Month: December 2013

Dutch sound alarm about possible risks of e-cigarettes

The Dutch Health Ministry sounded an early warning on Thursday about the possible health risks of electronic cigarettes, announcing plans to clamp down on labeling ahead of European regulations.

The move followed an analysis of existing scientific research by the National Institute for Public Health, the leading Dutch government health advisory body.

The institute said it was concerned about a lack of evidence on the possible health effects of e-cigarettes, and said that as a precaution, they should not be used by pregnant women or in the vicinity of children.

Some health experts say e-cigarettes—battery-powered metal tubes that turn nicotine-laced liquid into vapor—may be the answer to helping millions of smokers to quit cigarettes and thereby avoid the damaging health effects of smoke.

Smoking tobacco causes lung cancer and other chronic respiratory diseases and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease, the world’s number one killer.

Tobacco has an annual death toll of six million people, and the World Health Organization says that could exceed eight million by 2030 unless something urgent is done to stop people smoking.

All the top tobacco companies are investing in e-cigarettes, which some analysts have predicted may outsell conventional cigarettes in 10 years.

But they are far from universally accepted as a public health tool—with some critics worried they will not break nicotine addiction and may be a “gateway” to regular cigarettes—and the fast-growing market is largely unregulated.

The Dutch institute also recommended banning flavor and scent enhancers in e-cigarettes that contain nicotine because of concerns they may attract children to smoking.

Citing the institute’s findings, Dutch deputy health minister Martin Van Rijn argued that e-cigarettes are as addictive as tobacco cigarettes because they contain nicotine, and he said there was no proof of claims by manufacturers that they help smokers quit.

“There is insufficient scientific evidence to be able to say whether the quantities of toxins in the exhaled air are dangerous for bystanders,” Van Rijn wrote in a letter to parliament on Thursday.

“In advance of European regulations, I will take measures in national legislation in regard to advertising, safety, quality and labeling of e-cigarettes,” the letter said.

Additional research will be conducted by the institute to learn more about e-cigarettes, the ministry said.

The warning came as Britain signaled it would force tobacco companies to scrap branded cigarette packaging on Thursday in an attempt to reduce the number of children who may be drawn to smoking by striking and brightly colored packs.

The Dutch institute raised concerns on its website last week that e-cigarettes are attractive to young people because of bright colors, flashing lights and jewelry-like appearance.

Roughly 11 to 18 percent of Dutch smokers have tried the e-cigarette, while about 5 percent said they use it regularly, the ministry said.

Market consultant Euromonitor estimates the world market for electronic cigarettes was more than $2 billion last year, with the United States accounting for a quarter of that.

A few countries have banned them outright—such as Brazil, Norway, and Singapore—while others are opting for varying degrees of regulation, in some cases including limits on advertising and curbs on their use in public places.

Big tobacco companies are grappling with declining sales of tobacco in a number of markets due to increasing government regulation and more health-aware consumers, as well as smuggling and an economic downturn.

Philip Morris International Inc, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes, said this month it plans to enter the e-cigarette market next year, saying it is the “greatest growth opportunity”.

Imperial Tobacco Group plans to launch two electronic cigarettes in its new fiscal year.

Source: GMA

1163 HIV positive people in Meghalaya: MACS

 

Health authorities in Meghalaya today said the number of people living with HIV/AIDS virus has increased many folds since 2007 when only 14 persons were tested positive.

Today 1163 persons are living with the virus and authorities believed there could be more who are yet to come forward to test.

For a small state with a population of about three million people, the number is staggering and the trend is increasing every year with as many as 79 positive people have succumbed to the virus in which the international watchdogs on HIV have categorized the state as ‘low prevalence but high risk.’

“The cumulative figures till October this year is 1163 positive cases in the state,” Meghalaya Aids Control Society (MACS) director F Kharkongor said.

The MACS chief said that only 527 positive persons have turned up for treatment at the three Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) Centers set up in the state even as she expressed concerned at the low turnout of the patients at the designated hospitals.

The first tests were started in 2007 in which 14 persons only were tested positive, she said, adding that the figure increased every year, 54 in 2008, 131 in 2009, 245 in 2010, 452 in 2011, 731 in 2012 and 1008 till March 2013.

The number of deaths has also increased every year since 2008 when only one patient died, in 2009 four died, in 2010 eight patients died taking the cumulative figure to 12, Kharkongor said.

The cumulative deaths in 2011 increased from 12 to 22 and then 37 the following year, she said, adding that the number of victims almost increased almost doubly during the period from March 2012 to March 2013 with 25 deaths.

From March to October this year the number of deaths recorded stands at 17, also the highest during the same period in the past six years, the official said.

According to a data compiled the MACS, 43 per cent of the victims are of the age group from 25-34 and mostly are the active inject drug users.

However, the female sex workers working in the coal belts and along the National Highways in the state also constitute a huge chunk of those people living with the HIV virus.

The others are men who have sex with men and children born out of positive parents.

Source: Press Trust of India

 

35 percent Indians use tobacco despite ad ban

Thirty-five percent of Indians still use tobacco despite growing awareness and ban on tobacco product advertisement said a tobacco control policy report released Friday.

The report also highlighted the need for stronger tobacco control policies and a change in the current prices of tobacco products in India to create social environments that are supportive of quitting.

“Current regulations on tobacco advertising in India still allows for exemptions which created loopholes for tobacco industries to focus its marketing efforts in unregulated venues such as point of sale. There is thus an urgent need for Indian central and state governments to take strong measures to close loopholes and to act swiftly to reduce affordability of all tobacco products,” said S. Pednekar, director (development and research), Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health.

The Tobacco Control Policy Report is a collaborative effort of researchers at the Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health and the University of Waterloo, Canada and based on the result of survey of adult tobacco users and non-users.

“Tobacco use accounts for nearly half of all cancers among males and a one-quarter of all cancers among females and is also a major cause of cardiovascular and respiratory disease. Educating the users about the health hazards of tobacco use and effective pictorial warnings on tobacco products can help people to quit and may also dissuade others from embracing this deadly habit,” said Surendra S. Shastri of Tata Memorial Hospital.

Source: Business Standard

 

4 ways to prevent a hangover

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Try these tips for preventing a hangover and avoid the nasty symptoms of drinking too much

How much should you drink?

There’s no set rule for how much you can drink and avoid a hangover, although of course the more you drink, the more likely you’ll get one, and the worse it’ll be. The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in Toronto advises women to have no more than two standard drinks per day and nine per week. “These are low-risk, but not no-risk, guidelines,” says Wende Wood, a psychiatric pharmacist with CAMH. “They differ depending on the person. In general, women should drink less than menbecause we have a higher percentage of body fat versus water.” That means you’ll reach a higher blood-alcohol concentration than your male counterpart—even if you consume the same number of drinks.

Here are four simple strategies that you can try at your next get-together to keep a hangover at bay.

1. Eat before you drink

Food slows down the absorption of alcohol. Plus, you’ll feel fuller, and may drink at a slower pace.

2. Slow down

Don’t have more than one drink per hour. This is the maximum rate at which most people’s bodies can process alcohol.

3. Switch it up

Alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks (or water). You will stay hydrated and slow the pace at which the alcohol gets absorbed into your bloodstream.

4. Stick with light-colored drinks

Think vodka, gin or white wine. Dark-colored drinks such as rum, whisky and red wine contain chemicals called congeners, which are more likely to produce hangover symptoms.

Source: Best Health