chantix-quit-smoking blog

Arizona: COPD Program Launches New Website

2011-08-06T16:53:00.000-07:00

Arizona: COPD Program Launches New Website

COPD Program Launches New Website

The COPD Collaborative Program launched the new version of its website last week. Please visit www.BreatheEasyAZ.org to learn about what’s new for the COPD community in Arizona. The Arizona-specific site offers the latest developments in lung health, a wide variety of resources, and special tools for health professionals, patients, and caregivers. Don’t miss out on adding this robust website to your favorites list.

http://www.breatheeasyaz.org/

Quit Smoking for New Year’s: 7 Tips for Success

2011-01-06T08:49:00.000-08:00

Quit Smoking for New Year’s: 7 Tips for Success

Did you or someone you love resolve to quit smoking for New Year’s? The American Lung Association is here to help you keep that resolution. January is the perfect time for a fresh start, and with today’s economic challenges, quitting smoking is not only good for your health, it’s good for your wallet. At current prices, when a pack-a-day smoker quits, it’s like getting a $2000 bonus—tax free—every year! Having a solid plan can be the key. Here are seven tips for success and resources that have helped thousands give up smoking for good:

Talk to your doctor about the different over-the-counter and prescription medications and various types of treatments available to help you quit smoking.

Look into the different options available to help smokers quit. Visit www.lungusa.org for tools like our Freedom From Smoking® Online.

Take time to plan. Pick your quit date a few weeks ahead of time and mark it on the calendar. If you can, pick a day that isn’t stressful, such as after the holidays. As your Quit Day approaches, gather the medications and tools you need and map out how you’re going to handle situations that make you want to smoke.

Get some exercise every day. Walking is a great way to reduce the stress of quitting. Exercise is proven to not only combat weight gain, but also improves mood and energy levels.

Eat a balanced diet; drink lots of water and get plenty of sleep.

Ask family, friends and co-workers for their help and support. Having someone to take a walk with or just listen can give a needed boost.

You don’t have to quit alone. Help is available. Consider joining a stop-smoking program like Freedom From Smoking® offered by the American Lung Association.

For even more help, call our Lung HelpLine at 1-800-LUNG-USA. Our nurses and respiratory therapists can provide expert advice on quitting smoking.

“Be aware that smokers have different experiences when they quit,” says Norman Edelman, M.D. American Lung Association Chief Medical Officer. “Some may feel tired or even easily excitable. Others may feel lightheaded, nervous or irritable and experience headaches in addition to craving tobacco or sweets. Know these feelings are normal and may last for several weeks, but eventually they will pass.”

The American Lung Association’s Freedom From Smoking® program has helped hundreds of thousands quit smoking and is considered the gold standard for smoking cessation programs. This program is offered over eight sessions in a group setting, since the support of others is a beneficial component of the quitting process. And perfect for today’s busy world is Freedom From Smoking® Online (http://www.ffsonline.org/) which brings the same proven program into the comfort and privacy of your own home.

“Quitting smoking is one of the most important that things that you can do for your health,” adds Dr. Edelman. “The earlier you quit the better, but it’s important to remember that it’s never too late to quit. The American Lung Association offers the best tools and resources available.”

see more info at
http://www.lungusa.org/about-us/our-impact/top-stories/quit-smoking-for-new-years.html

Lung implant is a breath of fresh air

2010-12-15T14:54:00.000-08:00

Lung implant is a breath of fresh air December 2010

Artificial lung technology could reduce the death rate for patients awaiting a lung transplant, say US scientists.

Advanced lung disease is characterised by an inability to remove carbon dioxide from the blood and reduced oxygen uptake efficiency. A shortage of donors can mean long delays and high mortality rates for those awaiting a transplant. The only technology available to aid sufferers during this time is based in intensive care units, hindering quality of life.

Now, Joseph Vacanti and coworkers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, have developed a device that achieves the CO2/O2 gas exchange that, when implanted in the body, could allow patients more freedom when awaiting a transplant. Their design is a microfluidic branched vascular network through which blood flows, separated from a gas-filled chamber by a silicone membrane less than 10um thick. The network is formed by casting polydimethylsiloxane, a biocompatible polymer, on a micro machined mould.

A device that achieves carbon dioxide/oxygen gas exchange could allow patients more freedom when awaiting a lung transplant

A major challenge faced by Vacanti's team was achieving a blood pressure within the device's channels similar to that in veins and arteries. They applied computational fluid dynamics to optimise the vascular network's structure to avoid clotting induced by excessive blood pressure. 'Fulfilment of these design criteria necessitated creating channels that had variable depth throughout the network and also had precise curvature,' says Vacanti's coworker, David Hoganson.

Vacanti's device could be scaled up for implantation. According to Hoganson, an implant-sized device could be fabricated by 'stacking the functional layers of the device to achieve the necessary surface area for gas exchange'.

Jaisree Moorthy, who specialises in using microfluidics in tissue engineering at the University of Pennsylvania, says that Vacanti's device provides a very elegant solution. Compared to existing devices, Moorthy comments that it 'is more efficient due to a thinner membrane, and mimics the biological CO2/O2 transfer rate'.

In the future, Vacanti hopes to develop the device further to incorporate engineered lung tissue.

Erica Wise

Link to journal articleLung assist device technology with physiologic blood flow developed on a tissue engineered scaffold platform

David M. Hoganson, Howard I. Pryor II, Erik K. Bassett, Ira D. Spool and Joseph P. Vacanti, Lab Chip, 2011

DOI: 10.1039/c0lc00158a

Now, Joseph Vacanti and coworkers at Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, have developed a device that achieves the CO₂/O₂ gas exchange that, when implanted in the body, could allow patients more freedom when awaiting a transplant.

ChemScience Volume 2010 12 lung implant breath fresh air click to see source

Better than SPIRIVA AND FORADIL ?

2010-12-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Better than SPIRIVA AND FORADIL?

NEW THERAPY FOR COPD CLAIMS TO BE SUPERIOR TO SPIRIVA AND FORADIL
Pearl Therapeutics, located in the U.S., announces that its new drug PT003, a combination bronchodilator, provides better bronchodilation than Spiriva and Foradil. PT003, still undergoing trials, uses a metered dose inhaler (MDI), and is proving to be safe and well-tolerated. Studies were conducted on individual with "moderate" to "very severe" COPD. For more information, visit:

see more at
http://www.pearltherapeutics.com/press-releases.php?press_number=1024

Do you have asthma? new research looking for participatants

2010-11-29T09:34:00.000-08:00

Do you have asthma? Would you like to participate in current research with the American Lung Association?

The American Lung Association is proud to announce that we have opened an Asthma Clinical Research Center (ACRC) at the University of Arizona. The ACRC is the nation’s largest not-for-profit network of clinical research centers dedicated to asthma treatment research, attracting some of the best asthma investigators worldwide.

The Asthma Clinical Research Centers conduct large clinical trials that will have a direct impact on patient care and asthma treatment. The Network consists of 18 asthma clinical research centers throughout the country and a Data Coordinating Center managed by a team at Johns Hopkins University.

The ACRC at the University of Arizona is currently looking for persons with asthma who may be interested in participating in research studies. If you would like to learn more about these studies, please click the links below or contact the ACRC’s Clinical Research Coordinator Monica Vasquez at (520) 626-3907.

are you at risk for COPD ?

2010-11-15T13:41:00.000-08:00

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a serious lung disease that makes it harder and harder to breathe. While it can't be cured, it can be managed and treated, so it's important to find out if you have COPD. With the right diagnosis and treatment, you can take steps that could help you manage your COPD and breathe better.

Please click on this link to take a simple, five-question survey that may help identify if you are at risk for COPD. http://www.drive4copd.com/alacolo

see if you are at risk for COPD

Please forward this link and encourage your family and friends to take this survey too.
http://www.drive4copd.com/alacolo

Breathe Better With A Smaller Belly

2010-11-11T08:41:00.000-08:00

Breathe Better With A Smaller Belly

Excess belly fat is strongly associated with impaired lung function, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine (Volume 179, page 509). Here’s what the researchers found.

Researchers analyzed information from more than 120,000 people and found that the larger a person's waist size, the smaller their forced vital capacity -- the maximum volume of air that a person can exhale after breathing in as much air as possible. Women and men with abdominal obesity were twice as likely as those with a normal waist size to have a low forced vital capacity. The association between waist size and lung function was seen even in people of normal weight.

Excess belly fat may affect breathing by pushing on the diaphragm and chest wall, making it harder for the lungs to fill with air. The American Heart Association considers a waist circumference of more than 35 inches for women or 40 inches for men to be abnormal. For people of Asian descent, waist circumference should be less than 31 inches for women and less than 37 inches for men.

Take away: If you have a large waist and are experiencing breathing problems, the two may be connected. Visit your doctor, who can assess your weight and lung function. The study didn't look at whether losing weight can help improve lung function, but previous research has suggested that it can.

COPD Awareness Month Coming up in November

2010-10-29T22:33:00.001-07:00

COPD Awareness Month Coming up in November!

As you may know, November is COPD Awareness Month, and November 17th is World COPD Day!

World COPD Day began in 2002, and is organized by the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) in collaboration with health care professionals and COPD patient groups throughout the world.

This year’s theme for World COPD Day is 2010 – The Year of the Lung: Measure your lung health; Ask your doctor about a simple breathing test called spirometry.

A spirometer tests your lung health by having you breathe forcefully into a tube for six seconds or more.

Not sure what you can do to help the worldwide effort in spreading COPD awareness on this day (and all year round)? GOLD offers some suggestions:

How much does a pack of cigarettes really cost?

2010-10-14T08:53:00.000-07:00

How much does a pack of cigarettes really cost? $16.43

On Thursday, Oct. 14, the American Lung Association of Florida will host the first Florida Tobacco Cessation Summit at Lake Nona — a free, one-day event that will examine the benefits of smoking cessation for Floridians.

Participants representing a broad range of industries will learn about the short- and long-term positive outcomes that can result from providing comprehensive cessation coverage.

“Each year I see the devastating health effects of tobacco use throughout Florida,” said Martha Bogdan, president of the American Lung Association of the Southeast. “We have made great strides in reducing tobacco use through smoke-free air laws, increasing the cost of cigarettes and funding tobacco prevention programs. Now it’s time to help those who want to quit smoking succeed by ensuring full access to cessation products and services.”

The event will be held at the Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute at Lake Nona. Registration for the event begins at 8 a.m. Although there is no charge to attend, space is limited. For more information on the Florida tobacco summit, click here.

A recent report released by the American Lung Association, Smoking Cessation: the Economic Benefits, revealed startling numbers related to the true costs of tobacco use in Florida. Smoking can be linked to productivity losses of $4.4 billion, premature death losses of $7.9 billion and direct medical expenditures of $7.2 billion – totaling $19.6 billion in loss to the state.

When researchers considered productivity losses and the cost of health-care for smokers, the true cost of a pack of cigarettes in Florida is $16.43.

Tobacco cessation programs have consistently proven effective and the benefits of these programs greatly outweigh the cost of implementing them. Smoking cessation is one of the most cost-effective wellness initiatives employers can undertake, the lung association says.

The summit will feature discussions on tobacco’s impact on smokers, employers and Florida, the benefits of providing smoking cessation treatment, and the recent health care reform and what it means for tobacco addiction treatment in Florida.

see more info at........
http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/health/2010/10/12/how-much-does-a-pack-of-cigarettes-really-cost-16-43/

DRIVE4COPD: public health initiative

2010-10-04T09:38:00.000-07:00

The COPD Foundation is proud and excited to be a partnering organization with the DRIVE4COPD campaign working to raise awareness of COPD and focusing on the importance of early diagnosis. The DRIVE4COPD campaign, which launched in February of this year, is striving to get 1 million at-risk individuals screened for COPD.

DRIVE4COPD is a multi-year public health initiative that aims to help individuals identify symptoms of COPD, and drive those at risk to take action and improve their lung health.

The Great American Screen Off, which will culminate on November 4th, is being held in honor of COPD Awareness Month. On this day, we will be hosting a series of free screening events across the country and featuring the DRIVE4COPD Celebrity Race Team Members: Danica Patrick, Bruce Jenner, Michael Strahan and Patty Loveless.

info on the Biolung

2010-08-31T03:44:00.000-07:00

The BioLung is an artificial lung that can replace the gas exchange function of a person’s native lungs during recovery from injury or illness, or until donor lungs are available for transplantation.

Concept → Design → Development → Pre-Production

MC3 engineers designed and patented the BioLung and designed and constructed the necessary fabrication equipment. Further development was completed through laboratory testing in conjunction with academic collaborators and with support from NIH. MC3 followed FDA-appropriate design control and documentation procedures, and transferred the BioLung to production. The BioLung is currently undergoing testing for FDA submission.

Commercialization

MC3 participated in the founding of Novalung, GmbH, a German company dedicated to providing devices to treat lung failure, including artificial lungs. MC3 plans to market the BioLung through Novalung.

see more info on the Biolung lung transplant device

Iran makes first artificial lung

2010-08-30T03:07:00.000-07:00

Iran has managed to develop the first artificial lung to join the other five countries in the world which possess the technology (August 17, 2009).

click for artifical lung device

It's possible to grow new lung alveoli by growing new blood vessels

2010-08-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

It's possible to grow new lung alveoli by growing new blood vessels, University of Alberta

16 Nov 2005

University of Alberta researchers pioneer gene therapy to restore alveoli and lung capillaries in damaged rat lungs; first step in one day helping premature babies.

The good news is that medical advances in perinatal care have allowed us to save many more premature babies. The bad news is they're often at risk of developing bronchopulmonary dysplasia--a chronic lung disease caused by having to place the tiny infants on ventilators and oxygen-rich therapy for acute respiratory failure.

It's really a win-lose situation: the babies are saved but they pay the price with dramatically underdeveloped lungs--forcing them to spend their early days outside the womb fighting for every breath. And now, with many of these premature babies reaching their adolescent years, clinicians and researchers are also waiting to see whether longer term health problems are going to begin occurring.

"Right now we simply don't have any treatments," says Bernard Th baud, a clinician-scientist and neonatologist in the Department of Pediatrics. "So, if we can't prevent it, we've started to think about how we might repair it."

Using animal models, Dr. Th baud and a team of University of Alberta researchers have taken what they say is the first important step towards a treatment--in effect, growing new blood vessels and alveoli--the tiny air sacs where gas exchange occurs between the lungs and blood vessels--in tiny rat lungs.

The results of their work were recently published in Circulation, entitled Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Gene Therapy Increases Survival, Promotes Lung Angiogenesis, and Prevents Alveolar Damage in Hyperoxia-Induced Lung Injury: Evidence That Angiogenesis Participates in Alveolarization.

The results have caused a stir in the scientific community: In an accompanying editorial in the October 18 issue of the journal, Kurt Stenmark, a University of Colorado Divisions of Critical Care and Pulmonary Medicine researcher, said the studies "�raise new possibilities for the treatment of infants with severe chronic lung disease. It seems possible that by augmenting or restoring vascular growth, overall lung growth and ultimately lung function can be restored."

Doing that involved a new gene therapy technique, explains Dr. Th�baud. Knowing that a particular protein, VEGF, a vascular endothelial growth factor, is crucial for the normal development of the lung, and that angiopoeitin-1, another angiogenic growth factor is crucial for blood vessel maturation, the team attached the proteins to an adenovirus and administered it through an aerosol directly into the lungs. In effect, the virus carried the protein to the heart of millions of lung cells. Once inside the cells, the growth factor proteins went to work doing the job they were programmed to do.

The results were striking: In microscopic images, the scientists have charted the growth of alveoli and lung capillaries. In a typically healthy lung, a complex network of capillaries encircles the alveoli. Oxygen flows from the lungs through ultra-fine epithelial and endothelial tissues into the blood; carbon dioxide diffuses from the blood into the alveoli. In an infant's underdeveloped lungs, the alveoli are larger and fewer and there are fewer developed capillaries. It's a condition that leaves them gasping--and one that is shared by people who have emphysema.

"At this stage it's simply proof of principle," says Dr. Th�baud, also a pediatrician at the Stollery Children's Hospital's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. The next step is to prove it's possible to replicate safely in larger mammals. Once that's done, it's possible the concept--growing blood vessels to cure a disease that is traditionally thought of as an airway disease--could be tested clinically in people.

Other authors on the paper include: Stephen Archer, Canada Research Chair in Translational Cardiovascular Research; Evangelos Michelakis, Department of Medicine (Cardiology); Greg Korbutt, Surgical-Medical Research Institute; Gavin Thurston, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc.; Faruqa Ladha, summer student; and technicians with the Vascular Biology Research Group: Monika Sawicka, Farah Eaton, Kyoko Hashimoto, Gwyneth Harry and Alois Haromy.

Michael mailto:Robbmichael.robb@ualberta.ca
University of Alberta http://www.ualberta.ca/

read more on growing new blood aveoli

Article URL: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/33364.php

World Spirometry Day, October 14th, 2010

2010-08-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

World Spirometry Day, October 14th, 2010

The Federation of International Respiratory Societies have declared October 14th, 2010 World Spirometry Day to celebrate lung health during the Year of the Lung.

This coordinated event to deliver free spirometry helps raise awareness for lung disease around the world. Spirometry is a simple diagnostic tool that can be utilized to screen for lung diseases like COPD. Everyone who has a stake in raising awareness of lung disease, COPDers and providers alike, have a role to play in this event.

Events that are being planned will be logged on the World Spirometry Day website and on the Facebook page.

Do you want to be a part of the World Spirometry Day Festivities? Check out the World Spirometry Day calendar for an event near you. And if you don’t see an event registered in your area, you can start your own! There are organizing kits available on the World Spirometry Day Website. If you are not a health professional, contact your doctor’s office or local hospital or community center or any of the partner organizations to help.

The kits include guides to run a mass spirometry events in a hospital setting and in a community setting, sample media kits for contacting the press, promotional materials that can be used for marketing (banners, signs, t-shirts, etc.), questionnaires and forms to be used for testing and education fact sheets on spirometry screening, living with COPD and smoking and lung disease. The kits are all downloadable form the above website, personalized for your event and reproduced as needed.

What can you do if you are not a health professional? You can help organize the place and date, coordinate the medical professionals and the equipment needed to do the testing, market the event by contacting the media, help fundraise to pay for the event, and coordinate educational materials about the importance of lung health and lung diseases such as COPD, Asthma, and Cystic Fibrosis.

By participating in a World Spirometry Day event you are:

Helping to raise awareness of all lung diseases and the importance of early detection

Encouraging and enabling individuals to get their lungs tested

Improving diagnosis of previously undetected lung problems

Attracting media attention to this important campaign

Motivating the medical professionals to work together with the community

To learn more about the Year of the Lung and World Spirometry Day or to view reports of events planned throughout the month, visit the official website.

see more at yearofthelung website

Medicare expands coverage to help smokers quit

2010-08-29T02:57:00.000-07:00

Medicare expands coverage to help smokers quit

By RICARDO ALONSO-ZALDIVAR, Associated Press Writer Ricardo Alonso-zaldivar, Associated Press Writer

30 mins ago

WASHINGTON – They've lived with the health warnings about smoking for much of their lives and doubtless seen the ill effects on friends, relatives and even themselves, yet about 4.5 million older people in the U.S. keep on lighting up. Medicare is finally catching up to most private insurers by providing counseling for anyone on the program who's trying to kick the habit.

Dr. Barry Straube, Medicare's chief medical officer, says it's never too late to quit, even for lifelong smokers.

"The elderly can respond to smoking cessation counseling even if they have been smoking for 30 years or more," says Straube. "We do know we can see a reduction in the death rate and complications from smoking-related illnesses." Not only cancer, heart disease and lung problems, which can kill, but also gastric reflux, osteoporosis and other ailments that undermine quality of life.

Smoking-related illnesses cost Medicare tens of billions a year. Straube cites a two-decade estimate of $800 billion, from 1995 through 2015.

First human patient tries ALung Technologies lung

2010-08-29T02:45:00.000-07:00

First human patient tries ALung Technologies lung

First human patient tries ALung Technologies' artificial lung alternativeSouth Side company in midst of $10M capital round
Pittsburgh Business Times - by Malia Spencer

ALung Technologies Inc. CEO Pete DeComo expects to continue hiring as his 17-employee company begins commercializing its artificial lung alternative in Europe. U.S. regulatory approval likely will lag by at least two years.

On Feb. 3, a 76-year-old woman in India with severely labored breathing went to Artemis Health Institute, a hospital in Gurgaon, outside of New Delhi. And halfway around the world in his Pittsburgh office, William Federspiel was anxious.

The woman, suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, became the first person to use an artificial lung alternative developed by Federspiel and others at Pittsburgh’s ALung Technologies Inc.

“That was pretty exciting,” said Federspiel, co-founder of the company and chairman of the scientific advisory board. “We had the animal testing and no reason to believe that it would not work the same. Still, I was quite nervous about it. I e-mailed the engineer at ALung every day.”

South Side-based ALung Technologiesis gearing up for commercialization in Europe of its Hemolung System. If all goes as planned, the product could start generating revenue as early as next year. The company is gaining clinical experience with the “first in-human use” in India before clinical trials start in Germany, said Chairman and CEO Pete DeComo.

At the same time, the company is in the midst of a financing round seeking $10 million, according to documents it filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to a Feb. 17 filing, the company has secured $3.3 million of its goal. DeComo said he could not comment on the company’s fundraising activities.

The Pittsburgh Life Sciences Greenhouse has twice invested in the company for a total of $200,000 and also has lent its expertise to management for work on strategic plans and other fundraising activities, said John Manzetti, president and CEO of the greenhouse. In fact, ALung was the first company the greenhouse reinvested in, though it since has done so with others.

“It’s in our interest and in their interest,” to see the company succeed, Manzetti said. “We don’t have a ton of money in them, but we have a reasonable stake in them. This could be a big exit and a strong statement in the community.”

With the first human use, Manzetti said the company is generating excitement outside the region.

“It will be another success story,” he said. “Someone will see it and snatch it up, and that will be good for the region.”

ALung will use 10 sites across Germany for the clinical trials in Europe. Two sites have been equipped with ALung’s technology, which is an alternative for some patients to a traditional ventilator, and the staff have been trained. They are now waiting for patients who fit the criteria to try the system, DeComo said. Within the next four weeks, four more sites should be outfitted.

The company plans to collect results from 20 patients before submitting for European regulatory approval, which executives hope to receive by the beginning of next year.

The Hemolung works similar to kidney dialysis, except that, instead of removing other toxins from the blood, it removes some carbon dioxide and returns the blood to the body. The blood is removed through a catheter and fed through an artificial lung, where the carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen is provided before traveling back into the body.

Unlike a ventilator, the patient doesn’t need to be intubated or sedated, so he or she is awake and alert, DeComo said. Additionally, DeComo noted it takes less time to wean a patient from the Hemolung than a ventilator, which can save a hospital money and free up intensive care space.

For every day someone is attached to a ventilator, it takes another day to wean them off, he said. Cutting a person’s time in the intensive care unit can save anywhere between $10,000 and $30,000 in a patient stay.

Approval for use in the United States is expected at least two years behind Europe. Once European trials are done, that data will be added to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration application.

As the company ramps up commercialization efforts in Europe, it also plans to expand its staff as needed. The company has gone from 13 to 17 with the addition of four people in new product development, DeComo said.

Federspiel, who has been with ALung since its beginnings in 1997, said the product was generating buzz at a critical care meeting he attended this month in Brussels, Belgium.

As Federspiel watched the first human use, he said he was amazed at how well the device worked on the patient, noting she was probably at the sicker end of patients the device is likely to see. “It’s been a long road,” he said. “I am happy that it’s finally making it into patients.”

see the article on the Alung

ALung Technologies Inc.
Medical device company
Founded: 1997
Key product: Hemolung System artificial lung alternative
Headquarters: South Side
Employees: 17
Web site: www.alung.com

Pig lungs could soon be transplanted into humans

2010-08-28T16:08:00.000-07:00

Pig lungs could soon be transplanted into humans

By ANI February 4th, 2010

LONDON - Scientists in Melbourne, Australia have made a medical breakthrough which has moved the use of pig lungs in transplants into humans a step closer.

Experts, who used a ventilator and pump to keep the animal lungs alive and “breathing” while human blood flowed in them, hope the work could lead to the first animal-human transplants within five years, reports The Telegraph.

Dr Glenn Westall, who helped conduct the experiment, said: “The blood went into the lungs without oxygen and came out with oxygen, which is the exact function of the lungs.

“It showed that these lungs were working perfectly well and doing as we were expecting them to do.

“This is a significant advance compared to experiments that have been performed over the past 20 years.”

In the breakthrough study, scientists were able to remove a section of pig DNA, which had made the pig organs incompatible with human blood. (ANI)

see the news on lung transplants

Portable Artificial Lung Device News Conference youtube video

2010-08-28T14:52:00.000-07:00

Portable Artificial Lung Device News Conference youtube video

Watch a 15-minute video of the press conference held at the medical center on April 2, 2009, to announce a new, portable artificial lung developed by UMMC doctors. Doctors at the University of Maryland Medical Center have adapted a small, portable artificial lung, using a newly approved catheter. This device enabled Ward Forsyth, a 49-year-old Maryland man who was suffering from end-stage emphyesema, to stay alive while awaiting a lung transplant. The conference features several of Forsthyth's doctors, including Dr. Bartley Griffith, chief of cardiothoracic surgery at the University of Maryland Medical Center and Dr. Aldo Iacono, medical director of UMMC's Lung Transplant Program

watch the video

BioLung is an artificial lung

2010-08-28T02:39:00.000-07:00

The BioLung is an artificial lung that can replace the gas exchange function of a person’s native lungs during recovery from injury or illness, or until donor lungs are available for transplantation.

Concept → Design → Development → Pre-Production
MC3 engineers designed and patented the BioLung and designed and constructed the necessary fabrication equipment. Further development was completed through laboratory testing in conjunction with academic collaborators and with support from NIH. MC3 followed FDA-appropriate design control and documentation procedures, and transferred the BioLung to production. The BioLung is currently undergoing testing for FDA submission.

Commercialization

see more info on the Biolung

MC3 participated in the founding of Novalung, GmbH, a German company dedicated to providing devices to treat lung failure, including artificial lungs. MC3 plans to market the BioLung through Novalung.

growing new alveoli cells for replacement

2010-08-27T18:45:00.000-07:00

growing new alveoli cells for replacement

has anyone done any work in growing new alveoli sacs for replacement insertion for damaged ones?

some info on growing new alveoli

Researchers Turn Cord Blood Into Lung Cells

2010-08-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

Researchers Turn Cord Blood Into Lung Cells

ScienceDaily (Nov. 13, 2006) — Researchers at the University of Minnesota have, for the first time, coaxed umbilical cord blood stem cells to differentiate into a type of lung cell.

The cord blood cells differentiated into a type of lung cell called type II alveolar cells. These cells are responsible for secreting surfactant, a substance which allows the air sacs in the lungs to remain open, allowing air to move in and out of the sacs. The cells are also responsible for helping to repair the airway after injury.

"In the future, we may be able to examine cord blood from babies who have lung diseases, such as cystic fibrosis, to do more research to understand how these diseases evolve as well as to develop better medical treatments," said David McKenna, M.D., assistant professor of lab medicine and pathology and medical director of the Clinical Cell Therapy Lab at the University of Minnesota Medical Center, Fairview.

The research paper is currently available online, and will be published in the Nov. 7, 2006, issue of the journal Cytotherapy.

Type II alveolar cells develop late in fetal development, which is why some premature babies are born with underdeveloped lungs. The cells and the air sacs as a whole continue to mature and develop through a child's first few years of life.

see the news article on Lung Cells av

Artificial Lung Closer to Clinical Trial

2010-08-27T14:38:00.000-07:00

Artificial Lung Closer to Clinical Trial

WebMD FeatureReviewed by Michael W. Smith, MDPeople who need a lung transplant can only wait and hope that a donor organ will materialize in time. But all too often, time runs out.

In response to the United States' critical shortage of donor organs, researchers have been racing to develop artificial organs that would serve as a "bridge" to transplantation. One such device is the BioLung, which may be tested in people soon.

Robert Bartlett, MD, surgeon at the University of Michigan Medical Center, leads the research on the BioLung, and Michigan Critical Care Consultants (MC3), a company in Ann Arbor, Mich., makes the device. Bartlett is well known in this field: He is credited with inventing the current generation of artificial breathing machines.

For eight years, the Ann Arbor team, with support from scientists at other universities, has been trying to invent a device that can do what today's machines cannot: supply 100% of a patient's oxygen needs by using the heart's own pumping power. "It took those eight years of iterations to meet those design requirements," says Scott Merz, president of MC3.

The system now used in hospitals is known as ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. ECMO machines take over the functions of both the lungs and heart, pumping blood and exchanging carbon dioxide for oxygen outside the body. Bartlett says ECMO works well for patients who have had respiratory failure because of infections, such as pneumonia, or trauma, such as smoke inhalation. They only need to stay on the machine briefly, until their lungs have healed enough to begin breathing normally.

Long-Term Problems
While ECMO is a short-term lifesaver, it's not good for long-term use. Many people whose lungs are in such bad shape that they need a transplant -- such as sufferers of severe emphysema, cystic fibrosis, and pulmonary fibrosis -- do not survive on ECMO long enough to match them with a donor organ.

To keep the blood moving through the machine without clotting, patients get a blood-thinning drug. The blood thinner can cause bleeding. If blood clots do form, they can damage the brain and other vital organs. What's more, Merz says the mechanical pumps used in ECMO damage red blood cells -- the cells that carry oxygen.

The BioLung, however, does not use a mechanical pump, nor does blood ever leave the body. A little larger than a soda can, it is implanted in the chest. The patient's own heart pumps blood into the device, which is packed with hollow plastic fibers perforated with holes so tiny that only gas molecules can pass through them. As blood filters through the fibers, carbon dioxide escapes through the holes and is replaced by oxygen from the surrounding air. Then the blood may go directly back to the heart to be pumped to the rest of the body, or it may take a spin through the patient's lungs first.

click for more info on Biolung

Doctors Talk About Tiny Artificial Lung Recipient

2010-08-27T14:31:00.000-07:00

Doctors Talk About Tiny Artificial Lung Recipient

A major victory is how doctors describe a medical first.

Thursday, we reported that 2-year old Owen Stark of Eldon, Missouri, is the youngest person to receive an artificial lung.

The FDA gave doctors permission to use the lung in June, as a temporary fix until a donor was found. He has a disorder in which all the blood vessels in his lungs shut down.

Without advanced medical care, doctors told the family Owen's heart would soon fail.

"He's recovered much more than any of us really thought was possible, but that's one of the joys of working with children, is they're much more resilient than a lot of people think they might be," says Dr. Mark Grady of St. Louis Children's Hospital.

Doctors say Owen may need a lung transplant in the future but his family is hopeful he'll pull through thi

see more at http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=317525

see the article on Tiny Artificial Lung

Better Breathers Club

2010-08-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

Better Breathers Club

Better Breather's Clubs
Find a Better Breathers Club in your Area:

Better Breathers Clubs offer the opportunity to learn ways to better cope with COPD while getting the support of others who share in your struggles. These support groups give you the tools you need to live the best quality of life you can.

Better Breathers Clubs meet regularly and feature educational presentations on a wide range of relevant topics, including:

How COPD affects the lungs
Breathing techniques
Exercise
Talking with your physician
Medications and other treatment options
Medical tests
Supplemental oxygen
Home health care
Lung transplants
Air pollution

If you feel alone and isolated, these support groups can help. It feels good to talk with others who understand, which has a positive impact on your health.

Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

2010-07-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

If you suffer about your relationship with food -- you eat too much or too little, think about what you will eat constantly or try not to think about it at all -- you can be free. Just look down at your plate. The answers are there. Don't run. Look. Because when we welcome what we most want to avoid, we contact the part of ourselves that is fresh and alive. We touch the life we truly want and evoke divinity itself.

Since adolescence, Geneen Roth has gained and lost more than a thousand pounds. She has been dangerously overweight and dangerously underweight. She has been plagued by feelings of shame and self-hatred and she has felt euphoric after losing a quick few pounds on a fad diet. Then one day, on the verge of suicide, she did something radical: She dropped the struggle, ended the war, stopped trying to fix, deprive and shame herself. She began trusting her body and questioning her beliefs.

It worked. And losing weight was only the beginning.

Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

New Lungs: Scientists Build a Rat Lung

2010-07-01T11:50:00.000-07:00

Scientists Build a Rat Lung

By GAUTAM NAIK

Scientists have made partly functioning rat lungs in the laboratory, a small yet tantalizing step in the quest to create fresh body parts for transplantation or to treat disease.

A team led by researchers from Yale University took apart rats' lungs and rebuilt them with new cells in a glass jar. When transplanted into live rats for a few hours, the new organs successfully exchanged oxygen and carbon dioxide, just as natural lungs do. The findings are published in the online version of the journal Science.

Yale University

Microsurgeon Tai Yi begins the lung transplant procedure in a rat. After he takes out the normal organ, he will put in the engineered one.
The study, funded by Yale and the National Institutes of Health, builds on a handful of similar groundbreaking experiments of recent years. A breakthrough using the same technique occurred in 2008, when University of Minnesota researchers created a beating rat heart in the lab. In a June 13 paper in Nature Medicine, scientists from Massachusetts General Hospital and elsewhere described how they had used the method to create a rat liver.

"It's an approach that has repeatedly been shown to have promise," said Anthony Atala, an expert in regenerative medicine at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, who wasn't involved in the latest study. Dr. Atala cautioned, however, that it could be years or even decades before such experiments could be tried in people.

Double Lung Transplant

2010-06-24T22:03:00.000-07:00

'Boston Med' Episode 1: Double Lung Transplant
News of Double Lung Donor Was Just First Step to Getting Patients Breathing Right Again By ERICA BAUMGART

For patients suffering terminal lung disease, the Lung Transplant Program at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston is a beacon of hope.

Surgeons at Brigham can take what look like impossible cases and perform work that invites the label "miracle."

One of the many expert surgeons at Brigham, resident Dr. Daniel "Dibar" DiBardino is an up-and-coming star. After nearly a decade of training in the ultra-demanding cardiothoracic program, DiBardino, cocky and self-assured, is approaching the top of his game.

In April, DiBardino and his colleagues would be put to the test. A donor came up for two patients desperately awaiting lung transplants. A double transplant was suddenly in order. DiBardino was in charge of harvesting the lungs from the donor. He had had two hours' sleep.

Watch the premiere episode of "Boston Med"

"Boston Med" cameras followed DiBardino and the senior attending physicians -- notably Dr. Michael D. Jacklitch and Dr. Phillip Camp, director of the transplant center -- in the lead-up to and aftermath of the surgery. We also spoke with lung recipients Maureen Bishop, 62, and Mary Ann White, 63, and their families.

"She is on oxygen 24-7 and the cord that she uses is a pain," said Ed White, Mary Ann's husband. "I was tripping over it and so was she."

Click HERE for more information on "Boston Med," an eight-part series of real-life medical drama taking an in-depth look at doctors, nurses and patients as well as the medical conditions that affect their daily lives.

The Patients
Maureen Bishop, 62, had smoked cigarettes and worked in heavy industry for decades. As a result, she developed emphysema. She could not breathe without an oxygen tank trailing her every step. She yearned for the simple things -- walking her dog, grocery shopping, attending church. She had been waiting for a lung transplant for three years.

Mary Ann White, 63, had no idea how she developed the progressive degenerative lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). A widowed mother of four with a gaggle of grandchildren and an adoring new husband, White also was on oxygen around the clock. She had waited 13 months for a transplant.

On April 5, 2009, White and Bishop received incredible news. They were each to receive a new lung from the same donor.

ABC News' Mary Flynn contributed to this report.

Lung Transplant: The Diseases
After 30 years of smoking, Bishop quit in 1999. Unfortunately, that wasn't soon enough.

Bishop was diagnosed with emphysema, one of two types of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) -- the other being chronic bronchitis. Emphysema primarily affects the alveoli, or the tiny air sacs within the lungs, causing their deterioration. Chronic bronchitis is when the breathing passages of the lungs become inflamed and narrow, making breathing difficult and painful.

Although treatment exists to ease the coughing, wheezing and other symptoms associated with COPD, there is no cure.

Approximately 15 percent of smokers develop COPD. It is the fourth-highest cause of death in the United States, claiming 120,000 Americans each year.

Often smokers are unaware they have the early symptoms of COPD. The disease progresses slowly, and symptoms often develop gradually, so that by the time COPD is apparent, the disease is already well-established.

"Many Americans aren't aware that more women in this country die each year of COPD than from breast and lung cancer," says Dr. Mark Hellreich, pulmonologist from Mission Hospital in Asheville, N.C.

According to Hellreich, an early diagnosis can be a powerful motivator for smokers to quit; the disease progresses twice as fast if patients continue to smoke. Hellreich said diagnosing COPD requires a fairly simple procedure, a five-minute breathing test called a spirometry, that is available in many physicians' offices.

Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis
The cause of White's disease was not so clear. When she developed IPF, doctors did not know how or why.

"The problem with my disease is that they have no clue what caused it," White said.

She said she just wanted the opportunity to once again enjoy her life, including spending time with her new husband, her children and her grandchildren.

IPF is a scarring or thickening of the lungs. It is less common, but far more deadly, than COPD. The average time from diagnosis to death for IPF patients is less than five years. Most patients die of respiratory failure within 10 years. But it's a relatively rare condition: An estimated seven to 43 of every 100,000 people in the United States develop IPF.

One common symptom of IPF is a noticeable change in a patient's breathing.

"If one month they are climbing stairs and then next month they are winded doing the same activity, it's cause for concern," said Dr. Phillip Camp, director of the lung transplant program at Brigham. "It's not just old age creeping up on you."

A definitive diagnosis of IPF requires a surgical lung biopsy. But doctors can occasionally diagnose the disease using a high-res chest CAT scan.

Currently, there are no FDA-approved medications available to treat IPF. Due to the aggressive nature of the disease, doctors recommend early referral to a lung transplant center shortly after diagnosing a patient.

For IPF patients, a transplant is the most reliable option.

COPD is the No. 1 disease warranting a lung transplant. IPF is ranked second. The death rate for people on the lung transplant waiting list is highest in IPF patients.

Lungs are a hard organ to come by. Only 15 percent of donated lungs are deemed appropriate for transplant, compared to 88 percent of viable kidneys and livers. One reason for this is because the lungs are more easily exposed to infection or irritants in the environment compared to other organs.

In New England, 65 percent of patients who received lung transplants suffer from pulmonary fibrosis, compared to the rest of the country, where most transplant patients suffer emphysema. Camp, the transplant center director, said researchers are unsure why New Englanders are more likely to have pulmonary fibrosis. Cold weather or industrial jobs are potential contributors.

Lung Transplants: The Surgeries
On the day Bishop and White's lung transplants were to be performed, Dibardino hopped on a plane to a location in New England.

A donor had agreed to give both lungs. DiBardino's job was to harvest the lungs as quickly (and carefully) as possible -- one for Bishop, one for White -- then get them back to Boston and split them. He transported the organs in a cooler packed with ice.

Time is of the essence in a transplant. The less time an organ spends in transit, the greater its probable viability.

"We really just need to get these things out and get home," DiBardino said at the donor hospital. "Now it's really about getting these things out the fastest and getting on the plane and getting the hell out of here, and get them sewn into the recipient as fast as we can. So we've got two good lungs for two patients."

DiBardino removed the lungs from the donor and got back on the plane.

"Everything we've done, we spent the last 12 hours preparing for this, we're on a clock, we have to get them back within the next four hours," he said. "It's not negotiable."

When DiBardino arrived back at Brigham and Women's Hospital, his colleagues flew into action. Two operating rooms had been prepared. Bishop and White were already anesthetized. Jacklitch and Camp were among the senior surgeons performing the transplants.

Both transplants were a success.

Long Wait for a Lung
Maureen Bishop's new lung arrived three years to the day after she was listed for a left lung transplant.

"This journey was a long journey," she said. "I'm going to fight to stand up and breathe again and do the simple things in life."

Camp said that although emphysema patients can live without a transplant, their quality of life is poor. The disease is a slow process of destruction, and the breakdown of the lungs over time can be emotionally frustrating.

"With emphysema, you can live a long life, but aren't living life," Camp said. "With a transplant, you are making the decision to reclaim your life. Because without it, you can't move much."

Each year, doctors perform 1,700 to 2,100 lung transplants in the United States. That number would be higher, if not for the primary limiting factor: a lack of donors.

After the Surgeries
The outcome of a surgery is judged on factors beyond survival. These factors include quality of life, physiological changes and cost.

The average survival of transplant recipients who receive a single lung is 4.4 years. Double lung recipients live an average of 5.7 years after surgery -- although the underlying disease and the patient's age can move the number either way.

Now 15 months since her transplant, Maureen Bishop is climbing stairs, making her bed and going grocery shopping all on her own.

"I can do everything but climb a mountain," she said.

Bishop said it has become easier for her to enjoy the company of her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She attends rehab three times a week.

For her part, Mary Ann White said she is back to her old self again, after years of not being able to manage the simplest of tasks on her own. She was able to return to walking, taking trips to the shore with her husband and spending time with her grandchildren.

White even intends to get a part-time job in a local gift shop, she said.

Watch the full story of Maureen Bishop and Mary Ann White's lung transplants on "Boston Med"

Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator

2010-06-12T12:59:00.000-07:00

Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator

The Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator. It's the latest in essential safety equipment. Fire extinguishers. Seat belts. Airbags. Home security systems. All essential safety equipment to protect yourself and your loved ones. You know they are there, silently standing by, just in case. They give you peace of mind so that you can focus on life's good things.

Philips HeartStart Home Defibrillator (AED)

Johns Hopkins Lung Disorders White Paper

2010-06-01T10:37:00.000-07:00

Special Offer from Johns Hopkins Health Alerts

When every breath is a challenge, you need the latest news on the most effective treatments for your condition.

If you suffer from asthma, bronchitis, COPD, lung cancer, or sleep apnea, read on...

Simeon Margolis, MD, PhD
Professor of Medicine and Biological Chemistry,
Johns Hopkins Medicine
Medical Editor, The Johns Hopkins White Papers

Dear Concerned Health Alerts Reader,

When drawing a breath is a challenge, the pulmonary specialists at Johns Hopkins offer timely information, new research findings, and the best medical advice available to help you cope with your condition.

It's all detailed in an important new research report from Johns Hopkins--rated #1 of America's best hospitals for 19 consecutive years by U.S. News & World Report.

The 2010 Johns Hopkins Lung Disorders White Paper provides you with valuable insights on managing lung disorders that include emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, pneumonia, lung cancer, and sleep apnea.

In this Johns Hopkins White Paper, you will discover exciting advances and the most useful, current information to help you prevent or treat conditions affecting your lungs.

You will learn how to prevent these diseases and, when symptoms arise, the best ways for you and your doctor to diagnose and treat them.

nicotine level in snus ?

2010-05-19T10:33:00.000-07:00

does anyone know how much nicotine is in each snus baggie?

I been using snus as a alternative to cigarettes,
but can't find out the amount of nicotine in each snus.

RJ Reynolds is the manufacturer under the brand name Camel.

Arizona Smokers' Helpline

2010-04-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

Arizona Smokers' Helpline

We offer free telephone and Web-based services to help people quit tobacco.

Whether you are thinking about quitting, you’re ready to quit, or just working to stay quit, we can help. The Arizona Smokers' Helpline (ASHLine) provides free services in both English and Spanish. Our quit coaches are real people located right here in Arizona. Most of them are former tobacco users so they've "been there" and understand how hard it is to quit and stay quit.

In addition to our free telephone-based coaching services, you can also use WebQuit. Create an account, work through activities, set goals, and monitor your progress from your own computer. WebQuit is available whenever you need support – 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

You can quit. We can help.

http://www.ashline.org/

click to enter Ashline.org

Free to Breathe

2010-03-03T14:11:00.000-08:00

Free to BreatheThe Free to Breathe®

event series unites people who are passionate about creating public awareness of lung cancer and raising vital funding for research.

www.freetobreathe.com

Pfizer Respiratory Rally

2010-02-11T21:31:00.000-08:00

Pfizer Respiratory Rally

Saturday March 20, 2010
8-1PM
Doubletree Hotel Reid Park
445 s Alvernon Way
Tucson,AZ

American Lung assoc
520-323-1812

Report Reveals True Cost of Lung Disease

2010-02-04T01:26:00.000-08:00

A Heavy Toll: Canadian Thoracic Society Report Reveals True Cost of Lung Disease Many Canadians unaware of heavy price of COPD on patients and the healthcare system

A review of Canadian data by the nation's leading lung specialists has provided the factual evidence to support what respirologists across the country have been suspecting for some time. Shockingly, more people are being admitted to Canadian hospitals each year with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) than any other major chronic illness (including heart attacks) and that number has been increasing dramatically in recent years.(i)

A new report released today by the Canadian Thoracic Society (CTS), entitled The Human and Economic Burden of COPD: A Leading Cause of Hospital Admission in Canada, is timely given the annual spike in hospitalizations due to lung infections each winter.

"Anecdotally, we've known for some time that we're seeing a lot of COPD patients being admitted to our hospitals," says Dr. Darcy Marciniuk, Chair, Canadian Thoracic Society COPD Committee and Respirologist at the University of Saskatchewan. "Perhaps what's most concerning, is that the report shows patients frequently being admitted more than once. In fact, 18 per cent were admitted twice, and a further 14 per cent were admitted at least three times within the same year."(i)

A serious threat

COPD affects both men and women, is growing in prevalence - the only leading cause of death to do so - and is now the fourth leading cause of death in Canada.(ii),(iii) It is a progressive lung disease that, over time, makes it hard to breathe. A person with COPD can experience a flare-up or exacerbation of their symptoms caused by everyday things as simple as catching a cold or flu, or going outside on a very cold day.

"What many people don't realize is that COPD flare-ups can be very serious - leading to hospitalization and even death. I refer to flare-ups as 'lung attacks' because like the effect a heart attack has on the heart, a COPD lung attack causes significant and lasting damage to the lungs," says Dr. Jean Bourbeau, Respirologist and Director of Respiratory Epidemiology and Clinical Research Unit at the Montreal Chest Institute, Quebec.

Weighing the human and financial burden

Once someone is admitted to the hospital for a COPD lung attack, they spend an average of 10 days there, with an average cost of $10,000 per stay.(iv) In fact, COPD lung attacks are the most costly of all reasons for hospitalization, and COPD as a whole could cost the Canadian healthcare system as much as $1.5 billion per year, according to recent estimates.(iv)

Danica Patrick as a spokesperson for DRIVE4COPD

2010-02-03T10:18:00.000-08:00

Patrick using celebrity to promote COPD awareness

Joining NASCAR's health initiative to fight disease

Perhaps the most anticipated and talked about driver to enter the NASCAR scene, Patrick realizes the level of celebrity she's attained as an IndyCar driver, part-time swimsuit model, mover of merchandise (she's already a NASCAR top seller) and actress (she'll appear on CSI: New York) is both rare and powerful.

“
Being a popular person followed by a lot of fans gives me a platform I can use for good things.
”
DANICA PATRICK Being a popular person followed by a lot of fans gives me a platform I can use for good things," Patrick said while taking a break from a sponsor photo shoot in a west-end Manhattan warehouse loft teeming with impossibly tall models. "I want to use my celebrity to make a difference."

She is doing just that as a spokesperson for DRIVE4COPD, joining NASCAR in promoting a multi-year public health initiative to alert millions of Americans who may be at risk for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
As a kid growing up in Illinois, Patrick fondly remembers playing in her grandmother's house. Those good times were cut off, however, when her grandmother died in her mid '60s from an affliction not as well known as cancer or heart disease but one that's nonetheless the fourth-biggest killer in the U.S.

While Patrick decided to use her massive fame to fight the disease that took her grandmother, NASCAR was striking a unique partnership with DRIVE4COPD. The campaign will become the "Official Heath Initiative of NASCAR" -- educating fans about the disease and providing screening at Nationwide and Sprint Cup series races.

Additionally, DRIVE4COPD will become the title sponsor for the season-opening Camping World Truck Series race at Daytona International Speedway, the DRIVE4COPD 300 (8 p.m. ET Feb. 12, SPEED).

"NASCAR cares about our fans, and we are very proud to partner with DRIVE4COPD," said Steve Phelps, senior vice president and chief marketing officer for NASCAR. "COPD affects an estimated 24 million people -- half of whom are undiagnosed. NASCAR fans have a history of being receptive to and involved in health initiatives, and we believe we can make a difference in this unique partnership with the DRIVE4COPD."

new tv ads for Chantix

2010-01-01T07:43:00.000-08:00

Starting to see a new set of tv ad for Pfizer Chantix stop smoking medicine.

Well this is the time of the year when people made new year resultions and I am sure that quitting smoking is a very popular item on anybody list.

Best of luck this this new year.

here the link to Become an EX

2009-12-02T13:48:00.000-08:00

http://www.becomeanex.org

A new way to think about quitting...
EX is a whole new way to think about quitting smoking - it's about re-learning life without cigarettes. We can help you learn how to do everything you currently do with a cigarette, but without one.

The free EX plan is based on personal experiences from ex-smokers, as well as the latest scientific research from the experts at Mayo Clinic. Whether this is your first try or your 10th, this plan can help you quit smoking.

Roll over icons to learn more about the EX plan.

Our Three-Step Plan
The EX plan teaches you how to re-learn life without cigarettes in 3 steps - all geared to help make the seemingly impossible possible.

re-learn Habit.
Learn what makes you want to smoke and how to deal with them without smoking.

re-learn Addiction.
Learn the true power of nicotine on your body and brain and how to fight it.

re-learn Support.
Learn how your friends and family can help you quit even if that means just giving you some space.

Visit the EX Community.
The EX online community is the place to connect with other smokers trying to quit, read blog entries from people like Dr. Richard Hurt - a quit smoking expert at Mayo Clinic - and see how others are re-learning their lives without cigarettes.

Set a Quit Date.
Good news. Your quit date shouldn't be today. Taking the time to PREPARE before you throw that last pack away can increase your chances of successfully quitting. This section will give you all the tools you need to get ready for your quit date and for becoming an EX for good.

Sign Up
Signing up is the first step to becoming an EX. It's absolutely free and takes only a few minutes. By signing up, you can track your progress as you re-learn life without cigarettes, plus have access to all the resources and support you need to become an EX.

Stay An EX.
Once you re-learn life without cigarettes and become an EX, it still takes work to remain an EX. In this section, you'll learn new ways to deal with stress and other big triggers, how to be mindful of the places and things you need to be careful around and additional resources that can help you stay an EX for good.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

2009-11-06T17:04:00.000-08:00

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a serious lung disease that over time makes it hard to breathe.

COPD — emphysema, chronic bronchitis or both — can cause long-term disability and death. It is often not found until the disease is very advanced because people do not know the early warning signs. A late diagnosis can limit treatment options.

How serious is COPD?
More than 12 million people in the U.S. have COPD.
Another 12 million people may have impaired lung function, not diagnosed as COPD.

COPD is the fourth leading cause of death in the U.S. and more women than men die from the disease. Smoking is the major cause of COPD.

The good news is that COPD can be diagnosed early and there are effective treatments to help manage the disease. Please be sure to speak with your healthcare provider if you’re at risk, and remember, we’re here to help.

The American Lung Association offers information about COPD, lung cancer and other lung diseases at www.LungUSA.org. You'll also find support and help with treatment decisions if you've been diagnosed.

You can also call our Lung HelpLine at 800-LUNG-USA (800-586-4872) to speak with a registered nurse or respiratory therapist. Learning about COPD and knowing your options can help you feel more in control.

Pfizer (makes Chantix) to pay record $2.3B penalty for drug promos

2009-09-02T15:07:00.001-07:00

Pfizer to pay record $2.3B penalty for drug promos

Repeat offender Pfizer paying record $2.3B settlement for illegal drug promotions

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Federal prosecutors hit Pfizer Inc. with a record-breaking $2.3 billion in fines Wednesday and called the world's largest drugmaker a repeating corporate cheat for illegal drug promotions that plied doctors with free golf, massages, and resort junkets.

By Associated Press Writer

have you seen the new ads for Chantix by Pfizer

2009-09-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

have you seen the new ads for Chantix by Pfizer ?

these new ads are very simple, almost like a powerpoint slide presentation. I only hear the word Chantix once thru the entire ad. I think these ads will be very effetive in getting people to quit smoking with this pfizer product.

at the end they point to thier web site mytimetoquit.com

Tobacco seen killing 6 million people next year

2009-08-25T14:53:00.000-07:00

Tobacco seen killing 6 million people next year

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Tobacco use will kill 6 million people next year from cancer, heart disease, emphysema and a range of other ills, global cancer experts said in a report issued on Tuesday.

The new Tobacco Atlas from the World Lung Foundation and the American Cancer Society estimates that tobacco use costs the global economy $500 billion a year in direct medical expenses, lost productivity and environmental harm.

"Tobacco's total economic costs reduce national wealth in terms of gross domestic product (GDP) by as much as 3.6 percent," the report reads.

"Tobacco accounts for one out of every 10 deaths worldwide and will claim 5.5 million lives this year alone," the report said. If current trends hold, by 2020, the number will grow to an estimated 7 million and top 8 million by 2030.

Last week the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on launched a tobacco center to oversee cigarettes and other related products, after winning the power to do so from Congress in June. On Tuesday it set up a committee of advisers to help guide it.

Over the past four decades, smoking rates have declined in rich countries like the United States, Britain and Japan while rising in much of the developing world, according to the nonprofit research and advocacy organizations.

Some other findings from the report, available at http://www.tobaccoatlas.org/:

By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Editor Maggie Fox, Health And Science Editor

Emphysema Complications

2009-08-12T16:06:00.000-07:00

Complications By Mayo Clinic staff

Emphysema can increase the severity of other chronic conditions, such as diabetes and heart failure. If you have emphysema, air pollution or a respiratory infection can lead to an acute COPD exacerbation, with extreme shortness of breath and dangerously low oxygen levels. You may need admission to an intensive care unit and temporary support from an artificial breathing machine (ventilator) until the infection clears.

The causes of emphysema

2009-08-11T16:03:00.000-07:00

The causes of emphysema include:

Smoking. Cigarette smoke is by far the most common cause of emphysema. There are more than 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke, including secondhand smoke. These chemical irritants slowly destroy the small peripheral airways, the elastic air sacs and their supporting elastic fibers.

Protein deficiency. Approximately 1 to 2 percent of people with emphysema have an inherited deficiency of a protein called AAt, which protects the elastic structures in the lungs. Without this protein, enzymes can cause progressive lung damage, eventually resulting in emphysema. If you're a smoker with a lack of AAt, emphysema can begin in your 30s and 40s. The progression and severity of the disease are greatly accelerated by smoking.

Emphysema symptoms

2009-08-10T16:01:00.000-07:00

Emphysema symptoms By Mayo Clinic staff

Emphysema symptoms are mild to begin with but steadily get worse as the disease progresses. The main emphysema symptoms are:

Shortness of breath
Wheezing
Chest tightness
Reduced capacity for physical activity
Chronic coughing, which could also indicate chronic bronchitis
Loss of appetite and weight
Fatigue
When to see a doctor

You tire quickly, or you can't easily do the things you used to do
You can't breathe well enough to tolerate even moderate exercise
Your breathing difficulty worsens when you have a cold
Your lips or fingernails are blue or gray, indicating low oxygen in your blood You frequently cough up yellow or greenish sputum
You note that bending over to tie your shoes makes you short of breath You are losing weight

These signs and symptoms don't necessarily mean you have emphysema, but they do indicate that your lungs aren't working properly and should be evaluated by your doctor as soon as possible.

Definition of Emphysema and smoking effects

2009-08-09T15:58:00.000-07:00

Definition of Emphysema
By Mayo Clinic staff

Emphysema is a factor in the progression of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a condition that limits the flow of air when you breathe out. Emphysema occurs when the air sacs at the ends of your smallest air passages (bronchioles) are gradually destroyed. Smoking is the leading cause of emphysema.

As it worsens, emphysema turns the spherical air sacs — clustered like bunches of grapes — into large, irregular pockets with gaping holes in their inner walls. This reduces the number of air sacs and keeps some of the oxygen entering your lungs from reaching your bloodstream. In addition, the elastic fibers that hold open the small airways leading to the air sacs are slowly destroyed, so that they collapse when you breathe out, not letting the air in your lungs escape.

Airway obstruction, another feature of COPD, contributes to emphysema. The combination of emphysema and obstructed airways makes breathing increasingly difficult. Treatment often slows, but doesn't reverse, the process.

see $100 off coupon offer from Proair HFA

2009-08-05T11:41:00.000-07:00

see $100 off coupon offer from Proair HFA
I have to personally use this due to smoking for decades, dumbest thing i ever did.

Asthma -- The shocking facts will take your breath away!

2009-08-01T06:45:00.000-07:00

Asthma -- The shocking facts will take your breath away!

More than 22 million people in the U.S. have asthma
Asthma causes 12.8 million lost school days each year.
The annual economic cost of asthma tops $19 billion dollars!
Doctors still don’t know how you develop asthma. But they do know that once you have it, you’re constantly managing symptoms and looking out for anything that could threaten an attack.

What’s more, if you’re not an asthma sufferer, it’s very likely that someone you know – a family member, neighbor, friend or co-worker – has asthma. They know that even something as simple as a cold or as cute as a kitten can trigger a dangerous episode.

COPD: Catching the “Silent Killer”

2009-07-16T16:44:00.000-07:00

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute about 12 million Americans probably have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but don't know it. Because COPD often produces no symptoms in its early stages, it is often not caught until severe breathing problems develop. That's why COPD is sometimes referred to as "chronic overlooked pulmonary disease."

Our new Special Report explains why early diagnosis of COPD -- often with a spirometry lung function test -- is so important. Here's an excerpt from COPD: Catching the "Silent Killer," which was recently posted on the Health Alerts website.

To help identify COPD at its earliest stages before it causes serious lung damage, anyone at risk for COPD should take a simple, painless, noninvasive breathing test called spirometry at the first sign of any breathing difficulties. People at risk for COPD include current and former smokers over age 40, anyone exposed to environmental tobacco smoke or irritants in the workplace, people with a family history of COPD, and anyone with the genetic abnormality alpha1-antitrypsin, or AAT, deficiency.

FDA warning on warns of Zyban, Champix depressive side-effects

2009-07-05T19:01:00.000-07:00

FDA warns of Zyban, Champix depressive side-effects

Last Updated: Thursday, July 2, 2009 | 12:41 PM ET Comments97Recommend38The Associated Press
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration will require two smoking-cessation drugs, Champix and Zyban, to carry the agency's strongest safety warning over side-effects including depression and suicidal thoughts.

The new requirement, announced Wednesday, "will highlight the risk of serious mental health events including changes in behavior, depressed mood, hostility, and suicidal thoughts when taking these drugs," the FDA said in a statement on its website.

Despite the new, stricter warnings, the FDA said consumers and doctors still have to weigh the benefit versus the risks when taking the drug.

“The risk of serious adverse events while taking these products must be weighed against the significant health benefits of quitting smoking,” said Janet Woodcock, the director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

The antidepressant Wellbutrin, which has the same active ingredient as GlaxoSmithKline PLC's Zyban, already carries such a warning.

The FDA said it is also requiring an additional study on Champix and Zyban to determine the extent of the side-effects. Pfizer Inc., which makes Champix, said it is still discussing the potential study design with the FDA.

Stiffer warnings for Champix/Chantix, Zyban from Australia

2009-07-05T18:57:00.000-07:00

Stiffer warnings for Champix /chantix, Zyban

Drug regulators are set to bolster the warning requirements of two popular smoking cessation drugs in response to continuing concerns over their serious psychiatric side effects.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said it would "strengthen" prescribing and consumer information warnings for Champix (varenicline) and Zyban (bupropion), following a decision earlier in the week by its US counterpart. known as Chantix in the US market.

still smoking now coughing

2009-07-05T18:53:00.000-07:00

Coughing.

Coughing up phlegm, infectious germs, and foreign substances is one of the ways in which the lungs protect themselves. Severe coughing, however, may signal lung disease. Obstructive diseases of the lungs (asthma and COPD) and lung cancer often cause a person to cough up phlegm, which, if yellow or green, may signal an infection. Coughing up blood is a critical sign, especially in a current or former cigarette smoker. It may suggest a potentially life-threatening disease, such as lung cancer or pulmonary embolism, although it can also be a sign of a less serious lung problem such as bronchitis.

Short of breath? Coughing? Chest pain?

2009-07-05T18:51:00.001-07:00

All That Wheezes Is Not Asthma

Short of breath? Coughing? Chest pain? Johns Hopkins doctors explain why you should take your symptoms seriously.

Many lung disorders produce similar symptoms, but the severity and duration of these symptoms can vary considerably from disease to disease. The lung disorders can be acute (short and relatively severe) or chronic (persisting over a long time).

Chronic lung conditions may wax and wane in severity and can worsen quickly and markedly if another problem, such as a lung infection, occurs. Some people, however, have only mild symptoms or none at all. In these individuals, the lung disorder may be detected on a chest x-ray or by a test to check lung function.

Shortness of breath. Shortness of breath can dramatically compromise quality of life. The underlying cause of shortness of breath is usually a mechanical problem in the lungs or diaphragm (the large, dome-shaped muscle located at the base of the lungs). Examples of mechanical problems are airway obstruction (as occurs in asthma, COPD, and some lung cancers); increased stiffness of the lungs (as in interstitial lung disease, pneumonia, and heart failure); severe spine and rib cage abnormalities; and obesity.

If left untreated, shortness of breath can lead to fatigue and weakness that may profoundly limit activities. In turn, weakness related to being out of shape or musculoskeletal disease, such as severe curvature of the spine, may aggravate shortness of breath.

FDA to regulate tobacco

2009-06-22T12:04:00.000-07:00

The law gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco.

It also allows the agency to reduce nicotine in tabacco, ban candy flavorings and block labels like "low tar" and "light."

And tobacco companies will be required to cover their cartoons with large graphic warnings.

Obama is scheduled to sign the "Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act" on Monday, in the Rose Garden at the White House.

Obama signs anti-smoking bill

2009-06-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

President Barack Obama cited his own long struggle to quit the cigarettes he got hooked on as a teenager as he signed the nation's strongest-ever anti-smoking bill Monday and praised it for providing critically needed protections for kids.

"The decades-long effort to protect our children from the harmful effects of tobacco has emerged victorious," Obama said at a signing ceremony in the White House Rose Garden.

Historic anti-smoking bill aims at stopping teens

2009-06-12T13:12:00.000-07:00

Historic anti-smoking bill aims at stopping teens

WASHINGTON – No more "light" cigarettes or candy-flavored smokes. Bigger, scarier warning labels. Fewer ads featuring sexy young smokers. Historic anti-smoking legislation sped to final congressional passage on Friday — after a bitter fight lasting nearly a half-century — and lawmakers and the White House quickly declared it would save the lives of thousands of smokers of all ages.

Even more important, they said, the measure could keep countless young people from starting in the first place.

President Barack Obama, admittedly still struggling with his own nicotine habit, saluted passage of the bill, which he will soon sign. He said, "For over a decade, leaders of both parties have fought to prevent tobacco companies from marketing their products to children and provide the public with the information they need to understand what a dangerous habit this is."

Specifically, the measure for the first time will give the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate what goes into tobacco products, demand changes or elimination of toxic substances and block the introduction of new products.

Will it matter as much as supporters say? Smokers lighting up outside Washington offices had mixed reactions.

Government researcher Reginald Little, 47, who said he swiped his first cigarette from his grandfather at age 15, thought regulation was needed "because you don't know exactly what's in it."

By JIM ABRAMS, Associated Press Writer Jim Abrams,

The Worst Health Habits? from Dr Weil

2009-06-07T04:28:00.000-07:00

The Worst Health Habits? from Dr Weil

If I had to choose from your list, I would pick smoking, which is the single most preventable cause of major illness. In addition to the risk of lung cancer and emphysema, tobacco injures many systems of the body and raises risk of bladder cancer, cancers of the head and neck, and leukemia. It is especially dangerous to use tobacco if you are diabetic or are taking birth control pills or if you have any heart or circulatory problems, respiratory disease, urinary or prostate trouble, digestive disorders, a family history of cancer or increased risk of cancer for any reason, high blood pressure, seizure disorder or a family history of coronary heart disease.

Do Non-Smokers Get Emphysema?

2009-06-06T12:32:00.000-07:00

Do Non-Smokers Get Emphysema?

Dr Weil:

Neither your mother's hiatal hernia nor her medication could have brought on the problems with her lungs. Emphysema is a progressive disease caused by damage to the small air sacs in the lungs, which causes them to lose their elasticity. As a result, air gets trapped in the sacs making it difficult to exhale and leading to shortness of breath. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause, but exposure to secondhand smoke, chemical fumes, indoor and outdoor pollution can also be to blame. Sometimes a rare genetic enzyme deficiency is responsible, but this usually is associated with cases diagnosed before age 50 (and earlier for smokers).

Should Ex-Smokers Shun Beta Carotene?

2009-06-05T12:25:00.000-07:00

Should Ex-Smokers Shun Beta Carotene?

Smokers, former smokers and asbestos workers should avoid isolated beta-carotene supplements because of evidence that they could increase the risk of lung cancer. One of the studies that led to this conclusion was conducted in Finland by the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Public Health Institute of Finland. It found 18 percent more lung cancers and eight percent more overall deaths among 29,133 male smokers given a supplement containing 20 mg of beta carotene and 50 mg of vitamin E.

Smoking Now Even Riskier ?

2009-06-04T11:58:00.000-07:00

Smoking Now Even Riskier

Smoking Now Even Riskier

Smoking has never been a good idea, but it might be even riskier for lung health to smoke American cigarettes today than it was a few decades ago. New research blames techniques now used in American cigarette production for increases in a certain type of lung cancer called adenocarcinoma.

A study presented by Dr. David Burns of the University of California, San Diego, to a meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco showed that adenocarcinoma rates are higher in the U.S. than in Australia. The most likely explanation, Burns said, is that cigarettes sold in Australia contain lower levels of nitrosamines, a known carcinogen, than those sold in the U.S.

Interestingly, it also appears that low-tar filtered cigarettes may contribute to adenocarcinoma, by stimulating smokers to inhale more deeply to get their desired nicotine “hit.” This drives smoke deeper into small air sacs in the lungs, where adenocarcinoma tends to grow.

Dr. Burns pointed out that this evidence is circumstantial and more research is needed, but I can tell you now with absolute confidence that there’s no need for smokers to wait for such confirmation before they quit. Smoking any kind of cigarette is bad for you; subtle distinctions in potential lethality should not influence your personal decisions in this regard. If you smoke, stop. If you don’t smoke, don’t start.

Is Your Cough A Sign of Something Serious?

2009-06-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Is Your Cough A Sign of Something Serious?

We all cough from time to time, but severe coughing may signal a respiratory disease. Any cough that lasts more than two months is defined as chronic and requires medical attention.

Coughing is a reflex that keeps the lungs and airways free from phlegm (excess mucus) and foreign objects (such as food) that might interfere with breathing. Occasional coughing is normal, as is the coughing associated with a cold (the most common acute medical problem that triggers a cough). Any cough that lasts more than two months, however, is defined as chronic and requires medical attention -- even if the cough occurs only in the morning, at night, or at certain times of the year.

Chronic cough is not a disease; rather, it is considered a symptom of another condition. A cough attributable to a cold, flu, or some other known cause that fails to get better within three weeks, or a persistent cough of unknown origin, is reason to see your doctor. Your cough may have qualities that, together with other symptoms, point towards an underlying cause that requires proper diagnosis and treatment.

World No Tobacco Day on Sunday.

2009-05-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

In the United States alone, smoking cost $193 billion in 2004, including $97 billion in lost productivity and $96 billion in direct health care expenditures.

So please, take a moment to show your support of World No Tobacco Day by:

Going without tobacco for the day. Just one day will make a difference.

Isn’t it time to quit? Join our Freedom from Smoking®Online Program or recommend it to a loved one who smokes. Our proven program can help you end your addiction to tobacco and nicotine. The online program is available at www.ffsonline.org

Become a Facebook® fan! And while you’re there, please donate your status to the cause. On Sunday, simply change your status to: Today is World No Tobacco Day — for tips on quitting, go to www.LungUSA.org

Follow us on Twitter! It’s a great place to find encouragement and support. Make a donation. Your gift can truly save lives.
Thanks so much for all your help… and for supporting World No Tobacco Day on Sunday.

nitrosamine levels in cigarettes

2009-05-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

Study links cigarette changes to rising lung risk

WASHINGTON – It may be riskier on the lungs to smoke cigarettes today than it was a few decades ago — at least in the U.S., says new research that blames changes in cigarette design for fueling a certain type of lung cancer.

Up to half of the nation's lung cancer cases may be due to those changes, Dr. David Burns of the University of California, San Diego, told a recent meeting of tobacco researchers.

It's not the first time that scientists have concluded the 1960s movement for lower-tar cigarettes brought some unexpected consequences. But this study, while preliminary, is among the most in-depth looks. And intriguingly it found the increase in a kind of lung tumor called adenocarcinoma was higher in the U.S. than in Australia even though both countries switched to so-called milder cigarettes at the same time.

"The most likely explanation for it is a change in the cigarette," Burns said in an interview — and he cited a difference: Cigarettes sold in Australia contain lower levels of nitrosamines, a known carcinogen, than those sold in the U.S.

That's circumstantial evidence that requires more research, he acknowledged.

But anti-smoking advocates are citing the study as Congress considers whether the Food and Drug Administration should regulate tobacco, legislation that would give the agency power to decide such things as whether to set caps on certain chemicals in tobacco smoke.

Smokers once tended to get lung cancer in larger air tubes, particularly a type named "squamous cell carcinoma." Then doctors noticed a jump in adenocarcinoma, which grows in small air sacs far deeper in the lung. Initial studies blamed introduction of filtered, lower-tar cigarettes. When smokers switched, they began inhaling more deeply to get their nicotine jolt, pushing cancer-causing smoke deeper than before.

Burns' study, presented at a meeting of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco, took a closer look. He compared smoking behaviors of different age groups over four decades — how much they smoked, when they started, when they quit — and how cancer-risk changed.

The risk of squamous cell carcinoma stayed about the same over those years, Burns found. But adenocarcinoma rose. It makes up 65 percent to 70 percent of newly occurring U.S. lung cancer cases, but no more than 40 percent of Australia's lung cancer, he said.

While the nation's total lung cancer cases have inched down as the number of smokers has dropped in recent years, the study suggests an individual smoker's risk of getting cancer is higher.

It's well known that cigarettes differ from country to country, because of different tobacco crops grown locally and smokers' varying tastes. Nitrosamines are a byproduct of tobacco processing and levels vary for several reasons, including differences in curing practices.

Australian cigarettes contain about 20 percent of the nitrosamine content of U.S. cigarettes, making the chemical a prime suspect, concluded Burns, who has been scientific editor of several surgeon general reports on tobacco.

That doesn't rule out a role for deeper inhaling, cautioned Dr. Michael Thun of the American Cancer Society: "There's several strong suspects in the lineup. They may have acted in combination."

Philip Morris USA spokesman David Sutton called the study speculative and hard to evaluate until it's published in a medical journal, something Burns plans to do.

Still, Philip Morris, which supports FDA tobacco regulation, began taking steps with its growers in 2000 that have yielded "significantly lower" nitrosamine levels in recent years' supplies, Sutton said.

Be careful in assuming lower-nitrosamine cigarettes are less lethal, said Dr. Neal Benowitz of the University of California, San Francisco, a well-known tobacco expert. Lung cancer is only one of tobacco's many risks — it causes heart disease and other killer diseases, too.

"If you reduce someone's (lung cancer) risk by 10 percent, that's not really meaningful for an individual," he said. "The goal still is to get them to stop."

By LAURAN NEERGAARD, AP Medical Writer Lauran Neergaard, Ap Medical Writer

more info on snus ? how much nicotine ea?

2009-05-06T01:54:00.000-07:00

Dorothy Hatsukami, director of the Tobacco Use Research Center at the University of Minnesota, said information about nicotine absorption and toxicity for tobacco products is lacking, and that there is not enough data on snus to make per-dose comparisons to cigarettes or spit tobacco.

is this new tobacco product a good ideal?

new tobacco Camel Snus contains carcinogens?

2009-05-05T13:51:00.000-07:00

Researchers at West Virginia University recently tested Camel Snus and found at least two carcinogens. "It's not like chewing gum. This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes," said Robert Anderson, deputy director of West Virginia University's Prevention Research Center.

should this smokeless form of tobacoo be even marketed ?

experimental Nicotine vaccine ?

2009-05-02T18:33:00.000-07:00

experimental Nicotine vaccine ?

has any heard of this experimental Nicotine vaccine?

I thought it was scheduled for release in 2009.

to help/ aid people to quit smoking,smoking cessation method.

Manufacturer Zurich based Cytos Biotechnology

fyi: Nicotine anonymous

2009-05-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Nicotine anonymous

Nicotine Anonymous is a non profit organization that uses an adapted
version of the 12 steps Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) program
to help committed people achieve abstinence from nicotine
in any form.

for more info call 415-750-0328 or the web site in the above link

http://www.nicotine-anonymous.org

Smog linked to inducing asthma in children

2009-04-28T13:33:00.000-07:00

Smog linked to inducing asthma in children

Childhood asthma rates could increase as much as 30 percent with exposure to higher levels of traffic-related air pollution, a California study suggests.

The study, published in the journal of Environmental Health Perspectives, is the latest to come from the Southern California Children's Health Study, a project pioneered by the Air Resources Board in the early 1990s.

The eight-year study followed 217 non-asthmatic children from a wide area of Southern California. Home air monitors allowed scientists to compare the children's exposure to air pollution and newly diagnosed cases of asthma.

The study said higher amounts of nitrogen dioxide, a constituent of smog, are associated with the development of childhood asthma.

Double-Lung Transplants

2009-04-28T13:30:00.000-07:00

Double-Lung Transplant Better for Long-Term Survival
But finding is controversial, since bilateral procedure could halve number of recipients

Lung transplant patients who receive two lungs are twice as likely to live more than 10 years than patients who receive one lung are, Johns Hopkins transplant surgeons say.

"Our results suggest that double-lung transplants have a long-term advantage, and surgeons should consider bilateral lung transplants whenever possible," senior investigator Dr. Ashish Shah, an associate professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and its Heart Institute, said in a Hopkins news release.

Currently, about 17 percent of all lung transplant patients survive 10 years or longer. That's "pretty good, but not good enough," Shah said.

The study was presented Wednesday at the annual meeting of the International Society for Heart & Lung Transplantation, in Paris.

More information

The U.S. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has more about lung transplantation.

Blacks Less Likely to Get Optimal Lung Cancer Treatment

2009-04-18T12:46:00.000-07:00

Blacks Less Likely to Get Optimal Lung Cancer Treatment

MONDAY, April Black patients with lung cancer are less likely than white patients to receive recommended chemotherapy and surgery, a new study finds.

Disparities in lung cancer treatments were as large in 2002 as they were back in the early 1990s, even though there have been efforts to decrease those inequalities in treatment, the study said.

"This study shows what most of the previous research has shown -- that disparities in treatment patterns [still exist] between blacks and whites," said Katherine S. Virgo, director of health services research the American Cancer Society, who was not involved in the study.

The findings were published online April 13 in the journal Cancer.

For the study, Dale Hardy, of the University of Texas School of Public Health, and colleagues collected data on 83,101 people 65 and older with non-small cell lung cancer -- the most common form of lung cancer -- between 1991 and 2002.

The researchers found that blacks with early-stage cancer were 37 percent less likely to receive recommended surgery and 42 percent less likely to receive recommended chemotherapy, compared with whites.

Among patients with later-stage lung cancer, blacks were 57 percent less likely to receive recommended chemotherapy than whites.

By Steven Reinberg
HealthDay Reporter

Chronic lung disease is our nation's No. 4 killer

2009-04-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

Chronic lung disease is our nation's No. 4 killer

Breathe free

Chronic lung disease is our nation's No. 4 killer. And 80% to 90% of those deaths come from one cause: smoking.

The two main types of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
There's an old Scottish proverb that goes something like this: "We'll never know the worth of water till the well goes dry." Unfortunately, for millions of Americans, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has caused their lungs' wells to "go dry." For a doctor, few things are as difficult to watch as someone suffering from severe obstructive lung disease.

COPD encompasses several lung ailments; all are characterized by the obstruction of airflow. The two primary types of COPD are emphysema and chronic bronchitis. More than 11 million people have the disease, according to the American Lung Association.

FDA control over tobacco/ nicotine levels products ?

2009-04-18T12:41:00.000-07:00

FDA control over tobacco/ nicotine levels products ?

US. House of Representatives Again Votes in Favor of Granting the FDA Regulatory Control Over Tobacco Products

By an overwhelming, bipartisan majority, the House of Representatives has passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This long awaited action will give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory control over tobacco products, including curtailing advertising to children. The American Lung Association along with its public health partners including the American Heart Association, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network have worked together to urge the passage of this important bill.

FDA control over tobacco products ?

2009-04-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

It does seem the tobacco industry has been quietly increasing
the nicotine levels in tobacco products,nicotine is the highly addictive component of cigarettes.

U.S. House of Representatives Again Votes in Favor of Granting the FDA Regulatory Control Over Tobacco Products

By an overwhelming, bipartisan majority, the House of Representatives has passed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. This long awaited action will give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulatory control over tobacco products, including curtailing advertising to children. The American Lung Association along with its public health partners including the American Heart Association, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network have worked together to urge the passage of this important bill.

The vote on Thursday April 2 was the second time the House has voted to pass the bill, which it first passed last July. The bill will allow FDA to stop tobacco companies from advertising to children, making misleading health claims about their deadly products and from manipulating their products to make them increasingly more addictive. Before becoming law, the bill must be passed by the Senate and then signed into law by President Obama.

a letter from RJ Reynolds tobacco company

2009-03-26T22:14:00.000-07:00

Dear:

Do you want the cigarettes and other tobacco products you use to taste like “lard”?

That’s what supporters of the bill that would give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over regulating cigarettes say they want to do.

The bill would give the FDA the right to make virtually any change they wanted to in the way tobacco products are made, flavored, packaged, advertised and priced. They could make products taste terrible, and jack up the cost even more.

Adults who use tobacco products NEED TO CALL their legislator TODAY to try to stop this bill.

Call 1-877-857-8074 (free call) and you can be connected to YOUR legislator’s office. All you need to know is your zip code and the operator will connect you to the right office.

Or you can go to www.NoCigTax.com and send an email to your legislator – all you need to enter is your zip code and you’ll be connected to the right office.

Tell your legislator to vote AGAINST Representative Waxman’s bill that would give the FDA the authority to regulate tobacco.

remember that ad, I would walk a mile for a Camel?

2009-03-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

remember that ad, I would walk a mile for a Camel?

that was a popular ad theme from Camel cigarettes/ RJ Reynolds way back 40 years plus.

what's ironic is that I can't walk a mile now due to emphysema.

nice cut smoking cigarettes photo

2009-03-04T11:00:00.000-08:00

nice cut smoking cigarettes photo

just bought smokeless tobacco Camel Snus

2009-02-21T13:55:00.001-08:00

just bought a tin of smokeless tobacco Camel Snus

this is a fairly new product being test marketed by RJ Reynolds in some state in the US. Looking at the metal tin contiainer it comes in I see no reference to the amount of nicotine in each little bag.
Part of the ad pitch seems to be "pleasure for wherever".
Anxious to try this new tobacco product, anything that will get me away form smoking, anything that will help me quit smoking once and for all.

will keep you posted here,time will tell.

Camel Snus, a smokeless tobacco product

2009-02-20T16:47:00.000-08:00

Camel Snus, a smokeless spitless tobacco product, consists of 0.4 to 1.5 grams of pasteurized powdered tobacco portioned into small teabag-like pouches. To use Snus, place the pouch between the cheek and the upper lip where the oral cavity absorbs the nicotine.

I am starting to see a lot of in store advertising. mianly at the
Circle K s here in Arizona, Have they launched this new product nationally.

using bleach to remove nicotine stains

2009-02-16T11:38:00.000-08:00

using Clorox bleach to remove nicotine stains

just reason to quit smoking, I am at a point were I dip my smoking fingers in bleach to remove the brown nicotine stains. My finger tips look like I dipped them in shit.

I only wish I could apply this same techniques on my damaged lungs, after 40 plus years of smoking.

Smokers Will Stop for Their Pet's Sake

2009-02-15T17:09:00.000-08:00

Smokers Will Stop for Their Pet's Sake
Survey discovers nearly 1 in 3 will do so for Fido, if not for themselves

Many smokers who won't kick the habit for their own health will do it for their pets, a new survey finds.

"We wanted to determine whether pet owners who learned that smoking is bad for their pet's health would change their behavior," said Sharon Milberger, an epidemiologist at the Henry Ford Health System Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, and lead author of a report in the February online issue of Tobacco Control.

The answer was "yes" for nearly one in three of the pet-owning smokers surveyed by Milberger and her colleagues.

Almost 3,300 residents of southeastern Michigan responded to the online survey. One in five was a smoker, and more than one in four lived with a smoker.

Of the smokers, one in three said that knowing that smoking was bad for the health of a pet would prompt them to give it up. Almost one in 10 said they would ask a partner to quit, while one in seven said they would ask their partners to smoke only outdoors.

About four of 10 smokers and one in four of the nonsmokers living with someone who smoked said they be interested in information on the effects of smoking and how to stop.

"The results are encouraging," Milberger said. "In two of every three homes in the United States, people have pets. That's 70 million pets, and one in five lives with smokers."

"It doesn't surprise me," said Carolynn MacAllister, a veterinarian at the Oklahoma State Cooperative Extension Service. "People think of their pets as family members."

The American Veterinary Medical Association reported some years ago that 85 percent of people who own pets consider them to be family members, MacAllister said. "They don't care as much about themselves as they do for family members, and they consider pets to be family members," she said.

MacAllister cited studies showing an association between secondhand smoke and an increased risk of certain kinds of cancer in pets. One study found an increase of squamous cell carcinoma, a cancer of the mouth in cats, presumably related to the cancer-causing smoke-related molecules they lick up while grooming themselves. Another study found an increased incidence of nasal tumors among dogs living with smokers.

Milberger said her group has started an effort to see whether the pet effect can influence people to give up smoking.

"We are testing such an intervention," she said. "We want to see if adding information on the effects of secondhand smoke on pets can change human behavior."

By Ed Edelson
HealthDay Reporter

Oprah , Dr. Oz and quit smoking

2009-01-06T15:09:00.000-08:00

Just watchinh a Oprah show today, also taping it the dvr.

Quit smoking is one of the top priority for a healthly self.
Dr. Oz was also on the show, he was the doctor that was promoting
wellbrutin to help in smoking cessation.

Show did seem to motvate me, was inspirational.
oh well its a new year.

no no s for your food shopping list
high fructose
sugar
enriched
trans fats
saturated fats

healthy food items...........

tomatoes
broccoli
olive oil 1 tablespoon a day
flax seeds for omega 3
anti oxidants
take a multi vitamins daily

Chantix /Champix use in Scotland ?

2008-12-27T17:24:00.000-08:00

BBC Scotland

"It was launched as a wonder drug. A tablet to take the pain out of kicking the killer weed. Since it appeared on the market two years ago in the UK, almost 400,000 prescriptions for Champix have been written. Across the world, that figure is currently sitting at nine million. Champix, or varenicline, to give it its clinical name, was first licensed here in December 2006.

It mimics the effects of nicotine on the body so it both reduces the urge to smoke and relieves withdrawal symptoms. In clinical trials, it proved more effective than alternative remedies at getting people to quit.

For its makers - Pfizer - Champix has been a huge success. In its first full year on the market, the drug brought in a staggering $883m for the company. But about a year ago, I became aware of stories emerging in the media in which people who had taken Champix were said to have suffered severe depression..."

Basic definition of COPD by the Mayo Clinic

2008-12-27T10:36:00.000-08:00

Basic definition of COPD by the Mayo Clinic

I have found the Mayo Clinic web site to be an excellent source source for lung /respiratory related problems.

COPD Definition
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the overall term for a group of chronic lung conditions that obstruct the airways in your lungs. COPD usually refers to obstruction caused by chronic bronchitis and emphysema, but it can also refer to damage caused by asthmatic bronchitis. In all forms of COPD, there's a blockage within the tubes and air sacs that make up your lungs, which hinders your ability to exhale. And, when you can't properly exhale, air gets trapped in your lungs and makes it difficult for you to breathe in normally.

COPD is very common. It's a major cause of death and illness worldwide, and it's the fourth-leading cause of death in the United States. In the majority of cases, COPD is caused by long-term smoking and could be prevented by not smoking or quitting smoking. However, once symptoms begin, the damage to your lungs can't be reversed, and there's no cure. Treatments for COPD focus primarily on controlling symptoms and preventing further damage.

Best of luck, I hope this medical info helps your particular medical condition or at least points you in the right direction,

heres the link to the offical Mayo Clinic web site

Looking At How The Lungs Work

2008-12-27T02:35:00.000-08:00

LUNG DISORDERS: Looking At How The Lungs Work

What else is so essential, so continuous, and yet so unnoticed? When all goes well, you breathe in and out about 25,000 times each day.

Every inward breath carries oxygen into your lungs, where it passes into your bloodstream and is pumped with each heartbeat throughout your body, powering the chemical energy that keeps you alive and operating. An exhalation always follows, ridding your body of a waste product: carbon dioxide

Committee Adds Champix / Chantix to Health Basket

2008-12-25T17:21:00.000-08:00

Israel: Committee Adds 89 New Pharmaceuticals to Health Basket

The committee responsible for approving new pharmaceuticals to be included in the national health basket, which permits HMOs to offer the drugs, last week added 89 new drugs to that basket.

Some of the hopefuls which were not included in the health basket are Zyban, Champix (to stop smoking), Tykerb, Avastin (breast cancer),

how to make a smokers "acid soup"

2008-12-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

still working with the "My stop smoking coach"
by allen carr Easyway to stop smoking.

This game exercise to help you quit smoking you have to
make an "acid soup" with a list of supplied ingredients.

After a while I guessed the correct ingredients were arsenic
carbon dioxide and tartaric acid.

this may appear as a childish mental exercise but it really seems to be working on me.

This exercise is from the Nintendo DS game cartridge by Allen Carr
created bu UBI software.

donate to the American Lung Association.

2008-12-25T17:15:00.000-08:00

The year is almost over, and so is your opportunity to get a tax deduction for 2008 by making a generous online donation to the American Lung Association.

Your generous year-end gift sent by December 31 will qualify as a 2008 tax deduction to the full extent allowed by law. What's more, your gift now will help us fight lung disease by:

Warning our children about the terrible dangers of smoking.
Strengthening our environmental laws to maintain healthy outdoor air, and smokefree air laws to keep our workplaces and public spaces free from secondhand smoke.
Advancing research to beat lung diseases like lung cancer,
asthma and emphysema.
Enhancing programs and services to improve the quality of life for individuals with chronic lung diseases and their families.
ed, please be as generous as you can in the spirit of the season to help us continue our
lifesaving work.

Thanks again, and happy holidays from all of us at the American Lung Association!

Sincerely,

Stephen J. Nolan
National Volunteer Chair

still working on my my stop smoking coach

2008-12-25T03:32:00.000-08:00

still working on my my stop smoking coach

this is the Nintendo ds cartgide to help ME quit smoking,
I been religious in doing some of the games exercises. Some
of them seem stupid at times, but i keep plugging away.

One game/excerise is to select out ingredients to make a tobacco soup, seemed a little childish but I am going along with the program.

will time will tell, I am decreasing my smoking slowly everyday.

informed choice between using smokeless and a drug such as Chantix/Champix.

2008-12-24T15:29:00.000-08:00

A short comment on the letters from the virtuous anti-tobacco activists who have written in indignation to Professor Carl Phillips's letter regarding tobacco-funded research studies.

The day universities will stop accepting Big Pharma money to finance research, the alleged ''not-for-profit'' anti-tobacco crowd might be taken seriously on their stance against Big Tobacco funding.

Meantime, smokers who wish to quit, should indeed be given the informed choice between using smokeless and a dangerous drug such as Chantix/Champix.

picked up this commenty from a health blog in Canada.

Last warning: Asthma inhalers go "green" on Dec. 31

2008-12-07T05:59:00.000-08:00

Asthma Inhalers To Go 'green' On Dec. 31

(AP) Last warning: Asthma inhalers go "green" on Dec. 31, forcing patients still using the old-fashioned kind to make a pricey and even confusing switch. The medicine inside these rescue inhalers _ the albuterol that quickly opens airways during an asthma attack _ isn't changing. But the chemicals used to puff that drug into your lungs are.

No more chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, that damage Earth's protective ozone layer. By year's end, all albuterol inhalers must be powered by the more eco-friendly chemical HFA, or hydrofluoroalkane.

The down side: The new inhalers cost more, $30 to $60 compared to as little as $5 or $10 for the disappearing generic CFC inhalers.

And patients face a learning curve. HFA inhalers must be used differently than the old-fashioned kind. The medicine feels and tastes different, sometimes alarming new users despite doctors' assurances that it works just as well.

"There's still significant confusion," says Dr. Harvey Leo of the University of Michigan's C.S. Mott Children's Hospital. "Patients will tell you, 'I don't feel the puff anymore.'"

Calls from parents unsure how to use the new inhalers, or even what they are, have increased in the past two months as more drugstores run out of CFC-powered inhalers and automatically switch people who'd been expecting a mere refill, he adds.

The change shouldn't be a surprise. The Food and Drug Administration has long warned it was coming, and lung specialists have spent the past year easing many of the nation's 20 million asthma patients _ as well as millions of emphysema sufferers who also use albuterol to ease breathing _ into it.

But industry figures show that in mid-November, 20 percent of all albuterol prescriptions still were being filled with CFC versions.

Some patients may purposefully be buying up cheaper CFC inhalers before the sales ban. But many patients don't see a lung specialist, or their prescription may not expire until next year so they haven't been seen recently enough to be told.

Reaching the last fraction "is, as you can imagine, a very difficult task," says Dr. Bidrul Chowdhury, FDA's pulmonary drugs chief. "How to get to somebody who is not tuned in?"

The CFC-free options: GlaxoSmithKline's Ventolin HFA, Schering Plough's Proventil HFA and Teva Specialty Pharmaceuticals' ProAir HFA all contain albuterol. Also, Sepracor's Xopenex HFA contains the similar medication levalbuterol.

Albuterol inhalers are for emergencies, for quick relief of wheezing. Patients also need daily medication to control their asthma and prevent flare-ups. Someone who's using the albuterol inhaler more than a few times a month isn't well-controlled, and his or her doctor needs to determine why, stresses Dr. Paul Greenberger of Northwestern University, president-elect of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.

FTC: so-called “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes

2008-12-06T16:39:00.000-08:00

Recision of “FTC Method” Ends 40-Plus Years of Tobacco Industry Deception

11/26/2008

American Lung Association Applauds Unanimous Decision by FTC

WASHINGTON, D.C., November 26, 2008—Today, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) correctly—and finally—rescinded the Cambridge Filter Method or the “FTC Method,” a ratings system that was manipulated by tobacco companies to obscure the harmful effects of smoking so-called “light” and “low-tar” cigarettes. The tobacco companies will no longer be able to claim reduced tar and nicotine levels based on this test. In 2001, the National Cancer Institute found that smokers who use products that score lower in the Cambridge Filter Method do not reduce the risk for developing lung cancer and other smoking-caused diseases.

While this is an important step, it also highlights the need for Congress to act quickly in 2009 to pass legislation that will grant the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authority over tobacco products. The legislation would, among other things, prohibit the tobacco companies from using the terms “light,” “low-tar” and “mild,” as well as other misleading health descriptors. This legislation overwhelmingly passed the U.S. House of Representatives in July with a vote of 326 to 102. Despite having 60 sponsors the U.S. Senate did not act on the legislation this year.

In September, the American Lung Association and other public health organizations urged the FTC to rescind the 1966 Cambridge Filter Method, stating that “machine-based measures of tar and nicotine based on the Cambridge Filter Method do not provide meaningful information about how much tar and nicotine are actually received by the smoker or about the relative health risks of different cigarettes.”

About the American Lung Association: Beginning our second century, the American Lung Association is the leading organization working to prevent lung disease and promote lung health. Lung disease death rates are currently increasing while other major causes of death are declining. The American Lung Association funds vital research on the causes of and treatments for lung disease. With the generous support of the public, the American Lung Association is “Improving life, one breath at a time.” For more information about the American Lung Association, a Charity Navigator Four Star Charity, or to support the work it does, call 1-800-LUNG-USA (1-800-586-4872) or log on to www.lungusa.org.

my work with the "My stop smoking coach"

2008-12-05T07:30:00.000-08:00

my work with the "My stop smoking coach"

started using the Nintendo cartridge by UBIsoft by Allen Carr.
I had thought that some of the exercises / games were foolish and childish, but today i sort of realized that the repetitive games/exercises do really sink in. the game were your make a nicotine bowl. adding all the harmful and fatal ingredients to make up a bowl of nicotine soup. You have to select and insert the nasty ingredients of a cigarette and then stir the pot. Thought it was stupid at first but this morning it had an impact on how i looked at my cigarette and smoking the nasty stick of tobacco.
So far this approach to stop smoking may work for me, after 40 years plus of smoking, I sure hope so.

oh well, time will tell, talk you you later

increase in nicotine levels ?

2008-12-03T15:12:00.000-08:00

increase in nicotine levels ?

Thought I saw something in the news that the tabocco companies quietly increased the amount of nicotine in thier cigarettees.

This is the addictive substance that creates the need / desire for smoking.

has anyone else seen this in the news ?

fyi: Allen Carr "My Stop smoking Coach"

2008-11-29T01:47:00.000-08:00

My Stop smoking Coach

15 innovative mini-games: A fun way to help you dispel the illusions about nicotine addiction.

Reward system: Using the Path to Freedom meter, track your progress as you move from dependence to freedom.

Special calendar of benefits: Once you’ve quit, you can still play the game and measure the daily benefits you get from your new life without cigarettes.

Takes Allen Carr's method takes the method to a new level by simultaneously entertaining and challenging the player – a truly interactive approach and more efficient learning process that enables the player to quit smoking more easily.

A key receptor cuts the urge for nicotine

2008-11-28T05:18:00.000-08:00

Molecular Switch in Brain May End Smokers' Cravings
A key receptor cuts the urge for nicotine, rat study suggests

HealthDay News
Blocking a neuropeptide receptor in the brain may be one way to quickly lessen the desire for a cigarette, a new study suggests.

Hypocretin-1, or Orexin A, a short chain of amino acids found in nerve tissue, appears to initiate a series of closely linked biochemical reactions that makes lab rats crave nicotine, the addictive chemical in tobacco, according to researchers at the Scripps Florida research institute in Jupiter.

If duplicated in humans, the finding could be lead to new smoking-cessation treatments, the researchers said.

"Blocking hypocretin-1 receptors not only decreased the motivation to continue nicotine use in rats, it also abolished the stimulatory effects of nicotine on their brain reward circuitries," study leader Paul Kenny, a scientist at Scripps Florida, explained in a news release issued by the institute. "This suggests that hypocretin-1 may play a major role in driving tobacco use in smokers to want more nicotine. If we can find a way to effectively block this receptor, it could mean a novel way to help break people's addiction to tobacco."

In the study, the researchers blocked the hypocretin-1 receptor with low doses of the selective antagonist SB-334867, a commercially available compound often used in research.

The results of the study were published in an online early edition of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, released this week.

The findings might explain why some human smokers spontaneously quit smoking after suffering brain damage in a small area of their frontal cortex. Hypocretin-1 receptors are found in the insula, a walnut-size part of the frontal lobe of the brain, the researchers said.

Previous Scripps research found that hypocretin-1 receptors also play a central role in regulating relapse in cocaine addicts.

Cigarette smoking accounts for about 440,000 deaths and $160 billion in health-related costs annually in the United States. Only about 10 percent of smokers who attempt to quit manage to remain smoke free after one year, the researchers said.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about quitting smoking.

fyi: Allen Carr "My Stop smoking Coach"

2008-11-28T02:44:00.000-08:00

FYI: Allen Carr "My Stop smoking Coach" features

Create your personal profile: Choose your personal coach from six of Allen Carr’s experts, and your coach will give you personalized advice and tips based on your smoking habits and history

New smokeless tobacco alarms health officials

2008-11-27T18:52:00.000-08:00

New smokeless tobacco alarms health officials
Flavored 'snus' to get U.S. marketing blitz as alternative to cigarettes

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. - They're discreet, flavorful and come in cute tin boxes with names like "frost" and "spice." And now a leading U.S. tobacco company is hoping that Camel Snus will become a hit with tobacco lovers tired of being forced outside for a smoke.

But convincing health officials and smokers that they are worth a try may take some work.

Popular for decades in Sweden, where it was invented, snus has been banned in every other European Union nation since 2004 over concerns about carcinogens.

But smokeless tobacco is legal in the U.S., where there are two schools of thought: Some researchers suggest the lower risk of lung cancer makes snus an attractive alternative to smoking, while others fear an increase in problems including mouth lesions or pancreatic cancer.

Snus — Swedish for tobacco, rhymes with "noose" — is a tiny, tea bag-like pouch of steam-pasteurized, smokeless tobacco to tuck between the cheek and gum. Aromatic to the user and undetectable to anyone else, it promises a hit of nicotine without the messy spitting associated with chewing tobacco. Just swallow the juice.

"I think I'd rather throw up in my mouth," says Ethan Flint, an 18-year-old West Virginia University student, emerging from a convenience store with a pack of Winstons and a coupon for free Camel Snus. "I'd rather not swallow anything like that."

A second addiction?
Reynolds America Inc., the No. 2 U.S. tobacco company, can also expect resistance from the public health community. Experts wonder whether snus will help wean people off cigarettes and snuff, or just foster a second addiction. While snus has been around, it has not been prominent in the U.S.

"I think we're all holding our breath in terms of what's going to be coming down the pike," says Dorothy Hatsukami, director of the Tobacco Use Research Center at the University of Minnesota. "There's not much known about these products — what's in these products, how they're going to be used, who's going to be using them and what the effects of that use will be. ... Will it create more harm or less harm?"

Reynolds is confident its new product will find a following. It launched Camel Snus in Austin, Texas, and Portland, Oregon, in 2006, and has since expanded to test markets nationwide, with customers in nearly every state. Early next year, it's taking snus national with a marketing blitz that spokesman David Howard says will include direct mail, print and Web advertising, and point-of-sale promotions.

The American Cancer Society supports any tool that helps smokers quit. "But we don't have any good scientific evidence that snus is one of those tools," said Tom Glynn, director of cancer science and trends.

"If all smokers switched to snus tomorrow, in a few years we'd certainly see less heart disease, less lung disease and fewer cancers," he said. "But there's no evidence that smokers can switch and stay switched."

Prevention officials already have their work cut out for them in West Virginia, which has the third-highest adult smoking rate in the U.S. at nearly 27 percent and the highest rate of "spit" or chewing tobacco use at 16 percent.

"The industry is brilliant, and whatever they want to outspend us by — $1 million, $10 million, $100 million — they can do it," said Bruce Adkins of the state Division of Tobacco Prevention.

To sustain its current level of sales and combat tobacco-related deaths, Adkins says, the industry must find 4,000 "replacement smokers" a year in West Virginia alone.

No secondhand smoke
U.S. tobacco companies developed snus in response to both declining cigarette sales and consumer demand. With more public bans on puffing, they say smokers need socially acceptable alternatives.

Danny Wolfe, a 38-year-old computer draftsman, gave up regular spit tobacco and has been using Copenhagen tobacco pouches for several years. He spits out the juice; it gives him heartburn.

"It's the same product, just packaged differently. It doesn't get in your teeth. It doesn't have the mess," says Wolfe, who was sick of smoking outside his Morgantown office. "You're not quitting anything. You're replacing."

Snus is also popular with hunters, who try to avoid scent detection by their prey, and with coal miners, who work in underground mines where the smallest spark can trigger an explosion.

At least two tobacco companies besides Reynolds are also test-marketing snus.

"There's no secondhand smoke. There's no spitting. We see it as a win-win," says Howard, the Reynolds spokesman. "It's also in line with company strategy. We're moving toward becoming a total tobacco company."

Reynolds is even developing dissolvable tobacco strips, orbs and sticks that it will start test-marketing early next year in Portland, Indianapolis and Columbus, Ohio.

Though "very appealing" in form and flavor, Hatsukami also finds those products worrisome.

'Not like chewing gum'
Researchers have little information about nicotine absorption and toxicity for any of the new products, she says, and there's too little data on snus to make per-dose comparisons to cigarettes or spit tobacco.

Still, Camel Snus recently tested by WVU contained at least two carcinogens.

"It's not like chewing gum," warns Robert Anderson, deputy director of West Virginia University's Prevention Research Center. "This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes."

And because its use is easy to conceal, WVU researcher Cindy Tworek worries children could suck on the pouches in front of oblivious parents or teachers. The brightly colored tins seem designed to attract both female and young users, she says.

The same age restrictions that apply to other forms of tobacco also apply to sales of snus, although they vary from state to state.

Tworek has surveyed more than 600 college students in the Morgantown test market and will release her conclusions next year on whether Reynolds' marketing efforts work.

Flint, the teenage smoker, suspects they do.

"It looks fun, actually," he said of the bright blue camel logo. "As a little kid, I'd probably buy this just because it looks cool. But I know better than that, and I'd rather choke to death."

Howard denies suggestions that Reynolds targets underage users. He says Camel Snus is selling best among adult male smokers and moist snuff users.

"It didn't quite get as much consideration among female adult smokers just because it's different," he concedes. "They're a little more hesitant. But obviously we think that with continued communication with all adult smokers, they'll come to try it."
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27888789/

finally got my "My stop smoking Coach"

2008-11-25T17:56:00.000-08:00

finally got my "My stop smoking Coach"

this is the new cartridge for the Nintendo DS for quitting smoking"
I was tracking the release date and the cartridge is finally appearing in the store. I tried Gamestop at first, but only had one and that was sold already, got pissed. Then I checked with a oblivious choice like BestBuy, which I am happy to say had several on the shelf.

What's is bizarre I was obsessed about getting the cartridge, but now that I have it , I have not started the course yet.

The package is labelled "Quit for Good"
with Allen Carr's Easyway. Take control of your addiction.stop smoking the fun and Easyway.

My Stop smoking Coach with Allen Carr is an interactive game that provides customized feedback and the impetus to help you quit, once and for all.

Well time will tell on this approach to me quitting smoking.
best of luck

starting to see banner ads for Chantix from Pfizer on the web

2008-11-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

starting to see banner ads for Chantix from Pfizer on the web.

While gettting my email from yahoo I saw shown a very nice banner ad for Chantix, this is the forst time I have ever seen this form of adverting for Chantix/Champtix the stop /quit medicine.

looks like some aggressive advertising from Pfizer drugs.

info on that "My Stop Smoking Coach" Nintendo DS game

2008-11-19T12:32:00.000-08:00

info on that "My Stop Smoking Coach" Nintendo DS game

Number of Players 1 Release Date 11/13/2008 Publisher Ubi Soft Platform Nintendo DS Genre Edutainment

Synopsis
Whether you're doing it for health reasons, social reasons or just because you're tired of it, you're now determined to quit smoking. With My Stop Smoking Coach: Allen Carr's Easyway, you have a handy instructional guide and motivational tool. If you've struggled to quit before, fear that you lack the willpower to quit on your own or just need that extra bit of support to maintain your motivation, this easy-to-use option delivers tried-and-true strategies to keep you focused on your goal.

My Stop Smoking Coach incorporates the expert strategies of Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking method, which focuses on why people smoke, rather than why they shouldn't, in order to help you shake the belief that smoking is a genuinely pleasurable or rewarding activity. Create a personal profile, then choose one of six Allen Carr experts as your personal coach who will offer tips based on your smoking habits and history. Fifteen fun and innovative mini games help to dispel your illusions about nicotine addiction, and an exciting reward system allows you to track your progress as you come closer to achieving full independence from your smoking habit.

Features
Based on Allen Carr's Easyway to Stop Smoking method, which helps you stop seeing smoking as a pleasurable activity or a crutch and eliminates feelings of sacrifice or deprivation, so you experience less fear of quitting

Discover eye-opening lessons that will help to dispel your illusions about smoking

Play 15 interactive mini games that both challenge and entertain, helping you learn more efficiently so you can break the habit more easily

Select a coach from among six Allen Carr experts, and receive personalized tips and advice based on your smoking habits and history

Track your progress on the Path to Freedom meter to earn rewards as you move toward cigarette independence

Stay motivated once you've quit with a special calendar that helps you realize the daily benefits of life without cigarettes

this is new product from UBI software for the Nintendo DS

part of the Oprah show dna / smoking /nicotine

2008-11-16T09:53:00.000-08:00

part of the Oprah show DNA / smoking /nicotine

Just caught the last part of the Oprah show on Friday afternoon.
During the show she mentioned a "spit party" and then had Dr. Oz
on to discuss this new DNA testing kit. Its seems like for a fee
you spit into a cup and mailed in for a complete DNA test.

The reason I am mentioning this is because there was some sort of nicotine DNA marker that marks it difficult for some smokers to quit.

Has anyone heard about this DNA disposition / nicotine marker?