Daily Dose

Over the past few months, I have written a lot of what you should not eat, what you should avoid and why you should avoid it. I have heard from several readers that they want to hear more of what they should eat. Over the next few weeks I am going to be talking a lot about shopping, label reading and of why a grocery store is some of the most interesting real estate in our environment. Everything, from the color of the signs to the music playing in the background, is designed to get us to buy things or items that we really don't want to buy. Did you know that 70% of the people that go into the grocery store with a list buy one extra item for ever three items on their list? It is the true dedicated list builder that leaves there with nothing extra in their basket. I, for one, always pick up extra items. There is a design to have you wait in line for so long before they open up the next cashier. You might be more apt to buy some goodies, gum, or Masters Degree reading in the National Enquirer. I also have to admit that for some reason my eyes always check out the titles of those rag magazines. In fact, as I am writing this I feel so ashamed, I will often pick it up and read it if the title is enticing enough. I am thankful and happy to admit that I have never bought one of those magazines in my adult life.

When I asked that someone who is near and dear to me, why do you smoke, the answer is "Because I like to smoke."  Well, that answer is brutally honest in their mind. However, it is a lie. This is very misleading. This person, name unmentioned, does not smoke because they enjoy smoking, rather they enjoy not smoking. Nicotine is powerfully addictive.  What the smoker is saying is that I don't like the way I feel when I don't smoke. It helps me calm my nerves, it takes the edge off, and therefore, I enjoy smoking.  If the nicotine level decreases below a certain threshold in the smoker's body, that person will become more irritable, anxious, tense, and even show some physical signs such as sweating and heart palpitation.  You are darn skippy, they do enjoy smoking. They sure don't like it when they are not smoking. It is quite miserable to not smoke (for a short time).  There is a fear that the smoker's life will become as miserable as the first few days of not smoking. This does not occur.  There will be those occasional urges of wanting a cigarette. Remember, this is the usual way out in a time of stress, "I have to have a cigarette!"  This is the default. The smoker is able to get away from everyone for a few minutes and go outside to smoke. 

As an Obstetrician, I found it amazing that people would actually smoke while they are pregnant. However, I don't think people actually pick up the cigarette thinking, "I am going to hurt my baby now!" In fact, when I thought about it, what is the real difference between smoking in a closed up car or feeding the kids so much junk food? There's really not much difference at all. It comes down to education. Many of the mothers-to-be have grown up around cigarette smoke and just take it as a part of life. I think it really needs to be explained as to why it makes such a huge difference. When marketers are able to convince our young mothers that a Pop Tart is a healthy choice because it is baked, there is something wrong with our educational system. We have got to do a better job of getting the message out there. It is difficult. I have really poured my heart out in the Daily Dose. I am desperate for people to get this message. Please pass this information on to one, two, or your entire list of contacts. Invite them to join.

The Center for Disease Control, the CDC, in Atlanta, Georgia, states that there are 151,322 cancer deaths annually that are directly attributed to smoking. Men who smoke are 22 times more likely to die from lung cancer than their non-smoking counterparts. Women are not off the hook. Women are 12 times more likely to die from lung cancer than their non-smoking counterparts.

Since the 1950's the association of smoking and premature death has been studied extensively. The gene that is involved in this deadly disease is really the target of the carcinogens that are in tobacco smoke. The gene is the p54 gene. This is a normally very protective gene that will protect the body from cancer. However, once it is mutated, it will actually feed the cancer. The carcinogens that are in tobacco smoke will actually cause the mutation of the gene and then turn on the cancer. As I reported earlier this week, the American Cancer Society has proof that the low-tar cigarettes offer no relief from the cancer risk. In fact, this type of low-tar cigarette was actually responsible for cancers that reached further into the lung tissue. 

When a smoker takes a drag off a cigarette, this raises the blood pressure by 5-10 mm Hg for about 30 minutes. When the person also takes a big sip of their morning coffee, then the blood pressure can actually go up even more and have a longer duration. How many people do you think will actually do both in the morning? The answer is, "many". However, given this fact, people with hypertension are NOT more likely to be smokers. I find that fact a little surprising. One thought is that smokers tend to be thinner than non-smokers. This feeds back to the addiction model. We all have some component of addictive behavior. If you are addicted to eating, you might feed your addiction with a fork. This is a hand to mouth reflex that brings a lot of pleasure. One might get that fix by eating and another might get that fix by smoking. We all have some inborn need for the hand to mouth connection. This is also a proven fact.