Amy Winehouse: the Hazards of Smoking
I admit I've always been a bit indifferent about 24-year-old vocal sensation Amy Winehouse. I do believe she has an amazing voice and certainly knows how to capture the public eye as well as some of the young females who cover the tabloids in the U.S. But with her recent announcement (through her U.S publicist) that she is already showing early signs of emphysema secondary to her years of smoking, I was initially perplexed in her decision to go public with a lung ailment that is often associated with elderly life-long smokers.
You see, emphysema is a progressive lung disease that results from damage to the small air sacs (alveoli) of the lung which ultimately obstructs the airflow during the breathing process. Depending upon the damage from the disease, it may result in shortness of breath when involved with moderate physical activity (like playing tennis or basketball) or just walking from one room to another. Often it takes years for the symptoms to appear, when the physiological changes of the lungs become irreversible.
But why did she go public? I see the answer being two-fold. One, she may be trying to generate some empathy (at least here in the U.S.) and with that create a new image where millions of dollars could follow. But I will leave that for the publicists and tabloids to spin. Two (and the one I will be discussing with my adolescent patients), she is allowing herself to be an example of what can occur if one doesn't take care of oneself, even at the young age of 24. Ms. Winehouse is dispelling the myth that this disease only affects 40-year smokers now in their 60s as research has shown that teens smoking even just 5 cigarettes a day can begin this path of irreversible damage to the lungs. Furthermore, she reminds us all of the negative consequences attributed to smoking, including chronic bronchitis, heart disease, and cancer.
First and foremost, I do hope Ms. Winehouse gets the care and treatment she needs to put herself down a path of a healthier lifestyle. And I also applaud her for coming forward as I believe she will help others from following the path she has chosen to this point.
Dr. Jeremy
24
I am a music lover but that woman turns me off so bad it almost affects that love. I am so very sorry to see Amy and so many other young celebrities destroying their lives - purposefully. It is like they want to see JUST HOW MUCH they can endure and still live to do it again tomorrow!
By alicefaye September 4, 2008 6:40pm
23
I've never thought much of Ms. Winehouse or her beehive. Recently I saw a photo of her listed in People's Worst Bodies, and her body doesn't look right at all. I knew a girl once who had done dope (crystal meth) for a long period of time, and her body was oddly shaped like Ms. Winehouse. It's hard to explain unless you see the picture, but I'm convinced this is something you do to yourself, and not something that just happens.
Her having emphysema is sad, and hopefully it will have a positive impact on our youth. It would be nice, since thus far her example has been nothing but garbage that I want to hide my kids from.
By coden23 September 4, 2008 8:43am
22
Smoking is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Smoking still remains one of the leading cause of preventable death. Smoking has the dubious distinction of affecting all the systems from head to foot.
sambrown
Crack Cocaine
By sambrown September 3, 2008 2:59am
21
dearest dr.jeremy,
since ur from abroad, i just want to know how can we, (with my sibling) convince our father to see the doctor while he is suffering from shortness of breathe and chest pain, he is a sufferer of smoking addiction. And sometimes when he is complaining about his sickness, we couldn't control his temper. I honestly cannot open this thing up with my friends or relatives because my mother has been suffering too from cervical spondylosis and diabetes milletus type one and many other complicatons...I am afraid that one day we will find ourselves blaming one another for not giving them a chance to seek medical attention.
hope to hear from u doc, i hope in any way i can be answered so that i may not be bothered or somehow find some adequate answers even through here, thank u!
from a lupie patient...(koohmiz)
By koohmiz August 24, 2008 11:18am
20
I think the drug taking was her down fall health wise really - such a shame that the drugs have clouded her will to stay alive. I'm from the UK and just hope that Amy will not keep self harming which is what she doing. Her voice and talent is well worth encouraging her to stay alive. It is very sad if she continues with the self destruct behaviour.
In my view her coming forward for whatever reason can only help COPD awareness - to all people including the young easily addicted drug users.
By Breathes August 18, 2008 1:21pm
19
I was told 14 years ago, at the age of 33 and was having a very hard time breathing,that when the Dr. looked at the X-rays, he said I was a GREAT candidate for emphazema.
THOUGHT about qutting....
Breathing got better and I continued to smoke until some people hear asked that I join the 8-8-08 club.
I never planned on quitting smoking EVER again because I've never had problems breathing except for those 2 days 14 years ago.
Well, today's day 7 and believe it or not, as hard and then as NOT so hard as this was, the friends I have at DS have gotten me to do my unthinkable and can't say ENOUGH about the support here and what a wonderful site this is!!
By 4mytasha August 14, 2008 12:57pm
18
My understanding (which may be wrong), was that her father was the one to hold the press conference and go public. In doing so, he pleaded with crack dealers across the globe to stop selling to Amy. Whatver the reason, I am glad the story reached the public. Hopefully it will bring a bit of reality into the everyone's mind. It's so easy for people (especially young people and usesrs) to beleive that this kind of thing won't happen to you if you're young and beautiful. This story helps to disband that myth.
By hippiechick77 July 17, 2008 2:03pm
17
I hope that she has been tested for the Alpha-1 deficiency. It is very rare and unusual from someone so young to develop the disease unless they have this deficiency.
By roseypeach July 9, 2008 10:09pm
16
From this your missing her Crack and heroin smoking which would also contribute.
Plus her continued binging on alcohol
By Garnish July 9, 2008 8:49am
15
Dr Jeremy, she didn't go public, her father did, that was later repudiated by her publicist, do you have your facts straight?
By Shar1956 July 8, 2008 12:46am
14
My daughter, Tina, who passed away last July 5th, had emphysema and COPD plus some other things going on in her lungs. She was 33 when she died from what the doctors called Tension Pheumothorax. But she smoked THREE packs of cigerettes a day. I guess this is not unusual for people with mental health issues and also those who live in assisted living facilities. She was bored and she enjoyed smoking even though towards the end she refused to wear oxygen because she couldn't chain smoke. She passed out one time, her oxygen level was 65 but she still refused the oxygen. Her lungs were compromised and she then contacted some kind of infection from the assisted living place. Her lungs had "hardened" to the point of really no return. It was heartbreaking to see someone so young die of an "old person's" disease. So this can happen to anyone who abuses their lungs.
By rusty1 July 3, 2008 11:09am
13
the thing is... without her drinking and smoking and drug use... she would have never become the person she is and put out that grammy winning album. i'm not saying it's right... i just think that if you like the songs, you have to understand where they came from, and it wasn't sobriety.
By songstar365 July 3, 2008 8:52am
12
IMO it is likely too late for Amy. How sad and tragic to waste her gift so. I do believe she is trying to get people to feel sorry for her. I do not see her as any great philanthropist, but I do think some good will come of it through you and other Peds having her as an example to hold forth.
It does not seem to me that she has any intention of getting better. Too bad.
By beiceth July 2, 2008 12:32pm
11
At her young age to have breathing problems? Its a shame. I also don't think these people should be glorified in the news for tweens to see. They become role models. Using drugs? She should lose all her gigs. Maybe that would straighten her out.
By Notek143 July 2, 2008 11:26am
10
Why are they still selling them in the shops????
By Panicy July 2, 2008 4:02am
9
wow.
By DLR77 July 2, 2008 3:42am
8
if you don't smoke don't start. it should be progressively illegal.
i started young, and the addiction increased to full time by the time
i was 17, three packs a day for 40 years is a terrible position to
be in. especially nowadays, when there is no where to smoke. organized
crime will be fighting over territories when smoking is banned entirely,
tobacco banished from the earth. who will protect us from second
hand bullets, not second hand smoke. as usual the Big Ideas always
get us in trouble. the man in the mirror is the one to fear. he's
got such great ideas for you and i and everyone else, by which to
box himself right in a corner. by the time i was 25, miss winehouse's
age, i was pretty winded already. rode a bicycle from canoga park, ca
to malibu, ca through the ucla area with my wife and back home to
canoga park, ca. not bad. she could do it all the time. it was
major effort for me. and on the way, a woman opened her car door,
just before i passed, smacking me to the ground. my wife? she just
kept on riding, oblivious to anyone but herself. Her Royal Majesty
and i soon divorced. she got the gold mine, i got the shaft.
ultimate justice? go ahead, think god doesn't exist. tell me the origin
of space itself, mr. scientist? got it all figured out don't ya.
what was here before space was here. you guys better read beyond space-time. life after death? how do you know there isn't? can you prove
beyond a reasonable shadow of a doubt there isn't? there is a short
tv show called 'phone to the 'other side' by alfred hitchcock. scared
the heck outta me as a kid. a little girl gets calls from her dead
grandma on her playphone. and she dials her all the time. made my
skin just kinda crawl. ya know, as a kid, it was pretty scary in the
dark. some kids they say aren't afraid of the dark. see, ma and pa
don't wanna get up at 3 am to take ya to the restroom, in the totally
dark blackness of night. turn on the little baby bathroom light will ya. but sonny, that takes electricity. we gotta keep costs down.
the uncle scrooge accounting firm, or usaf, rules this world.
international space stations are very important. remembering economic
scarcity. the dismal science of economics. and then there is medical
economics. how many patients did you see today, at how much per hour,
etc. and who is gonna ultimately pay the bill? as a full charge
bookkeeper for a collection agency, mostly for doctors, dentists
and credit unions, i just felt so bad for so many people. they owed,
and owed, and owed forever, with interest on the interest, on the
interest. i had to quit finally, it was too mean. good luck and pluck.
there is a spanish-sicilian proverb--do can do whatever you like in life,
but you will pay the price for it, someday, some way, some how, some
night. enjoy all that financial equality. lolol.
By jeanlafitte July 2, 2008 12:49am
7
cocaines a hell of a drug
By RoundHereAgain July 1, 2008 8:18pm
6
Doc, at 24 years old with TOPS 10 years of cigarette smoking under her belt which surely contributed to her elderly lungs, I tend to think the problem was primarily crack cocaine smoking.
By Emily75 July 1, 2008 4:42pm
5
She was seen smoking after the announcment, so I don't think shes worried about the future of her young fans too much. She is a celebrity, no matter how horrible some of her actions, and young ppl tend to look to these figures for trends ect. So if your gonna hurt yourself keep it out of the public eye...cause impressionable ones are watching.
By SarahLynn July 1, 2008 3:03pm