December 01, 2008
The Great American Smokeout
In an effort to raise awareness of Lung Cancer, American Cancer Society's The Great American Smokeout (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/subsite/greatamericans/content/All_About_Smokeout.asp) is an nation-wide event that is held every year on the third Thursday of November that encourages smokers to quit for 24 hours.
The Great American Smokeout began in the 1970s when smoking and secondhand smoke were still very common. Lynn R. Smith, editor of the Moticello Times in Minnesota, started the first D-Day, or Don't Smoke Day in 1974. Although the D-Day was a one-time event, few years later Arthur P. Mullaney began to ask people to stop smoking for a day and donate the money they would have spent on cigarettes to a high school scholarship. Eventually, the idea caught on and the California Division of the American Cancer Society made the Smokeout nationwide in 1977.
This year, the University of Michigan University Students Acting Against Cancer Club organized a Great American Smokeout for students on campus. Because I am the co-chair of the Lung Cancer Awareness Committee, I was in charge of organizing the Smokeout. It was held on the Diag on Thurday, November 20, 2008. We had negotiated with a couple local companies for food donations. Our main objective of the smokeout was to get as many students to pledge not to smoke for 24 hours. We had many pamphlets of information on tobacco and smoking available, as well as "Quit Kits" provided by the University Health Service. The kits included many successful methods to quit as well as a toothbrush, suckers, toothpicks, anything that will be helpful to kick the habit of holding a cigarette. University Health Service also provided us with Michigan water bottles and footballs. Additionally, anyone who pledged not to smoke wrote down their name on a special "Pledge Not to Smoke" sheet provided by the American Cance Society and they were entered into a raffle to win a $25 gift certificate to BIVOUAC.
The Smokeout was held from 9am-3pm. Although it had rained heavily on that day, it was a successful turnout. Because only about 14% of Michigan students smoke, we had very little people make the effor to pledge not to smoke, but many people stopped by and took "Quit Kits" to give to their friends and family. What may have attracted attention was our "Kick Butts" costume.
We will also have a LUNGevity "Find Your Breath" walk in April. We organized a kick-off event for the walk the following Sunday after the Smokeout.
Posted by ushikuay at 03:52 PM | Comments (0)
November 28, 2008
Lung Cancer
"It's their fault they smoke" or "They could have prevented it." November is Lung Cancer Awareness month, but no one seems to recognize it. On the other hand, everybody knows that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. What's the difference? One of the biggest reasons may be because people view lung cancer as a self-induced disease. It is true, smoking is by far the main contributor to lung cancer, but does that mean that they don't have the right to be treated and have their suffers recozgnized? Does smoking make a person "bad"? No, it absolutely does not. Lung cancer is a deadly disease just like any other, and any disease should be treated whether self-induced or not.
Lung cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in the lung and it is the most common cause of cancer-related death in men and the second most common in women as it is responsible for 1.3 million deaths worldwide annually. There are two main types of lung cancer-small cell lung carcinoma and non-small cell lung carcinoma. This distinction is important, because the treatment varies; non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) is sometimes treated with surgery, while small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) usually responds better to chemotherapy and radiation. The symptoms of lung cancer usually includes shortness of breath, coughing, and weight loss. This possesses a problem because there is no concrete evidence that indicates a possible lung cancer, especially since there are no nerves in the lung. For breast cancer, it is often possible to feel your breasts to feel lumps. Because such self-examination is not possible, men and women in their sixties, seventies, and eighties find they have lung cancer with stage three or four, which is often too late for surgery.
In the article "As lung cancer kills more women, a call for better diagnosis, care" of the San Francisco Chronicle (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2006/11/17/MNG5AMEO0T1.DTL), clearly states that lung cancer has been the number one killer for nearly 20 years, but diagnosis and treatment options still lag far behind the most common cancer in women, breast cancer. But even as lung cancer death rates surpassed breast cancer death rates, support for research and victims did not mostly because of the idea that "they brought it on themselves." In reality, 10 to 20 percent of lung cancer victims never smoked a cigarette. Many of the smokers who ended up with lung cancer started smoking before they were fully aware of the health risks. Many quit sometimes 20 to 30 years before their cancer diagnosis. These victims need treatment, just like anybody else.
More than half of men and women diagnosed with lung cancer are in their advanced stages. That means less than fifteen percent of them survive for five years. With such a poor prognosis for advanced lung cancer, doctors say it's critical that researchers develop a better diagnostic tool. But what's astonishing? In 2005, the National Cancer Institute, the primary source of funding for research, spent $560 million on breast cancer research, $309 million on prostate cancer research, and $266 million on lung cancer research. Now that's HALF of funding for breast cancer, even though lung cancer is much deadlier.
Posted by ushikuay at 02:44 PM | Comments (0)
November 19, 2008
How To Quit
Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." The biggest reason why it is so difficult to quit smoking is nicotine. But there are also many other reasons according to the American Cancer Society's "Guide to Quitting Smoking." (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Guide_for_Quitting_Smoking.asp)
Besides the obvious health effects, there are many other reasons to quit. Cost can be astonishing when you actually calculate how much one person spends. Smoking one pack a day will cost $1825 in a year, $18,250 in ten years and $36,500 in twenty years. Wow! For those who smoke, ask yourselves what you would rather do with the money that you can save. A brand new car is always an option.
Becoming dependent on cigarettes is both physical and mental. Two of the most known techniques is behavioral therapy and nicotine replacement therapy. Let me explain.
Behavioral therapy includes telephone-based help such as the American Cancer Society's Quitline tobacco cessation program that links callers with trained counselors. These specialists help plan a quit method that fits each person's unique smoking pattern. People who use telephone counseling are twice as likely to stop smoking as those who don't get this type of help. Call 1-800-ACS-2345 (1-800-227-2345) today! There are also many stop smoking programs such as the Nicotine Anonymous.
On the other hand, Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)gives you nicotine -- in the form of gums, patches, sprays, inhalers, or lozenges -- but not the other harmful chemicals in tobacco. Although the nicotine patch did not work for my father, I believe it is a great way to help someone quit. This way, it is possible to focus on the psychological aspects of quitting. NRT can reduce withdrawal symptoms, but it should not be the only method to quit as it only deals with physical addiction.
A support network of family and friends is very important during one's quit attempt. Always know that help is available, and there are many combinations of methods that may suit one person but not the other.
Posted by ushikuay at 12:22 PM | Comments (0)
November 17, 2008
Nicotine
As I have said earlier, my father has been a heavy smoker for the last 30 years of his life and my family and I have encouraged him to quit many times, but he simply could not. Why? Nicotine.
According to American Cancer Society's Guide to Quitting Smoking (http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Guide_for_Quitting_Smoking.asp), nicotine is highly addictive- as addictive as heroin or cocaine (wow!). To give a brief scientific explanation, when smokers inhale smoke, nictoine is carried into the lungs and is then absorbed quickly into the bloodstream. Nicotine affects many parts of the body, including your heart, brain, blood vessels, metabolism, as well as hormones. Nicotine acts as a kind of depressent by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. As with any other drugs, smoker will develop a tolerance to nicotine after a while, meaning that it will take more nicotine to get the same effet that the smoker used to get from smaller amounts.
So what will happen if the smoker does not get the nicotine? When the smoker tries to quit, he will experience both physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms will start within a few hours after quitting and peak at about two to three days. Thus, it takes about two to three days to get most of the nictotine and its by-products out of the body. Some of the most common withdrawal symptoms include: feelings of frustration, anger, impatience, irritability, sleeplessness, depression, and trouble concentrating, to name a few. My father experienced those exact symptoms when he tried to quit using nicotine gum many years ago. A week after quitting, he gave up and smoke again.
What really troubles me is this: if nicotine is so highly addictive and obviously very dangerous to a person's health, why is it not illegal like cocaine or heroin? I realize that illegalizing cigarettes, or any kind of drug for that matter, will result in what is called the "black", underground market. Although I have no statsitical resourcees to support my opinion, I believe that illegalizing cigarettes will decrease the amount of cigarette use in the United States. It would be more difficult to obtain it and it would be far more expensive than how much cigarettes are currently selling. Would that help the status of our national health? Yes!
Some people may resent the idea, reasoning that the loss of market share for the tobacco industry would be a substantial amount. I say...who cares! They shold not be making money anyways.
Realistically, I do not see the government making cigarettes illegal, but at the least, they require cigarette advertising to refer to the affects of smoking (thank goodness).
Posted by ushikuay at 06:38 PM | Comments (0)
November 13, 2008
Smoking
"Smoking cessation represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives," the US Surgeon General has said. http://www.cancer.org/docroot/PED/content/PED_10_13X_Guide_for_Quitting_Smoking.asp?from=fast
No surprise there. According to the American Cancer Society's "Guide to Quitting Smoking," tobacco use accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths in the United States and for nearly one in five deaths from all causes. I am a very strong protestor of smoking, especially because my father has been a heavy smoker for the last thirty years, and you can just imagine how that has negatively affected his health, appearance, and capacity. In another sense, I was negatively impacted as well by second-hand smoking. Fortunately, I am able to realize the deathly effects of tobacco, and how easy it is to prevent such diseases like lung cancer by simply not smoking. What is so surprising to me is the fact that even in the year 2008 when we are completely aware of the dangers of tobacco, teenagers and adults continue to smoke. Of course, nicottine is highly addictive (as addictive as cocaine or heroine) and as a result, adults who started years before may find it difficult to quit. But for teenagers now, why start?
Yes, that is the critical question here: Why start?
First, take a look at the image of a healthy lung versus a lung of a smoker.
Smoking causes nearly 90 percent of lung cancer deaths. The American Cnacer Society emphasizes that smoking is also associated with at least 14 other types of cancers, including cancer of the stomach, uterine cervix, oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, esophagus, ancreas, kidney, bladder, lip, nasopharynx, nasal cavity, and paranasal sinuses. In addition, it is also a major cause of heart disease, cerebrovascular disease, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema and is assocated with gastric ulcers. What may be even more frightening is the fact that smoking does not affect only those who smoke. Each year, secondhand smoke is responsible for as many as 3,000 lung cancer deaths in nonsmoking adults and an additional 35,000 deaths due to heart disease in nonsmokers. Lastly, adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking.
So why in the world would one start smoking? The marketing department of cigarette companies may be accountable for the reason that children aged ten to sixteen start smoking. These companies target young adolescents with bright colors and cartoon figures because they know that if people start smoking at such a young age, they are highly unlikely to quit, and the cigarette company will be guaranteed of future sales. It is truly disgusting that cigarette companies could advertise in such a way solely for profits.
Example:
Surely, there is a way to prevent lung cancer if America makes an effort. It is possible. California and New York have already passed a law that prohibits smoking in public areas. Michigan, unfortunately, voted for public smoking, presumably because they believe that sales in restaurants will decrease due to such law. In reality, restaurant sales in New York increased because people were no longer concerned that someone would inappropriately smoke while trying to enjoy a nice meal.
Posted by ushikuay at 12:36 AM | Comments (0)
Welcome!
Welcome to my blog! I have recently been appointed as the chair for Lung Cancer Awareness Committee within an University of Michigan non-profit organization called University Students Acting Against Cancer. My goal is to organize events that will raise awareness of lung cancer as well as fundraise for lung cancer research. As the chair, I would like to take this opportunity to educate myself as well as the readers about lung cancer. One statistical fact that I was shocked with is that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death for both men and women. It is also the most preventable cancer. With out efforts, we CAN prevent lung cancer in the future!
Posted by ushikuay at 12:34 AM | Comments (0)
