H/T Harley for the latest assault on smokers.
A national campaign urging smokers to quit for a month has been launched by the Government.
Britain’s eight million smokers will be encouraged to kick the habit for 28 days from October 1 as part of Stoptober, the Department of Health announced.
Why do they all dress so badly?
England’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Dame Sally Davies said it was the first time that the Government had launched a “mass quit attempt”.
The initiative, backed by Cancer Research UK and British Heart Foundation, will involve television and radio adverts, a daily messaging service and roadshows around the country.
I felt a surge of anger when I read this. The bastards never give up, do they?
But in my own case I’ll be completely impervious to the campaign, because I don’t have a TV, and don’t listen to the radio, and don’t read newspapers. And I won’t be visiting any of their roadshows, obviously.
And I rather suspect that it’s going to tick off quite a few smokers. And maybe quite a few non-smokers as well. For the past 5 years or more, smokers have faced a barrage of antismoking ads and messages and advice. And now it’s all going to be ratcheted up even louder.
You’d think that if someone was going to give up smoking, they’d have done so by now. But the only thing the zealots can think of doing is more of the same, only louder and bigger. At this rate, there’ll probably be loudspeaker vans everywhere, blaring out antismoking messages. I’m a bit surprised, with all the money they’ve got (and this campaign must be costing millions), that they couldn’t be a tiny bit more innovative. But the only thing they know is more of the same.
They’ll only make more enemies for themselves. People who hated them a little will hate them a lot. And people who hate them a lot will hate them even more. And that’s a good thing. In the end everyone will hate them, and everyone will be sated with their lying propaganda.
For someone like me, it’s a matter of honour now to never give up smoking. Even if I get lung cancer, I’ll use my last faint breath to pull on a cigarette. Because to give up smoking now is to surrender to these bastards, and I could never forgive myself for that. Once it was a free choice I could make: now it’s just moral blackmail, and I’ll never give in.
I’ve begun to think that, when they’ve lost their global war on smokers (and they will lose), and many of them are in prison for fraud and defamation and crimes against humanity, and the true extent of the colossal social and economic damage they’ve done has been revealed, it will be the end of the war on smoking forever. They won’t be back in 50 years or 100 years. They won’t be back ever. Because their current monumental assault on millions of decent people will not be forgotten. It’ll be the stuff of books and documentaries and enquiries. It’ll be the subject of movies, with another Humphrey Bogart and another Lauren Bacall fleeing from Antismoker-Occupied Europe to a Greek island where everyone smokes and drinks, until the arrival of Tobacco Control in the form of Sydney Greenstreet.
And there’ll be a museum of antismoking, full of No Smoking signs and black lungs and propaganda lies, and grainy blown-up photos of Stanton Glantz and co on the walls. And the message will be Never Again.
No, if the zealots ever come back, it will be with some new target social group to demonise. Like dog owners. Or yachtsmen. Or Egyptologists. It’s not hard to demonise people. Anyone can be made to look bad. And it’s pretty lucrative, particularly if you can get paid to do it using the target group’s taxes (so probably Egyptologists wouldn’t make a good target group, because there aren’t that many of them, and they aren’t that rich).
Antismoking puritan Nazism is a disease like influenza. The first time the bacillus comes round, it kills millions. But the next time, the population has built up a little resistance, and it claims fewer lives. It needs to mutate to become virulent again, and so must switch its targets.
P.S. F2C Scotland has a video.
Frank Davis 
Stoptober? Sheeesh… these people really need to get a life. Or doilies. Or a pet bunion. Or SOMETHING.
– MJM
Thats right MJM these people need to get a life, it doesn’t even sound right. Over here we have a Movember, it’s a charity thing when men (and some women) grow mustache’s for the month of November, it’s a pretty cool word-play on that month. These idiots have tried for a play on that, but using October and it just doesn’t work. They can’t even come up with original ideas these days.
Actually, I think a month dedicated to the Antismoking Movement would be fine.
They could call it Fibruary.
:>
MJM
Stoptober – Wow – catchy name, so exciting!
They’ve slandered me, denormalised me, banned me from everywhere, called me a mass murder and now it look’s like they’ve invited me to take part in a mass event!
Do we get T shirts ? We do get a free support kit, that I know (drug sales a bit slow?)
Dame Sally, it’s far too late to “nudge” people who have been repeatedly hit over the head with a baseball bat, particularly over the last 5 years. But do have a lovely time.
Fibruary – that’s a good’un.
Support #Octabber – a month dedicated to those who don’t want to quit smoking tabs – and for those who don’t smoke but resent the loss of £833 milion in revenue in one month at a time the economy is fragile enough. I will be blogging this asap but meanwhile, please see my FB page and share the #Ocatbber Resistance photos I have posted.
It’s an interesting departure, though, isn’t it – this “28 days” malarkey? Hasn’t their mantra always been to give up, right now, forever? Maybe this is yet another limp attempt at a “different approach.” Perhaps you and your fellow bloggers should start up a little campaign of your own on Monday 29th October – something along the lines of “You made it! Well done! Now you can go and celebrate with a packet of sweet, lovely, relaxing fags!” Perhaps you could call it National Celebrate with a Cig Day!
Good idea. I’ll pencil it in. Smokember? It’s a good thing that these months’ names end in ’ember’, which is a little hot, glowing thing just like a cigarette.
28 days thats a womans menstrual cycle,then Bleed ASH BLOODY BLEED you wragging bytches. Ya I know there reading this! Simon reads it for sure……….
Of course, Harley – that’s it! What we are all having imposed on us is a massive collective onslaught of anti-smokers’ PMT-induced wrath! :)
Doesn’t explain the male anti-smokers’ enthusiasm for the idea, though … :/
Yes Harley, it’s also the Moon phase cycle, unsurprisingly.
How appropriate.
Lunar phase on 30 September 2012 Sunday is Full Moon.
http://lunaf.com/english/moon-phases/lunar-calendar-2012/09/30/
Lunar phase on 1 October 2012 Monday is Waning Gibbous.
They’ve delved and hit the level of Refuseniks (I think they are now calling us refusing to quit rather than resistant to quit) before they thought they would and we are really messing up their target figures. Also we are saying No, and this annoys them. Good.
“They’ve delved and hit the level of Refuseniks”…
I agree…
Like Frank says, “You’d think that if someone was going to give up smoking, they’d have done so by now”.
The only people left are the 8+ million “hard-core” smokers, all refusing to quit.
This is curtains for Tobacco Control.
Short of making tobacco completely illegal, like cannabis, cocain etc, they are finished.
Ooh, Marvin. Can Harley and I include you in our “these are last-ditch methods from a bunch of people who have had their day and they know it” club? I think that he and I are the only ones on here who think that Tobacco Control’s star is on the wane and that their increasingly desperate gimmicks to get back in the limlight indicate that TC think so, too, although they’re not admitting it (unless the rest of you are just keeping very quiet about it!).
C’mon on, Marvin. You could swell our numbers to a massive – err – three …
Thanks for the invite Jax, count me in :)
I think with the dismissal of Lansley and Milton just a few days ago and now the announcement of this “initiative” in only one months time, are not unconnected.
It says to me they have had the hard word, show us some REAL results in xxx months time or your funding will be cut.
Here’s hoping anyway.
The tobacco companies must love these people, forbidden to advertise themselves they can just sit back and wait for the antis to do it for them. If it wasn’t for these people filling the mainstream media with their expensive, splashy campaigns smoking would have become a non-issue years ago. Smokers would smoke and non-smokers wouldn’t care.
Marie,
You’re absolutely right, of course, but it actually runs a little deeper than that and it’s one of the most intractable problems which anti-smoking campaigners face, although few understand it.
Some while ago there was a study done (swiftly buried, needless to say) which showed that the sight of “no smoking” signs and symbols actually made people want to smoke (which might explain why the smoking rate has gone up since the ban was imposed). There’s a good psychological reason for this. It’s because the human subconscious is incapable of visualing a negative action (i.e. in the sense that it can’t visualise something that isn’t happening). Try it for yourself. Try and think of someone not reading a book. Chances are that what your subconscious did after a fraction of a second was think of someone doing something other than reading a book. Which isn’t the same thing at all.
The mechanism is that when the subconscious is asked to visualise something, it will always try its best, and its starting point in this task must inevitably be the “positive action” which has been suggested in the first place as “not happening” (i.e. reading a book). But because it can’t get any further than that, the initial idea of reading a book is the one which triggers the imagination to “see” that thing – which in turn mildly stimulates the responses normally associated with that action, be those responses good or bad. And in the case of smoking, the responses are usually “Ooh, yum! I like that!” – which, of course, triggers the desire to smoke.
No wonder, then, that the Tobacco Companies never bellyache too much about the advertising ban. Why spend lots of their cash on expensive advertising campaigns when they can sit back and let Tobacco Control do it all for them for free?
Hi Frank,latest bullshit on the ASH site in Australia,are you sitting down here it is-“second hand smoke linked to memory loss in non-smokers” So light up when ever you can around these morons and they might just forget about us!
Keywords:second-hand smoke;prospective memory;CAMPROMPT
Aims
Prospective memory (PM: remembering future intentions and activities) is critical to everyday remembering. This study compared a group of never-smokers who reported regular exposure to second-hand smoke (the SHS group) with a group of current smokers (the CS group) and a group of never-smokers who reported never having been exposed to SHS (the Non-SHS group) on objective PM.
Design
An existing groups design was employed to compare the SHS, CS and Non-SHS group.
Participants and setting
27 SHS, 27 CS and 29 Non-SHS were tested on objective PM. All participants were university undergraduates aged between 18 –30 years. All participants were tested individually in a laboratory setting.
Measurements
The Cambridge Prospective Memory Test (CAMPROMPT) was used to assess objective PM. Age, other drug use, mood and IQ were also measured as covariates in the study.
Findings
The Non-SHS group recalled significantly more time-based PM tasks than the SHS group (Means = 16.3 versus13.7, p <.001) and significantly more than the CS group (CS Mean = 11.6, p <.001); and the SHS group recalled significantly more time-based tasks than the CS group (p <.002). The Non-SHS group recalled significantly more event-based PM tasks than the CS group (Means = 15.2 versus 11.3, p <.002) with no significant difference between the Non-SHS group and SHS group (SHS Mean = 14.3, p =.234); and the SHS group recalled significantly more event-based tasks than the CS group (p <.001).
Conclusion
Non-smokers exposed to secondhand smoke may suffer impairment in time-based prospective memory
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2012.04056.x/abstract
Has a pdf to the whole junk study
XX a group of never-smokers who reported never having been exposed to SHS XX
Regardless of the bull shit regarding SHS, THAT is a load of bull shit. WHERE in the WORLD is there a single person that has NEVER been in the presence of a smoker?
The whole premis is bollox.
If smoke makes non-smokers forget, then perhaps they just don’t remember the smokers they’ve been around ;)
I like the sound of this, it has great potential. I’ll see if I can get any of them to carry a thick black pen and make a mark on their arm every time they see a smoker, so they’ll remember.
Personally I call it a surrender by TC……….Its like please we are begging theres 8 million of you and after 2 trillion pounds spent over the last 40 years your still not doing as we said children!
Literally it does sound as though they are giving up,a final plea before EPIC FAIL sends them to the dustbin. Like somebody in the government has said youve got just xxx amount of time before we shut your asses down and thats it. Or maybe theyve already been told and this plea is the last hoorah…. Either its a pleading by these NAZIS! Lets give em a resounding ”GO FUCK YOURSELVES”!`Smoke another and blow smoke towards london where these wackos reside.
Fate of eurozone rests in the hands of German judges
Decision is likely to give financial rescue fund the go-ahead against a background of German disillusion with single currency
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/sep/09/german-judges-to-rule-on-euro-fate
They have the potential to throw the stock exchange into turmoil, trigger frenzy on bond markets and bring down the German government. So the eyes and ears of the eurozone will be on the eight red-robed judges of Germany’s highest court this week when they deliver a long-awaited verdict over whether a financial rescue fund considered crucial to the future of the euro gets the green light.
The constitutional court is under international pressure to rule in favour of the European stability mechanism and fiscal pact. A dissenting ruling from the court, based in Karlsruhe, southwestern Germany, would probably cause havoc on money markets and cast doubt on the future of Europe’s single currency.
“The German constitutional court cannot afford to be seen as not being independent, but it also cannot afford to be seen as the court that brought down the government,” said Constanze Stelzenmüller, a senior transatlantic fellow at the German Marshall Fund in Berlin. “They’re going to have to try to square the circle; in other words, not bring down the government at the same time as asserting their independence.”
The ruling, due on Wednesday, is expected to give the go-ahead to the ESM, a permanent bailout mechanism, and the fiscal pact, but with caveats such as constraints on future decision-making or a ruling that Germany’s basic law has to be rewritten if there is to be further EU integration.
A government insider told the Observer, on condition of anonymity, that the court “is very independent and always good for a surprise. Nobody knows what will happen on 12 September.” A poll published on Friday on Spiegel Online showed that 54% of Germans were in favour of the court blocking the legislation, reflecting the degree to which public opposition to bailouts is increasing.
The poll was released a day after the European Central Bank president, Mario Draghi, divulged plans for making unlimited bond purchases to lower borrowing costs for crisis countries in the eurozone. The announcement unleashed a wave of condemnation across much of Germany’s media and among a growing band of eurosceptics, who said the scheme would stoke inflation. German fears of a repeat of its 20th-century experiences of hyperinflation and the catastrophic consequences run deep.
“A black day for the euro, and for all of us!” a headline in the tabloid Bild said last week. It said the ECB had effectively written a blank cheque to indebted states by offering to buy their bonds. Jens Weidmann, head of the Bundesbank, issued a statement calling the Draghi decision “tantamount to financing governments by printing bank notes” and accusing the Italian banker of breaking ECB rules.
Analysts noted that the once mighty Bundesbank had been sidelined. “Germans feel utterly deserted and mocked by the fact that their Bundesbank has been so completely isolated, as has Germany,” said Gunnar Beck, a specialist in EU law at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies.”While this looks like an attractive solution in the short term, in the long term it’s disastrous, as it takes away any incentive for reform from the countries in crisis.”
Beck said the Draghi ruling had set off alarm bells for many Germans. “Like many Germans over 40, I grew up being told of my grandparents’ experience as very young people in the 1920s who experienced hyperinflation and were ruined by it,” he said. “It’s a collective phobia. Then, as now, it’s the people who are least guilty, who invested conservatively, who are the ones who are asked to pay for the losses of the risk-takers.”
Beck said it was likely Draghi had been informed of what the court’s decision will be on Wednesday, ahead of making his announcement. “Draghi, or let’s call him Draghiavelli, is a shrewd operator who waited for the moment when his solution would seem the most opportune,” he said. “He must have been given the OK by Merkel and she wouldn’t have done that if she hadn’t known how the court would decide on Wednesday.” He said the Draghi announcement would add pressure on the court, whose decision was vital to the future of the euro.
The case was brought by a group of more than 12,000 plaintiffs, including a growing band of eurosceptics from academia, Angela Merkel’s coalition and the hardline Left party. Karlsruhe shocked the political establishment in July by saying it needed two months to examine complaints that the rescue fund violated the constitution. Political observers believe the anti-euro group has the makings of a new party, unprecedented for Germany, where there are no anti-European parties.
“There’s a certain angst now among politicians that people are distancing themselves from Europe for the first time, as the Germans wake up to the fact that Europe can no longer be united by Germany’s war guilt, but needs to be united by the idea of a common, successful currency and by making it work,” said Wolfgang Nowak, a former adviser to chancellor Gerhard Schröder. “Germans would probably do themselves a service by leaving the euro, but this is something that is unsayable in German politics.”
Who wants to bet – oh, what a surprise – that the eventual ruling will be for the bailout arrangement and not against it? Enormous pressure/incentives – even, I’d wager, tacit “threats” if any judges prove impervious to “persuasion” – will be brought to bear behind the scenes to make sure that these judges make the “right” decision. The EU simply cannot and will not allow the EU to fail. What was it that one of them said recently: “Whatever it takes” (or something along those lines)? Which, presumably means just that – whatever it takes, i.e. by fair means or foul.
Didn’t close one of the italics! Frank
The Verfassungsgericht HAS, on many occassions, gone against the Government. But, I agree, that in this case, they probably will not.
Problem here is, that, as I have pointed out on other occassions, and in other cases, when no political party, with a cat in Hels chance of actualy WINNING any power, would do it any differently, it is probably not worth the fuss it would cause for the court to bring down the Government.
All it would do is cause a general election, and except for the colour of the rosettes, we would be in exactly the same position as we are at present. Even if, which is VERY unlikely, the opposition won without having to form a coalition with the very ratbags who are “in power” now.
The Verfassungsgericht can delay the outcome, but as far as I see, they can not stop it dead in the water.
What we need is not a general election, but a referendum on the ESM. Because, as we all know, no matter WHAT presing issues are facing the country, the general brain dead population never vote on that issue. They vote because one party put too much tax on cat food, or something. And the main issue gets left high and dry.
FT, Are there calls for a referendum in Germany? The British puppet media have certainly kept that very much under their hat. The impression they give is that we are the only flies in the ointment who don’t love the EU!!
And did I hear on an (inevitably) late-night radio show that there’s a strongly anti-European political party which is making inroads in the run-up to a Dutch election …?
Thanks for correcting that, Frank. Needless to say I spotted it – too late – as soon as I had posted it …
XX FT, Are there calls for a referendum in Germany? XX
Unfourtunately not anywhere, where it would make any difference. The media here is, as in Britain, strictly Government controled, and the journalists financed with Govrnment “hush money”.
The favourite tactic is to brand any party that stands up against the E.U, or is any further “right wing” than Mother Theresa’s left tit, as “neo nazi”. That may not sound too serious from where you are, but the label has a much more detrimental meaning here.
I read the results of a poll just five minutes ago though, whereby 53% are against the ESM, which is only a small majority, until you look at the “don’t cares”, and this brings the figure of those AGREEING with the ESM to a megre 27%.
Switzerland (What the HEL has it to do with Switzerland??!!??) has just voted 75% AGAINST, not just the ESM, but the E.U in general.
Lebanon ban goes up in smoke
Country demonstrated, once again, its intrinsically superior entertaining skills
By Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer
Published: 12:00 September 8, 2012
An indoor smoking ban was certainly a worthy goal though it was difficult to see how Beirut would enforce the law and, more important, how cynical Lebanese, who experienced similar experimentations with seatbelt and speeding laws, among other beneficial regulations, would remember it next week.
http://gulfnews.com/news/region/lebanon/lebanon-ban-goes-up-in-smoke-1.1071454
Check out the pick an ashtray right beside the no smoking sign on a table LMAO!
There’s 8 million of us? That’s 13%. I thought it was more like 21% at least, nearer 28% and probably more 41% if the truth were known. That makes at least and approx. 13 million, not 8.
God, these people don’t half delude themselves. Either that or it’s back to primary school and learn to count. Use both hands this time.
Not if they are only counting people over 16 years of age. They are still wrong, but not because they can’t count, they are wrong because they can’t think.
Doesn’t October have 31 days?
So there are 5 million under 16’s that smoke? Where’s that figure come from? The general statistics (for what they’re worth) go from TC’s 21% to Eurostats 28%. Add on the 8% that Sainsbury’s finance for life insurance survey concluded smoke but don’t admit it and we’re @ 29% – 35%. Add on the ‘non smokers’ that are permanently trying to cadge off the Mrs and me – “Oh, could I just have one of those?, I shouldn’t really, I’m a non smoker” and it wouldn’t surprise me that it’s over 50%!
As said, back to school. From the looks of most of this TC lot they spent their youth trying not to upset anybody and cleaning Church pews. ‘Plain’ isn’t in it. They could have done with some extra curricular Maths., instead.
I too am familiar with the non-smokers who try to scrounge ” just one”. Here in Norway they are such a well recognised phenomenon they are called “party smokers” and this phrase has actually found its way into dictionaries. This is not what I call them, but that will never find its way into a dictionary.
According to the Office of National Statistics, there were 44.9 million adults in England and Wales in 2010. If 21% of them were smokers, that’s 9,429,000. If 28% of them smoked, that’s 12,572,000. If 35%, that’s 15,715,000. You pays your money and you takes your choice.
Whether any of the figures is accurate is another matter. According to Professor Mollimard, in France the numbers are arrived using telephone polls, with people identifying themselves as smokers. Since there seem to be rather a lot of people – e.g. Joan Bakewell – who don’t regard themselves as smokers, even though they’ll periodically smoke a lot, the figures reached this way are likely to be underestimates. Furthermore, in the current climate, how many people who regard themselves as smokers would actually say so? And how many people who never smoke would identify themselves as smokers, in order to show solidarity (“I’m Spartacus!”).
It’s the trouble with all these numbers (even the population figures) that they’re not hard figures, but rough estimates. And it’s why nothing done this way is science.
Unfortunately, yes, Marie, 31 days.
Oh well, I suppose I will have to practice my fuck off again.
Here we go.
Hmm hmm,
Fuck off.
Ahem hem, Fuck OFF.
hmm hmm, FUCK OFF!
That’s better!
Firstly, I would attend one of their roadshows and Chain Smoke, just to piss them off, and tell them where they could go when they tried to get me to quit!
Secondly, their delusion over the number of smokers, I believe, is due to the fact that when people try NRT, if they stay off cigs for a month they are considered as non smokers, despite the fact that 98% or so go back to smoking!
Thirdly, in the letter I reproduced here a week or so ago, from the DoH, it stated that the Treasury was reliant on the taxes from tobacco products!
Finally, if CRUK and BHF can afford to fund such campaigns, then in my opinion this means their research is complete and they have found the actual causes of cancers and heart disease and this should have been Banner Headlines! As this is not the case, then why the bloody hell are they wasting the money poor saps have given in good faith towards research? Lying, fraudulent bastards, the bloody lot of them! If the majority of people still can’t see these ‘charities’ for what they really are, then more fool them and, as they say, a fool is soon parted from his money!
True. I stopped buying from CRUK and BHF charity shops when I found out that they spend most of their donations on Tobacco Control. Their stuff is pretty pricey too, for charity shops, especially when you consider they get their donations free.
Just wondering, will 28 days of complete abstinence be enough to trigger diabetes?
The drugs they’ll be offered are unlikely to help.
Behind the Headlines: Is diabetes linked to quitting smoking?
“Quitters face an almost doubled risk of developing diabetes in their first three smoke-free years.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, studied 10,892 adult smokers, none of whom had diabetes at the start of the study.
The participants were studied for nine years during which time, 1,254 developed type-2 diabetes.
In the first three years after giving up, new quitters were 91 per cent more likely to develop diabetes. This decreased over time and after 12 years quitters had no excess risk.
What is behind the raised risk?
“Extra weight put on by new quitters explains around a third of the increased risk, the researchers said. A further third of the excess risk is accounted for by systemic inflammation, as assessed by increased leukocyte counts.
However, after adjusting for this weight gain and inflammation, new quitters were still at higher risk compared with participants who continued smoking.”
“Patients should, however, be made aware of the risk and advised to consider countermeasures, particularly for heavy smokers, they said.”
http://www.gponline.com/News/article/976970/Behind-Headlines-diabetes-linked-quitting-smoking/
“This study found that smokers and recent quitters had a greater risk of diabetes compared to those who had never smoked, but that three years after quitting this risk had reduced. The suggestion that this is because quitters are more likely to gain weight is logical, but it cannot be proven by this cohort study.
The results of this study do not mean that smoking is protective to health.”
http://www.nhs.uk/news/2010/01January/Pages/Quitting-smoking-and-diabetes-risk.aspx
Increased Bodyweight After Stopping Smoking May Be Due to Changes in Insulin Secretion
“ScienceDaily (May 7, 2012) — Fear of putting on weight is one of the major reasons why smokers do not give up their habit.
The reasons for this weight gain are believed to be in part due to metabolic changes in the body, but until now precise details of these changes were not known.”
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/05/120507210042.htm
“Patients should, however, be made aware of the risk and advised to consider countermeasures, particularly for heavy smokers, they said.”
So will the participants in this mass quit attempt be so advised?
I haven’t noticed any words of caution in the papers so far.
XX Is diabetes linked to quitting smoking? “Quitters face an almost doubled risk of developing diabetes in their first three smoke-free years. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, studied 10,892 adult smokers, none of whom had diabetes at the start of the study. The participants were studied for nine years during which time, 1,254 developed type-2 diabetes. XX
Shocked, awed and amazed!
My story.
I stopped smoking about four years ago. less than twelve months later, I was having to inject, not insulin, but similar, for Type 2.
I started smoking again 18 months to two years ago.
And guess what? My doctor is bloody amazed that the diabetes appeares to have totaly disapeared. Not only no injections, but not even tablets!
Anecdotal, but you have live “evidence” sitting here writting to you.
Very interesting. I’ve never heard anyone recovering from Type 2 diabetes by going back to smoking.
“Cured” is perhaps to stong a word. But my “count” has remaine at average for the population for 18 months now.
Her words were “as good as cured”.
I had never thought of the smoking aspect, until reading the post from Rose.
As I say, anecdotal, but interesting to ponder on.
Then you are the third person I know of that has had this happen shortly after quitting smoking.
Medical Uses of Tobacco, Past and Present
DISEASES OF The ENDOCRINE GLANDS:
“Diabeles Mellitus. Saxe (1870-71) reported a case of Sacharine diabetes following upon cessation of smoking, and relieved by resuming smoking.”
http: //tobaccodocuments.org/ness/2445.html?zoom=750&ocr_position=above_foramatted&start_page=1
Here’s another tricky one, when you give up smoking you give also give up the anti-inflammatory carbon monoxide and vasodilating nitric oxide, products of combustion but also made in the human body since the dawn of time.
Effects of Smoking Cessation on Changes in Blood Pressure and Incidence of Hypertension
A 4-Year Follow-Up Study
“The trends for increased risk of hypertension for longer periods of smoking cessation were observed in subgroups of those who maintained weight as well as those who gained weight after smoking cessation. The adjusted increments in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher in those who had quit for ≥1 year than in current smokers. These trends among weight losers, as well as gainers and maintainers, were similar. We observed progressive increases in blood pressure with the prolongation of cessation in men, although at this time the mechanism remains unknown and must be clarified. This study implies that the cessation of smoking may result in increases in blood pressure, hypertension, or both.”
“Although cigarette smoking has been reported to produce an acute rise in BP under laboratory conditions, 1 review1 mentions a fairly consistent negative association between smoking and BP, and a dose-response relationship has been reported in several studies,4 10 with a lower BP observed at increasing levels of cigarette consumption. In addition, there are studies reporting an inverse relationship between cotinine, the major nicotine metabolite, and BP in smokers”
“In summary, the findings of the present study imply that smoking cessation itself may result in increasing BP, even hypertension, in men through an unknown mechanism that needs to be clarified.”
http://hyper.ahajournals.org/content/37/2/194.full
I’m not convinced about the cotinine, try this.
Carbon monoxide reverses established pulmonary hypertension.
http: //www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16908624
Therapeutic Role Found For Carbon Monoxide
“In a medical case of Jekyll and Hyde, carbon monoxide — the highly toxic gas emitted from auto exhausts and faulty heating systems — has proven effective in treating the symptoms of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), an extremely debilitating condition that typically leads to right heart failure and eventual death.”
http: //www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060918165352.htm
And giving people nicotine patches will have no effect on that sudden loss of supplimentary carbon monoxide, or the sudden loss of nitric oxide either.
Lost in the crowd: the story of nitric oxide
“Appearances can be deceiving! An age-old, tiny compound such as nitric oxide, which is easily lost among the myriad of other intricate neurotransmitters of its calibre, seems an unlikely candidate for induction into the Chemical Hall of Fame. However, since the discovery six years ago that it is a vital neurotransmitter, nitric oxide has proved its worth countless times through its applications in the area of medicine
This discovery led to new breakthroughs toward better treatments for angina, hypertension, and other serious heart problems. Nitric oxide, since it is now understood to be the principal regulator of blood pressure, is leading the old drug nitroglycerine in related breakthroughs”
http://www.chem.yorku.ca/hall_of_fame/essays95/NitricOxide/NitricOxide.htm
Eeek! What happened there?
Please fix it for me Frank, that is quite unreadable.
No it’s me, the whole page is now showing up in italics.
Ahh Rose. It is not just you. Same here.
As to the diabetes. Put my name on your list. You never know. Get enough “evidence” and…. I dunno, but it MAY be usefull. :-)
Fixed. Jax didn’t close an italic tag properly.
More to ponder, F.T.
Silent Killer: Big Rise In Diabetes – 2008
“There has been an alarming rise in the number of diabetes cases in the UK – prompting a stark warning from health experts.
The number of people suffering from the condition rose by 167,000 since last year, bringing the total number to 2.5 million.
The latest increase is more than double the 2006 to 2007 rise of 83,000
In England, a 6.4% increase means the number of people with diabetes has passed two million for the first time.”
http://news.sky.com/story/642171/silent-killer-big-rise-in-diabetes
Coenzyme Q10
Coenzyme Q10 is a compound that occurs naturally in the body, and may be able to help with carbohydrate metabolism. It is has been proven that animals suffering from diabetes are coenzyme Q10 deficient.
Clinical trials using coenzyme Q10 suggest that supplementation may significantly lower blood sugar levels. Coenzyme Q10 also oxygenates the blood, and therefore may be able to help in some cases of diabetic retinopathy”
http://www.diabetes.co.uk/vitamins-supplements.html
CTRI wins patent for using tobacco as medicine
“Many pharmaceutical companies have approached us for carrying out clinical trials for the usage of solanesol as anti-cancer and anti-diabetic drugs,” CTRI Director V Krishna Murthy told reporters.
Solanesol is rich in Coenzyme Q10 – a physiologically active substance”
http: //www.hindu.com/holnus/008200802171223.htm
Solanesol: A Tracer for Environmental Tobacco Smoke
CONCLUSION – 1988
“Solanesol, a compound expected to be unique to environmental tobacco smoke is easily detected in air even at low concentrations of environmental tobacco smoke …”
http://tobaccodocuments.org/ness/20844.html
ENVIRONMENTAL TOBACCO SMOKE –
ESTIMATION OF ITS CONTRIBUTION TO RESPIRABLE SUSPENDED PARTICLES –
METHOD BASED ON SOLANESOL DETERMINATION
“Many plants of the Solanaceae family, which includes the genus Nicotiana, of which the tobacco plant is a member, contain solanesol; particularly those that contain trace amounts of nicotine.
These include the tomato, eggplant, potato, and pepper.
The potential interference due to these sources is negligible, cooking being the only likely potential source of interference. An interference of this type would bias results high, overestimating the contribution of ETS to RSP.”
http: //www.coresta.org/Recommended_Methods/CRM_52.pdf
SOLANESOL
Powerful Health Agent
“Solanesol, extracted from tobacco leaves, is used in synthesis of high-value bio-chemicals such as vitamin-K analogues and Co-enzyme Q10 Co Q10 . Solanesol, the starting material used in the synthesis of Co Q 10 and Vitamin K analogues, is also a potentiating agent in these medicines.
Studies indicate that by introducing solanesol radical into the structure of some medicines, the effects increase noticeably.”
http: //www.novoagri.com/prod_solanesol.html
potentiate medical definition
To make potent or powerful.
To enhance or increase the effect of a drug.
To promote or strengthen a biochemical or physiological action or effect
I heard Robert West being interviewed on Today about this. Surprisingly for the Beeb the interviewer queried that the number of lives which will (will, not might – arrogant bastards) be saved is estimated. (West responded by explaining how the estimate is arrived at – usual bollocks.) Is even the Beeb beginning to waken up?
Can’t wait for some smiling cretin to bounce up to persuade me to sign the pledge with the promise that I, too, could enjoy the experience of looking down on my fellow man with myopic, hypocritical intolerance.
Frank, I think this is more than just another run-of-the-mill campaign. I detect the hallmarks of a sinister behavioural change agenda. Previous campaigns of vilification and denormalisation have played their part in placing a target on smokers for the psychotic amongst the population, but Stoptober is the roll out of normalisation of smoker hate. We are in Saul Alinsky and ‘nudge’ territory here. The movers of this campaign do not intend to turn Frank Davis into a non-smoker by November, the behavioural change is to take place amongst the other 80%. Agitation to create conflict.
I state quite calmly and soberly that the instigators can justifiably be compared to Nazis. Many people, not just smokers, are going to be hurt by their schemes. Regardless of any ‘new normals’ they create, they have placed themselves outside the default normal of decent society and as such need to be made outcasts.
Oh I see.
Brave new Tobacco Plan for England – 2011
Deborah Arnott
“The Government has committed to reduce smoking prevalence in adults by 0.5 percentage points per annum for the next five years, from 21 per cent to 18.5 per cent by the end of 2015 (this is any smoking not just daily smoking).”
“Last but not least, we need to see a revival of the mass media campaigns which drive population level quitting and guide smokers to support to quit. These were cancelled before the election last spring and although a commitment is made in the Plan to a new marketing strategy, to be published shortly, there is no indication yet of what the funding will be.
In conclusion, there is a lot to welcome in the strategy, but it is only the first step.
Given that smoking rates have stayed static in England since 2007, for both adults and children, the ambitions are stretching.”
http://www.fctc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=522:new-tobacco-plan-for-england&catid=257:opinion-pieces&Itemid=214
Stayed static since 2007, could it be that the smoking ban firmed peoples resolution whereas before they felt they had a choice and that their decisions were still respected?
Pity you pushed for such a draconian ban then isn’t it, Deborah?
When the British dig in their heels, they really do dig them in deep.
The Government has committed to reduce smoking prevalence in adults by 0.5 percentage points per annum for the next five years, from 21 per cent to 18.5 per cent by the end of 2015
Clearly the government thinks it knows better than most adults what they should be doing. It makes you wonder why we have elections, in which the adult population is asked to return a government. It’s called democracy, I believe.
You also have to wonder what other targets the government is ‘committed to’.
Deborah Arnott: smoking rates have stayed static in England since 2007, for both adults and children,
That, said in 2011, 4 years after the UK smoking ban came in, is worth remembering
XX It makes you wonder why we have elections, in which the adult population is asked to return a government. It’s called democracy, I believe. You also have to wonder what other targets the government is ‘committed to’.XX
In a situation, such as it is with smoking, as with other things, such as E.U membership, etc, it is not “Government”, it is politicians in general. No matter WHERE you put your vote, you will not get a “Government” that would do things any differently.
Therfore “democracy” as a concept, is dead in the water, as that suposses a choice. There IS no “choice” when they would all do the same.
XX The movers of this campaign do not intend to turn Frank Davis into a non-smoker by November, the behavioural change is to take place amongst the other 80%. Agitation to create conflict. I state quite calmly and soberly that the instigators can justifiably be compared to Nazis.XX
You are correct. It certainly has a bit of the good old “Nürnberg Rally” flavour to it.
‘A sinister behavioural change agenda.’ Yes, I sense that as well, Twisted Root, and fear it. In their minds I think they may envisage massed millions of smiling people, their eyes shining with fervour, chanting in joy: ‘We’re having a party, all giving up. We are united, all giving up. Altogether now …etc’
Dame Sally Davies. The Dame bit came in Jan 2009 when she picked up a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) for services to medicine. She herself has an interest in Sickle Cell disease.
http://www.aihealthsolutions.ca/connects/conference/Dame-Sally-Davies.php
Her personal life is quite intersting, having the dubious honour of trawling her way through THREE, yup 3 husbands – one divorced, one croaked within a year and she’s been with hubby 3 for 23 years.
Dame Sally stood in for Liam Donaldson when he retired, however she hung in as interim CMO and sort of got confirmed into the position, partly because no one else wanted it.
In short she’s plan B.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sally_Davies_(doctor)
One thing Sally ain’t is innovative. This entire initiative is CRUK and BHF. She’s the talking head. The photo you have of her is far too flattering. The woman’s 63 and without the makeup and the lighting and the correct glasses she wouldn’t warrant a glance. In fact, she got caught up in the Bird Flu vaccine cock up caused by Donaldson and this photo shows it at its best. Helps explain why hubby #2 popped his cloggs, the thought of waking up next to this!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-12128105
Just for once could you resist making comments about the individuals appearance, it only serves to detract from the valid points you are making.
Like Janet Reno she too could be a cure for an overdose of Viagra!
It really only serves to detract from the very valid points made in comments opposing the lunacies of these people. Their minds are more than ugly enough, please leave the personal insults for the anti smoking obsessives, their arguments are so poor that they are forced to resort to the nastier anti smoker comments. Please do not join in. It does not make you look clever, it makes you look as sour and ugly as they are.
If ugly people were being criminalized Id be out fighting for them to,just the same as I fight for the Obese against these nazis.. Ugly isnt outlawed and hense is open for laughter and jokes. But Id never ever back criminalizing ugly people! I cant help it Im as Handsome as a biker can be and get all those lovely hotties jumping on the bike,well until Mrs Harley came along that is!
Agreed but it’s also an unfortunate fact of life that we judge people from the way they appear and present themselves. We read them. This judgement is part of self preservation, that we choose not to comment for reasons of politeness does not eradicate those basic reactions. Simon Clarke has a picture on his site of the award being given to Ann Milton, the whole Politburo is in it. I dare anybody not to think certain things when they see it.
You’re right, I’ll do my best Marie. But only on looks.
Been mulling this issue. Donaldson retired at age 60. Dame Sally took over at age 60. Now my nose kind of twitches here, because I suspect she’s in it only to bang up her pension. That’s based on about 60% of final salary, so a rough guess is she’ll be £20k a year better off when she does retire. Not bad at all.
And whyever not Scotland? Surely the same arguements hold sway with TCI up here? Methinks the independence thing may have something to do with it. Maybe the SNP would prefer to avoid ticking off too many people, even if the referendum is not until 2014.
If that is the case, then the Tories clearly feel differently. They stand for election in 2015 if the coalition holds. But they won’t get off with just one year. Before it’s even started I can be 96% certain they’ll claim it’s a resounding success and “let’s do this every year”.
Reeks of politics this. Lib/Dem/Labour politics. Opinion only.
Presumably as CRUK and BHF are behind this, we will never know how much this costs. After all, aren’t “charities” exempt from Freedom of Information requests?
Makes you wonder in these austerity measures times why would someone spend on an extravanganza like this – it’s easy to make a noise around smoking nowadays anyway,’everyone’ gets to accept this
Unless if there is something else to be blamed for and they use the easy target of smoking…
After all despite the deduction in smoking,all the ‘smoking’ related diseases are increased!
“For someone like me, it’s a matter of honour now to never give up smoking. Even if I get lung cancer, I’ll use my last faint breath to pull on a cigarette. Because to give up smoking now is to surrender to these bastards, and I could never forgive myself for that. Once it was a free choice I could make: now it’s just moral blackmail, and I’ll never give in.”
Thank you Frank. You articulated my position with forensic precision.
Crikey, it even rhymed…
“Britain’s eight million smokers will be encouraged to kick the habit for 28 days from October 1 as part of Stoptober, the Department of Health announced.”
Gosh I’m slow –
Why only 28 days? 28 days – 4 weeks – the time it takes for a smoker to be classed as having successfully quit smoking.
It’s about targets.
Government targets fostered £90,000 NHS fraud – 2008
“Harry Singer, 54, took advantage of the Government’s smoking cessation programme which pays doctors, pharmacists and community groups £45 for every patient they convince to give up for four weeks.”
Jailing Singer for 18-months, judge John Hillen said the antismoking scheme was “amateurish” and “cavalier” and blamed the Government’s target-driven culture.
“To pay lay people, albeit briefly trained, as stop smoking counsellors for recruiting and spending a few sessions with smokers is an astonishing way to spend public money,” said the judge.”
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2592187/Government-targets-fostered-90000-NHS-fraud.html
NHS suspects fraud in £61m stop smoking programme
“Counter-fraud specialists are investigating claims that pharmacists are stealing money from the NHS by fiddling figures on the number of people they have helped to give up smoking.
The Guardian has learned of inquiries in five primary care trusts in London into allegations that chemists have fraudulently claimed thousands of pounds, claiming cash rewards of up to £85 for each patient they help to stop smoking for at least four weeks.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2006/dec/28/smoking.health
“To join in, look for Stoptober online, or ask your local pharmacist and get your free support pack and lots of other helpful hints and tips.”
http://www.thetelegraphandargus.co.uk/news/9918304.Month_long_Stoptober_event_to_help_kick_smoking_habit/?ref=rss
A big, well advertised push should help the Government announce that it has hit it’s targets at the FCTC.
More unintended consequences of the government’s obsession with fake charities and professional health lobbyists, what fun! As far as these idiots are concerned we can go back to the dark ages as long as ‘Big Tobacco’ is being bashed.
Huge incentive for fraud, eh? How entertaining. :)
On the same subject, I notice Warwickshire PCT’s page detailing their payments for promoting Pfizer products (mentioned here has now been taken down.
Pfizer Supports Historic World Health Organization Guidelines On Smoking Cessation and Tobacco Dependence Treatment – Article 14
November 24 2010
Click to access guidelines_smoking_tobacco.pdf
“In an effort to reduce tobacco use, the EU and its Member States have signed up to the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC).
The FCTC’s Article 14, through its recently adopted guidelines, demands action to promote cessation of tobacco use and provide adequate treatment for tobacco dependence.
Countries who have signed up to the FCTC therefore have a legal obligation to implement the recommendations of Article 14.”
Source
Pfizer
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/219321.php
Ever think that our elected representatives might be caught in a spider’s web?
Has anyone noticed that all the comments on the BBC which were mostly against this have been deleted.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19506327
No, I hadn’t noticed that. But I did notice this quote from the article,
Robert West, director of tobacco studies at University College London, meanwhile, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that smokers tended to stop “in clumps”.
“We are social animals, we are herd animals and we are influenced by each other,” he said.
He added: “So I think there’s good reason to believe setting it up as a mass movement, if you like, would give you a bit of extra bang for your buck.”
It confirms my Saul Alinsky ‘nudge’ suspicions. It’s right out of the playbook.
The big question is what happens at the end of the 28 day Menstrual cycle to ash!
Is it there Obituary Day!
Yes, this STOPTOBER is something interesting; prior to it there is a SMOKEMBER and following STOPTOBER there are 2 consecutive SMOKEMBERs
CRUK et al must be rolling in money, so it’s clear that they do not need any of the taxpayer’s contributions, least of all MINE!!! (After all, they should keep their hands off this, anyway. It is covered in third- fourth- and so-on-hand smoke and, according to their waste-of-cash-“studies” , it will kill them.)
Perhaps some government officials have remembered the existence of common sense. People are NOT willing to support measures necessary in order to straighten the mess Labour created if they are being demonized and persecuted.
STOPTOBER stands for stopping this anti-smoking lunacy?
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Just realised that one year’s tobacco tax and vat (£11.1 billion 2010-11)covers the cost of the olympics(£10.2 billion).
How about starting a firm that makes and prints sexy, seductive, colourful and slightly durable/reusable ciggy-pack-“outers”? These can slip over the grey state-tobacco-substitute packs as going to be introduced in Australia, where the Federal government has stolen the intellectual property of tobacco-firms and abolished it. Also, when people start growing and curing their own, they’ll want nice packs with unclad sexy girls on them as well as branding, to put the stuff in for sale.
I’ve tinkered with a few ideas.
They replace smoking with giant mini Babybels?
I see big cheeseCo behind this lame stunt…
and they dont fit on your arm, maybe you burrow your head into it, like a huge sombrero, the cheese will block up your mouth thus you can’t smoke, or breath, or hear or see