SMOKING MAY WORSEN CANCER PAIN

STUDY: SMOKERS REPORT MORE
CANCER PAIN THAN NONSMOKERS

www.webmd.com - A new study shows that smokers who continue to light up after being diagnosed with cancer may experience more pain and more pain-related disruption in their daily lives, compared to nonsmokers. In the study, researchers compared smoking status and pain levels of 224 cancer patients about to start chemotherapy. The participants answered questions about their pain severity, pain-related distress, and pain-related interference in their daily lives. The results showed that current smokers reported higher levels of pain and also appeared to be more bothered by their cancer pain than people who had never smoked. There is also an inverse relationship between cancer pain severity and the number of years since quitting smoking. Cancer pain decreased the longer it had been since they stopped smoking.

“Patients who continued to smoke despite their cancer diagnoses reported greater interference from pain than either former smokers or never smokers,” wrote researcher Joseph W. Ditre, PhD, of the department of psychology at Texas A&M University in the journal Pain. Researchers say the findings suggest that quitting smoking may reduce cancer pain over time. “Although more research is needed to understand the mechanisms that relate nicotine to pain, physicians should aggressively promote smoking cessation among cancer patients,” Lori A. Bastian of Duke University writes in an editorial that accompanies the study. “Preliminary findings suggest that smoking cessation will improve the overall treatment response and quality of life.”


Patients with cancer who continue to smoke despite their diagnosis experience greater pain severity than their counterparts who quit or who have never smoked. Continued smoking has been associated with an increased risk of developing a second primary tumor, it reduces the effectiveness of treatment, and it is associated with poorer survival rates. Smoking is already known to greatly contribute to a person’s risk of developing cancer, but this study suggests that smoking may also worse the pain in people with this illness. If you have trouble quitting, this news can help you decide to do so. Quit smoking!.

WHAT DO THE VEDIC TEACHINGS TELL US?

My father told me when he was young, nobody had any idea that cigarettes were bad. It was fashionable to smoke cigarettes. One movie star always had a cigarette hanging out of his mouth. The way he did it the whole of America was trying to imitate. He was such a sex symbol and such a handsome heroic person. His style became the fashion. ... but he died of cancer of the lips. One of the most famous singers would sing while smoking a cigarette. How can you smoke when you are singing! It was amazing ... he died of cancer of the lungs only when he was forty. So doctors began coming out and saying, ‘Cigarettes are going to kill you. Stop Smoking!’ When that message came out cigarette smoking became more popular among the young people. Because they are trying to prove to themselves, “I am daring. I am fearless. I don’t care if I am risking my life. I am going to do it to be cool. Yes I know it will kill me.” It’s so foolish. It’s just the example of mentality of material existence. We are not willing to listen to good advice.

Śrīla Radhanath Swami Mahārāja :
“Listen To Good Advice”
http://www.radhanath-swami.net/
http://radhanathswami.info/archives
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