It’s not healthy to smoke during pregnancy but an estimated 12% to 24% of pregnant women continue to use tobacco, according to national data [PDF]. So if the existing evidence hasn’t convinced them to quit, perhaps this new study …
Tobacco
The Healthland Podcast: The Casey Craze, Autism and Tween TV
This week we debate why America has gone precisely nuts over the Casey Anthony verdict. Also, we talk about new findings on the causes of autism. And we try to figure out how TV shapes tween values. Click the play button to …
Study: A Mysterious Gene Variant That Makes Quitting Smoking Easier
Smokers with a variant gene linked to higher risk for heroin addiction and more relapse in alcoholism actually have an easier time quitting cigarettes — and a new study finds that their pleasure from nicotine varies with the …
Taming the Smoker’s Brain: A Better Way to Quit?
Any American who has bought a pack of cigarettes since the mid-’60s might have seen the health warnings. One of the first, quaint and timid, said, “Cigarette Smoking May Be Hazardous to Your Health.”
Smoking Ban at NYC Apartments? Health Experts Would Likely Approve
When the WSJ‘s Craig Karmin reported yesterday that at least half a dozen Manhattan co-ops may begin prohibiting residents from lighting up at home come spring, more than a handful of New Yorkers were no doubt peeved. Still, at …
Will the FDA Ban Menthol Cigarettes?
The Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee is due in the coming week to submit to the agency its final report on the health effects of menthol cigarettes. The FDA is considering a ban …
Could a Simple Blood Test Predict Emphysema Early?
If you’re a smoker, you know by now how dangerous tobacco can be to your health. You also know how addictive cigarettes are, and how hard it is to kick the habit — especially if you’re still healthy. But what if doctors could …
Why Do Immigrants Live Longer Than Native-Born Americans? Smoking
It’s a epidemiological mystery. In rich countries immigrants often seem to live longer than native-born residents, a fact that appears to fly in the face of public health assumptions.
Life Expectancy Lags in the U.S., But It May Be on the Upswing
On average Americans don’t live as long as people in many other wealthy nations, and they’re less healthy overall — this, despite the fact that the U.S. spends more on health care than any other nation in the world. A new …
Study: 99% of Children Living in Apartments May Be Exposed to Secondhand Smoke
There are fewer and fewer places where smokers can light up these days, with smoking bans being instituted by governments and private companies in virtually every public place, from offices and airplanes to bars and restaurants.
A Single Cigarette Can Raise the Risk of Cancer and Heart Disease
We all know that smoking is bad for us, but a new report from the U.S. Surgeon General concludes that even a single cigarette can cause immediate harm and raise the risk of diseases like cancer and heart disease.
Simple Fix: Family Dinners Help Teens Avoid Drinking and Using Drugs
If you have reservations tonight for a romantic dinner for you and your spouse, go ahead and cancel them. It’s Family Day — A Day to Eat Dinner with Your Children, designated by all 50 states to highlight how parental …