Not only does smoking not make people thinner, it is linked to weight gain, researchers in Spain said. Lead author Francisco Javier Basterra-Gortari of the University of Navarra said nicotine poisoning was linked to weight gain. The study, published in Revista Espanola de Cardiologia, found after tracking smokers, non-smokers and those who quit, those who had never smoked put on the least amount of weight over a 4-year period. The researchers tr ... Jump to full article >>

Facebook and iPhone applications can help you stub out your smoking habit Are you one of the more than 2 million smokers ready to quit on No Smoking Day? Then today is your day! Don’t worry, you won’t be alone as there is an app for it – well, several. And this is how you can call it a day: First of all, you install the WeQuit Facebook app to let everybody know what your are up to. It’s best to grab one of your chain-smoking ... Jump to full article >>

The results of President Obama’s latest trip to the doctor revealed last week that he has been unable to completely kick his smoking habit. But if he relies on the advice of his doctors, as well as his own Food and Drug Administration (FDA), he’s likely to remain frustrated and vulnerable to illness. The FDA’s current recommendations for helping smokers quit are woefully ineffective. Cigarettes are uniquely addictive, and Obama ... Jump to full article >>

The news that Labour is to champion Lambeth as its new vision of how local government can work, as an alternative to the Conservatives’ “easyCouncil”, illustrates the increasing national interest in localism. We need new ideas about how public services at all levels can better serve the public, and especially how we can save money while improving standards. The trend now is towards engaging the public as a source of solutions t ... Jump to full article >>

Individual counseling can be a big help for smokers who are trying to quit. Just under 11% of smokers are able to quit without some type of therapy, according to the latest U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) guidelines. But one-on-one counseling increases the average success rate to nearly 17%. “Sure, medication is effective at curbing withdrawal symptoms,” says Bruce Christiansen, PhD, lead researcher at the University of Wisconsinâ ... Jump to full article >>

It looks like fat camp worked! Kerry Katona debuted her new slim figure yesterday, in a black tracksuit, green T-shirt and grey baseball cap. However, despite clearly being on the way to losing the three stone she was aiming to shed, there is one habit Kerry hasn’t managed to kick – smoking. The 29-year-old happily puffed away on a cigarette as she arrived home in Wilmslow, Cheshire, to see her four children and husband Mark Croft. [ ... Jump to full article >>

Introduction It’s not easy to quit smoking. The nicotine in cigarettes is addicting. Your body craves it because it makes you feel good. So when you try to stop smoking, you go through nicotine withdrawal. You feel awful, and you may worry about gaining weight. You get cranky and anxious. It can be hard to sleep. You’re not the only one. Most people feel bad when they try to quit. The hardest part is not reaching for a smoke to feel ... Jump to full article >>

If you’re reading this, you may be thinking about quitting smoking or making a plan to quit. Or maybe you have already tried to quit a few times. You may also already know that smoking is bad for your health and that quitting will reduce your risk of getting a disease related to smoking, such as heart or lung disease. Here are the facts about smoking and your health. Tobacco use, especially smoking, is the number one preventable cause of d ... Jump to full article >>

Mick Jagger is giving health tips to singer Joss Stone – he keeps ordering her to quit smoking. The Rolling Stones frontman is pals with the “You Had Me” hitmaker and frequently expresses his concern over her tobacco habit, telling her off when she is snapped with a cigarette. The former hellraising rocker advises her to pour honey in hot drinks for the sake of her voice – but goes “mental” over her smoking. S ... Jump to full article >>

In a way, going “cold turkey” is the most popular way to quit smoking. Most smokers try this strategy—stopping all at once without the help of medication, nicotine replacement methods, or any formal therapy—on their first attempt to give up cigarettes. But only about 3% to 10% are actually able to kick the habit without help. “It is like tightrope-walking without a net,” says Thomas Glynn, director of cancer science a ... Jump to full article >>