Just WAY TOO MUCh talk about smoking here! Stephen in Vancouver smoke free for over 2 weeks after 30 years!
Quoting Sarah Gibb <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > Hey Colin, I'm not having a go at you here, and I don't want to > prolong the smoking thread unnecessarily, but I can't not respond to > your comment that smoking doesn't cause disease in most smokers. > Long term smokers who don't become ill are the lucky ones, and you're > right that it's probably a genetic issue that protects them. > Scientists, supported (of course) by the tobacco companies, and > experimenting (of course) on animals who would otherwise never smoke, > are currently trying to find out what that is. That aside, smoking > causes serious illness in almost all long term smokers, and some > short term smokers. Lung damage is not reversible. But smokers > rationalize the damage away. They can't do sport easily/can't climb > stairs easily, so they tell themselves they must lose weight/go to > the gym. When they develop the cough, they call it "smokers' cough", > when they should be calling it lung damage. Smoking and obesity are > two of the major causes of death in North America. We don't think > it's cool when people eat themselves to death, and we wouldn't think > it respectful to build a statue of Elvis Presley holding burgers and > pies in his hands, even though eating was as much his trademark at > the end of his life as smoking is Joni Mitchell's. > > COPD (smokers' disease - bronchitis and emphysema) is the fourth > leading cause of death in America. In 2000, 10 million people were > listed as having been diagnosed with COPD, 1.5 million visited an > emergency room because of it, 726,000 were hospitalized with it, and > 119,000 died from it. Another 14 million Americans are believed to > suffer from COPD undiagnosed. Death rates are an underestimate > because many death certificates will say "heart attack" or "old age", > and won't bother to mention the lung damage that caused the heart to > stop. > > I don't buy the choice thing, because most people start smoking when > they're teenagers, and by the time they realize the damage they're > doing, they're addicted and their choice is massively reduced. > > I agree with what you say about other types of air pollution. > > Okay, I'm off my soapbox now. As I said earlier, when you've worked > as a smoking cessation counselor and have seen the terrible things > people have done to themselves, and how they long not to have done > them, you can't let myths about smoking just pass on by. > > No offence intended to you personally. > > Best, > > Sarah > > > At 12:09 AM +0000 12/06/2002, colin wrote: > > > >very sad and very unlucky people. smoking does not casue disease in > >all people who smoke, not even in most of them. > >My partner's sister is 60 and she is dying from lung cancer and > >emphysema. she has never smoked. > >One would be a fool to pretend that smoking is good for one, but > >there is so much scare mongering and exaggeration surrounding the > >smoking issue. > >Both sides of my faimly are very long lived-80's and 90's and most > >smoke. Those that have died young, an aunt from cancer, and uncle > >from pneumonia, another form a stroke, did not ever smoke. Of course > >this does not eman that the long lived ones are kept alive by > >smoking. it does imply that our diseases are much more controlled by > >genes than anything else. > > > >on tv tonight they were showing filters used to measure the air in > >London, the filters were covered in black soot-as are thelungs of > >those who live and breathe there. The air we breathe, the > >chemicals/poisons in our foods and water are all ignored and smoking > >is made the scapegoat. > > > >Howver, smoking is not a good thing to do, butit really is time > >people minded their own business and live and let live. the > >pullution angle is really crap. these same people do not rant about > >the car they drive or the plane they catch etc. In this modern > >world, people are just too plain nosey!
