FDA Bans Flavored Cigarettes

The Food and Drug Administration banned bidis, clove, and other flavored cigarettes, on September 22, 2009. They didn't include menthol cigarettes in the ban.
Many people mistakenly think bidis, clove and other flavored cigarettes are more natural and therefore safer. They are incorrect, as bidis contain more tar, nicotine, benzopyrene, carbon monoxide, and other harmful chemicals than regular cigarettes sold in the United States. More frequent pulls, or inhalations are needed to keep them lit because they don't have burning agents in them, this means the body gets more of the toxins each time one is smoked.

Bidis, clove and other flavored cigarettes were particularly targeted to younger people. Bidi's are made in India, by the very poor and young in deplorable conditions. I am glad that the FDA acted to ban these in the United States, I know this ruling will take many very dangerous products off the shelves.

Pregnant Smokers Linked to Psychotic Symptoms in Children

In the October, 2009 issue of the British Journal Of Psychiatry,which was summarized by Join Together there is a report on a study which stated that "Women who smoke tobacco during pregnancy increase the risk of having children who develop psychotic problems." This study was done by researchers in the U.K. They also found that the "expectant mothers who smoked the most faced the greatest risk".

Study author, Stanley Zammit, said that, "we can estimate that about 20 per cent of adolescents would not have developed psychotic symptoms if their mothers had not smoked. Therefore Maternal smoking may be an important risk factor in the development of psychotic experiences in the population."

Psychosis can be defined as an abnormal condition of the mind, or a loss of contact with reality. People that are experiencing psychosis may have difficulty with social interactions and find it difficult to carry out daily life activities.

This information is disturbing for pregnant mothers who smoke to hear, but in our efforts to provide the best start to our babies we need to make decisions based on the best available information. This recent study suggests that smoking while pregnant may hinder the development of the fetal brain. The researchers also suspect impulsivity, attention or cognition may be impacted by exposure of tobacco during pregnancy.

There is help available to quit smoking. Please read further on the blog or contact me through this blog and I will assist you in your efforts to quit. Your public health nurse will also provide support to quit. This information, and your desire to provide the best start for your baby can be the motivation to quit the difficult addiction of nicotine in tobacco.

You can read about this research further by going to Health Day News and/or the British Journal of Psychiatry. If you would like to read a summary of this research go to Join Together.

Women who quit smoking before or early in pregnancy significantly reduce the risk to their babies

The Center for Disease Control reported some interesting things about Tobacco Use and Pregnancy in Mayof 2009. They made some comparisons between women who smoke and women who do not. Many women that we know have a difficult time getting pregnant. They reported that women who smoke before becoming pregnant are about twice as likely to experience a delay in conception and have about 30% higher odds of being infertile. This information might help many women who have this trouble if they use it to decide to quit. It was also reported that pregnancy complications of premature rupture of membrane, placental abruption, and placenta previa are twice as likely to occur if a woman smokes.
The CDC also gave some current information about babies born to women who smoke during pregnancy. They have about 30% higher chance of being born prematurely, and are more likely to be born with low birth weight (less than 5.5 lbs) which increases their risk for illness or death. They wrote that babies are 1.4 to 3 times more likely to die of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS when the mother smokes.

The good news from the report was that "women who quit smoking before or early in pregnancy significantly reduce the risk of several of the adverse outcomes".

They also reported on the deadly exposure of secondhand smoke which causes premature death and disease in children and adults who do not smoke. "Pregnant women who are exposed to secondhand smoke have 20 percent higher odds of giving birth to a low birth weight baby than women who are not exposed to secondhand smoke during pregnancy."
Between 1999 and 2002, 58% of children between the ages of 3-19 years were exposed to secondhand smoke, so the effects are spread broadly over the population in the United States. "These children exposed to secondhand smoke are much more at risk for bronchitis, pneumonia, ear infections, more severe asthma, respiratory symptoms, and slowed lung growth."
I would encourage you to read more at www.cdc.gov/reproductivehealth/tobaccousepregnancy. If you smoke this information is difficult to hear but please remember the quote "women who quit smoking before or early in pregnancy significantly reduce the risk for several of the adverse outcomes". I hope that this information strengthens your resolve to quit for your baby.