Employers who for years have increasingly moved to high-deductible health plans and wellness initiatives to mitigate the ever-increasing cost of coverage are now beginning to elevate their approach to drive better results. Rather than offer incentives to employees to merely participate in wellness initiatives and set personal health goals, they are starting to base them on outcomes, insurance agents say.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Assn. found there could be a ripple effect when an obese family member uses cognitive behavioral therapy to lose weight, sometimes causing others in the family to drop some pounds at the same time. This type of psychotherapy used for weight loss focuses on changing lifestyle habits and becoming more mindful of thoughts and feelings about food.

Many overweight and obese patients seen in hospital emergency departments don't believe their weight poses a risk to their health, and many say doctors have never told them otherwise, a new study finds.

Across the country, businesses are encouraging employee wellness by holding contests, health screenings, and providing other incentives to help employees get healthy — and to reduce company health care costs. A recent Incentive Research Foundation report shows only one in five people will participate in wellness programs without incentives, while offering incentives increases participation by a minimum of 60 percent.

Join us for the latest complimentary webinar from Clear Insights, “The Economic Impacts of Obesity in the Workplace – And, What You Can Do About It,” presented by Ron Goetzel, Research Professor and Director at Emory University's Institute for Health and Productivity Studies and Thomson Reuters’ Vice President of Consulting and Applied Research.

A new study published in the journal Contemporary Economic Policy says funding tobacco control programs at recommend levels could save 14 to 20 times more than the cost of implementing the programs. The researchers used data from 1991 to 2007, when states paid for the tobacco control programs with the help of the tobacco taxes, public and private initiatives and funds from the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement between the nation's four largest tobacco companies and 46 states.

A recent study in the Journal of the American Dietetic Assn. found there could be a ripple effect when an obese family member uses cognitive behavioral therapy to lose weight, sometimes causing others in the family to drop some pounds at the same time. This type of psychotherapy used for weight loss focuses on changing lifestyle habits and becoming more mindful of thoughts and feelings about food.

Many overweight and obese patients seen in hospital emergency departments don't believe their weight poses a risk to their health, and many say doctors have never told them otherwise, a new study finds.

Employers who for years have increasingly moved to high-deductible health plans and wellness initiatives to mitigate the ever-increasing cost of coverage are now beginning to elevate their approach to drive better results. Rather than offer incentives to employees to merely participate in wellness initiatives and set personal health goals, they are starting to base them on outcomes, insurance agents say.

The average American now works 47 hours a week and employees are expected to be at peak performance. In a recent study, the US Department of Health showed that for every $1.00 a business invested in a wellness program there was a median savings of $3.14.

Voxiva, creator of Text4Baby and Text2Quit, announced this week an agreement with Alere Wellbeing’s smoking cessation program Quit For Life to exclusively merge their services into one offering.

Alere Wellbeing and Voxiva, pioneers in their respective fields of tobacco cessation and mobile heath, announced an agreement to integrate their services into one enhanced offering. Under the agreement, Alere obtains the exclusive right to offer Voxiva’s Text2Quit(SM) service, enabling participants to receive up to 300 unique text messages that help keep them engaged and motivated, in conjunction with the Quit For Life® Program, its market leading tobacco cessation program.

The Internet is one of the first places many people go to research symptoms or illnesses they have (or think they might have), and social networks like Twitter have also become a hotbed of symptom-sharing and health advice. But can doctors and other researchers discover any useful information from all of this background noise? Two researchers at Johns Hopkins University say they can — with a little bit of effort.

After a serious illness, lifestyle changes often have the potential to dramatically improve a person's overall health and quality of life. In fact, lifestyle factors such as smoking, diet and physical activity strongly influence how rapidly many diseases will progress. As much as individuals may want to make more healthful choices, however, change is difficult. Even the awareness that our behaviors can harm us often isn't always enough to make people mend their ways.

Blu, the maker of electronic cigarettes that release a nicotine-laden vapor instead of smoke, has developed packs of e-cigarettes with sensors that will let users know when other e-smokers are nearby. The new “smart packs,” which will go on sale next month for $80 for five e-cigarettes, are equipped with devices that emit and search for the radio signals of other packs. These packs can be set to exchange information about their owners which can be downloaded onto personal computers.

In light of research in the past decade showing that even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can cause harm, half of all states in the U.S. have implemented comprehensive laws banning smoking in bars, restaurants and private-sector work sites. But greater action is needed to reduce the public's exposure to secondhand smoke, according to the CDC. A new study projects that if the current pace of states adopting smoke-free laws continues, every state could have such bans by 2020.

The effects of nicotine upon brain regions involved in addiction mirror those of cocaine, according to new neuroscience research. A single 15-minute exposure to nicotine caused a long-term increase in the excitability of neurons involved in reward, according to a study published in The Journal of Neuroscience. The results suggest that nicotine and cocaine hijack similar mechanisms of memory on first contact to create long-lasting changes in a person's brain.

A federal grant program authorized in the health overhaul law is offering states $100 million to reward Medicaid recipients who make an effort to quit smoking or keep their weight, blood pressure or cholesterol levels in check. The grant program is meant to encourage states to experiment with offering incentives for healthy behavior. Behavioral incentive programs have shown some promise in specific settings, but they are largely untested in the Medicaid population.

In a recent interview, Tim McAfee, M.D., M.P.H., the CDC's new director of the Office on Smoking and Health (OSH) spoke about his vision for tobacco control. Dr. McAfee was with Free & Clear since 2003 as our Chief Medical Officer and joined the CDC following a distinguished career in tobacco control as a clinician, researcher, and public health evaluator. He worked for 20 years in population-based and clinical preventive health, with a strong focus on tobacco control.

According to a new study published in the journal Epidemiology, smoking causes half a million deaths each year in the U.S., killing slightly more men than women. The rates of smoking-related deaths in men were comparable to what's been found in other recent analyses. The numbers for the women, however, were higher than expected.

Did you miss our latest webinar? Register to view the complimentary recording. Special guest speakers Dr. Steven A. Schroeder and Dr. John R. Hughes address the unique challenges of nicotine addiction and why a specialized, evidence-based approach is essential for generating positive outcomes in tobacco cessation. They also discuss the tools necessary to overcome tobacco dependency as well as what to look for when choosing a successful program for your organization.

Smokers who are used to taking regular smoke breaks worry that when they quit they won't know how to take a breather without reaching for a cigarette. In this video, Quit Coach Tom, a former smoker, shares how former smokers can set themselves up for a relaxing, smoke-free work break.

Carole Carson, dubbed “An Apostle for Fitness” by the Wall Street Journal, and author of "From Fat to Fit: Turn Yourself into a Weapon of Mass Reduction," interviews Free & Clear's Dr. Jennifer Lovejoy, president of the Obesity Society. Dr. Lovejoy challenges three common myths about obesity: 1) Obesity is just a lifestyle problem; 2) Obese people merely lack willpower; and 3) Obese people need to lose a great deal of weight to experience health benefits.

Free & Clear's YouTube channel hosts a variety of videos, ranging from quit tips offered by our Quit Coaches to a recording of last summer's Freedom From Tobacco flash mob. This channel is a great resource for folks who want to quit smoking and who want to see the friendly faces behind our coaching calls.

Businesses could potentially save $100 billion annually in productivity alone if cigarette smoking and secondhand smoke were eliminated. While that level of savings is an optimal goal, curbing smoking in the workplace and educating employees on the dangers of and ways to quit could have a significant impact on the bottom line, according to an official with the Midwest Business Group on Health.

Despite educational programs, social stigma, and a plethora of popular diets, many American children—and their parents—remain far too heavy. The number of obese children has more than tripled since 1980. Free & Clear's Dr. Jennifer Lovejoy dives into the issues surrounding childhood obesity, barriers to healthcare access and the scope of the problem before outlining five major steps that employers and health plans can take to address this growing epidemic.

Public sentiment has turned against smoking, but that doesn't mean the public health crisis is close to an end. While a new report card gives the U.S. government relatively high marks for advances in treating people with tobacco-related illnesses, it also gives 40 states and the District of Columbia received failing grades for not funding tobacco control programs at recommended levels and gives an F to 37 states for not making smoking cessation programs part of Medicaid.

Los Angeles is making one of the nation’s most radical food policies permanent by preventing new fast-food restaurants to open in South Los Angeles, a huge section of the city that has significantly higher rates of poverty and obesity than other neighborhoods. Los Angeles is the first city to regulate fast food restaurants as part of a public health effort, officials say; other smaller cities have done so for primarily aesthetic reasons.

A new study by the Society of Actuaries (SOA) shows that the total economic cost of overweight and obesity in the United States is $270 billion per year while the cost in Canada is about $30 billion a year, due to increases in medical care costs and loss of productivity due to higher rates of death and disability. An SOA online survey of 1,000 adults found that 83 percent would be willing to follow a healthy lifestyle program if they received incentives from their health insurance plan.

Organizations that measure the impact of their wellness programs are more successful at improving their employees' health and overall wellness. Yet despite spending more on employee wellness programs in 2010, only 37 percent of U.S. employers actually measure their program's effectiveness, a global survey released by Buck Consultants indicates.

The Safeway Amendment, approved by President Obama as part of his health care reform, allows employers to provide employees reimbursement of up to 20 percent of insurance premiums if they participate in their organization's wellness programs. Many large employers have been quick to adopt such initiatives despite mixed evidence for the success of offering such incentives.

Despite best intentions, the vast majority will fail to keep their resolutions. According to Free & Clear's Jennifer Lovejoy, a specialist in obesity and diabetes research with a doctorate in biopsychology, one new strategy that may help many people in 2011 is to take greater advantage of the programs and resources offered through their employee health and wellness programs. Dr. Lovejoy offers 8 simple tips for employees on how to stay healthy and productive.

This week U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin stated in a new report that even occasional smoking and secondhand smoke cause immediate damage to the body and pose risk of serious illness or death. The report "validates earlier findings, expands and strengthens the science base, and describes in great detail the multiple ways that tobacco smoke damages every organ in the body, resulting in disease and death" according to the report's executive summary.

According to the annual ranking of states by health, published by the United Health Foundation and funded by insurer UnitedHealth Group, states in New England are the healthiest, while those in the South lag behind. Overall the survey shows American health is improving in meaningful ways, but is still held back by three serious challenges: childhood poverty, increasing obesity, and inadequate insurance coverage.

Michael P. O’Donnell, Editor in Chief of the American Journal of Health Promotion, shares the tragic story of his younger brother Neil, who died of lung cancer at 52 after more than 30 years of smoking. O'Donnell encourages individuals to reach out to loved ones who smoke to educate and offer support, to fight for smoke-free policies at the employer and community level, and encourages tobacco users to reach out to proven methods of quitting like 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

Many cash-strapped U.S. states are slashing budgets for tobacco-prevention programs, raising alarms among public-health groups as the nation's progress toward getting adult smokers to quit has stalled. States have cut their combined funding for smoking prevention in the current fiscal year to the lowest level since 1999, according to data gathered by a coalition of anti-smoking groups for a report that will be released later this month.

The Hawaii Tobacco Quitline, operated by Free & Clear, announced new services designed to better help residents quit tobacco use, such as enhanced availability of free nicotine patches or gum for tobacco users. The new services were timed to launch in conjunction with the Great American Smokeout on Thursday. Nov. 18.

Helping smokers quit not only saves lives, but also can help states save money as they struggle in tough economic times to keep their coffers filled, according to a cost-benefit analysis. Currently only six states provide comprehensive coverage of smoking cessation treatment for Medicaid recipients; only seven require private insurance and employers to offer coverage.

A survey of big employers finds they expect their health-care costs to rise nearly 9% next year and plan to share some of that burden with employees via higher premiums and higher out-of-pocket limits. The majority of respondents (56%) counted wellness programs as one of the top three ways to curb costs.

In the wake of Michigan's smoke-law, which went into effect May 1, the Michigan Department of Community Health is encouraging people who want to quit smoking or chewing tobacco to take advantage of free nicotine replacement products by calling the Michigan Tobacco Quitline. The phone number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669) and registration is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

One in five Americans still smokes, but one in three is obese. And competition for attention is growing between the two biggest issues in public health. While the federal government has made up for some of the state decline in anti-tobacco funding, it is spending even more on anti-obesity efforts. And despite politic statements, there is undeniable competition for public health money.

Free & Clear is adding about 20 Oklahoma-based Quit Coaches to its payroll, said Tracey Strader, executive director of the Oklahoma state trust. Free & Clear executive Mary Kate Salley said more coaches may be hired later this year and people can apply on Free & Clear's website.

On July 1, 2010, Free & Clear employees hit the streets of Seattle in a spontaneous outburst of celebration – flash mob style. The perfect way to celebrate Independence Day and to wrap up our month-long “Celebrate Freedom from Tobacco” Campaign” on Facebook and Twitter, the flash mob was organized to give Free & Clear employees an opportunity to celebrate the freedom they help others achieve, as well as to spread awareness of the state quitlines that we help operate on a daily basis.

Three days after a $1 tobacco tax took effect, the Washington state Department of Health is already seeing an impact. Smokers who simply can't afford the tax or are fed up with the higher prices are calling in to the Washington State Quitline for help. Read the story and watch the video featuring a brief interview with Free & Clear Quit Coach Lindsey King.

According to a new study published this week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the cumulative impact of unhealthy habits such as smoking, poor nutrition,physical inactivity, and drinking alcohol can work together to prematurely age you by as much as 12 years; compared with practicing none of these bad habits, the combined effect of all four behaviors tripled or even quadrupled the risk of death.

Washington State has made great progress in the fight against tobacco, especially in light of the most recent tax increase on tobacco products. Yet none of this new revenue will be used to provide cessation treatment to the state's citizens; in fact, over the past two years, legislators have reduced the prevention program by about 54 percent. Lawmakers could stand to take a look at the increased quit rate in Massachusetts, where treatment and medication have been covered by Medicaid since 2006.

On Earth Day, we think about the ways we can live mindfully and take better care of our planet. Many people don't realize that tobacco is not only the leading cause of preventable death, but it also plays a major role as toxic, hazardous waste in our already-overburdened environment. The remnants of cigarette smoking represent the most prevalent form of litter collected across the world. This Earth Day, smokers are encouraged to quit for good - for a healthier body and a healthier planet.

People who quit smoking using a combination of medication and counseling are about 1.5 times more likely to stay smoke-free. Robert Cohen, Chair of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine in Chicago's Cook County Health and Hospital System, argues why insurance coverage of treatment and medication should be required.

Jonathan D. Klein and William Dietz offer solutions to the childhood obesity epidemic, looking to the success of the public health movement around tobacco control. Klein and Dietz suggest these efforts were successful due to shifts in social norms and the growing perception that cigarette companies were a common enemy. Similarly, they say, framing obesity as a common threat could lead to consensus regarding the interventions needed to achieve healthier children and communities.

While the number of cancer deaths per year has steadily decreased over the past several decades, there is still much work to be done, say American Cancer Society's Susan Gapstur, PhD, MPH and Michael J. Thun, MD, MS. Gapstur and Thun point to tobacco cessation efforts as a key success factor in the decline in cancer deaths and suggest that tactics of a similar urgency are needed to address the obesity epidemic, which also has strong ties to cancer.

To many people, exercise is a chore and something that exists on a list of "shoulds." But in order to make lasting changes, motivation to increase physical activity has to come from a deeper desire for something meaningful. This article explores the relational benefits of exercising with others, and other surprising benefits of making a commitment to daily physical activity.

Middle-aged USA Today readers who participated in the publication's seventh annual Weight-Loss Challenge found that after losing about 10 pounds, weight loss became much more difficult. Free & Clear's Vice President of Clinical Development and Support, Dr. Jennifer Lovejoy, lead researcher of one study, discusses hormonal changes in post-menopausal women, the effects that can have on calorie burn, and the importance of increasing daily physical activity.

The Association for the Treatment of Tobacco Use and Dependence and the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco are urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to relax restrictions on nicotine patches, lozenges and gums amid concerns the agency's regulations go too far and make it harder for people to quit smoking. Free & Clear's own Ken Wassum, former president of ATTUD, speaks out about the need to tone down the warning labels on NRT products.

DCH Auto Group announced the launch of its new wellness program, DCH Life Roads, which seeks to establish a workplace that encourages and supports healthy lifestyles by integrating health promotion activities and resources that help to enhance health and well-being among employees and their families.The first program offered will be the smoking cessation program, Quit for Life® Program, a collaboration between the American Cancer Society® and Free & Clear®.

University of Washington's Dr. Jeffrey Harris and Free & Clear's Dr. Tim McAfee discuss the ways that raising prices of tobacco products through taxation can decrease the smoking prevalence of a state, as seen in the state of Washington. The writers also suggest that optimal change will only occur when tax revenues are directed back into a state’s tobacco education and cessation programs, especially those targeting low-income youth and adults and Medicaid beneficiaries.

David Katz proposes we re-engineer the modern environment so that it does not promote obesity, as well as empower individuals and families with the skills and strategies necessary to resist the obesogenic elements of the modern landscape. Factors that promote obesity in our environment are everywhere—from the tasty concoctions of fat, sugar, and salt that food technologists develop to tempt our taste buds to the lack of physical education in schools. Read his interview here.

Recent research indicates that the number of part-time smokers has grown and continues to rise, creating a culture of nondaily smoking that could be a result of psychological and behavioral dependency. Daniel F. Seidman, director of Smoking Cessation Services at Columbia University Medical Center and author of a new book, "Smoke-Free in 30 Days," notes that smoking just a few cigarettes a day can be even harder to give up than a heavier habit, since each one carries more reward.

A study published Thursday in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found that the consistent delivery of positive, "gain-framed" messages, intended to encourage and support rather than chastise, made smokers using the quit lines more likely to attempt a smoking cessation program and more likely to have continued abstaining from cigarettes when they were contacted two weeks later.

With smoking rates declining and obesity escalating in the United States, obesity is now an equal if not greater threat to national disease burden and the shortening of healthy life as smoking. Researchers at Columbia University and The City College of New York say years of life lost to obesity are now equal to or greater than those years lost to smoking.

Despite the overall decrease in smoking prevalence, tobacco remains a major concern to the general public, to the workforce, and to the health care costs smokers incur upon organizations. In this article, Free & Clear's chief medical officer, Dr. Tim McAfee, stresses the importance of furthering the cause of tobacco cessation and presents ways managed healthcare executives can help to turn the tide.

A new American Cancer Society study appearing in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention (CEBP) adds to evidence linking long-term cigarette smoking to an increased risk for developing colorectal cancer.

Alaska DJ Mike "The Madman" Crosby talks about how the Alaska State Quit Line is helping him make plans to quit for good -- for his health, his finances, and his three-year-old daughter.

If Americans continue to pack on pounds, obesity will cost the USA about $344 billion in medical-related expenses by 2018, eating up about 21% of health-care spending, says the first analysis to estimate the future medical costs of excess weight.These calculations are based on the projection that in 10 years 43% of Americans adults may be obese, which is roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight, if obesity continues to rise at the current rate.

Many people do not take the time to plan for and prepare nutritious home-cooked meals during the week. This means that if they don’t have access to a healthy and appealing cafeteria selection at work, many will find themselves eating out each day at lunchtime. Sandi Kaplan, Free & Clear's associate director of clinical development and support, discusses practical strategies for overhauling worksite cafeterias to improve employee health.

Get in shape or pay a price. That is a message more Americans could hear if the health-care legislation passed by the Senate finance and health committees becomes law. By more than doubling the maximum penalties that companies can apply to employees who flunk medical evaluations, the final bill could put workers under intense financial pressure to lose weight, stop smoking or lower their cholesterol.

Due in part to the economic downturn and increased federal tobacco tax, hundreds of tobacco users are calling the Free & Clear-operated WA state quitline to find the support they need to quit smoking once and for all. New statistics show that Washington State's smoking rate has dropped to a new low of 15.3% -- down from 16.5% in 2008.

Low-income children in Philadelphia with about one dollar in pocket money managed to purchase almost 400 calories worth of snack food at convenience stores on the way to and from school, according to study published on Monday in the journal Pediatrics. Study results raises questions about kids' choices in the wake of childhood obesity.

Michael Pollan's favorite food rules.

A study of New York City’s pioneering law on posting calories in restaurant chains suggests that when it comes to deciding what to order, people’s stomachs are more powerful than their brains.

Michael Pollan says reform health care by reframing the way we think about food.

A government-sponsored study recently estimated that medical spending for obesity reached $147 billion in 2008, almost doubling in the past decade. It’s not surprising. About 32% of American adults are obese, a condition linked to diabetes, heart disease, even cancer. Almost 21% of American adults are addicted to cigarettes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s more than 45 million people. The estimated health care costs pegged to smoking: $96 billion.

"Tobacco addiction is extremely difficult to beat alone," said quit coach Valerie Smalley of HTQ. "These online services will make it more convenient to get in touch with a quit coach and will assist with determining a personalized strategy on how to help the user successfully quit."

David Kessler had a SnackWells problem. The fat-free cookies, he writes in his new book, "The End of Overeating," would not "relinquish their grip" on him. But he's better now. "No more SnackWells," the former FDA commissioner happily reports. Kessler freed himself from the cookies' clutches by "deconditioning." It's that kind of mental shift, he says, that is required to tackle the nation's obesity epidemic.

All that heart-healthy advice about eating the right foods, exercising and losing weight pay off in real life for both men and women, two new studies show.

In a departure from conventional models, in which employees simply pay a “tobacco differential” for the medical plan, Paychex provides a completely different plan design to tobacco users. This strategy helps reinforce employees’ understanding of the interdependencies between their behaviors, their health, and their health care costs.

A bad economy coupled with a huge spike in the federal cigarette tax is helping fuel hiring at a local company that helps people kick the habit. Free & Clear Inc., a Seattle company that offers telephone counseling and web-based materials to help people quit smoking, has seen steady growth since it spun off from Group Health Cooperative in 2003 with about 140 employees. Today, Free & Clear has about 500 workers, including about 65 people hired in the last two months.

Cigarettes marketed as "light," "low" tar or "mild" will be banned within a year as part of a historic bill the Senate passed 79-17 on Thursday. The legislation, approved by the House in April, is the most sweeping tobacco-control measure ever passed by Congress. It goes now to President Obama, who has said he will sign it.

The legislation, which the White House said President Obama would sign as soon as it reached his desk, will enable the FDA to impose potentially strict new controls on the making and marketing of products that eventually kill half their regular users. The House, which passed a similar bill in April, may vote on the Senate version as soon as Friday.

Free & Clear has seen a 522% call increase in the time since President Obama increased the federal tobacco tax by 62 cents; unfortunately, quit line budgets are being cut right as demand peaks.

Although people frequently perceive ill health as something that happens to them, they're often responsible for making themselves sick. The most obvious example is smoking. Smoking dramatically increases the risk of cancer, heart disease and stroke (along with a number of other diseases), and is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Despite the known risks, more than 40 million Americans light up every day.

Quit-smoking hotlines are being swamped — some as much as four times their usual volume — by smokers ready to kick the habit after the largest-ever increase in the federal tobacco tax. "We're seeing magnificent volume because of the tax," says Mary Kate Salley of Free & Clear, a Seattle company that runs "quitlines" for 17 states. She says the lines got 3,250 calls on Wednesday, the day the increase took effect, up 369% from the same day in 2008.

It's a good time to be a quitter. Since the 62 cent federal tax increase was announced in February calls to the Hawaii Tobacco Quitline have increased by 40 percent. "Previously people would call in and mainly say it was for health or for family and recently this week for sure and leading up to this week the cost is really having an impact," said Valerie Smalley, Hawaii Tobacco Quitline Supervisor.

Charles was a rural Oklahoman who lived alone. And he wanted to stop smoking. But he had difficulty coming up with motivation powerful enough to quit, recalls Eva Marks, an Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline Quit Coach who worked with the man.

More than 65 percent of workers currently describe their job as somewhat or very stressful, according to a February survey by Raleigh, N.C.-based consulting firm Workplace Options. Nearly 50 percent reported being unable to concentrate at work due to worries about family debt.

People with a likely history of depression who take varenicline (Chantix®) do not report more severe mood symptoms, medication side effects, or less success quitting smoking compared to people with no history of depression taking this drug.

The hefty increase in the federal cigarette tax to help fund a children's health-insurance program has buoyed tobacco foes, who say it will breathe new life into efforts to curb smoking. But last week's move by Washington could also complicate efforts around the U.S. to boost state cigarette taxes.

“Contrary to these beliefs, there is growing evidence that even occasional smokers experience greater health risks when compared to non-smokers and are likely to progress to regular, dependent smoking over time,” said Halperin, who is also associate medical director of the “Free & Clear” Tobacco Quitline, which provides cessation services for 18 states, including Washington, and director of the Tobacco Studies Program at the University of Washington.

The economic news is enough to weaken anyone's heart, and it sometimes does with people feeling stressed, eating poorly and cutting out workouts while trying to make ends meet.

Tobacco is evolving and escaping for two fundamental reasons. One is that it can be engineered into new forms. The other is that the problem targeted by legislation—the weed's tendency to cause cancer—isn't essential to the tobacco business. What's essential to the tobacco business is addiction. Addiction is a nasty business, deliberately enslaving people while pretending that they "choose" the product.

Phone and email counseling help people improve their diet and lose weight, according to a Dutch study published on Friday that points to a potentially simple but effective tool in the fight against obesity.