inhaling smoke while pregnant

For those of you who think that smoking while you are pregnant will not harm your unborn baby, you need to think again. Smoking during pregnancy affects not only you, but your baby's health before, during, and after you have the baby. The nicotine, carbon monoxide, and numerous other poisons you inhale from a cigarette are carried through your bloodstream and go directly to your unborn baby. These can lead to several problems and complications during the early stages of your baby's life.

Smoking while you are pregnant lowers the amount of oxygen available to you and your growing baby and also increases your baby's heart rate. Smoking can also increase the risk that your baby is born prematurely and/or born with a low birth weight. Smoking while you are pregnant can also increase your baby's risk of developing respiratory problems like pneumonia and even respiratory distress syndrome, which makes a baby have difficulty expanding their lungs and taking in oxygen.

Secondhand smoke can also affect a mother and a baby's health. Secondhand smoke is the combination of smoke from a burning cigarette and smoke exhaled by a smoker. The smoke that burns off the end of the cigarette actually contains more harmful substances then the smoke inhaled by the smoker. Babies exposed to secondhand smoke may also develop reduced lung capacity and are at a higher risk for sudden infant death, also known as SIDS.

For women who are pregnant and want to quit smoking, there are a few tips you can follow. You can stay active to keep your mind off smoking and help relieve tension. You can also talk a walk, exercise, read a book, or try a new hobby. Another good idea is to look for support from others. You could join a support group or smoking cessation program. Don't even tempt yourself by going places where people are smoking such as bars or clubs, and smoking sections of restaurants.

In closing, if you are pregnant and have a problem with smoking, you really need to get help as soon as possible. There is a little life being created inside of you who is depending on you to take care of yourself so you can in return take care of them. Don't jeopardize the life of your unborn child to get a quick nicotine rush. It is your job to be the best mother to your child at all costs.

how to prevent asthma smoke inhale

Is just one breath of smoke enough to ruin your day? As soon as the person next to you lights up, the first thing to cross your mind is the unpleasant memory of your last clash with secondhand smoke and the runny nose, sneezing, and congestion that followed. For some, the reaction to cigarette smoke closely resembles an allergic reaction, which leads them to believe that they have "smoke allergies".

There are a lot of "smoke allergy" myths that actually make it harder to properly treat your condition. This article will help you tell if determine whether you are affected by "smoke allergies" and what you can do to better protect yourself from the illnesses associated with smoke exposure.

#1 Myth: "Allergic to Smoke"

No one is really allergic to smoke. A large number of people insist that they are allergic to smoke created by cigarettes or cigars, but the truth is that they have having an allergy-like reaction due to other health conditions. Understanding exactly why you feel like you are having allergy attack when around a smoker is the key to understanding how to prevent future symptoms.

Why do I say that there is no such thing as a smoke allergy? Because technically smoke is not an allergen - but it is an irritant. This little difference explains why most people feel no relief when they take antihistamine allergy medicine after exposure to smoke. The key to avoiding the problems caused by cigarette smoke is determining what type of sensitivity you have and how best to treat it.

Who is Prone to "Smoke Allergies"?

Children and Infants
Elderly Persons
People with allergy history (anyone with allergies, asthma, eczema, etc)
People exposed to heavy smoke for long periods of time

Sometimes people who are sensitive to tobacco smoke will also experience allergy-like symptoms when they encounter strong odors, perfumes, weather changes or temperature changes.

Symptoms of Cigarette Sensitivity

For some people, exposure to tobacco smoke can cause a list of symptoms:

Sneezing
Coughing
Watery, burning eyes
Runny nose
Post nasal drip
Congestion
Shortness of breath
Headache

These symptoms appear shortly after exposure to cigarette smoke and last for hours afterward. In addition to these symptoms, people who are in smoky environments on a daily basis are more likely to experience constant respiratory infections like sinusitis and bronchitis as well as the development of wheezing and asthma.

Tobacco Smoke Exposure

A lit cigarette is capable of releasing over 4,000 different chemicals into the air (80 of these are known or suspected carcinogens). Sometimes avoiding situations where people are smoking is almost impossible. Often a family member will smoke indoors, or a public place like a bar or restaurant will allow smoking. Depending on the severity of your reaction, just the smell of smoke on someone's clothing or in a room where someone had smoked can cause irritation. So, even though avoidance of tobacco smoke is the best method to prevent "smoke allergies", it may not be a practical solution.

Two Main Types of Smoke Sensitivity

The best way to treat your "allergy" to smoke is by first identifying what sort of sensitivity you are experiencing. There are two forms of smoke sensitivity:

Smoke Aggravating Underlying Allergies: your body is weakened by smoke and begins reacting to all the tiny bits of pollen, dust and dander that usually would not have been a problem.
Vasomotor Rhinitis: this is a condition that has the exact same symptoms as allergic rhinitis (or nasal allergies), but cannot be treated by antihistamine allergy medicine.
Smoke-Aggravated Allergies:
An allergen is a small particle that is made up of proteins that the body mistakes for a dangerous intruder like a virus or other germ. Smoke contains tiny tar ash particles (you can see these particles in the form of a white cloud created by burning tobacco). But tar ash particles are not the same as a true allergen because they are not protein based, but a form of carbon.

Instead of being tagged as an allergen, smoke particles are classified as an irritant. Irritants can cause you quite a bit of discomfort, worsen illnesses like asthma and allergies, and cause other serious health problems. So, in medical terms, no one can really be allergic to smoke, but they can suffer complications to their existing allergies or other illness.

If you have allergies or allergic asthma, smoke can trigger an allergic reaction because it is putting an extra strain on your body and immune system. The speck of cat dander drifting through the air that would not have normally set off a violent reaction; but with the addition of tobacco smoke, your body can no longer handle the allergens. Asthma becomes dangerous when mixed with exposure to tobacco smoke-even deadly for some.

You are likely to experience complications to existing allergies if:

You know that you are allergic to other things like pollen, pets, mold or dust mites.
You have eczema or food allergies.

Treatment

Avoid as many situations as you can where you are exposed to smoke.
See an allergist to optimize your existing allergy treatment, or see if you have developed new allergies.
Run an air purifier to reduce the number of allergens in the air. Even a smaller, portable air filter like a home smoke eater is effective at removing allergens in guest rooms of smoking family members.
Vasomotor Rhinitis:
Vasomotor Rhinitis is a form of inflammation and irritation of the nasal area as well as the throat and eyes. Seasonal or indoor allergies are called "allergic rhinitis". This condition is different from the allergic type because it is not caused by allergens. For this reason, Vasomotor Rhinitis is sometimes called "non-allergic rhinitis". It causes many of the same symptoms that an allergic reaction would, but is caused by highly sensitive or excessive amounts of blood vessels in the delicate tissue of the sinus area. The symptoms you experience are trigger by your nervous system rather than allergens.

What this means is while another person may be able to tolerate cigarette smoke, a person with vasomotor rhinitis will experience a lot of discomfort with the same amount of smoke. So you are not overreacting when you complain about even small amounts of smoke - these small amounts REALLY ARE affecting you more severely than those around you.

In addition to cigarette smoke, often strong odors or weather conditions will also cause symptoms, so you may find that many aspects of your environment cause allergy-like symptoms. Some people even have allergic rhinitis and vasomotor rhinitis simultaneously.

You are likely to have vasomotor rhinitis if:

You are highly sensitive to other elements like perfume, strong odors, changes in weather, changes in temperature, or even spicy foods.
Walking into a slightly warmer (or cooler) room makes your nose runny or painfully stuffy.
Antihistamine medications do not alleviate the symptoms.

Treatment

Avoid as many situations as possible where your condition might be aggravated. This includes smoke, as well as some other vasomotor rhinitis triggers like wearing perfume, burning scented candles, etc.
Talk to your doctor about treatment options. Some over the counter medications like oral decongestants and saline nasal sprays may offer you some relief. Some prescription medications that have been proven effective are antihistamine nasal sprays (as opposed to oral antihistamines which typically have no effect on vasomotor rhinitis), anti-drip anticholinergic nasal sprays and corticosteroid nasal sprays.
Limit your exposure to smoke and smoke odor as this is often the cause of many vasomotor rhinitis cases. Use an air purifier like a home smoke eater to minimize airborne pollutants.
A Note to Those with Existing Allergies:

Inhaling even small amounts of smoke over a long period of time can actually cause you to develop new allergies or even asthma. In young children, second hand tobacco smoke inhalation greatly increases the likeliness of developing allergies when they get older. If you live with a smoker, you are likely to have more cases of bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and other respiratory illnesses.
The best thing you can do for yourself make your living space a zero-tolerance smoke area. If this is not an option, you might want to consider an air purifier as an investment in your health.

Some of the symptoms of sinusitis (sinus infection) can closely resemble the vasomotor rhinitis and allergic rhinitis described in this article. Be sure to see your doctor to help you diagnose your condition if tobacco smoke has you feeling under the weather.

Remember: always be sure to talk to your doctor or allergist about your symptoms and treatment.

About this Author

Visit My Air Purifier for straight talk and no hype about what air purifiers and air cleaners work best for allergies, asthma, smoke removal and more. We specialize in both commercial and residential air cleaners and purifiers.

Get fast, friendly advice from a certified indoor air quality professional.

http://www.my-air-purifier.com

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Dangers of passive smoking for children

Every adult has the right to choose whether they smoke or not. In spite of all the medical evidence, cigarette smoking is not yet illegal. However, we do not have the right to expose our children to the harmful effects of passive cigarette smoking.

In some places, it is illegal to smoke in a car with children present, due to the dangers of passive cigarette smoke. This is protecting the basic rights of children to live in a safe environment. With all the medical evidence it is obvious cigarette smoking, whether direct or indirect, is harmful to everyone that is exposed.

Many cigarette smokers are in denial where the dangers of cigarette smoking are concerned so they cannot be expected to realise the dangers. Many are caring parents who would not otherwise expose their children to the threat of lung disease and cancer.

The environment is so polluted in some areas that children already show signs of breathing difficulties and some even have the early stages of emphysema evident. Exposure to cigarette smoke can only increase the damage to their lungs.

Children who suffer from asthmas or bronchitis are especially at risk from passive cigarette smoke. The smoke can trigger an asthma attack or aggravate bronchitis. The child should not be made to suffer the consequences of a selfish adult.

Many cancers are caused by cigarette smoke. It has been proven both by doctors and in the courts. The reason the law says you cannot smoke in confined public places is the lawsuits won by people who have cancer because of exposure to passive cigarette smoke. Do you need any more proof of the danger you are putting your children in by smoking around them? For their sake, please butt out.

Passive smoking around children

Did you know that children exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke are at an increased risk for frequent respiratory infections, ear infections, and asthma? The report of the Surgeon General, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services emphasizes that children are hurt by secondhand smoke. As cigarette smoke contains more than 250 chemicals known to be toxic or carcinogenic (cancer-causing), including formaldehyde, benzene, vinyl chloride, arsenic, ammonia, and hydrogen cyanide, the Surgeon General has concluded that there is no risk-free level of secondhand smoke exposure in children. Even brief exposures can be harmful.

The Surgeon General warns about these health effects of inhaling cigarette smoke in children:

Because their bodies are developing, infants and young children are especially vulnerable to the poisons in cigarette smoke.

Both babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant and babies who are exposed to secondhand smoke after birth are more likely to die from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than babies who are not exposed to it

Mothers who are exposed to secondhand smoke while pregnant are more likely to have lower birth weight babies, which makes babies weaker and increases their risk for many health problems.

Babies whose mothers smoke while pregnant or who are exposed to cigarette smoke after birth have weaker lungs than other babies, thus have increased risk for many health problems.

Secondhand smoke exposure causes acute lower respiratory infections such as bronchitis and pneumonia in infants and young children, as well as increases their risk for ear infections.

Children who have asthma who are exposed to cigarette smoke experience more frequent and severe asthma attacks.

Research shows that nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke increase their heart disease risk by 25-30% and their lung cancer risk by 20-30%. In children, exposure to cigarette smoke contributes to slowed lung growth and thus more frequent respiratory illnesses. Even brief exposure to can be dangerous!

In summary, exposure may have long-term health consequences for children. Therefore, parents and other adults living with children should minimize their exposure. Consider these tips to keep your child's exposure to secondhand cigarette smoke to minimum:

1. Establish your household as a cigarette smoke-free zone.
2. If you smoke, do so ONLY outside and wear "a smoke coat or shirt" that you take off before coming back inside.
3. Dine with your child only in smoke-free restaurants.
4. Ask friends not to smoke around your child.
5. Talk to your school-aged and adolescent children about cigarette smoke and its health consequences. Be honest, especially if you are a smoker, and talk about it frequently.
6. Try to quit smoking. The first step is to make the decision, the second step is to set the quit date, and the third step is to find people who will support your decision and help you get through it!
7. Be strong: quitting smoking is not easy, but possible!

Dr. Hillary is a pediatric nurse practitioner with a doctoral degree in health promotion and risk reduction. She works as a pediatric clinician and writes for Plugged in Parents. Plugged In Parents provides up-to-date info on pediatric health, safety and nutrition along with movie reviews, recipes, tech-savvy tips, and a parent's only forum. You can also contact Dr. Hillary for personal questions related to health and nutrition.

Effects of passive smoking on children

Today, children are at great health risk and danger from cigarette and tobacco smoke aside from the young teenagers and adults who are active as well as passive smokers. Children belong to a high risk group as they get exposed to passive smoke, environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or better known as the second hand smoke. Cigarette smoking effect on children is very dangerous because at a very young age, they are still in the developing age and also their breathing rate is faster than the adults.

Children's breathing rate is much faster than the adults. An adolescent or young adult breathes around 16 times in a minute while a child breathes way more than this rate. A normal 5 year old can breath more than 20 times a minute which can sometimes increase to 60 times every minute. As the breathing of children is more, the cigarette smoking effect on children becomes more intense as they take in more air that is filled with cigarette smoke. Because of this, the children's lungs will receive a higher percentage of toxins and poisons than that of the young adults.

The different cigarette smoking effects on the children and there children are numerous. In detrimental effect is that babies who are born to mothers who smoke during her pregnancy are much more prone to be born below the normal weight than those who are born to mothers who do not smoke. Cigarette smoking significantly affects a baby's weight because of developing a less resistant body. Another cigarette smoking effect on children is high percentage of occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome to be suffered by babies whose mothers are smokers. Likewise, babies win smoking mothers are at greater risk of suffering from learning disabilities and cerebral palsy.

In the case of young children, one cigarette smoking effect on children is the development of the condition of respiratory difficulties and illnesses such as asthma. If children are already asthmatic, it can get worse by second hand smoke. Second hand smoke is one of the leading causes of new asthma cases and other respiratory complications every year. Another very serious cigarettes smoking effect on children is the development of pneumonia or pulmonary bronchitis. In the United States alone, many pneumonia sufferers caused by cigarette smoking are children.

Other cigarette smoking effects of smoking on children are as follows:

Children have increased water or fluid in the middle ear, developing in a hearing and even speech problems.

Children's lungs function less efficiently. Likewise, their immune system becomes less strong and protective than that of young adults.

Another cigarette smoking effect on children is the inability of the child's body to develop fully; his height and weight development is adversely affected. The child exposed to cigarette smoking has a great tendency to not fully achieve his over-all physical and intellectual development. Babies whose mothers smoke during their pregnancy are born with a deficiency in height and weight.

Passive smoking and children

Passive smoking endangers the health of those around you. If you inhale tobacco smoke from smokers, you can consider yourself a passive smoker. Passive smoke is also known as second hand smoke or environmental tobacco smoke.

Health organizations demand stronger measures to protect passive smokers. Public areas such as kindergartens, children's playgrounds, schools, sports facilities, shopping centers, restaurants as well as public means of transport, should be smoke free in the future. Non-smokers, especially children, have a right to their health.

You put your children's health at risk when you expose them to second hand smoke. Tobacco smoke is the most dangerous interior pollutant. Children cannot choose not to inhale nor resist this dangerous cigarette smoke from the smokers as they receive it involuntarily.

Passive smoking induces similar health damaging effects as active smoking. In fact, studies indicate that passive smoking is more harmful than active smoking. Children face higher health risks as compared to adults. They are more sensitive to smoke as their bodies are still growing and developing.

A study by Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio reveals that second hand smoke knocks points off your child's IQ. One nanogram of continine per millilitre of blood may decrease your child's IQ scores by an average of two points. It just takes one parent who smokes less than a pack a day to cause the effect.

Passive smoking also affects your child's lung function. Children exposed to passive smoke suffer respiratory illnesses such as phlegm, cough, asthma, rhinitis, wheezing, common cold bronchitis, pneumonia, and shortness of breath. They also get middle ear infections.

Among children, second hand smoke increases the risk of
development of inflammatory bowel disease

frequency of asthma attack

development of lung cancer

sudden infant death syndrome

dental decay

low birth weight
Children exposed to tobacco smoke at home develop asthma, cough, feelings of dizziness, headache, and poor concentration at double the rate. Their sleep disturbances also triple.

The more people smoke in your home, the higher the severity of symptoms your child will experience. Opening a window in a room or in the car cannot protect your child from passive smoking. Even smoking outside your house doesn't provide any insurance for your child. The only sensible way is to quit smoking completely. This will remove almost all dangers on your child.

Many people are not aware of the harmful effects of passive smoking. Pro-smoking lobby groups claim that second hand smoking poses no danger at all. However, evidences show that passive smoke can dent your children's health. Quitting smoking can give your children's health a good start.

Passive Smoking Effects on Children

Are the effects of passive smoking on children worth worrying about? Let's find out, in this article.

Did you know that around one third of smokers will practise their habit in the company of their children? There is simply no excuse for it and the smoker should go outside to smoke. If this is you and you think that you're not harming your children, then take a closer look.

Hospital Admissions

In the UK alone, 17,000 children under the age of 5 are hospitalised every year due to passive smoking from their parents. Also, one in three babies exposed to smoke will need a hospital visit in the first year of their life.


Cot Death

Having a parent as a smoker gives an increased chance of cot death.

Older Children

Even older children are susceptible and those exposed to passive smoke will have lower lung function and be more likely to miss school.


Cancers

Passive smoking increases the risk of nasal cancer in children.

Mental Capacity

A US study found that children with even low levels of smoke exposure had worse reasoning and reading skills compared with their peers.

As you can see, smoking does not just damage the smoker, it also damages those around them and particularly the young, who are much more susceptible to the ill effects than adults.

If you are a smoker yourself then I implore you to at the very minimum, smoke away from your children, preferable outdoors and not in the house you share with them. If you do, then you are simply being selfish and frankly not fit to be a parent.

Smoking Ban Ignites Arguments

You might smoke them or hate them - love them or berate them - but regardless of your position, the government has decided to ban smoke from more and more bars, restaurants and cafes across the US. The smoking ban seems to strike a nerve in everyone. The news is either met with extreme glee or extreme irritation - all depending on whether you smoke, don't smoke, own a bar, feel a ban infringes on your rights or wish the government instituted the ban years ago.

Quite a few controversies surround the smoking bans and smoking in general - and everyone seems to have their own opinion on whether the move towards no smoking was right or wrong:

Non-smokers: almost all non-smokers are happy for the ban, and encourage the government apply it to more places, including cars and homes - so that the children of smokers will not have to suffer in a smoky environment.
Smokers: the majority of smokers feel as though the public is prejudiced against them. There are even a few who argue that the negative side-effects of smoking are not solidly proven by science. There are less and less people to support this stance as more and more information is published about the risks of smoking.
Business Owners: business owners who had to suddenly enforce the ban in their businesses, restaurants, clubs and bars have mixed feelings about the new laws. Some claim that there has been no change in the number of patrons - while others have been completely devastated.
Politically Minded: a surprising number of smokers and non-smokers who oppose the ban simply because they see it as an infringement on their rights. They argue that once the door is open to government regulating the behaviors of the public, who knows what other rights will be taken away.

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
In my opinion, all sides of the smoking ban argument raise legitimate points. Undoubtedly there are benefits to the smoking ban - the obvious being the improvement of public health. On the other side of the card, there are some negative points negatives like the number of business owners who can no longer pay their bills because their patrons have fled to the few, smoke-friendly clubs.

As I've researched this article, I have also found some completely unforeseen, border-line weird side-effects of the ban. For example, the statistics on how the ban has impacted drunk driving fatalities, spawned a generation of "healthy" cigarettes and linked barbecues to some of the same chemicals as smoke.

This article will give you a breakdown of my take on smoking bans including "the good, the bad and the ugly".

The Good

Here are some good things that have been produced by the bans:

Drop in Heart Attack Occurrence. This is an absolutely amazing fact! Heart attacks have long been associated with cigarette smoke, since the chemicals in smoke cause narrowing of the veins and arteries in the body, putting strain on the heart. Clotting is also a cause of heart attack that is often directly related to smoking. Research done at the University of California found that after only 1 year of having the smoking ban in effect, heart attack rates were 17% lower than usual! Some of the individual towns studied by the University of California had more dramatic results - Helena, Montana had its heart attack rates cut in half only after 6 months of the smoking ban!
Healthier Work Place. Some estimate that working in a smoky environment for a long period of time can cut your life expectancy by 10 years! This is because the same risks that come with smoking also apply for second hand smoke. A smoke-filled workplace can be a non-stop source of secondhand smoke - working an 8 hour shift in a smoking environment is similar to chain smoking for all of those hours. So now your favorite bartender or waiter can look forward to living a longer life with a decreased risk of developing cancer, COPD, stroke or heart attacks. (But then again, if they choose to work in a smoky environment in the first place then avoiding smoke may not be at the top of their list. You would have to agree that no one made them work there - there are many other smoke-free callings and careers out there!)
Healthier Restaurants and Bars. No more coming home from a night out with clothing that reeks of smoke! Now your favorite restaurants and nightspots are a healthy place to spend a few hours. Many businesses claim that their number of patrons have increased since the smoking ban - indicating that all of the non-smokers who used to stay home now have a good reason to go out and live it up. Smoke-free restaurants are much better for their youngest customers - since children are at more risk from cigarette smoke because of their small, developing lungs.
VFW and Elks Clubs Boost in Members. The few private clubs that do allow smoking are now in high demand. Some organizations like VFW posts and Elk clubs that used to have sparse numbers now are booming with new members (as long as they are exempt from the ban. For many of the clubs that have banned smoking, funds are so tight that they have been forced to give up their charitable donations or have closed completely because of it).
More "Quitters". In some locations, the ban has sparked renewed efforts to quit smoking for good. New York City reports that adult smoking is down 19% - which translates into 240,000 less smokers in NYC's population. (Unfortunately, the flip side of these statistics is that other areas have actually reported an increase in smoking among working class men since the ban.) Removing the smoke from public places should technically help the fight to quit. This is partially because of the way that nicotine re-wires your brain. The more nicotine that enters your body, the more nicotine receptors develop in your brain to absorb the chemicals. A smokers brain would have billions more of the receptors than a non-smoker. Being in a place where you can smell smoke, or see someone else smoking in enough to switch on the receptors that cause nicotine cravings. The smoking ban cuts the number of times a "quitter" will be reminded of smoke cravings by the nicotine receptors during a night out, making it easier to quit.

The Bad
Here are some negative effects of the smoking ban:

Bars and Restaurants Driven Out of Business. It seems like there are many areas in the country where the smoking ban has taken such a toll on their businesses that owners are closing their doors for good. Certain states, like Delaware (40% decrease in profits) have had a substantial loss in profits since the smoking ban took effect. Combined with the economic downturn of recent months, the results are ruinous. For business owners, closing a business down is a nightmare scenario - and for employees it means that their jobs hang in the balance. Clubs like VFW Posts and Elk Clubs that were listed in the "Good" category above can just as easily fall into the "Bad" category all depending on whether the smoking bans applied to them. These organizations were once known for their charitable donations to the community - but now their money making events like Bingo no longer attract a crowd. Now they struggle to keep their doors open.
Job Loss. It goes without saying that businesses who have been hit hard by the smoking ban will be the source of lost jobs. These small bars and night clubs might have been flourishing up until they were told that smoking was off limits to their patrons. For many owners, their business was their livelihood - and losing their business spells financial disaster for them. Employees have reason to worry as well. In general, bartenders, waiters and waitresses make very little money per hour, because the greater part of their income comes from tips. The loss of smoking patrons means that they get fewer tips, and as a result, their bills become harder and harder to pay each month.
Erosion of Personal / Property Rights. Many people (smoker and non smoker alike) view the government imposed bans on smoking in public places as a dangerous stance. Was it right for the government to ban the use of a legal product on private property? (i.e. any property that is owned by a private citizen. Private Citizens are people who aren't holding a public office . . . so that means most of us). They see this as infringing on the rights of the public - and that the future may bring more of these controlling mandates on personal or public matters. What's next? A ban on greasy, fast food meals or a nationwide ice cream ban? Obesity is the fastest growing cause of avoidable deaths and diseases in the U.S., so this would only be the next logical step towards better public health. How would you feel if the government began regulating the meals a restaurant was allowed to serve you - or what food you were allowed to eat in your own home?
"The Quitters". Yes, I know - I just listed the "Quitters" as a "Good" outcome of the smoking ban, but it can just as easily be categorized as "Bad". This is because the average smoker burns up to 200 calories more per day because of their habit. Also, since nicotine is an appetite suppressant, they are in general less hungry throughout the day. When someone quits smoking, the most common means of coping with the withdrawal is eating. Once taste buds get back their ability to taste after quitting smoking, food will taste better and be even more irresistible. The average quitter gains anywhere from 10-20 pounds - but roughly 10% of all quitters will experience 30 pounds or more in weight gain. This means that out of those 240,000 people who quit smoking in NYC because of the ban, 24,000 of them are will join the ranks of people who are in danger of obesity. Here's the ironic part: many of the same diseases linked to smoking are linked to obesity (heart attack, stroke, high blood pressure, cancers, asthma, depression, etc).

The Ugly
Here are some very strange facts about the smoking ban:

More Drunk Driving Deaths. No one wants to die in a hospital bed as a result of inhaling second hand smoke. How about being run down on the road by an inebriated smoker? Oddly enough, the smoking ban actually increases your chances of dying in a car accident. A study conducted at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee compared the number of drunk driving fatalities in areas where smoking was banned versus areas where smoking was still allowed. The results were surprising and suggest that smokers are willing to drive farther and farther just to find a bar where they can light up and enjoy a couple of drinks. Before the bans took effect, a smoker could walk to the local tavern. Now, he must take to the road and drive to a neighboring county or state that allows him to smoke in public. The reasons for the added danger is two fold: getting behind the wheel in the first place and then the added travel time. This means that there are more drunk drivers swerving down the road in smoking ban territory than in smoke-friendly areas. It just seems like if the smoke doesn't kill you one way, it's going to kill you another way.
Cigarette Companies Developing "Healthy" Cigarettes. Huh? Healthy Cigarettes? The cigarette company British American Tobacco is hard at work developing new, less toxic cigarettes. It sounds crazy, but the truth is that they have been able to reduce the toxins in their new cigarettes by up to 90% as compared to conventional cigarettes. To test their product, they recruited a room full of smokers to puff on the new cigarettes. Then they tested biomarkers in the test subjects' saliva and urine and compared those levels to regular cigarettes smokers and non-smokers. So, will cigarettes get a healthy, new, image makeover in the future? British American Tobacco would like to think so.
Every-Day Sources of the Same Toxins. If you escape the cigarette smoke, then what about the other sources of the same pollutants found in cigarettes. You might be exposed to more of these chemicals than you realize! The frying pan full of bacon, or the barbequed shrimp, or the gas station - these are a few sources of pollutants that are the same as those found in cigarettes. Cooking bacon fills the house with volatile nitrosamines that are the same as those found in cigarette smoke. Eating barbequed food exposes you to polyaromatic hydrocarbons that are also found in smoke. Standing at the gas station to fill up your car - or filling up the lawn mower with gasoline - can easily fill your lungs with a heavy dose of benzene that is present in both gasoline fumes and cigarette smoke. These are just a few examples of other toxic situations that you encounter everyday. Has the smoking ban really made life safer? I guess so - as long as you don't drive a car or other gas-powered vehicle to your favorite bacon and barbeque-free night spot.

Was placing a Government Ban on Smoking the Only Way?
Whether you are a smoker or not, it sure seems like there were other options out there besides the all out ban.

If the government wants a nation of non-smokers, maybe the solution would be taxing cigarettes more heavily - or making them illegal altogether. No - they couldn't do that because big tobacco pours huge amounts of money into political contributions and has a very powerful lobby. Plus, if cigarettes were made illegal, the loss of tax income to the government would be staggering.
Maybe the solution is segregating smokers and non-smoker by creating pro-smoke and anti-smoking bars? It sounds extreme, but it would certainly give customers and employees more options. We don't need laws for this option - just progressive thinking bar owners.
Another plausible solution would be to have smoking hours after the dinner rush - when most people stop at the bar for a drink and a smoke. Pros: prevent children from the heaviest of smoke levels. Cons: unless the business does something to clean the air between the night time smoking hours and the daytime crowds, one could argue that a lot of the smoke is still in the air.
What about improving the air inside the bars? This seems like the easiest solution. The challenge is that the most prominent technology in the smoke removal industry were electrostatic smoke eaters. See, companies that made these machines played on the bar and business owners wishes of not wanting to spend money on filters. So, they created electronic smoke eaters that didn't require filters. But was the problem really solved? Hardly... The electronic smoke eaters required time consuming and messy cleanups. If the electronic smoke eaters weren't maintained properly, the effectiveness drops off considerably. This basically means that they would stop working. Based on the poor maintenance and even worse performance - the bar and restaurant industry got the incorrect impression that smoke eaters don't work. As a result, they stopped trying to solve the problem altogether. If more businesses had tried the filter based smoke eaters, they would have had a workable solution. Perhaps if this were the case, bar owners would have solved their own problems and the government could have stayed out of it. Of course no smoke removal system is perfect, but a HEPA filter based smoke eater that also has a carbon filter for gases, fumes and odors and a pre-filter for the heavy particulate can do a really good job. The key is having enough power to filter the air - an entire room needs to cycle through the smoke eater's filters 10-12 times an hour and then you can really make a dramatic difference in the air quality.

So what do YOU think about the smoking bans?
Are you a smoker?
A non-smoker?
A business owner?
How have these smoking bans affected you - positively or negatively? Please leave a comment! Visit My Air Purifier for straight talk and no hype about what air purifiers and air cleaners work best for allergies, asthma, smoke removal and more. We specialize in both commercial and residential air cleaners and purifiers.

Should Cigarette Smoking Be Banned in Cars?

Cigarette smoking should be banned in cars is what conscious citizens are advocating. Legislation to this effect is in vogue in some countries and in some states of United States. Youngsters below 18 should not be exposed to the smoke.

It is hoped that legislation would be brought into effect wherever it is non-existent. The idea is to protect the children from inhaling the smoke. Some feel it is infringement of rights, but those who do not favor of the problem feel it is in the best interest of the citizens.

Why Should Smoking be Banned in Cars?
Smoking in cars should be banned, as it is dangerous to health and also hazardous. Non-smokers are forced to inhale the gas of others. Tobacco, for example, is a major single cause of death and illness in the UK. Passive smokers face the risk of serious health problems.

To protect children from the hazardous smoke of cigarettes
To curtail smoking as it is bad for health
To protect passive smokers
Levels of smoke particles are much higher in a car as the windows are closed
A car is much worse than a smoky bar
Those who inhale the smoke can suffer from illnesses such as asthma, cancer and miscarriages later in life
To extend further the banning of smoking in public places
Smoking in cars is bad for health for the non-smokers, particularly children. The smoke remains inside when the windows are closed and can cause serious illnesses later on in life. Those against smoking favor the banning of cigarette smoking in cars.

New Smoking in Cars Law

New laws effecting drivers and passengers who smoke in cars are due to come into affect across the whole of the UK. Currently Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland already have laws in place that restrict who is permitted to smoke in a vehicle; and England is due to join them on the 1st of July. The law will ban people from smoking in a vehicle if that vehicle is used for certain activities. At present these activities focus on cars, which are owned by a company and used by employees.

The new law will require that these company vehicles will need to remain smoke free if they are used to transport members of the public or if they are used by more than one person. For example, taxis and minibuses will be smoke free vehicles and company pool cars will also have to be smoke free. In Scotland it is illegal to smoke in a vehicle, which is to be used for work purposes unless it is a car. So those who work with trucks or vans will not be able to smoke in their vehicles. This is often because these types of vehicles are used by more than one person or are used to transport a number of people at the same time.

All vehicles, which are required to be smoke-free, must also display a non-smoking sign in every compartment of the vehicle so passengers and drivers are fully aware of the new rule. The no -smoking signs must be visible and no smaller than 70mm in diameter. Drivers should ensure that they are fully aware of how these new smoking laws apply to them as there are a few grey areas, which may be confusing. For example if you have a company car, which is used primarily for personal use, then passengers are able to smoke in it. Or if you are using a company vehicle that has a roof that can be removed and stowed then passengers are able to smoke when the roof is not in use and has been stored away. Furthermore, companies themselves can decide on rules that they wish to impose on their employees who drive their company cars regarding smoking.

These new smoking rules will be passed as law and be written into the Highway Code, which is also considered to carry legal weight. At present the Highway Code states that drivers need to avoid any distractions whilst driving such as listening to very loud music, trying to read a map or eating and drinking. Smoking has now been classified as a distraction and will be added to the Highway Code as part of this list. Whilst the Highway Code will not make it illegal to drive whilst smoking, it will mean that if you are caught driving badly whilst smoking then you would have deemed to have committed an offence.

It will become compulsory for new drivers to learn these new rules as part of their driving theory test and existing drivers will need to take these new rules on board whilst on the roads. Drivers who flout these rules could risk being fined or being in breach of their motor insurance policy.

History of Smoking

Smoking is an ancient practice and it has been around nearly as long as humans themselves. Various cultures have smoked various plants around the world, but the use of tobacco for smoking can be traced back to South America as early as 3000-5000 BC. With such a long history of use, it is no wonder that tobacco smoking has been difficult to eradicate today, even if we know the ways in which it negatively impacts our health. Still, there is an important difference between tobacco use of the past and tobacco use of the present and understanding this difference gives some important insight into smoking cessation.

The original intent behind tobacco use was spiritual. Among South American aboriginals, smoking tobacco was highly ritualized and associated with shamanistic activities or royal ceremonies. By 1 BCE the use of tobacco for religious purposes was ubiquitous throughout South America with many indigenous tribes believing that smoking tobacco revealed their gods. Each rising Empire in the Americas from the Mayans to the Aztecs had a place for tobacco in their religious practices, the Aztecs borrowing the concept from their Mayan forefathers. Aztecs at the royal court also smoked tobacco as a way concluding various ceremonies. Thus, the use of tobacco in its original contexts was a mixture of political and religious rites. As time progressed, tobacco spread further and wider and became more commonplace and detached from it original political and spiritual purposes. Age the age of European exploration and Colonialism began with the likes of Magellan and Columbus, the meaning of the use of tobacco took on a new form, one for which it can be recognized today: a product to be marketed for monetary gain. Slowly but sure the use of tobacco spread to Europe and Asia, soon reaching to every far corner of the world. Cigarettes as we know them today arose in the early 20th century, cementing the fact that tobacco use had become a part of global industry and corporate greed. Any religious or political significance that tobacco smoking had held in the early Americas had now been reduced to marketing a bad habit to the public to in an effort to get more money. Even as the dangers of tobacco use became widely known, tobacco companies still work day and night to make their product attractive and available to the susceptible. It is important to note that just because the early Americans used tobacco for religious and political purposes it does not mean that this was healthy or good for them to do. However, the intention behind the use of tobacco was different than today. It was highly ritualized and not just trite everyday habit. The early Americans did not mass market tobacco use and did not manufacture it as a means of exploiting people's health in order to earn money. Modern tobacco smoking is a product of consumer culture and a combination of the incessant drive by Big Tobacco to make more money and people's unwillingness to take control of their health and break unhealthy habits. If we look at the origins of tobacco use then we see that the reasons were smoking were very different that today and we can start to see how exploitative smoking really it. This doesn't mean you should pick up a cigarette for spiritual purposes or as a means of worshipping God, but it does mean that you should be more mindful of the fact that smoking is engaging in a greedy global scam-and you have the power to break free from it if you make the decision to do so.

How A Smoker Becomes A Bum With A Butler

When we think of some guy having his own butler, we are forced to accept the fact that this man must have means and tremendous power in the affairs of his domain. Even quite rich people don't bother with butlers... It's almost like it's archaic. But there are men of note who feel that they need one-just to help them keep up with things. I remember Bob Hope flying to St. Louis to give a speech and finding out-when he reached St. Louis-he'd left his script behind-and sending his butler back to California to fetch it and return quickly.(You can do that with a butler.)

I have a personal friend who has a butler; and both he and his butler are really colorful guys... And no one begrudges my friend his aid-because he seems to do well for himself as well as for others. ...But let's discuss a smoker now. Just how would a smoker- just being a smoker-need to have a butler on hand? If he's recognized as being a bum, he would...And how would he get recognized? It strikes me-first of all-that a bum is someone who may have cash but never seems to be able to take care of his God-given blessings of health, and personal responsibilities to the folks around him. He may have been knocked down in life, but instead of getting up and thanking his God for his bad luck, he just stays down. So... if a smoker fits these very low standards, then he just might need a butler. And here's where his butler plays a key role for him. Let's say he's down; and no one helps. That is when the smoker calls out for his butler-- in this case, his 'own cigarette'...So now he gets up strength to hold that cigarette with steady hands and lights it up. Unlike the butlers of all men, his cigarette could never say, "Hey, Boss... Easy... Maybe I better help you up and get some help!" One might almost attribute to his cigarette-butler a keen satisfaction in seeing that his boss stays down. For what does the butler do, who's boss gets up and no longer needs a cigarette? It's enough to make those cigarette concerns weep! ...Is there any solution here? Yes... if a miracle should come to his mind and conjure up an image of him- as I have just described- a bum counting on his butler to help him keep smoking- if he really sees that as clearly as he can- then maybe he will resist the urge to call his butler-and will instead make sure he finds some plan to help him quit. It's no big deal to quit; it is a big deal to understand you have got to quit.

Hypnosis Techniques in a Quit Smoking Session

One of my favourite sessions is a quit smoking hypnosis session, because it is fast, easy and gives the client excellent value for money. Here I will outline some of the techniques and methods I use which have given me great success with smokers. First off is your intake or information gathering section. In this time you get to sell yourself and the power of hypnosis to help your client stop smoking. You will need to have a good pre-talk organised, either well practised or pre-recorded. I strongly recommend having a pre-recorded introduction even if you plan to explain the procedure in person. In your pre-talk you should be building expectation, alleviating any fears that the client may have about hypnosis or quitting smoking and encouraging compliance from your client for when you start your stop smoking session. (Also it goes without saying you need to have achieved good rapport, I find that simply parroting the client's metaphors during the session and matching and cross mirroring is usually enough).

Furthermore, in this time you should be teasing out any limiting beliefs that the client has (such as "it is not possible for me to quit smoking") and collapsing them as much as possible before the session actually starts, the last thing you want is a client going into a session with the belief "this will never work for me!". By the way I take 1 & 1/2 -2 hours for a stop smoking session. It normally takes 3/4 of an hour before I start the session. After you have got your basics right, it's time to begin the fun, hypnotizing them! Make sure they are in the right frame of mind and ready to comply to your directions without thinking. If you feel they are not quite there, you may need to remind them of the pain in their lives smoking causes, and get them to imagine what life would be like if they continued to smoke for another 5 years or 10 years. Usually this will be enough to get them to co-operate with your instructions when you start your stop smoking session. Then you begin your induction (you can do some suggestibility tests beforehand if you like), personally I like to use an instant induction with about 80% of my clients, but, if they seem nervous, I will use a variation of the Elman Induction. Either way you want to achieve somnambulism pretty quickly into the session, then deepen the trance. A good way of doing this is to get them forget some numbers a couple of times (or create amnesia a couple of times) in a row, then a simple 5-1 count. I would then typically emerge them from hypnosis and re-enter them into hypnosis deepening the trance a couple of times until I am happy they are in a highly suggestible state. (By the way this should take about 10-15 mins max once you get good at it). Next I would do some 'convincers', maybe an eye-lock or an arm raise and deepen some more. Then I would set up an ideo-motor signal to talk directly to the clients subconscious mind. Once I have that established I hand over control of the signal to the part of the person that wants to smoke. I elicit the benefits smoking achieves for the person, I remind that part the number 1 function of the subconscious mind is to preserve the body and that smoking is in direct conflict with this prime directive. I then ask it to come up with some solutions that could replace the smoking habit and get them to enjoy imagining in the future carrying out this different behaviour. I then re-enforce this with some strong direct suggestion and further future pacing living life as a non-smoker. As you can see it is more about the 'set-up' than about the techniques used, and that is really the key. The success of your session will be determined by everything you say and do up until and during your induction. A great hypnosis session is about doing many things well, not just one or two things excellently.

How Nicotine Dangers Your Health

Chemicals derived from second hand smoking are hazardous to human health. It was not until reports revealed that second hand smoke was hazardous that smoking bans in public places occurred to make a solid statement. A warning that second hand smokes either from cigarettes, cigars, or pipes is harmful to your health. Further studies indicated children exposed to second hand smoke are detrimental. These children tend to have more respiratory problems and pneumonia. They are also more likely to develop birth defects and SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome). Second hand smoking occurs when tobacco is burned. The smoke is exposed to those surrounding it, which can be children, pregnant women, pets, and other adults. The smoke also penetrates areas like clothing and furniture. Ventilation does not reduce the concentration of the chemicals in the smoke. Smoking in hallways, other rooms, or at a short distance does not eliminate the smoke either. Smoking fumes still prevail in clothing and furniture whether someone is smoking or not. Furthermore, the fumes from smoking still travels from one room to another. The burning of nicotine, the main ingredient, and other chemicals in tobacco are hazardous to everyone surrounding it.

Nicotine has many hazardous chemicals associated with the burning of tobacco. The Office of the Surgeon General from the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services listed in January 4, 2007 the harmful chemicals found in second hand smoking. It contains hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, butane, toluene, and ammonia. These toxic gases are deadly at even the lowest concentrations. It also has arsenic, lead, chromium, and cadmium. It also includes chemicals such as polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), N-nitrosamines, aromatic amines, aldehydes, volatile organic compounds, and inorganic compounds. Nicotine has a molecular formula of C10N14H2, a molecular weight of 162.23, and the organic nomenclature of 3-[(2S)-1-Methyl-2-pyrrolidinyl]pyridine. It is naturally found in the dried leaves of Nicotiana tabacum and N. rustica plants. It is a colorless, pale yellow, oily solution. It is brown when exposed to air or light. It is soluble in organic solvents. Nicotine has also been found in insecticides such as Black Leaf 40, which was discontinued in 1992. The breakdown process of nicotine-derived chemicals occurs within seconds in the body. First, it can be absorbed through the epidermal layer or the olfactory sensors. Once in the body, it flows to the blood stream and eventually the brain. In the brain, nicotine molecules act as sensor-binding molecules that adhere to specific receptors located in the synaptic membrane. The binding of nicotine to nicotinic receptors activates the Ca2+ potential channel, increasing the concentration of this divalent molecule in the cytosol. Concentration increments trigger the release of acetylcholine in synaptic vesicles. The dissociation of the synaptic vesicles hence promotes release of acetylcholine into the synaptic cleft. Acetylcholine, one of the well-studied neurotransmitters, is an excitatory transmitter. An increase in acetylcholine is an increase in stimulatory molecules, which can lead to dependency of this process. A reduction in smoking and hence nicotine consumption can help improve human health.

A Mouthful of Socket Head Cap Screws

For ordinary people like us, tools such as wrenches, hammers, bolts, etc., are just a jargon of words we often hear. It came to my mind that we have to educate ourselves at least at some point, and so let us start with the most common tool: The socket head cap screw.

It is a type of cap screw with a hexagonal recessed drive and specifically designed to test the amount of tensile (stretching) stress a material can withstand before breaking or failing and for die applications. They also are usually made from stronger alloy steel vs. other screws, but this depends on the grade and the manufacturer. They are fastened using a socket wrench and have different types of head designs which includes a cylindrical head, a button head and flat head, the latter designed to be seated into countersunk holes. Amongst the different types of screws, the Socket head cap screws are commonly utilized in the industry because of its safety, reliability and economy.

They are used for machine assembly, especially for removable parts, and for applications with limited spaces since they take up less space and don't require side room for wrenches. Another factor is that compared to ordinary screws, less socket screws can achieve the same clamping force in a joint. As fewer screws are used for a given job, fewer holes are required to be drilled, there is also considerable weight reduction. However, they also have three disadvantages. First, they have small heads. If they are to be loaded in tension, the limited bearing area under the head will prevent tightening the bolt sufficiently to take full advantage of the strength of the alloy. Second, they are manufactured with very long thread, which is the ridge wrapped around a cylinder or cone in the form of a helix. And third, the heads are case hardened and are therefore difficult to drill for safety wire.

Since there are different types of socket head cap screws nowadays, you have to choose what size and design your going to use. Because of this, you need to be careful in purchasing the items you need. You have to keep in mind that different types of screws also have different purposes. In other words, certain screws are made for certain types of machines, tools, or projects. A range of choices for special use applications are:
• High temperature
• Corrosive environments
• Maximum tensile strength critical
• Cleanliness required

ACH Payment Processing

ACH payment processing electronically debits funds for a purchase from a customer's bank account and credits the funds to the merchant's bank account. The Automated Clearing House (ACH) is a computer-based paying service that enables the purchaser to pay a business through directly debiting their checking or savings accounts. This type of payment is most commonly used to pay online bills, mortgage and loan repayment, and direct deposit of payroll. Merchants benefit from this because they are fast and easy. There is no longer a need for forwarding checks to the bank to wait for processing. Consumers benefit from this because, in the same vein, they no longer need to write checks and send them and have them potentially lost in the mail. It does not require them to have a credit card or have good credit history. They also get to keep better track of their finances.  

ACH processing is an electronic payment network used by individuals, businesses, financial and government organizations. ACH payment possessing can process large volumes of both credit and debit transactions which are originated in batches. Note: In terms of security, the ACH network is governed by the National Automated Clearing House Associate (NACHA), which promotes the development of electronic payments, while developing and providing initiatives for risk management - because this is the same network federal banks and government institutions use, this system is highly-reliable and secure.