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Many of us are aware of the halachic debate regarding smoking. Most Poskim forbid starting. Some Poskim allow those who already smoke to continue, although they advise against it. Other Poskim forbid allowing regular smokers to continue smoking on a halachic basis.
But are there other obligations on the smoker to lessen the danger? For example, the latest research finds jump in blood nicotine levels for those who smoke a cigarette when they first wake up in the morning. Apparently, people who smoke their first cigarette within minutes after waking in the morning have much higher levels of cotinine, a by-product of nicotine when processed by the body, than those who wait to smoke, regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked.
"Since cotinine levels appear to reflect the risk of lung cancer, our results suggest that smokers who smoke immediately after waking may be especially at risk for lung cancer," said researcher Joshua E. Muscat, Ph.D., M.P.H., professor of public health sciences at Penn State College of Medicine. "These people may require a more intensive intervention than other smokers to help them quit smoking on a
sustained or permanent basis."
Results of this study are published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, as part of a special tobacco focus in the December issue.
Nicotine levels in the blood can be measured biochemically by the concentration of the metabolite cotinine. Muscat, along with John P. Richie, Jr., Ph.D., professor of public health sciences and
pharmacology at Penn State College of Medicine, and colleagues conducted a community-based study in Westchester County, N.Y., to examine whether a behavioral aspect of nicotine dependence (the amount
of time to the first cigarette after waking up) affects the physiological uptake of nicotine. This in turn may affect one's success in quitting smoking and have multiple health effects, such as
lung cancer.
"Not all smokers are the same and approaches to smoking reduction may need to account for individual smoking behaviors such as the intensity and frequency of puffing, cravings and physiological symptoms," said Muscat. "It is unclear why smokers who take their first puff immediately after waking have higher cotinine levels, but this may reflect a more intense pattern of smoking. We need to find out why this is."
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1 - Posted on 12/8/2009 7:52:15 AM
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The Green Shtreimel permits smoking, except for cigarettes,
for all adult males.
The Green Shtreimel personally smokes cigars, and recommends them for his followers, preferably Honduran or Cuban.
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by The Green Shtreimel |
Bobover Park, OH |
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