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Can Snuff Usage Cause Contract Pneumonia?
Question: can using snuff orally for 50+ years cause a healthy woman to contract pneumonia.
reason for question:
My mother 74 years old contracted pneumonia in her left lung .She was asymptomatic. She was hospitalized for 1wk, ICU on a ventilator 3 days with drug induced coma , moved to intermediate care now in subacute rehabilitation facility. she is on 6-8 weeks of antibiotics IV .My mother baffled the doctors visits physician every 3 months , enrolled in well program. However, she has never to told her primary physician that she uses snuff orally. she has never told her medical team because they only ask if she smokes
. Her reoly is always ni.I know that it has been keot like a secret but niw I thjnk that her secret is literally killing her.
Why my mother dies nit see that tobacco in any form is dangerous in my opinion
is beyond me.I need some type of medical backup so that I can say no without feeling defiant.
She is asking me to bring to her her box snuff to the rehab facility. I am very uncomfortable with this request. PLEASE help. I have to go see her today.
Thanh you in advance.
reason for question:
My mother 74 years old contracted pneumonia in her left lung .She was asymptomatic. She was hospitalized for 1wk, ICU on a ventilator 3 days with drug induced coma , moved to intermediate care now in subacute rehabilitation facility. she is on 6-8 weeks of antibiotics IV .My mother baffled the doctors visits physician every 3 months , enrolled in well program. However, she has never to told her primary physician that she uses snuff orally. she has never told her medical team because they only ask if she smokes
. Her reoly is always ni.I know that it has been keot like a secret but niw I thjnk that her secret is literally killing her.
Why my mother dies nit see that tobacco in any form is dangerous in my opinion
is beyond me.I need some type of medical backup so that I can say no without feeling defiant.
She is asking me to bring to her her box snuff to the rehab facility. I am very uncomfortable with this request. PLEASE help. I have to go see her today.
Thanh you in advance.
Brief Answer:
Tobacco history disclosure, smokeless alternatives
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I am glad to help you try to convince your mother to give up this long term habit. Thank you for your inquiry. You have to consider that she is addicted to this use after so many years. Breaking the habit is a difficult undertaking and looking for a subsitute can be a critical step. Is the main reason that she continues use of snuff that she does not believe any possible correlation to her health or is this just an excuse?
There are numerous publication and studies clearly acknowledging very high levels of cancer-causing agents or carcinogens in snuff. Tobacco-specific nitrosamines have caused lung cancer in animals. Other carcinogens are highly correlated to mouth, throat, stomach and pancreatic cancer. Has she not experienced any detrimental oral conditions from this habit? I see distinct changes in tissue from teenagers and twenty-something old patients with recent use when they have dental cleanings. Studies show these nitrosamine carcinogens, when injected into blood, are proven cancer causing agents.
The risks of using smokeless tobacco may kill less people when compared with cigarette smoking and manufacturer marketing may claim it to be a "less harmful" alternative to smoking or aid to quit smoking, but with a compromised medical condition does it make sense to go out of your way to expose yourself to a documented carcinogen?
Here is the US Surgeon General quote: “Smoking cessation represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives.”
Download articles and brochures from www.killthecan.org. Try to purchase the smokeless alternatives mentioned on the site. This site has a community and blog that may give you ideas to help convince your mother.
Visit www.mouthhealthy.org to view a video on smokeless tobacco. This site is sponsored by the Amerian Dental Association. Valuable information is available. If you have a portable device such as an iPad, there is an app available.
Simply, I would refuse to bring her anything unless she has approval from her doctor. Check if admittance documents even state this restriction. This confirms the need to discuss her use with the doctors and puts the permission for use while in any facility in the professional's hands. You do not want to enable your mother.
I am glad to assist you further and wish you good luck.
Tobacco history disclosure, smokeless alternatives
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
I am glad to help you try to convince your mother to give up this long term habit. Thank you for your inquiry. You have to consider that she is addicted to this use after so many years. Breaking the habit is a difficult undertaking and looking for a subsitute can be a critical step. Is the main reason that she continues use of snuff that she does not believe any possible correlation to her health or is this just an excuse?
There are numerous publication and studies clearly acknowledging very high levels of cancer-causing agents or carcinogens in snuff. Tobacco-specific nitrosamines have caused lung cancer in animals. Other carcinogens are highly correlated to mouth, throat, stomach and pancreatic cancer. Has she not experienced any detrimental oral conditions from this habit? I see distinct changes in tissue from teenagers and twenty-something old patients with recent use when they have dental cleanings. Studies show these nitrosamine carcinogens, when injected into blood, are proven cancer causing agents.
The risks of using smokeless tobacco may kill less people when compared with cigarette smoking and manufacturer marketing may claim it to be a "less harmful" alternative to smoking or aid to quit smoking, but with a compromised medical condition does it make sense to go out of your way to expose yourself to a documented carcinogen?
Here is the US Surgeon General quote: “Smoking cessation represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives.”
Download articles and brochures from www.killthecan.org. Try to purchase the smokeless alternatives mentioned on the site. This site has a community and blog that may give you ideas to help convince your mother.
Visit www.mouthhealthy.org to view a video on smokeless tobacco. This site is sponsored by the Amerian Dental Association. Valuable information is available. If you have a portable device such as an iPad, there is an app available.
Simply, I would refuse to bring her anything unless she has approval from her doctor. Check if admittance documents even state this restriction. This confirms the need to discuss her use with the doctors and puts the permission for use while in any facility in the professional's hands. You do not want to enable your mother.
I am glad to assist you further and wish you good luck.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Raju A.T
Answered by
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