There may be more than nicotine that’s stopping you from  giving up smoking. Research shows that cigarettes are designed to manipulate your taste buds too! The natural and added flavors to tobacco make it even harder for someone to quit. continue reading...

Rising tobacco use and poverty will fuel cancer across the developing world, more than doubling the number of new cases to 27 million by 2050, experts predicted on Thursday.

Cancer is already the No. 2 cause of death globally, after heart disease and ahead of AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other causes. And as people live longer and adopt bad habits such as smoking, cancer cases will rise, said Dr. Nancy Davidson of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. continue reading...

SCHAUMBURG, Ill., Dec. 18 /PRNewswire/ — January 1, 2008 will mark the ritualistic day of New Year’s promises as many vow to stop smoking. The New Year also brings added pressure to smokers as January 1 marks the first day of the Illinois Smoking Ban.

For those resolving to make 2008 the start of a smoke-free life, a new technology called low-level laser therapy, is available. Laser Therapy, provided by Achieve Laser, is quickly becoming a very successful aid in helping individuals to quit smoking once and for all. continue reading...

Latest stats on cancer deaths:

About 7.6 million people will die this year worldwide from various types of cancer, with lung cancer — heavily driven by smoking — killing 975,000 men and 376,000 women, the American Cancer Society said on Monday. continue reading...

Pittsburgh (PRWEB) November 15, 2007 — Despite major efforts to educate the public on the dangers of smoking over the past 40 years, a new national survey conducted by the American Legacy Foundation and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare, an industry leader in smoking cessation, indicates major knowledge gaps exist in what smokers believe to be true about the risks associated with smoking compared to the actual realities of tobacco-related disease and death. Experts believe these misperceptions may prevent smokers from trying to quit and successfully utilizing proven smoking cessation treatments.

According to the survey, while many smokers are aware that smoking can lead to serious health problems including lung cancer, many underestimate the risk of getting the disease from smoking. For example, two in three smokers underestimate the chance of developing lung cancer compared to a non-smoker and four in 10 incorrectly believe that developing lung cancer depends more on genes than anything else. Furthermore, the survey found that up to a third of smokers think that certain activities such as exercise and taking vitamins could “undo” most of the effects of smoking.¹ continue reading...

WASHINGTON, Oct. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Findings from one of the most extensive national surveys assessing awareness and attitudes toward asthma show a concerning difference between how well patients feel they have the disease under control and the impact asthma actually has on their daily life. The Asthma G.A.P. in America: General Awareness and Perceptions found that two-thirds of asthma patients surveyed report that they have their condition under control; however, over half report that they experience symptoms (such as shortness of breath, wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and/or phlegm production) at least once a week. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA) collaborated with AstraZeneca to serve as a presenting sponsor of the survey data. Detailed survey findings can be found at www.asthmagap.com.

“These survey findings illustrate the need for a better standard of control when it comes to managing asthma,” said Mike Tringale, Director of External Affairs, AAFA. “There is a large disconnect between what asthma patients are saying and how they are actually affected by their asthma every day, which calls for better education on how to properly control the disease.” continue reading...

A drug used to treat people infected with the AIDS virus has shown promise as a possible future weapon against cancer, U.S. researchers said on Friday.

Scientists at the U.S. National Cancer Institute examined how drugs called protease inhibitors, usually given in combination with other drugs to fight the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV, performed against several types of cancer including non-small cell lung cancer. continue reading...