Riders raise awareness for oral cancer

Source: Millard County Chronicle ProgressAuthor: Doug Radunich Two traveling rodeo riders helped raise awareness for oral cancer at the Days of the Old West rodeo in Delta June 11-13. As a non-profit seeking to spread awareness of oral cancer and the dangers of starting terrible tobacco habits, the foundation teamed up with bareback bronco rider Cody Kiser, of Carson City, Nev., and barrel rider Carly Twisselman, of Paso Robles, Calif., in an effort to spread the word among the Rodeo circuit, which is one of the biggest arenas of tobaccos-using patrons. While others are focused on getting users to quit, the Oral Cancer Foundation is encouraging young people to avoid the habit that they may see one of their rodeo heroes engage in. The message of the foundation is simple and not confrontational: "Be Smart. Don’t Start". This message was displayed at the recent rodeo in Delta. Also at the Delta rodeo, Kiser and Twisselman sported Oral Cancer Foundation logos and wording on their clothes and riding gear, while handing out free buttons, wristbands and bandanas. Both riders also gave autographs, talked and had pictures taken with young fans. Both riders, who will promote the message at different rodeos across the country, also competed in their respective riding events while in Delta. “It’s an awesome opportunity to use our platform, and it’s for a good cause and to put good message out there,” Twisselman said. “There are family members and friends and peers out there who chew tobacco, and in the [...]

2015-08-10T11:19:45-07:00August, 2015|OCF In The News, Oral Cancer News|

The danger in smokeless tobacco products

Source: www.observer.ug (Uganda, Africa) Author: Racheal Ninsiima Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death among adults and is a significant factor for several mouth, throat, lung and heart diseases. It is also a major contributor to morbidity. Globally, the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that tobacco causes about 71% of lung cancer, 42% of chronic respiratory diseases, 20% of global tuberculosis incidence and nearly 10% of cardiovascular diseases. But the issue of smokeless products that contain tobacco has for long been ignored. According to Dr Sheila Ndyanabangi, the tobacco control focal point person at the ministry of Health, schoolchildren are also consuming the products. This is because sometimes the ingredients are written in foreign languages which may not be understood by the consumers. What is smokeless tobacco? There are two basic forms of smokeless tobacco: snuff and chewing tobacco. An article ‘smokeless tobacco and how to quit’ on the website www.cancer.org, says snuff is finely ground tobacco packaged in cans and is sold either dry or moist. The nicotine in the snuff is absorbed through the tissues of the mouth as it is placed between the cheek and gum. Snuff is designed to be both “Smoke-free” and “spit-free” and is marketed as a discreet way to use tobacco. Chewed tobacco comes along as long strands of tobacco leaves that are chewed by the user who thereafter spits out the brown liquid (saliva mixed with tobacco). Types of smokeless tobacco Mouth fresheners: The commonest is Kuber. It is [...]

Florida ruling Big Tobacco won comes back to bite it

Source: seattletimes.nwsource.com Author: Curt Anderson A Florida Supreme Court ruling that threw out a $145 billion award against cigarette makers is biting Big Tobacco back, making it dramatically easier for thousands of smokers to sue and turning the state into the nation's hot spot for damage awards. The 2006 ruling has helped generate more than $360 million in damage awards in only about two dozen cases. Thousands more cases are in the pipeline in Florida, which has far more smoking-related lawsuits pending than any other state. Though the justices tossed the $145 billion class-action damage award, they allowed about 8,000 individual members of that class to pursue their own lawsuits. And in a critical decision, they allowed those plaintiffs to use the original jury's findings from the class-action case. That means the plaintiffs don't have to prove that cigarette makers sold a defective and dangerous product, were negligent, hid the risks of smoking and that cigarettes cause illnesses such as lung cancer and heart disease. The plaintiffs must mainly show they were addicted to smoking and could not quit, and that their illness - or a smoker's death - was caused by cigarettes. Jurors have sided with smokers or their families in about two-thirds of the 34 cases tried since February 2009, when the first Florida lawsuit following the rules set by the Supreme Court decision went before a jury. Awards have ranged from $2 million or less to $80 million, though tobacco companies are appealing them all. The successes [...]

2011-02-19T10:02:14-07:00February, 2011|Oral Cancer News|

RJ Reynolds’ ads urge tobacco pouches for smokers

Source: washingtonexaminer.com Author: Emery P. Dalesio R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. is targeting people who resolve to quit smoking in the new year with advertisements suggesting they switch to its smokeless tobacco pouches, a move critics say is an attempt to keep people from quitting nicotine. The ads mark the company's first campaign aimed at getting smokers to switch to the pouches known as snus, which Reynolds introduced in early 2009, spokesman David Howard said Wednesday. The carefully worded ads suggest, but don't say directly, that the pouches are a way to help kick the smoking habit. Under federal law, companies cannot claim that tobacco products work as smoking cessation products. But tobacco companies would love for smokers to think of them that way as cigarette sales fall because of higher taxes, smoking bans and falling social acceptability. The No. 2 U.S. cigarette maker is advertising in major magazines this month its suggestion for a "2011 Smoke-Free Resolution" in some ads that show the tobacco-filled white pouches dropping from the sky like confetti. The ads promote the company's Camel snus — small pouches filled with tobacco that users stick between the cheek and gum. "If you've decided to quit tobacco use, we support you. But if you're looking for smoke-free, spit-free, drama-free tobacco pleasure, Camel Snus is your answer. Logon to the Pleasure Switch Challenge and see how simple switching can be. Camel Snus — it might just change the way you enjoy tobacco," one ad says. "At this time, there [...]

Doctor’s word–tips to escape the smoking trap

Source: news.ncmonline.com Author: Erin Marcus, M.D. Editor's Note: In the debut of A Doctor's Word, Dr. Erin Marcus wrote about an African-American man's effort to quit smoking cigarettes. This week, she offers practical advice for all who would like to kick the habit. Dr. Marcus is associate professor of clinical medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. In my first column, I shared the story of Lawrence Jones, a 55-year-old man who smoked for 35 years until July, when he decided to quit. In his words, he was “sick and tired of being sick and tired.” Giving up the addictive habit of tobacco is extremely difficult, and Jones’ success depended on the help of a counselor, smoking cessation classes, nicotine replacement patches, and the support of a friend. Here are some things that helped Jones, as well as tips I’ve garnered over the years as a primary care physician. To succeed at quitting, you first have to decide that this is something you really want to do. Medicine and classes won’t work unless you have made a commitment. In Jones’ case, a graphic video that his counselor played at his first stop smoking class made him resolve to quit. It showed pictures of smokers that he could not forget: a man missing an eye and part of his nose from mouth cancer, and people breathing through tracheotomies – holes that doctors surgically cut in their throats when cancer prevented them from breathing. “You have to be willing [...]

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