I am pleased to know that you are still advocating the tobacco Control agenda in India. Smoking is single most important cause of preventable deaths. It is a global issue but while in India health care/ treatment isn%u2019t widely available to people and in those circumstances prevention should be a priority for government.
I mange a UK Government funded Stop Smoking Service and Tobacco control intervention in Nottingham. Raising awareness of harm cause by tobacco use and second hand smoke is vital for nation%u2019s health. Brief Intervention and also intensive support for smokers who wants to quit is very cost-effective.
Once again I congratulate on your attempt in this important field Indu Hari
Being a counselor this one of the typical problem I encounter with men over 40s.
May be it is tobacco, Alcohol industry don't want you to know the truth. But more than 80% marriage problem over age 40 is related to men being addicted to Tobacco and Alcohol.
RE:Tobacco, Alcohol and Impotence
by Prof (Dr) Rama Kant on Apr 14, 2007 10:01 PM Permalink
Sure it is a proven fact that Tobacco causes Impotence and alcohol also worsens the performance. This is unfortunate that people still keep using thses substances and many sex crimes generate on this foundation. Prof.Rama Kant Lucknow
I really adore your opinion written as "the next big health question..THIS SPEAKS OF VOLUMES OF EXPERIENCE you probably have in this direction.I also feel that like Anti retroviral treatment, the Govt. has to make cessation available long before attemting Tobacco control, as this is one of the stroingest addiction known and it can not be ordinarily quit by talking and flimsy decisions and efforts, they need well defined cessation startegies. Unless we priortize our approach, we will raech nowhere like family planning, malaria control and Aids. So I think thsi sia timely expression so that at a time when Tobacco control is getting gradually tougher, Cessation facilities must be made available.
Excellently put up view point.I fully agree with your contention that unless Tobacco Cessation Facilities are made freely and easily available , we can not succeed in Tobacco control. Having experience of working in Tobacco control of over three decades, I vouch for it and appeal to all that the facilities of Tobacco Cessation must be made available all over. We must compete with the level of counter advertisement by us in contrast to Tobacco companies.Cessation has really become a speciality as we were tarined at several countries and realised that it is not only talking but well defined series of steps and interventions by Clinical Psychologists, social workers and a medical persons with awareness to Counselling, brief interventions ,pharmacotherapy and Nicotine replacement thearpy.Thus a very vital topic has been placed in rediff. I congratulate both.
RE:A BIIIIIIG JOKE
by Prof (Dr) Rama Kant on Apr 14, 2007 10:08 PM Permalink
Be the change yourself you want to bring about.We should not be frustrated , nature has its own circle and soon you will find politicians changing their way. We as society and passionate worker must improve ourselves and keep doing. This world will improve by individual improvements and not global efforts on paper. Thanks Dr.Rama Kant
All these legislations, i.e. banning traders from selling cigarettes, banning smoking in public is a big joke. What will happen if such laws are passed???? You dont have to be a rocket scientist to predict. Black market will increase, and there will be rife illegal trade. These kind of measures are absolutely foolish and wont do any good. Perhaps they fail to realise, how much excise duty comes from Tobacco. I am not sure if Indians have banned tobacco advertising, but here in New Zealand, they have completely banned it.
In New Zealand, you can't smoke in restaurants, bars, pubs, offices. However you can smoke in public places, which makes sense. Why on earth would you make a rule, which cant be enforced.
India, which is a third world country, rife with corruption, can't even dream of enforcing such laws.
Yes the writer is correct in commenting on absence of counselling services. In a country, where there is a complete lack of basic health services, where there arent even beds in emergency wards, counselling services are light years away
