SECOND-HAND SMOKE UPS RISK OF SINUS TROUBLE

SECONDHAND SMOKE LINKED TO
CHRONIC SINUSITIS & NASAL PROBLEMS

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Secondhand smoke exposure contributes to as many as 40% of the roughly 30 million cases of chronic sinusitis among adults in the U.S., a new study shows. Other people's cigarette smoke could be to blame for much of the chronic itchy, runny nose and sinus woes - also known as rhinosinusitis - that plague one in every six US adults, new research shows. “If you've had a history of chronic rhinosinusitis or if you have sensitive nasal passages and sinuses and you're vulnerable, then definitely, absolutely you should avoid second-hand smoke,” Dr. C. Martin Tammemagi of Brock University in St. Catherines, Ontario, who helped conduct the new study, told Reuters Health. Tammemagi and his colleagues found that exposure to second-hand smoke - especially on the job and at private social functions like parties and weddings - upped the likelihood of suffering from chronic rhinosinusitis.

The research appears in the April issue of the Archives of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery. “Ours is one of the first studies to connect secondhand smoke to rhinosinusitis,” Tammemagi says. “Our research confirms that people are being exposed in large numbers and it indicates that about 40% of cases are caused by secondhand smoke.” The finding that private social gatherings are an important contributor to secondhand smoke exposure was somewhat surprising, so the more places where a person was exposed to second-hand smoke, the greater their risk, Dr. Tammemagi says. “Certainly from a public policy point of view, limiting these exposures is not easy - you can't really legislate what people do in the privacy of their own home - but people with sinus problems need to recognize that exposure when they go to a party or a card game at a friend's house puts them at risk,” he says.

Due to bad association, during social meetings, we are exposed to cigarette smoke of people who like smoking regardless to nonsmokers around them. The effects of smoking this poison can be overcome by associating with devotees of Sri Krishna.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

In the mood of someone bound up by illusion, Narottama dasa Thakura sings: “Alas, I have given up the association of Krsna's devotees because I wanted to enjoy illusory material happiness. In this way I have become entangled in the network of karma.” Here Narottama uses the word sat-sanga, meaning “association with devotees of Krsna.” Sat-sanga can be found in the Krsna Consciousness Movement, where one can hear the Srimad-Bhagavatam, chant Hare Krsna, and practice how to become pure. Just the opposite is asat-sanga, bad association, which leads one to intoxication, illicit sex, drinking, and so many other sinful practices.

Śrīla A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupāda :
“Dharma - The Way of Transcendence”
Chapter 10: “The Sword of Remembrance”