A new review of 89 studies confirms that the cancer risk associated with smokeless tobacco is tiny when compared to the cancer risk associated with cigarettes. The authors, British biostatisticians Peter N. Lee and Jan S. Hamling, find that “an increased risk of oropharyngeal cancer is evident most clearly for past smokeless tobacco use in the USA, but not for Scandinavian snuff.” In fact, “Any possible effects are not evident in Scandinavia.”

Recent U.S. studies find smaller risks than older ones, indicating that American smokeless tobacco is becoming more like Swedish-style oral snuff (snus), which has substantially lower levels of carcinogens. Lee and Hamling estimate that if all male cigarette smokers in the U.S. had used smokeless tobacco instead, the number of tobacco-related cancer deaths among them would have been 1 percent what it actually was in 2005 (about 1,100 vs. 105,000). If the entire male population (including those who have never smoked) used smokeless tobacco, the number of tobacco-related cancer deaths would have been something like 2,100, or 2 percent of the actual number.

This comparison highlights the absurdity of the main “public health” objection to promoting smokeless tobacco as a harm-reducing alternative to cigarettes. Opponents of this strategy claim to be worried that it could lead to more tobacco-related mortality in the long run if it attracts nonsmokers to smokeless tobacco. But Lee and Hamling’s numbers indicate that if a significant percentage of smokers switched to oral snuff, the tobacco-related death toll would be smaller than it is now even if every nonsmoker in America started using oral snuff too. By the professed standards of public health, which seeks to minimize morbidity and mortality, this is a no-brainer. As with the opposition to electronic cigarettes, something else is going on here: a moralistic crusade to conquer sin disguised as a scientific quest to conquer disease.


© Reason

At a time when the government is ostensibly trying to cut health costs, why is it trying to ban something that might help people quit smoking tobacco, perhaps the most devastating health problem in the U.S.?

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) held a press conference late last month to scare Americans about the so-called “e-cigarette” — claiming it was loaded with harmful “toxins” and “carcinogens.” The agency was implicitly saying: Stay away from these newfangled, untested cigarette substitutes — better to stick with the real ones, the ones that we are more familiar with, the ones that cause over 450,000 deaths annually in the U.S.

In making its distorted, incomplete and misleading statement, FDA was violating its long-cherished tradition of sticking to sound science as the basis for its policies. And in doing so, it is putting the lives and health of millions of Americans at risk.

The truthful part of the FDA statement was that e-cigarettes have not been through formal efficacy and safety tests at the FDA, and they have only been around a few years. But in the press conference, here is what the FDA did not tell you but should have:

c Traditional cigarettes are lethal not because of the trace level presence of specific “carcinogens” and “toxins,” but because by using them, smokers inhale enormous amounts of smoke — otherwise known as “products of combustion.” It is the inhaled smoke that kills in so many ways — from cancers, cardiovascular and lung disease, and more.

c The cigarette was a relatively obscure product in our society until the invention of a cigarette rolling machine, and sales rose quickly prior to World War I.

Before that, tobacco was used relatively safely — in chew, pipes, cigars — because little if any smoke was inhaled. Cigarettes changed all of that.

c The e-cigarette — a cigarette-mimicking device made up of a battery, an atomizer and a cartridge — allows smokers to inhale, getting a dose of the nicotine they crave, and then sending steam out the other end (with little or no odor) to mimic the ritual and feel of smoking normal cigarettes.

c The FDA complained that the e-cigarette was a “nicotine-delivery system.” Well, it got that much right. But again, it’s the smoke that kills, not the nicotine. Yes, nicotine is highly addictive, and it is what keeps the smoker hooked. But getting the nicotine without the smoke is an enormous health advantage for cigarette smokers (the nicotine inserts come in various strengths and the users can adjust them downward as they wish).

c The FDA has approved other nicotine-delivery systems in the form of gums and patches — and they have been abysmal failures. The smoking cessation rates using these devices is less than 15 percent after one year, condemning millions of addicted smokers to a lingering death. We desperately need other alternatives. But the FDA has now joined a long list of so-called public-health organizations — including the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids and the American Lung Association — whose collective motto seems to be “quit or die.” Not only do they reject e-cigarettes, but they also condemn other smokeless products like snus, which have a mere fraction of the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes.

c More than 1 million smokers are now using the e-cigarette — a product that offers some, if not all, of the “social amenities” of the real thing — holding the cigarette, taking a drag, seeing a plume of “smoke.” The FDA, lacking data that e-cigarettes pose a health hazard, was so desperate, it called on consumers to phone in adverse side effects of e-cigarettes so they could begin to build a case against them and proceed with their intended ban. They neglected, however, to request smokers who successfully quit using the e-cigarette to also call in.

Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States today. Any alternative acceptable to addicted smokers should be taken seriously. Instead of condemning the e-cigarette, the FDA should be sponsoring studies to evaluate its safety and efficacy — leaving it on the market in the interim.


© Washingtontimes

Twenty percent of the population uses cigarettes, and according to the World Health Organization, cigarettes cause more than one in five American deaths. Modern medicine offers pills and patches to help you quit, but the simplest method to give up the cancer, heart disease, birth defect, and emphysema sticks has nothing to do with adding more chemicals to your body. It has everything to do with removing the chemicals from your body that you’ve been putting in there by smoking – the same chemicals that cause the cravings that make it so difficult to quit.

Juicing large amounts of fresh organic fruits and vegetables can be a powerful way to flush out those chemicals and poisons from your system. Not only are fresh squeezed juices nutrient-rich, but they are detoxifying as well.

To juice to quit, try to consume at least five large fresh fruit or vegetable juices each day, and have a juice – instead of a cigarette – each time the craving arises. Have more if you like, and get a juicing book and make your favorites. The more you like your juices, the easier the process will be.

The power-packed nutrition of fresh juice is often enough to immediately eliminate cravings. Within a week, your cravings will diminish considerably and getting through the days will be relatively easy. Keep up the process for a couple of weeks, even after you’re no longer craving cigarettes. After a habit such as this, your body could use the extra care and nutrition.

Also take care with your diet during the process, and make most of your plant-based foods from nature, as opposed to processed or animal foods. Because detoxifying those chemicals from your body is what makes this work, you’ll want to help your body along with your diet not hindering it.

Most people will also need an action plan for the bad day that’s bound to come up, which is often the impetus that leads people back to the habit. Be sure to have your juicer handy, and reach for it, instead of a cigarette when this happens. Make sure you know your plan so when it happens, you’re not surprised. And if you have a cigarette or two in the process, don’t be hard on yourself, or think that your work is for not. Just keep going and reach for that juicer the next time a craving comes. If you keep it up, you’ll get to where you’re going, and the process should be relatively easy.

Incidentally, have you ever thought about why smoking is so detrimental to our health? Here’s a hint: It’s directly related to the toxicity of the chemicals in cigarettes. With large amounts of toxins and poisons in your body, your body has almost no choice but to produce problems.

When most of the population has health problems, and most people also consume foods with pesticide residue on them and all sorts of chemicals in them, it makes you think about the real cause of those problems too, doesn’t it?

© Naturalnews

Anti-e-cigarette soldiers belonging to special interest groups are on the march, but citizens are meeting them mid-field with protests. A quick glance at the comments sections of news articles concerning e-cigarettes around the web shows exactly what the public thinks of the products, because everyone knows at least one smoker who has failed at quitting.

“My dad’s tried everything to quit,” says Robin Durand, an e-cigarette user from Tennessee. “I gave him his kit and he went from smoking 2 packs a day to using 9 cigarettes in 2 days… he saw on TV a night or two later that they’re trying to outlaw them and I can’t even repeat what his words (and mine) were. He doesn’t yell often because he’s had throat cancer twice and wasn’t able to stop smoking cigarettes by any other means, but he yelled over that. The e cigarette I gave him literally helped give him his voice back… he doesn’t lose it as often now and we’re extremely upset they want to take that away from him.”

The concerns that citizens have are numerous and varied, from mentioning that the new legislation that gives the FDA jurisdiction of tobacco products specifically prohibits cigarettes from being outlawed to the fact that there are thousands of other dangerous products that are not subject to any sort of “sin tax”.

Other comments give scathing criticism of the government’s stance on the products and accuse it of worrying more about cigarette tax revenue than the health of the people. At this point, could it be political suicide to go against a smoking alternative that has gained such fervent support?

“If you find one comment out of twenty that supports completely pulling e-cigarettes off the market, you’re doing good,” says Judy, Robin’s mother. “People are upset and they’re not falling for any bureaucratic fear-mongering that tries to convince them these products are dangerous. There is absolutely no evidence to prove that they are. None. People know these are safer than tobacco cigarettes; they’re not as stupid as these high paid drug lobbyists think they are.”
© 24-7pressrelease

The Oregon attorney general’s office is investigating a company that claims to sell “safe cigarettes.”

The state filed an order against Smoking Everywhere, Inc., which sells “smokeless” electronic cigarettes.

The Florida-based company operates kiosks in Oregon shopping malls, offering the “safe” cigarettes in flavors such as chocolate and strawberry.

Attorney General John Kroger is concerned the company may be targeting children: “The Food and Drug Administration has raised huge concerns about these products and we’re worried about the honesty of the marketing as well as whom they’re being marketed to. And some of these products are specifically designed to appeal to children.”

“Well, I don’t know if our client can agree with that. As a matter of fact, it’s a legal product and one that no lawful authority, at least, has attempted to close down” said Conrad Yunker, attorney for Smoking Everywhere Inc.

Attorney general Kroger says the company has six days to provide proof their product is safe or it will be shut down.

© Kmtr

The e-cigarette from Thanko plugs into your computer’s USB port and offers puffers a genuine smoking experience… without all the nicotine, tar, ashes, smell and, er, smoke.

The busy bees over at TokyoMango are in the habit of finding new and interesting Japanese stuff so it’s no surprise they’re featuring the amusing and addictive USB Cigarette. Made by Japan’s Thanko, the so-called “e-cigarette” comes about as close to approximating the experience of smoking as one can get without actually lighting up. Actually, the e-cig DOES light up – via a tiny red LED embedded in its tip.

The USB cigarette is not a toy though it’s not a real cigarette either. It might even have a practical purpose: many ex-smokers miss more than the buzz of the nicotine; the physical mechanics of smoking itself are said to be habit forming. With the e-cigarette you get the look, the feel, even the sight of “smoke” being exhaled with every puff!

Here’s how it works… the “cigarette” comes in 3 parts: a filter, a sprayer and a body with a rechargeable battery inside and an LED on its end. Use the included cable to plug the cigarette into your computer’s USB port – it takes 2-3 hours for a full charge. Unplug, inhale and enjoy! The sprayer/filter combo provides enough “mist” for about 150 draws and you get 11 filters (a pack of 10 plus 1 additional) with each order. You can also buy replacement packs of 10 filters in regular or mint flavor.

The complete package costs 2,980 yen (about $31) and the extra filter packs are 980 yen (about $10) each, available direct from Thanko’s product page. Wacky tabbacky was never so much fun! Well, almost.

People who smoke are finding it harder to indulge their habit. Some years ago, territories and states have banned cigarettes from inside bars and pubs.

Now New South Wales begins to restrict the sale of tobacco in shops and joins South Australia and Tasmania in banning smoking in cars where kids are passengers. The reason is to improve public health and discourage young people from taking up smoking. Campaigners have welcomed the laws. It means that New South Wales in the first Australian state to remove tobacco from kids’ view in shops, said Assistant Health Minister Verity Firth. She also added: “And what it also means is that we’re now really up among the world’s best as the toughest jurisdictions against tobacco displays. The reason why tobacco displays are considered so important is that when you think about it, they are the ultimate marketing tool. You’re standing there as the consumer, at the checkout counter with your money in hand; the lure of the tobacco display behind the retail outlet assistant, and you’ve got it all there. What all research shows is that for intending quitters or recently quit smokers, it is incredibly difficult to resist that lure. That’s where you get real impulse purchase and people fall of the wagon and back into smoking. It’s true that the tobacco industry weren’t supportive of these changes, but we were able to talk to them and we were able to say to them, it is our goal to drive smoking rates down. At the end of the day if you’re talking about driving smoking rates down, you’re probably talking about less cigarettes being sold and therefore less revenue from those cigarettes being sold. And that’s just a part of our public health program.

Public health advocates like Sydney University’s Professor Simon Chapman said: “Getting cigarettes out of display reduces that reminder to a lot of people that smoking around. I think the main message in all this is that in all the lobbying that went on about this package of measures, the only one that the tobacco industry was concerned about was the one about getting tobacco out of retail display. That should send a loud message about how important it will be, which is precisely why the Government’s introduced it and why it should be congratulated. Generic packaging or plain packaging of cigarettes will be the next big issue. I’d like to see Australia to be the first country to do that, and the tobacco industry nominated plain packaging as their biggest concern that remain. If you take away the ability for them to brand products by only allowing packaging with the brand name on it, it will remove the last frontier for tobacco promotion.”

You can still smoke in bars and casinos in Florida, but like in many states, your options to smoke indoors are limited, so when a new electronic cigarette was introduced in the market, CBS4 set out to find out how they work.

“I’ve probably been a smoker since my late teens,” said Hollywood resident Charles Jay.

So when he heard about electronic cigarettes, he was intrigued by the convenience.

‘You could basically do it anywhere because you weren’t leaving an odor behind or leaving any smoke behind,” said Jay.

It looks like a traditional cigarette but contains no tobacco or tar, which are widely known to cause cancer. Instead it has pharmaceutical grade nicotine and water, which are often used in many of the brands sold in malls and on the internet.

One of those brands, the “Clean” cigarette, was created by Frank Simotics.

“This holds a pack of nicotine flavor and water, so if you smoke a pack a day this will last you all day,” said Simotics.

His electronic cigarette uses a microchip with a lithium battery to heat up the device. A nicotine vapor is emitted when the user inhales. It has an LED indicator light on the end that simulates the burning of a cigarette.

While some say it’s a safer alternative to cigarettes, more studies are needed and the FDA says they are not safe.

© Cbs4