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Check your mouth often, looking closely at the places where you hold the tobacco. See your doctor right away if you have any of the following:
Aug 17 02 3:50 AM
Aug 17 02 5:38 AM
Aug 19 02 4:40 AM
Jan 26 03 6:28 AM
Jul 3 03 9:11 PM
Jul 24 03 2:33 PM
17 year-old Gruen's nightmare
Dec 20 03 8:56 PM
From: John (Gold) (Original Message) Sent: 12/18/2003 5:01
Dec 20 03 9:24 PM
Smokeless Tobacco Quitting Tips
May 26 04 12:11 AM
Personal tragedy turned into warning against teen tobacco use
January 23, 2004 by Maggie O'Neill, Staff Writer
Beware: Gruen Von Behrens, an oral cancer patient, speaks to students at Carson Valley Middle School on Wednesday morning about his fight. The cause? Chew.
Students at Carson Valley Middle School listened -- and listened well -- as oral cancer survivor Gruen Von Behrens relayed a message on Wednesday. "I didn't think it'd happen to me," he said. Von Behrens, once a popular 17-year-old baseball player at an Illinois high school, stood as a 26-year-old advocate before middle school students, telling how tobacco took his good looks away. "I know I'm a little hard to understand, so you're going to have to bear with me and listen," he said to the packed auditorium. "This isn't a mask I can take off and throw in the closet. I'm like this 365 days a year." "This" began for Von Behrens when he was 17 and noticed a white spot on his tongue that began to grow and cause it to split. He told his mother the drooling she noticed was from a painful wisdom tooth. "I didn't want my mom to see what was going on in my mouth," he said. At the same time, he holed up in the bathroom, asking God why this was happening to him. "This" began with chewing tobacco when he was 13, a decision he regrets 33 surgeries later. "I liked the way it tasted," he said at the assembly. "It made me feel good." Concerned about his wisdom tooth, Von Behrens' mother took him to a dentist. Von Behrens told the dentist he wasn't there due to a tooth. He had cancer. The dentist agreed. "I've never seen my mom cry like that," Von Behrens said. "It ripped her heart out." Doctors gave Von Behrens a 25 percent survival chance for his first surgery. The operation took 13 hours as friends and family gathered anxiously in a waiting room. "At 17, you're not supposed to think about life and death issues," he said. He did survive, but doctors severed his tongue as part of the operation. The 5-foot-10 baseball player recuperated a month and a half later to discover another face in the mirror. "I said, 'Man this sucks. I'm not that good-looking guy anymore.'" Next came painful radiation and when he reached 19, a time he said should be "the best years of life," doctors transplanted three inches of bone from his back to his face to give him a jaw. The transplant lasted two days. Then his body rejected it. In February 2002, doctors cut bone from his left leg to again attempt to shape a jaw for Von Behrens. The surgery was a success, but left Von Behrens with a flattened calf and on crutches. None of "this" has stopped the courageous man, scheduled to undergo his 34th surgery March 10. None of it has stopped Von Behrens from making a passionate plea that people should not be judged on appearance. "Be your own person and be yourself," he said at the assembly. "Friends don't care what you look like. Talk to the person sitting next to you. They could (turn out to be) your best friend." He spoke of the small things and of family and of friends who make life meaningful. "Be thankful for what you have guys and enjoy life. Be nice to your parents and nice to your friends. Tell them you love them." He encouraged students to speak out and tell others who are smoking or using chew to stop, to tell them it smells, to say they won't give them a kiss with a stinky mouth. "Take what I have told you to heart guys," he said. "If you see someone using (tobacco), say 'You're going to look like (Von Behrens).'" Toward the end of his talk, he said he is thankful every day for one thing. He walked across the gymnasium floor. "I can still walk," he said.
Maggie O'Neill can be reached at mo'neill@recordcourier.com
or (775) 782-5121, ext. 214. http://www.recordcourier..../20040123/NEWS/401230101
Copyright Record-Courier2004
May 31 04 9:40 PM
Say So Long to Spit TobaccoHEALTHDAY NEWS 31-May-2004 MONDAY, May 31 (HealthDayNews) -- Smokers have no doubt been barraged with warnings about the dangers of their bad habit, but those who use smokeless tobacco might also want to heed the health cautions. "Smokeless tobacco is not without health risks," said Dr. John Spangler, a family medicine specialist at Wake Forest University who studies tobacco use. "Although it doesn't seem to cause cardiovascular disease or cancers to the same rate that cigarette smoking does, it definitely does cause them." It seems a perfect time to stop, since May 31 has been designated World "No Tobacco" Day, when smokers will put away their cigarettes in a gesture to good health. The American Cancer Society says people who use chewing tobacco and snuff face 50 times the risk of developing cancers in their cheeks and gums as those who don't chew. Every day, an estimated 24 Americans die of oral cancer -- nearly 8,800 a year -- according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. The habit is also linked to cancer of the pancreas, kidneys, prostate and possibly the breast, Spangler said. Chewing tobacco and snuff -- another form of the leaf that's put in the mouth -- should be a particular concern for America's youth. Nearly 10 percent of the nation's high school students (almost 16 percent of boys and 1.5 percent of girls) say they've used smokeless tobacco in the past month, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One misconception about spit tobacco is that it's chemically more benign than tobacco that's smoked. Untrue, Spangler said. Both products contain the same litany of cancer-causing chemicals, especially tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). However, smokeless tobacco users ingest far greater concentrations of these TSNAs than do smokers, 10 times more, on average, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation. Less serious but by no means pleasant, smokeless tobacco use is associated with cosmetic problems such as chronic bad breath, stained teeth and gum and tissue disease. One "dip" of spit tobacco is said to contain 10 times the nicotine jolt of a cigarette, and that sends the heart racing, constricts blood vessels, kicks up blood pressure and strains the heart, Spangler said. It also makes spit tobacco more addictive than cigarettes, and therefore potentially more difficult to give up, he added. Difficult, but not impossible. Herbert Severson is a researcher who studies spit tobacco cessation programs. He and his colleagues at the Oregon Research Institute are launching an online program to help people quit chewing. Like other chewing tobacco cessation efforts, ChewFree.com resembles smoking cessation plans in several respects, but it's not identical. "There are subtle differences," Severson explained. "The kind of withdrawal symptoms people experience with chewing tobacco are a little different." While smokers may become depressed when they quit, chewers are more likely to become agitated and angry and to see their ability to concentrate suffer. Oral substitutes, such as nicotine gum, are quite important for chewers, and use patterns are different, Severson said. That last point is key, he added, because chewing tobacco often takes on a more central part of a person's life. Ironically, users -- almost always men -- may work at smoke-free companies that have indirectly encouraged employees to go smokeless, Severson said. Chewing tobacco also provides background activity for typically male pursuits -- hunting, fishing and baseball -- when smoking isn't necessarily possible. "You can use it in a lot of situations where you can't smoke," Severson said. ChewFree.com, which has received funding from the National Cancer Institute, offers tips for successful cessation. It also provides information on a "blending program" that reduces nicotine exposure by mixing tobacco with nicotine-free plants such as mint snuff or herbal alternatives. Perhaps the most effective component, Severson said, is encouraging men to take a look at the damage chewing tobacco is doing to their mouth. "It's really quite motivational" to see the lesions that form where the tobacco sits against the gums, he said. Seven in 10 regular users develop these sores; 3 percent to 4 percent of those sores become tumors. Having mouth damage "is directly related to the length of time a man has chewed and the weekly amount," Severson said. http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2004/05/31/hscout518540.html © 2004 Forbes.com Inc.™ All Rights Reserved
Say So Long to Spit Tobacco
MONDAY, May 31 (HealthDayNews) -- Smokers have no doubt been barraged with warnings about the dangers of their bad habit, but those who use smokeless tobacco might also want to heed the health cautions.
"Smokeless tobacco is not without health risks," said Dr. John Spangler, a family medicine specialist at Wake Forest University who studies tobacco use. "Although it doesn't seem to cause cardiovascular disease or cancers to the same rate that cigarette smoking does, it definitely does cause them."
It seems a perfect time to stop, since May 31 has been designated World "No Tobacco" Day, when smokers will put away their cigarettes in a gesture to good health.
The American Cancer Society says people who use chewing tobacco and snuff face 50 times the risk of developing cancers in their cheeks and gums as those who don't chew. Every day, an estimated 24 Americans die of oral cancer -- nearly 8,800 a year -- according to the Oral Cancer Foundation.
The habit is also linked to cancer of the pancreas, kidneys, prostate and possibly the breast, Spangler said.
Chewing tobacco and snuff -- another form of the leaf that's put in the mouth -- should be a particular concern for America's youth. Nearly 10 percent of the nation's high school students (almost 16 percent of boys and 1.5 percent of girls) say they've used smokeless tobacco in the past month, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
One misconception about spit tobacco is that it's chemically more benign than tobacco that's smoked. Untrue, Spangler said. Both products contain the same litany of cancer-causing chemicals, especially tobacco-specific nitrosamines (TSNAs). However, smokeless tobacco users ingest far greater concentrations of these TSNAs than do smokers, 10 times more, on average, according to the Oral Cancer Foundation.
Less serious but by no means pleasant, smokeless tobacco use is associated with cosmetic problems such as chronic bad breath, stained teeth and gum and tissue disease.
One "dip" of spit tobacco is said to contain 10 times the nicotine jolt of a cigarette, and that sends the heart racing, constricts blood vessels, kicks up blood pressure and strains the heart, Spangler said. It also makes spit tobacco more addictive than cigarettes, and therefore potentially more difficult to give up, he added.
Difficult, but not impossible. Herbert Severson is a researcher who studies spit tobacco cessation programs. He and his colleagues at the Oregon Research Institute are launching an online program to help people quit chewing.
Like other chewing tobacco cessation efforts, ChewFree.com resembles smoking cessation plans in several respects, but it's not identical.
"There are subtle differences," Severson explained. "The kind of withdrawal symptoms people experience with chewing tobacco are a little different." While smokers may become depressed when they quit, chewers are more likely to become agitated and angry and to see their ability to concentrate suffer.
Oral substitutes, such as nicotine gum, are quite important for chewers, and use patterns are different, Severson said. That last point is key, he added, because chewing tobacco often takes on a more central part of a person's life. Ironically, users -- almost always men -- may work at smoke-free companies that have indirectly encouraged employees to go smokeless, Severson said.
Chewing tobacco also provides background activity for typically male pursuits -- hunting, fishing and baseball -- when smoking isn't necessarily possible. "You can use it in a lot of situations where you can't smoke," Severson said.
ChewFree.com, which has received funding from the National Cancer Institute, offers tips for successful cessation. It also provides information on a "blending program" that reduces nicotine exposure by mixing tobacco with nicotine-free plants such as mint snuff or herbal alternatives.
Perhaps the most effective component, Severson said, is encouraging men to take a look at the damage chewing tobacco is doing to their mouth. "It's really quite motivational" to see the lesions that form where the tobacco sits against the gums, he said. Seven in 10 regular users develop these sores; 3 percent to 4 percent of those sores become tumors. Having mouth damage "is directly related to the length of time a man has chewed and the weekly amount," Severson said.
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2004/05/31/hscout518540.html
© 2004 Forbes.com Inc.™ All Rights Reserved
Oct 8 04 7:41 AM
I photographed this WCU student on Monday afternoon and after doing so he told me that he had heard that his snuff brand had fiberglass in it so that it would cut his mouth tissues and get nicotine into the bloodstream quicker. I still have not been able to verify the accuracy of his contention but was suprised that he'd continue using it believing it to be true, but then I thought about my own thirty years of knowing what smoking was doing to me and understood. I timed him from when he put a pinch in his mouth until he reported feeling the rush (bolus) arrive inside his brain and it about a minute. I always thought it took longer (about five minutes) but I guess I was wrong. Still only one rule, no nicotine today ... Never Take Another Pinch, Chew, Dip or Plug! John (Gold x5)
I photographed this WCU student on Monday afternoon and after doing so he told me that he had heard that his snuff brand had fiberglass in it so that it would cut his mouth tissues and get nicotine into the bloodstream quicker. I still have not been able to verify the accuracy of his contention but was suprised that he'd continue using it believing it to be true, but then I thought about my own thirty years of knowing what smoking was doing to me and understood.
I timed him from when he put a pinch in his mouth until he reported feeling the rush (bolus) arrive inside his brain and it about a minute. I always thought it took longer (about five minutes) but I guess I was wrong. Still only one rule, no nicotine today ... Never Take Another Pinch, Chew, Dip or Plug! John (Gold x5)
Oct 8 04 9:01 AM
Oct 21 04 11:17 PM
Thanks Linda I have come to this thread often for inspiration when my resolve begins to disolve in the least. This is great motivation!! It has never failed to invigorate my determination to Never Take Another Chew.
Kevin, Remaining NicFree & Luv'n It for 126 days. I quit chewing tobacco on 6/17/04, have not spent $631.05 on copenhagen.
Mar 25 05 7:12 PM
Journal of the American College of Cardiology, March 2005 15;45(6): pages 910-914.
Wolk R, Shamsuzzaman AS, Svatikova A, Huyber CM, Huck C, Narkiewicz K, Somers VK. Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905, USA. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the acute hemodynamic and autonomic effects of smokeless tobacco.
BACKGROUND: Smokeless tobacco use is increasing. Its cardiovascular effects are not well understood.
METHODS: Sixteen healthy, male, habitual snuff tobacco users (aged 22 1 year) were studied, using a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design with two separate experimental sessions: placebo and tobacco. Muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA), electrocardiogram, blood pressure, calf blood flow, nicotine, and catecholamines were measured.
RESULTS: Snuff tobacco increased plasma nicotine from 2.8 0.5 ng/ml to 10.4 1.1 ng/ml. Mean blood pressure increased by 10 1 mm Hg, and heart rate increased by 16.2 beats/min. Peripheral vascular resistance, MSNA, and norepinephrine concentration did not change with tobacco, but epinephrine increased by approximately 50%.
CONCLUSIONS: Oral snuff tobacco increases heart rate, blood pressure, and epinephrine. Despite the increase in blood pressure, there is no decrease in either MSNA or peripheral vascular resistance. Smokeless tobacco is a powerful autonomic and hemodynamic stimulus. Catecholamine release from the adrenal medulla likely contributes to this response. PMID: 15766828 [PubMed - in process]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.g...t&list_uids=15766828
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