Health Education: quitting smoking

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Half the Risk of Lung Cancer - Erasing the damage of smoking

January 2 1997 - January 2 2012 (15 years) No - not a life span - a quit span.  On January 2, 1997 at about 1pm, I smoked my last cigarette. Interesting facts from the Behavioral Risk Factor Survey <ul><li>in 1997 19.1% of Americans were every day smokers (21% in NC, a tobacco state where I lived then and now)</li><li>in 2010 12.3% of Americans were every day smokers (14.3% in NC)</li><li>in 1997 52.1 % had NEVER smoked and more recently, in 2010 that number was up to 56.7%</li></ul> The body begins to heal itself within hours of the last puff.  It is the smoke - the chemicals in the smoke- that cause the damage to the lungs, arteries, cells, tissues (including skin) and organs of the body.  Nicotine acutely increases heart rate and pulse, but it does not cause the long term damage - it is the smoke.  This is why I am so consistent and adamant in encouraging you to avoid tobacco smoke from any source.  Think about it - anything that is on fire creates smoke and only a fool would stand there and suck it in. Many of the health risks associated with active or past smoking can be alleviated completely within just a few years of quitting.  For instance, the heart attack risk can be reduced to that of someone who never smoked (other risk factors for heart disease may remain [weight, genetics, saturated fat diet]).  Lungs can heal if emphysema and chronic bronchitis have not set in.  Quitting smoking only protects the undamaged tissue.  (trust me smokers, you want to keep as much healthy lung tissue as possible - it is NEVER too late to quit. The marker that has been on my radar- the one I was most looking forward to has finally arrived.  At 15 years after quitting smoking, my risk of 'smoking related' lung cancer is half that of someone who is currently smoking.  It is not as though I never smoked, and of course, I could get non smoking related lung cancer or any cancer for that matter, but by gosh, I did something hard and important 15 years ago and I will embrace this 50% reduction and say to you with conviction <blockquote class="tr_bq">"quitting smoking is the most important thing I have EVER done"</blockquote>Ironically - I have been looking forward to this day for some time and as a tobacco treatment specialist (my credentials expire this year) I often talk about the health benefits.  So today when I went to find these links for you - I saw that my risk for lung cancer 'death' was half that of a current smoker 5 years ago and my risk of heart disease is NOW the same as a non smoker (as I said above). Whatever the actual years are - my conviction stands! Here are some resources for you today. <a href="http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/quit_smoking/how_to_quit/you_can_quit/index.htm" target="_blank">Quitting smoking</a> resource Time line for<a href="http://www.cancer.org/Healthy/StayAwayfromTobacco/GuidetoQuittingSmoking/guide-to-quitting-smoking-benefits" target="_blank"> healing</a>  Another <a href="http://www.becomeanex.org/benefits-and-rewards.php" target="_blank">time line with additional resources</a>

Half the Risk of Lung Cancer - Erasing the damage of smoking

January 2 1997 - January 2 2012 (15 years) No - not a life span - a quit span. On January 2, 1997 at about 1pm, I smoked my last cigarette....

5:20 PM

Another Step in Reducing Smoking?

It has been several years since the Cleveland Clinic and the Weyco Company  banned smoking  on their campuses and for anyone who wanted to work for them.  When each rolled out these directives - pre 2007, they provided smoking cessation support, counseling and medications.  They also test to confirm that the persons are not using tobacco (this gets tricky if a person is using Nicotine Replacement Therapy and I do not know they particular policies for those circumstances but I have ideas on how they might manage). Over the weekend, banning smoking in workers was again in the headlines.  It seems more companies are joining in on the fun.  I wonder what people who are hard core individual rights activists and/or those who are anti GOVERNMENT regulation (often free market and corporation friendly)- what do they think about companies deciding that a behavior is NOT okay. To be clear, as I mentioned in this <a href="http://yourhealtheducator.blogspot.com/2008/07/wellness-weekly.html">old post</a> (under the Weight Watchers heading) I am completely for banning smoking - in fact - making it illegal would tickle me (a former smoker). When the CEO of the Cleveland Clinic was interviewed for NBC Nightly News recently he noted that YES, they were concerned about the health aspect of it and the health insurance aspect of it but even more so now, the financial risk to of having smokers as employees is too great a risk to take.  These "smoker" employees (in general - maybe not YOU an employee that smokes) are more likely to miss work, be present but less productive,  become diseased and disabled,  or to retire early and possibly on company disability insurance and so on.   As I said, several companies are now participating.  Baylor Health and Georgia Power were specifically mentioned in the news cast.  In fact, there are 21 states who have  companies who ban smoking in employees. I know it is banned for new hires for at least one of the county health departments in Florida.  (24 states do have smoker's rights laws, again, according to the news story I heard on NBC - so companies might have trouble in those states).  BTW - several industries have high smoking prevalence in their employees - construction is one, but I believe the USPS is another.   Jobs are  hard to come by these days and as someone interviewed on the news said ,"If I can work for some place as esteemed as the Cleveland Clinic and they want me to quit smoking, Sign ME UP."   I say -Here - Here - or is it hear, hear - because that is a message we need to hear. Not hiring people who smoke or use tobacco may be just as effective a strategy as raising taxes, using warning labels and promoting NRT for improving quit rates and reducing the numbers of persons who die from smoking related lung and heart disease. I believe that you can get to the news story by clicking on <a href="http://www.blogger.com/%20http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032619/vp/44749894#44749894">this link</a> - it is pretty interesting.

Another Step in Reducing Smoking?

It has been several years since the Cleveland Clinic and the Weyco Company banned smoking on their campuses and for anyone who wanted to...

7:09 PM

Quitting Tobacco and Weight Gain

<div><div><div><a name="_Toc249856910">If the fear of gaining weight is keeping you from quitting, here is what you need to know:</a> -There may be a slight change in your metabolism (or energy burn) when you quit using tobacco. -You may feel hungry more often than when you used tobacco. -Food is going to smell and taste better! -You might want to eat to keep from smoking or dipping. -Exercise can help keep your energy burn from slowing, including weight lifting. But the most important thing you need to know: Tobacco does NOT make you thin and quitting WILL NOT make you fat. Eating more than you burn off will cause weight gain. So eat, but eat smart. Change Your Plate! <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYg1GgxqzqEih6pm_qqW3w0WU5ihHM3wVzUu7jBF7iC-9e2UZ7mRy_84Edsjq8ycT5RgCior_9CMWvjAAZXgJLttI1I8sseLesoSXPAOGHL-1tvWXmXem1zy7_xEhqcfQla9sYYl0bGHT/s1600-h/plate.JPG"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424546672067034770" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHYg1GgxqzqEih6pm_qqW3w0WU5ihHM3wVzUu7jBF7iC-9e2UZ7mRy_84Edsjq8ycT5RgCior_9CMWvjAAZXgJLttI1I8sseLesoSXPAOGHL-1tvWXmXem1zy7_xEhqcfQla9sYYl0bGHT/s320/plate.JPG" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" /></a> -Eat several meals throughout the day. -Drink plenty of water. -Choose certain fruits and vegetables that are high in fiber, nutrients and water. -Choose foods low in saturated fat. American Institute for Cancer Research -Choose foods low in sugar. -Choose lean proteins like canned light tuna in water, chicken without skin, beef labeled loin or round, fish (broiled, not breaded or fried), peanut butter, tofu, beans… -Avoid butter, dips, sauces, full fat cheeses and oils as much as possible. -Drink calorie free beverages like coffee, tea and water. -Choose whole grains. -Read your labels and watch out for fat, sodium, sugar and calories. Check out this website for more on labels: <a href="http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/">http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/</a> Check out this book from the library: The Volumetrics Eating Plan by Barbara J. Rolls Ph.D. Watch healthy lifestyle videos on YouTube: “Deerunstoo” channel</div></div></div>

Quitting Tobacco and Weight Gain

If the fear of gaining weight is keeping you from quitting, here is what you need to know: -There may be a slight change in your metabolism ...

4:53 PM

Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain

Today's post isn't only about quitting smoking and weight gain, but also about how people (and doctors are people too) think to manage weight gain. The post is inspired by a statement made in one of my quit smoking classes. Many people are concerned that when they quit smoking they will gain weight and for both medical and aesthetic reasons, that is often a deal breaker. Unfortunately, literature does support that people who quit smoking will gain ten or so pounds, some will gain much more and some will not gain at all. What the literature doesn't get into, is WHY the person gains weight.. I mean the REAL why. My "student" is very motivated to quit and has the support of her primary care physician. In fact, he told her that if she gained weight to come back to him and he would assist her. She joked and asked if he was going to send her to a psychiatrist.. I offered my guess, a nutritionist? thinking this doctor was really on top of his ballgame when the "student" said, "No, he said he'd give me something for it." Ah... a pill. I told her not to worry because my health education would cover the weight gain issue and hence, this blog post was born. [All readers know that I consider medication to be a last resort treatment or certainly a second or third approach , but never a first response to a non emergent situation.] With regard to tobacco... Some will say that nicotine effects metabolism.. well, it may, but not by much. Seriously, if it increased metabolism enough to affect weight we would bottle it up and use it to treat obesity. More say that nicotine is an appetite suppressant. I agree, it is similar to coffee in that regard. A person who quits tobacco has to get reacquainted with their appetite. There is also the psychological piece of being bored and eating when one would have smoked, being nervous and eating, being angry and eating.. etc. the classic emotional eating pattern that people who have disordered eating experience everyday. I smoked myself for about 17 years and through it all I have pictures of life events. Sometimes I am thin and sometimes I am quite overweight (ranging 100 to 149 lbs). Many times, I have a cigarette in my hand or a pack of Winstons on the table near to me. I am fat or thin NOT because of cigarettes but because of FOOD. If you eat too much you will gain weight.. it is energy in and energy out, truly that simple for 95% of the population. So a former smoker or an emotional eater has to learn two or three things. First, when am I hungry and when am I emotional.. Two, how to cope with emotions in health promoting ways.. journaling, exercising, talking, music, aromatherapy, massage, eating nutritious food! and Third, how does weight control work i.e, what food is healthy, how many calories do I need , how many am I currently eating, how do I keep a healthy low calorie food healthy and low calorie when I prepare it and so on. When I work with people I encourage the Volumetrics concept. It is important because it is NOT a diet, it is NOT temporary and it IS safe, effective and health promoting. I really frown on my quitters getting all those toxins out of their system just to put more chemicals in. Lifestyle change first and risky drug therapy and surgery as last resorts.. got that?

Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain

Today's post isn't only about quitting smoking and weight gain, but also about how people (and doctors are people too) think to mana...

4:48 PM

Health Education

Half the Risk of Lung Cancer - Erasing the damage of smoking

Another Step in Reducing Smoking?

Quitting Tobacco and Weight Gain

Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain

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