Source summary: 2004 Surgeon General’s Report on The

This is a report summarizing the findings of the 2004 Surgeon General’s Report on The
Health Consequences of Smoking. The Report discusses various aspects of cigarette
smoking and the effects if has on the body, but I focused on the section addressing
women and reproductive health. The report documents that smoking harms every phase
of reproduction, increasing the risk of complications during pregnancy; It raises the risk
of premature birth, low birth weight infants, stillbirth, and infant mortality. This
information was helpful, and I was also able to get some background information about
Luther Terry, the first Surgeon General in the US who linked cigarette smoking to 3
major health problems.

Citation:


U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. The Health Consequences of
Smoking: A Report of the Surgeon General, 2004. 9 Jan. 2007. Office of the
Surgeon General. 5 Feb. 2007.

Source Summary: Maternal Smoking and Other Factors in Low Birth Weight

FORCES is an acronym of Fight Ordinances and Restrictions to Control and Eliminate Smoking. Forces is a pro-tobacco website, based on the values of liberty for every individual in his personal choices. Forces is aligned with those who fight the antismoking cartel, which they feel are basically false and oppressive. I found this website to be one of the better anti-smoking sites because it provides research and covers a wide variety of topics related to smoking. The articles definitely come across as bias, and sometimes offensive, however the information is presented in a somewhat educational manner. Most of the articles also include bibliographical information. I was able to use this site for my “anti-paper” but also got a good look into how it might feel to be on the other side; from a smoker’s view. I’m a non-smoker, so it put my thoughts about smoking into perspective and allowed me to look at it in a different light.
I used one main article from this site, titled Maternal Smoking and Other Factors in Low Birth Weight. The author, Wanda Hamilton is basically trying to say that there must be other explanations as to why LBW rates are so high in the United States, aside from maternal smoking. She includes statistical informaton showing that the rate of maternal smoking is going down, while the rate of LBW babies is going up. Wanda also includes information suggesting that socioeconomic status is the single greatest risk factor for preterm birth and LBW.

Citation:

“Hamilton, Wanda.” Forces International. 12 Mar. 2007.

Source Summary: National Center for Health Statistics

Health, United States, 2006 is the 30th report on the health status of the Nation and is
submitted by the Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services to the President and Congress of the United States. The Health, United States series presents national trends in health statistics. The information pertaining to prenatal smoking and low birth weight was especially helpful because I was able to obtain current data and statistics. This research material is important and necessary because it explains different trends in maternal smoking based on criteria such as race, age, and education of mother, as well as birth weight determined by the smoking status of mother; Helpful background information.

Citation:

National Center for Health Statistics. 24 Jan. 2007. Health, United States, 2006. U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services. 14 Apr. 2007.

Blog Summary: What is Nicotine Withdrawal Syndrome?

While searching for more research about prenatal smoking, I discovered an interesting blog on the web that talked about the withdrawal symptoms associated with smoking cessation, and the experiences of people who try to stop smoking. I believe this article is helpful in explaining why it is so hard for mothers (or anyone) to quit such an addictive habit and also in emphasizing that the negative symptoms will not last forever.
Nicotine Withdrawal Syndrome is caused by the absence of the drug nicotine (an addictive substance put into cigarettes) and researchers know this because the symptoms stop only when nicotine is administered, for example through some other form such as the nicotine “patch.”
The main withdrawal symptoms highlighted in the article were reported as irritability, restlessness, depression, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, poor sleep, hunger, and craving for tobacco. Professor John Hughes of the University of Vermont studied this phenomenon extensively, concluding that half of the six hundred people in his study who quit smoking without any help, experienced a significant increase in at least four of these symptoms within two days of quitting. On the bright side, after 30 days most were finding it much easier and less than one in five were still suffering from an increase in four symptoms. The author of the blog entry, Dr. Foulds, begins his article with personal experience right after quitting, “I was like a bear with a sore head - even the dog stayed out of my way - but after a couple of weeks the dog was back at my side and I knew I was over the worst.”
In conclusion the article points out the fact that not everyone experiences the same degree of negative withdrawal symptoms, however most people experience the worse just after quitting, with each day getting better. Nicotine takes about 24 hours to leave the body and for withdrawal symptoms to reach their peak. It is clear that most withdrawal symptoms return to normal within a month. A couple of months after quitting, most ex-smokers experience fewer unpleasant symptoms, and actually feel that their mood is better than while they were smoking.

Citation:

Foulds, Jonathan. “What is Nicotine Withdrawal Syndrome?” [Weblog entry.] Freedom from
Smoking. Healthline. (26 Mar. 2007). 11 Feb. 2007.
<http://www.healthline.com/blogs/>