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“The tobacco industry is the greatest killing organization in the world. The harm done by all the armies in the world combined will not begin to equal the damage inflicted upon the human race by the combined activity of the cultivators, manufacturers, and distributors of tobacco.” – Dr. Jesse M. Gehman, Smoke Over America

The Core Plan to Prevent Chronic Diseases

Our main goal is to increase the number of Filipinos who are healthy at every stage of life- from conception to resurrection. Our strategy provides evidence-based recommendations fundamental to improving the nation’s health through the active engagement of all sectors of society to help achieve these goals. These evidence-based recommendations will reduce the burden of leading causes of preventable death and major illness. Here is the second of seven priority areas . . .

2 TOBACCO FREE LIVING

The shape, form and content of our lives are determined by our decisions. Every decision impacts what we do and who we become. My twenty six year journey with cancer patients has not made me less sensitive to their pain- my tears are still bitter. Pain is not limited to losing patients, but also in seeing them suffer and lose hope. Ninety percent of our lung cancer patients were smokers. In this long and arduous journey, I have seen, felt and experienced their sorrow and regret. They expressed their ardent wish to turn back the time and not smoke at all. I hope we learn from their experience. Take the initiative to change your life today and quit smoking.

Know these sobering smoking facts and alarming statistics …

• Every day, 14,400 people die from smoking cigarettes worldwide. That is 10 people dying every minute. More than 80% of those deaths will be in lowand middle-income countries. Smoking is set to kill 6.5 million people this year (2015) and 8.3 million in 2030.

• Worldwide, between 80,000 and 100,000 kids start smoking every day, roughly half of whom live in Asia. According to the World Health Organization, one third of the global population, or 1.8 billion, of young people aged of 10 to 24 smoke cigarettes.

• In the Philippines, up to 35 percent of the country’s 100 million people use tobacco. Six million of our young people, between 11 and 19 years old, smoke. Of these, 1.8 million are young girls. Furthermore, WHO estimates that 10 Filipinos die every hour due to cancer, stroke, lung and heart diseases brought on by cigarette smoking. That’s 240 deaths every day or 87,600 every year.

These are our CHILDREN, the FUTURE!

In his latest report, the U.S. Surgeon General and his team of experts added two forms of cancer, liver and colorectal cancers, to the list of cancers caused by smoking after a thorough review of existing scientific evidence. Now, here are the 13 cancers linked to tobacco: cancers of the mouth and throat, nose and sinuses, larynx, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, urinary bladder, cervix, ovary and acute myeloid leukemia. Aside from the two cancers, the Surgeon General’s report also implicated smoking in the development of diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, macular degeneration (of the eye), impaired immune function, and ectopic pregnancy and cleft palate in infants (of pregnant women who smoke).

Let us take a closer look at some of the most harmful chemicals in cigarettes and how they affect our health.

When we smoke cigarettes, cigars, and pipe tobacco, we are inhaling sulfur, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen-along with the tar. These gases can accumulate in your body, diminish oxygen sources, and cause respiratory conditions. The smoke from these products is a complex mixture of chemicals produced by the burning of tobacco and its additives. Tobacco smoke is a deadly mix of more than 7,000 toxic chemicals. Here are the main groups:

• CARCINOGENS are any substance that can cause or aggravate cancer. Approximately 60 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer : Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) Benzene • Methanol • Pesticides Formaldehyde

• HEAVY METALS are toxic metals and metal compounds that have the potential to harm our health when absorbed or inhaled. In very small amounts, some of these metals support life, but can become toxic when taken in large amounts: Arsenic • Cadmium

• RADIOACTIVE ISOTOPES. There are a couple of toxic metals in cigarette smoke that carry an extra punch of danger for anyone breathing it in, they are radioactive: Lead-210 (Pb-210) and Polonium-210 (Po-210)

• POISONS are defined as any substance that, when introduced to a living organism, causes severe physical distress or death. Science has discovered approximately 200 poisonous gases in cigarette smoke : Ammonia • Carbon Monoxide • Hydrogen Cyanide • Nicotine

Cigarette smoking probably has more harmful effects than any other commonly used drug, and affects more organs and tissues than most others. The total destructive nature of this one drug in the worldwide population is surpassed by no other, even though there are many drugs for which one dose is much worse than one cigarette. This is because it is so addictive and people use it so frequently for so long.

Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of disease, premature death and negative health impacts on people at all stages of life. It harms unborn babies, infants, children, adolescents, adults and seniors, costing too many lives, economic impact and unimaginable pain and suffering. If we are going to be serious about improving health and preventing disease, we must continue to drive down tobacco use and prevent our youth from taking up this dangerous habit.

Meanwhile, here is the Green Secret’s “Quit It Elixir”. A juice packed with the vitamins and nutrients you need to help you quit smoking. (Make sure to wash all ingredients well before juicing). It is a MUST to use organic ingredients only.

• 2 cups super greens (any or

combination: malunggay, sweet

potato leaves, kale, spinach)

• 6 sweet basil leaves

• 6 brussel sprouts (substitute ½ head

of cabbage)

• 2 inches turmeric root

• 3 celery stalks

• 1 cucumber

• 1 lime (juice)

Juice all ingredients in your masticating juicer. Stir and enjoy!

Together, let we can reclaim our right to health and protect younger generations from losing their lives and future with every puff of smoke. In next few issues, we will learn how we can fight this tobacco epidemic! I’d love to hear your thoughts and experiences on “Ask Dr. C at www.greensecret.com.ph” Our deepest gratitude to IAJ WELLNESS CORPORATION for making this information public. For more information or questions, email me at [email protected].

Christine E.V. Gonzalez is a doctor of naturopathic medicine and holds PhDs
in holistic nutrition and natural medicine. LLM (MS Environmental Laws & Labor)
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