Cigarette Butts as Toxic Waste

This is a new tactic I have never seen before.  Here is a link to the website TobaccoFreeCA.com

No smoking, No E-Cigarrettes

I have never seen a sign like this before.  This is at Mental Health Urgent Care courtyard.

Pamphlet: Staying Smoke Free After Your Baby Is Born

Remember reasons for not smoking such as, I want to take care of my baby, I want to save money, I want to protect my baby from smoke.  Avoid temptations.  Triggers can be friends, locations, a cup of coffee or alcohol.  Keep cigarettes out of the house.  Find healthy ways to deal with stress and "baby blues."  Ideas could be to take a walk, calla friend, join a parent support group.  If the "blues" become such that you can't take care of your baby, or the "blues" won't go away, you may want to talk to a doctor.    Other ways to avoid smoking is to ask family and friends for support, or call a smoke free hot-line like 1-800-NOBUTTS, or 1-800 QUIT-NOW.

How Tobacco Hurts Our World

This is a pamphlet dealing with societal ills from tobacco.  It lists plenty"
Tobacco hurts smokers.
Tobacco hurts non smokers.
Tobacco makes toxic trash.
Tobacco hurts pets.
Tobacco hurts the earth.  (This is a stretch because they talk about deforestation to raise tobacco.  It also mentions chemicals used in the growth.)
Tobacco hurst workers.  (I guess tobacco workers absorb nicotine too.)
Tobacco takes space that could be sued to grow food.  (I guess farmers grow what pays the most money.)
The cost of smoking hurts us all.  (I had hoped for a total cost, but it just says billions in terms of medical bills and lost work.)

Smoking Relapse

This pamphlet from Journeyworks Publishing gives ten ideas of what to do when you relapse:
1. Learn from the relapse.
2. Don't wast time feeling bad.  (Forgive yourself and move on.)
3. Prepare to quit again.
4. Remember your reasons for quitting (financial and health are two good ones.)
5. Remember the health risks are real.
6. Figure out your triggers.
7. Outsmart your urge to smoke again.
8. Remember what helped you quit last time.
9. Build on what worked before.
10. Pick your new quit date and go for it.

Tobacco and your Body

 ON the left you see healthy lungs, and on the right smoker's lungs.  The good thing is the lungs start to clean themselves when you stop smoking. Tobacco contains more than 1000 chemicals.  This include nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide carcinogens and poisons.  Some of the poisons are highlighted in this picture.

 You can imagine what effect these things have on your body.  Nicotine causes addiction.  The cardiovascular system is greatly effected.  This can include blood clots, pneumonia, heart attack stroke, chest pain, high blood pressure, etc  Also the addiction results in withdrawal symptoms.  Risk of cancer is increased, most often in the lungs but also in the esophagus pancreas and other organs.  The reproductive system is also effected.  However, as mentioned above, quitting tobacco can result in almost immediate benefits.

**Tobacco-free

This reminder from Public Health Santa Clara County reminds us that being tobacco-free carries a lot of rewards.  Life is better without tobacco.  This is on a bag I was given at the recent health fair at work.

**Get Health, Save Money: Kick Cigarettes

 This is a bulletin hanging at Mental Health Urgent Care.  Tobacco use is the leading contributor in premature death of individuals with mental illness.  The bulletin is very large and these are my pictures of it.

 Rinancial benefits of not smoking are determined by how much you smoke.  A pack a day is almost $2000 a year.  That is a big wow!

The Health benefits form not smoking are even greater.
Within 20 minutes of not smoking your blood pressure and heart rate lower.
Within 8 hour the level of oxygen in your blood rises to normal.
Within 24 hours your risk of having a heart attack starts to drop.
Within 2 weeks to 3 months your circulation and lung functions improve.
Within 1 to 9 months you will have more energy and less coughing, sinus problems and shortness of breath.

**Pamphlet: Smokeless Tobacco: Spit it Out

SO: here is the scoop on smokeless tobacco.  It is not safe.  It has nicotine and other cancer-causing chemicals.  Because you hold it in your mouth, more of the harmful chemicals can be absorbed into your system.  It can cause cancer of the mouth, it gives bad breath.  Spitting is gross.

**Pamphlet: How Tobacco Effects Your Body

 I think the point of this pamphlet is that cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals.  They effect all parts of your body,  Tobacco makes your teeth yellow, can cause cancer of the throat, can cause a cough and lung cancer, increases risk to other organs, can cause eye problems and is related to hearing loss, keeps oxygen from getting to your muscles.  The nicotine in  cigarettes can effect your brain and your heart.

**Pamphlet: Third-Hand Smoke: What It Is and How It Hurts Your Family

Tobacco smoke is full of toxins.  We all know this.  However those toxins can effect those who don't smoke, or who aren't even around someone who smokes.  This is because those toxins can into stuff around us,  Th couch, the curtains, the pillow, stuffed animals--all of these things can be permeated with toxins.  This toxins may be released when this stuff is moved or disturbed.  All can breathe in third-hand smoke, but those who are most vulnerable to third-hand smoke are babies and pets; however the wife cleaning or the made can also be susceptible.  Can you imagine the maids at a hotel.
The best way to protect your family is to quite smoking.  Barring that, never smoke in the house or car, or where children play.  Wash your hands after you smoke.  Where a jacket, and then leave the jacket outside so the smoke doesn't get to your kids.  Lastly it may be necessary to avoid the homes of those who smoke, especially with your young children.

**You Can Quit Quit Tips for Quitting Tobacco

If you have any thoughts of quitting the cigarette habit, think of the money your are sending up in smoke and you will be motivated to make some changes.  However more important are your health and the health of your family.

**Tobacco that Looks Like Fruit Roll-ups

When tobacco is made to look like fruit roll-ups, with an assortment of flavors, it makes you wonder to whom the tobacco company is trying to sell their product.  One thing to be aware of, these products contain nicotine, which is considered the most addictive drug available.  By marketing to young people, then they get get them hooked young and the transition to cigarettes will be easy.

**Smoking and Children; Third-hand Smoke

I attended a training on Wellness and tobacco usage this last week.  I have lots of pamphlets to share, all with a similar theme, smoking is not good.  Smoking accounts for more preventable deaths than all other preventable deaths combined.
I learned a new concept, third hand smoke.  We all know of first-hand smoke, the smoke you blow into your own lungs, or second hand, the smoke you blow into someone else's lungs.  Third-hand smoke has to do with the second-hand landing on things, furniture, carpets and curtains, and then when those things are jostled or bumped it brushes into the ear, and can be another source of chemicals and particles getting into the lungs.  Children and pets are especially vulnerable to third-hand smoke.