(WHAS11) The Metro Health Department has launched a new campaign using text messages as a way to get teens to stop smoking; and they’ve recruited members of the group Nappy Roots to help spread the word.
Nappy Roots group members B-Stille and Clutch stopped by the WHAS11 studios on Thursday to give us more information about this campaign.
Heavy Smoking Linked to Alzheimer's, Dementia Risk
Looking to lower your odds of developing Alzheimer's disease and dementia? Stop smoking if you light up. New research finds that heavy smoking during middle age more than doubles a person's risk of these brain disorders later in life. People who smoke two packs of cigarettes a day increase their risk of Alzheimer's by 157 percent, according to a study published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine. And they have a 172 percent higher risk of developing vascular dementia, the second-most-common form of dementia after Alzheimer's. Researchers analyzed the medical records of more than 20,000 people who were followed for 23 years starting in their 50s and 60s to see who would develop these conditions as they hit their twilight years The heightened risk may be due to smoking causing tissue inflammation, which plays a role in Alzheimer's, the study authors say. "We've known for some time that smoking is bad for your respective health," research scientist Rachel Whitmer told Reuters. "This really adds to our understanding that the brain is also susceptible."
Teens Lie About Drug Use, (And So Do Parents)
Teenagers' confidential reports about illicit drug use are used by doctors and public health experts to measure the extent of the problem, and to help teens in trouble. But it turns out that teens fib big time in those anonymous surveys—and their parents do, too, writes U.S. News correspondent Nancy Shute.
Researchers asked 432 African-American teenagers and their parents to participate in an anonymous survey about their use of cocaine, opiates, and marijuana, and said they would also be drug-tested. Of the 211 teenagers whose hair was tested for cocaine, 2 said they used it—while 69, or 34 percent, tested positive, according to a new study in Pediatrics. Of the 244 parents tested, 15 said they had used cocaine, while 69, or 28 percent, tested positive.
The parents surveyed were pretty bad at guessing if their child was using alcohol or drugs. For instance, 9.6 percent of the parents said their teenager drank alcohol, while 25 percent of the teenagers said they did. With marijuana, 9.5 percent of parents said their teenager smoked dope, while 17 percent of the teens said they did. [Read more: Teens Lie About Drug Use, (And So Do Parents).]
Obesity Drug Failure Leaves Fewer Options for Diabetics
When it comes to dealing with the rapidly inflating diabetes epidemic, U.S. public health experts face a long, tough road ahead, writes U.S. News's Deborah Kotz. Diabetes rates are expected to soar: As many as 1 in 3 adults will develop the chronic, life-threatening disease by 2050 compared to 1 in 10 with type 1 or type 2 diabetes today, according to estimates released Friday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And drugs to treat obesity, a major cause of type 2 diabetes, are in the dumpster: While the obesity drug Meridia (sibutramine) was withdrawn from the market earlier this month due to its link to heart attacks and strokes (not that it was particular effective), lorcaserin, an experimental weight-loss pill, will probably never be sold. It was rejected a few days ago by the Food and Drug Administration due to still-unanswered questions about its effects on diabetics and concerns over an animal study showing high rates of cancer in rats that were given the drug.
While Arena Pharmaceuticals, maker of lorcaserin, vows to continue pursuing approval, Jack Lief, its chief executive, acknowledged in a Monday conference call with reporters that obesity drugs don't work very well in diabetics. The FDA is currently reviewing applications for two other experimental obesity drugs, but if the past is any indication, they, too, may only produce modest weight loss along with health risks that may not be known until the drugs are prescribed to many folks for years. (Meridia was on the market for 13 years before the full extent of its heart risks became known.) [Read more: Obesity Drug Failure Leaves Fewer Options for Diabetics.]
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This week is National Respiratory Care Week, so I began to look for ways to improve lung health and function.
At the top of the list would be to stop smoking if you are a smoker. But it's also important to avoid secondhand smoke if at all possible.
We are blessed in this area to enjoy clean air. In larger cities, smog is a source of lung problems. But we need to be aware of other environmental hazards. Household cleaners may contain chemicals that pose a threat. Read the labels and take appropriate precautions such as ensuring proper ventilation and/or wearing a mask. Be alert to other sources of harmful fumes as well.
Developing a healthy lifestyle that includes exercise will also help maintain and improve lung function. Small changes such as parking farther away and walking a few extra steps to the store or making it a point to walk briskly for a few minutes at a time several times a day can help. Working your abdominal area by doing exercises such as sit ups and crunches will strengthen the muscles that help you breathe in and out.
It is also good for your lungs to spend a little time breathing deeply, filling them from the bottom up.
According to most of the information I found, making a few small changes can make a big difference in your lung health.
Sharon Miller is the coordinator of the Schliemann Center for Women's Health Education at Baxter Regional Medical Center and a former award-winning reporter forThe Bulletin.
October 20, 2010 (WLS) -- Studies in the past have found that a pregnant woman's weight and state of health can affect her fetus. Now, researchers say, a father's health and lifestyle may also be important. Animal studies are finding that fathers who eat a high-fat diet may give their daughters diabetes.
Men have already been advised to stop smoking and consume less alcohol around conception.
Now, researchers reporting in the journal Nature say that advice may need to include maintaining a healthy body weight and diet. They suspect an overweight man's sperm may be influenced by hormonal and metabolic changes. And that is somehow being transmitted to the offspring and into their pancreas.
(Copyright ©2010 WLS-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Healthbeat »A GROUP of ‘heroes’ who helped encourage healthier lifestyles has been praised by NHS workers.
NHS Halton and St Helens Health Improvement Team and the SUPPORT Stop Smoking Service have reported that their summer campaign to get people to quit smoking was a success.
The ‘Quit hero’ drive involved real life quitters who had successfully used the SUPPORT Stop Smoking Service by getting them to star in a campaign.
Research revealed people are more likely to quit smoking if they can easily relate to the people used in a piece of advertising.
Coordinator Julie Tipton said: “The success would not have been possible without some of our previous quitters showing their willingness and determination in getting behind this campaign.
“They have been the driving ambassadors who have spurred others across into becoming our latest group of successful quit heroes.”
The Health Improvement Team randomly congratulated a number of nominated quit heroes at a recent certificate presentation ceremony.
John Barth, 67, from Palacefields, was nominated by his wife Carole. She said: “John quit smoking after 40 years having smoked 20 a day.
“He never thought he would do it without the help of the SUPPORT ladies, his willpower and myself. I’m so proud of him.”
Maria Lucock, also of Runcorn, was nominated by her friend and work colleague Joan Cook, who said: “After many years of smoking, she now even notices the lingering smell of smoke on clothes and in rooms the day after a smoker’s been around.
“She is a great ambassador for the programme, and I have nothing but admiration for her dedication.”
Early results show the number of smokers accessing the Stop Smoking Service during the campaign increased by 10% percent.
