DR. WALLACE: Our dad has not had a cigarette in nearly two months since our family finally convinced him to give up smoking cigarettes. He was doing great until one of the managers in his company told our dad that he's smoking cigars now because he learned that cigar smoking is much less of a health hazard than cigarette smoking.

We tried to tell dad that was not true, but he didn't believe us. He said his friend read about it in a magazine. Please help us set him straight because we love our dad and don't want to lose him. — Nameless, St. Charles, Ill.

NAMELESS: Your dad is lucky to have children who are concerned about his health. According to the Mayo Clinic Health Letter, a recent study by The National Cancer Institute found that people who smoke cigars daily have about the same risk of mouth and throat cancer as cigarette smokers. Regular cigar smoking also increases the risk of lung cancer, lung disease and coronary heart disease. More study is needed to determine health risks for occasional (less than daily) cigar smokers.

Mayo Clinic doctors reported that cigars are just another form of an addictive drug, and the thick secondhand smoke they produce contains the same cancer-causing agents as cigarettes, but in much higher concentration.

The report also noted that cigar sales have been increasing in the past few years. The increase coincided with stepped-up promotional activities, many aimed at women who think smoking cigars is a bit glamorous.

Show this information to your dad and he will get the message. Hopefully, he will do himself and his family a favor and abandon the cigar habit. He quit the cigarettes — he can also quit the cigars!

MY DAUGHTER WAS SEXUALLY ABUSED BY HER STEPFATHER

DR. WALLACE: I was pleased to note that you advised the young girl who was abused by her stepfather to tell her mother immediately. If the mother did nothing to stop this, you advised the girl to tell a trusted teacher or the school nurse or principal.

My daughter told no one and kept the secret from age 12 to 15 so the family would stay together. I was totally unaware of this. We had a beautiful home, nice cars and a good income. She told me he threatened her that all this would be gone so she sacrificed her emotional stability instead of causing the family to be "ruined." This went on until she became ill, both physically as well as emotionally.

After visiting several doctors and spending a lot of money on therapists, she finally told me what was going on. I was totally unaware and completely devastated about this, and immediately took action to do everything possible to start my daughter's recovery from this. The two of us are still receiving professional counseling.

Her stepfather is now spending time behind bars and he will soon be my ex-husband. My daughter and I never want to ever see or hear from this pervert ever again. — Mom, Jackson, Miss.

MOM: Thanks for sharing your extremely painful family tragedy. It will help another confused young teen who is in the same despicable situation.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. E-mail him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Stephan Ridgway