MDQuit News Archives

Health-Care workers receive inadequate smoking cessation training -- October 28, 2008
A survey of doctors and other health-care workers  found that 87%-93% had received less than five hours of training on nicotine dependence. Read more about this here.

Pfizer says data supports Chantix safety -- October 27, 2008
Pfizer recently released clinical trial data that they say supports the safety of Chantix when used as directed. Read more here.

Government panel calls for vaccines for smokers -- October 27, 2008
A panel of government health experts are recommending that smokers receive a pneumococcal vaccine that would protect smokers from bacterial meningitis, pneumonia, and other illnesses, for which smokers are at greater risk for acquiring. Read more here.

Colleges banning smoking -- October 27, 2008
More and more college campuses are banning smoking, including 14 of Pennsylvania's institutions of higher education. Read more about the bans here.

Nicotine mouth sprays, vaccine -- October 27, 2008
Read more about new treatments to help smokers quit, including the nicotine vaccine, as well as nicotine mouth sprays and nicotine pouches, by clicking here.

Heavier smoking decreases life expectancy, quality of life -- October 20, 2008
Finnish researchers have found that in a longitudinal study, heavy smokers on average lived on average 10 years less than nonsmokers, and had significantly lower quality of life. Read more here.

Secondhand smoke among environmental factors contributing to asthma -- October 20, 2008
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that exposure to secondhand smoke, as well as genetic risk factors, greatly increased the risk of early-onset asthma. Read more here.

"Light" cigarettes deliver similar amounts of nicotine to the brain -- October 14, 2008
An examination of brain scans during smoking found that the nicotine receptors of smokers who smoked "light" cigarettes were occupied at similar rates to those who smoked "regular" cigarettes, suggesting that light nicotine cigarettes are functionally similar to regular cigarettes. Read more here.

Nicotine gum helps pregnant smokers cut back -- October 14, 2008
A recent study found that pregnant smokers who were offered nicotine gum reduced their smoking greater than women who were offered counseling only. Read more here.

Women smokers at increased risk for developing colon cancer-- October 14, 2008
Researchers compared men and women exposed to similar amounts of smoking, by multiplying the number of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years smoked, and found that women who smoked 30 pack-years had an 82% greater risk of developing colon cancer than non-smoking women, while men had a 21% greater risk than non-smoking men. Read more here.

Non-daily smoking decreases functioning of arteries -- October 14, 2008
A recent study of the effects of occasional smoking- less than a pack a week- discovered that even this low level of smoking negatively impacted artery functioning. Read more here.

R.J. Reynolds to market new smokeless products -- October 14, 2008
In addition to Camel Snus, R.J. Reynolds is preparing to market three new smokeless products, Camel Orbs, Camel Strips, and Camel Sticks. Read more about these products here.

States, retailers, to help curb underage tobacco sales -- October 14, 2008
Shell Oil Products U.S. and the attorneys general of 46 states and the District of Columbia have agreed to help reduce the sale of tobacco products to minors in gas stations and convenience stores. Read more here.

Mental Health Parity bill passed in Senate -- October 2, 2008
The economic bail out bill passed in the Senate included among other things, a version of the mental health parity bill already passed in the House of Representatives. Read more here.