Sabotage Comes in Many Forms!
Thursday July 28, 2011
I have a quote from Mayo clinic in this post but PLEASE read my comments after that because I just want to appeal to you!
So when I was out running this past weekend, I went by a guy that was decked out in his walking clothes, headphones on and SMOKING A CIGAR!!!!! Honestly, WTF is that!!!! I see this a lot at the gym too. People either smoking as soon as they leave the gym or right before they walk in the gym. Of course they have to do it right by the door so they can pass on their cancer to all of us.
I know, that last sentence sounds harsh BUT the facts are the facts. We get cancer & many other medical issues from smoking. There is second hand smoke that infects the lungs & bodies of those that don't smoke.
AND don't forget about the poor children that live with parents that smoke & their small bodies & organs get diseased by the smoke. Just because a parent steps a few feet away does not mean that they are not hurting their child's health or mine for that matter. Yes, I can be selfish about this! I tell people out & about not to smoke around me if it is a smoke free environment & I move otherwise.
Now we have third hand smoke for those that have never heard about it. Per the Mayo Clinic, third hand smoke is:
"Third-hand smoke is generally considered to be residual nicotine and other chemicals left on a variety of indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke. This residue is thought to react with common indoor pollutants to create a toxic mix. This toxic mix of third-hand smoke contains cancer-causing substances, posing a potential health hazard to nonsmokers who are exposed to it, especially children.
Studies show that third-hand smoke clings to hair, skin, clothes, furniture, drapes, walls, bedding, carpets, dust, vehicles and other surfaces, even long after smoking has stopped. Infants, children and nonsmoking adults may be at risk of tobacco-related health problems when they inhale, ingest or touch substances containing third-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke is a relatively new concept, and researchers are still studying its possible dangers.
I started out writing this post to chat about what you may be doing to sabotage yourself in your weight loss, fitness & HEALTH goals and it turned into this... I mean we all sabotage ourselves in some way at some point along this journey. We have to take a HARD LOOK at what we may or may not be doing to harm ourselves and others around us. YES, smoking, food, alcohol, drugs - all addictions - and YES, HARD TO BREAK - but all I ask is that you TRY!!!
With smoking, my mom smoked for years, stopped, started again when my dad died & then stopped again before her death from liposarcoma.
My mother-in-law died from small cell cancer, a cancer that is directly related to smoking & she had also smoked for years. I could tell you all the horrible things it did to her towards the end of of her life but suffice to say - it was not pretty! In fact, we saw her the day before she passed away & she looked like a person from a concentration camp.
No matter what it is - smoking, alcohol, eating behind closed doors, fooling yourself - PLEASE try to face it & make you life & your family's life better. There is plenty of help out there & here in blog land.
HUGS!
I have a quote from Mayo clinic in this post but PLEASE read my comments after that because I just want to appeal to you!
So when I was out running this past weekend, I went by a guy that was decked out in his walking clothes, headphones on and SMOKING A CIGAR!!!!! Honestly, WTF is that!!!! I see this a lot at the gym too. People either smoking as soon as they leave the gym or right before they walk in the gym. Of course they have to do it right by the door so they can pass on their cancer to all of us.
I know, that last sentence sounds harsh BUT the facts are the facts. We get cancer & many other medical issues from smoking. There is second hand smoke that infects the lungs & bodies of those that don't smoke.
AND don't forget about the poor children that live with parents that smoke & their small bodies & organs get diseased by the smoke. Just because a parent steps a few feet away does not mean that they are not hurting their child's health or mine for that matter. Yes, I can be selfish about this! I tell people out & about not to smoke around me if it is a smoke free environment & I move otherwise.
Now we have third hand smoke for those that have never heard about it. Per the Mayo Clinic, third hand smoke is:
"Third-hand smoke is generally considered to be residual nicotine and other chemicals left on a variety of indoor surfaces by tobacco smoke. This residue is thought to react with common indoor pollutants to create a toxic mix. This toxic mix of third-hand smoke contains cancer-causing substances, posing a potential health hazard to nonsmokers who are exposed to it, especially children.
Studies show that third-hand smoke clings to hair, skin, clothes, furniture, drapes, walls, bedding, carpets, dust, vehicles and other surfaces, even long after smoking has stopped. Infants, children and nonsmoking adults may be at risk of tobacco-related health problems when they inhale, ingest or touch substances containing third-hand smoke. Third-hand smoke is a relatively new concept, and researchers are still studying its possible dangers.
Third-hand smoke residue builds up on surfaces over time and resists normal cleaning. Third-hand smoke can't be eliminated by airing out rooms, opening windows, using fans or air conditioners, or confining smoking to only certain areas of a home. Third-hand smoke remains long after smoking has stopped. In contrast, second-hand smoke is the smoke and other airborne products that come from being close to burning tobacco products, such as cigarettes.
The only way to protect nonsmokers from third-hand smoke is to create a smoke-free environment, whether that's your private home or vehicle, or in public places, such as hotels and restaurants."
If you are looking for more info, read this article over at Scientific American. VERY SOBERING!I started out writing this post to chat about what you may be doing to sabotage yourself in your weight loss, fitness & HEALTH goals and it turned into this... I mean we all sabotage ourselves in some way at some point along this journey. We have to take a HARD LOOK at what we may or may not be doing to harm ourselves and others around us. YES, smoking, food, alcohol, drugs - all addictions - and YES, HARD TO BREAK - but all I ask is that you TRY!!!
With smoking, my mom smoked for years, stopped, started again when my dad died & then stopped again before her death from liposarcoma.
My mother-in-law died from small cell cancer, a cancer that is directly related to smoking & she had also smoked for years. I could tell you all the horrible things it did to her towards the end of of her life but suffice to say - it was not pretty! In fact, we saw her the day before she passed away & she looked like a person from a concentration camp.
No matter what it is - smoking, alcohol, eating behind closed doors, fooling yourself - PLEASE try to face it & make you life & your family's life better. There is plenty of help out there & here in blog land.
HUGS!
Posted by truth2beingfit at 7/27/2011 9:05 PM 
Categories: Health Issues, Addictions, Health, Cancer, Challenges, Awareness
Tags: cancer cancer prevention sabotage Health Issues health second hand smoke third hand smoke American Cancer Society small cell cancer addictions Mayo Clinic
Categories: Health Issues, Addictions, Health, Cancer, Challenges, Awareness
Tags: cancer cancer prevention sabotage Health Issues health second hand smoke third hand smoke American Cancer Society small cell cancer addictions Mayo Clinic
Well said, Jody, I couldn't agree with you more! We have friends who are healthy in every other way but still smoke, and I worry so much for them!
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Crabby - I hear you!!! We can't do it for them - they have to do it themselves.
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It seems that reaching that point before we face an addiction and make a change is different for everyone. I have a bigger problem with smoking than most other life destroyers because the smoker affects so many innocent people.
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Dr. J - I so totally agree!!!!!!!!!!!
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I applaud you Jody for speaking up about this issue. As a child both of my parents and most of my adult relatives smoked heavily. I always got sick following family gatherings-think there was a correlation? I do. My father, brother and maternal grandmother all died from lung cancer. I continue to worry that all of the second hand (and now from your post I understand third hand) smoke could ultimately affect my health as well.
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Karen, I had no idea you lost all those family members to lung cancer - so sorry! HUGS! My mom smoked when I was little until adult too. My dad quit when I was 6.. I hated it! Always complained & in the car drives in the winter with the windows up & mom smoked away! Yes, like you, I wonder!
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My in-laws were heavy smokers. My m-i-l passed away from throat cancer and was pretty much merely existing the last few years of her life. She was unable to swallow after radiation, so she could no longer enjoy food or drinks, I think one of the basic pleasures of life. My f-i-l continued to smoke IN THE HOUSE while my m-i-l was on oxygen in her bedroom. He finally quit 6 months after she died. It was such a horrible death caused by something she controlled.
Regarding the third-hand smoke- we would visit their house and in the summer, with the heat and humidity, you would stick to the dining room chairs and there would be a big yellow stain across your back, clearly a nicotine stain. YUCK!
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Linda - than you so much for sharing!
I saw people pulling their iv's outside the hospital to smoke when my parents were in there.. crazy!
I also saw a lady watch her mom die of lung cancer & kept on smoking.. I know it happens but why...
Thx again!
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It amazes me that anyone stills starts smoking in this day and age. Yesterday our treadmill repairman left quite a scent behind...clearly a smoker.
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I hate the smell smoke leaves behind Karen. Even when I am driving & a car next to me or in front of me as smoke coming out, I close my windows!
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Roy Castle who was a TV presenter in the 1970's, died of cancer probably from passive smoking.
My father also died because he was a smoker. He was 65 but looked 85. when we were little, we children had ear troubles, awful hair and skin and often had colds.That smoking smell was on everything and it isn't a smokey nice smell ,it is a bitter, plant-like odour.
You can use tobacco as an insecticide by steeping it in water and then watering with the resulting liquid.
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Chris, I did not know that about tobacco as an insecticide! YIKES!!!
Thx for sharing & commenting.
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Thank you for writing this post. My mom smoked for about 30 years and just quit about 4 months ago -- thank God. My father has been smoking for 30+ years and still does. I understand it's SO very difficult to quit but still -- it scares me. I wish I could have just made them both stop by snapping my fingers.
And re. Karen's concern about why anyone still starst -- I think it's because we, as an adult society, are CONSTANTLY warning children about 549867 dangers -- and yes there IS a lot of danger in this world but when we warn them about what seems to be EVERYTHING it's a lot easier for them to brush it off and say "Well, everything causes cancer / everything is dangerous anyway."
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Sable, glad your mom quit. I hope your dad does cause your mom gets the 2nd & 3rd stuff! Hope your move is going OK!
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WEll said. My sis in law is getting healthy and is even a zumba instructor as of this month.
She still smokes...
I don't get it. I work in a Cancer hospital and do pathology research. There is no maybe to the link between smoking and cancer. I wish people would take it more seriously...I'm glad, in a way, that I have asthma - I've never been tempted to smoke. It would be a hard thing to quit...
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Geosomin, thx for sharing & as always, your first hand knowledge !
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Another great post!! My parents also smoked most of my life, it was terrible watching them do damage to their bodies, but I am happy to report my dad quit about 16 years ago and my mother quit about 4 years ago. I see young people smoke and it kills me to watch the young destruction.
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Dana, so glad your parents stopped! Yes, the young sometimes think it will just not happen to them...
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WOW! I never heard of that before! I grew up with a Mom that smoked she quit about 20 years ago thankfully! She did try to smoke in the bathroom, but when we became teenagers she shared the cigs. BLUK!
Nothing irritates me more than a person who sprays perfume on and goes into the gym and sweats next to me AND a person who is smoking walking ahead of me and I am trying to run and breath that crap!
Very good post!
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Sheri - glad your mom stopped & I hear you on the smells - UGH! Glad I work out when it is only my own BO smell!
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