Quotes of the Month
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June 2002
     Welcome to summer. Spring was rather calm, temperate, and moist; I hope summer matches it, but we all know that is rather optimistic for North Central Texas. It doesn't cost anything to wish. Speaking of wishing, I wish the American Public would push a magic button and rid the nation of tobacco products. I know the readers get weary of hearing me harp on the subject, but as we struggle to find causes of cancer and then try and prevent malignant disease, tobacco is a known and irrefutable carcinogen yet American citizens continue to use it. It is a known fact that 90% of lung cancers occur in smokers or former smokers. At the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center about one third of all patients have tobacco related malignancies. This fact is why M.D. Anderson has instituted, through it's Tobacco Research and Treatment Program, a major effort to prevent people from smoking and to help current smokers quit.
     Between 1950 and 1991,the incidence of lung cancer in American females rose 550% compared with 200% in American males. Besides the risk of lung cancer in women, smoking increases the risk of heart disease and malignancies of the head and neck, bladder, cervix, kidney, and pancreas.
     Children of smokers have more diseases than those of non-smokers and smoking during pregnancy is a known cause of complications in both the mother and fetus.
     An article in the Dec.15 issue of the British Medical Journal reported on a study of 5000 rural middle school students (ages 9 to 15) in Vermont and New Hampshire. The study demonstrated a strong association between the frequency in which adolescents saw actors using tobacco in movies and the probability of the children trying cigarettes. The researchers looked at other influences such as school performance, personality traits, and smoking by friends, siblings and parents; but it was the number of cinema scenes showing actors smoking that correlated best with the children's first use of cigarettes.

     DEPRESSION: Think you might be? Five or more of the following symptoms that persist for two weeks or more or disrupt normal daily life may be an indication of depression and should stimulate one to seek professional help.
  1. Persistent sad or "empty" mood.
  2. Loss of interest or pleasure in usual activities.
  3. Decreased energy or fatigue.
  4. Sleep disturbances (insomnia, early waking, or oversleeping).
  5. Eating disturbances (loss of appetite or weight gain or loss).
  6. Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
  7. Feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness.
  8. Irritability.
  9. Excessive crying.
  10. Chronic aches and pains that don't respond to treatment.
  11. Thoughts of death or suicide or suicide attempts.
     The above reported in the House Call section of the May 2002 issue of OncoLog, an M.D. Anderson publication for physicians.

     The risk of developing type 2 diabetus can be significantly elevated by consistently eating a "western diet" according to a study published in the Feb.5, 2002 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.
     Ed. The so-called "western diet" is a major cause of obesity in the U.S. in addition to large helpings. Since obesity is the major cause of type 2 diabetus, the association is not surprising.

QUOTES OF THE MONTH
"Imprisoned in every fat man a thin one is wildly signaling to be let out."
     - Cyril Connolly (1903-74) British Journalist

"Outside every thin girl there is a fat man trying to get in."
     - Katherine Whitehorn (1928-) British Journalist

"Smokers, male and female, inject and excuse idleness in their lives every time
They light a cigarette. (Ed. Pipe smokers even more so.)"
     - Collette (1873-1954) French novelist
     Earthly Paradise

"Tobacco surely was designed to poison, and destroy mankind."
     - Phillip Freneau (1752-1832) U.S. poet
Take care until next time,
Richard J.Turner, III, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Editor

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ARCHIVES
     Food Consumption/Cancer and Treatment Relationships
     Notes from the Spring Texas Surgical Society Meeting
     Alternative Medicine
     Breast Cancer Symposium
     Vitamin B, Passive Smoking, Statin Therapy, Common Cough
     Type 2 Diabetus Mellitus
     Antihistamines and Alcohol
     The Journal Club
     Let's Keep It Simple
     Number One Cancer Killer - Lung Cancer
     Millennium Hoopla
     Caffeine Consumption