Worried about my gran's second hand smoke?!

Worried about my gran's second hand smoke?

I've lived with my grandparents for about 5 years and probably won't be moving out for another few years. Lately I've been really paranoid about my health and getting ill and am trying to eat and live more healthily, but one thing I can't control is breathing in my gran's second hand smoke. She smokes very heavily and is unlikely to ever quit. However, she mostly smokes in the living room downstairs and I spend most of my time in the house in my upstairs bedroom, although I know I'm probably still being exposed to the smoke. Would keeping the windows in my room open reduce the risk of her smoking damaging my health? I don't want to sound like a smug non smoker but I'm such a hypochondriac lately (especially about having or developing cancer) and I'm genuinely concerned about this. Is her smoking a significant threat to my health?

2 weeks ago
To answer B's question, I'm not really in a position where I can move out just now - I just turned 17 and am in full time education. I have a Saturday job but I'm definately not making enough money to move out any time soon..

Heavy smoking and second-hand smoke are unhealthy; I don't think there's a scholar out there who would argue that point. The question is what can you do to reduce your personal health risk?

* Don't get paranoid. Exposure isn't automatically a death sentence or else most of us who grew up pre-smoking bans would be dead already. And being afraid of something so much that it harms your relationships (e.g. with your grandmother) and keeps you from joy (which you need to stay healthy) may be worse than the smoke.
* Sure, open your window. Fresh air is good – do this if you can. But if it will drive up your grandparents' heating/cooling bill when they are gracious enough to have you living in their home, that's not cool either. Better idea? You, going outside and walking. Get as much moving oxygen in your system as possible, keeping your lungs exercised and healthy.
* Drink a cup or two of green or black tea each day; these contain antioxidants that were shown to prevent cigarette-smoking oxidative damage in guinea pig tests.
* Eat cruciferous veggies (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage) and soy; they have some DNA protective effect against smoking damage.
* Eat things rich in pycnogenol (a.k.a. proanthocyanidin) such as red grapes, bilberries, cranberries and green/black tea; they can reduce the cardiovascular effects of smoking, which are more likely than cancer.
* Maintain lung health with foods rich in vitamin E (such as nuts) and beta-carotene (such as sweet potatoes, carrots), not relying on supplements.
* Eat more fish; this may also help protect your cardiovascular system.

For more ideas, go to http://scholar.google.com and search for the words 'counteract', 'smoking' and 'damage'. I don't know your age but, if you can, I recommend a dietary approach. Also, sharing these foods with your grandparents (you don't need to give them the reason why you're doing so) will help them, even if they're not making the best health choices for themselves right now. This is a great opportunity for you to be a blessing to them.

All the best to you as you work this thing through.