Women and Smoking
Despite all of our anti-smoking education, one in 4 adult Americans continue
to smoke. . .and teenage girls are doing so increasingly. Smoking is the number
one risk factor for several major killers, from heart disease and stroke to
most cancers, especially lung cancer. We asked anti-smoking expert Dr. Michelle
Bloch of the American Medical Women's Association to comment:
"Well, smoking is addictive and many women who smoke are in denial that
they will ever be hurt by smoking. . .Iwould say we're not doing enough to
educate women about HOW harmful smoking is to remind them and help them break
through their own denial".
Shouldn't everyone know
by now that smoking causes lung cancer?
"Well as you say, lung cancer is the leading cancer killer of women.
. .but in addition, women who smoke die from heart disease and stroke and lung
diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema."
Smoking also causes many other problems: it increases breast
cancer risk, impairs fetal growth when pregnant moms smoke, and even increases
ear infections in children whose parents smoke. Women smokers also have greatly
increased risks from birth control pills and hormone replacement therapy. And,
it's a very expensive habit.
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Created: 12/14/2000  - Donnica Moore, M.D.