May 31 is World No Tobacco Day. The World Health Organization believes that everyone has the right to the highest standard of health, which can improve by reducing smoking rates.

Not everyone is able to quit smoking cold turkey, and that’s okay. There are several available types of quit smoking aids that have been proven to work over the years.

Quitting smoking is no easy task. New efforts from the CDC and major physicians groups have been striving to help empower smokers to quit once and for all.

Being exposed to secondhand smoke is a known health hazard. Many people lay down no-smoking rules in their homes and cars, but too many people still have not adopted this personal policy.

Smoking is a known health hazard for pregnancies. But being exposed to smoke in utero may follow a baby girl into her own pregnancy when she grows up.

Teens have been smoking less in recent years, which is great. But overall, the use of smokeless tobacco has remained steady for over a decade.

Secondhand smoke exposure during childhood may change cholesterol levels in a way that could increase the risk for heart disease later in life. That risk may not be the same for both genders.

The health community has been striving to lower smoking rates for decades. The good news is that prevention programs have worked, some better than others.

After surgery, the body needs to focus on healing. Smoking may interfere with this healing process. People who smoke after surgery could be putting their bodies at serious risk for complications.

Some women find it cool just to hold a cigarette. But smoking them could be tied to pain in those hands and in other joints later on.