D ear Heloise: My son and some of his friends have taken up chewing tobacco, which I find disgusting. My son is 18, and his friends are all around his age. While he knows smoking is a health hazard, he firmly believes that chewing tobacco is safe, but something tells me that it’s not.
Do you know anything about chewing tobacco and smoking those artificial cigarettes? — Dottie G., Casper, Wyoming Dottie, there really is no easy way to say this, but chewing tobacco has some terrible effects on people who chew it for a long time. Your son’s use of chewing tobacco may just be a passing interest — and I hope it is, because there is a high risk of mouth cancer.
According to the Mayo Clinic, cancer of the mouth or throat will involve major surgery of the jaw, mouth and/or tongue. This is a rapidly spreading cancer, and doctors try to catch it before it reaches the throat. It increases the heart rate, and long-term use can lead to heart disease.
It also raises blood pressure. The sugars and irritants in smokeless tobacco cause cavities, stain the teeth and cause gum recession and bone loss around the root of the tooth. If anyone wants to quit using tobacco but is having a difficult time quitting, you can call a few tobacco-cessation hotlines at 800-448-7848 or 800-784-8669 to find help in your own state.
— Heloise Dear Heloise: When making peanut butter sandwiches, my mother used to put mayo on the bread, then peanut butter and pickle slices. I never liked the taste of jell.
