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Nicotine Patches / Gum May Promote Lung Cancer
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Andrew Walton
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Jan 02, 2003 08:55 PST
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NICOTINE PATCHES / GUM MAY PROMOTE LUNG CANCER
Smokers wanting to give up with nicotine patches or gum should think
twice, new research published yesterday, suggests.
The report in the Journal of Clinical Investigation found that nicotine
appears to be a powerful promoter of lung cancer.
The research team led by Dr Philip Dennis of the National Cancer
Institute discovered that nicotine inhibits the body’s natural ability
to destroy cells that experience genetic damage.
Normally when cells age or become damaged, a program in the DNA is
activated that instructs the cell to stop dividing and die. Nicotine
overrides that protective mechanism and forces cells to survive.
Using normal lung cells, the team found that nicotine levels routinely
acquired by smoking will activate cell survival within minutes of
exposure. Theoretically, as long as nicotine is present in the
bloodstream, many of the cells damaged from carcinogens will remain
alive, increasing the risk of cancer.
A study from the University of Iowa in 1992 showed that the most
effective way of helping smokers to quit is the use of hypnosis. It had
twice the efficacy of nicotine replacement therapy and was far better at
helping than either will-power alone or just counselling.
Hypnotherapist Andrew Walton, who has over twenty years’ experience
practising in Coventry said, “ These findings show how dangerous the use
of nicotine replacement treatments are. The giant drug companies have
been using smokers as guinea-pigs for years without having properly
researched the long-term consequences of nicotine exposure. The only
safe way to stop smoking is through the correct application of hypnosis.
The General Hypnotherapy Register is the directory to consult for a
properly qualified local practitioner.”
The author, Andrew Walton holds the University of Warwick’s Certificate
in Complementary Health care, among his many qualifications as a
psychologist.
Visit www.andrewwalton.co.uk
DATE: 2nd JAN 2003
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