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Posts Tagged ‘give up smoking’

Stop Smoking – Products That Make Quitting Easier

by Ralph Ferriss

Smokers who want to quit can use products that make the process easier. If you want to be one of the only 6% of smokers who succeed at quitting on their first attempt, using one of these products can help.

One of the most popular products is the nicotine patch. It provides a steady, slow release of nicotine that helps reduce the craving to smoke. The nicotine slowly makes its way into the bloodstream through the skin.

Remember that this product, like all products that help you quit, has advantages and disadvantages.

The nicotine patch can be used without other people noticing, since you can attach it anywhere between your waist and neck. Most patches need to be changed daily. These patches can cause irritation on the application site. For this reason, it is best to change the position of the patch at least once every two weeks.

Besides the patch, nicotine chewing gum is also a popular choice. It is also available over the counter. This is no ordinary chewing gum, however. You need to massage it with your teeth in the same spot until you begin to taste something like pepper. Once this sensation occurs, you will need to move the gum to a spot between your gums and your cheek and wait for the pepper taste to go away. This must be done every thirty minutes until the pepper tastes goes away permanently.

Lozenges work in a very similar fashion. Lozenges act quickly and you have some control over the dosage. They come in 2-4 mg dosage tablets and more than one per day can be used, up to about 24 pieces. But, like chewing regular gum, they can fatigue the jaw. Because of the special technique required, they’re less effective if not used properly. They can cause nausea, especially if accidentally swallowed.

Other individuals whose desire it is to quit smoking opt to use a nicotine inhaler. This method lets you decide how much nicotine you want to take it and gives you a feeling similar to that of smoking when you inhale. It also involves the use of your hand like cigarette smoking does. People with COPD or asthma should not use a nicotine inhaler. You should also use caution because it is easy to overdose with this product.

Nasal sprays have similar advantages and drawbacks. They supply nicotine very fast to the bloodstream, but they can cause irritation to the sinus and nasal passages.

All of these products share a similar negative, however. They continue to supply nicotine at a time when the smoker is trying to reduce dependency on that drug. Some may find them to be useful transition aids. But there are non-nicotine methods as well.

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Stop Smoking – Relationship Between Cancer and Smoking

by Ralph Ferriss

There is strong evidence that suggests that people who smoke cigarettes on a regular basis for a long period of time are at an extremely high risk of developing larynx and lung cancer. Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how it is that smoking causes these types of cancer, as it is not yet understood clearly.

Normal cells may be damaged, but they have the ability to repair themselves. In other cases, the cells are sloughed off and eliminated by the lymph system, then replaced by new ones. But this process can go awry.

Cells can grow abnormally, taking on inappropriate shapes and performing incorrectly. When they do, and that growth reaches a certain level that the body can’t cope with, the result is cancer.

It is known that cigarette smoke contains many carcinogenic substances.

Tar, for example, is present in cigarette smoke chiefly from the burning paper that holds the tobacco, about 10-14 mg per cigarette. It gradually builds up in the alveoli, the small sacs in the lung that make possible absorption of oxygen into the blood stream. It’s believed that their presence is a continual irritant to the cells. That irritation eventually leads to uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells.

Other compounds, called nitrosamines, are present in varying amounts. They’re known to be carcinogenic from hundreds of clinical studies on small mammals. NNK is present in a very low concentration: 56.53 nanograms per cigarette. Other nitrosamines, like NNN and NAT, are present in roughly similar amounts.

One nanogram is equal to one billionth of one gram. Even though that seems like an extremely insignificant amount of something, even these small amounts can cause problems. Like dogs noses that can detect scents from just a few molecules, some parts of the human body are extremely sensitive. Remember too that these small amounts add up over time and eventually can become serious.

No study has found any link between cancer and consuming one or two cigarettes per day. But such smokers are extremely rare and the odds of them catching some other serious disease are so much higher it may be masked. A smoker who consumes a pack a day for 20 years has 2-4 times the chances of getting lung cancer than a non-smoker.

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Stop Smoking – Smoking and Cancer

by Ralph Ferriss

There is strong evidence that suggests that people who smoke cigarettes on a regular basis for a long period of time are at an extremely high risk of developing larynx and lung cancer. Researchers are still trying to figure out exactly how it is that smoking causes these types of cancer, as it is not yet understood clearly.

Normal cells that experience damage are able to repair themselves on their own. Sometimes cells are completely removed and then are replaced by the body’s lymph system. This process can start to go wrong, however.

Sometimes new cells begin to grow into odd, unnatural shapes and as a result do not carry out their normal tasks properly. When this unnatural growth becomes a big enough problem that the body cannot handle it, it has officially become cancer.

Many of the substances that are found in cigarette smoke have been proven to be carcinogenic.

When the paper in a cigarette burns, it releases tar. Each cigarette tends to contain between 10 and 14 milligrams of tar. This tar collects in the tiny air filled sacs of the lungs, called alveoli, where oxygen is usually transferred into the blood. The presence of tar in the alveoli irritates the cells and eventually leads to their unnatural growth.

Other compounds, called nitrosamines, are present in varying amounts. They’re known to be carcinogenic from hundreds of clinical studies on small mammals. NNK is present in a very low concentration: 56.53 nanograms per cigarette. Other nitrosamines, like NNN and NAT, are present in roughly similar amounts.

A few dozen nanograms (one billionth of a gram – 1 g = 0.0353 oz) may sound like a small amount. But sometimes small amounts can have a large effect. Dog’s noses, for example, are so sensitive they can detect a few molecules of certain substances. Some systems in humans are equally sensitive to certain chemicals. Add to that the fact that many of the compounds and their effects are cumulative and the case begins to look very strong.

No study has found any link between cancer and consuming one or two cigarettes per day. But such smokers are extremely rare and the odds of them catching some other serious disease are so much higher it may be masked. A smoker who consumes a pack a day for 20 years has 2-4 times the chances of getting lung cancer than a non-smoker.

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