The Health Blog

Taking the steps to decide that you want to quit smoking is a huge commitment. The dedication that is needed is absolutely essential to your success and can often be one of the only factors that will determine how successful you are. If you find that you are struggling to quit smoking you are certainly not alone, seeking out appropriate help is always key to finding success in your quest to quit smoking. Looking around at all of the excuses, reasons, purposes and methods that pertain to quitting smoking there are generally two very large factors that will determine your overall success. Without these two factors you will almost always fail, with them you will typically walk away a successful non-smoker.

Your first critical success factor will be being determined to quit for your own reasons. This means you need to decide for yourself that you want to quit. Having the idea to quit smoking forced upon you will generally not work out well for yourself. You have to decide all on your own that you are ready to quit smoking, this dedication to stop smoking will often be a huge driving force in your battle against cigarettes and you will probably need to pull strength from your decision. Additionally, as everyone around you is asking why you want to quit, a good answer that you believe in will help you to resolve your determination each time you answer.

This might sound like nothing more than an excuse, but actually deciding for yourself that you want to quit is a huge boost to your mental approach. If you approach quitting smoking with the idea that someone else is forcing you, then often you will make small mistakes that can sabotage your efforts. You may not recognize these errors, but they are typically there. Approaching the task of quitting smoking on your own will ensure that you are setting out to be successful and quit for good. Those who quit for the reasons of someone else typically quit for only a short period of time. Those who quit for themselves are the people who quit for good.

Trying to quit smoking is a very lengthy process. This can take a very long period of time such as several years, or it could be something much shorter like only a few weeks or months. The exact time frame that it takes to quit can vary greatly but what is important is ensuring that you are coming up with a plan to combat your urges to smoke. At some point in your experience trying to quit you will encounter a situation where the urge to smoke is very strong. How you handle this situation will go a long way towards your ultimate success. Being prepared for the urge to smoke will ensure that you have a plan to keep your willpower strong and continue on your path to quit smoking successfully.

Tip 1. Take the time to decide exactly when you typically smoke. For example, after meals, after a jog around the block, or even after your shower each morning. Knowing when you typically smoke will put you in a good position to create a plan to combat the urge.

Tip 2. Create a plan of attack. This could be something as simple as a stress ball for your hands, or even just a piece of hard candy to keep your mouth busy. If you really enjoy the taste and feeling of a clean mouth you could try brushing your teeth each time you want to smoke, or suck on a mint flavored candy, which will freshen your breath.

Tip 3. Avoid the temptations that lurk. If you go out to eat, make sure you are sitting in the no smoking area. Avoid going into tobacco stores, and also try to limit the amount of time you are around other smokers. If you are continuously around cigarettes, it will be much harder to resist temptation.

Tip 4. Clean your house of all smoking instruments. This means all ashtrays, lighters, matches and get rid of the smell of cigarettes. Products like Febreeze are great for helping to get rid of cigarette smell, which can also trigger an urge to smoke.

With so many tips and suggestions on how to stop smoking it is really easy to see why so many people really do not quit.  The vast majority of people are completely confused by the entire process!  What of the conflicting messages passed around?  The fact is that with so much information passed around that is confusing to people it is often much easier to just continue smoking and hoping for a simple solution.  Actually taking the necessary steps to really quit smoking is not easy.  It means coming to terms with the fact that stopping smoking really is best for you, as well as your health.

Most people are readily aware that stopping smoking can improve their health, but learning how to really conquer the urges to smoke is not easy.  With so many temptations circulating around, as well as the stresses of daily life it is easy to see why jumping into a pack of cigarettes seems like a good idea.

Tip #1 You need a good reason to quit.  Simply deciding to quit because the sky is blue is not a sufficient reason.  The need to quit smoking is obvious, but the desire to quit needs to come from inside in order for the process to be successful.

Tip #2  Look for small rewards that you can give yourself as you make progress.  You are not likely to just quit cold turkey with no complications.  Set up small rewards that will help you to want to make progress towards ultimately quitting.  This can be a great motivation to keep you on target.

Trashing tobacco out of one’s system improves health.  Here’s what happens when a smoker quits after:

• 20 minutes, blood pressure and pulse rate returns to normal.  Circulation in hands and feet improves.
• 8 hours, oxygen levels in blood return to normal.  Chances of heart attack begin to fall.
• 24 hours, carbon monoxide is eliminated from the body.  The lung starts to clear out mucus.
• 48 hours, nicotine is no longer detectable in the body.  The ability to taste and smell improves.
• 72 hours, breathing becomes easier as the bronchial tubes relax.  Energy levels increase.
• 2-12 weeks, walking becomes easier as circulation improves throughout the body.
• 3-9 months, breathing improves as coughing, shortness of breath, and wheezing incidence decline.  Lung function increases by 5-10 percent.
• 5 years, risk of heart attack falls to about half that of a smoker.
• 10 years, it’s like you never smoked as risk of heart attack falls to about the same as that of a non-smoker.  Risk of lung cancer falls to about half that of a smoker.

Indeed, the only quitters to win are the smokers.

Source: A White Paper on Tobacco and Smoking

One of the approach to treatment of essential hypertension is lifestyle change. Here are the easy ways on changing your lifestyle:

1. Stop smoking. It has been emphasized in various health articles that smoking can cause hypertension. About 30% of all deaths from heart disease in the U.S. are directly related to cigarette smoking. That’s because smoking is a major cause of coronary artery disease especially in younger people.

How Does Smoking Increase Heart Disease Risk?

The nicotine present in smoke causes:

* Decreased oxygen to the heart.
* Increased blood pressure and heart rate.
* Increase in blood clotting.
* Damage to cells that line coronary arteries and other blood vessels.

2. Lose weight if overweight. Maintain body mass index of 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2. For every 10 kilogram weight loss, BP drops by approximately 5-20 mmHg.

3. Reduce sodium intake (<2 g of sodium or approximately <6 g of sodium chloride).

People who follow a “Mediterranean” diet rich in fruit, vegetables, whole grains and fish cut their risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) by half, researchers report.

COPDis a group of diseases characterized by limitation of airflow in the airway that is not fully reversible. COPD is the umbrella term for chronic bronchitis, emphysema and a range of other disorders.

Although smoking remains the primary cause of COPD, and that the primary preventive measure is to quit smoking, experts found out that a diet rich in fruits, vegetable and fish, may help reduce risk of COPD.

The study found out that men who ate a Mediterranean diet had a 50 percent lower risk of developing COPD compared to those who ate the Western diet, even after taking into account age, smoking and other risk factors, the researchers reported.

A recent study found out that smoking causes long-lasting changes in the brain similar to changes seen in animals when they are given cocaine, heroin and other addictive drugs. These changes are linked to two enzymes found on brain cells or neurons. These enzymes help the neurons use chemical signals such as those made by the message-carrying compound dopamine, and they are found in greater quantity in smokers and former smokers.

“The data show that there are long-lasting chemical changes in the brains of humans,” said Michael Kuhar of Emory University in Atlanta, who was not involved in the study.

“The chemical changes alone suggest a physiological basis for nicotine addiction.” Yahoo! Health News

Facts and Statistics:

Current statistics say that about 60% of Filipino men smoke and more than half of Filipino households are not smoke-free. As many as 40% of Filipino adolescent boys smoke and mostly began in their teens. Every year, there are about 20,000 smoking-related deaths in the country. Many vendors of cigarettes are children. Sadly, there are no laws prohibiting minors from buying or selling cigarettes.

Effects of Smoking:

Cardiovascular Diseases: Recent statistical studies say that smoking is the most prevalent risk factor of cardiovascular diseases including heart attack and stroke among Filipinos.

Cancer: Tobacco contains nicotine, carcinogens, and other toxins capable of causing gum disease and oral cancer. It has also been shown that incidences of cancers of the lung, larynx, esophagus, pancreas, kidney and urinary bladder are increased in smokers.