Hi Miss Vicki
You know...I think I did write an article about smoking somewhere. I can't get to it from your link though. Oh noes!
I do wonder about second hand smoke. My mother was a three pack a day smoker and I lived with her for all my formative years and then some. I have never smoked a day in my life but sometimes I think about the cumulative effect of breathing in my mother's smokes. I would like to think that smoking is on the decline especially with all the education about the harmful effects. It seems that young girls are not listening to the message. They are a population who continue to be lured by cigarettes.
Thanks for spreading the word. Do I hear someone out there throwing out their pack of cigs? I think I do. Or it could be wishful thinking. We may never know.
Good to see you Vicki. Hope you are having a great week!
Yes, Merely Me, you did write Can Second Hand Smoke Affect Mental Health in June 2010. I see the links do not work so I will try to edit and correct them. In the meantime, here is the link -
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http://www.healthcentral.com/depression/c/84292/114067/secondhand
I don't think young girls are listening, but think they can deal with it later. They think it makes them look older and oh, so glamorous. It is so sad that in some cases there will be no later to deal with it. The problem may have already done the damage, especially when MS comes into the picture. So hard to go back in time and decide not to start.
And you hear people putting their cigarettes down? What a lovely sound.
Thanks for the comment.
What an eye opener this was, Vicki! I was never a smoker but my brothers were and they both quit a while ago. I saw how difficult that was for them to go through the withdrawal, and glad they came out the other side. Thank you for this topical and important post - something else that predisposes people to MS. Unbelievable.
I do agree with Merely Me, though, about the rates of teenage smoking on the decline. I wish I could provide more information of where I read that statistic, but I did. Aside from that, my son is 18 and he told me not many students in his school smoke; I've spoken to some of his peers who confirmed that.
The message on the effects of cigarette smoking are being taught in health classes. Education is the key. I wish people could truly process the realities of cigarette smoking. I know it is difficult to give up once you've started, so I am glad part of the curriculum in our schools today include the dangers of smoking. It'd be nice to put the tobacco companies out of business. I'll step off my soapbox now.
This could be the isolated case, but from my experience it seems that the involuntary muscle contraction caused by MS is amplified by Nicotine. On every single occasion without fail, when my MS patient uses an electronic cigarette, his involuntary muscle contraction becomes greately increased in amplitude. This includes the muscles in legs and arms, thus inducing greater inability to balance. In this patient the Nicotine also affects the muscles in the eyes, which increase the involuntary eyeball rotation. Without Nicotine, when looking at a fixed object, the sight angle diverges by approximately 10 degrees in random directions and at a frequency of about 3-4 Hertz. Within seconds of administering Nicotine through an e-cigorette, the amplitude is increased up to approximately 20 degrees. So, Nicotine appears to produce voilent vision vibration, greately reducing the patient's ability to see.
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Thank you Vicki for another great and important article.
When I quit smoking more than 28 years ago, I vowed to never become one of those ‘reformed smokers’ who persecutes smokers and detests the very act of smoking…..but it happened anyway. The longer I go without smoking, the more sensitive I become to the smell of tobacco.
Then there is cancer. The older I get, the more people I know that are impacted by this disease. My beautiful wife has been dealing with a form of bladder cancer for several years now. Her doctor says it is always caused by smoking. And now MS??? I’ll bet that there are dozens of other diseases that can or will be linked to smoking and cancer that have yet to be studied.
I know what I vowed back then, but the game has changed. I am happy to be a reformed smoker today.
MichaelHi Michael,
Thank you for your interesting comment.
I am so glad you put your cigarettes down long ago. Be proud you are a reformed smoker. I know how annoying it can be for smokers to hear that you did quit, so they can, too. Even when no words are spoken, but that recognizable look. It's not easy to quit, so you earned the right. I'm sure you do it in the nicest way.
I'm so sorry to hear about the bladder cancer. It is unfair. Surely the positive attitude in your house is helping her. When cancer comes along, This is when your gratitude for each other also boosts the good feelings. I often wonder how many conditions smoking has affected. They all come with warnings these days.
I was really durprised that MS has real reasons to stay away from smoke. Since everything has a "no smoking" warning it was just a surprise that there is a real reason besides the respitary ones.
All of this makes me glad I am not a smoker - except in college, but for such a short time. Sorry, I do seem to go on.