The Truth About Secondhand Smoke   An estimated 35,052 nonsmokers die from coronary heart disease (CHD) each year as a result of exposure to environmental tobacco smoke.

Secondhand smoke is the combination of "mainstream smoke" (the smoke exhaled by a smoker) and side-stream smoke (from the burning end of the cigarette). Secondhand smoke is also referred to as environmental tobacco smoke, passive smoke and involuntary tobacco smoke. It is a complex mixture of over 4,000 chemicals that are produced by the burning materials of a cigarette. Exposure to secondhand is associated with health risks in both children and adults, including:

• Exposure before and after birth puts children at a greater risk of abnormal blood pressure, cleft pallets and lips, childhood leukemia, attention deficit disorder and childhood wheezing.
• Secondhand smoke is a known cause of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), acute lower respiratory tract infections, asthma induction and exacerbation, chronic respiratory symptoms and middle ear infections in children.
• A recent study published in Circulation found that children 12–19 years of age exposed to secondhand smoke are nearly five times more likely to have metabolic syndrome than those who aren’t exposed to secondhand smoke. (Active smokers are about six times more likely to have metabolic syndrome.)
• In adults, exposure increases the risk of lung cancer, nasal sinus cancer, heart disease mortality, acute and chronic coronary heart disease morbidity and eye and nasal irritation.
• A 1997 analysis found that lifelong nonsmokers living with smokers had, on average, a 24 percent higher chance of contracting lung cancer than those living with nonsmokers, and that those exposed to the heaviest smokers for the longest time had the highest risks.
• Each year, 150,000 to 300,000 children younger than 18 months of age have respiratory tract infections because of exposure to secondhand smoke.

Anne Penman Stop Smoking article here: The champagne has run dry, the great ball has dropped, and the party is long since over. The year 2006 is now upon us, and therefore it's time to embrace our New Year's resolutions. If you are like some 22% of Americans, you've promised to make 2006 the year in which you finally quit smoking. Unfortunately, for many smokers this is not the first year that they have resolved to kick the habit.
Smokers all around the world are quitting smoking by zapping the habit using cold laser therapy as a modern form of acupuncture. In fact, the success rates are four to five times that of most other smoking cessation programs. Stephanie Stahl, Medical Reporter for CBS3 out of Philadelphia, recently featured this new technology to rave reviews. According to Stephanie, "Other than the treatment not working for everyone, there are no downsides to the laser, as long as it is used by a trained technician".
The Anne Penman Method combines laser therapy with customized guidance and a 24-hour hotline. The laser technician uses a "cold" laser beam to target energy points on the body. Focusing the laser beam on these areas causes the body to release natural chemicals called endorphins. Endorphins have a calming, relaxing effect on the body that helps to reduce nicotine craving and withdrawal symptoms. Some laser therapy clients report a feeling of euphoria following a smoking cessation treatment with the laser. In addition to stimulating an endorphin release, the laser stimulates the body's natural ability to detoxify the nicotine, getting the ex-smoker through the nicotine withdrawal more quickly.
While there are other organizations in the United States that offer laser therapy for smoking cessation, the Anne Penman organization is the most established and has treated close to 40,000 clients over the last 13 years. In August of 2005, the Anne Penman organization was featured on "Good Morning America", where Anne Penman declared a 64% success rate in helping people quit smoking. While there have been no formal studies conducted on the effectiveness of laser therapy to help people quit smoking, the low level laser therapy is currently in clinical trials through which it plans to soon receive FDA approval.

For a list of Anne Penman Stop Smoking locations offering this therapy please click here.

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Tobacco smoke is one of the six major controllable risk factors for heart disease (along with high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, being overweight and physical inactivity). If you smoke and have high cholesterol, you have two major controllable risk factors you need to work on. Exposure to other people's smoke increases the risk of heart disease even for nonsmokers.

Higher levels of HDL (good) cholesterol may reduce your risk of heart disease, but smoking has been shown to lower HDL (good) cholesterol levels. Smoking also decreases your tolerance for physical activity, making it harder to get the activity you need to help you reach healthy cholesterol levels. 

The good news is that when you stop smoking — no matter how long or how much you’ve smoked — your risk of heart disease and stroke starts to drop. It’s cut in half after one year without smoking, then continues to decline until it’s as low as a nonsmoker’s risk. And if you don't smoke, avoid exposure to second hand smoke..