Posturegenics

International Chiropractors Association Supports WHO World No Tobacco Day
As a retired Chiropractor, I think that this message still needs to reach as many people as possible. Thanks for reading and passing it along!
World No Tobacco Day, held each year on May 31st, offers a special opportunity to participate in a global effort to promote healthy lifestyle choices through encouraging a tobacco-free lifestyle, provide supportive information and resources for quitting, and preventing new tobacco use. The International Chiropractors Association (ICA) supports the global effort developed by the World Health Organization (WHO) to inform people about the destructive health consequences of smoking, to prevent new smokers and to encourage a tobacco-free lifestyle.
The WHO’s Tobacco Free Initiative (TFI) observes that most people are unaware of the extent of the harm that tobacco causes, even if they have some idea that it is a health risk and the 2009 theme for World No Tobacco Day is based on the important role that tobacco health warnings plays to alert and educate the public on the deadly effects of tobacco. As the leading preventable cause of death — more deaths each year are from the effects of tobacco than from HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined — warning people about the true risks of this highly addictive substance is vitally important.
ICA encourages individual doctors of chiropractic and chiropractic organizations around the globe to include information and support services in their patient education efforts, in relation to World No Tobacco Day, and every day. Such information can and will help reduce the morbidity and mortality of this major health threat and to encourage healthy lifestyle practices, said Dr. Gary Walsemann, ICA President. Doctors of chiropractic can play a constructive role in this health initiative as they educate their patients and local communities on lifestyle choices and tobacco use and its dangers. Asking patients about their tobacco use and exposure during an office visit, working with patients on lifestyle change strategies, and networking with community services and agencies for smoking cessation and health risk education programs all support the steps for reducing tobacco exposure worldwide.
Chiropractors can have a positive impact every day in the communities we serve and with the patients we care for, notes Dr. Walsemann, not only on special seasonal observances like the WHOs World No Tobacco Day but on an ongoing basis as we work together to build healthy lifestyle choices. ICA has long supported tobacco education efforts and has presented papers and reports on the role the chiropractic profession can and should play in educating the public at WHO and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) conferences and forums.
Additional informational sources for patient and community education on tobacco include the WHOs World No Tobacco Day resources, regional efforts like Tobacco-Free Europe with international and national resource sites and the Guide for Clinicians from the US Department of Health and Human Services, and other organizational resources such as the WFC Chiropractors Against Tobacco (CAT) materials.