Tobacco and your Body

 ON the left you see healthy lungs, and on the right smoker's lungs.  The good thing is the lungs start to clean themselves when you stop smoking. Tobacco contains more than 1000 chemicals.  This include nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide carcinogens and poisons.  Some of the poisons are highlighted in this picture.

 You can imagine what effect these things have on your body.  Nicotine causes addiction.  The cardiovascular system is greatly effected.  This can include blood clots, pneumonia, heart attack stroke, chest pain, high blood pressure, etc  Also the addiction results in withdrawal symptoms.  Risk of cancer is increased, most often in the lungs but also in the esophagus pancreas and other organs.  The reproductive system is also effected.  However, as mentioned above, quitting tobacco can result in almost immediate benefits.

**Candy Flavored Tobacco?

This is a pamphlet I picked up at the Health Fair for employees of Valley Medical Center.  I am not sure which booth this was from, but it is published by Journeyworks Publishing.

 Making tobacco look like candy, or adding flavors deemed to be "cool" does not make nicotine any less deadly.  Much of this business has to do with making tobacco seem more appealing.  IN the end tobacco is a very addictive product, and this type of marketing targets those who are most vulnerable. These are things to avoid at all costs, don't be fooled

All tobacco products have nicotine, nicotine is a drug, it effects your body and causes you to crave more.  addiction to nicotine will cause you to want it all the time.  

**Get Health, Save Money: Kick Cigarettes

 This is a bulletin hanging at Mental Health Urgent Care.  Tobacco use is the leading contributor in premature death of individuals with mental illness.  The bulletin is very large and these are my pictures of it.

 Rinancial benefits of not smoking are determined by how much you smoke.  A pack a day is almost $2000 a year.  That is a big wow!

The Health benefits form not smoking are even greater.
Within 20 minutes of not smoking your blood pressure and heart rate lower.
Within 8 hour the level of oxygen in your blood rises to normal.
Within 24 hours your risk of having a heart attack starts to drop.
Within 2 weeks to 3 months your circulation and lung functions improve.
Within 1 to 9 months you will have more energy and less coughing, sinus problems and shortness of breath.

**Want to Quit Smoking? 1-800-NO-BUTTS

This is a California cost free phone line for smokers who want to quit.  They have a confidential one-on-one phone counseling services.  In addition the refer to local programs, and offer self-help materials.  Nicotine is a hard addiction, so they admit not everyone is successful, however there is no rule against trying again, and sometimes it takes multiple tries to give up the smoking habit, but persistence will pay off.  They have many different languages available.

**Pamphlet: How Tobacco Effects Your Body

 I think the point of this pamphlet is that cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals.  They effect all parts of your body,  Tobacco makes your teeth yellow, can cause cancer of the throat, can cause a cough and lung cancer, increases risk to other organs, can cause eye problems and is related to hearing loss, keeps oxygen from getting to your muscles.  The nicotine in  cigarettes can effect your brain and your heart.

**Pamphlet Review: Can E-cigarettes Help You Quit Smoking?

The jury is still out on this question, as we don't have the total picture.  I wasn't even sure what an E-cigarette was or how it worked.  Now I know that a vapor is heated and converted to steam which you then inhale like cigarette smoke.  It does not have as many side chemicals as a cigarette.  However it generally does contain nicotine which is still addictive.  Other drugs can be included in the mix if desired.  It is possible to vary the dose of nicotine based on the dosage in the liquid.  However it is important to be safe around children, who could accidentally consume a vial of nicotine which is a very toxic poison.
At a recent training I was at, one woman swore that E cigarettes helped her kick the smoking habit after many years.  She was able to also quit the E cigarettes.  Some people just change their nicotine source.
The pamphlet concludes the best ways to kick smoking is with some type of support, and perhaps with other nicotine replacements such as gum or lozenges.

**Breaking Nicotine Addiction (Pamphlet)

This is a nice pamphlet which gives nine key points and steps to breaking the nicotine habit.
1. Nicotine is a drug.  It effects the central nervous system.
2. Nicotine is very addictive.  It is as addictive as cocaine and heroine.
3.  The secret to quitting is to deal with the addiction.  Withdrawal symptoms start within a few hours of quitting.  Coping with cravings and stress is key to staying smoke free.
4.  Different people need different ways to deal with addiction.  Some can quit cold turkey, for some replacement therapy is key.  Support groups can help.
5.  Nicotine replacement can help.  Nonprescription options include gum, lozenges and patches.  Prescription options include inhalers and nasal sprays.  Using a replacement doubles you chances of staying smoke free.
6.  Other medications can help ease cravings.  These include some antidepressant medications.
7.  Hang in there the first several weeks.  Withdrawing form nicotine you may feel cranky, lightheaded, anxious, sleepy.  You may crave sweets.  These feelings are only temporary.
8.  Other tips including: drink lots of water, exercise, join a support group, avoid coffee, tea and soda.  Acupuncture may also help.
9.  Don't give up.  If you slip don't give up.  Most people need several attempts.

46 million Americans have kicked nicotine addiction.  For more help check out  www.smokefree.gov

**Tobacco that Looks Like Fruit Roll-ups

When tobacco is made to look like fruit roll-ups, with an assortment of flavors, it makes you wonder to whom the tobacco company is trying to sell their product.  One thing to be aware of, these products contain nicotine, which is considered the most addictive drug available.  By marketing to young people, then they get get them hooked young and the transition to cigarettes will be easy.

**Smoking and Children; Third-hand Smoke

I attended a training on Wellness and tobacco usage this last week.  I have lots of pamphlets to share, all with a similar theme, smoking is not good.  Smoking accounts for more preventable deaths than all other preventable deaths combined.
I learned a new concept, third hand smoke.  We all know of first-hand smoke, the smoke you blow into your own lungs, or second hand, the smoke you blow into someone else's lungs.  Third-hand smoke has to do with the second-hand landing on things, furniture, carpets and curtains, and then when those things are jostled or bumped it brushes into the ear, and can be another source of chemicals and particles getting into the lungs.  Children and pets are especially vulnerable to third-hand smoke.

Benefits of quitting the smoking habit

This is from an interoffice email

You can see immediate benefits to your health as soon as you stop smoking. Within 20 minutes of quitting, your heart rate and blood pressure drop. After 12 hours, carbon monoxide levels in your blood drop to normal. After 2 weeks-3 months, your circulation improves and your lung function increases. After 1-9 months, coughing and shortness of breath decrease. After 1 year, excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a person who smokes. After 2-5 years, stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker. After 5 years, risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, and bladder are cut in half and cervical cancer risk falls to that of a non-smoker. After 10 years, the risk of dying from lung cancer is about half that of a person who smokes. After 15 years, risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker. So make it your day to quit!

Quitting is hard, and of course the best method is to never start.