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December Blog

QUIT SMOKING

It’s this time of year when I miss my mom the most. Holidays! She loved this time of year. She died of lung cancer. She started smoking at 14 years of age and continued until her death at age 78.

I want to quit smoking!

Every time a person smokes, they inhale more than 4,800 different chemicals, 69 of which are carcinogens. Nicotine increases levels of the pleasure inducing brain chemicals serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine. When ingested, adrenaline production increases, raising the blood pressure and heart rate. Nicotine also affects the overall metabolic rate, the regulation of body temperature, the degree of tension in the muscles and levels of certain hormones.

Nicotine is not the only ingredient in cigarettes posing danger to health. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, benzene, cyanide, ammonia, nitrosamines, vinyl chloride, radioactive particles and other known irritants and carcinogens.

Males who smoke for years are more likely to experience low penile blood pressure, contributing to impotence because of damage to blood vessels. Females who smoke tend to experience menopause earlier, face a greater risk of osteoporosis after menopause and have a higher risk of developing cervical and uterine cancer. Female smokers appear less fertile and have more difficulties during pregnancy.

The benefits of quitting smoking are amazing, the body responds almost immediately!

Let’s take a step back and look see how smoking cigarettes affects our bodies. Smoking can harm every organ and is associated with 440,000 deaths in the U.S. every year. Here are some of the dangers of smoking and its effect on your body.

Smoking and the immune system - Smoking compromises the immune system, making smokers more likely to have respiratory infections and auto-immune diseases like Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
Smoking and your bones - Smoking increases the risk for osteoporosis, when bones become weak and brittle causing them easier to break. Studies show a direct correlation between tobacco use and decreased bone density, but quitting smoking appears to reduce the risk for low bone mass and fractures.

Smoking and your heart - Tobacco smoke contains harmful chemicals, which damage the heart’s ability to function properly. These chemicals also harm your blood cells. Together, the damage increases the risk for many diseases, including:

Atherosclerosis - plaque build-up in arteries
Aneurysms - bulging blood vessels that can burst and cause death
Cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes:

Coronary heart disease (CHD)
Heart attack and damage to your arteries
Heart-related chest pain
High blood pressure
Peripheral arterial disease (PAD)
Stroke

Smoking and your lungs - Smoking scars the lungs and damages breathing. It also causes a wealth of respiratory-related issues, including COPD, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Smoking and eyesight - As a smoker, you’re at greater risk for diseases that lead to blindness, including cataracts, optic nerve damage and age-related macular degeneration.
Cigarettes and Cancer - 70 of the 7,000 chemicals found in tobacco smoke are known to cause cancer. Smoking affects the entire body and cause a wide range of cancers, in various parts of your body including:

Lungs
Trachea
Bronchus
Esophagus
Oral Cavity
Lips
Nasopharynx
Nasal cavity
Larynx
Stomach
Bladder
Pancreas
Kidney
Liver
Uterine Cervix
Colon
Rectum

Leukemia

What’s your reason for quitting smoking?

The real question you should ask is why quit?? Well hopefully, it’s because it’s bad for you, but that isn’t always a good enough reason! The reason should be something personal and powerful that can aid your urge to your quit.

What are The Benefits of Stop Smoking

To stop smoking is great for your health. Over time it lowers the risk of smoking-related diseases and can add years to your life. The health benefits increase the longer you refrain from smoking.

Save Money – To give up smoking 1 pack of cigarettes a day saves approximately $6.18, or $2,200 a year. Another benefit is lower insurance premiums.

Improves Lung Function – Three signs of a smoker are wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. Quit smoking and in 2 to 3 months, your lung function improves. Other health benefits include less chance of developing emphysema in ten years, the risk of lung cancer is half that of a smoker.

Healthier Looking Skin - Smoking causes wrinkles around the mouth due to the heat from the tip of cigarettes and repeatedly pursing your lips to inhale. A smoker’s skin becomes less elastic and tends to sag and wrinkle earlier than non-smoker’s. Quitting helps clear up blemishes and protects skin from premature aging and wrinkling.

Decreased Cancer Risks - Smoking increases the chance of lung cancer. Smoking also increases the risk for cancer of the stomach, mouth, throat, kidney, cervix, pancreas and bladder. Studies have shown that 10 years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate is half that of a smoker’s and the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas also decreases.

Live Longer – Those who quit smoking live longer than those who smoke. Quitting reduces the risk of dying from specific smoking-related diseases. According to the American Cancer Society, people who quit smoking before age 50 have one-half the risk of dying in the next 15 years compared with people who continue to smoke.

Heart Benefits - 20 minutes after quitting, the heart rate drops back down to normal. In a period of 2 weeks to 3 months, heart attack risks drop and lung function improves. In one year, the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker and the heart gets healthier. In 15 years, the risk of heart disease is the same as a non-smoker.

Food Tastes Better - Smoking dulls the sense of smell and taste. As you regain senses after you quit smoking, you’ll notice that eating can be more pleasurable because you can actually taste your food.

Better Sex - Men who smoke find they are more likely to experience impotence, erectile dysfunction. Symptoms get worse the longer men smoke and may be due to problems with blood flow. In 3 months after quitting, blood flow throughout your body improves, increasing your chances of having a healthy sexual life. If a better sex life isn’t a good reason to quit, what is?

A Quiet’s Night’s Sleep - Smoking could be the reason you and your partner toss and turn at night. Smoking irritates the membranes in the nose and throat which can block the airways and cause snoring.

Quit Smoking Timeline

It’s never too late to stop smoking and reap health benefits. Even after age 60, if you quit smoking the risk of dying at any age is reduced by about 39% compared to a person who continues to smoke. You start to become healthier the day you quit smoking.

20 minutes – the heart rate drops
12 hours – carbon monoxide levels in the blood drops to normal
2 weeks to 3 months – the heart rate begins to drop, lung function begins to improve
1 to 9 months – coughing and shortness of breath decreases
1 year – the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker
5 years – stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting
10 years – lung cancer death risk is half that of a smoker
15 years – coronary heart disease is reduced to that of a non-smoker

Ways to Quit Smoking

5% of the 15 million smokers who try to quit every year actually succeed? The reason is because of the addictiveness of nicotine in cigarettes. Trying to quit smoking "cold turkey" or alone means relying solely on willpower to quit - you have to want to quit! Many underestimate how difficult it is to resist cravings using willpower alone. Without any help, overcoming the mental addiction can be a tougher than it needs to be.

The best way to quit smoking for one person may not be the best way for another. The only one who can choose the right method for you – is you. Fortunately, there are ways to help curb the cravings and nicotine withdrawal symptoms that come with quitting smoking. They’re called nicotine replacement therapies. Nicotine replacement therapies are over-the-counter , non-prescription, stop smoking aids which make quitting more manageable by relieving cravings and reducing nicotine withdrawal symptoms. NRT

Have a Plan - The best plan is the one you can stick with.

Cold turkey - 90% of people try to quit without outside support -- no aids, therapy or medicine. Although most try to quit this way, it's not the most successful method. Only about 5% to 7% are successful.

Behavioral therapy - Involves working with a counselor, finding ways not to smoke. You'll find your trigger, such as emotions or situations that trigger the urge to smoke, and make a plan to get through the cravings.

Nicotine replacement therapy. - There are several types: nicotine gum, patches, inhalers, sprays and lozenges that work by providing nicotine without the use of tobacco. Success with nicotine replacement therapy works best when used with behavioral therapy and support from family and friends. Possible side effects are irritation or redness on the skin, dizziness, headache, nausea, racing heartbeat, muscle pain or stiffness, or problems sleeping. Although it’s rare, nicotine overdose is a possible risk. If still smoking or using other forms of tobacco, you should using nicotine replacement therapy.

Medication - Prescription medicines: Bupropion and Varenicline, Chantix, help with cravings and withdrawal symptoms.

Combo treatments. - You may be more successful using a mix of different methods. An example: using a nicotine patch and gum may be better than a patch alone. Other combinations include behavioral therapy and nicotine replacement therapy, prescription medication with a nicotine replacement therapy patch and a nicotine replacement therapy patch and nicotine spray. The FDA hasn’t approved using two types of nicotine replacement therapies at the same time, so be sure to talk with your doctor first to see if this is the right approach for you.

Hypnosis - an altered state of awareness in which you appear to be asleep or in a trance. It is also used for weight issues, speech disorders and addiction problems.

Nutrients , Herbs and Supplements

The following nutrients and dietary suggestions assist in correcting smoke related deficiencies while trying to kick the habit.

Coenzyme Q10 – Aids oxygen flow to the brain and protects heart tissue. Acts as an antioxidant for protection of cells and lung tissue.

Grape seed extract – helps to protect and repair the lungs

Vitamin B complex – Necessary in cellular enzyme systems damaged in smokers

Vitamin E – one of the most important antioxidants needed to protect cells and organs from damage by smoking.

Vitamin A – aids in the healing of mucous membranes. Important for the lungs.

Zinc - important in immune function

L-cysteine – a potent detoxifier that protects the lungs, liver, brain and tissues from cigarette smoke

Maitake extract – inhibits carcinogenesis and protects against metastasis through the lungs

Burdock Root and Red Clover- cleans the bloodstream of toxins

Cayenne – desensitizes respiratory tract cells to irritants from smoking

Eat plenty of grains, nuts, seeds and unpolished brown rice. Millet cereal is a good source of protein. Eat wheat, oat and bran. Also consume yellow and deep-orange vegetables such as carrots, pumpkin, squash and yams. Apples, berries, Brazil nuts, cantaloupe, cherries, grapes, legumes (including chickpeas, lentils, red beans) and plums are helpful. Do not consume junk foods, processed refined foods, saturated fats, salt, sugar or white flour. Do not eat animal protein except broiled fish. Avoid stress!

How to Stay on Track

There will be days when you want to give in to cravings. Don’t do it. Follow these steps to stay on track:

Know your triggers and avoid them early on - Write down what makes you reach for a cigarette and how you can manage each situation. Avoid people, places, or routines that make you want to smoke, especially during the first 3 months. This is when you're the most vulnerable.

Know that the first few days are the toughest – Feeling irritable, depressed, slow and tired is normal especially if quitting cold turkey. A support group, friend or family to get past those first days. Don't give in to cravings, change your habits. Replace the urge with something else, like chewing gum or playing a game on your phone.

Reward yourself - When you hit milestones, treat yourself with something you want or enjoy. When smoking is no longer something you do, it can change how you see yourself.

ALWAYS CONSULT YOUR PERSONAL HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL