ABC News' Dr. Tim Answers Questions About Smoking
Nov. 4, 2005 — -- Question: My mom quit for about a year and then she had lots of stress in her life. She said that's the reason why she started again. Now I can't get her to quit. I will be mean about it and say "Ooh, stressed still?" and that will get her mad. I even took her cigarettes away and hid them with the lighter but she knew it was me. So how can I get her to quit again?
Please help me. I don't want her to die.
--Lindsay, Grand Rapids MI
Answer: Lindsay, I wish I could tell you there's a way to get through to your mom but, I can't other than to be honest with her about what you're worried about. You can't be responsible for the choices your mom has made, other than to tell her how worried you are about losing her. Hiding her cigarettes will only cause stress for you both and won't work until she wants to do it for herself. You might want to talk to your school counselor, a relative or your pediatrician or family doctor to see if they have any ideas about helping your mom. It's just not possible to make the people we love change, even when it would be for their own good. Good luck -- your mom is lucky to have you -- maybe in time she'll be able to make the choice to quit for herself.
Consultation: Joan F Hermann, Director, Social Work Services, Fox Chase Cancer Center
Question: Why don't doctors ever mention bladder cancer is also caused by smoking? A year ago I had never even heard of bladder cancer. Now my husband and my sister both have bladder cancer.
My husband is 53 years old and his condition is terminal. He was a smoker for 35 years. My sister is 70 and hers was caught early. She never smoked but lived with a smoker for 40 years. Are there any early tests for bladder cancer?
-- Jeanette, Chichester, PA
Answer: Approximately 85 percent of bladder cancer occurs in smokers or, said another way, bladder cancer is unusual in non-smokers. Early detection strategies have not proven cost-effective in bladder cancer except in high-risk groups (like those with aniline dye exposures in the workplace). All men and women without urinary tract infection who have blood in the urine (by visual inspection or microscopic analysis) have kidney or bladder cancer until proven otherwise.
Consultation: Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Question: Are there any definitive studies to show the hazards from secondhand smoke? There seems to be a lot of speculation on this. I debate the issue periodically with my online quitting-support group. My position is that secondhand smoke is harmful.
Answer: Secondhand smoke IS harmful! Every major governmental body that has reviewed this has concluded that secondhand smoke is deadly. There is compelling evidence from studies spanning decades in the lab, in animals, as well as in large studies of people. The National Toxicology Program, which is the Federal government's voice about what causes cancer, concludes that secondhand smoke is something that can cause cancer.
The Federal Environmental Protection Agency concludes secondhand smoke causes lung cancer, heart disease, and adverse health effects like provoking asthma attacks and ear infections in children. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, which is part of the World Health Organization, has come to the same conclusions. Just this past year, the California Environmental Protection agency added breast cancer in younger women as a disease caused by secondhand smoke.
There is no doubt that secondhand smoke is deadly. The best way to reduce the risks is to avoid exposure. Average people can make their homes and cars smoke-free, and state governments can follow the lead of California, New York, Massachusetts, and other places to adopt rules that eliminate smoking in workplaces to protect workers' health.
Consultation: Roswell Park Cancer Institute
Question: Dr. Johnson, I have been smoking for 33 years. I smoke a pack and a half a day. I understand that quitting doesn't mean my chances for lung cancer go away. Is there anything I can do through medication or supplements to lower this risk?
Answer: Unfortunately, at the present time there is not. Studies in the past have attempted to see whether or not Vitamin A could reduce the risk. Unfortunately the study demonstrates it actually increases the risk of developing lung cancer. I think one should not be taking medications without studies to prove they are beneficial because ultimately they may be harmful. The best thing you can do is quit smoking and avoid all tobacco products.
Consultation: Ochsner Clinic Foundation Baton Rouge
Question: Dear Dr. Johnson, I am an Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Health Educator, and RN. I currently practice in a local hospital's Family Birth Center helping families with breastfeeding challenges. Today I had a mom telephone me with a question regarding smoking cigarettes and breastfeeding her young baby. She wanted to know, how long the chemicals from smoking remain in her breastmilk?
Answer: I can't imagine that inhaling a compound that has over 30 different known carcinogens, some of which are clearly water soluble, would be beneficial to the baby. Patients who are smokers are known to have increased risk of bladder and urinary cancer, indicating that the carcinogens are able to enter into the excretory system of the body, which I would assume also would mean breast milk. I would strongly urge this woman to not smoke and also the inhalation of tobacco around an infant clearly indicates increased risk of bronchitis.
Consultation: Ochsner Clinic Foundation Baton Rouge
Question: How can we change the minds of our young 15- to 18-year-olds that smoking is not cool? My daughter is a 16-year-old athlete and she says so many of her peers are smoking, even if they are on the high school teams. She has been smoking now for about one year. We are constantly punishing her for this habit. She says she is trying to quit but it is so hard. All her close peers are smoking too. What would you suggest at this time for our daughter and us the parents?
Answer: I think one of the things has to do with our society as a whole. Smoking is considered to be "cool." It is in very subtle ways through television and through TV shows and movies, and unfortunately, no one wants to show the end-stage results of this. It is an extremely powerful profit center for many companies and they are very, very reluctant to get away from this source of money. All I can say is constant discussion with young people, constantly showing them the long-term effects and also the effects more immediate to their lives. It is very difficult for them to grasp the idea of smoking as causing lung cancer.
Consultation: Ochsner Clinic Foundation Baton Rouge
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