Steve,
I've worked in and around medicine for most of my adult life and have watched the liars figure, so to speak. Few people or entities come to us from objective or altruistic positions with their pronouncements, and most do and say as they do because they have something to gain. Knowing what I know is what makes me say that Mr. Colby's book is a worth while read.
I would never say that I think smoking is good for anyone, but I know it is not the cause of everything from warts to broken bones as is proclaimed by those who know better, or should. They are now able to target a substance on which all disease processes can be blamed, one way or another. After all, everybody says so. Makes it all so simple and neat.
This paranoia re smoking is being used by HMOs, among others, to excuse them from paying the costs of sound medical practice. You smoke? Don't bother us! Just call Dr. Kevorkian! That's the HMOs' agenda.
I could follow this trail for another 2500 paragraphs, but I'll spare the thread the bandwidth. Besides, it's better stated and better documented in Colby's book.
FWIW, were I a nonsmoker or an ex-smoker, my take on this would not change.
Holly |
