As he has promised to sign an unprecedented $6.10 per carton cigarette tax into law our president who smoked a pack a day up until the campaign skirted the issue if he is or is not a non smoker yesterday.
When asked "have you smoked since coming to the White house"? Obama stated, "I have not smoked on the White House Grounds".
Then he gave a cute little smile like when your doctor asks how much you smoke and you cut it in half. He stated it is hard to quit and the reporter gave him an out by saying "I won't push on this". Obama laughed again and end of topic.
Now Obama will have FREE healthcare for the rest of his life as all presidents do and have lived very long lives becasue of it. Should we not be told the truth if our president legally smokes cigarettes so that smokers can call him on it when he overtaxes us. I bet it is a running joke already at the White house with the secret service.
The fact that Sen. Obama was a smoker is old news, since he quit. Right? Think again.
The stories that have explored this issue all missed the point: Obama's history of smoking raises questions about his current and future health.
Some, like Jake Tapper, have suggested that Obama was less than honest about whether he still smoked, at least as of last August.
Others have suggested that Obama's smoking history makes him "more human," and that his (alleged) ability to quit makes him more heroic.
And some, perhaps with tongue in cheek to this, think quitting may actually hurt him by changing how his voice sounds.
Meanwhile, Sen. McCain's health questions are almost as old as he is. Congressman Jack Murtha (75), thinks John McCain (71) is too old for the pressures of high office, and he has come under legitimate pressure to release his medical records.
But what of Senator Obama's health? It's not as if once you quit smoking, all of the health effects immediately disappear. In fact, after enough smoking, some health effects are irreversible. Consider just the arteries and lungs.
How long and how much one smokes makes a difference. A 1998 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that the amount of fatty deposits in the carotid artery depended on total pack-years of tobacco exposure, not whether the patient currently smokes. And a smoker's excess risk of a stroke doesn't return to that of nonsmokers until at least five, or as long as twenty years after quitting. Sen. Obama would have to serve a hypothetical four smoke-free terms before his stroke risk returned to normal.
So how long and how much did Sen. Obama smoke? The information has not been officially released, and the campaign has not returned calls or emails posing this question. But he smoked a lot over his life.
He admits to having smoked up to ten cigarettes a day, but usually closer to five or six. Most people underestimate how much they smoke, but let's take him at his word. Let's also assume he really did quit when he said he did, in February 2007 (although he admits to having fallen off the wagon). That's about twenty-six years, given that we know he was smoking by the time he was a freshman at Occidental College. That's more than 55,000 -- maybe 70,000 cigarettes! Has this aspect of Sen. Obama's ability to serve really been explored?
Just because he's young, looks great, and exercises doesn't mean he's healthy. Recall Jim Fixx. An overweight smoker when he turned his life around at thirty-five, Fixx became the icon of fitness. He quit smoking and started running. Then he died in 1984 at age fifty-three -- while running.
Sen. Obama, while not overweight, smoked a lot longer than Jim Fixx did. And while the stresses of running may have contributed to Fixx's death, it was his years of smoking, not his running, that caused the plaque to build up in his arteries. Doctors say the stress of being president may in fact exceed the stress of running. And it's an unhealthier kind of stress.
The public deserves to know how long and how much Sen. Obama really smoked. Does he have other risk factors for heart disease? Compared to whites, for instance, African-Americans are more likely to die of a stroke, according to the American Heart Association. This, in fact, is probably the only time race is a legitimate question to raise this campaign season -- and just one of several health question on voters' minds.
Movie star EWAN MCGREGOR has a better quality of life now he has quit smoking because he no longer has to hunt for cigarettes, ashtrays and lighters before he can sit and relax.
EWAN MCGREGOR , the Scottish actor quit just over a year ago with the help of hypnotherapy and now he can't believe he had so many problems giving up in the past.He says, "The idea of life without cigarettes is terrifying but it's so much better... and it's so easy - you just don't smoke."I found the most annoying thing about cigarettes - apart from the fact that they give you emphysema and cancer and it makes you stink and not have any money, and you have to stand outside in the snow, and all of those things - is that you couldn't do anything without them."I couldn't stand the fact that I couldn't just sit down - I'd have to go and find my cigarettes and, 'Where's my ashtray and my lighter?' I'd always be looking for things... Now I can just sit down."And MCGregor insists that, if he can quit, anyone can: "I did it as a second profession; I used to act and smoke."
You feel terrible about it. You've tried to quite 300 times, and you feel like a total failure.
You know all the reasons you need to stop smoking. You've been lectured by your doctor. You can't walk up a flight of stairs without getting breathless. Your spouse complains about your bad breath, and your car and your clothes smell bad--okay, they stink--although you're fastidious about cleanliness.
And if that's not enough, you've read about smoking and aging. Leathery skin, yellow teeth, thin bones, are bad enough. Lung cancer and strokes are unthinkable.
When I was much younger, I worked in a hospital. It's hard to imagine a time when smoking was allowed in health care facilities, but there I was, sitting back comfortably in the break room, enjoying a mid-afternoon cigarette with a friend.
A young intern approached me. He was an affable fellow, and we worked well together, but today his brow was furrowed. His message was terse. He bent down and whispered: "Cigarettes kill."
What a card. What a kidder. I loved bantering with the guy. But the urgency in his voice stayed with me. His comment was no laughing matter.
I'm a healthy woman today. At 58, I exercise hard five times per week. Mid-afternoon breaks are still a deep pleasure, but cigarettes are happily absent.
How did it happen? I could tell you my story, but your story is the only one that matters.
It's commonly known that nicotine is one of the most addictive of substances. But here's the good news: Your body, your psyche, your whole being, craves health more than you crave cigarettes. Breaking through the craving crisis into a healthy, relaxed way of life, is no picnic, but it's possible. For anyone. For you.
What's hypnosis? Myths abound. Smoking, overeating, yelling at your kids, and heavy drinking supposedly go away like magic. Well, I'm here to tell you that hypnosis does work--and that no magic is needed.
You've probably experienced hypnosis already. If you've ever gotten absorbed in a good novel, missed your exit on the interstate, or lost track of time in a daydream, you're "suggestible." Hypnosis simply means settling down and entering into a state of deep relaxation in which you're profoundly open to new information and insight. It means being curious, and accessing a part of yourself that knows your innate right to be healthy.
So, if it's that simple, why go to a therapist? Good question. A quick answer is this: Cigarettes have likely been a source of great comfort, or you wouldn't be fighting the urge. A skilled hypnotherapist can companion and train you in learning better, more healthy, real sources of comfort. The journey into wellness is a journey into your deeper self--the self beneath the habits of thought and behavior that sabotage your best intentions.
Research shows that the human voice is more soothing than music. When you're flailing about trying to change your habits, a human voice can ease you through anxiety and pain. At one level, hypnosis provides the simple presence of a trustworthy voice, to help you through the rough times and replace the negative self-talk in your head.
But hypnosis is about other things. In each conversation, each statement that we make, there's usually a subtle embedded message. Behavioral therapists, for example, advise parents to focus on positive statements. "Be sure and remember your lunch box," is more powerful than "Don't forget your lunch box." Why? Because the unconscious loves encouragement. The unconscious loves positive messages so much that our children skip over the "Don't" part--and go straight to the "Forget your lunch box!" part.
So here's a start. Starting now, begin to say to yourself, "I'm a person who smokes." Not, "I'm a smoker. Try saying, "I've practiced quitting all kinds of times, on the road to learning to succeed." All kinds of self-judgment begin to torment us when we over- identify ourselves with our problems. And the unconscious hates judgment. Like your kid with the lunch-box, your psyche resists being labeled.
The unconscious hates to be bullied, but it loves a good bargain. Hypnosis is a way of learning to make bargains with yourself It's a way of patiently, step-by-step, learning to love yourself more deeply. And, if you're basically sane, you don't want to abuse anyone you love--especially yourself. (If you do want to abuse anyone, skip this article and get yourself to an Emergency Room. Hypnosis is not for you!)
We usually treat smoking in one to three sessions. Some people require more, and some require less. Why is it possible to change habits with short treatment? Again, there's no magic. But a good therapist can resonate with a healthy, soothing part of yourself that you might usually reserve for small children.
The small child within you deserves to breathe free. To be comforted in good healthy ways. To grow in your ability to feel strong and whole.
You deserve to--and you will-- look back fondly on the day when you first accepted the promise. Better health is yours for the asking. Hypnosis can help you to claim it.
Ivanhoe Newswire) (-- Smokers can add a new health risk to the ever-growing list of hazards posed by their habit: the unsightly and often painful skin condition known as psoriasis.
American and Canadian investigators who analyzed data from the long-running Nurses Health Study find smoking increases the risk of psoriasis by 78 percent when compared to never smoking. The link is long-lasting too. Former smokers have a 37 percent higher risk overall, and the risk doesn’t decline until 20 years after a person kicks the habit.
Heavier smokers fare worse than lighter smokers too. In the study, psoriasis risk went up with the number of “pack-years” smoked. A pack-year is defined as smoking 20 cigarettes per day for one year.
Even exposure to secondhand smoke appeared to increase the danger, with a higher risk seen for study participants who were exposed to smoke while their mothers were pregnant or when they were children.
“These findings, along with well-established hazardous health effects of smoking, provide clear incentives for smoking cessation in those at risk for and suffering from psoriasis,” study author Hyon K. Choi, M.D., Dr.P.H., was quoted as saying. “Beyond the potential effect on psoriasis, smoking cessation would lead to a better overall clinical outcome in psoriasis patients, who often suffer co-morbidities related to smoking.”
By Michael Smith, Senior Staff Writer, MedPage Today Reviewed by Zalman S. Agus, MD; Emeritus Professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. October 23, 2007
MedPage Today Action Points
Explain to interested patients that this small study provides some data, previously lacking, on the effectiveness of hypnotherapy as a smoking cessation tool.
Note that this study suggests that hypnotherapy, combined with intensive counseling and frequent reinforcement, can result in about half of participants remaining smoke-free after six months.
This study was published as an abstract and presented orally at a conference. The data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed publication.
Review CHICAGO, Oct. 23 -- Smokers who've been hospitalized are more likely to quit if they're treated with hypnotherapy after discharge than with other smoking cessation methods, a researcher said here.
In a small study of patients hospitalized with a cardiopulmonary diagnosis, half of those given a hypnotherapy session after discharge remained smoke-free after six months, according to Faysal Hasan, M.D., of North Shore Medical Center in Salem, Mass.
In contrast, only one in four of those who preferred the cold turkey route stayed off tobacco and only 15.78% of those getting nicotine replacement therapy did, Dr. Hasan told attendees at CHEST 2007, the annual meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.
Those in the fourth arm of the 67-patient study got both hypnotherapy and nicotine replacement therapy and half of them managed to stay off tobacco at the six-month mark, he said.
"Hypnotherapy was pretty good," he said, but adding nicotine replacement appeared to make no difference.
But, Dr. Hasan said, the cessation program wasn't just a single session of hypnotherapy. All patients -- except those in the cold turkey arm -- were also given intensive counseling and six follow-up telephone calls for support and encouragement over the ensuing six months.
Those in the cold turkey arm were given brief counseling and sent home with anti-smoking brochures.
Dr. Hasan said he and colleagues decided to focus on hospitalized patients because "it's a teaching moment," when patients are likely to be highly motivated to quit.
The researchers attempted to randomize patients to one of the four treatment modalities, but patients were also allowed to express their own preferences. Most of those choosing to go cold turkey, for instance, were men, Dr. Hasan said.
While hypnotherapy enjoys a popular image as a good way to stop smoking, Dr. Hasan noted, the data are "all over the place." Success rates ranging from 15% to 80% have been claimed, but controlled studies are "very few" and results are varied, he said.
Interestingly, the study found, patients who were admitted with a cardiac diagnosis were more likely to remain tobacco-free at six months than those who had a pulmonary diagnosis, at 45.5% versus 15.63%.
Dr. Hasan said the "fear and doom" associated with a cardiac diagnosis might have increased the motivation to quit, and patients with a pulmonary diagnosis might have been less afraid.
It's striking how many patients ask about hypnotherapy, said Frank Leone, M.D., of the University of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia, who moderated a press conference at which Dr. Hasan spoke.
"There's a sort of cultural mystique associated with hypnosis," he said.
The problem is that hypnotherapy ranges from large group sessions -- often offered at high cost to the public -- to small focused sessions, such as those used by Dr. Hasan and colleagues, he said.
"The variability of what people call hypnosis, to me, is the big underlying problem," said Dr. Leone, who was not involved in the study.
Dr. Hasan reported no financial links to industry or potential conflicts.
Primary source: CHEST Source reference: Hasan FM, et al "Hypnotherapy as an aid to smoking cessation of hospitalized patients: preliminary results" Chest Meeting Abstracts 2007; 132: 527a.
If your fear of heights is preventing you from doing the normal, everyday activities that you need and want to do, then hypnosis can help turn excessive fear into rational thinking. You can overcome the fear of heights through hypnosis, when you learn to draw out the more realistic and rational emotions and replace your fears with these thoughts.
A fear of heights is a sort of innate feeling that protects us from jumping off buildings or doing something where we might get hurt. When that self preservation turns into a crippling fear that we will fall, even in a safe environment such as inside a building, then it becomes what is known as acrophobia.
Hypnosis is used at bedtime when you are able to completely relax. This is important in overcoming the fear of heights, because when there is fear, there is agitation and anxiety. By putting yourself in a comfortable, safe situation, you are able to become relaxed and let the hypnosis work at removing the deep seeded fears from your sub-conscious mind.
It takes just a few weeks of hynotheraphy to undo even a lifetime of a fear of heights. Most people with a fear of heights can remember feeling this even a child. They may have not wanted to climb trees with the other kids or may have felt uncomfortable or anxious knowing they were going to have to go to the top of the bleachers during a game.
To learn more about using hypnosis to overcome a fear of heights, call (888) 865-1870.
Would YOU like my help with making powerful change in 2007 and living the life you deserve right NOW? Call us now (888) 865-1870.
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