When we heard the sad news last week that ABC News anchor Peter Jennings has begun a battle with lung cancer, it reminded me of this recent announcement from the American Cancer Society (ACS): More than 60 percent of all cancer deaths could be avoided if everyone would do these four things: 1) Stop smoking
2) Exercise more
3) Eat healthier
4) Get screened for cancer Easier said than done, right? Fortunately, smoking is on the decline in the U.S. And according to Michael Thun, M.D., the head of epidemiology for ACS, the complete elimination of tobacco use would cut the national cancer death rate in half. This is not a surprising statistic, considering all we've learned about smoking hazards in the decades since advertisements claimed that smoking was soothing to the throat. Dr. Thun notes that educating the public about the health effects of smoking has resulted in a national smoking rate of less than 25 percent. But that means that nearly one in four Americans are still heading outside on their work breaks to catch a quick smoke. And neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will keep these intrepid smokers from lighting up whenever they can. I know. I used to be one of them. But I've been a non-smoker now for well over a decade, and without question it's one of the best things I've ever done for myself. If you're a smoker, of if someone you care about is part of that 25 percent, I know where you can find some great ideas on how to quit. In the e-Alert "Burning Desire" (2/18/04), several HSI members shared the techniques they used to successfully quit smoking. Just go to our web site, hsibaltimore.com, and look for "Search the e-Alert archives" on the home page. Whatever method a smoker uses to quit, they might be helped along by an insight from Dr. Thun. He told Reuters Health that smoking is not necessarily voluntary; our choices "are made in a social context." In other words, smokers will improve their odds of quitting if they can identify the various aspects of their lives that support the urge to smoke. To Your Good Health, Jenny Thompson
Health Sciences Institute | 
