.... the brain is not a vessel to be filled,
It is something to be IGNITED

Report from "The Tribune" dated April 6, 2005

Avoid smoking and live long, healthy life: seminar

TRIBUNE NEWS SERVICE: CHANDIGARH, April 5

An interactive seminar on the theme “The menace of tobacco” was conducted by “Burning Brain Society (BBS)” at Chandigarh College of Engineering (CCET) today.

The seminar was organised by BBS under its Young People Awareness Drive series of initiative. The program has been developed by BBS with active consultation with many health professionals headed by Dr. Rajesh Kashyap, professor of medicine at IGMC, Shimla.

The seminar moderated by Hemant Goswami, highlighted that each cigarette reduces the life span of a person by 11-20 minutes and a passive smoker by 3-7 minutes. The fact that tobacco is responsible for killing one person every five second and is directly responsible for the death of half of its lifelong users by reducing on an average the life of a smoker by 14 years astonished most of the youngsters attending the seminar.

The other astonishing facts discussed revealed that smoking is responsible for near 50 percent of all heart attacks and cardiovascular deaths; 30 percent of all cancer deaths and 87 percent of lung cancer deaths each year; 82 percent of deaths due to emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

Over 90 per cent of patients with oral cancer use tobacco by either smoking or chewing it. Smokers have a 16 times greater risk of developing peripheral vascular disease (PVD) (blocked blood vessels in the legs or feet) than people who have never smoked. Smokers are more likely to develop a cerebral thrombosis (stroke) than non-smokers.

About 20 per cent of all stroke deaths are estimated to be smoking related. The risk of dying among smokers from tuberculosis is about 400 percent higher than the non-smokers with tuberculosis.  Contrary to the macho image projected by tobacco companies, research has showed that there is a 50 per cent increase in the risk of impotence among smokers compared with men who had never smoked. Tobacco user may damage their DNA too by a condition called chromosomal fragility in which certain regions of a chromosome, which contains the body's genetic material, in the form of DNA easily break or form gaps.

Interacting with the young people, Hemant Goswami said that there is no such thing as a safe cigarette or a mild or light cigarette. “Thinking of smoking a cigarette labelled as mild, light or smoking only 2, 3 or 4 cigarettes a day is like committing suicide by jumping from a 30 story building instead of 31.

It makes no real difference as the dangers and consequences are the same. All youngsters when they start tobacco, they start with one (harmless looking) puff; then one stick, followed by one more and then slowly and steadily it reaches a stage of addiction and habit formation. So the basic prevention step is never to consume tobacco and not allow any of your friends to consume any form of tobacco.”

Mr. Hemant Goswami concluded by appealing the youngsters to help the elders in the family who want to quit tobacco by creating a positive pressure and by providing the much needed support system for then.

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