Harm reduction
Harm reduction can refer to a policy, strategy, or particular intervention that presumes continuation of an undesired behavior while aspiring to lower the risk of harmful consequences associated with the continuance of this addictive behavior.[1]
Addictions
Tobacco
The fact that a high level of physical activity. i.e. exercise, has a broad variety of protective effects prompted researchers to analyze the extent to which exercise could prevent smoking-related mortality and morbidity.[2] It can be estimated that the magnitude of the protective effect is major, and that, given the poor efficacy of smoking cessation techniques (less than 30%), it should be actively promoted to all smokers.
At the biochemical level, tobacco smoke attacks lung cells and other cells through pro-oxidant mechanisms. Maintaining high concentrations of vitamin C in the blood appears to largely prevent these effects, while other antioxidants are poorly effective.[3] To date, no large-scale clinical trials have been conducted to conceive public health guidelines on this harm reduction strategy.
Alcohol
Cannabis
Heroin
References
- ↑ Stratton, K., Shetty, P., Wallace, R. and Bondurant (Eds.), S. (2001b) Clearing the smoke: Assessing the science base for tobacco harm reduction. National Academies Press , Washington, DC
- ↑ deRuiter W, Faulkner G (2006). "Tobacco harm reduction strategies: the case for physical activity". Nicotine Tob. Res. 8 (2): 157–68. DOI:10.1080/14622200500494823. PMID 16766410. Research Blogging.
- ↑ Panda K, Chattopadhyay R, Chattopadhyay D, Chatterjee IB (2001). "Cigarette smoke-induced protein oxidation and proteolysis is exclusively caused by its tar phase: prevention by vitamin C". Toxicol. Lett. 123 (1): 21–32. PMID 11514102. [e]