Current unemployment rates stand at nearly 10 percent, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects this number to continue to rise. While this has been the cause of serious worry among the labor force, there may also be a reason to celebrate. A poor economy appears to add years to a person’s life expectancy, according to research from the University of Michigan.

Communities are finally starting to see payoff from bans on public smoking. The bans, which prohibit smoking in restaurants, health facilities, and businesses, correspond with a decline in the rate of heart attacks.

Information comes from a recent study published in Circulation, a journal of the American Heart Association. The study is a compilation of nine previously published research articles on the topic. The study notes a decrease in the risk of AMI (acute myocardial infarction), another name for a heart attack.

“The risk of AMI falls rapidly after smoking cessation,” wrote study authors James M. Lightwood, Ph. D, and Stanton A. Glantz, Ph.D. And even those who never light up themselves benefit. “The effects of secondhand smoke (SHS) on many biological mediators that lead to heart disease occur rapidly and are nearly as large as those of smoking.”

Research showed an estimated 15 percent decline in the incidence of heart attacks in the first year of smoking bans alone. Three years following enforcement of the laws saw an even greater decline, roughly 36 percent, with a 40 percent drop in Montana.

Research from five European countries that have adopted similar policies was also examined in this study. Heart attack rates fell a full 11 percent in just two months following a ban on smoking in Italy. Similar statistics were found in Ireland.    

“Secondhand smoke (SHS) increases the risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) by 25% to 31% (1–5),” researchers^* from the Kansas University School of Medicine’s Division of Cardiovascular Diseases write. “In countries where smoking prevalence is high, for example, Britain 50%, Europe 62%, and Greece 156%, versus 22% in the U.S., AMI in nonsmokers is particularly increased.”

Individuals who ceased smoking after the laws went into effect were not accounted for, and most of the statistics come from restaurant workers. Although this somewhat limits the data, researchers believe rates are underestimated and expect this trend to continue exponentially as more legislation goes into effect.

Authors of the study write, “Passage of strong smoke-free legislation produces rapid and substantial benefits in terms of reduced AMIs and that these benefits grow with time.”

*David G. Meyers, M.D, M.Ph.; John S. Neuberger, DRPH, M.Ph.; M.B.A., and Jianghua He, Ph.D

Stressing about losing your job may cause more harm than actual job loss. More than 1,700 participants in the American’s Changing Lives (ACL) and the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) studies were asked: How likely is it that during the next couple of years you will involuntarily lose your job? Researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of California wanted to find the effects of job insecurity on employee health.

"It may seem surprising that chronically high job-insecurity is more strongly linked with health declines than actual job loss or unemployment," says Sarah Burgard, lead author of the study and research assistant professor in the University of Michigan’s Department of Sociology and School of Public Health, "but there are a number of reasons why this is the case.”

The states with the highest smoking rates are mostly located in the Southern United States. On April 1st, the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes was raised from the 39 cents to $1.01 per-pack. This tax will exert a larger toll among the states listed below.  

In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and the Office on Smoking and Health released a report ranking states by smoking prevalence. The goal of this report was to highlight the importance of tobacco control programs and to encourage smoking cessation. For the purposes of this report, current smokers were defined as adults who had smoked at least 100 cigarettes and who currently smoked every day or some days.  The latest data available are from 2004 and states were ranked in ascending order, meaning that the state ranked 50th had the highest smoking prevalence rate.

The top 10 states ranked in order of highest smoking prevalence are:

1.    Kentucky (ranked 50th out of 50)
2.    West Virginia (49)
3.    Tennessee (47)
4.    Oklahoma (47)
5.    Ohio (46)
6.    Arkansas (45)
7.    Indiana (44)
8.    Alabama (42)
9.    Alaska (42)
10.  Mississippi (41)

Have a good tip for quitting smoking or looking for help? Join Healia's support group for quitting smoking.

Source:  CDC, Sustaining State Programs for Tobacco Control Data Highlights 2006.


_{Photo: Qfamily, Flickr, Creative Commons}

In February of this year, President Obama signed into law an expansion of the popular State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) to help provide health insurance for uninsured children. The Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act of 2009 will be funded by a significant increase in the federal tax for cigarettes. The new taxes go into effect on April 1 and will raise the federal excise tax on a pack of cigarettes from the current 39 cents to $1.01 per-pack. Public health experts predict that the new tax may result in as many as 1 million U.S. smokers quitting.

With the tax hike, smoking will become a very expensive, in addition to be being a deadly, habit. According to the American Cancer Society, about 443,000 people in the United States die every year from smoking-related illnesses. This death toll is more than the numbers of deaths from alcohol, motor vehicle accidents, suicide, AIDS, homicide, and illegal drugs combined.

President Obama, a cigarette smoker himself, has been trying to quit according to recent news reports.

Interested in quitting smoking before the new federal taxes kick in? Try the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services new website for quitting or call their hotline at 1-800-QUIT-NOW. You can also try posting your questions on the online support group for smoking on Healia Communities.

_{Photo: gruntzooki, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Deaths due to cigarette smoking have declined since the 1960s thanks to a parallel decline in smoking rates. When the Surgeon General first reported that smoking may be hazardous to your health in 1964, about 42 percent of American adults smoked. The most recent data available show that this rate has now dropped below twenty percent (19.8%) for the first time on record. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs report shows that overall death rates from smoking declined in all but one state (Oklahoma) between 1996-1999 and 2000-2004. Below is a list of the states with the lowest rates of smoking-related deaths, followed in parentheses by the smoking-attributable death rate per 100,000 residents and the percent change in that death rate between 1996-1999 and 2000-2004.

The top 10 states with the lowest rates of smoking-related deaths for 2000-2004 are:

1. Utah (138.3 deaths per 100,000 residents, -11.0% change)
2. Hawaii (167.6, -28.0%)
3. Minnesota (215.1, -14.4%)
4. North Dakota (225.6, -10.9%)
5. New Mexico (234, -21.1%)
6. California (235, -37.8%)
7. Nebraska (235.8, -25.9%)
8. Idaho (237.4, -21.5%)
9. Colorado (237.6, -24.3%)
10. Connecticut (238.3, -18.4%)

To find out more about lung diseases related to smoking, visit the Healia Health Community for Lung Diseases. Find help and support to quit smoking at the Healia Health Community for Smoking.

_{Source: Adhikari B et al "State-specific smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost-United States 2000-2004" MMWR 2009; 58:29-33. http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5802a2.htm}

Photo: Paraflyer, Flickr, Creative Commons

Smoking rates—and smoking-related deaths—have declined pretty steadily in the United States since a 1964 Surgeon General’s report that suggested smoking may be hazardous to your health. At that time, around 42 percent of American adults smoked. The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that for the first time on record, the smoking rate among U.S. adults has dropped below twenty percent (19.8%). In the CDC's Smoking-Attributable Mortality, Morbidity, and Economic Costs report, the agency reports that overall deaths rates from smoking declined in all but one state between 1996-1999 and 2000-2004. However, the smoking death rate actually increased for women in several states, and many states still have relatively high rates of smoking-related deaths. Below is a list of the states with the highest rates, followed in parenthesis by the smoking-attributable death rate per 100,000 residents and the percent change in that death rate between 1996-1999 and 2000-2004.

The top 10 states with the highest rates of smoking-related deaths for 2000-2004 are:

1. Kentucky (370.6 deaths per 100,000 residents, -13.3% change)
2. West Virginia (344.3, -21.5%)
3. Nevada (343.7, -44.4%)
4. Mississippi (333.6, -9.4%)
5. Oklahoma (332.1 +26.9%)
6. Tennessee (325, -12.4%)
7. Arkansas (323.7, -9.8%)
8. Alabama (317.5 -5.9%)
9. Indiana (308.9, -14.4%)
10. Missouri (307.8, -27.3%)

To find out more about lung diseases related to smoking, visit the Healia Health Community for Lung Diseases. Find help and support to quit smoking at the Healia Health Community for Smoking.

_{Source: Adhikari B et al "State-specific smoking-attributable mortality and years of potential life lost-United States 2000-2004" MMWR 2009; 58:29-33. http://www.cdc.gov/MMWR/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5802a2.htm}

_{Photo: Saudi..., Flickr, Creative Commons}

The number one New Year’s resolution in America is to quit smoking and stay quit for the long term. Unfortunately, many people end up making this resolution year after year without success. The following are tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that can help you quit smoking successfully and for the long term. If you take them to heart, next year you may be resolving to clean out the garage or give more to charity – and you will be a lot healthier doing it.

1. Set a quit date. Many smokers say they would like to quit smoking, but never seem to get around to doing it. There always seems to be some impending stressful situation that makes people put it off. The best way to quit is to set a concrete date and stick to it.


2. Write down why you want to quit. For example, many people quit to improve their health, protect their family from secondhand smoke, increase their activity level, or to take more control over their life. Write down ALL the reasons that apply to you so you will have a list to consult during times when you are craving a cigarette. Motivation is critical to quitting successfully: the people most likely to quit for good are smokers who survive a heart attack.


3. Know that quitting is hard. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and stopping its use can lead to symptoms of withdrawal that include irritability and intense cravings. No matter how you choose to quit, it will be hard, but if you prepare yourself for this fact, you will be more able to deal with the symptoms of withdrawal that can occur. Give yourself a month to get over these feelings. Take quitting one day at a time, even one minute at a time—whatever you need to succeed.


4. Avoid triggers. Researchers are finding that a lot of the issues people have with addiction involve behavioral aspects: what you do, where you go, who you are with. For example, say you go outside with co-workers every day at noon to smoke. If you are trying to quit, it is best to avoid such situations that may trigger you to smoke, even though you may not want to miss out on the experience. Do not let people smoke in your home. Avoid going to places you used to go to smoke such as bars, at least until you have gone a month or so without smoking. You should also get rid of all cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and at work. Avoid alcohol, especially excessive amounts as this can be a major smoking trigger.


5. Don’t “cut down.” Smoking any number or kind of cigarettes can hurt your health. Attempting to smoke fewer cigarettes without quitting completely rarely results in permanent changes; eventually, you will return to and exceed the amount you used to smoke. Smoking “light” or "low tar" is also ineffective because you will just smoke more cigarettes or puff harder, longer, and more often on each cigarette. The only safe choice is to quit completely.


6. Be in the right half. Half of all adult smokers have quit: that means you can do it too. There are millions of people alive today who have learned to face life without a cigarette. For staying healthy, quitting smoking is the best step you can take.


7. Seek support if you need it. Many groups offer support in the form of written materials, programs, and advice to help smokers quit for good. There are also support groups composed of people who are trying to quit and social networks such as the Healia Health Community for Quitting Smoking where you can find tips and share stories. Ask family, friends, and people you work with for their support while you quit.


8. Take medicine. Especially if you have tried to quit and failed several times in the past, you should consider taking medication to help you quit. Talk to your doctor, nurse, or other health care worker about the available medicines. You can buy nicotine gum, the nicotine patch, or the nicotine lozenge at a drug store. Prescription medications include nicotine nasal spray, nicotine inhalers, and the pills Bupropion SR (Zyban) and Varenicline (Chantix). Most health insurance will pay for these medicines, but even if you have to pay for them yourself, the savings you will gain by not buying cigarettes will more than offset the cost.


9. Stay quit. After you quit, don't smoke – not even one puff every now and then. Don't use other types of tobacco such as snuff or chewing tobacco either. If you do "slip up" and smoke, don't give up. This is a common mistake that people make, thinking that have one cigarette or one pack means they have failed and then they slip right back into their old ways. Instead, continue on with your attempt to quit. Many people find it easier to quit once they have relapsed and gotten past it.


10. Keep a positive attitude. You can do it!

For help quitting, call 1-800-QUIT NOW (784-8669) to be connected to the free quitline in your State. To connect with others making the journey to better health, join the Healia Health Community for Quitting Smoking.


_{Sources: CDC Quit Tips,Feb 2008. http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/quit_tips/index.htm; Help for Smokers and Other Tobacco Users. Consumer Guide, May 2008. U.S. Public Health Service. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/tobacco/helpsmokers.htm.}

_{Photo: Qfamily, Flickr, Creative Commons}

A recently released study suggests that smoking bans may reduce hospitalizations for heart attacks by more than 40 percent. If you needed a reminder why following through with that New Year’s resolution to quit smoking is important, this may be it.

The study, released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), looked at hospitalizations due to heart attacks in the town of Pueblo, Colorado for the years 2003- 2006. In 2003, Pueblo passed a smoke-free law restricting smoking in almost all businesses and indoor areas open to the public, including bars, restaurants, bowling alleys and bingo halls within the city limits.

The results showed that hospitalizations for heart attacks declined by 41 percent in the three years after the ban took effect, while two nearby towns that had not passed smoking bans showed no such drop. This suggests that the smoking was likely responsible for the reduction in heart attacks.

Several earlier studies have linked smoking bans to decreased heart attacks, but none of those looked at data from the three years following enactment of a smoking ban.

The study authors point out that the results could be interpreted to mean that secondhand smoke exposure is a contributing factor in many heart attacks, and that instituting smoking bans throughout the country could save countless lives.

However, there are other possible explanations for the decline in heart attacks, such as that some smokers may have quit smoking or smoked less after the ban, reducing their likelihood of experiencing a heart attack. In fact, some data suggest that the smoking rate has declined by five percent since the ban. The study did not examine which heart attack victims were smokers and which were not.

For more information about quitting smoking or to find support for your effort, visit the Healia Health Community for Smoking. For more information on heart attacks, read the Healia Health Guide on Heart Disease or join the Healia Health Community for Heart Attack.

See the study report on the CDC’s Web site.


_{Photo: greefus goinks, Flickr, Creative Commons}

 

Bad breath can be unpleasant but it may also be more than just a nuisance. It can signal a change in the body and may even be a sign of a serious disease. The following is a list of the main causes of bad breath, some of which you may find surprising:

 

 

• Foods
  You are likely aware that certain foods can cause bad breath, onions and garlic for example. But the breakdown of food particles from some less flavorful foods can also cause odor. Foods high in protein like meat and nuts as well as dairy products are produce amino acids that bacteria along the gastrointestinal tract use for fuel. The byproduct of this is a foul smell. Eating foods that contain volatile oils, including garlic, onions, and several other vegetables and spices, causes you to emit these oils form your lungs until the food has passed through your body, meaning they can cause bad breath for as long as three days!


• Dental problems
  Poor oral hygiene can cause food particles remain in your mouth where they form a thin film called plaque. These bacteria emit hydrogen sulfide vapors, the same gas responsible for the sulfur smell in rotten eggs. Also, if you have gum disease (gingivitis or periodontitis) it can cause bad breath, regardless of your oral hygiene.


• Dry Mouth
  Saliva cleanses your mouth and without it, dead cells and bacteria can accumulate in your mouth. This happens naturally as we sleep, leading to the familiar “morning breath,” especially if you sleep with your mouth open. Other natural causes of dry mouth include aging and reduced chewing.


• Medications
  Several medications can reduce your saliva production, causing dry mouth and bad breath. Dry mouth is one of the most commonly listed side effects of medications and can occur when taking antidepressants, diuretics, antihistamines, beta blockers, chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer, and even aspirin.


• Mouth breathing
  Day or night, breathing through your mouth can dry it out, causing bad breath. Some people breathe through their mouths naturally, while others do so because of a medical issue such as sleep apnea, snoring, or asthma.


• Respiratory tract infections
  Infections of the upper or lower respiratory tract can lead to bad breath. In addition to oral infections such as tooth and gum disease mentioned above, this may include sinus infections that cause a buildup of bacteria in the sinuses and result in post-nasal drainage into the back of your throat; throat infections such as strep throat; and even bronchitis. All of these conditions cause mucus production that can feed bacteria living along the respiratory tract.


• Chronic diseases
  Ongoing disease conditions may also cause bad breath. Chronic lung infections can cause a very foul odor to the breath, but so can several diseases that are not directly related to the respiratory tract. Some cancers can cause a distinctive breath odor. Kidney failure, which prevents the body from eliminating waste products, can cause a urine-like odor to the breath, and liver failure, which prevents the body from detoxifying chemicals, may cause a fishy odor. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), which causes stomach contents to flow up into the esophagus, can cause bad breath. Metabolic disorders such as uncontrolled diabetes can cause the breath to have a fruity smell.


• Very low carbohydrate diet
  If you don’t eat enough carbohydrates (sugars), either because you skip meals or you are on a low carb diet, your breath may take on the same fruity smell as someone with uncontrolled diabetes. In both cases, the body lacks carbohydrates to provide energy to the brain so it begins breaking down proteins and fats to make new carbs, a process which creates ketone bodies as a byproduct. The substances accumulate in the body (ketosis or ketoacidosis) and are excreted in the breath.


• Tobacco products
  Smoking dries out your mouth and causes its own unpleasant mouth odor. Both smking and chewing tobacco increase the risk of gum disease and tooth decay, which also cause bad breath.


• Alcohol
  Alcohol consumption can dry out the mouth, leading to bad breath. Also, consuming too much alcohol can make you more likely to snore or sleep with your mouth open, further drying out the mouth and causing bad morning breath.

_{Sources: Mayo Clinic, www.mayoclinic.com; U.S. News and World Report, "8 Surprising Causes of Bad Breath" By Megan Johnson, December 2, 2008.}

_{Photo: lastrandy, Flickr, Creative Commons}