The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth

Not many people can hold on to the truth no matter the consequences.  In our times, the truth is flexible; it sways with the direction and intensity of the wind.  Fighting for the truth takes a special breed of people.  Such is the exceptional case of Dr. Jeffrey Wigand.

Because he stuck with the truth, like a castaway clings desperately to a floating log, he lost his job, he lost his wife, he lost his children, he lost his house and almost lost his mind.  But still he clung to the truth.  That was his nature.

Who is this man?  Jeffrey Wigand is the highest-ranking executive ever to reveal what goes behind the scenes at the highest levels of a tobacco company.  He reveled inside facts about the addictive properties of nicotine, and the alleged attempts of B&W to camouflage such information.

His scientific and management background is impressive.  Let’s take a look:

• Director of Corporate Development at Pfizer.
• General Manager and Marketing Director at Union Carbide in Japan.  He is fluent in Japanese.
• Senior Vice-President of Marketing at Technicon Instruments.
• Director of Marketing at Johnson & Johnson.
• Vice President of Research and Development at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation.

Dr. Wigand stepped into the limelight on February 4, 1996 when on the CBS news program 60 Minutes, hosted by Mike Wallace, he stated Brown & Williamson intentionally manipulated the tobacco blend to increase the amount of nicotine in cigarette smoke, thereby increasing the “impact” to the smoker.

He said he was shocked when he saw on television that the CEOs of seven major tobacco companies,  also known as the Seven Dwarfs, affirmed under oath at a Congressional Committee that they believed nicotine was not addictive.    According to Wigand, they purposely and knowingly committed perjury.

Jeffrey Wigand told Mike Wallace at 60 Minutes—a CBS TV magazine news show— in a historic interview, that the tobacco industry is in the nicotine delivery business and that a cigarette is a delivery device for nicotine.  Nicotine has a pharmacological effect that crosses the blood-brain barrier intact.  “Put a cigarette in your mouth, light it up and it’s going to get you fixed.”

As nicotine enters the body, it is distributed quickly through the bloodstream and can cross the blood-brain barrier. On average it takes about seven seconds for the substance to reach the brain when inhaled.

The Big Tobacco companies are deeply engaged in enhancing the effects of nicotine through the use of other chemical elements such as ammonia.  The tobacco industry uses this technology known as “Ammonia Chemistry.” In general terms, the process to manipulate nicotine is known as “impact boosting.” Impact boosting allows for the nicotine to be more rapidly absorbed by the lungs; and therefore, affect the brain and central nervous system.

According to the American Heart Association, the “nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break.” The pharmacological and behavioral characteristics that cause tobacco addiction are similar to those that influence addiction to drugs such as heroin and cocaine.  Nicotine content in cigarettes has actually slowly increased over the years, and one study found that there was an average increase of 1.6 percent per year between the years of 1998 and 2005.   This was found for all major market categories of cigarettes.

There is also a chemical compound additive called coumarin, widely used in the manufacturing of pipe tobacco, (e.g., Sir Walter Raleigh) that has been shown to have a carcinogenic property which caused tumors in rats and mice.  The make-up of coumarin was close to that of a compound found in rat poison.

Coumarin was banned as an adulterant in cigarettes by tobacco companies in 1997, but due to the lack of reporting requirements to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, it is still being used as a flavoring additive in pipe tobacco.

The Big Tobacco companies are after the young population. That’s their core target market. If you don’t get them before they’re 18 or 20, you never get them.  On the average, children begin to smoke at 14.  This is a red flag for parents having adolescent children.  A study found that nicotine exposure in adolescent mice retards the growth of the dopamine system, thus increasing the risk of substance abuse during adolescence.

If you’re a smoker, and besides that have adolescent children, please be careful with developing the habit of smoking.  It could kill you and your children if they follow your steps.

Each year, about 425,000 Americans die of smoke-related illnesses. Through tax money that goes to Medicaid, the general population pays for a significant portion of the billions of dollars of health costs.

I would like to point out that, Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation, was once owned by British American Tobacco, and, since 2004, by Reynolds American Inc., a joint venture between the U.S. branch of British American Tobacco and R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company. Reynolds American Inc. is the current  manufacturer of Kool, Viceroy and Capri cigarettes.  It also manufactures pipe tobacco like Sir Walter Raleigh.

After the Brown & Williamson merger, the Viceroy cigarette has been played down, continuing to be sold on the markets where demand is strong, like Romania, the Middle East, Turkey, Argentina and Chile.

Kool and Viceroy cigarettes are both sold in Panama.  Yesterday I purchased a box of Kool for this post.  I wanted to know how much it costs and how it looked like.  The price for a box of Kool at El Rey Supermarket is $2.24 including ITBMS (sales tax).  At this price just about anybody can buy one. 

Kool is very popular within the young smoking population in Panama, specially college students and call centers employees.  They say,  “It’s cool to smoke Kool.”

This is how a box of Kool looks like in Panama. By the way, it’s manufactured in Honduras by THASA (Tabacalera Hondureña, S.A.).  Here we go.

Photograph of a box of Kool cigarettes. Notice the picture of the man inside a cigarette prison, symbolizing the addiction to cigarette smoking. The legend on the box reads, "Smoking produces addiction. Seek Help." (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

A side view of a box of Kool. The legend reads, "Smoking may cause death." The ingredients of the cigarette are: tar, nicotine, carbon monoxide and benzopyrene. The latter is an aromatic hydrocarbon, CH, found in coal-tar, cigarette smoke, etc. and known to be a cause of cancer in animals. (Credit: ©Omar Upegui R.)

In 1996, a published study provided clear molecular evidence conclusively linking components in tobacco smoke to lung cancer. Benzopyrene, found in tobacco smoke, caused genetic damage in lung cells that was identical to the damage observed in the DNA of most malignant lung tumors.

Subsequent to the 60 Minutes story on nicotine’s manipulation by the tobacco industry, in 1998 they settled the lawsuits filed against it by Missipppi and 40 other states for $368 billion.  However, Big Tobacco is still doing business as usual following the path of corporate greed.

In 1996, Dr. Wigland was awarded the “Sallie Mae First Class Teacher of the Year” in Kentucky.  He currently lives in South Carolina.  He spends his time and efforts on lectures around the world, as an expert witness and consultant on various tobacco issues, and on his non-profit organization, Smoke-Free Kids, Inc. where he concentrates his energy on helping kids of all ages make better decisions and healthy choices on tobacco use.  He was portrayed by Russell Crowe in the 1999 film The Insider directed by Michael Mann.

Before I close this post let me ask you if you smoke?  If you do, please seriously consider the possibility of cutting the habit.  It’s not worth going up in smoke.  Smoking kills, that’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  Good Day.

Stream The Insider Movie – Russell Crowe, Al Pacino and Christopher Plummer

Read Full Post »

Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs Steps Down Temporarily to Take Care of his Health

On several public events Steve Jobs joked about his health issue. Now we know it is not a joke, it's a very serious issue.

The speculation about Steve Jobs’ precarious health is finally over.  Apple has confirmed that CEO Steve Jobs will step down from his CEO post while recuperating from a hormone imbalance.   His absence will stretch until the end of June.

Tim Cook, Apple’s chief operating officer, will run the company during Jobs’ absence, according an e-mail Jobs sent to Apple employees that was released to the media.  Cook has been regarded as the short-term solution for a long time, having run the company during Jobs’ absence in 2004 and respected as a detail-oriented manager who can keep the ship on course.

Jobs, 53, has been the subject of heated speculation regarding his health since last June’s Worldwide Developers Conference,  when he appeared to have lost a great deal of weight. At the time, Apple insisted that Jobs’ health was a private matter but revealed in early January that Jobs was suffering from a hormone imbalance that was impeding his body’s ability to absorb certain proteins.

Jobs said in the e-mail that he plans “to remain involved in major strategic decisions” while on his leave of absence, which implies that he’ll still be playing his usual role to some degree, green-lighting some future projects and scuttling others. But that also implies he will not be negotiating on Apple’s behalf during that time, and likely won’t make an appearance at Apple’s June Worldwide Developers Conference or any other events the company holds in the interim.

I have a gut feeling Steve Jobs will not return to Apple as a full time employee.  In the best scenario, he will return as a senior consultant to the Board of Directors involved in general company’s policies and guidelines and major strategic decisions.  It will be the beginning of an new Era for a Jobless Apple.

Jobs had demonstrated to be a genius at the helm of Apple.   He is already a legend in the fields of computer and electronic gadgets technologies.  I hope he has a speedy recovery and return to Apple as soon as possible to do what he does best—innovate.  Good Day.

Read Full Post »

Steve Jobs Reveals Secrets About His Health

Steve Jobs jokes about his health in one of his recent public presentations.

For several months a rumor persisted in Silicon Valley that Steve Jobs was not well and could step down from Apple anytime soon.  He look gaunt and tired during his recent presentations.  Apple, the company, was tightlipped about the issue, and so was Steve Jobs.  Sometimes he would joke about his blood pressure, but that’s as much as he would say about his thin appearance.

After a long news blackout about Jobs’ health, he finally came forward and spilled it out for us to know what was going on.  In a public letter, Jobs, 53, said his thinness had been a mystery even to him and his doctors until a few weeks ago, when “sophisticated blood tests” confirmed that he has “a hormone imbalance that has been `robbing’ me of the proteins my body needs to be healthy.”

“The remedy for this nutritional problem is relatively simple and straightforward, and I’ve already begun treatment,” he wrote. “Just like I didn’t lose this much weight and body mass in a week or a month, my doctors expect it will take me until late this spring to regain it.”

Jobs announced in 2004 that he had undergone successful surgery to treat a very rare form of pancreatic cancer—an islet cell neuroendocrine tumor. The cancer is easily cured if diagnosed early. Jobs did not have a deadlier and more common form of pancreatic cancer called adenocarcinoma.

He closed his letter it by saying: “So now I’ve said more than I wanted to say, and all that I am going to say, about this.” He will not speak at the MacWorld event, in his place Phil Schiller, an Apple marketing executive, will give the company’s presentation instead.

Still, the announcement is unlikely to end speculation about Jobs, said Brian Marshall, an AmTech Research analyst. He expects Jobs to step down as CEO this year, most likely remaining an adviser to the company. Marshall said he believes Jobs’ departure would cut $10 to $15 from Apple’s stock price.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment, and Jobs said in his letter that “I will be the first one to step up and tell our board of directors if I can no longer continue to fulfill my duties as Apple’s CEO.”

Apple’s board released a separate statement, saying, “Apple is very lucky to have Steve as its leader and CEO, and he deserves our complete and unwavering support during his recuperation. He most certainly has that from Apple and its board.”

Steve Jobs had performed brilliantly at Apple’s helm.  In case his health deteriorates, it would be in the best interest of him and his family to step down as CEO of Apple and remain as a consultant.  I’m sure Wall Street will understand that.  We have many things to thank Steve Jobs for.   May he live a long and productive life.  Good Day.

Source:  Apple’s Jobs Explains His Weight Loss – The New York Times

Read Full Post »

Steve Jobs Addressed His Health Issue at the “Let’s Rock” Media Event

Apple's CEO, Steve Jobs, jokes about his health before a live audience at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on September 9, 2008. (Credit: Gizmodo.com)

Today at 10:00 a.m. sharp (PDT), Apple’s CEO, Steve Jobs, took the stage of the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, California to announce a little more than a preview of the new holiday line of iPods, and the TV ads that will accompany them.

Before he got to the iPod business, Steve Jobs joked about the speculation on his health, kicking off an Apple event by flashing a message on a screen that “The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated.”

Mr. Jobs played off the famous Mark Twain quote in referring to obituary preparedness on him that was accidentally posted by Bloomberg News and then retracted. News outlets regularly prepare obituary material on famous people.

Steve Jobs knew that everybody at the venue would be looking at him and his gaunt figure, more than at the multi-colored iPod nanos. The rumor mill about his fragile health was very strong in the media. Thus, he wanted to spread out the message, loud and clear, that he was fine and the “Let’s Rock” event was a golden opportunity to show the world that he was fine.

Questions about Jobs’ health exploded after he appeared bony at a recent Apple event. Apple has since said Jobs, 53, a survivor of pancreatic cancer, suffered from a bug and is better.

Josh Quitnner of Time Magazine wrote:

“This was the perfect photo op, and the world’s press was there to videotape, photograph and live-blog it. Never mind that most of us in the audience have already written his obituary, or that Bloomberg accidentally published its version. The theme of Jobs being alive and well was the message of the day and was echoed throughout the subsequent demos. (Two of the songs ‘El Jobso’ played for us on his new iPods: Beck’s ‘Guess I’m Doing Fine’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.’”

“After the event, Jobs even briefly joined the media in a room where Apple’s new product line was being shown. He walked under his own steam, of course, easily and without any apparent discomfort. While he remains impossibly thin—I doubt he weighs 100 lbs. wet—he actually looked jaunty. (The new version of the iPod Nano was billed, by the way, as ‘The Thinnest iPod Ever.’)”

Some of the attendees commented that he appeared thin but energetic this morning as he detailed changes in Apple’s lineup of iPods and the iTunes music service. I don’t know, but I have a gut feeling that his health is ailing. He still looks a lot thinner than normal. He can’t even fill his clothes (turtle-neck sweater and blue jeans).

I’m crossing my fingers that I’m dead wrong and that Steve Jobs only looks thin due to a special diet to fight any remains of his previous pancreatic illness. You still have a lot to show us in the future, Mrs. Jobs. It’s undeniable that the past five years have been the most fertile of his magnificent career. Please, take care. Chao!

Read Full Post »

The Fragile Physical Appearance of Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC ) on June 9th.

Since Steve Jobs’ keynote address at the San Francisco Moscone venue on June 9, 2008, there has been a lot of speculation on the Internet regarding his health. During the WWDC keynote address, he looked “dangerously thin” as one attendee commented. Other words that I’ve read about his appearance are: emaciated, bony, gaunt and haggard. All of them describe the health condition of a sick man or extremely worked-out person. The photograph above certainly shows that.

After the event was over, one interviewer noted: “His handshake was moderate, his hands felt bony and I was taken aback by his extremely narrow face, slight build, and noticeable shoulder bones through his shirt. Those aren’t my impressions looking back in time through the prism of speculation since. That’s what I thought then; that these weren’t the features of a guy who’d been working out, or on a diet. They seemed far more severe. Sickly.”

In response to a question about his health, an Apple spokeswoman said Jobs was hit with a “common bug” in recent weeks but he still felt it was important to participate in the Apple conference. The spokeswoman said he’s now on the mend with the aid of antibiotics. Rumor has it he’s under a strict vegetarian diet personally supervised by his wife Laurene.

As most people probably know, Jobs was diagnosed with a form of pancreatic cancer in October 2003 and was operated on in July 2004—after reportedly not seeking treatment for more than nine months, while he explored other alternatives to surgery.

Jobs hid his battle with cancer for full nine months before informing shareholders and anyone else outside his most intimate of inner circles until the surgery, and had to schedule time away from the office for the surgical operation. Jobs took a leave from his duties at Apple that August in order to recuperate but returned to work the following month.

Although pancreatic cancer is one of the worst forms of the disease, however, Jobs had a rarer form known as a neuroendocrine tumour, which can often be cured through surgery. The major surgical operation is known as the Whipple procedure. That said, many cancers recur even after treatment, especially if they have metastasized (that is, spread to other organs such as the liver or kidney). Of course, there’s no way of knowing.

According to studies, 80 to 90 percent of patients who survive the surgery live at least ten years. Which means that barring some unfortunate complication, Jobs will probably be announcing products at keynotes through 2014.

Steve Jobs is the public face and the alter ego of Apple and we can only begin to wonder if Apple, in general, is strong enough to survive the loss of its charismatic leader. Jobs is widely considered nearly irreplaceable at Apple, where he has been the architect of a dramatic resurgence in the company’s fortunes over the past decade.

Investors and Apple loyalists pay particular attention to the chief executive’s appearance because they consider him to be irreplaceable to the company he rescued from the doldrums a little over ten years ago.

The last time Apple provided an update on Jobs’ health was nearly two years ago when similar concerns began to mount following his appearance at the 2006 Apple developers conference. At the time, the company’s VP of worldwide corporate communications Katie Cotton downplayed the concerns, saying Jobs’s health was “robust.”

Last year, financial publication Barron’s suggested that Jobs may be worth more to Apple than any other chief executive in the world, estimating that Apple’s market cap would instantly bleed $20 billion in value should he abruptly be forced to abandon his leadership role at the company. Fortunately for Apple, no replacement is needed.

Regardless of the apparent bright future for Steve Jobs, I’m sure in the obscure corridors of Silicon Valley and Wall Street, there are some who are currently asking, “Who’s the anointed Prince or Princess waiting to take over the Apple Throne from King Steve?”

Read Full Post »

The Pill Camera of the Future

As advances in the fields of medicine and electronics grow more sophisticated and complex, our physicians will be like modern quasi-Gods. Many of their medical tools will be more strange and exotic than those used in science-fiction movies. One such health tool that grabbed my attention is the Pill Camera used to detect esophageal cancer.

The scientific community at the University of Washington is currently developing a pill-sized camera which would travel through the body looking for signs of disease.

Doctors could eventually use the tiny capsule—just 15mm long—to diagnose cancer. This camera is so small that that it can be comfortably swallowed by any normal patient.

It will contain a micro-chip which functions as a camera, producing pictures which would, either be beamed directly to a computer, or be collected after the capsule has passed through the body. Doctors would then be able to identify disease in patients.

The capsule, which builds on technology developed by NASA to measure temperature inside astronauts’ bodies, would take the place of endoscopes traditionally used by doctors to see inside patients. It is hoped the tiny camera will be able to pick up the presence of chemicals, called metabolites, which indicate a particular disease is present in the body.

A combination of two existing, proven technologies—cameras on chips and mini, portable devices for analyzing data—are being combined for the first time in the “lab-in-a-pill”, as it has been dubbed by Dr. David Cumming, lecturer in electronics and electronic engineering at Glasgow University.

A mini-lens on the tip of the capsule would be connected to a tiny “engine” running off electrical signals. An antenna would take in the electric signals and send out the data collected and the “brain” behind the whole system would be a micro-chip operating with hi-tech fluids.

Developing the power source is a key challenge facing the scientists, who are applying for a grant of £1.4m from the Scottish Higher Education Funding Council to develop the capsule. Efforts are focusing on battery technology or some form of electronic smart card.

Dr Cumming said the technology could eventually be used to allow diagnosis by GPs rather than hospital consultants, or even for the patients themselves to collect data. It is expected to take three to five years to develop the capsule.

Cancer has been responsible for the loss and pain of many people around the world. In Panama, the statistics of persons dying from cancer are alarming. I hope inventions like this one will someday eradicate this disease from the surface of our planet. The future certainly looks promising and exciting.

Related literature: Pill-sized cameras can be swallowed

Read Full Post »