Pubdate: Mon, 09 May 2016
Source: Journal-Pioneer, The (CN PI)
Page: A6
Copyright: 2016 Journal-Pioneer
Contact:  http://www.journalpioneer.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2789
Authors: Mehmet Oz & Mike Roizen
Note: Mehmet Oz, M.D. is host of The Dr. Oz Show, and Mike Roizen, 
M.D. is Chief Wellness Officer and Chair of Wellness Institute at 
Cleveland Clinic.

HOPES AND DREAMS GO UP IN SMOKE

"Up in Smoke" (Cheech and Chong, 1978) may have floated the hazy
notion that smoking marijuana was harmless fun, but new research shows
that a woman's chance for delivering a healthy baby is actually what
goes up in smoke if she lets smoke into her brain and lungs while pregnant.

Researchers from the University of Arizona looked at 24 studies of
pregnancy and marijuana smoking:

They discovered that pregnant women who smoke cannabis were more
likely to be anemic and their babies more likely to end up in neonatal
intensive care with low birth weight.

Low birth weight is associated with intestinal and respiratory woes,
brain bleeds, and heart and vision problems.

This study comes at the same time that researchers in Leipzig's
Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research discovered that tobacco
smoking during pregnancy causes epigenetic disruption that
dysregulates several genes at once and can trigger a roster of health
problems for a newborn and throughout life. Plus, various studies
indicate that cannabis smoke is almost as toxic as tobacco smoke and
can reduce levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine, impairing memory
and making it hard to stop smoking without feeling depressed.

These studies together should be more than enough to convince every
young woman that if she smokes marijuana, tobacco or both, her dreams
of a healthy baby may just go up in smoke.

Need help quitting tobacco? Check out the info at www.smokefree.gov .
For help stopping marijuana use, go to www.findtreatment.samhsa.gov . 
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D