Smoking

"Kill as Few Patients as Possible." - Oscar London, MD, W.B.D

Tobacco was introduced to the "civilized" world in 1555 in Spain and was not introduced in England until ten years later. As recently as 1635 one could only purchase tobacco in France by a doctor's prescription. There are 4000 different chemicals and compounds in cigarette smoke, 200 of these are poisonous or are considered 'tumor accelerators'. With the cost of cigarette smoking today you can expect to be broke, sick and ultimately dead once this compelling addiction takes hold.

"I tried to quit but I hate the gum and the patch."
If you choose not to use a nicotine replacement to help you then there are some other strategies you can use to help you to quit. Try holding off the first cigarette of the day until later in the morning and use the eight hours you have been asleep to get a jump start on your withdrawl. If you smoke your last cigarette of the night at 8pm and sleep until 6am, this is 10 hours you have gone through withdrawl without being awake for it.

Push your first cigarette of the day to 10am and then control your consumption of cigarettes by contracting with yourself and watching the clock. You can quickly bring a pack a day habit down to a half dozen cigarettes a day and then move on from there.

"I heard that there is a pill I can take to help me quit smoking."
Wellbutrin or Zyban is a well-established prescription antidepressant which was found to help with the cravings for tobacco. It is to be used as part of a program to quit smoking and does have some risks and side effects so speak to your health care provider if you feel you need this medicine to quit smoking.

"If I quit smoking today, how long will it be until I feel normal again?"
Whether you are giving up a 2 pack a day habit or a half pack a day habit, it will take the better part of 2 weeks to feel as though you are well and feeling healthy. The first several days mean withdrawl and cravings, then comes a loose cough and congested flu like feeling with fatigue. Finally, your energy and appetite will return, you will sleep better and be less irritable.

"What are the added risks to me as a female from smoking?"
Women, especially if they are taking birth control pills are more likely to be at risk for blood clots in the legs or lungs. If women become pregnant and cannot quit, it is a risk to the developing baby. Smokers are several times more likely to have difficulty conceiving and have an increased risk of ectopic pregnancy.

Smoking can increase the risk of abnormal pap tests and contribute to moodiness, insomnia, poor vitamin absorption and increased pain with menstrual cramping. These are some risks for young women without other diseases.

Of course if women are asthmatic or suffer from heart disease the risks are higher that this can cause them to have a significant life threatening event.