I saw my mother gasping just to breathe – and finally, I quit smoking

My mother died not long ago of a totally preventable illness: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It is caused by smoking. It is a hideous disease that leaves in its wake the walking dead. COPD patients who cannot or will not quit smoking are like alcoholics. They can virtually taste the cigarette that they crave with every ounce of their being. As a health-care professional in a hospital, I see COPD patients who tell me that all they want is that cigarette. This winter, every time I saw a COPD patient gasping for breath it occurred to me that I was seeing my mother. I myself started smoking at the age of 28. Now, at the age of 58, I have been smokefree since the first Sunday in December. It is not easy, but I have the support of my children, my husband and my colleagues......

Announcing the world conference on tobacco or health 2012, Singapore

Conference Programme We have planned a conference programme that sets the agenda for advancing the global tobacco control efforts. Throughout the Pre-conference (19 – 20 March 2012) and the Main Conference (20 – 24 March 2012) programmes, there will be exciting and interesting opportunities to: Build up our capacity through the sharing of best practices, experiences, knowledge, research and latest trends; Celebrate our successes; Renew our commitment to fight the global tobacco epidemic; and Connect with each other for future collaborations. Pre-conference (19-20 March 2012) You can get new skills and learn strategies on advocacy efforts; share and discuss issues; and develop friendships from global contacts through these highly interactive workshop and seminar sessions.

Best Way to Quit Smoking: Simply, STOP Smoking.

Editor's Note: Nicotine replacement therapies (NRT), specifically nicotine patches and nicotine gum, did not improve smokers’ chances of long-term cessation in a study by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the University of Massachusetts Boston. “This study shows that using NRT is no more effective in helping people stop smoking cigarettes in the long term than trying to quit on one’s own,” Alpert said. He added that even though clinical trials have found NRT to be effective, the new findings demonstrate the importance of empirical studies regarding effectiveness when used in the general population.