News and Features Related to Smoking Cessation

1. Breaking the Habit
   

   Almost 70% of adult smokers say they want to quit; the most common reason given is concern about their health. The concern is well justified. The four leading causes of death in the U.S. -- cardiovascular disease, stroke , cancer , and lung disease -- are all strongly linked to cigarette smoke expos

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2. Smokeless Tobacco
   

   Watch any baseball team at game time, and chances are you’ll see players using smokeless tobacco. How do you recognize them? Look for a large lump on their cheeks, and watch them continually spit on the ground to rid their mouths of the excess saliva. Sound pleasant? Probably not! Here are some ques

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3. Panel: New Tools Help Smokers Quit
   

   May 8, 2008 -- An expert panel's new quit-smoking guideline says more smokers would quit if their doctors offered them both counseling and medication -- and if health plans covered the expense. The official 256-page U.S. Public Health Service guideline comes from a panel of 37 experts who reviewed s

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4. Quit Smoking: Death Risk Drops Fast
   

   May 6, 2008 -- The risk of dying from smoking-related causes drops significantly within just a few years of giving up cigarettes, even for longtime smokers, new research shows. Within five years of quitting smoking, study participants experienced a 13% reduction in the risk of death from all causes,

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5. Secondhand Smoke: Damage in Mere Minutes
   

   April 28, 2008 -- Just 30 minutes in a smoky room can cause profound blood vessel injury in healthy young adults, greatly increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a new study published in the May 6 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The findings add to the

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6. 'Lung Age' Shocks Smokers Into Stopping
   

   March 6, 2008 -- Cigarette smokers are more likely to quit smoking if their doctor cuts through the jargon and tells them how old their lungs are acting. So say British researchers who tested the "lung age" strategy in 561 smokers aged 35 and older. All of the smokers got a lung function test. And a

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7. 1 Billion Tobacco Deaths This Century?
   

   Feb. 7, 2008 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) today warned that 1 billion people worldwide could die of tobacco-related causes this century unless "urgent action" is taken. The WHO's report includes these global statistics on tobacco deaths: 100 million people died of tobacco-related causes du

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8. Smoking May Wreak Havoc on Sleep
   

   Feb. 4, 2008 -- The effects of smoking may include worse sleep due to overnight nicotine withdrawal. So say scientists from Johns Hopkins University. They studied 40 smokers who reported smoking at least 20 cigarettes per day and claimed to have no health problems. At home, the smokers spent a night

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9. Suicide Warning for Antismoking Drug
   

   Feb. 1, 2008 -- Federal officials warned Friday that a popular antismoking drug may be linked to suicides in some patients. The drug, called Chantix, has been used by more than 5 million patients as a smoking cessation aid, according to manufacturer Pfizer Inc. The drug will now carry new labels war

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10. Antismoking Report Card: Maine on Top
    

    Jan. 10, 2008 -- Maine gets the nation's best grades on a national report card of states' antismoking efforts released by the American Lung Association. The state earned high marks for enacting a workplace smoking ban similar to other bans taking hold in many states across the country. Maine also ha

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