Michael Caine: Curtis Told Me To Stop Smoking - Atlantic Drugs

Sir Michael Caine has revealed that Hollywood legend Tony Curtis once urged him to stop smoking.

Caine recalled: "I remember the first time I met (Curtis). I was at a party, it was in winter and there was a fire and I was chain-smoking at the time, smoking a lot of cigarettes."

"Suddenly I felt a hand in my inside pocket and they took my cigarettes and chucked them in the fire. I looked up and it was Tony Curtis. I'd never met him and he was very famous. I said 'What did you do that for?' And he said 'you're going to die Michael if you keep doing that'."

Caine says he didn't give up immediately, but eventually, did manage to stop smoking.

Ironically, Curtis himself died last week from what his wife says were smoking-related health problems. At the age of 85 though, many commentators are saying it was simply Curtis' time.

Tony Curtis was famous for acting in Some Like It Hot and other classic films. He has a 30 year smoking habit that his wife Jill has said he was "always fighting." "His lungs never worked the way they should have," she has said. Tony Curtis was receiving treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease when he died in hospital. He suffered a cardiac arrest.

Like many other actors, Caine paid tribute to the Hollywood great. ?The second I heard about his death, I was in a deep state of shock,? Caine says. ?The news of his demise brought back some very old memories of him.?

If you would like to stop smoking, speak to a medical practicioner about ways that you might be able to quit. In doing so you could reduce your risk of suffering lung and heart problems, among other illnesses.

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PHA gives smokers 4000 reasons to stop smoking - HealthCanal.com

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is giving smokers 4,000 reasons to give up smoking for good with a mass media campaign highlighting the thousands of chemicals contained within every cigarette.

Gerry Bleakney, Lead for Tobacco Control at the PHA, said: “This campaign focuses on the crucial fact that every time a smoker has a cigarette they are inhaling over 4,000 chemicals, including ammonia - the bleach in toilet cleaner, benzene - commonly found in paint stripper, acetone - found in nail polish remover and hydrogen cyanide which is used in rat poison. It is a toxic mix which is delivered straight into the body with every cigarette smoked.

“Smoking is a killer addiction and remains the greatest cause of preventable death and disease in our society. Smoking causes life-threatening illnesses including cancers, lung disease, heart disease and stroke and in 2008 claimed 2,400 lives prematurely. However, we know the majority of smokers really do want to stop and the good news is that every year thousands are successful in their quit attempt."

At present 24% of people in Northern Ireland smoke and this contributes to around 30% of all cancers.¹ Tobacco related cancers such as lung, oesophageal and stomach cancers, have a low rate of survival, according to the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry.

Health Minister, Michael McGimpsey supporting the campaign, said: "I hope that this campaign will encourage people to stop and think about the harm they are doing to themselves, and to access one of the many services available to help them to quit. We all know that smoking kills. It is a highly destructive habit that leads to many preventable deaths each and every year. Health inequalities would also be greatly reduced if people stopped smoking."

Research shows our most deprived areas have more than twice the level of smoking related deaths, 187 per 100,000, compared to the least deprived areas, 91 per 100,000 while the Northern Ireland average is 126 deaths per 100,000.²

Gerry concluded: “Smoking is indeed a major cause of health inequality and is the main cause of the gap in life expectancy between rich and poor. The divide this addiction creates in life expectancy is shocking. You are 60% more likely to die from lung cancer if you live in the most deprived areas of Northern Ireland.

“We hope the campaign will encourage smokers to think about making a quit attempt to give up smoking for good. We know that stopping smoking is not easy and it is an incredibly hard habit to break. Nicotine is an addictive substance and experts have said the nicotine in cigarettes can be as addictive as drugs such as heroin and cocaine. Despite this, 3 out of 4 ex-smokers do manage to quit without help, but help is available if needed and can quadruple your chances of being successful.”

The campaign includes television, radio, outdoor and online advertising and will run from today until the end of November. Posters will also be distributed to GP surgeries, pharmacies and central health promotion resource service in local Health and Social Care Trusts. If you are interested in stopping smoking visit www.want2stop.info for further information and the location of your local stop smoking cessation service. There are over 600 specialist service providers in Northern Ireland in GP surgeries, pharmacies, acute services and community and voluntary organisations.

There will be an opportunity for media interviews on Wednesday 6 October 2010 when Mark McBride, Tobacco Control Coordinator with the PHA, will be available for interview. Please contact Press Office to arrange.

¹ NISRA: Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency. The continuous household survey. http://www.csu.nisra.gov.uk/survey.asp140.htm

² Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety. Northern Ireland Health and Social Care Inequalities Monitoring system. Third update bulletin. NISRA. Belfast. 2009.

Contact the PHA Press Office on 028 9031 1611.

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Nicotine linked to breast cancer risk, study finds - St. Louis Post-Dispatch

BY DR. PATRICIA LIMPERT | Posted: Wednesday, October 6, 2010 2:30 pm |

According to a recent Kaiser Family Foundation study, 22.8 percent of Missouri women and 17.5 percent of Illinois women are smokers, which is higher than the national average of 16.2 percent.

And while about 60 percent of those women have attempted to quit at one time or another, they have yet to kick the habit. There are many reasons to stop smoking, but a recent study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute may give women another reason not to light up.

Researchers have suspected for a long time that smoking increases the risk of breast cancer, but that risk is typically associated with other carcinogens in cigarettes, rather than nicotine. However, this study took a closer look at nicotine specifically, and it found a clear association with breast cancer risk.

The study examined human breast cancer tumors and found the cells had large numbers of receptors which nicotine was able to attach to when compared with normal cells. They also found that when normal cells were treated with nicotine, nicotine promoted the development of cancer characteristics.

Interestingly, the study also found that women who smoke and use hormone replacement therapy containing estrogen and progestins have twice the risk of developing breast cancer compared to nonsmoking women on hormone replacement therapy.

Even if women do not smoke, they still could be putting themselves and their babies at risk. Studies have found women who are exposed to cigarette smoke have nicotine traces in their breast milk. Avoidance of secondhand smoke becomes that much more important for expectant mothers who live or associate with someone who smokes.

These findings only add to other known risks for women who smoke. Those include increased risk of lung cancer, oral cancers, cervical and vulvar cancers, blood clots, high blood pressure, stroke, heart attack, osteoporosis and fractures of the hip and spine, infertility, abnormal menstruation, early onset of menopause and respiratory diseases including asthma and emphysema.

Those who quit smoking experience immediate and long-term benefits including improved circulation, lowered blood pressure and a lower risk of developing cancer as each year passes. For more information on the risks of smoking or to find resources on how to quit, visit smokefree.gov

Dr. Patricia Limpert is a breast surgeon at the Breast Care Center at St. Luke's Hospital. Call 314-205-6491 or visit stlukes-stl.com. XX Files, a women's health column, rotates each week with Aging Successfully, a column for seniors by Dr. John Morley of St. Louis University.

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Cabin invite for festive shoppers needing help to stop smoking - Yorkshire Post

SMOKERS looking to give up can combine Christmas shopping with kicking the habit under a new initiative launched in York yesterday.
The city is regarded by health chiefs as a hot spot for tobacco addiction, with nearly a quarter of the adult population hooked on cigarettes, leading to hundreds of related deaths every year.

Now those unable to summon up the will to make an appointment with their GP can benefit from an outreach service that will be parked up in the city centre.

Members of the public can book in with the Stop Smoking Cabin which will be in Exhibition Square, outside York Art Gallery, every Tuesday until December 21.

Anyone walking past can come and find out more between 1 and 2pm every Tuesday. Between 2 and 6pm the cabin will host stop smoking support sessions by appointment.

NHS bosses say 23.4 per cent of adults in York smoke and there are around 290 deaths per year related to the habit. Across North Yorkshire, 17.7 per cent of adults are smokers, with around 964 deaths per year related to smoking.

The North Yorkshire Stop Smoking Service offers cessation programmes, run by specialist advisors, and has an excellent success rate of helping people to become and remain non-smokers.

Smokers can also pick up information on services that are available through trained advisors at GP practices and pharmacies.

Margaret Hewitson, from the North Yorkshire Stop Smoking Service, said: "The Stop Smoking Cabin aims to give people in York a convenient option for accessing our service, whether they be shopping in the city centre or popping out on their lunch break.

"The cabin's doors will be open every Tuesday afternoon so smokers looking to quit can come and find out about our services."

Staff can provide a treatment programme over a number of weeks – either in the cabin or at a more convenient time and location. Appointments can be booked at the cabin or by calling a helpline on 0300 303 1603.

Miss Hewitson added: "In the first few weeks of stopping when withdrawal symptoms can be at their worst we offer encouragement, tips on dealing with cravings and access to stop smoking medication. Getting help from our service can be up to four times more effective than willpower alone."

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Doctors' association tells members to stop smoking - Inquirer.net

Posted September 25, 2010 17:40:00

Cynthia Balana

Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines ? Practice what you preach. This is the directive of the Philippine Medical Association to all medical practitioners who, it says, should set an example for their patients.

In a resolution adopted on Friday, the PMA is prohibiting all medical practitioners from smoking and mandates them to inform their patients about the ill effects of tobacco and the benefits of not smoking.

?Our members are in the best position to know the damaging effects of tobacco smoking on the health of a person. Smokers are not the only ones affected but non-smokers as well who become unwilling victims of passive or second-hand smoke, which is equally if not more damaging to the health of a person,? said Dr. Oscar Tinio, PMA president.

The resolution was signed at the end of the PMA's ?Fun Run,? which was led by the so-called running priest, Father Robert Reyes, at the Quezon Memorial Circle in Quezon City.

Similar activities were held simultaneously by the PMA's 118 local chapters in other parts of the country with the participation of doctors and representatives of civic organizations opposed to smoking, PMAS said.

Tinio said the resolution complemented the Department of Health's nationwide anti-smoking campaign.

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Aly's Stop Smoking Challenge: Part 3 - You & Me This Morning

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Can lasers help you stop smoking? Check the data - Malaya

NEW YORK — Could one hour be all you need to quit smoking, without cravings or side effects?

That’s what Innovative Laser Therapy, a New Haven, Connecticut-based company, advertises on its website. The clinic uses low-level lasers – similar to those sometimes used to treat arthritis-related pain – to target specific acupuncture points on the body related to addiction, metabolism and stress, and claims that most patients can quit smoking after one session.

In that session, the laser is pointed at spots on the face, hands and wrist, with the aim of relieving withdrawal symptoms and preventing cravings.

"When you smoke a cigarette, you artificially tell your brain to release endorphins," Frank Pinto, the owner of Innovative Laser Therapy, told Reuters Health. Therefore, quitting leads to a quick drop in endorphin levels, he said.

"The laser basically stimulates the nerve endings to tell the brain to release a flood of endorphins" to boost a patient over that initial 3-5 day hump of withdrawal symptoms, he said.

The treatment also targets other points that are thought to suppress appetite – to prevent the weight gain that often comes with quitting smoking – and promote relaxation, according to Innovative Laser Therapy.

But does it work?

There’s limited research showing that laser therapy might help some smokers quit. Innovative Laser Therapy cites one study, a 2008 paper published in the Journal of Chinese Medicine. A UK-based team found that smokers that had four laser treatments over two weeks were more likely to quit than smokers that had three treatments. Those in the three treatment group, in turn, had better success rates than a control group that was given fake laser treatments.

After 6 months, 55 percent of the four-treatment group was smoke-free, compared to 19 percent of the three-treatment group and 6 percent of those who were treated with fake lasers.

The authors weren’t able to follow most of the 340 participants for more than 6 months after treatment, so they don’t know if those who stopped smoking started up again, or if they really quit for good. And the journal’s site - which offers lasers and other treatments for sale – does not say whether it is peer-reviewed.

In contrast, a 2000 Singapore study of 330 adolescents found no difference in 3-month quitting rates for participants treated with real or fake laser therapy.

"In scientific terms, this one (UK) study is not enough evidence to recommend (the) laser for smoking cessation," Dr. Adrian White told Reuters Health by email. Dr. White is a research fellow at Peninsula Medical School in the UK who co-authored a review of laser therapy and similar smoking cessation methods for the Cochrane Collaboration, an international organization that evaluates medical research. "The results conflict with the other study, and they seem ‘too good to be true.’"

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