Are you in danger of “third-hand” smoke?
The panic over smoking has turned those who light up into social pariahs who are suicidal at best. Even “secondhand” smoke has been blamed for the death of thousands. Now, the latest killer on the loose is “third-hand” smoke. Yes, you read that right. New research actually suggests that something called third-hand smoke can be a serious danger to both babies and pregnant women.
“The dangers of third-hand smoke are very real,” says Professor Jonathan Winickoff of Massachusetts General Hospital. “When you smoke – any place – toxic particulate matter from tobacco smoke gets into your hair and clothing.”
The theory is that these poisonous particles remain on surfaces in rooms where people smoke. And since small children stay close to the floor, or lay their heads on fabrics, they are at risk for increased exposure.
Yeah, it sounds fairly far fetched to me, too.
The study found that just half of the 1,500 smokers surveyed had any clue about these “dangers,” and only 43 percent of these smokers actually bought into the idea that “third- hand smoke” was an actual health danger. (There were no statistics that reflected the percentage of smokers who laughed out loud at the entire concept.)
Forgive my glib dismissal of this third-hand smoke idea. But since I don’t buy into the idea of secondhand smoke, I’d be hard-pressed to put much stock in this even-farther- removed new danger.
I happen to think that secondhand smoke is one of the biggest loads of bunk ever to be foisted on the population. After all, it was the hysteria over secondhand smoke that has helped usher in our current age of ever-eroding personal freedoms. As I’ve written to you on more than one occasion, smokers are merely the first group to have their personal freedoms yanked by do-gooders.
The fact remains: sidestream smoke is simply not an issue, except in the minds of hysterical and gullible people – and a few scientists who should know better.
Teens turn to a surgical cure for type II diabetes
It’s bad enough when the medical mainstream pushes bariatric surgery on obese adults. Now, doctors are suggesting that teens should undergo this risky surgery to get rid of their diabetes.
A new study has discovered that obese teens who’ve had the procedure not only cut massive amounts of weight, but also saw their Type II diabetes vanish entirely.
The study’s head researcher, Dr. Thomas H. Inge, an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Cinncinatti Children’s Hospital Medical Center, said, “In most cases, teens can lose one-third of their weight and come off diabetes medications with remission of their diabetes one year after bypass surgery.”
Well … maybe so. But at what cost? The fact is, statistics have shown that as many as five percent of patients that have gastric bypass procedure are dead within a year.
Five percent is nothing to sneeze at. If you think that’s a small percentage, consider this: In 2007 alone, more than 205,000 people had gastric bypass surgery. That means about 10,250 of those patients could be dead by now. The fact that this number could include teenagers is both tragic and sobering.
Sadly, the obesity epidemic in this country now includes a fair portion of young people. And what worries me is that this new study about a gastric bypass benefit could have more and more young people seeking a surgical route to a healthy weight, rather than regimen of a healthy diet and an active lifestyle.
