Re: Smoking and Health

[Guest guest]

Here is some interesting data taken from, In Defense of Smokers, which I

am slowly working my way through:

http://www.lcolby.com/

" With the continued development of the Internet, figures have become

available which allow for

a comparison of LCDRs, smoking rates, and life expectancies in may countries. A

Dutchman, Kees van

der Griendt, has compiled date for 87 countries, using data from the World

Health Organization and

the CIA Fact Book. The complete study is at his web site:

http://www.kidon.com/smoke/index.html

It turns out that a high rate of smokers prevalence translates, in many cases,

to long life

expectancy and low rates of lung cancer. For males, in 1994, the country with

the highest life

expectancy (76.6 years) was Iceland, where 31% of the men smoked. The next

runner-up was Japan,

where 59% of the men smoked, and life expectancy was 76.5 years. Other countries

with high rates of

male smoking and long life expectancies included Israel (45%, 75.9 years);

Greece (46%, 75.2 years);

Cuba (49.3%, 74.7 years) and Spain (48%, 74.5 years).

Clearly, these figures rebut the hysterical claims of anti-smoking

organizations. Figures bandied

about in this country, and never challenged, estimate that smoking costs the

smoker at least seven years

of life expectancy. Figures circulated in Europe and cited on Mr. Van der

Griendt’s web page, claim as

much as 20 to 25 years of loss of life expectancy. But the official vital

statistics from countries with high

rates of smoking fail to validate these claims. To the contrary, it turns out

that some of the countries with

the highest rates of smoking have the longest life expectancies. This is

important, not only from the

standpoint of lung cancer, but also from the standpoint of heart disease. If, as

is frequently claimed,

smoking leads to heart attacks, the effects should be clearly show up in the

form of greatly reduced life

spans in countries where a lot of people smoke. They don’t. "

And some of you may get a kick out of this website:

http://www.geocities.com/americansall/

The *New* Ten Commandments

http://tinyurl.com/245sr

" They told just the same,

That just because a tyrant has the might

By force of arms to murder men downright

And burn down house and home and leave all flat

They call the man a captain, just for that.

But since an outlaw with his little band

Cannot bring half such mischief on the land

Or be the cause of so much harm and grief,

He only earns the title of a thief. "

--Geoffrey Chaucer, The Manciple's Tale

[Guest guest]

>If, as is frequently claimed,

>smoking leads to heart attacks, the effects should be clearly show up in the

form of greatly reduced life

>spans in countries where a lot of people smoke. They don’t. "

OK, but within those countries with long lifespans, do the SMOKERS

live longer than the nonsmokers? This seems on the face of it to be

a bit of smoke and mirrors ... Japanese males live longer than American

males, but perhaps the nonsmoking Japanese males live to be 90 and

the smokers only make it to 60.

Every smoker I've known *personally*

has had either an early heart attack or lung cancer or emphesema.

None lived to a ripe old age. Hardly entices me to start!

-- Heidi Jean

[Guest guest]

> Here is some interesting data taken from, In Defense of

> Smokers, which I am slowly working my way through:

[snip]

Smokers can spin their habit any way they want to, but it will never

alter my own experience with tobacco's addictive nature and negative

impact on health.

[Guest guest]

> >If, as is frequently claimed,

> >smoking leads to heart attacks, the effects should be clearly show up in

> the form of greatly reduced life

> >spans in countries where a lot of people smoke. They don't. "

>

>OK, but within those countries with long lifespans, do the SMOKERS

>live longer than the nonsmokers? This seems on the face of it to be

>a bit of smoke and mirrors ... Japanese males live longer than American

>males, but perhaps the nonsmoking Japanese males live to be 90 and

>the smokers only make it to 60.

>

>Every smoker I've known *personally*

>has had either an early heart attack or lung cancer or emphesema.

>None lived to a ripe old age. Hardly entices me to start!

>

>-- Heidi Jean

I can't point you to where but I have read some research that shows that

pipe smokers live longer than non smokers. This was thought to be do to the

stress reduction in the pipe filling, lighting, smoking ritual. Pipe

smokers don't normally inhale.

[Guest guest]

My father was once a chain smoker. I never saw him smoke as he quit before

I was born after doctors warned him to quit. He was 43 when I was born.

But in spite of quitting, it greatly affected his health to the end of his

days. He continually coughed and brought up sputum and had other health

problems. He died at the age of 70 of a heart attack.

on 11/10/2004 5:26 PM, Rodney at perspect1111@... wrote:

> Nonsmokers live about 10 years longer than smokers.

>

> Quitting at age 60, 50, 40, or 30 adds, respectively, 3, 6, 9, or 10

> years to life expectancy.

>

> The life expectancy of ex-smokers is just about the same as it is for

> those who never smoked if they quit between the ages of 35 and 44.

> Even quitting between the ages of 55 and 64 helps ex-smokers live

> longer than smokers, although their life expectancy lags behind those

> who never smoked.

>

> Rodney.

>

>

>

>