ORAL, HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and
neck cancer diagnosis we're here for you

No Pressure Just Support
* January, 9 2012, at 7:00pm

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute
John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

1 00 Haynes Street
Manchester, CT 06040

Meetings are held the first Monday of every month.
- - ,First-floor Conference Room- - - - -
*Note date change due to New Year Holiday
To register or for additional information contact:
Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com



sponsored by

American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

Web whispers of the IAL for the month of December 2011

26 New Laryngectomees have joined our way of life and unfortunately 6 have passed on.

The foregoing number represents all reports nationwide.

Electronic cigarette makers must prove safety of products

• By Steven Reinberg, HealthDay
A new report details exactly what kind of scientific proof the U.S. Food and Drug Administration should require from the makers of electronic cigarettes and tobacco lozenges to show that what they are selling is not harmful to the overall public health.
•
These "modified risk" products claim to offer individuals nicotine without the health risks, namely lung cancer and heart disease, that are associated with the use of traditional tobacco products such as cigarettes.
"These products are ones that might carry a claim that they have less risk to the user than a traditional tobacco product," said Dr. Jane Henney, a professor of medicine and public health sciences at the University of Cincinnati and chairwoman of the Institute of Medicine (IOM) committee that wrote the report. "We believe that if those claims are to be approved by the FDA, the sponsor will have to bring to the agency a series of data to support that claim."
These products are sold as part of a strategy to lower tobacco-related death and disease, especially among smokers who have had trouble quitting, but not much is known about the overall health risks of these products, according to the committee.
To determine that, the IOM report suggests that the FDA require testing in the laboratory and in animals, clinical trials with people, and post-marketing studies to see if any health problems show up once the products are in widespread use.
Given the "tobacco industry's well-documented history of improper conduct," the committee believes these studies should be done by independent third parties.
The authority for this kind of oversight was included in the 2009 Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which requires that modified risk tobacco products undergo an approval process similar to drugs and medical devices.
Several groups applauded the IOM report's recommendations.
"The American Lung Association commends the IOM for its recognition that if a tobacco product is allowed to be marketed as 'safer' that the product must actually be safer," Charles Connor, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said in statement.
"Decades ago, the tobacco industry developed light and low tobacco products that were no less harmful than those already on the market. Millions of Americans, who switched to those so-called 'light' and 'low-tar' products instead of quitting, died as a result of these claims. The scientific standards recommended by this expert panel are designed to prevent a repeat of similar attempts to deceive the American public. We encourage the FDA to heed these lessons and never lose sight of the deception and fraud perpetrated for decades by Big Tobacco," Connor said in the statement.
"This report lays out a comprehensive scientific roadmap for the FDA to follow in reviewing applications for modified risk tobacco products," Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, said in a statement.
"It demonstrates the need for rigorous science, conducted and evaluated independent of the tobacco industry, before the industry is allowed to market any modified risk products," he added. "It underscores the importance of the FDA considering the broad public health impact of introducing such products, and not just the impact on individual tobacco users. And it properly puts the burden on tobacco manufacturers to produce adequate scientific evidence before allowing them to claim that any tobacco product reduces the risk of disease."
David Abrams, executive director of the Schroeder Institute for Tobacco Research and Policy Studies at the Legacy Foundation, said he believes the IOM report is right on target.
"These products are worthwhile, provided the overall public health message is adhered to," he said. "It could cause, overall, long-term public health damage. For example, if it was more appealing to youth and young adults it might have a little less harm, but a lot more people would use it and that would violate the public health standard."
According to the report, among the things studies should look at are whether the product is addictive and whether the components of the product are harmful to health. In addition, these products should be tested on current and former smokers, new smokers, adolescents and groups at high risk for tobacco use.
Tests also have to "evaluate whether this product would draw people to the use of this product who now don't smoke, or who might have quit smoking and would be drawn back into this habit and therefore increase their risk," Henney said. "These products should only be targeted to individuals who absolutely have been unable to stop smoking."
The process should also be transparent, the report stated, with the companies and the FDA making all the data available to the public.
However, Ray Story, CEO of the Tobacco Vapor Electronic Cigarette Association, doesn't see safety and public health as the driving factors behind the IOM recommendations, but thinks instead it is a conspiracy by tobacco companies, drug companies and the federal government to keep these products off the market.
"I've been fighting this issue for quite some time, but you are fighting much larger groups," he said, noting that electronic cigarettes deliver nicotine without the risk of fire. "It does the same thing as a cigarette, without the 7,000 harmful chemicals and 65 carcinogens."

Teens swapping cigarettes for flavored mini cigars

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
They come in ice cream flavors such as strawberry, watermelon, vanilla and chocolate. They are packaged in colorful wrappers. “Little cigars” are finding a niche among teens, who like the price — about a dollar — and the taste.

Young smokers say these cigarette-size little cigars and cigarillos — slimmer versions of big cigars — look better and can be bought one at a time instead of spending more than $5 for a pack of cigarettes. Many teens also think that they are less addictive.

That’s a problem.

“You have the same cancer-causing chemicals but wrapped in flavors that don’t let you experience the harsh sensation of cigar or tobacco use,” said Donald Shell, interim director for Maryland’s Center for Health Promotion, Education, Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation.

Maryland is one of several states where the increase in youth cigar smoking has been large enough that it has caught up with and in some cases surpassed cigarette use in that age group, according to state and federal health data and anti-tobacco groups.

To fight back, the state will launch ads on billboards, buses and trains starting next week. The home page of the campaign Web site, thecigartrap.com, shows youngsters running to an ice cream truck with a giant cigar on its roof. “No matter how they sugarcoat it . . . cigars kill,” a warning reads.

Little cigars look like cigarettes but are wrapped in a brown paperlike substance that contains some tobacco leaf.

The Food and Drug Administration banned flavored cigarettes in 2009, but no such ban applies to cigars. Selling tobacco products to anyone younger than 18 is illegal, but not all stores check identification.

Some teens and young adults said the smaller cigars were appealing on several levels. Several said the most popular brand is Black & Mild, whose cigarillos come in wine and creme in addition to regular flavors.

Marcus Hunter, 18, said he started smoking cigarillos when he was 14 or 15. “I thought it would help me with stress, you know, from school and stuff,” said Hunter during a brief interview outside the Gallery Place Metro station in the District. Hunter, who attended Potomac High School in Oxon Hill, said he stopped smoking a year ago.

Nick Beirne, 20, said he started smoking cigarillos when he turned 18. “It’s a social thing,” said Beirne, who said he smokes them once or twice a week. A graduate of Yorktown High School in Arlington County, he said teens smoke them “because they think they’re less addictive, it looks better and it’s cheaper” than cigarettes.

A 21-year-old who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that when he was at Calvert High School in Prince Frederick, he and many of his friends thought “the whole cigar thing was way more big to smoke pot,” explaining how brands like Swisher Sweets and Black & Mild would be hollowed out and filled with marijuana.

Between 2000 and 2010, cigarette smoking decreased by nearly 40 percent among Maryland high school students, but cigar use jumped more than 11 percent, according to the Maryland Youth Tobacco Survey, a survey of high school students conducted every two years.

In 2000, 23 percent of Maryland high school students younger than 18 reported smoking cigarettes in the previous 30 days, compared with 12.5 percent for cigars, the data show. By 2010, the percentage smoking cigarettes fell to 14.1 percent, and the percentage smoking cigars rose to 13.9 percent. In other words, officials said, almost as many youth smoke cigars as smoke cigarettes.

Nationally, cigar smoking is the second-most-common form of tobacco use among youth, after cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 14 percent of high school students smoke cigars (18.6 percent among boys; 8.8 percent among girls), according to 2009 CDC data.

But in some states, cigar smoking among some youth groups is more popular than cigarette smoking. In Massachusetts, 18 percent of high school boys smoke cigarettes, but 22 percent smoke cigars, according to 2009 CDC data. A study in Ohio found cigars to be the most popular tobacco product among high school students. In New Jersey, researchers found cigarette use dropped by 29 percent between 2001 and 2004, but for the first time ever, more high school boys reported smoking cigars (17.2 percent) than cigarettes (15.9 percent).

Experts say most states have considerably lower taxes on cigars than on cigarettes. The rise in youth cigar use in New Jersey occurred during a period when the state increased cigarette excise tax three times while the tax on other tobacco products was cut in 2002 from 48 percent to 30 percent, according to researchers at the School of Public Health at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey.

The larger issue, according to Matthew Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, “is real concern that tobacco manufacturers are using little cigars to undermine the impact of the federal ban on flavored cigarettes.”

The Cigar Association of America, which represents major cigar manufacturers, said in a statement that its members sell a legal product for adults, advocate against youth usage and have used flavors for more than 100 years. The state health campaign, it said, “unfairly maligns an industry that provides jobs and generates tax revenue in Maryland.”


Staff writers Timothy Wilson and Tim Smith contributed to this report.

© The Washington Post Company

State of Ct. collects from tobacco for anti smoking cessation help

Of the $509 million the state will collect in 2011-12 in tobacco taxes and from the 1998 national tobacco settlement, the government will allocate $2.7 million for the Department of Social Services' smoking-cessation program and $600,000 for the Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services' smoking-prevention efforts. Based on data compiled by a coalition of antismoking groups, those appropriations were understated in Monday's editorial, "Regressing on smoking."

IAL REPORT

During the month of November there were 26 new Laryngectomees reported nationally and sadly three past on. Locally, we have had three New Larys.

HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and
neck cancer diagnosis we're here for you
----
No Pressure Just Support
December 5th, 7:00pm
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute
John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center 100 Haynes Street Manchester, Ct 06040

Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month. 1st Monday of every month
- - - - -o-
To register or for additional information contact
Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

Sponsored by:


American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

Judge Declares New Cigarette Warnings Unconstitutional

FDA Plan Would Require Graphic Images On Packs
BY WILLIAM WEIR, bweir@courant.com
The Hartford Courant
4:37 PM EST, November 7, 2011
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's plan to require large, graphic warnings on all cigarette packages suffered a blow Monday when a federal judge declared the mandate unconstitutional.
In June the FDA unveiled the nine images that would grace all cigarette packs by September next year, including a pair of lungs ravaged by tobacco and a man with a cigarette in his hand and smoke billowing out of a hole in his throat. The images were paired with text messages — "Cigarettes cause cancer" and "Smoking can kill you" among them.
But U.S. District Judge Richard Leon Monday declared that the requirement would violate tobacco companies' First Amendment rights. Here's the full story from Reuters: http://reut.rs/rPYVCF.
In June, we discussed the new warnings with Bryte Johnson of the state chapter of the American Cancer Society, who thought the images would go a long way to deterring new smokers. In Connecticut 4,700 people take up smoking every year. Here's the full story: http://bit.ly/uX4dsR.
Copyright © 2011, The Hartford Courant

IAL REPORT & LOCAL STATUS

THE IAL HAS REPORTED DUING THE MONTH OTOBER THEY HAVE HAD 27 NEW LARYNGECTOMEES WITH FOUR PASSING ON.

HERE LOCALLY WE HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED OF ONE NEW lARY AND NONE PASSING ON.

ORAL,HEAD AND NECK CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a oved one has been touched by an
oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we're
here for you
No Pressure Just Support
November 7th, 7:00pm
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer
Institute
John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center
100 Haynes Street
Manchester, CT 06040
Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every
month.
1st Floor Conference Room
To register or for additional
information contact:
Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963
www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

s-polAsored b~yAmerican Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

"Cancer is one cigarette away"

After hearing a local add directed against the smoking habit which went something lke this:

"Cancer is one cigarette away"

Please use that comment with all you friends and relatives.

frank smith

IAL reported

During the month of September there were 18 New Laryngectomees with 4 deaths nationally.
Fortunately, here in our area their were no new additions or deaths.

Oral Head And Neck Cancer Support Group

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we’re here for you

No Pressure Just Support
October 3rd, 7:00pm


ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute
John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center
100 Haynes Street
Manchester, CT 06040

Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.
1st Floor Conference Room

To register or for additional information contact:
Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

Sponsored by:
American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345
ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

SMOKING AFTER BECOMING A LARYNGECTOMEE

CONN. STATE MEDICAID PROGRAM NEEDS HELP SMOKERS TO STOP

With only 15 % of the general population that smoke an interesting fact points out that Medicaid recipients' have 40% that are smokers.
While Massachusetts reduced its Medicaid smoking population by 10% subsequently to offering smoking cessation that population back in 2006.
Conn. must follow Massachusetts' example.

Continued News From the Barbara Laryngectomee Club Hartford/New Britain Ct.

Sadly, The IAL's recent report stating that 12 New laryngectomees have joined our way of life nationwide with one lary passing on.

As the former President of the Barbara Smith Laryngectomee club I used the term "sadly" because with all the ads covering the adversities resulting from smoking, second hand smoke, and third hand smoke Laryngectomee operations are still occurring.

I am happy to mention that in our area of Connecticut area Hospitals have not notified me of any new Laryngectomee operations occurring in the past month. At least we in Connecticut are getting to win the battle against this awful addictive habit.

frank smith

A LARYNGECTOMEE’S PERSONAL EXPERIENCE

I'd like to share my experience of becoming a laryngectomee. In 1993, my
father was diagnosed with cancer of the vocal cords. After seeing post
operative patients at the VA hospital in West Roxbury, MA, he decided he
didn't want to live that way. He didn't tell us. I always thought that when it
got bad enough he would go get it taken care of. I didn't know one thing
about being a Laryngectomee at that time. Little by little his tumor was
getting bigger everyday. At first his voice was getting more and more
raspy, until he could barely whisper. After several months, it started to
affect his breathing. Every day his breathing became more and more
labored. You could hear him trying to breathe from anywhere in the house.
I mistakenly thought he would still get it fixed. Toward the end, all he
could do was sit there and fight for every breath in and out. It was awful.
Two days before he died, I said to him, "You look awful. When are you
going to go to the hospital”? He couldn't even answer me. He just sat there
with his mouth hanging open trying to breathe. The lack of oxygen was
affecting his brain function. I was still thinking he would go to the hospital.
My mother and brother were living at home with him and as long as they
could hear him breathe, they knew he was alive. Two days later my mother
called and said: “Brian your father died this morning.” The tumor had
completely closed off his airway. It was a long slow painful death. I was
devastated. I loved my father very much.
Thirteen years later, it was my turn to get cancer of the left true vocal cord.
At first I was going to do what my father did and not have the surgery.
I decided to go to the University of Massachusetts Medical School's
Library with my friend Paula, and we did a lot of research. I decided to
have the surgery even though it didn't sound too pleasant. Paula helped me
to decide to get the surgery. She said she had a neighbor who was a
laryngectomee and that it would become second nature. She was right. On
May 3rd 2007 I went to have my laryngectomy. It was a little rough at first
but each day it got a little better. I am glad that I had the surgery now, and
wish my father would have had it done. The way I look at it, we're only on
this earth for a short while, so try to stay here as long as possible, because
when you go on the other side, it’s forever.
--- By Brian LaG

The IAL Reports of New Laryngectomees

Over the past month the IAL has reported 13 new Laryngectomees have join our way of life.

Fortunately, no deaths have been reported by this organization.

Here Locally they were two ne laryngectomees reported.

Oral Head And Neck Cancer Support Group

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and neck cancer diagnosis we’re here for you

No Pressure Just Support

September 12, 7:00p

Conference Room B


ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

100 Haynes Street

Manchester, CT 06040



Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.

1st Floor Conference Room



To register or for additional information contact:

Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com



Sponsored by:

American Cancer Society 1-800-227-2345

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

Tobacco companies: Graphic federal warnings aren't fair

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Tobacco companies want a judge to put a stop to new graphic cigarette labels that include the sewn-up corpse of a smoker and pictures of diseased lungs, saying they unfairly urge adults to shun their legal products and will cost millions to produce.



Four of the five largest U.S. tobacco companies sued the federal government Tuesday, saying the warnings violate their free speech rights.



“Never before in the United States have producers of a lawful product been required to use their own packaging and advertising to convey an emotionally-charged government message urging adult consumers to shun their products,” the companies wrote in the lawsuit filed in federal court in Washington.



The companies, led by R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co., Lorillard Tobacco Co., said the warnings no longer simply convey facts to allow people to make a decision on whether to smoke.



They instead force them to put government anti-smoking advocacy more prominently on their packs than their own brands, the companies say. They want a judge to stop the labels.



The FDA refused to comment, saying the agency does not discuss pending litigation



. But when she announced the new labels in June, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius called them frank and honest warnings about the dangers of smoking.



The FDA approved nine new warnings to rotate on cigarette packs. T



hey will be printed on the entire top half, front and back, of the packaging. The new warnings also must constitute 20 percent of any cigarette advertising.



They also all include a number for a stop-smoking hotline.



One warning label is a picture of a corpse with its chest sewed up and the words: “Smoking can kill you.” Another label has a picture of a healthy pair of lungs beside a yellow and black pair with a warning that smoking causes fatal lung disease.



The lawsuit said the images were manipulated to be especially emotional.



The tobacco companies said the corpse photo is actually an actor with a fake scar, while the healthy lungs were sanitized to make the diseased organ look worse.



The companies also said the new labels will cost them millions of dollars for new equipment so they can frequently change from warning to warning and designers to make sure the labels meet federal requirements while maintaining some distinction among brands.



Joining R.J. Reynolds and Lorillard in the suit are Commonwealth Brands Inc., Liggett Group LLC and Santa Fe Natural Tobacco Company Inc. Altria Group Inc., parent company of the nation’s largest cigarette maker, Philip Morris USA, is not a part of the lawsuit.



The free speech lawsuit is a different action than a suit by several of the same companies over the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act.



The law, which took affect two years ago, cleared the way for the more graphic warning labels, but also allowed the FDA to limit nicotine.



The law also banned tobacco companies from sponsoring athletic or social events and prevented them from giving away free samples or branded merchandise.



A federal judge upheld many parts of the law, but the companies are appealing.

WEB-WHISPERS NOTICE

Web whispers have notified us that they have had 31 new Larygectomees with 12 that have passed on.

Here locally we have two new Larys with no notice of any of our local larys demise.

Oral Head And Neck Cancer Support Group

our Next meeting will be held August 1rst at 7 PM.

at 100 Haynes Street Cancer Center

Manchester, Conn

Far any Information call Ms. Alice Nadeau at 860-268-3963

Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC)

 

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The Gift of a Voice


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Staring at the audience, Dr. Itzhak Brook was nervous. In front of him were doctors and cancer survivors. He thought about surviving Israeli wars and the time he lost a patient, but nothing would prepare him for his first speech after losing his vocal cords to cancer.
Outfitted with a prosthesis to help him speak, Brook faced a challenging audience: would they stay or would they go? What Brook learned after his speech would help him realize the power and gift of his voice.

As a professor at Georgetown University Medical Center, Brook is revered for his professionalism and ability to teach medical students the art and science of medicine. A natural at the sciences, Brook discovered his affinity for medicine as a young child.

“Growing up my parents believed in a solid education,” says Brook. “I felt an obligation to make something of my life and my passion for medicine evolved throughout high school.”

Brook finished medical school in Jerusalem, Israel and completed fellowships at Ivy League universities in the United States, publishing research on anaerobic microbes and head and neck infections. He says it was in pediatric infectious diseases where he felt most at home.

“When I was a doctor of internal medicine, I lost a couple of patients and that was hard for me,” says Brook. “But when I went [in]to pediatrics and infectious diseases, I felt I could fight and win on behalf of my patients—it was so rewarding for me.”

Along the way Brook lectured medical students and physicians and treated patients using his voice as an instrument to share his love and passion for medicine.
That all changed in 2006 when Brook was diagnosed with cancer.

After learning he had throat cancer, Brook explains he was “shaken to the core” and did not share it with his friends or colleagues.

“It felt like a death sentence,” says Brook. “I asked my children and wife to keep the news private because I did not want to feel stigmatized as a cancer patient for fear of looking weak and vulnerable.”

Brook felt as if his lucky star was gone.

But, with the love and support of his family guiding him, Brook made it through the grueling radiation appointments that required a leave of absence from work and teaching. While recovering from the first round of treatment, Brook received some unexpected news from his doctor.

His cancer was back with a vengeance. This time, Brook did not have a choice except to tell his friends and family his diagnosis was bleak.

Brook and his wife felt it best to tell their children in person, not over the phone. He met with them face-to-face so that he could answer their questions.

“Each one of my five children is special and we took a lot of time deciding how to tell them my cancer had returned,” says Brook.

His daughter, Sara Brook, was devastated. “My dad had always been a symbol of strength in my life and his sickness forced me to accept that he was vulnerable,” she says. “Although he has approached his sickness with the same persistence he's exhibited during previous challenges, cancer is such an unknown and powerful force. It's a scary fight.”

After revealing the news to his family and friends he was surprised at the outpouring of emotional support. People did not stigmatize him or turn their backs, instead they embraced him.

Brook found an otolaryngologist who would see him through his darkest days. The doctor informed Brook that his only hope for a cure was to remove his larynx—a procedure that would leave him voiceless.

“All of my life I have used my voice to teach and to communicate with patients,” says Brook. “The thought of losing my voice was terrifying but I didn’t have a choice—it was lose my life to cancer or lose my voice—I chose losing my voice.”

Brook did receive some good news prior to surgery. His doctors told him a voice prosthesis might allow him to speak again one day in the future, but it would be a slow and tedious process. This hopeful possibility that would help get Brook through surgery.

After the surgery, Brook fought frustration and depression and faced additional health issues as a result of surgery.

Then there were the uncertainties of the voice prosthesis— how would his voice sound? What if the prosthesis failed to work?

The surgery to insert the voice prosthesis was successful, but speaking again did not come easily. Learning to speak included additional speech pathology visits and, as Brook feared, he was not immediately comfortable with the sound of his new voice.

“Imagine not sounding like yourself,” says Brook. “I spoke with a soft whisper—I had no idea how people might react.”

Following physical therapy and learning to use his prosthesis, Brook rebounded. He returned to teaching and the medical profession. But, this time, he was going to do it differently.

He no longer remains distant from his patients. Now he hugs them, he comforts them. He encourages them to use their voices and to speak up when something is wrong. He knows what it’s like to be in their shoes.

“Our voice is our most powerful tool. It’s our biggest advocate for our health and wellness,” he says.

So when he was asked to give a lecture to a large group following his treatment, Brook hesitated, but after much thought he accepted the invitation.

Although he feared people would walk out of the room, unable to understand or cringe at his airy, soft whisper, he began to speak. “I am Dr. Itzhak Brook,” he said. “I am a cancer survivor.”

To his surprise, no one left the room. Instead, all remained silent as he recounted the story of his amazing fight with an eventual victory.

This first public speech after cancer awakened a new passion in him—to share his story with patients and doctors, encouraging patient-doctor communication and active patient participation.

He now tours the country giving lectures and presentations, no longer the hesitant individual afraid to share his voice, but a man who has learned that his soft whisper has the impact of a shout.

By Tressa Kirby, GUMC Communications



(Published July 20, 2011) Featured StoriesA Moon Shot for the Mind

Online Master’s in Nursing Begins

Panel Paints Exciting Emerging Frontier

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Dr. Brook with his "My Voice" issues

To All The Laryngecotmees:   The good Doctor Has Allowed us to review his latest issue of " My Voice" for all of us to see an learn about a Doctor's viewpoint with his becoming a larygectomee like ourselves.

Please go to http://dribrokblogspot.com/ and you will experience the many good stories exampled through the eyes of a laryngectomee who is a Doctor.

frank smith

E-CIGARETTES WILL GET OVERSIGHT BY THE FDA AS A TOBACCO PRODUCT.

The nicotine delivery by this product can become very dangerous with the possibility of overdosing with nicotine that can cause a major illness or even death.

Death can be caused by over inhaling the nicotine that is produced by the E-Cigarettes.

This is not  a notice of caution to the Laryngectomees however, many of the Larys have relative that do smoke and may be using the E-cigarettes whereby they should be warned of the adversities connected to the E-Cigarettes.

IAL REPORT

International Association of Laryngectomees has announced that they have had 28 new laryngectomees nationwide and unfortunately, the loss of 11 members who have passed on.

Here locally at our area hospitals we have received one notice of new laryngectomee and we are expecting another who will be operated on within the near future.



frank smith

ORAL, HEAD AND NECK Cancer SUPPORT GROUP

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and

neck-csncer dieqnosts we're ttere for you

No Pressure' Just Support

July 11 th, 7:00pm

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

1 00 Haynes Street

Manchester, CT 06040

Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.

**Note-date chanqe due to July 4trr--noliday**--

1st Floor Conference Room

To register or for additional information contact:

Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com

American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

American Cancer Society Declares Poverty A Carcinogen

 

Susan Campbell

It's not Styrofoam or cellphones or tobacco that are killing us.
It's poverty.
A report released Friday by the American Cancer Society echoes a 1989 statement by Dr. Samuel A. Broder, then director of the National Cancer Institute, who said that poverty is a carcinogen.
The society's report said that the lower a person's socioeconomic status, the greater the risk of cancer. That's especially true for lung cancer, the report said, "for which death rates are 4 to 5 times higher in the least educated than in the most educated individuals."
As for why, the report said that people who are lower on the economic ladder are more likely to engage in risky behavior —- partly because marketing for products such as tobacco is aimed specifically at them, and partly because of barriers —- societal and otherwise —- to opportunities for exercise and healthy food.
And then impoverished people don't tend to engage in preventive medical care, which they can't afford, so that by the time they seek treatment, it's too often too late.

The costs to society are huge. The National Institutes of Health estimated that last year, medical costs associated with cancer were $124.6 billion. Estimates are that by 2020, those costs could reach $158 billion.

You can read more about the report at http://bit.ly/irOiPg.
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Copyright © 2011, The Hartford Courant

Battery Issues:

When I was approached by a laryngectomee regarding his satisfaction with the alkaline batteries he purchased from the Rite-Aid Pharmacy I immediately purchased one of their batteries for testing.

Much to my amazement this test resulted with this battery costing much less than commonly used brands lasting just as long with similar usage.

I know many of the larys use the rechargeable batteries but many do not and I do recommend at least trying the Rite-Aid brand to those individuals that use the alkaline.

frank smith

IAL REPORT

Sadly, 24 new laryngectomees have joined this way of life as reported by the IAL. And They have reported 4 members have passed on.

I am please to report that the Hartford Area hospitals, including the UCHC, have had no new Larys join our way of life and no reported deaths

frank

On June 11th 2011 Saturday Event

Manchester Hospital special event:



from 9-1 they are having a celebration of life Making every Moment count with the key note speaker Scott Hamilton, the famous skater, who will give everyone a book that he wrote the: "The Great how to be happy even when you have every reason to be Miserable."

He will sign the book and it is Free and there will be a light lunch

 All are invited.

Hypopharyngeal cancer Patient Speaks out

My Turn: Touched by another human's touch

A doctor diagnosed with cancer discovers the power a hug can have on an ailing patient.

By Itzhak Brook,
May 23, 2011






I was deeply shaken to learn I had hypopharyngeal cancer. As a physician, I had access to my hospital's laboratory results, so I took a shortcut: Rather than wait for my surgeon to call me, I looked for my name in my hospital's pathology laboratory log book.



After my name, the log book stated in no uncertain terms: "mildly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma."



I could not believe my eyes. Was this possible? Could it be a mistake? In spite of the hopeful questions that permeated my mind, I knew it was not a mistake: Right here, in front of me, in black and white — my own death sentence. Still, to be convinced that the diagnosis was real, I had to view the biopsy specimens under the microscope myself — and there it was.



In that very instant, my whole world changed. I had always had a sense of invulnerability. Now I was left with uncertainty about my prognosis and future.



I was in a state of desperation and disbelief when I left the pathology laboratory and walked into my internist's office to break the news to him. He slowly got out of his chair without uttering a word and gave me a big, supportive hug.



It felt so good to know that he deeply cared for me beyond our professional relationship. His embrace moved me — made me feel that I was surrounded by those who truly appreciated my pain and distress, and who shared my personal tragedy. It meant much more at that moment than a thousand words of support or elaborate explanations.



It was the power of a caring, human touch. I knew that I was not alone in my future struggles, that he would be beside me all the way.



I had never been hugged by a medical caregiver. Nor had I given a hug to a patient: I always believed in maintaining a professional distance between them and me. Yet at that moment, I learned there may be situations in medical practice where the power of a hug eclipses everything else one can offer.



In the realm of modern medicine, where machines and tests often substitute for close patient-physician contact, this fundamental art is often forgotten. Even a simple pat on the shoulder or a warm handshake conveys genuine care and concern. In fact, there is scientific evidence that human touch can generate oxytocin and endorphins, which ameliorate pain and create a feeling of well-being.



Unfortunately, I had to undergo a total laryngectomy to have my cancer removed. The period after my surgery was very physically and emotionally trying, as I battled numerous medical problems and also struggled to regain my ability to speak. What eased those difficult months was the knowledge that my otolaryngologist's door was always open to me and that he would act immediately to assist me in any way he could. His dedication, emotional support, sincere care and friendliness helped me overcome many of the difficulties and problems I encountered. They were indispensable on my road to recovery.



I sometimes went to his office several times a week — often just to talk with him and tell him how I was doing. I always felt welcomed. He greeted me with a big smile and hugged me every time I left. This simple act created a bond of intimacy between us and made me feel that I had a friend.



My personal experiences changed my attitude toward my own patients. I am less concerned now about maintaining a professional distance or avoiding a caring touch or hug when appropriate. I have learned that such gestures can significantly deepen the healing relationship between patient and physician.



As a laryngectomee, I have found that speaking is often difficult and challenging. So I am fortunate to have discovered that the "power of a hug" can convey so much more than the spoken word.



Brook is a pediatric infectious disease physician at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. He is the author of the 2010 book "My Voice: A Physician's Personal Experience With Throat Cancer." More at dribrook.blogspot.com; contact Brook at ib6@georgetown.edu.

Head and Neck Cancer Group To Meet June 6th

HEAD AND NECK CANCER

SUPPORT GROUP .



-

If you or a loved one has been touched by an oral head and

neck cancer diagnosis we're here for-you



No Pressure Just Support

June 6th, 7:00pm



ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

1 00 Haynes Street

Manchester, CT 06040



Meetings are held the 1st Monday of every month.

- fSlFloor Conference Room ----



To register or for additional information contact:

Alice Nadeau 860-268-3963 www.oralheadandneckcancer.com










American Cancer Society .1-800-227-2345

ECHN/Eastern Connecticut Cancer Institute

IAL Report

During the past month the IAL has reported 30 New Laryngectomees have received the total removal of their larynx Nationwide.   They also reported three has expired.

Here at our local Hartford area hospitals we have had no new Larygectomees reported.

 

A doctor's view point of being a new Laryngectomee

A physician as a cancer of the neck patient: experiences in

the otolaryngology ward after laryngectomy

18 October 2010

Sir,

I am a physician who had undergone pharyngo-laryngectomy

for the removal of pyriform sinus squamous cell

carcinoma. Since most patients after total laryngectomy

are unable to speak during their hospitalisation, sharing

my experiences can shed light on their personal feelings,

anxieties and needs. A detailed description of my experiences

can be found in my book entitled ‘My Voice-

A Physician Personal Experiences with Throat Cancer’

which can also be read on my Blog: http://dribrook.

blogspot.com

The new reality of having no voice was difficult for me

to adjust to. I was unable to express myself fully and

could not show my emotions. I had to completely depend

on the slow process of writing everything.

Although the medical care I received was overall very

good, I realised that mistakes were being made at all

levels of my care. Fortunately, I was able to prevent many

of them, but not all.

Some of the errors I experienced by the medical

personal included feeding me by mouth when I was still

tube fed, not rinsing away the hydrogen peroxide used

for cleaning the tracheal tube, not washing hands and not

using gloves when indicated, connecting the suction

machine directly into the suction port in the wall, taking

my temperature without placing the thermometer in a

plastic sheath, attempting to deliver viscous medications

through the feeding tube, dissolving pills in hot water

and feeding them through the feeding tube, not

connecting the CALL button, and not responding to an

urgent call when I was bedridden and unable to speak,

and forgetting to write down verbal orders.

All of these events made me wonder what happens to

patients without medical education who cannot recognise

and prevent an error. Fortunately, despite these errors,

I did not suffer any long-term consequences. However,

I had to be constantly on guard and stay vigilant, which

was exhausting, especially during the difficult recovery

process.

My post-surgical stay was one of the most challenging

periods in my life. As I look back to my hospitalisation,

I feel great gratitude to the nurses, physicians, and other

health care providers who supported and cared for me. It

is my hope that by reading what I felt and experienced,

they will gain insight into the mind of their speechless

patients who are very vulnerable and depend on their

care. A compassionate and diligent care is the key to their

mental and physical recovery.

Conflict of interest

None to declare.

Brook, Itzhak

Professor of Pediatrics,

Georgetown University School of Medicine,

Washington, DC, USA.

E-mail: ib6@georgetown.edu

C O R R E S P O N D E N C E : L E T T E R S

514 Correspondence

2010 Blackwell Publishing Ltd • Clinical Otolaryngology 35, 507–514

Johns Hopkins Update

Johns Hopkins Update

This is an extremely good article. Everyone should read it.



AFTER YEARS OF TELLING PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY

IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO ELIMINATE CANCER,

JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN ALTERNATIVE WAY .







Cancer Update from Johns Hopkins :



1. Every person has cancer cells in the body. These cancer

cells do not show up in the standard tests until they have

multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer patients

that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after

treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the

cancer cells because they have not reached the detectable

size.



2. Cancer cells occur between 6 to more than 10 times in a

person's lifetime.



3. When the person's immune system is strong the cancer

cells will be destroyed and prevented from multiplying and

forming tumors.



4. When a person has cancer it indicates the person has

nutritional deficiencies. These could be due to genetic,

but also to environmental, food and lifestyle factors.



5. To overcome the multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing

diet to eat more adequately and healthy, 4-5 times/day

and by including supplements will strengthen the immune system.



6. Chemotherapy involves poisoning the rapidly-growing

cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing healthy cells

in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can

cause organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc.



7.. Radiation while destroying cancer cells also burns, scars

and damages healthy cells, tissues and organs.



8. Initial treatment with chemotherapy and radiation will often

reduce tumor size. However prolonged use of

chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor

destruction.



9. When the body has too much toxic burden from

chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is either

compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb

to various kinds of infections and complications.



10. Chemotherapy and radiation can cause cancer cells to

mutate and become resistant and difficult to destroy.

Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other

sites.



11. An effective way to battle cancer is to starve the cancer

cells by not feeding it with the foods it needs to multiply.



*CANCER CELLS FEED ON:



a. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc are made

with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute

would be Manuka honey or molasses, but only in very small

amounts. Table salt has a chemical added to make it white in

color Better alternative is Bragg's amino or sea salt.



b. Milk causes the body to produce mucus, especially in the

gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on mucus. By cutting

off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer

cells are being starved.



c. Cancer cells thrive in an acid environment. A meat-based

diet is acidic and it is best to eat fish, and a little other meat,

like chicken. Meat also contains livestock

antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all

harmful, especially to people with cancer.



d. A diet made of 80% fresh vegetables and juice, whole

grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits help put the body into

an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked

food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live

enzymes that are easily absorbed and reach down to

cellular levels within 15 minutes to nourish and enhance

growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for building

healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most

vegetables including bean sprouts) and eat some raw

vegetables 2 or 3 times a day. Enzymes are destroyed at

temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees C)..



e. Avoid coffee, tea, and chocolate, which have high

caffeine Green tea is a better alternative and has cancer

fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or

filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap

water. Distilled water is acidic, avoid it.



12. Meat protein is difficult to digest and requires a lot of

digestive enzymes. Undigested meat remaining in the

intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic

buildup.



13. Cancer cell walls have a tough protein covering. By

refraining from or eating less meat it frees more enzymes

to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows the

body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells.



14. Some supplements build up the immune system

(IP6, Florescence, Essie, anti-oxidants, vitamins, minerals,

EFAs etc.) to enable the body’s own killer cells to destroy

cancer cells.. Other supplements like vitamin E are known

to cause apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's

normal method of disposing of damaged, unwanted, or

unneeded cells.



15. Cancer is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.

A proactive and positive spirit will help the cancer warrior

be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put

the body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to

have a loving and forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy

life.



16. Cancer cells cannot thrive in an oxygenated

environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing help to

get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen

therapy is another means employed to destroy cancer

cells.



1. No plastic containers in micro.



2. No water bottles in freezer.



3. No plastic wrap in microwave..



Johns Hopkins has recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr Edward Fujimoto, Wellness Program Manager at Castle Hospital , was on a TV program to explain this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food. You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away from the foam containers to paper The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.

Please share this with your whole email list.........................

Also, he pointed out that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.



This is an article that should be sent to anyone important in your life.

Skin Prep alert from Webwhispers

ate: Mon, 25 Apr 2011 16:11:58 -0700 (PDT)

From: Michael Csapo

Subject: Recalled Products - Info & Possible Lot Numbers



Webbies,



Before panic sets in and our list becomes completely inundated with

concerns over the recalled "Remove and Skin Prep" products, I wish to

inform all that we may have been previously misinformed about "Individual

Boxes" NOT containing a batch number.



Another member has come forth and provided us with contrary information

that the batch numbers may in fact be provided on: "The top flap which

tucks down into the box." It's not clear if this pertains to both products

or not. As I suggested previously, if you are in possession of the products

in question, I would merely suggest contacting the manufacturer or your

supplier for more detailed or updated information.



The batch numbers which we have been previously provided with are as

follows:



For Remove:



0E219, 0E226, 0F242, 0G116, 0H256, 0J233, 0J262, 0J263, 0M178, 0M179,

1A106, 1A181, 1A182, 1A192



For Skin-Prep:



0G117, 0G225, 0J146, 0J147, 0K78, 0M198



Hope this helps,



~Michael Csapo

~VP Internet Activities

~WebWhispers, Inc.

Skin Perp Recall

I am contacting you because I have just learned that Skin Perp and Remove were recalled.


It would be prudent to warn all laryngectomees who use Skin Perp and Remove about their immediate recall.





"Skin Pre and Remove Medical wipes which are used by laryngectomees to place housing were recalled and should be sent back to the dealers. The reason for recall is the potential of bacterial contamination."



Thanks



Itzhak Brook MD MSc





WebSite: http://dribrook.blogspot.com/

2nd US Larynx Transplant Performed From The IAL News April 2011

. It is still considered experimental and therefore

not covered by Medicare or other insurance. The per-

son must take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of their

lives. Jensen was already taking these drugs after a

kidney-pancreas transplant in 2006.



Neither of these transplant cases involved cancer,

and anti-rejection drugs make it harder to resist the

spread of cancerous cells, as well as make the person

vulnerable to other infections since the immune system

is weakened to keep the transplanted organ from be-

ing rejected. Unlike laryngectomees, both Heidler and

Jenson had a non-functioning larynx to work with or



blood vessels and nerves to which the

transplant could be attached.



Dr. Gregory Farwell lead the surgery

team. He stated that much of the surgery

had to be done while looking through a

high powered microscope. "The neck is

an unbelievably complex structure," he

said. "The blood vessels are small. The

nerves are incredibly small and there's a

lot of them." In Brenda's surgery Dr. Far-

well and his team had to put together five

different nerves each of which is smaller

than a human hair.



According the NPR story, "Larynx

transplants almost never occur, say phy-

sicians, because they're rarely a life-

Brenda Jenson, 2nd U.S. saving procedure." This is in contrast to

larynx transplant recipient heart, lung and liver transplants.



Friends and family are amazed when

she speaks including her 12 year old granddaughter

who had only previously heard her AL which she re-

ferred to as her "talkie-talkie."



Friends who had not heard her voice in two de-

cades were able to recognize "hints" of her old voice. It

has been pointed out that much of what gives people

their individual voices is the shape of the throat, mouth,

nose and sinuses; along with the words a person uses

and how they put them together.



Brenda said, "I feel so blessed to have been given

this opportunity. It is a miracle. I'm talking, talking, talk-

ing, which just amazes my family and friends."

The second larynx transplant in the USA was per-

formed in October, 2010, at the UC Davis Medical Cen-

ter in Sacramento, California. The surgery, performed

on 52 year old patient Brenda Charett Jenson, took

place in an 18-hour operation. The surgery replaced

her larynx, trachea (windpipe) and thyroid gland from a

donor who had died in an accident. The medical team

who performed the surgery, including specialists from

Sweden and England, had spent almost two years

training for the operation, including practicing their

skills using animals and donated human cadavers.

The first larynx transplant in the world was done

at the Cleveland Clinic on patient Tim

Heidler more than a dozen years ago in

1998. For much of the time since then the

Cleveland Clinic and others searched for

another suitable patient and the money to

pay the high cost of the surgery and the

lifelong follow up medical treatments. UC

Davis paid Brenda's hospital bills and the

doctors donated their time.



Heidler had volunteered for his surgery

after 20 years of using the electrolarynx.

He had been working in construction and

had been riding his motorcycle along a

logging trail to a fire fighting class when he

hit a cable someone had strung between

two trees. His voice box was crushed.

In Brenda Jenson's case, her vocal

cords were damaged more than a de-

cade ago after she repeatedly pulled out

her breathing tube while under sedation in a hospital

for a previous surgery. Like Heidler, she had also used

an electrolarynx and was dissatisfied with the sound it

produced. She said that her AL voice caused people

to hang up on her or "treat her like she was not there."

She said that after putting up with what she saw as

humiliation and teasing, "I was game to go. I wanted

to talk again." Her injury also left her trachea closed so

she had also unable unable to smell.



The surgeons could not tell if the surgery had been a

success for nearly two weeks. When they finally asked

her to speak she responded "I want to go home," she

said, breaking into a smile. Her voice has improved

since then and she is especially delighted that she can

smell again since some air now passes through her

nose. But she continues to breathe through a tracheo-

stomy tube and is relearning how to swallow. At the

present she cannot drink or eat by mouth. In Tim Hei-

dler's case he has also continued to have a stoma.

It has been pointed out that not all patients who Laryngectomees are not sutiable for the transpalant procedures.

Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Support Group Meeting Date:

MAY 2, AT 7 PM

AT JOHN DeQUATTRO CANCER CENTER

100 HAYNES STREET, MANCHESTER, CONN.

The IAL Reports

The IAL has reported 63 new largectomees has joined or way of life and sadly 12 demises.

Fortunatly locally, we had only one new lary with no demises.

Conn. has been very productive in getting its residents to stop smoking. 

Dip Tobacco

Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Support Group

Our nest meeting will be held on April 4th. at

7 P. M.

At The John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center

100 Haynes Street

Manchester, Ct.

State smoker gets another $15.7M against company

Business




Friday, March 4, 2011 1:19 AM EST





NEW HAVEN (AP) — A federal judge has awarded nearly $16 million in interest to a smoker who already had won $12 million against a tobacco company in the first such jury award in New England.



Judge Stefan Underhill awarded about $15.7 million to Barbara Izzarelli, a Norwich resident who developed larynx cancer. She had won her case last year against R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.



Underhill rejected claims by R.J. Reynolds that the interest was excessive. He says interest is mandatory under the law and is designed to encourage defendants to accept reasonable settlement offers.



"R.J. Reynolds possessed the ability, at any point in the years leading up to trial, to settle this case and thereby avoid the imposition of offer of judgment interest," Underhill wrote on Wednesday.



Izzarelli's attorney, David Golub, says his side had offered to settle for $400,000. The interest dates back to 1999 when the lawsuit was filed.



"This is absolutely required by law and it's the penalty that cigarette companies have to pay for refusing to settle," Golub said. "They probably spent ten times that much, if not 100 times that much, litigating this case."



The company will appeal the entire case, a spokesman said Thursday.



Izzarelli's case was the first smoker's case to come to trial in Connecticut and the first jury verdict against a tobacco company in New England, Golub said. He said his case and a jury award in Boston involving another tobacco company show juries in New England will award damages to smokers.



Izzarelli, who is 49 and smoked Salem cigarettes for more than 25 years, underwent surgery at 36 that resulted in the removal of her larynx. She must breath through a hole in her throat and has no sense of smell, and can only eat soft foods, Golub said.



The jury in Connecticut held that the Salem cigarettes made by R.J. Reynolds were unreasonably dangerous and defectively designed and that the company had acted with reckless disregard for the safety of consumers, Golub said.



Evidence in the trial established that Reynolds had undertaken a campaign in the early 1970s to market Salems to minors in order to establish a long-term customer base and had designed the cigarettes with enough nicotine above the threshold for addiction, Golub said.



The company denied targeting youths and noted that cigarettes have carried health warnings since the 1960s.



The jury found Izzarelli's compensatory damages totaled $13.9 million, but ruled that both Reynolds and Izzarelli bore responsibility for her smoking injuries. The jury allocated responsibility 58 percent to Reynolds and 42 percent to Izzarelli, reducing her award to about $8 million. She won another $4 million in punitive damages.



URL: http://www.middletownpress.com/articles/2011/03/04/business/doc4d704005d7861752394757.prt



© 2011 middletownpress.com, a Journal Register Property

Ill. appeals court revives cigarette lawsuit

Sunday, February 27, 2011 2:29 AM EST

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. (AP) — A lawsuit that led to a $10.1 billion verdict against cigarette-making Philip Morris USA before it was tossed out by the Illinois Supreme Court has been revived by a lower court, sending the case back to the county once tagged as among the nation's most lawsuit-friendly turfs.



The unanimous ruling Thursday by the three-judge panel of the Mount Vernon-based 5th District Appellate Court cleared the way for the plaintiffs to argue that a favorable 2008 U.S. Supreme Court decision in an unrelated case may be applied to reinstate the questioned Madison County one involving Philip Morris' marketing of "light" cigarettes.



In 2003, now-retired Madison County Circuit Judge Nicholas Byron found that Philip Morris misled customers about "light" and "low tar" cigarettes and broke state law by marketing them as safer, ending a trial that both sides at the time said was the nation's first over a lawsuit accusing a tobacco company of consumer fraud.



The state's Supreme Court overturned that verdict in 2005, saying the Federal Trade Commission allowed companies to characterize or label their cigarettes as "light" and "low tar," so Philip Morris could not be held liable under state law even if such terms could be found false or misleading.



The U.S. Supreme Court in late 2006 let that ruling stand, and Byron dismissed the case the next month. But in December 2008, the nation's high court, in a 5-4 decision, ruled in a lawsuit on behalf of three Maine residents that smokers may use state consumer protection laws to sue cigarette makers for the way they promote "light" and "low tar" brands.



Counting that decision as new evidence, the attorney behind the Illinois lawsuit, Stephen Tillery, again approached the Mount Vernon appellate court in hopes of reopening his firm's class-action lawsuit involving 1.1 million people who bought "light" cigarettes in Illinois.



That suit has claimed that Philip Morris knew when it introduced such cigarettes in 1971 that they were no healthier than regular cigarettes. But the company hid that information and the fact that light cigarettes actually had a more toxic form of tar, the lawsuit claimed.



Philip Morris, which can appeal Thursday's order to the state's high court, said Saturday in a statement it would continue to fight. Murray Garnick of Altria Client Services, which represents Altria Group Inc. subsidiary Philip Morris USA, said Thursday's 11-page ruling was based solely on a procedural question about whether the plaintiffs met a statute of limitations — the appeals court found they did — and not the merits of the plaintiffs' bid to reopen the case.



Since Illinois' Supreme Court reversed the damages award, Garnick said, "the plaintiffs have made multiple unsuccessful attempts to reopen the case. We believe that the plaintiffs' latest attempt is equally without merit."



Tillery countered in a statement that his St. Louis firm is "eager to return to the courtroom to seek the justice our clients deserve." Tillery said there would be no additional public comment, citing the pending status of the case.



The St. Louis Post-Dispatch first reported Thursday's appellate victory for Tillery.



The protracted Illinois legal fight has proven to be a headache for even some jurists on the state's highest court. After Byron asked the Mount Vernon appellate court in May 2007 whether he had authority to reopen the lawsuit he decided against Philip Morris, the Illinois Supreme Court in 2007 ordered without explanation that Byron stop such inquiries.



"The court's action today is entirely predictable because it quickly and quietly closes the book on a case that a majority of this court, I am sure, would rather forget," Justice Charles Freeman wrote then in dissent in the 4-2 ruling.



Former Illinois Gov. James Thompson, a Chicago attorney who was representing Philip Morris, argued then that the appellate court has no authority to decide whether the case can be reopened.



The lawsuit and its massive damages award fanned the reputation of Madison County, just east of St. Louis, as a place where lawyers from across the country filed cases hoping for big payouts in matters involving everything from asbestos exposure to medical malpractice. President George W. Bush visited the county in January 2005 as a backdrop to pressure Congress to pass legislation limiting jury awards for medical malpractice. And in August of that year, then-Gov. Rod Blagojevich came to Madison County to sign a law seeking to hold down medical malpractice costs for doctors by limiting the amount of money people can collect in lawsuits against hospitals and physicians.



Some tort-reform advocates branded the county a "judicial hellhole" but have backed off in recent years, citing reforms by the county's judiciary aggressively bent on rehabbing the jurisdiction's image.

IAL Reports

The IAL reported that 13 new larys have joined our way of life with one passing on during the past few weeks. Here in Ct. one new lary joined the rest of us.

Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Support Group

The February Meeting will be held 0n the 7th. at 7 PM at ECHN/Eastern COnn. Cancer Institute
John A. DeQuattro Cancer Center
100-Haynes Street
Manchester, Ct. 06040
In the First Floor Conference Room

Recipient of rare voice box transplant can speak again; yearns to live a normal life

ALICIA CHANG, JULIET WILLIAMS

The Hartford Courant

5:31 PM EST, January 20, 2011

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A woman whose natural voice could have been silenced forever because of vocal cord damage is able to talk again after undergoing a rare voice box transplant.

Brenda Charett Jensen, 52, reunited Thursday with the team of surgeons who performed the delicate operation last October, only the second surgery of its kind performed in the United States.

"It's just been amazing — simply, simply amazing. And I'm still in shock," Jensen said in a raspy voice at a news conference with her doctors. "I never know what's going to come tomorrow, but I know it's going to be better than where I've been."

Jensen damaged her vocal cords more than a decade ago after she repeatedly pulled out her breathing tube while under sedation in the hospital.

Because the injury left her breathing passage completely closed, the Modesto woman had also been unable to smell — a sensation that she is enjoying again.

Before the transplant, Jensen "talked" with the help of a hand-held device that produces an electronic voice.

The robotic-sounding device, which Jensen's granddaughter dubbed the "talkie-talkie," led to people hanging up on her or treating her like she was not there, so Jensen said the risk of the surgery was worth it.

After years of putting up with humiliation and teasing, "I was game to go. I wanted to talk again," said Jensen, a slim woman who walks with a cane.

The operation lasted 18 hours over two days. Doctors replaced her voice box, windpipe and thyroid gland with that of a donor who died in an accident. The transplant, which came after nearly two years of planning, was led by the University of California-Davis Medical Center and included experts from England and Sweden.

Chief surgeon Dr. Gregory Farwell said the neck is "an unbelievably complex structure" with tiny nerves that had to be connected using sutures smaller than a human hair. Surgeons spent 10 hours working under a high-power microscope as they sewed the nerves back together, he said.

Two weeks after the transplant, Jensen voiced her first words to her doctors in a hoarse tone: "Good morning," followed by "I wanna go home" and "You guys are amazing."

Jensen has since been able to speak more easily. Doctors said Jensen's voice was her own and not that of the donor.

The special qualities of a person's voice are determined by the shape of the throat, mouth, nose and sinuses. Following the transplant, Jensen told doctors that friends who had not heard her speak in years were able to recognize hints of her "old" voice.

Jensen has worked a variety of jobs, including driving trucks and working in a restaurant and as an executive secretary before going on disability several years ago. She is not currently working, but she hopes to get a job again with her voice restored.

Soon after the surgery, Jensen said, she stepped out her door and smelled turkey wafting from her neighbor's home. She still can't eat or drink because she needs a tracheotomy tube to help her breathe, but she is working hard to strengthen her neck muscles so the tube can be removed.

In the meantime, she receives nourishment through a feeding tube.

"The bakery — God, that kills me!" she joked, describing visits to the grocery store to buy household items. "But it's just been a really, really unbelievable experience: smelling freshly cut grass, the air, breathing."

Jensen had a checkup Thursday and was able to swallow a glass of water for the first time since the transplant.

Dr. Peter Belafsky, principal investigator of the UC Davis laryngeal transplant project, said the operation offers hope to others who have suffered the loss of their voice.

"I've had three messages and two texts just this morning from patients saying, 'Am I going to be a candidate for this?'"

Not all patients who lose their voice are eligible for voice box transplants. It's still considered experimental, and recipients have to constantly take anti-rejection drugs that can shorten life expectancy.

Jensen was a good fit because she was already taking the drugs after a kidney-pancreas transplant in 2006, doctors said.

Unlike lifesaving heart or liver transplants, people can live many years without a voice box, although a transplant would improve their quality of life. But the surgery is still rare, in large part because it's not covered by private or government insurance, said Dr. Gerald Berke of the UCLA Head and Neck Clinic, who had no role in Jensen's care.

The university paid for much of Jensen's hospital-related expenses, which were not immediately disclosed. Doctors and staff donated their time.

In 1998, doctors at the Cleveland Clinic performed the world's first successful larynx transplant, restoring the voice of Timothy Heidler after a motorcycle accident. He spoke normally for the first eight years after the transplant, but later experienced some swelling in his vocal cord that made his voice sound a bit breathy and froggy. Despite that, doctors said his quality of life improved.

"He's been able to live a far more normal life. He can interact, and it gives him confidence," said his surgeon, Dr. Marshall Strome, who now directs the Center for Head and Neck Oncology at St. Luke's Roosevelt Hospital in New York.

___

reported from Los Angeles.

Smoking Damages DNA

Smoking damages DNA within minutes, research shows
Enlarge PHOTODISC

Investigators focused on a class of cancer-causing culprits found in cigarette smoke called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.


A DEADLY PRACTICE

1 in 5 deaths attributed to tobacco annually.

443,000 Americans killed by tobacco per year.

$193 billion annual cost in health care and lost productivity in the U.S. due to cigarette smoking.

4,100: approximate number of teens who smoke their first cigarette each day.

85% of lung cancers are caused by smoking.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services




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By Alan Mozes HealthDay
Cigarettes start to destroy a smoker's DNA within minutes of inhaling, new research indicates, suggesting that the habit causes immediate genetic damage and quickly raises the short-term risk for cancer.
"The results reported here should serve as a stark warning to those who are considering starting to smoke cigarettes," lead study author Stephen S. Hecht, from the Masonic Cancer Center and department of pharmacology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, said in a news release from the American Chemical Society.

Hecht and his colleagues reported their observations in the current issue of the journal Chemical Research in Toxicology.

In their research, the investigators focused on a class of cancer-causing culprits found in cigarette smoke called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, or PAHs.

PAHs are known to inflict damage on DNA and are therefore thought to play a large role in the onset of lung cancer, a disease that the researchers pointed out has been linked to the loss of 3,000 lives a day worldwide, mostly as a consequence of smoking.

To date, however, little had been known about the exact mechanism by which PAH exposure causes disease.

To better understand the risks, Hecht's team conducted what they called a "unique" analysis, by labeling and tracking a single PAH — phenanthrene — through the bodies of 12 volunteer smokers.

The study authors noted that this approach was "the first to investigate human metabolism of a PAH specifically delivered by inhalation in cigarette smoke, without interference by other sources of exposure such as air pollution or the diet."

The results: having rapidly transformed in the body into a known toxin, the PAH in question began to cause havoc on the DNA of the smokers within just 15 to 30 minutes after smoking.

The velocity of the cancer-causing process surprised the research team. They said the speed with which the potentially lethal DNA assault began was comparable to having injected the PAH directly into an individual's bloodstream.




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Too Many New Larynectomees Nationwide

Unfortunately, there have been 44 New Larygectomees nationwide with 7 others passing away.

Here in our area locaton of Ct. we have had one new lary and no recent deaths.

Smoking studies help curb addictive habit for many

TV host and nighttime icon Johnny Carson said he knew a man who gave up smoking, drinking, sex and rich food. “The man was healthy right up to the time he killed himself,” Carson said.

Most people — like Peter Baranowski — refuse to pay that price. Instead, when making their new year’s resolutions they opt for a safer, more logical approach.

UConn Health Center, which became a smoke-free campus on Nov. 18, is taking smoking, the addiction, seriously. In fact, Dr. William White, who heads up one of UCHC’s smoking cessation programs, expects a plethora of smokers to sign up this month.

“January is resolution time,” White says. “Usually, it’s a busy time for us.” Several ongoing health center smoking studies have reported impressive results.

Baranowski, 49, of Wethersfield, a radiology worker at the Health Center, participated in a program in 2010 conducted by White, professor of medicine at the Center’s Calhoun Cardiology Center.

Baranowski’s blood pressure was elevated, and he was smoking two packs a day.

At times, his blood pressure read 180 over 130. He had tried the medication Chantix (varenicline) at home, but with little success. However, when he heard White’s program featured counseling, he decided to enroll. The year-long program included counseling two times a week from trained therapists at first, then once a week, then once a month. “I think it worked for me because I realized I needed to be held accountable to someone,” Baranowski says. “I didn’t want to let them or myself down. Reporting to someone made a difference to me.”

With the help of a round-the-clock monitor a little larger than an iPod his blood pressure dropped and his craving for cigarettes eased. Today, he is no longer a smoker, and his blood pressure is under control.

“There are a number of goals for this study,” says White, an internationally recognized expert in the treatment of hypertension and related complications.

White’s program looks at how smoking and smoking cessation affects blood pressure and the impact counseling has on helping people stay away from cigarettes.

All participants undergo 24-hour blood pressure monitoring to look for fluctuations before and after they stop smoking. In addition, the study randomly divides participants into two treatment groups.

Both are treated with Chantix, an FDA-approved smoking cessation medication. Several studies have shown that Chantix can more than double the chances of successfully quitting, compared to other types of treatment.

The difference between the groups determines the kind of counseling participants receive in conjunction with the medication. One group participates in traditional, individual counseling; the other receives a “contingency management” counseling approach.

Contingency management is an incentive-based intervention in which participants receive prizes such as vouchers or small gifts for compliance — in this case, for not smoking. It has been used to treat of variety of addictive disorders and in recent years, its success rates have gained national attention, as well as increased credibility in the medical community. “In essence, contingency management is the same technique parents use with children every day by rewarding good behavior,” Dr.Nancy Petry MD explains. “It’s behavior modification and behavior shaping.”

Petry is professor of medicine and an investigator of the study along with Sheila Alessi, assistant professor of medicine. A prominent researcher in the field of addiction treatments, including drug and gambling addictions, Petry is a leader in contingency management research.

“Several studies have indicated that combining medical approaches with counseling can vastly improve a smoker’s chance to quit for good,” says Petry.”

This study answers questions about the role of contingency management counseling in motivating smokers to say away from cigarettes over the short term as well as the long run.”

White’s program will be in its third year in January. Supported by a federal grant, it determines the best strategies not only for quitting smoking, but helping people stay off cigarettes. The few who experience a relapse tend to smoke less than before. “We’re using medication plus behavioral therapy to treat high blood pressure,” says White. “Nicotine increases the heart rate and can raise a person’s blood pressure.”

The first few weeks, White and his staff took readings every 15 minutes during the day, 30 minutes at night of the 50 people enrolled in the program.

White’s program targets smokers who have 10 or more cigarettes a day. The participants are 18 or older. Cigar smokers also are considered for acceptance in the program.

To date, 139 smokers have gone through the program. White says he can take up to 260 participants. Everybody gets a cardiogram and blood test at the start of the program. Participants also receive Chantix free of charge.

White has praise for the addiction therapists who do the counseling.

“They’re great at encouraging participants to stick with the plan,” White says.If you want to join his program, call (860) 372-8418 or (860) 679-4116 and leave your name and telephone number. Someone from White’s staff will get back to you.

Though Baranowski trumpets the program’s success, like many people who quit smoking, weight gain became a problem. Since he stopped smoking he has put on 40 pounds. However, walking regularly has helped him lose 12.

His resolution for 2011: Lose the other 28 pounds. Maybe a boot camp like Average Joe’s is the answer.

Written by Scott Whipple, staff reporter of the New Britain Herald