Health Happenings
"Spit It Out" for Thru With Chew Week
By by Penny Downs
CHINS Tobacco Preventionist
Chew, dip, snuff whatever you call it--spit it out for Thru With Chew Week.
Thru With Chew Week is February 17th-23rd, with Thursday, February 21st being "Great American Spit Out," a day spit tobacco users are ask to quit for the day.
No matter what kind of tobacco you use, the results are the same. According to the American Cancer Society, use of spit tobacco contributes to the more than 30,000 cases of oral cancer diagnosed each year. Because these cancers are preventable if users kick the habit, the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery (AAOHNS ) has designated February 17th -23rd as Through with Chew Week.
If you have switched from cigarettes, thinking smokeless is harmless, think again. All forms of tobacco will speed up your heart rate, raise your blood pressure and increase the nicotine level in your bloodstream.
All tobacco can cause cancer, it doesn't matter if it is smoked, sniffed, dipped or chewed. According to the AAOHNS, spit tobacco increases the risk of many cancers including lip, tongue, and throat. But cancer isn't the only health problem. Users face heart attack, strokes, higher cholesterol levels and mouth lesions called leukoplakia.
Leukoplakia is often the first sign that cancer may be developing in your mouth. Leukoplakia is a small white, leathery patch seen in the mouth where the tobacco is held. These patches will disappear when spit tobacco use stops. Spit tobacco users need to be diligent about checking their mouth often for leukoplakia and other early warning signs of disease and report these signs to a physician. These signs include:
- A sore that bleeds easily and doesn't heal
- A lump or thickening anywhere in the mouth or neck
- Soreness or swelling in the mouth that doesn't go away
- A red or white patch that doesn't go away
- Difficulty in chewing, swallowing or moving the tongue or jaw
Spit tobacco is highly addictive causing some users to leave it in their mouths all day, overnight and even swallow the juices. This increases the nicotine level in the blood which makes quitting even more difficult and increases the risk of having health problems. As for the myth that using spit tobacco is safer than smoking, THE NICOTINE IN 1 CAN OF COPENHAGEN = THE NICOTINE IN 3-4 PACKS OF CIGARETTES.
It's never too late to quit! CHINS offers many options to fit your needs--classes or one to one cessation counseling. We also offer FREE nicotine replacement in the form of patches, gum or lozenges that help relieve some of the symptoms of quitting. If none of those sound good to you, the New Mexico Department of Health also offers a quit line you can call: 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669). You can call and get personalized help there or ask your physician about some of the medications that may help you quit and stay quit.
If you or someone you love is ready to quit or just thinking about it, give CHINS a call at 434-3011 for information, or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or ask your doctor for help. Plan ahead so that by Thru With Chew Week, February 17th - 23rd you will be ready to "SPIT IT OUT!"
Otero County Community Health Council
700 E. 1st St.
Suite 720
Alamogordo, NM
88310
(575) 443-8100
Fax (575) 437-2949
oterochc@tularosa.net
oteromch@netmdc.com