with drink and drugs firmly behind him – and he’s even managed to kick tobacco into touch after taking up a SmokeStik.

Nolte, voted the ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ by People magazine in 1992, was given a SmokeStik, the world’s leading brand of electronic cigarette, six months ago and yesterday admitted it had helped him to quit the cigs.

In a statement Nolte said: “Using Smokestik is a real good way to get off the cigarette. If you have a relapse with regular cigarettes, immediately pick up the Smokestik.”

SmokeStik’s are battery operated devices which give smokers a nicotine hit without the need for harmful tobacco. They’ve been eagerly adopted by big name celebrities such as Leonardo DiCaprio, Lindsay Lohan, and Paris Hilton.

A spokesman said: “We are thrilled that Nick Nolte has become the latest celebrity to quit smoking thanks to SmokeStik.”

SmokeStiks release only an odourless vapour and are believed to be relatively healthy compared to traditional tobacco based cigarettes.

They are not restricted by the ban on smoking in public places and can be enjoyed in bars and restaurants – a factor which has led to many US smokers ditching tobacco in their favour.

The spokesman confirmed the product was selling well since its launch last year.

For more information please visit www.SmokeStikUSA.com

Stop smoking – get tips from experts in online TV chat

Posted on by

image

London: Smoking kills. That is a fact. It also stinks, ruins your teeth and pollutes the air for your friends and children – potentially making them ill too. If you want to stop – you can get free help from experts.

Log on to our live and interactive webTV show tomorrow, Friday, October 16 at 3pm by clicking on this link Stop Smoking WebTV Show.

Before the show you can get involved by submit your own top tips (click on the link above to leave your questions and tips) – if they worked for you, chances are they might also work for someone else

Featuring on the show for is Professor Gerard Hastings (pictured), the Director of the Institute for Social Marketing and the Cancer Research UK Centre for Tobacco Control Research. He’ll be joined by Alison Walsh (pictured) the Director of Health and Equality for QUIT, an independent charity whose aim is to save lives by helping smokers to stop.


Pretending to smoke a pencil instead of a cigarette, using a toothpick to keep hands occupied or substituting your fag fix for fun in the bedroom… Silly as they might sound, these are just some of the tried-and-tested methods that have proved successful for real-life quitters.

In England alone, over 80,000 deaths per year are due to smoking, a significant portion of the nation’s 8.5 million smokers. Over the past few month people across Europe have been sharing their real-life quit tips online for the European Union’s “HELP” campaign, and now our live and interactive Web TV show will be revealing the best tips. So if you’re one of the 69% of smokers trying to give up the habit, or know a close friend or family member who is trying to quit, make sure you tune in.

DON’T LET THE GRIM REAPER GET YOU!

Speak to Gerard Hastings and Alison Walsh jlive online at Quit Smoking TV chat on Friday 16th October at 3.00pm to discuss the top tips to quitting smoking

For more information visit www.help-eu.com

Non-smokers live longer

Posted on by

image

London: Smoking matters more than money and class in determining how long you will live, researchers said.

Smokers from the highest social class are more likely to die early than non-smokers in the lowest class. And smoking also wipes out the longevity advantage that woman normally have over men.

The findings came from a massive study involving more than 15,000 men and women in Paisley and Renfrew. Carried out over the course of 28 years, the findings are reported today in the online edition of the British Medical Journal.

The researchers found that a well-off professional who smokes has a far lower survival rate than a non-smoking low-paid worker of the same sex. Among both men and women, smokers of all social classes ran a much higher risk of dying early than non-smokers from the lowest social classes.

“In essence, neither affluence nor being female offers a defence against the toxicity of tobacco,” said the researchers, led by Dr Laurence Gruer, director of public health science with NHS Health Scotland.

The findings also suggest there is little scope for reducing class-related health inequalities unless smoking rates in the lower social classes can be reduced.

The study began with 8,353 women and 7,049 men aged 45-64 in the early 1970s. These were then divided into 24 groups – male or female, smokers, ex-smokers or never-smokers – and all categorised in one of four social class headings.

After 28 years, 56% of non-smoking women and 36% of non-smoking men in the bottom two social classes were still alive – compared with only 41% of women smokers in the top two classes and 24% of men.

The researchers also found that most deaths from lung cancer were among smokers. There were 842 deaths from lung cancer – 5% of them among those who had never smoked, 9% amongst former smokers, and 86% among current smokers.

The researchers also found that the death rate for ex-smokers was similar to those who had never smoked, suggesting that quitting can make a significant difference regardless of status.

Why a daily coffee can keep cancer at bay

Posted on by

image

London: The UK’s leading mouth cancer campaigners have urged the population to wake up to a pot of coffee and boost chances of keeping clear of cancer.

The British Dental Health Foundation has welcomed news of coffee’s potential after Japanese scientists found a cup of coffee a day made drinkers half as likely to develop oral cancer.

Drinking habits could prove a real boost in the fight to curb deaths from mouth cancer – which kills one person every five hours in the UK.

Cutting down on alcohol is another positive lifestyle choice. Alcohol and tobacco are linked to 80 per cent of cases, while people both drinking and smoking are 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer.

Foundation chief executive Dr Nigel Carter said: “Though quitting smoking and alcohol are the two most positive lifestyle resolutions this New Year, research has shown a coffee a day could help against mouth cancer.

“Our Mouth Cancer Action Week campaign each year also points out the need to visit the dentist regularly for oral cancer screenings, and if in doubt, get checked out.”

Around 5,000 people are diagnosed with mouth cancer reach year in the UK.
Regular dental visits are vital as symptoms often occur pain free, so expert check-ups are necessary.

Self-examination for warning signs – including non-healing ulcers, red and white patches in the mouth or unusual lumps or changes in the mouth – is also an effective way of staying safe.

The recent coffee research was carried out by a team at Japan’s Tohoku University School of Medicine, and tracked 40,000 people aged 40-64 over a 13 year period.

Studies showed people drinking at least a coffee a day were 49 per cent less likely to develop cancers of the mouth or oesophagus. In their report, published by the American Journal of Epidemiology, scientists noted an inverse association between drinking coffee and those at most risk of mouth cancer.

For nore information visit the website www.mouthcancer.org

Facts and Figures

* In the UK over 4,750 are diagnosed each year
* Around 1,700 people die of mouth cancer every year
* Mouth cancer is more common in men than women, but the gap is closing
* Mouth cancer is more likely to affect people over 40 years of age, though an increasing number of young people are developing the condition
* Tobacco and alcohol are thought to contribute to 80 per cent of mouth cancer cases
* Smoking is the number one cause for mouth cancer. Cigarette smoke converts saliva into a deadly cell-damaging cocktail
* Switching to low-tar cigarettes will not help, as smokers of ‘lights’ tend to inhale more smoke than smokers of ‘regular’ cigarettes
*Although some people believe that chewing tobacco is safer than smoking, the reality is that it is even more dangerous. Chewing tobacco, paan, areca nut and gutkha are habits favoured by some ethnic groups
* Alcohol aids absorption of smoke into the mouth – people who smoke and drink alcohol to excess are 30 times more likely to develop mouth cancer
* Poor diet is linked to a third of all cancer cases. Evidence shows an increase in fruit and vegetables lowers the risk, as can fish and eggs
* It is recommended that people enjoy a healthy, balanced diet, including food from each of the major food groups and including fruit and vegetables of all different colours as each colour contains different vitamins
* Research now suggests the human papilloma virus (HPV) – transmitted by oral sex – could soon rival smoking and drinking as a main cause of mouth cancer.
* Early detection and treatment considerably increases survival chances, allows for simpler treatment and results in a better quality of life for sufferers

About The Charity

The British Dental Health Foundation is the UK’s leading oral health charity, with a 30-year track record of providing public information and influencing government policy. It maintains a free consumer advice service, an impartial and objective product accreditation scheme, publishes and distributes a wide range of literature for the profession and consumers.
National Smile Month runs each May, to promote greater awareness of the benefits of better oral health, with Mouth Cancer Action Week each November.

The Dental Helpline, which offers free impartial dental advice to consumers, can be contacted on 0845 063 1188 between 9am and 5pm, Monday to Friday or by e- mailing helpline@dentalhealth.org.uk

Cigarette poison kills anti-ageing gene, new research reveals

Posted on by

image

New York: Scientists have discovered one of the ways in which smoking cigarettes makes you age faster and puts you at risk of diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer.

Researchers at the University of Rochester in the US found that the toxins in cigarette smoke wipe out a gene that protects the body against premature ageing.

Dr Irfan Rahman, associate professor of environmental medicine and an investigator in the University of Rochester’s Lung Biology and Disease Programme, noted: “You can be 45 years old and look great on the outside, but if you are a smoker or former smoker, your lungs can easily be 60 years old because of the chemical assault.”

Cigarettes contain around 4,700 toxic chemical compounds which decrease the lungs’ production of SIRT1, a protein that helps to regulate chronic inflammation, cancer and ageing.

The University of Rochester team, in collaboration with Finland’s Helsinki University Hospital, confirmed that levels of SIRT1 are significantly lower in smokers than in non-smokers.

This in turn affects genes that help to detoxify the airways, speeding up the ageing process of the lungs.

The findings are published in the American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine and in the American Journal of Physiology.

The winter flu season – no better time to quit smoking?

Posted on by

image

London: The smoking ban, which came into effect earlier this year, leaves the UK’s 12 million smokers facing a very bleak winter… So if hanging outside in the bitter cold to indulge in a cigarette doesn’t seem like such a good idea any more, there really is no better time to finally kick the habit.

The good news for those determined to stop smoking this season is that from the moment you have your last cigarette, your body begins to heal. It only takes 20 minutes for your blood pressure to return to normal. Within 24 hours the carbon monoxide levels in your blood will drop. After 48 hours nicotine is eliminated from the body and there’s an improvement in taste and smell. If giving up for just two days can have this kind of effect, just imagine how good you’ll feel if you give up for good.

But trying to go it alone in your quit attempt is not the route to success, only 3% of smokers who attempt to quit using willpower alone are smokefree a year later. But, it seems even brief advice from a healthcare professional can increase the likelihood of a smoker staying off cigarettes by up to 30%. As support is fundamental to quitting, a campaign called SERIOUSQUITTERS has launched to offer just that, a support system for those aiming to stub it out for good.

TV presenter Kate Thornton was herself a former smoker, explains why she is supporting the new Serious Quitters campaign: “Giving up smoking was one of the hardest but also one of the most rewarding things I’ve ever done. I would urge any smoker to stop and really think about what they are doing to themselves every time they light up. I never ever thought I could do it. That is why I am urging smokers who want to quit to access the information and support available from SERIOUSQUITTERS and hopefully taking the first step in stopping for good.”

For more information visit www.seriousquitters.co.uk

New anti smoking pill on way

Posted on by

Los Angeles: A pill to help smokers fight cigarette addiction has been approval by the FDA in the US and could also gon on sale in Britain.

Chantix (barenicline tartrate), made by pharmaceutical company Pfizer, works by duplicating the affect of nicotine.

A recent study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine found almost half the smokers who took Chantix managed to quit. The trials suggest it is twice as effective as another drug Zyban, which is an anti-depressant.The new drug works by blocking withdrawal symptoms.

In the US study, researchers from Los Angeles Clinical Trials and the Varenicline Study Group tested the drug, Zyban or a placebo on 626 men and women aged 18 to 65 to either Chantix in three different doses, Zyban or a placebo.

After 12 weeks, 38.8 per cent of those who took Chantix managed to quit, compared to 19.8 per cent for Zyban and 10.6 per cent for the placebo.

Nicotine cravings were significantly reduced for those taking the highest dose of Chantix compared to the placebo. Zyban also reduced craving, but to a lesser extent.

The pill had some side effects, including nausea, but spacing out the doses over the course of the day appeared to lessen the impact.

Smokers more likely to be depressed

Posted on by

Oslo: Smokers are more likely to suffer from depression than non-smokers, researchers in have found.

An 11-year study of adults found that the level of depression increased the more cigarettes smoked and heavy smokers – those on more than 20 a day – were four times more likely to suffer.

The report from the University of Oslo concluded that nicotine may change brain levels of the mood enhancing chemical serotonin in long-term smokers.

Just one to four cigarettes daily triples risk of dying of heart disease or lung cancer

Posted on by

Oslo: Smoking just one to four cigarettes a day almost triples a smoker’s risk of heart disease and lung cancer, reveals a large study in Tobacco Control.

The impact is stronger for women, the study shows, and quashes the cherished notion that “light” smokers escape the serious health problems faced by heavier smokers.

The research, carried out by the National Health Screening Service and the Institute of Public Health, tracked the health and death rates of almost 43,000 men and women from the mid 1970s up to 2002. All the participants were aged between 35 and 49 at the start of the study, when they were screened for cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Although a significant proportion of the light smokers increased their daily consumption, this had not exceeded 9 cigarettes a day. And almost as many had given up as had increased their consumption.

Taking account of risk factors likely to influence the findings, the data nevertheless showed that light smoking endangered health. The steepest risk occurred between nought and four cigarettes a day.

Compared with those who had never smoked, those who smoked between 1 and 5 cigarettes a day were almost three times as likely to die of coronary artery disease.

While there was little difference in the risk of dying from any type of cancer, this was not the case for lung cancer.

Men who were light smokers were almost three times as likely to be killed by lung cancer. And women were almost five times as likely to die of the disease as their non-smoking peers.

Light smokers also had significantly higher death rates from all causes – 1.5 times – than those who had never smoked, with the death rates corresponding to the number of cigarettes smoked every day.

As the light smokers had smoked for fewer years than the heavy smokers, the researchers analysed the projected impact of smoking at this level for five years.

This indicated that the risk of death from coronary artery disease would have been 7% higher, and the risk of lung cancer would have been 47% higher in women.