Tobacco is clearly on my mind, especially since the third actor to play the Marlboro man in those rugged cowboy cigarette ads died this month from lung disease. Scary but true, half a million Americans die yearly from tobacco related diseases like heart disease, stroke, COPD and cancer. Crazy but true, cancer is now the number one cancer killer of women in the US! Check out, “End the Tobacco Epidemic: Enough is Enough — Together We Can Save Half a Million Lives Every Year.” Everyone’s buzzing over last Wednesday’s State of Tobacco Control Release and the Surgeon General’s recent report, “The Health Consequences of Smoking-50 years of progress”. What’s the big deal? The fact that we know, scientifically and medically, that tobacco use and exposure to second-hand smoke causes disease that can have devastating effects on lives. Yet, we still condone smoking in public places.
The good news is that many of the tobacco related diseases can be avoided by either preventing new smokers (kids and teens) or helping those we love to try to quit. Another high impact tactic being used is a consumer friendly guide to the 50th Anniversary of the Surgeon General’s report on smoking and health, “The Surgeon General also produced a booklet, “Let’s Make the Next Generation TOBACCO FREE”. I am pleased to see that the Surgeon General is supporting prevention–this is a HUGE step in stopping kids from making life choices that they do not fully understand the long term consequences.
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
Did my temper loss on that old lady smoker prompt this post? He he he
haha! You did make me giggle! This is just one of those sore spots for me!