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• Menopause: Smokers Have More Hot Flashes 

As expected, smokers in the study reported more hot flashes than women who did not smoke.

But smokers who also carried specific gene variations linked to estrogen metabolism and susceptibility to environmental toxins had the most hot flashes of all, says researcher and ob-gyn Samantha Butts, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.

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• How are SNFs handling residents who use e-cigarettes? 

Q: We have a new resident who is smoking the e-cigarette. What are facilities doing with it? . . .

In speaking with a dozen or more facilities, the e-cigarette seems to be handled in an individual facility- or corporate-wide policy. Many facilities are not allowing it at all; others allow it after the resident is deemed by the doctor or advanced practice nurse to be safe at handling the device.

It does seem that all of the facilities allowing the e-cigarette keep the charging device at the nurses' station, just to keep an eye on how often it is smoked, and to monitor on an ongoing basis for safety.

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Air Pollution Sickens Seniors  

Cigarette to blame for Friday fire, officials say 

• Lester Breslow, Who Tied Good Habits to Longevity, Dies at 97  

Dr. Lester Breslow, a public health leader whose research gave mathematical proof to the notion that people can live longer and healthier by changing habits like smoking, diet and sleep, died Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 97. . . .

Dr. Breslow himself did not smoke or drink. He walked regularly, practiced moderation in all things and enjoyed tending his vegetable garden.

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City: Cigarette ignited oxygen tank, killing elderly woman 

Ontarians cutting their lifespan by 7.5 years  

SCHNEIDEREIT: Great. Now we know exactly how bad our bad habits are  

Maybe people rationalize less in B.C.

The real question is: Why are Nova Scotians or Ontarians -- at least when compared to the enlightened health gurus of lotus land -- smoking and drinking more, exercising less, eating poorly and feeling stressed?

It can't be lack of knowledge that this stuff is bad for us. We've been "educated" about unhealthy habits to the point of developing repertoires of black humour to counter the nagging from well-meaning friends and family. We nod dutifully when our family doctor -- those who have them, anyway -- tells us to cut back or do more, but we often seem to run into trouble trying to fill that prescription for motivation.

Healthy living, the statistics suggest, declines as one moves from west to east across Canada. Why is that?

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• Five unhealthy habits sending us to an early grave 

Seven and a half more years.

That's how much longer adult Ontarians would live, on average, if they could collectively overcome five unhealthy habits: smoking, excess alcohol consumption, poor diet, sedentary behaviour and stressing out.

That is the conclusion of a new report from the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and Public Health Ontario.

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What are the chances this baby will live to 100?  

Council Snuffs Out Talk of Apartment Smoking Ban  

• Many Americans Ambivalent Over Laws Aimed at Healthy Living 

Greensboro FD Reaching Out To Seniors After Fatal House Fire 

Greensboro fire officials warn against smoking dangers  

Fire department: Smoking factors into 1 in 5 fires in Greensboro