Articles on Medical Diseases and Conditions

Tag: Quitting Smoking

  • How to Kick the Smoking Habit

    Making a decision to quit smoking may be the smartest thing you ever do, but it is the beginning of a dif?cult process. You will ?nd reams of materials to help you quit, backed by extensive scienti?c knowledge about how nicotine works in your body, why it’s so hard to stop smok- ing, and what it takes to improve your chances of kicking the habit for good. But it’s still up to you to do the work. Keeping at it even after sev- eral relapses is part of the challenge. The effects of nicotine addiction in your brain positively reinforce smoking (making you feel relaxed, less stressed, and more alert), and negatively reinforce not quitting smoking (by reversing all those positive sensations).

    Making the decision to quit is the ?rst step, and your doctor can help. Take some time at your next appointment to speci?cally discuss your smoking habits and what you may need to make quitting easier. Your doctor can counsel you as an individual, provide you with nicotine replacement therapy or other medication if you wish, and offer effective ways to deal with nicotine cravings and relapses.

    Preparing to quit is the second phase. You will need the support of family and friends. Identify the situations that tempt you to smoke (like drinking alcohol), and ?gure out ways to avoid them or handle them. Make plans to incorporate exercise as a means of helping you quit; you will have to address concerns like possible weight gain. You may wish to enroll in a structured smoking cessation program or consider working with a trained smoking cessation counselor. Ask your doctor to recom- mend one in your area. Also ask about smoking hotlines that provide telephone counseling to help you quit and resist the urge to relapse. Many states and large health-care plans offer these services, which are an effective way to give you the ongoing support you need to make this major change.

    Once you have resolved to quit, you and your doctor can probably agree on a “quit date.” Although some people try to taper off gradually, it’s best to stop smoking altogether by going cold turkey on your quit date. If you are using nicotine replacement products or another drug, that treatment will begin on or maybe before your quit date.

    Stop Smoking: It’s Worth It!

    If you are a smoker, you’ve heard plenty about the damage you are doing to your body. If you have already had a heart attack or you have sev- eral other risk factors for heart disease, you are under even more pressure to quit. Among all the negative messages, here are a few encouraging words about the rewards of quitting smoking:

    • One year after quitting, your risk of devel- oping heart disease as a result of your smoking is cut in half.

    • This reduction also applies to your risk of stroke: in 5 to 15 years, your stroke risk will be that of a nonsmoker.

    • You’ll live longer. Quitting before age 40 will add an average of 3 to 5 years to your life expectancy. Quitting at age 65 or more adds a year.

    • If you’re trying to quit, you’re in good com- pany. Four out of five smokers say they want to quit, and many thousands of peo- ple succeed every year and stay off tobacco for a year or more.
    • When you stop smoking, your family— especially your partner and/or your children—and your friends will be healthier as well as you, because they won’t be exposed to secondhand smoke.
    • You will save money if you quit. Assume you smoke a pack a day at an average cost of $4. That totals up to about $1,500 a year or about $60,000 over a period of 40 years. Certainly you could use that extra money for your children’s education, your retirement, health care, or other major expenses.

  • Quitting Smoking

    The reasons to quit smoking are legion. In terms of your cardiovas- cular health, quitting smoking is a major way you can take control
    of your risk of coronary artery disease and other heart and blood vessel diseases. Brie?y, these are the ways in which tobacco smoke endangers your cardiovascular system:
    • Atherosclerosis. Smoking damages the lining of the arteries that supply your heart, brain, and the rest of your body with blood. The roughened, damaged walls are more susceptible to the formation of plaque. As the plaque forms, it restricts the ?ow of blood, a process called atherosclerosis. If your coronary arteries are affected, it dra- matically increases your chances of a heart attack. If the arteries to your brain are blocked, you may have a stroke. Atherosclerosis is also a risk factor for developing peripheral artery disease, which affects the arteries to your arms and legs. In combination with other factors (high blood pressure, high cholesterol), it is even more dangerous (see page 71). Smoking even one cigarette a day can harm the endothelium, or inner lining of your blood vessels.
    • Blood clots. Smoking causes your blood to clot more easily.
    Smoking encourages the formation of blood clots by causing platelets to stick together, which is often part of the cascade of events leading to a heart attack and stroke. A blood clot can block an artery and lead to heart attack, stroke, or peripheral artery disease. Some scientists think the blood-clotting effect of smoking is even more important than its role in inducing atherosclerosis.
    • High cholesterol. Tobacco smoke decreases HDL cholesterol, or good cholesterol.
    • High blood pressure. Although smoking does not directly cause high blood pressure, it temporarily constricts the diameter of the blood vessels to your heart.
    • Constriction of arteries. Apart from the blockages within arter- ies caused by atherosclerosis, smoking causes your arteries to con- strict, reducing blood ?ow.
    • Less oxygen in your blood. The nicotine and carbon monoxide in smoke get into your blood and reduce the amount of oxygen it can carry. This effect causes your heart to beat faster in order to try to keep the oxygen supply adequate.
    • Family health. A recent report by the Surgeon General con- ?rmed that secondhand smoke in any amount carries health risks to those who live with smokers. The report summarized major research on how secondhand smoke can cause cancer, respiratory problems, and cardiovascular disease. To maintain or improve the health of your partner, children, or other people you live with, stop smoking now.
    These harmful effects all interact to harm your heart and blood vessels. In addition, of course, smoking damages your lungs and increases your risk of developing cancers of the lung, throat, stomach, and bladder, and several other cancers.