FitSugar

DrSugar Answers: Nicotine Withdrawal From Secondhand Smoke?

DrSugar — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 14:15:02 PST

DrSugar is in the house! And she's answering your health-related questions.

Dear DrSugar,
My partner has been smoking since he was in high school and he is 27 now. He has been smoking about two packs a day and is trying to stop. This weekend he has cut down on the amount he smokes. Last night, both he and I had trouble staying asleep. I was wondering if his smoking has been affecting me too? And what side effects would I have for just being around him when he smokes?
- Secondhand Smoker

I commend your partner on trying to quit smoking, not only for his health, but also for yours. Nicotine (the main drug component in tobacco) dependence is a serious problem, and according to Medline Plus, it has a potential for addiction similar to alcohol, cocaine, and morphine. Dependence on nicotine means that a person cannot stop using tobacco products, despite the products causing them likely harm. According to the Mayo Clinic, nicotine produces physical and mood-altering effects in your brain that are temporarily pleasing. These effects typically make you want to continue using tobacco and can lead to dependence. However, stopping tobacco can lead to unpleasant withdrawal symptoms, which it sounds like your partner is experiencing. To learn more about nicotine withdrawal symptoms and the issues surrounding secondhand smoke, keep reading!

8 Tips For Quitting Smoking

FitSugar — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 16:00:29 PST

Tomorrow, Nov. 18, is the Great American Smokeout. The American Cancer Society, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and even our own DrSugar all urge you to quit smoking! It is one of the best things you can do for your health.

We all know that quitting is not an easy feat, so I'm offering some timeless tips for kicking the habit. Whether you have a pack-a-day habit or consider yourself a social smoker, smoking is wreaking havoc on your health, so here are some strategies to help you stop for good.

Exercise more. Getting moving is a great way to remind yourself why you shouldn't smoke. Exercise can reduce your stress and help you relax far better than cigarettes. Even just five minutes of walking can help fend off urges.
Go over the counter. Stop-smoking aids like gum, lozenges, and patches really do help ease withdrawal symptoms. Even if you want to go cold turkey, it might help to have some gum on hand for the times when you're especially irritable or antsy.
Chew away your cravings. Regular gum can also be effective at battling cravings. Keeping your mouth busy will help keep your mind off smoking.
Play with your phone. Harness the power of your smartphone with handy apps like Quitter, which is free and calculates how much money you're saving by not buying cigarettes, or spend $3.99 for LiveStrong's My Quit Coach, which helps you set goals and monitors your progress.

I have more tips, so keep on reading.

Cool Health Tool: HabitForge

FitSugar — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 07:00:10 PDT

Building good habits is a big part of living a healthy lifestyle. Whether you're trying to quit smoking, exercise daily, or get more sleep, it helps to have some accountability. A coworker recently turned me on to HabitForge, a simple yet brilliant site that helps you set goals and stick to them.

The idea behind HabitForge is that it takes 21 days to form a new habit. When you sign up for the site, you set a goal toward a new habit you want to set. Each day, HabitForge emails you to ask how you did, e.g. "Did you have a cigarette today?"

If you achieved your goal that day, you move forward toward your 21-day endpoint. If you slip, HabitForge starts you over at the beginning of the 21-day counter. You can have multiple goals going at once, with just one daily email checking in. I've found the site to be very effective for forming long-term habits and short-term routines. Have you tried it?

No Such Thing as "Social Smoking"

FitSugar — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 10:00:01 PDT

One cigarette a month may not feel like a habit, but it can still get you hooked on nicotine. That's according to a study of adolescent smokers published in Pediatrics, which suggests that teens' experimentation with the occasional cigarette can lead to a lifetime of addiction.

The four-year study started with 1,246 middle school students and found that those who smoked even one cigarette a month were likely to become hooked, suggesting that what feels like mere enjoyment can build into dependence. Kids may become addicted without even realizing it until they turn 18 and can buy their own. Says Joseph DiFranza, who helped author the study:

"What happens is when you first get addicted, one cigarette a month or one cigarette a week is enough to keep your addiction satisfied. But as time goes by, you have to smoke cigarettes more and more frequently. So people may be addicted for more than a year before they feel the need to smoke a cigarette every day."

Approximately one-quarter of the teens studied experienced withdrawal symptoms when trying to quit, just three or more years after starting. This news doesn't surprise me; in fact, it confirms what I've witnessed firsthand. What about you? Did you smoke as a teen or socially then find it hard to stop? I've got seven tips to help you quit if you need a hand.

Why McDonald's May Be Worse Than Marlboros

FitSugar — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:00:13 PST

As far as vices go, smoking has always taken top honors as being the worse thing you can do to yourself. Not anymore. A new study says that obesity is becoming a bigger threat to a person's quality of life than having a cigarette habit.

The results are based on interviews conducted with 3.5 million adults in the United States from 1993-2008 - the largest ongoing health study of its kind. During the 15-year period, the proportion of smokers in the study declined by 18.5 percent, while the proportion of obese adults increased by 85 percent. The study's findings also confirm that obesity causes more illnesses than smoking and that it's a greater contributor to disease and a shorter life expectancy.

Smoking isn't off the hook, though - it's still a major health risk. The study found that there were more smoking-related deaths than those related to obesity. So while being obese will cause a host of illnesses, diseases, and a shorter life expectancy, the greater risk associated with smoking is death. Either way you look at it, it's not good.

If you find yourself in either of these high-risk categories, please use the new year as an excuse to reform your health. Here are some great tips to help you quit smoking and lose the weight and keep it off. Remember that we are totally behind you and here to help!

DrSugar Answers: How Can I Cut the Nicotine Habit?

DrSugar — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 03:00:00 PDT

DrSugar is in the house and he's answering your health questions.

Dear DrSugar,
I have been smoking ever since college, which I know is dumb, but I just haven't been able to cut the habit. I started smoking only at parties, but now I'm at about a half pack a day for the last few years. I'm totally healthy otherwise. I go to the gym three or four times a week and try to eat healthy. What do you recommend for quitting cigarettes?
- Getting Off the Butts

To see what the doctor has to say about ditching this unhealthy habit,

Firstly, I applaud your desire to quit and wish you luck in your journey. There is good news and bad news when it comes to quitting cigarettes. The good news is that there is an abundance of resources, websites, help lines, medications, and doctors who are there to help you quit if you need it. The bad news is that quitting cigarettes is very hard and often takes multiple attempts because relapse is common. If you succeed in quitting, you will be greatly improving the future of your health. Smoking accounts for almost 90 percent of lung cancer deaths. It can also lead to heart disease, lung disease, and vascular disease or blockage of blood vessels.

Some people are able to stop smoking "cold turkey" without the use of any aids, but this is a tough task and often results in failure. I think that online resources, such as QuitNet, can be especially helpful in terms of getting more information and hearing about other people’s experiences.

Many people successfully quit with the help of nicotine replacement therapy to curb the initial cravings. Nicotine gum is available over the counter, while nicotine patches require a prescription. Though I recommend trying nonprescription methods first, there are also two prescription medications that have helped thousands of people quit: Zyban and Chantix. Zyban (Wellbutrin) is a type of antidepressant that cuts the craving for nicotine during the quitting process, while the newer Chantix is a nicotine-receptor activator that essentially tricks the brain into thinking there is nicotine in the system.

I suggest setting a quit date, formulating a plan for how to cope with the cravings (gum, medication, exercise, etc.), and trying to keep your mind on other things. Come up with a new routine at times when you used to light up. You should also check out these seven tips for quitting smoking, which offer great practical tips. Also remember that doctors love to hear that their patients are trying to quit and are always there to help. Good luck!

Have a question for DrSugar? Send it by private messaging me here, and I will forward it to the good doctor.

DrSugar's posts are for informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment recommendations. Click here for more details.

Quitting Smoking? Timing Might Be Key

FitSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 09:00:00 PDT

For women, the ebb and flow of monthly hormones impacts so many seemingly unrelated things, quitting smoking among them. New research from the University of Minnesota suggests that successfully quitting smoking might be related to the menstrual cycle. Research found that women who stop smoking during the second half of their cycle, after ovulating, were more likely to stick to their guns and not relapse back into smoking. The researchers do not know why women's resolve seems stronger post ovulation but guess the hormone differences during two menstrual phases might affect the severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms felt by the quitters.

Looking to quit? Here are some tips to help you quit.

Source

Another Reason Not to Smoke: Quitting Is Hard

FitSugar — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 16:30:00 PST

Even though we like to scoff at celebrities and say they have everything so much easier than we do, quitting smoking is rough no matter who you are. Katherine Heigl, well-known as a heavy smoker, recently talked to the Washington Post about her troubles with quitting. And guess what? It's not easy even for her. Here are highlights:

"It's so stupid. I started when I was like 22 or 23, and I had my first cigarette at a bar one night, and I was like mmm. I'll try this. I can have just one. I am not gonna get addicted. Then you start bumming. I'm bumming. I don't buy my own packs. I'm not addicted."

"Then you go through something that is hard or difficult or stressful and you buy your first pack and it's all over, and now it's all about how you're going to quit," she says. "I've tried everything."

"I've tried Wellbutrin," a drug also used to treat depression, "which made me really happy while I smoked. Tried the patch. Tried gum. I hate the gum. It burns my mouth. I think I have to quit the old-fashioned way."

So there you have it. Obviously it's best not even to start in the first place, but if you're struggling with quitting, you're certainly not alone. Here's hoping that Katherine, and all smokers, finally nip it in the bud.

Pacific Coast News

Another Reason to Quit Smoking: Hearing Problems

FitSugar — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 12:30:00 PST

Maybe you or someone close to you is thinking of quitting smoking. All I can say is: Go for it! Quitting smoking is a win-win situation; it puts more money in your pocket and more air in your lungs. Plus, it is one of the most important things you can do for your overall health. No joke!

It turns out that there is yet another reason to give up smokes: It could affect your hearing. A recent study performed by Yale University found that teenagers who smoked, or who were exposed to smoke, had difficulty focusing and interpreting sounds amid other distractions. Brain scans show alterations in brain matter responsible for transmitting messages, so researchers believe that nicotine is responsible for creating changes in the structure of the brain matter.

If you are still looking for motivation, check out all these reasons to quit smoking. The list will surely make you think twice the next time you light up.

Source

Hypnotherapy to Quit Smoking

FitSugar — Tue, 23 Oct 2007 10:15:00 PDT

You might have heard that Lily Allen lost weight using hypnotherapy but have you heard the same technique works for giving up smokes too?

A recent study found that to quit smoking and stay smoke free, hypnotherapy is more effective than going cold turkey or just using the nicotine patches or nicotine gum. Free hypnotherapy was offered to both heart and lung patients after hospitalization, and 50% of the patients using hypnotherapy alone, or with nicotine replacement therapies, stayed smoke free. An interesting aside: a considerably higher percentage of heart patients stayed smoke free compared to lung patients.

If you have had trouble quitting smoking in the past, getting hypnotized could be the answer. If you do smoke, quitting is one of the best things you can do for your health.

I am curious if any of you have tried hypnotherapy for smoking, or dieting? Let me know in the comments section below.

Source