SMOKE AND NICOTINE

Privacy Statement

2008-04-08T13:10:00.001+08:00

Smoke and nicotine Privacy Statement

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When Smokers Quit

2007-10-08T13:59:00.001+08:00

What Are the Benefits Over Time?

20 minutes after quitting:
Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.

12 hours after quitting:
The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting:
Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

1 to 9 months after quitting:
Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.

1 year after quitting:
The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.

5 years after quitting:
Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.

10 years after quitting:
The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker's. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.

15 years after quitting:
The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker's.

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Why Quit Smoking ?

2007-10-08T13:31:00.000+08:00

Health concerns usually top the list of reasons people give for quitting smoking. About half of all smokers who continue to smoke will end up dying from a smoking-related illness. For the first time, the Surgeon General includes pneumonia in the list of diseases caused by smoking.

Smoking increases the risk of lung diseases such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. For women, there are unique risks. Women over 35 who smoke and use birth control pills are in a high-risk group for heart attack, stroke, and blood clots of the legs. Based on data collected in the late 1990s, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) estimated that adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking.

No matter what your age or how long you've smoked, quitting will help you live longer. People who stop smoking before age 50 cut their risk of dying in the next 15 years in half compared with those who continue to smoke. Ex-smokers also enjoy a higher quality of life with fewer illnesses from cold and flu viruses, better self-reported health, and reduced rates of bronchitis and pneumonia.

For decades the Surgeon General has reported the health risks associated with smoking. Regardless of your age or smoking history, there are advantages to quitting smoking.

Benefits apply whether you are healthy or you already have smoking-related diseases.

Quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages. Benefits apply to people with and without smoking-related disease.

Former smokers live longer than continuing smokers.

Quitting smoking decreases the risk of lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.

Women who stop smoking before pregnancy or during the first 3 to 4 months of pregnancy reduce their risk of having a low birth weight baby to that of women who never smoked.

Anxiety in Children

2007-07-05T12:51:00.000+08:00

Smoke and nicotine children –

Anxiety in children should be of the utmost importance to a parent. Teaching children critical thinking skills and how to self-comfort in times of anxiety helps them to handle stress as adults in a positive and healthy fashion. Help for Anxiety in Children

Contrary to popular belief, anxiety is not a disorder limited to the adult population. Anxiety in children is rapidly increasing as children, too are feeling the effects of stress in their lives.

Events of childhood can deeply affect an individual’s entire life. It is mandatory for every parent to recognize the anxiety in their children and to nip it in the bud, before it takes over their child’s personality.

Therapy for Children Suffering From an Anxiety Disorder

Anxiety in children should always be given special attention. Group psychotherapy can also be considered as it reassures the child that he is not alone and there are other children facing similar problems.

Along with the affected child, parents should also be given guidance sessions which help them continue the management of their children’s anxiety at home. School based counseling is preferred in situations where the school is the cause of the anxiety.

Parents and teachers should understand the emotional background of the anxiety in children. Any situation which triggers anxiety in children should be planned for ahead of time, in order to manage the situation in the best way possible. Encouragement and praise of the child is a key strategy to combat anxiety in children. Special care is taken for children whose anxiety is due to school phobias. The Use Of Anti-Anxiety Medication in Children

The list of drugs available for the management of anxiety in children is long.

No Tobacco Day

2007-07-05T12:46:00.001+08:00

Smoke and nicotine tobacco –

While turning my pillow I felt a peculiar burnt smell which was not a pleasant one.

I rubbed my head with my hand and smelt.
It was the smell of cigarette smoke!
On Saturday night I was with two of my friends in a small stuffy French pub where men and women smoked, drunk and danced all night.
After smoking a cigarette, I slept.
The puffing in the pub by so many people stuffed the smoke into every ones dress, body including the exposed hair of the head.
I never realized the harmful nature of the tobacco smoke, but I thought it was fun and enjoyment.
When I used to travel in train, I used to smoke without any respect for the co-passengers - men, women or children.
I left smoking three times on the eves of New Year.
I read some where one of the consequences of quitting smoking is increase in body weight.
When I travel, I could smell the cigarette or beedi smoke coming from long distance.
When I used to smoke in those days, I never could smell the smoke coming out of my cigarette.
Now I have become so sensitive to the bad smell of cigarette smoke.
I saw an young lady, came to him and requested him to stop smoking.
The man who was smoking felt very bad and extinguished the bit of burning cigarette and threw it out.
Tobacco consumption in whatever form is harmful for health.
It appears that China is the largest producer and consumer of tobacco.
Increasing the cost of cigarette and its associates by imposing taxes is another measure many Governments took.
The Finance Minister in every year budget speech made it a point to add tax for cigarettes and tobacco products.
The Governments gave statutory warning in cigarette packets itself saying cigarette is injurious to health to create awareness.
Recently one of the health ministers of Government of India brought a rule that smoking scenes should not be shown in cinema.
These are measures to create awareness among the public not to smoke.
Tobacco business is a biggest money earner in many countries.
Millions of people are employed in both production and processing of tobacco.
We hope the World No Tobacco Day on 31 May every year will remind people to wind up the bad habit of smoking and other ways of consuming tobacco.

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Top 5 Health Risks for Women

2007-07-05T12:34:00.000+08:00

Smoke and nicotine women –

1. Heart Disease

Heart disease is often thought of as primarily affecting men, although in the United States more women die of heart disease each year than men – nearly 500,000.*
Help protect yourself from heart disease by:
Not smoking, and limiting your exposure to secondhand smoke.
Discussing your risk factors and your family's medical history with your physician.

2. Cancer

The most common cause of cancer death for U.S. women is lung – not breast – cancer. According to the American Cancer Society, in 2005, about 73,000 women died of lung cancer, roughly 40,000 women died of breast cancer and approximately 28,000 American women died of colorectal cancer.
To reduce your risk of cancer, follow the same tips for preventing heart disease.

3. Stroke

Of the nearly 163,000 Americans who die of stroke each year, roughly 60% are women.** Stroke is more than just the third-leading cause of death of American women; it's also one of the leading causes of disability.**
Some risk factors for the disease (such as family history; age; sex; race; and a history of migraines, autoimmune diseases and clotting disorders) can't be controlled, but two major risk factors – smoking and high blood pressure – can be minimized by following the same steps that help prevent heart disease.

4. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

The fourth most-common cause of death, COPD includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis, but not asthma or other obstructive diseases.

5. Alzheimer's Disease

Alzheimer's disease is a progressive, degenerative brain disease that afflicts an estimated 4.5 million Americans and ultimately leads to death.*** Researchers have yet to unlock the mysteries of preventing Alzheimer's. Some experts theorize, however, that preventing serious head injury and maintaining good cardiovascular health might reduce the risk of the disease.

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Using Hypnosis To Quit Smoking

2007-07-04T14:55:00.000+08:00

Smoke and nicotine hypnosis –

When they make the decision to quit smoking, most smokers turn to patches or nicotine gum. Partly because you're still getting an intake of nicotine.
There are other methods to quit smoking that don't involve the use of patches, gum or drugs. One of the most effective of these is using hypnosis to quit smoking.
The good news is that not only is hypnosis more effective but it's cheaper than most of the alternative methods (apart from will power of course, but that has the lowest success rate). Patches seem to be priced at around the same cost as your daily ration of cigarettes. A hypnosis course to quit smoking will likely only cost you about a week or two's worth of your regular cigarette intake. You may be asking what happens to the one person in three who doesn't manage to use hypnosis to quit smoking.

Celebrities, Smoking and Cheap Cigarettes

2007-06-28T16:27:00.000+08:00

Smoke and nicotine celebrities –

I have come across over a couple of things about celebrities smoking cigarettes that can be categorized neither as absurd nor as strange.

There are celebrities, especially movie stars, that smokes on screen like they are addicted but aren’t in actual place.
Smoking celebrities, sometimes sports stars, endorse cigarettes very rarely, if ever; but they are declared smokers in their private lives with some needing to have a drag in between shots.
Celebrities raising their voices in support of smoking cessation movements of course draw big attention but are rarely taken seriously.
Celebrity smoking influences adolescents to follow suit.
Celebrities of the bygone era have remote chances of having picked up the habit watching their heroes.

The brands they smoke, cheap Marlboro cigarettes, Camel, Winston, Virginia Slims, Salem etc, become a point of campus discussion.
There are two prominent websites dedicated to smoking celebrities; rather one is a yahoo group. The website I stumbled upon is on female celebrities who chain smoke on screen. You get a blow by blow account of ‘when and what’ they smoke and in which movie!

Can you afford 40-60 Marlboro cigarettes a day if you don’t buy them from a tax free online store or a discount sale?
Cheap cigarettes at discount price may be an option but is it a license to smoke more?
Many celebrities only smoke socially; they just don’t like to be left out because they don’t smoke.
Celebrities can easily afford high cost healthcare, just in case.

Neither cheap discount cigarettes of reputed brands nor generics bought at cheap price tobacco shop can be castigated as being cheap quality. Cheap Marlboro cigarettes, however guaranteed they are, are not your insurance to smoke more. The bottom line is here: celebrity endorsement or not, cheap or not, cigarettes are always known to give smokers a momentary relief but a long time trouble.

How Stop Smoking Hypnosis Works

2007-06-28T16:23:00.000+08:00

Smoke and nicotine hypnosis –

Stop smoking hypnosis can be a powerful tool to use for fighting the urges that go along with quitting this addiction.
Since smoking itself is both a physical and psychological addiction, extra help, such as that provided by stop smoking hypnosis, can be very valuable. Stop smoking hypnosis can help because it has the potential to address or at least assist with both forms of the addiction.
While we've all heard about people chewing gum, eating carrot sticks or even gnawing on pencils, actually having the inner resolve to do this rather than smoke is where stop smoking hiypnosis can come in and help. On the physical front, stop smoking hypnosis can also be quite beneficial. While it is not likely stop smoking hypnosis will completely remove withdrawal symptoms, it can lessen their impacts. Getting through them, without or without the help of stop smoking hypnosis, is the first major milestone for most people who desire to be smoke free.
The stronger their resolve, the more stop smoking hypnosis is likely to help. Quitting smoking is not an easy undertaking. Stop smoking hypnosis is one option many have tried and succeeded in using. By helping with both physical withdrawal and psychological attachments to the habit, stop smoking hypnosis is a good option for many to try.

Quitting Smoking Help You

2007-06-28T16:19:00.000+08:00

Smoke and nicotine quit –

More than ever, quitting smoking help can be found easily. But many people still don't know where to turn for help on how to quit the cigarettes crave. There are plenty of places to educate yourself and find information on different methods for quitting the cigarette crave.

There are also many places where quitting smoking help will provide you with support during the phase of becoming a non-smoker. Quitting smoking help starts by helping yourself understand why cigarettes and smoking are bad for you. Being informed is one of the best ways to motivate yourself to quit smoking.

By doing an Internet search on -chemicals in cigarettes- you can find many websites that will list over 500 chemical products contained in one cigarette alone, as well as each of those chemicals' effects on your mind and body.

Finding how to stop smoking forums is another area for quitting smoking help. You'll also find individuals who have already quit the cigarette crave and are there to provide you with their help and advice.

You can find a wide array of websites and internet resources that offer smoking help for smokers. From a help stop smoking forum, to a plethora of articles about smoking -- the internet can be an ideal place to get information about it.
Your doctor or health practitioner should be one person you can count on for quitting smoking help. Quitting smoking help also comes in the form of your own friends, family, and coworkers

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How to Stop Smoking

2007-06-28T16:14:00.000+08:00

Smoke and nicotine stop smoking -

The good news is that there are plenty of ways to help you quit smoking.
Smoking is a mental problem first of all. However if you have strong will and firmly believe than you want to stop smoking than you will not need sophisticated therapy neither a lot of time to throw the nasty habit away.

Medications.

Heavy smokers are likely to suffer from nicotine addiction that should be treated separately. There are plenty of products available gums, patches, inhalers, etc. While your body is still receiving the daily nicotine dose you have enough time to focus on the physiological side of the problem and fight your smoking habits and routines.

Therapy.

Some people tend to get depressed when ceasing smoking so your doctor can even prescribe you some mild anti depressant pills to make it easier for you. You can also appoint regular checks with a psychologist and undergo a behavior therapy as well.

Support.

Discussion groups and communities have a serious part in the smoking cessation process.

Alternate medicine.

Nowadays there are plenty of non-medical ways to help you cease smoking. Acupuncture, yoga, kabala practices, even hypnosis are some of the alternative methods to help you stop smoking.

Lifestyle

Moreover try to switch your lifestyle to include more activities that do not include smoking stop visiting night bars and clubs for a while, replace the morning coffee with a cup of tea, etc.

Many people undergo stop smoking therapy and than give up in the middle. If it is hard, start reading his will help you understand how dangerous smoking is and how important it is to stop, especially if you are already in the middle of the smoking cessation path.

The Easy Way to Quit Smoking

2007-05-30T16:00:00.000+08:00

Easy way

Smoke easy way

The question on every smoker's yellowing lip will always be "Is there an easy way to quit smoking?" There are millions of smokers who can testify that they packed in a long-term habit overnight, and never desired another cigarette again. The answer is simple: if you wish to quit smoking easily, then you need to change your mindset. After years of smoking, your brain will be configured to believe that smoking is an integral part of you. The smoking habit is not the nicotine habit - it is the psychologically addictive habit.

The easy way to quit smoking is to shake up the beliefs you associate with smoking. Smoking breeds irrational, emotional attachments, and it is those attachments which you have to perceive in a different way. No smoker is going to argue that smoking is good for their health, but many will claim that a cigarette helps them relax. Compare smoking to a girlfriend or boyfriend, if you will, because that's the level of emotional attachment most smokers will feel towards the habit. Start assessing how you feel about smoking and make a list of all the positives you feel smoking brings to your life. Before you started smoking you never had any need for these positives, so ask why you need them now.

Quit smoking

Make Quitting Smoking A Reality

2007-05-30T15:49:00.000+08:00

Reality

Smoke quit

Quitting smoking is an art. Making quitting a reality is not far once you earn a strong and sincere will to stop smoking.

I will share a real story of one of my close friends who at last succeeded to cease cigarette smoking. Often he used to argue, If everybody quits smoking. what will happen to the tobacco industry? Millions of employees will be retrenched! Why do you want to quit smoking? After hearing him, I analyzed his situation. Perhaps numerous smokers all over the word who smoke have common reasons for smoking and quitting.

Do not get frustrated and desperate should be the number one rule in your efforts to quit smoking because nicotine is a very powerful enemy and after years of smoking it gets deeply entrenched in your blood cells. Be ready to face and tackle dizziness, depression, irritation, frustration, anger, headache, restlessness, trouble in reading and concentration. But your efforts to quit smoking, is worth its weight in gold. For apart from the attack you had, you have suffered enough on account of nasal irritation, running nose, watery eyes, sneezing, throat irritation, coughing and much more.
So you have a brilliant thought within you to quit smoking!
Have a happy ending to your quit-smoking resolution which is going to become a reality this time, hopefully.

quitting

The Benefits of Quitting Smoking

2007-05-30T15:33:00.000+08:00

Benefits

Smoke benefits

There are many health benefits to be gained from quitting smoking. If you're a smoker, you undoubtedly know this. The health benefits of quitting smoking are widely available for view on just about any anti-smoking site. What these sites often fail to cover is the real, practical benefits of quitting smoking. As a former smoker myself, I shall explain in this article how a cessation of smoking pragmatically improved my life.

The major problem that quitting smoking fixed up for me was my awful habit of procrastinating. After packing in cigarettes, my lung capabilities returned and my energy levels soared. This domino effect continued, as the self-esteem and confidence saw me winning the attention of the opposite sex, as well as improving my networking capabilities with colleagues in my work industry.

One of the major benefits of quitting smoking is actually seeing money appear in your wallet again. Finally, there was the sheer liberation from the fear that cigarettes generated. I no longer felt panicked about being down to my last couple of cigarettes. This experience was like having a 200 lbs weight lifted from my shoulders, and is easily one of the greatest benefits of quitting smoking.

Quitting smoking gives you release, a liberation and the restoration of many fabulous physical and mental facilities.

Benefits

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Smoking and Public Speaking

2007-05-30T15:32:00.000+08:00

Public speaking

Smoke speaking

Maybe having a quick smoke will ease your nerves about giving the speech a little. The cigarette will get you calm at least until you are forced to look at everyone's faces. You practiced your pitch and your tone of voice. The speech is completely laid out beforehand. You croak instead of speaking that fantastically catchy opening line that you've been practicing. Smoking dries out your throat, which makes it difficult for people to speak. Maybe people make fun of the way your voice is always creaking and croaking. Smokers also have to worry about the smoker's laugh. This is when your overworked lungs press out a cough instead of a laugh. Maybe you're on a date and they just told you a great joke. Or maybe your obnoxious boss just told you a horrible joke. No matter what the situation is, your laugh is going to come out more like a hoarse little cough than a genuine laugh. You begin coughing and your face turns red. Your eyes begin to tear up. Now instead of sharing a joke your date is patting you mercilessly on the back and asking if you're okay. Our voice is the major way in which we communicate with other people.

smoking

The NicoCure quit smoking

2007-05-30T15:05:00.000+08:00

Nico cure

Smoke nicocure

There are a great many quit smoking programs, products, and techniques available, one of them being the NicoCure quit smoking patch. An ideal quit smoking product would be all natural with no dangerous drugs, does not use nicotine substitutes, has a high success ratio, and controls the dreaded nicotine withdrawal symptoms. NicoCure claims that it does all these things and this article looks at the validity of these claims and investigates whether the NicoCure quit smoking patch really does help people quit smoking.

The manufacturer of NicoCure also makes an interesting claim that if a smoker lights up while wearing the patch, the Lobelia extract will interact with the tobacco and make the taste extremely unpleasant giving further incentive to quit smoking. Being an all natural herbal extract, the NicoCure patch does not contain any nicotine.

Many quit smoking cures rely on nicotine replacement to curb the smokers cravings while trying to quit and to many people this philosophy may appear ludicrous. Many smokers who use some type of nicotine replacement therapy often fail to quit mainly because while they may quit the smoking habit for awhile, they never break the powerful nicotine addiction. It is even said that some people who do manage to quit smoking remain addicted to the cure and cant quit using the gum or nicotine patches.

The NicoCure team says that the quit smoking patch was extensively researched and tested for 10 years and claims a quit smoking success rate of 97% compared to around 20% for nicotine replacement programs. NicoCure claims that there is nothing similar to its quit smoking patch available on the market today. As with most quit smoking programs and products, NicoCure makes claims that may seem too good to be true.

See more Nicocure reviews……

smoking

Smoking Reduction Therapy

2007-05-30T14:55:00.000+08:00

Smoke reduction therapy

Nicotine Nasal Spray: Nicotine is absorbed rapidly into the bloodstream through a prescription nasal spray. Side effects include: runny nose, sneezing, throat irritation, coughing, watery eyes and nasal irritation. Nasal spray is not recommended for those with allergies, asthma, nasal polyps or sinus problems. See your doctor for alternatives.
Nicotine inhaler- A prescription method developed in 1998. The quitter puffs on the inhaler to administer a nicotine vapor. Side effects: coughing, throat irritation, upset stomach.
The Lozenge- Nicotine lozenges are the newest NRT on the market. The FDA approved an over-the-counter smoking cessation aid in a lozenge called the Commit. The lozenge is available in 2mg and 4mg. The manufacturer recommends a 12 week program, 1 lozenge every 1-2 hours for 6 weeks. The Commit manufacturer recommends:
"Stop all tobacco use when beginning therapy with the lozenge.
(Some beverages can reduce the effectiveness of the lozenge).
Suck on the lozenge until it dissolves. Do not use more than 5 lozenges in 6 hours, or more than 20 lozenges total per day.
Stop using the lozenge after 12 weeks. Do not use the lozenge if you continue to smoke, chew tobacco, use snuff or any other product containing nicotine (e.g., nicotine patch or gum)."
Side effects: sleeping problems, nausea, coughing, headache, heartburn, hiccups and flatulence (gas).
Aside from NRT, there are also prescription medications you can ask your doctor about to assist you with quitting smoking. Zyban is an antidepressant and Chantix is specific designed to help you quit smoking.

Hoodia Patch

The ease of using a Hoodia patch is growing in popularity as the dosage is consistent and you only ought to put one on a day.

New Quit Smoking

2007-05-30T14:54:00.000+08:00

Quit smoking

Smoke quit

Big pharmaceutical companies from all over the world have entered a close race to find the wonder new quit smoking pill, that could make nicotine addiction as treatable as acid ulcer, high blood pressure or erectile dysfunctions.

Very popular and supposedly efficient quit smoking pills are some anti-depressives. This new quit smoking pill is nicotine free, it gives no addiction, and its efficiency shows in the smoker's increased capacity of fighting cessation symptoms. Zyban acts on the brain to nullify your craving for nicotine. Though a very advanced new quit smoking pill, it still has some side effects, like headaches, stomachaches, dizziness and even increased blood pressure when used in association with nicotine patches.

Another very effective new quit smoking pill is Varenicline Tartrate, a drug that works differently from the other nicotine based quit smoking pills. When under treatment with this new quit smoking pill, the smoker feels no pleasure in smoking. Acomplia targets precisely the blockage of this reward system, which will make smoking dissatisfying.

The most probable of results is that doctors will keep inventing new quit smoking pills, but none will be able to cure nicotine addiction 100 percent. No new quit smoking pill can cure the two sides of an addiction, the physical and the psychological.

Health Articles

Articles about Health, Health Care, Medications, etc.

Stop Smoking by Hypnosis

2007-05-30T14:40:00.000+08:00

Stop smoking

Smoke hypnosis

Everyone could use a little healthier life style. With all the junk food, fast food and eating on the run, health is deteriorating. To top it off many people smoke and partake of other non-healthy habits.

Years ago doctors told individuals that cigarettes could be used to calm nerves, help lose weight and just generally help with anxiety. It has only been recently that the surgeon general has begun cracking down on cigarette manufacturers and doctors have started suggesting the cessation of smoking immediately.

Relatively few businesses allow smoking on their premise any longer, many night clubs have restricted smoking to only outdoors. With the world for smokers closing in and opinions changing it has put great pressure on those that smoke.

There are several different types of hypnosis, one of the most effective is stop smoking hypnosis. The hypnosis session is aimed at changing the internal scripting that allows the unconscious to give the feeling of need for cigarettes.

Quit smoking hypnosis is the same but may focus more on the behaviors that precede or follow having a cigarette. For example, if the smoker has developed a habit that they smoke each time they are in the car, eventually this becomes a habit. Quit smoking hypnotism can help the smoker find another way to cope with not having a cigarette in the car.

Smoking hypnosis has been proven effective by thousands of smokers. Hypnosis is completely safe and certainly a good way to quit the most addicting habit of your life. Second hand smoke has been proven time and time again to cause painful ear aches, worsened asthma, upper respiratory infections along with other issues for children. Children should never be subject to cigarette smoke.

Another great thing about stop smoking hypnosis is the fact that you can change other behaviors and things in your life at the same time.

Many people use hypnosis to explore their past and rid of feelings or wishes that they have carried through out their lives. So hypnosis can work for more than one area of your life.

Quit smoking hypnosis is safe and a great way to improve your life. Hypnosis can really enhance your life!

Stop smoking

Stop Smoking - 7 Ways to Stop Smoking part 2

2007-05-30T14:37:00.000+08:00

Stop Smoking –

Smoke stop -

3) Mutual support

Find a friend who wants to stop smoking or get involved with a support group where you'll find other people who want to kick the habit.

4) Swap The Habit

Try finding a healthier habit to replace your smoking habit. Then, every time you feel the urge to smoke, use your new habit as a way of diverting your attention from the cravings.

5) Relax

Stress is often a trigger factor that makes people reach for their cigarettes. So learn a few relaxation techniques such as deep breathing exercises or yoga. As your ability to relax and fill your lungs improves it will help you to deal with the withdrawal symptoms of nicotine and tobacco.

6) Replacement

One of the most popular ways to stop smoking is to use nicotine replacement products. All of them are designed to manage your nicotine fix, help conquer withdrawal symptoms and ultimately remove your desire to smoke.

7) Disgust

Remind yourself how unhealthy this disgusting habit is. The idea is to condition yourself so that you associate smoking with thoughts or feelings of disgust. It's a form of aversion therapy that makes you glad to avoid the mere thought of smoking everytime you develop a subconscious urge to smoke.
Over time this will subconsciously teach your to associate smoking and cigarettes with pain.

Smoking habit

Stop Smoking - 7 Ways to Stop Smoking part 1

2007-05-30T14:33:00.000+08:00

Stop Smoking –

Smoke stop -

Hands up if you want to stop smoking but don't know where to start. Or more accurately, hands up if you've tried to stop smoking without much success.
Nicotine is a highly addictive drug and the cigerette is an extremely effective delivery device.

1) A Thousand Mile Journey Begins With A Single Step

Millions of people have broken the chain of nicotine addiction and there's no reason why you can't become one of them.
And finally, there are several different methods to help you stop smoking, but the same one won't help everybody. The most important thing is that you decide to quit smoking and take action. If you've got an all-or-nothing type personality it may be best to stop altogether. But if you can't even contemplate doing that, start to cut down gradually. Intention without action is a waste of time.

2) Be Aware Of Your Behaviour

Smoking is a psychological habit. Over time you've trained yourself to smoke at certain times and in certain situations such as first thing in the morning, last thing at night, after meals, at parties, when you're stressed etc.
So it's important to remain consciously aware of your actions at all times. Work out the times when you have a strong subconscious desire to smoke and take steps to avoid lighting up.
Otherwise, you'll find yourself smoking before you're even aware of it. Of course if you've decided to stop completely, the situation isn't as dangerous as you can remove all cigarettes from your life. However, it is harder if you decide to cut down gradually, live with someone else who smokes or have easy access to cigarettes.
Learn to catch yourself before the desire to smoke grows stronger.

Smoking habit

Quit Smoking - It's Health

2007-05-29T16:04:00.000+08:00

Health

Smoke health

If you smoke, you know how difficult it is to Quit Smoking. After all the times of saying you will quit and you can't its because the addictions remains.

Lets take a closer look at the Effects of Smoking. Smoking has an injurious effect on most all of ones body parts. Its not so hard to believe but the biggest risk is to your lungs as they are affected most adversely and whats funny is, the most addicted smokers know the risk of lung cancer and continue to smoke.

But there is much more than one might know, smoking can adversely affect your hair, brain, eyes, nose, skin, teeth, mouth and throat, hands, esophagus, respiratory system and lungs, cardiovascular system, liver, abdomen, kidneys and bladder, male reproductive system, bones, blood, immune system, and your legs and feet.

Do you really want to Stop Smoking? When searching for a quit smoking program, you will want to look at the pros and cons and warnings associated with each program, do they use medication, meditation or what is the primary methodology to guide you to break your addiction.

You will be amazed at how many diverse stop smoking programs are out on the market today. The big question is, do you really honestly want to quit? Have much success with your quit smoking program, it may become stressful at times, but stay strong and know that your health is worth it. Quit smoking

Health

Quit Smoking Tips

2007-05-29T15:52:00.000+08:00

Quit

Smoke Tips

The idea of quitting smoking has been coming to your mind recently. Well, this is a serious sign that it is quite time to leave this dangerous habit behind and start a healthy, cigarette smoke free life.

Here are some quit smoking tips to make the cessation process easier and hopefully successful.

The first and most important quit smoking tip: set up a stop date and stop smoking on that day at once. The next quit smoking tip is pretty much connected with the previous one. Go see your doctor and discuss what are the products that can help you in the smoking cessation process. The next quit smoking tip is: change your daily routines and your lifestyle. Revising them will help you cope with the craving stress and will eventually make the smoking temptation disappear. It is a good idea to avoid cigarette smoke areas such as pubs and discos, and even to stop going out with your friends that still smoke.

The last quit smoking tip in the row is again connected with your perception of smoking. Replace the cigarette rewards with something else. You can set a stop smoking prize draw - for example promise a vacation in Italy of you succeed not to smoke for three months. It is amazing how powerful such reward plan is when applied as part of your smoking cessation plan.

For more tips to quit smoking, please feel free to visit www.quit-cigarettes-quit-smoking.com.

Tips

Meditation Stop Smoking

2007-05-29T15:42:00.000+08:00

Meditation

Smoke meditation -

There are a number of drug-free methods to help you stop smoking, including hypnosis and meditation. Meditation primarily uses deep breathing techniques and guided imagery to calm a variety of physiological processes and promote a sense of inner peace and well-being. The health benefits are numerous, as stress related conditions are at the root of many health problems. Some yoga and meditation teachers believe that learning to meditate even without focusing on quitting smoking will naturally alleviate the need to smoke, simply by calming and bringing balance to the body and mind.

Because smoking has social, psychological, behavioral and physiological components, it makes sense to incorporate different approaches into a comprehensive stop smoking plan.

Successfully quitting smoking is a different experience for everyone and will depend upon your preferences, determination and preparation. With meditation, the benefits are so widespread that your health is sure to experience positive results and contribute to your efforts to quit smoking one way or another.

Consult with a professional to learn more about the applications of meditation to stop smoking. Information on meditation techniques can be found online, at the library, or through local practitioners. Combined with other lifestyle changes such as healthy dietary choices and adequate rest and exercise, you can develop new habits to last a lifetime, and enjoy a quality of life that exceeds anything you've previously experienced. You deserve the best in life.

Meditation

Stop Smoking Shot

2007-05-29T15:29:00.000+08:00

Stop Smoking

Smoke stop

Traditional alternatives seem not to respond any more to the present situation as their place was occupied by much modern and much more efficient ways to quit smoking.

Stop smoking shot is situated in the category of modern techniques used against nicotine addiction. The invention of more and more methods to help stop smoking is due to the fact that smoking is a real phenomenon that starts to worry a lot of physicians. Because smoking cessation is such a difficult process more and more innovative means are required to control such addictions.

Using a stop smoking shot is one of the many alternatives for those seeking to give up. How Does a Stop Smoking Shot Work?

Mainly the most important shots are those administered behind the two ears. This way the chemical receptors in the brain that are addicted to nicotine are killed. Consequently the physical side of the addiction to nicotine is resolved.

The disadvantage of using this option is that it neglects the psychological need to smoke. Probably this is the worst side of smoking as the need of the body may be controlled much easier than that of the psyche.

Moreover this method may be even painful and probably those people who are afraid of shots will not at all enjoy the idea of resorting to such a treatment. This way you'll surely recover by covering both your physical and psychological sides.

Smoking

Stop Smoking Part 2

2007-05-29T15:12:00.000+08:00

Stop Smoking

Smoke stop

Many ex-smokers explorers have heard or used stop smoking patches. Many ex-smokers explorers have read at least once adverts for a free stop smoking patch. However, the truth is that there is no such thing as a free stop smoking patch.

The good news is that nicotine patches are not that expensive. Heavy smokers may need stronger nicotine patches and more frequent change of the patches.

There are many online shops that sell stop smoking aids and their prices are usually much more affordable than the prices in the regular shops. Moreover, online drug stores have regular promotions - for example, you may be able get a free stop smoking patch if you buy a specific product.

Another thing to consider carefully is what to do if you do come across a free stop smoking patch offer. You may not be able to get a free stop smoking patch or any free stop smoking product. It can offer you many online discussion and support groups where you can meet and communicate with people in your situation, share your thought offer and receive support.

If you are not an internet savvy, you can still get hold of a lot of free support - there are many ex-smokers groups (similar to the Anonymous Alcoholics Groups) where you can receive advise and support through the smoking cessation journey.

Smoking

Stop smoking

2007-05-29T15:01:00.000+08:00

Stop Smoking

Smoke stop

One of the most common reasons to deny quitting smoking is the cost of the stop smoking aids. Many smokers find silly excuses like what it is going to cost to use the stop smoking products, the cost of the laser or acupuncture therapies, let alone the cost of behavior treatment.

Well, we have news for you - you can find and receive free help to stop smoking.

The first free help to stop smoking resource is of course the internet. There are hundreds of articles dedicated to smoking cessation, all offering free advice, tips, and techniques. Online discussion groups dedicated to smoking cessation is another form of free help to stop smoking. These groups are attended by people just like you - all trying hard to stop smoking completely, sharing their problems and tricks for overcoming their nasty smoking habits. The second free help to stop smoking thing you can do, is just outside your apartment. Sport helps cope with the cessation symptoms and the cravings. The parks and walking sideways are free for everybody so you can start with long walks or daily jogging sessions. Finally, the last free help to stop smoking idea; and it is simply this. You can get most free help to stop smoking by yourself. There are certainly more and more interesting free-help-to-stop-smoking tips out there - just browse the web or ask your ex-smoker friends.

Smoking

The Best way to quit smoking

2007-05-26T15:38:00.000+08:00

Smoke quit -

Only a few smokers manage to quit smoking less each time to finally quit at all. It is unpleasant and not wise to stop slowly because you are actually teasing yourself and maintaining the desire to smoke.

Changes

Take away lighters, ash trays, cigarettes and everything that can be connected to smoking. The best way to quit smoking is to also change your drinking and eating habits.

Don’t give up

The best way to quit smoking is not to give up if you fall back. You have become stronger if next time in the same situation you manage to come through.

Dealing with the Desire

When you quit smoking the first thing you notice is the desire to smoke, but this moment only lasts a few minutes. If you recently stopped smoking you will have these moments more often then if you have already stopped smoking for a few weeks (they subside as time goes by). The periods between the desires to smoke will get longer and longer after a while, and the desire will diminish. Your doctor, nicotine patches and self-help books can help you to quit smoking. Also you can find special "quit smoking" programs in health care centers.

So the best way to quit smoking is to stop radically, get rid of the things that reminds you of smoking, change your drinking and eating habits and the most important thing: don't give up!

Acupuncture Quit Smoking Stop

2007-05-26T15:37:00.001+08:00

Smoke acupuncture -

Acupuncture is an ancient technique for inserting and manipulating thin needles into specific points of the body. The aim is to restore health and well-being. Acupuncture quit smoking stop techniques are suitable for people who are unable to take any kind of stop smoking products due to allergies or medical conditions. Acupuncture can help such people as acupuncture quit smoking stop treatment results into reduced cravings and fewer withdrawal symptoms. With these benefits, the chances of successful smoking cessation are much higher. Moreover, in an acupuncture quit smoking stop program is combined with a correct behavioral therapy, the results are almost guaranteed.

It is important that you find a good acupuncturist because of the better results and some simple facts - as acupuncture includes inserting needles into your skin it is of utmost importance that you go to a high-standard place with guaranteed hygiene and acupuncture supplies.

An acupuncture quit smoking stop program may be over after a single session but in some cases, the sessions might be more.

Quit Smoking with Acupuncture

2007-05-26T15:17:00.000+08:00

Smoke acupuncture -

Acupuncture quit smoking therapy offers real solid hope to countless smokers who are trying to quit smoking. It was discovered via the traditional Chinese acupuncture practices which exists long ago. Acupuncture is the application of needles on specific chi points of a human's body. Each chi point or a combination of chi points correspond to certain body organs of systems and thus the human physiology is affected through acupuncture. An acupuncture quit smoking therapy is an alternative smoking cessation method.

Advantagess and Disadvantages of acupuncture quit smoking therapy.

Acupuncture is a non-medical treatment way that does not include any use if chemical or herbal medications. The result is reduced cravings and cessation symptoms relief.

Unfortunately acupuncture quit smoking method does not give very satisfactory results. Although some patients feel significant improvement in their condition, the rate of the unsuccessful treatments is quite high.

What you should look for if planning to undergo acupuncture quit smoking treatment.

It is necessary that you attend a specialist who is experienced in smoking cessation treatment. Try to find a well know and establishes acupuncture quit smoking clinic so that you are comfortable with the service provided.

Modern alternatives of the acupuncture quit smoking treatment.

A modern way of stop smoking treatment employing the same principles as acupuncture is the laser treatment. The difference is that instead of needles low-level lasers are used.

The Whole Truth of Quit Smoking

2007-05-26T15:06:00.000+08:00

Smoke truth -

Self hypnosis can give you the extra motivational boost that you need in order to liberated yourself from the command of cigarette dependence. The financial incentive is one reason why many smokers want to quit. Although a single pack of cigarettes isn't expensive, the amount that smokers spend on their drug of choice over the course of a year averages several hundred dollars, and a pack a day smoker can spend nearly two thousand dollars a year on cigarettes. By quitting smoking with the help of self hypnosis, you can keep this money in your pocket instead of shelling it out to tobacco companies. When you turn to self hypnosis to help you quit smoking, you are making an important investment in your future.

When you use self hypnosis, you reprogram your subconscious and unconscious mind in order to completely eradicate your deep-seated desire to smoke. Old habits die hard, and many people who smoke regularly see cigarettes as an important part of their identity. Through self hypnosis, you can change the way that you think about yourself and your relationship to cigarettes. Through self hypnosis, you can train yourself to overcome cravings and stop relapses in their tracks. Practicing self hypnosis can help you reinvent yourself as a healthy, happy nonsmoker with plenty of extra cash. Self hypnosis allows you to gain control over your habits and desires. Using self hypnosis to motivate you to quit smoking, and to stay off cigarettes no matter what future temptations may be in store, can be the best decision you've ever made for your happiness, your health, and your wallet.

Final Step Quit Smoking Program

2007-05-26T15:00:00.000+08:00

Smoke final -

While the key is focusing on increasing the interval between cigarettes, each % of increase in time interval should = a corresponding decrease in the amount of cigarettes smoked daily.

40 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 32

32 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 25.6 (round down) 25

25 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 20

20 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 16

16 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 12

12 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 9

9 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 7

7 cigarettes reduced by 20% = 5

Final step is to quit all together! The final step is the hardest because it is at this point that you finally commit to not smoking not just for the next interval but for the rest of your life! Yet, it ought to be a lot easier at this point than it would have been at the outset if you were to quit cold turkey. If you just eat then naturally you will gain a few pounds. If you spend 10 days for each step, you would be able to quit in 90 days. If you find this tough along the way you may stretch the time-line. That still isn't bad for the goal of staying smoke free for the rest of your life!!!! Again, this is not meant to be the fastest way to quit smoking. However, this is probably the easiest way to stop and stay stopped.

Program Quit Smoking

2007-05-26T14:51:00.000+08:00

Smoke program -

1. The first step is the easiest: simply take note of how much you are smoking and especially note the frequency of your cigarettes. The basics of this method are to reduce the frequency of cigarettes by gradually increasing the time intervals between lite ups.

2. Now take the record you've created and average the time between lite ups. We want an average time interval between smokes during your waking hours when you are free to lite up. This last point is important because the average will be skewed if you average in hours when you are not allowed to lite up, as for example during work.

3. Keep yourself to the time interval that you have established. Easy so far! As easy as this is, please don't cheat the system! If you have set the interval at 30 minutes and had to wait 2 hours to your work break to lite up, you are not allowed to smoke 4 in a row! If your interval is 30 minutes that means that from the time you put out your first cigarette to the time you lite up the next, AT LEAST 30 minutes MUST elapse!

4. Now the hard part: withdrawing! Whatever your time interval is; increase by 20%. If your interval was at 30 minutes; a 20% increase puts your interval at 36 minutes. How hard is that! You see the reason why many people fail in their attempts to quit smoking is that they give up. I think most people who try to quit cold turkey feel overwhelmed by it. My system is so much easier. The downside of this program is that it does take longer than quitting cold turkey, but the great advantage is that it is for easier! Once you have increased your interval stay for 10 days.

5. Increase the interval again, by another 20%. If you interval started at 30 minutes it went to 36 minutes at the first increase. Eat a snack. As you cut back to lower levels of smoking though the method of increasing time intervals you may find it getting a bit tougher. If you do, just increase the number of days before the next interval increase. The basic method is really the important lesson; the specific timing between stages can vary. The remainder of the program is fairly predictable: increase intervals by 20% steps - or less if you begin to find it tough going - until you are down to 5 or 6 cigarettes a day. You should then be able to stop smoking completely and forever!!!

Quit Smoking the Easy Way

2007-05-26T14:46:00.000+08:00

Smoke easy way -

Smoking can and does kill many people every year. Why do people still smoke? Besides being the cause of lung cancer - a killer disease, smoking is also becoming more and more cost prohibitive! Smoking saps your energy and robs you of a much greater sense of well-being that could be yours if only you could quit smoking (and get some exercise).

The plan I have for kicking the smoking habit is the method that I used myself almost a decade ago - I've been smoke free ever since! Furthermore, I quit on the first attempt, never picked up a cigarette again, and did not gain substantial extra weight - other than two or three pounds max!

The basic idea behind this approach is to gradually withdraw from the smoking habit over time, thus substantially weakening the addiction to the point that it loses its stronghold over the smoker's body and mind. It is damn hard to abruptly stop a habit of say two packs a day cold turkey. It is a lot easier, on the other hand, to cut back gradually over time and thereby reduce habit down to 5 or 6 cigarettes a day and then to stop completely. It is the difference of quitting a two packs a day habit vs. quitting a 5 cigarette a day habit. The addiction substantially loses its stronghold over the smoker.

Quit Smoking with Self Hypnosis

2007-05-26T14:29:00.000+08:00

Smoke self hypnosis -

Self hypnosis can give you the extra motivational boost that you need in order to free yourself from the clutches of cigarette dependence. The financial incentive is one reason why many smokers want to quit. Although a single pack of cigarettes isn't expensive, the amount that smokers spend on their drug of choice over the course of a year averages several hundred dollars, and a pack a day smoker can spend nearly two thousand dollars a year on cigarettes. By quitting smoking with the help of self hypnosis, you can keep this money in your pocket instead of shelling it out to tobacco companies. When you turn to self hypnosis to help you quit smoking, you are making an important investment in your future.

When you use self hypnosis, you reprogram your subconscious and unconscious mind in order to completely eradicate your deep-seated desire to smoke. Old habits die hard, and many people who smoke regularly see cigarettes as an important part of their identity. Through self hypnosis, you can change the way that you think about yourself and your relationship to cigarettes. Through self hypnosis, you can train yourself to overcome cravings and stop relapses in their tracks. Practicing self hypnosis can help you reinvent yourself as a healthy, happy nonsmoker with plenty of extra cash. Self hypnosis allows you to gain control over your habits and desires. Using self hypnosis to motivate you to quit smoking, and to stay off cigarettes no matter what future temptations may be in store, can be the best decision you've ever made for your happiness, your health, and your wallet.

Why You Should Quit Smoking Today

2007-05-26T14:15:00.001+08:00

Smoke quit -

Smoking is a highly additive habit, and most people who smoke find it very difficult to quit. One of the greatest indicators as to weather your attempt to quit smoking will be successful is how mentally prepared you are. A good way to motivate yourself - to get yourself to a point where you really and truly want to quit smoking - is to think of the health risks involved, and the many benefits of quitting.

The health risks associated with smoking are well known, but if you are trying to quit it is a good idea to revisit them. By smoking, you greatly increase your chances of lung cancer and heart disease. Now, if you smoke there a good chance you're aware of these factors, and the knowledge can be fairly sobering. Even a fairly generous assumption of $5 a pack means that if you quit a pack a day habit you will save almost $2000 in the first year. By constantly reminding yourself of the benefits of quitting smoking you give yourself an important mental motivator: think of not only your own health benefits, but those of the people around you who suffer from second hand smoke. Add to this the amount of money you'll be saving, and it becomes hard to justify a smoking habit. Quitting smoking is a win-win situation, and thinking of it in this way will provide you with an important mental weapon in your attempt to quit.

Quit smoking support

2007-05-26T14:07:00.000+08:00

Smoke quit -

The best quit smoking support you can provide is to offer patience, understanding and love and make the smoker's life easier in the first few days. Understand

Because of giving up cigarettes the smoker may have severe emotional outbursts, be depressed, irritable, and even irrational. You must understand that smoking is not a simple little annoyance, but a powerful and deadly addiction. They are confronting with a physiological need as well as an ingrained psychological dependence.

Why do people smoke?

Smokers can be found guilty of experimentation with a highly dangerous and addictive drug - nicotine. You have to understand this point when you are trying to help with your quit smoking support, most people began smoking before they knew the risks and when they realized the dangers they tried to quit.

Ex-smokers' support

An ex-smoker may offer more than understanding, patience and love he can be a credible source and highly supportive with the individual who is trying to quit smoking. If you are an ex-smoker and you are offering quit smoking support don't be afraid to share your thoughts with the "quitters".

Deal with new situations

People who give up cigarettes want to know the natural evolutionary process from smoker to ex-smoker. Every smoker who is trying to quit need some support so even if you are not an ex-smoker and you cannot totally understand what the smoker is going through patience and understanding can help.

Camping and Smoking

2007-05-26T14:03:00.000+08:00

Smoke camping -

You feel right at home beside a campfire roasting marshmallows for S'mores and sleeping in a tent at night. If it is something you enjoy, then probably most of your vacations are built around camping. You feel relaxed as the rest of the world continues by at its typical break neck pace and you're enjoying the slow ease of nature.

Well going camping can produce a lot of hazards. You have to worry about bears and snakes. You have to worry about poison ivy. And there's a whole new set of worries if you're a smoker. If you're a smoker, then you have to worry about fires. Most people don't realize that most forest and home fires are caused by careless smokers that discard a still lit cigarette butt into a flammable area. During the summer and in dry spells, a cigarette can be a definite fire hazard. The leaves and the grass may be dead from lack of water and the blistering heat. Dead plants will catch fire a lot easier than live ones, so you have to be especially careful. Some national and state parks ban setting campfires because of the potential dangers that it can cause. This is why most parks have designated pits for building fires. But when you're smoking, there's no designated area for your little fire. The leaves begin to burn slowly. If there's any brush around, then the fire could have the potential to spread very quickly.

Don't endanger them by bringing your nasty cigarette habit into the wild.

SKIN CANCER

2007-04-28T14:35:00.000+08:00

Skin cancer is diagnosed more often than all other cancers combined. In 2006, more than 62,000 people in the

United States

discovered they had this cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. Ultraviolet or UV rays are to skin cancer what smoking is to lung cancer-a highly avoidable cancer-causing agent. Excessive sun exposure is the cause for most of this. Other risk factors include exposure to coal, arsenic or radium, multiple moles, having a fair complexion and experiencing severe sunburns as a child. This type rarely spreads to other parts of the body. Exposure to UV rays is often the cause of non-melanoma cancer.

The second type is melanoma. Melanoma skin cancer can be found anywhere. Melanoma is the most fatal of the two types.

Skin cancer can be cured if it is caught early. Examine your skin closely and note the look of moles, freckles and blemishes.

What kind of changes should you look for to determine if you are at risk for skin cancer. Here are a few signs:

* If a mole has changed color
* Dark coloring that has exceeded the mole or mark
* Oozing of bleeding
* Itchiness, tenderness or pain

Save Money By Quit Smoking

2007-04-25T14:43:00.000+08:00

If you quit smoking today, you can save bags full of money. Several people and instances have already tried to determine how much savings you can have if you quit smoking, but of course that will differ from smoker to smoker as well as be influenced by other factors associated with smoking such as health matter.

In the work place

Smokers sometimes get a hot deal, not making money, but not being hired by Companies.

They may say it out loud or they may not, but they prefer non-smokers because

1. smokers take more sick days off.
2. they fall ill more and
3. their family falls ill more.
4. they have a shorter attention span as they have to go out for a smoke every couple of hours,
5. they have higher health insurance premiums that some companies hate to foot and
6. they may pass respiratory infections to co-workers.

By quit smoking you can widen your horizons as far as jobs are concerned and then have a greater chance of sticking around.

How to decrease your assets' value

Have you ever thought that a smell that you as a smoker cannot smell can influence the value of for instance your house? Because non-smokers are not willing to buy a house filled with the stench of cigarette smoke. The people living there may have gotten accustomed to the smoky smell, but for non-smokers the carpets, drapes and furniture reek of cigarette smoke and it can either result in a slower sale of the house or not getting as much money as you would like for it.

The second most valuable asset after your house is most probably your car. Is the inside of your car smelling like your house .... Full of smoke? What an easy way to decrease the value of your car ! If you want to get more money for your home and car down the road - and who doesn't - quit smoking today.

Even places like an online auction site can be an unlikely place where your smoking can lose you money. Many bidders prefer stuff from smoke-free homes when they for instance buy toys for their children. If you have kids and you are looking for toys and other stuff online on auction sites, you will undoubtedly see many listings which highlight the fact that their bedding or plush toys come from smoke-free homes. They expect to and often do get better money just because they do not smoke.

Looking smart can cost you more

Because your clothes are always smelling of smoke, it may be that cleaning them professionally 0r having them laundered, might cost you more than just an airing. A few dollars here and there may not seem like much now, but multiply the number of extra dry cleaning items by the number of weeks you have smoked and you will not be too pleased with the answer.

Personal costs

Smoke affects your breath as well as your teeth. Bad breath and yellow teeth can cost you money, even if it is only a packet of mints. Factor every expense, from the value of your home to a pack of breath mints and add it up. Multiply it by the number of years you have been smoking and it can shock you.

Why not take up this challenge: You are a smoker and your kids are secondary smokers, let x-rays be taken of your lungs as well as your kids' lungs. Then compare it with x-rays from a non-smoker. Your kids' x-rays might just be the reason why you quit smoking.

Quit Smoking Herbs

2007-04-25T14:19:00.000+08:00

Smoking is addictive. Because smoking is addictive it makes it hard for people to quit. The nicotine addiction is a serious problem. Most people need assistance while in the quitting stage.

Today there are all kinds of medicines or treatments that can help the smoker to quit. One treatment that it is said to be completely natural and therefor harmless for the human body is the quit smoking herbs treatment.

How do the Quit Smoking Herbs Work?

The quit smoking herbs have an important role. They first prepare the body physically for the nicotine withdrawal. Also, unlike other products that help you quit smoking, the quit smoking herbs contain no nicotine products. Quit smoking herbs do exactly this, they prepare your body for the quitting process.

When deciding to give up smoking you first should determine a quitting date. Once you've done this you should start to use the quit smoking herbs one month before the quitting date. The quit smoking herbs will prevent depression and anxiety, and some of them may also stabilize the blood sugar level.

Continue with the quit smoking herbs for another month while combining this process with a new hobby you should discover in order to keep your thoughts away from smoking. Usually after using quit smoking herbs for two months you should become a non-smoker.

Quit Smoking Herbs, part of the maintenance

Once you've become a non-smoker maintenance is everything. You don't want to start smoking again, not after you've spent so much time and effort in quitting, right?

Self-hypnosis

2007-04-25T14:14:00.000+08:00

Self hypnosis is a great way to reach your goals in life. It is grasping for that inner power to achieve your objectives.

Numerous people have successfully used self hypnosis to quit smoking, to lose weight, to fight shyness, to make better choices of partners, to sleep better, to release creativity or even to keep your every day mood balanced.

Let's first clear the misconceptions on hypnosis.

Hypnosis is a deep state of relaxation. Now you have real power to change or re-program some harmful emotional patterns in your mind.

Hypnosis is a new branch in psychology. The patterns are located at the subconscious level of your brain. Hypnosis enables to reach that place and give a direct cure to the problem.

Self Hypnosis is a possible answer.

I have used self hypnosis to change my eating habits. It worked, and it is still working. There are even cases where women even gave natural birth with the power of self hypnosis. It is exciting to see the different applications of hypnosis to enhance your life.

However, self hypnosis alone cannot solve all. As you do them, it is getting easier and easier to reach your goal.

You have a number of sessions for the treatment that can range from eight to twelve sessions per problem to solve. You also can download and unlimited number of mp3 hypnosis from hypnosisdownloads.com. You have the privilege of receiving two daily inspirational quotes that will help you keep your hard earned peace of mind. With self hypnosis, you have help to reach all your goals and lead and happier life.

Give Up for your Unborn Child

2007-04-25T14:10:00.000+08:00

Smoking can be very hazardous for a pregnant woman and her unborn baby. It can cause different complications and grave health problems for your newborn baby.

The nicotine and carbon monoxide found in cigarette smoke is linked with many bad pregnancy outcomes including: Low Birth Weight Babies, Preterm Delivery, Premature Rupture of Membranes, Placental abnormalities, increased risk of sudden infant death syndrome etc.

Women who smoke during pregnancy are 3.5 times more likely to delivery a low birth weight baby. Premature rupture of the membranes is much more common in women who smoke, and can lead to low birth weight or preterm delivery. PROM puts a woman and her baby at increased risk for infection and other labor & delivery complications.

Quitting Smoking

2007-04-25T14:06:00.000+08:00

When you think about the fact that about half of those who quit smoking return to it at some point, and even those who haven't smoked for years still get the odd craving - it's not difficult to understand why staying off the weed can be harder than quitting smoking in the first place.

Nicotine is a strong drug and it may take several attempts before you successfully quit smoking.

Withdrawal from the nicotine hit is one of the major reasons for failure to quit smoking but sheer force of habit plays a major role. Of course, if there are no regular smokers in your immediate social circle, quitting will be much easier. Research shows that failure to quit smoking is also more likely if:

you're a woman (nicotine dependency is stronger for female smokers)
you were a heavy smoker
you've been smoking for a long time
when you smoke you inhale deeply
you experience severe withdrawal symptoms

Tests have also shown that those of us who cheat during the first six months after quit smoking - even if it's just a few puffs on a cigarette - are highly likely to be smoking again by the end of those six months.

So - if you really want to quit smoking then be totally honest with yourself. If you have a lapse, admit it and resume your quit smoking program immediately. Start your count of smoke-free days from when you resume.

Think of the way you'll look if you carry on smoking. Think of the damage smoking is doing to your looks and the aging effects of smoking on your skin. Remember successful quitters are honest about their progress - with themselves and with the people helping them to quit. Successful quitters don't use a temporary lapse as a reason to start smoking again.

The Effects Of Cigarette Smoking

2007-04-25T13:59:00.000+08:00

It seems a day doesn't go by that we don't hear or see something about cigarette smoking and the tobacco companies being blamed for the destructive effects of cigarette smoking on our health, is it a bad rap put on the tobacco companies, or a way for the states to collect more taxes. If you haven't heard the states our increasing the tax on cigarettes, on January 1st Texas increased the tax by a $1.00 a pack to $1.41, New Jersey levies a nation-high $2.58 state tax per pack.

Bangor Maine bans smoking in cars carrying children which went in to effect on Jan.19, it allows the police to stop cars if an adult is smoking while a child under 18 is a passenger. Most large companies now have smoke free workplace policies.

Then on May 27, 2004 the U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona released a new comprehensive report on smoking and health, revealing for the first time that smoking causes diseases in nearly every organ of the body. Published 40 years after the surgeon general's first report on smoking, which concluded that smoking was a definite cause of three serious diseases, this newest report finds that cigarette smoking is conclusively linked to diseases such as leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and cancers of the cervix,kidney, pancreas and stomach.

"The toxins from cigarette smoke go everywhere the blood flows. Statistics indicate that more than 12 million Americans have died from smoking since the 1964 report of the surgeon general, and another 25 million Americans alive today will most likely die of a smoking related illness. Look at the pale, wilted complexion of a boy who indulges in excessive cigarette smoking. If the physicians new in 1892 the destructive effects of cigarette smoking why has it taken over 115 years to inform us that the tobacco companies have been poisoning us and we need to quit smoking, could it be the tobacco companies lobbing efforts, who knows, but now that we are aware and the tobacco companies no were aware, they won't be up to any more tricks to keep us hooked, they even put links on their web sites to stop smoking sites to help us quit smoking.

Marlboro, Newport, and Camel, the three most popular brands with young smokers, all delivered significantly more nicotine, and Kool menthol increased a woping twenty percent.

Nicotine in tobacco is a highly addictive drug that affects nearly every organ in our body with the increased levels of nicotine in cigarettes it makes it more difficult to quit smoking. Smoking is a very powerful addiction, and it can take multiple attempts to quit smoking but you must keep trying, you can successfully quit smoking.

Today we have many resources to help us quit smoking, so lets send a message to the tobacco companies and spend that cigarette money on as many stop smoking programs that it takes.

A lot of the quit smoking programs on line offer full money back guarantee so what do you have to lose except a bad habit and the destructive effects of cigarette smoking on our health.

Gas Smoker

2007-04-25T13:52:00.000+08:00

in our modern society, almost everyone cook using a modern appliances such as a cooking stove or barbecue grill. With today's modern science and technology, cooking appliances such as gas smoker can smoke the food better, cleaner and safer. The Benefits And Drawbacks Of Gas Smoker

Just like anything else, gas smoker do have their own set of qualities and disadvantages. As you might already notice, gas smokers are in fact very mobile and can be carry around easily. The only drawback on gas smoker is the sole dependence on gas tank. Without the gas tank, the gas smoker is pretty much useless. The size of the gas tank is relative to the size of your gas smoker of course. Is It Possible To Make Your Own Gas Smoker?

Yes, it is quite possible to build your own homemade gas smoker, provided that you have the time, skill and resources to create a gas smoker that is good enough to meet your smoking needs. Each gas smoker need to pass the quality test before they are being sold to the consumer. So by purchasing a gas smoker, you can be sure that your gas smoker is not only safe but also easy to operate for smoking your food.

Genes May Help Some Quit Smoking

2007-04-24T16:09:00.000+08:00

Certain DNA is linked to better results, study finds
HealthDay

By Robert Preidt

A U.S. study finds that people who were able to quit smoking had variants in 221 genes that weren't found in smokers who weren't able to kick the habit. The researchers analyzed 520,000 genes taken from blood samples.

"The long-term hope is that identifying these genetic variables in smokers will help us determine which type of treatment would be most effective," Jed Rose, director of Duke University's Center for Nicotine and Smoking Cessation Research, in Durham, N.C., said in a prepared statement.

His team published the study online Monday in the journal BMC Genetics.

The findings suggest that doctors may be able to tailor smoking cessation programs to a person's individual genetic makeup, the researchers said.

"Knowing a smoker's genetic makeup could indicate how intensely they need to be treated. People who are having trouble quitting because of their genes might need more treatment to overcome their addiction," Rose said.

The scientists said they understood the function of 187 of the 221 gene variants that were present only in smokers who had been able to quit. The functions of the remaining gene variants still need to be determined.

"We also found that at least 30 of the genes that we had previously identified as playing roles in dependence to other drugs also contribute to nicotine dependence. These findings lend further support to the idea that nicotine dependence shares some common genetic vulnerabilities with addictions to other legal and illegal substances," George Uhl, a neurologist and neuroscientist in the molecular neurobiology branch of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said in a prepared statement.

More Teens Are Saying, 'Have a Cigar'

2007-04-24T16:06:00.000+08:00

They're getting the message about cigarette dangers but not 'stogies', research finds
HealthDay

Now, if only they would believe the same about cigars.

While cigarette consumption declined in the United States by 10 percent from 2000 to 2004, cigar consumption jumped 28 percent, according to a recent report published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Other studies have found that teens who smoke cigars are definitely behind some of that increase. For instance, a 2004 survey conducted in Cleveland found that 23 percent of the 4,409 teens polled preferred cigars, compared to 16 percent choosing cigarettes.

And the increase may not yet have peaked, said John Banzhaf, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health, a national legal action anti-smoking organization based in Washington, D.C.

"Many of the factors that began leading to the [cigar] increase are still present," Banzhaf said. They include the perception that cigars look fashionable and the fact that high-profile politicians and others are seen smoking them regularly, he said.

"We have Arnold (Schwarzenegger, California's governor), smoking cigars and occasionally, Bill Clinton," he said. "More and more women are smoking cigars."

But it's not just politicians and women who are fueling the image that cigars are hip, said Scott Goold, director of Tobacco Freedom, an Albuquerque, N.M.-based group. "Our popular culture is filled with images of cigars," he said.

Your neighbor passes them out, for instance, when the family has a new baby. And businessmen smoke them when they cinch a business deal, he noted.

For cash-strapped teens, finances may play a role in their tobacco of choice, Banzhaf said. "Many states raise cigarette taxes but not cigar [taxes]," he said.

There's also the perception that cigars are just not as dangerous as cigarettes in terms of cancer risk, a perception Banzhaf and other experts said is incorrect.

While it's difficult to compare cigarettes and cigars head-to-head in terms of health risk, Banzhaf said, it's clear both are risky. Cigar smoking is strongly linked to a host of deadly cancers of the lip, tongue, mouth, throat, esophagus, larynx and lung. According to data from the U.S. National Institutes of Health, smoking just one or two cigars a day doubles the risk for oral and esophageal cancer and increases larynx cancer risk six-fold.

Risks rise even higher once users decide to inhale cigar smoke. Compared to nonsmokers, cigar smokers who inhale deeply face 27 times the risk of oral cancer and 53 times the risk of cancer of the larynx, according to the NIH report.

So, what works and what doesn't if you're a parent trying to convince your teen to avoid cigars and other tobacco?

Dwelling on the long-term risk of cancer -- that they may come down with lung cancer at 40 -- is not usually effective, Banzhaf said, because the typical teen thinks of the 40th birthday as an eternity away.

Teens also have a hard time personalizing risk. They tend to think they are immune to life's dangers -- that something bad could happen to the next person, but not them.

Parents should instead focus on the reasons kids light up to begin with. "Kids like to start smoking not so much for the taste but because it is a sign of growing up," Banzhaf said. Peer pressure plays a role, too.

"If parents can start to convince kids that smoking makes you stinky and smelly, not sexy and sophisticated, that can have a great impact," he said.

Goold tells parents to maintain an ongoing dialogue with their children, the same as they would when talking about not taking drugs. Spending time together as a family, such as eating dinner together, can help make that conversation flow more naturally, he said.

Brain Changes Persist Long After Smokers Quit

2007-04-24T16:02:00.000+08:00

Autopsy study finds high levels of addiction-linked enzymes in former smokers' brains HealthDay

By Krisha McCoy

For the study, which is published in the Feb. 21 issue of The Journal of Neuroscience, researchers from the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) examined eight samples of human brain tissue from each of three groups: long-term smokers who smoked until death, previous long-term smokers, and nonsmokers. The samples were taken from the nucleus accumbens and the ventral midbrain, two brain regions that play a part in controlling addiction-related behaviors.

All of the participants had died of causes not related to smoking.

The researchers analyzed levels of two specific enzymes found inside brain cells that have been associated with addictive-related behaviors in animals exposed to cocaine, heroin and other illicit drugs.

Levels of these enzymes were elevated in smokers and, more interestingly, former smokers, compared with nonsmokers.

According to lead author Bruce Hope, of NIDA, these findings suggest that the brain changes persist long after smoking has ceased and could contribute to future drug relapse.

"The parallel between the new study and the animal studies is important, because a causal role has been shown in animal studies between increased levels of these neuronal signaling enzymes in these brain regions and addiction-related behaviors. This strongly suggests that the similar changes observed in smokers and former smokers contributed to their addiction," Hope said in a prepared statement.

Hope pointed out that although his findings support previous research, it is not yet clear that these biochemical changes actually cause addiction-related behaviors.

Some Foods Take Taste Out of Cigarettes

2007-04-24T16:00:00.000+08:00

According to new research, consuming any of these foods seems to diminish the taste of cigarettes.

The research also found that cigarette taste is enhanced after eating meat or drinking alcohol or beverages that contain caffeine.

Taken together, the discoveries raise the possibility of fashioning a so-called "smoker's diet" -- one that could help make quitting easier.

"Smoking is not just about nicotine addiction, it's also about taste and sensory qualities of smoking," said study author F. Joseph McClernon, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C. "So, anything we find that can disturb or disrupt the smoking experience might make it easier for a smoker to quit."

In the April issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research, McClernon and his colleagues reported on their analysis of questionnaires administered to 209 adult male and female smokers who had already participated in one of six previous smoking studies between 2002 and 2004.

All the participants smoked a minimum of 10 to 15 cigarettes a day and were in otherwise good health. About 70 percent were white, while about a quarter were black.

The authors asked the smokers to indicate which foods they felt either enhanced or worsened the taste of cigarettes. The number of cigarettes smoked per day was noted, as was the participants' choice of cigarette brand, type, size and strength.

On average, the participants smoked about 22 cigarettes a day and had been lighting up for a little more than 21 years. Almost 47 percent said they smoked menthol cigarettes. Just over 40 percent said they smoked "light" cigarettes, while just under 40 percent said they smoked full-flavor brands.

Almost 45 percent of the smokers mentioned some kind of food that worsened cigarette taste, while almost 70 percent identified foods that improved taste.

Fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and non-caffeinated drinks (such as water and juice) were among the foods most commonly cited as worsening the taste of a cigarette.

Participants also pointed to specific situations they said had a taste-diminishing impact, including taking medicines, hot weather, or smoking too much or too fast. Stale cigarettes and a smoky environment also dampened cigarette taste.

On the other hand, caffeinated drinks, alcohol and meat were most often highlighted as improving taste.

McClernon and his team found that younger smokers were more sensitive to foods that worsened taste, whereas those who smoked fewer cigarettes were more susceptible to taste-enhancing foods. Those who smoked non-menthol brands were more sensitive to either kind of influence.

The researchers suggested that clinicians might want to consider advising dietary changes for patients trying to kick the habit.

"There's really no harm in smokers trying some of these things now," McClernon said. "Try drinking skim milk or other dairy products, drinking more water, eating fruits and vegetables before stopping smoking -- and see if that makes smoking less pleasurable."

McClernon acknowledged, however, that further investigation is needed to figure out how exactly foods affect cigarette taste and whether altering a diet might improve quitting success. "But we're going to follow up on that," he noted, "because any kind of clue that has the potential to lead to new treatments is important in dealing with the leading preventable cause of death and disability in the U.S."

Stanton A. Glantz, director of the Center for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, described the findings as both interesting and plausible.

"It's not going to make the world start spinning in the opposite direction, but it could have some very practical implications," he said. "When you talk about the perceived taste of smoking, there's a lot of psychopharmacology going on there, so it would depend on how big the effect really turns out to be. But it makes sense. And creating a program where you modify your diet in certain ways to make it easier to quit smoking is not unreasonable at all."

Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, agreed.

"This is new," he noted. "No one has written anything about this seriously up until now, at least that I've seen, and it is certainly worth further study. So, ultimately, the significance of this will be to prompt more research into the role of diet into both starting smoking and quitting. It doesn't provide all the answers, but it opens a new avenue to explore."

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Smoking affects heart of even the young and fit

2007-04-23T14:28:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Young adult smokers may seem healthy, but smoking is taking its toll on their heart, a research team in Poland reports. Chronic smoking appears to impair the ability of the heart to relax between beats, resulting in decreased pumping capacity.

There is little information regarding the effects of smoking on cardiac function in young adults, Dr. Barbara Lichodziejewska and associates at Warsaw Medical University note in their article in the medical journal Chest.

The researchers used ultrasound to look at heart function in response to smoking among 66 healthy, slim adults, aged 20 to 40 years. Thirty-three had smoked 10-25 cigarettes per day for 6-20 years. Among the smoking group, tests were performed after a 2-hour non-smoking period, then repeated immediately after smoking.

The results showed multiple abnormalities among smokers indicating impairment of relaxation of the left ventricle, the main pumping chamber of the heart, Lichodziejewska and colleagues report.

These changes are significant, the authors suggest, because impairment of ventricular relaxation is the first stage of serious heart dysfunction.

SOURCE: Chest, April 2007.

Smoking and Parkinson's disease: a dose-response relationship.

2007-04-11T13:47:00.000+08:00

Smoking and Parkinson's disease: a dose-response relationship.

Department of Neurology, Henry Ford Health System, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Center in Molecular and Cellular Toxicology with Human Applications, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether an inverse dose-response relationship exists between cigarette smoking and PD among ever-smokers and ex-smokers. METHODS: Smoking and alcohol consumption were analyzed in 144 PD patients and 464 control subjects, who were frequency matched for sex, race, and age (+/-5 years), in a population-based case-control study of men and women > or =50 years old in the Henry Ford Health System. RESULTS: With never-smokers as the reference category, there was an inverse association between current light smokers (>0 to 30 pack-years) and PD patients (odds ratio [OR], 0.59; 95% CI, 0.23 to 1.53), and a stronger inverse association of PD with current heavy smokers (>30 pack-years; OR, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01 to 0.62). When former >30-pack-year smokers were stratified by the interval since quitting, there was an inverse association between those who stopped >20 years ago and PD (OR, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.42 to 1.75), and a greater inverse relationship with those who stopped 1 to 20 years ago (OR, 0.37; 95% CI, 0.19 to 0.72). Alcohol consumption had no independent, significant association with PD, but heavy drinking (>10 drink-years) had a greater effect than light-moderate drinking in reducing but not eliminating the inverse association between smoking and PD. CONCLUSIONS: The inverse dose-response relationship between PD and smoking and its cessation is unlikely to be due to bias or confounding, as discussed, providing indirect evidence that smoking is biologically protective.

PMID: 9921857 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Parkinson's disease and smoking: an integral part of PD's etiological study.

2007-04-11T13:12:00.000+08:00

Parkinson's disease and smoking: an integral part of PD's etiological study.

School of Basic Medicine, Peking Union Medical College/Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100005, China. jqdong1717@163.com

OBJECTIVE: To explore the association of Parkinson's disease (PD) with cigarette smoking. METHODS: One hundred of fourteen PD patients were compared with 205 control subjects who were matched by gender, race and residency. A previously validated questionnaire including smoking, alcohol/tea consumption as well as some other environmental exposure data was administered. RESULTS: With never-smokers as the reference category, we observed reduced risk for PD among ever smokers (OR=0.49, 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.79) current smokers (OR=0.44, 95% CI: 0.23 to 0.86) and ex-smokers (OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.30 to 0.96). When ever smokers were stratified by years of smoking, there was an inverse correlation between those whose smoking history was longer than 20 years (OR=0.40 95% CI: 0.21 to 0.81) and an even mild protective correlation between those who smoked less than 20 years (OR=0.57, 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.99). Those who had quitted smoking for more than 20 years were less likely to have the disease than never smokers, and those who had quitted for less than 20 years were least likely to have PD, while those who were current smokers were still least likely to have the disease. We found significant inverse gradient with pack-day smoking (trend P<0.05), style="font-weight: bold;">cigarette smoking and PD was not confounded by alcohol/tea consumption and other confounding bias. CONCLUSIONS: The inverse correlation between Parkinson's disease risk and smoking as well as the trend of gradient dose response is again observed in our study. More future researches are needed to confirm these correlations and to explore further biochemical evidence.

PMID: 12964791 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Smoking and Parkinson's

2007-04-11T12:49:00.000+08:00

Smoking and Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease: review of the epidemiological studies.

Stockholm Gerontology Research Center, NEUROTEC, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge University Hospital, Sweden. laura.fratiglioni@neurotec.ki.se

The relationship between smoking and neurological diseases has always been controversial. Even the expected association between smoking and increased risk for cerebrovascular disease has been debated for years. It was at the end of the 1980s that smoking became definitively accepted as a risk factor for ischemic stroke. More recently, two other neurological diseases have been studied in relation to smoking: Parkinson's disease (PD) and Alzheimer's disease (AD). Many epidemiological studies have found a highly significant negative association between cigarette smoking and these two neurodegenerative disorders. The risk of AD or PD in nonsmokers has generally been about twice that of smokers. That is, patients with AD or PD are approximately 50% less likely to have smoked cigarettes during their lifetime than are age- and gender-matched controls. Alternatively, cigarette smokers are 50% less likely to have PD or AD than are age- and gender-matched nonsmokers. This statistically significant negative association has been interpreted as suggesting that cigarette smoking exerts an undefined, biologic, neuroprotective influence against the development of PD and AD. A review of all studies that either support or refute this hypothesis is presented separately for PD and AD.

PMID: 10942038 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Parkinson's Day

2007-04-11T12:41:00.000+08:00

Nicotinic receptors, smoking and Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is one of a few conditions in which cigarette smoking appears to decrease the risk of developing the disease, with a reduced risk of 50% among ever smokers compared to never smokers. Despite the fact that this reduced risk among cigarette smokers has been consistently observed in studies conducted over the past several decades, there has been very little epidemiologic research to investigate the possible explanations for this apparent protective effect. This effect could play a very important role in preventing the development of PD, which is thought to be caused in part by exposure to environmental chemicals such as pesticides or metals. A number of chemicals in tobacco products could explain why smoking decreases the risk for PD, and recent laboratory studies suggest that the nicotine in tobacco products may play a role. The brain contains several different types of receptors for nicotine (called nicotinic receptors), and some are found in the basal ganglia, the area of the brain affected by PD. Dopamine is the brain chemical in the basal ganglia that is depleted in patients with PD, causing symptoms of a shuffling walk, slow movements, tremor, and difficulty controlling movement. Animal studies have shown that the nicotine from cigarette smoke stimulates nicotinic receptors, which in turn could interfere with the dopamine cell loss caused by environmental chemical exposure, or to enhance the release of dopamine, the brain chemical that is deficient in PD. The structure of the nicotinic receptors may be different among different individuals due to genetic differences in how nicotinic receptors work. Our epidemiologic study will determine whether genetic variants of the nicotinic receptors explain the reduced risk of PD that is observed with cigarette smoking. This study will include 750 people that are newly diagnosed with PD newly diagnosed PD patients (cases) and 750 people without PD (controls) from case-control study conducted within the Northern California Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program. We will collected a detailed lifetime history of cigarette smoking, along with other factors that may influence the risk of PD (e.g., exposure to pesticides and metals in the workplace and home, alcohol use, recreational drugs, medications, hormonal factors, family history and others). By combining a laboratory-based study of the nicotinic receptor genes with detailed information from PD cases and controls regarding cigarette smoking and other factors, we hope to understand why cigarette smoking reduces the risk of Parkinson’s disease. Ultimately, if the reasons for the protective effect of tobacco exposure were understood, tremendous gains in understanding the cause of PD could emerge and treatments could be developed to prevent or reduce the significant limitations caused by this disease.

ESSAY; Tracing the Cigarette's Path From Sexy to Deadly

2007-04-02T14:47:00.000+08:00

By HOWARD MARKEL, M.D.

Published: March 20, 2007

In 2004, Dr. Brandt was recruited by the Department of Justice to serve as its star expert witness in the federal racketeering case against Big Tobacco and to counter the gaggle of witnesses recruited by the industry. According to their own testimony, most of the 29 historians testifying on behalf of Big Tobacco did not even consult the industry's internal research or communications. Instead, these experts focused primarily on a small group of skeptics of the dangers of cigarettes during the 1950s, many of whom had or would eventually have ties to the tobacco industry.

''I was appalled by what the tobacco expert witnesses had written,'' Dr. Brandt said in a recent interview. ''By asking narrow questions and responding to them with narrow research, they provided precisely the cover the industry sought.''

Apparently, the judge, Gladys Kessler of Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, agreed. Last August, she concluded that the tobacco industry had engaged in a 40-year conspiracy to defraud smokers about tobacco's health dangers. Her opinion cited Dr. Brandt's testimony more than 100 times.

Dr. Brandt acknowledges that there are pitfalls in combining scholarship with battle against the deadly pandemic of cigarette smoking, but he says he sees little alternative.

''If one of us occasionally crosses the boundary between analysis and advocacy, so be it,'' he said. ''The stakes are high, and there is much work to be done.''

What if My Friend Smokes?

2007-04-02T14:30:00.000+08:00

What if My Friend Smokes?

If you have a friend who smokes or uses tobacco, you can help him or her by encouraging the person to quit. Here are some reasons you can mention:

It will hurt his or her health.
It will make his or her breath stinky.
It will turn his or her teeth yellow.
It will give him or her less endurance when running or playing sports.
It's expensive.
It's illegal to buy cigarettes when you're underage.

If you think it will help, you could print out articles like this one for your friend. He or she may be interested in learning more about the dangers of smoking. But the person also could be a little angry. No one likes to hear that they're doing something wrong. If your friend gets upset, don't push it too much. In time, he or she may realize you are right.

In the meantime, it could help to talk with a parent or a school counselor to say you're worried about your friend. When your friend is ready, a grown-up can help him or her quit for good. If your friend decides to quit, support him or her. You might say it's time to kick some butts!

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Smoking Ban

2007-04-02T14:24:00.000+08:00

Casino Dismisses Worker Seeking Smoking Ban

By RONALD SMOTHERS

Published: March 6, 2007

When the Tropicana opened its doors in Atlantic City 25 years ago, Vincent Rennich was a 24-year-old overseeing bets and payouts at the craps tables.

Over the years, Mr. Rennich was promoted to floor supervisor, sent two children to college and steered clear of efforts to bring in a union to represent casino workers.

Although he never smoked, he received a diagnosis of lung cancer in 2005, and he blamed the second-hand smoke he inhaled at the casino.

Mr. Rennich filed a civil suit against the Tropicana last July seeking damages and pushing to have smoking banned on casino floors in New Jersey, the only entertainment sites that are exempt from the state's smoking ban.

Over the weekend, Mr. Rennich was laid off by the Tropicana.

''How can they fire a guy with lung cancer?'' Mr. Rennich asked. ''What, I'm suddenly no good after 25 years?''

A casino spokeswoman, Courtney Birmingham, declined to comment except to say that Mr. Rennich was not the only person let go last weekend. Mr. Rennich said that 17 other long-time employees were laid off in what the casino -- which was bought last year by Columbia Sussex, a Kentucky-based company -- described to them as ''restructuring.''

Mr. Rennich's dismissal came a week after he spoke before the Senate Health Committee here in favor of a bill to eliminate the smoking exemption for casinos.

And a month ago he addressed the City Council in Atlantic City -- at times emotional and darkly humorous -- vainly urging the rejection of a compromise ordinance that allows smoking in 25 percent of the gambling areas in the city's 11 casinos.

Mr. Rennich, 48, learned that he had lung cancer by chance when he was hospitalized after an automobile accident. He underwent surgery to have a portion of his right lung removed, and returned to work five months later.

''This is all I've done,'' he said in explaining why he returned to his $55,000-a-year job. ''I personally didn't think they would fire me considering how high profile and public I have been in the antismoking effort. But now I'm all in.''

State Senator Joseph F. Vitale, a Democrat from Middlesex County, who is sponsoring legislation that would end the smoking exemption, said it appeared that in letting Mr. Rennich go, the casino's new owners made a business decision to replace several longtime employees with part-time workers who earn less.

''It's more than just fundamentally unfair,'' Mr. Vitale said. ''It is a pathetic way to design a business model.''

Mr. Rennich said he was determined to keep pressing his lawsuit against the Tropicana, which he noted would not benefit him personally ''because I'll be dead.'' For now, he said, his main concern was how to pay for private health insurance that he estimated would cost $800 a month.

''If I was the worst employee in the history of gaming,'' he asked, ''how could they get rid of me at this

Health Risks of Smoking

2007-04-02T14:17:00.000+08:00

Health risks of smoking

Because of their nicotine addiction, many smokers find it difficult to cease smoking despite their knowledge of ill health effects.

The health effects of tobacco smoking are related to direct tobacco smoking, as well as passive smoking, inhalation of environmental or secondhand tobacco smoke. A 50 year study of over thirty-thousand British physicians showed that nonsmokers lived about 10 years longer than smokers. For those born between 1920 and 1929 the standardized mortality rate between the ages of 35 and 69 for nonsmokers was 15% and for smokers was 45% —nearly three times as great. Claims that personalities of smokers account for these differences are not convincing in light of the fact that the heavy smokers were about 25 times more likely to die of lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than the nonsmokers.. Smoking is responsible for 87% of lung cancer deaths.

The main health risks in tobacco pertain to diseases of the cardiovascular system, in particular smoking being a major risk factor for a myocardial infarction (heart attack), diseases of the respiratory tract such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and emphysema, and cancer, particularly lung cancer and cancers of the larynx and tongue. Prior to World War I, lung cancer was considered to be a rare disease, which most physicians would never see during their career. With the postwar rise in popularity of cigarette smoking, however, came a virtual epidemic of lung cancer.

A person's increased risk of contracting disease is directly proportional to the length of time that a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. However, if someone stops smoking, then these chances gradually decrease as the damage to their body is repaired. A year after quitting, the risk of contracting disease is half that of a smoker.

The health risks of smoking are not uniform across all smokers. Risks vary according to amount of cigarettes smoked, with those who smoke more cigarettes at greater risk. Light smoking is a health risk. According to the Canadian Lung Association, tobacco kills between 40,000–45,000 Canadians per year, more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, traffic accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisoning. The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco use as "the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death worldwide".

Smoking, Obesity Risk Factors for Spinal Procedures

2007-03-27T13:55:00.000+08:00

smoke and nicotine obesity -

Smoking greatly increases the risk of needing spinal surgery to treat low back pain and being overweight boosts the likelihood of having postoperative pain and complications after such surgery, U.S. researchers say.

The study of 185 patients who had surgery for non-traumatic back pain found that smokers were 148 percent more likely than nonsmokers to require the surgery.

The researchers also concluded that each increase in body mass index (BMI) of 5 kg/m2 was linked to a 97 percent increased risk of postoperative pain and a 44 percent increased risk of complications.

Smoking did not increase the likelihood of postoperative pain but nearly quadrupled the risk of complications.

The findings were expected to be presented Friday in San Diego at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

"Obesity and smoking are growing problems worldwide and are major risk factors for many serious diseases," lead author Dr. Kingsley R. Chin, assistant professor of orthopedics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

"Our data suggest that obesity can be considered a major risk factor for complications and postoperative pain after spine surgery. In addition, our data on smoking demonstrate that it predisposes patients toward requiring surgical intervention for low back pain," Chin said.

"This study is the latest warning signal about the dangers of smoking and obesity. For patients who are already in these at-risk categories, our study should serve as further incentive to stop smoking and try to maintain a healthy weight," Chin said.

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Kicking Butt and Staying Smoke Free

2007-03-27T13:53:00.000+08:00

All forms of tobacco - cigarettes, pipes, cigars, and smokeless tobacco - are hazardous. It doesn't help to substitute products that seem like they're better for you than regular cigarettes - such as filter or low-tar cigarettes.

The only thing that really helps a person avoid the problems associated with smoking is staying smoke free. This isn't always easy, especially if everyone around you is smoking and offering you cigarettes. It may help to have your reasons for not smoking ready for times you may feel the pressure, such as "I just don't like it" or "I want to stay in shape for soccer" (or football, basketball, or other sport).

The good news for people who don't smoke or who want to quit is that studies show that the number of teens who smoke is dropping dramatically. Today, only about 22% of high school students smoke, down from 36% just 7 years ago.

If you do smoke and want to quit, there's more information and support out there than ever. Different approaches work for different people - for some, quitting cold turkey is best, whereas others find that a slower approach is the way to go. Some people find that it helps to go to a support group especially for teens; these are sometimes sponsored by local hospitals or organizations like the American Cancer Society. And the Internet offers a number of good resources. Check out some of these by clicking on the Resources tab to the right of this article. When quitting, it can be helpful to realize that the first few days are the hardest, and it's normal to have a few relapses before you manage to quit for good.

Nicotine Withdrawl

2007-03-26T15:43:00.000+08:00

When smokers try to cut back or quit, the absence of nicotine leads to withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is both physical and mental. Physically, the body reacts to the absence of nicotine. Psychologically, the smoker is faced with giving up a habit, which requires a major change in behavior. Both must be addressed in order for the quitting process to work.

Withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following:

dizziness (which may only last 1-2 days in the beginning)
depression
feelings of frustration and anger
irritability
sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep, staying asleep and having bad dreams or even nightmares
trouble concentrating
restlessness
headache
tiredness
increased appetite

These symptoms can lead the smoker to again start smoking cigarettes again to boost blood levels of nicotine back to a level where there are no symptoms.

If a person has smoked regularly for a few weeks or longer and abruptly stops using tobacco or greatly reduces the amount smoked, withdrawal symptoms will occur. Symptoms usually start within a few hours of the last cigarette and peak about 2 to 3 days later. Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to several weeks.

Smoking and Stop Smoking

2007-03-26T15:32:00.000+08:00

Smoking causes changes in your body and in the way you act. The changes in your body are caused by an addiction to nicotine. The changes in the way you act developed over time as you bought cigarettes, lit them and smoked them. These changes have become your smoking habit.

When you have a smoking habit, many things seem to go along with having a cigarette. These might include having a cup of coffee or an alcoholic drink, being stressed or worried, talking on the phone, driving, socializing with friends or wanting something to do with your hands.

Tell your family and friends what kind of help you need. Their support will make it easier for you to stop smoking. Also, ask your family doctor to help you develop a plan for stopping smoking. He or she can give you information on telephone hotlines, such as 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669), or self-help materials that can be very helpful. Your doctor can also recommend a stop-smoking program. These programs are often held at local hospitals or health centers.

Give yourself rewards for stopping smoking. For example, with the money you save by not smoking, buy yourself something special.

You may have a habit of using cigarettes to relax during stressful times. Luckily, there are good ways to manage stress without smoking. Relax by taking a hot bath, going for a walk, or breathing slowly and deeply. Think of changes in your daily routine that will help you resist the urge to smoke. For example, if you used to smoke when you drank coffee, drink hot tea instead.

How you feel when you stop depends on how much you smoked, how addicted your body is to nicotine and how well you get ready to stop smoking. You may crave a cigarette or feel hungrier than usual. You may feel edgy and have trouble concentrating. You also may cough more at first, and you may have headaches.

These things happen because your body is used to nicotine. They are called nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms are strongest during the first few days after you stop smoking, but most go away within a few weeks

'Smoker's Cough' Strong Predictor of Lung Disease

2007-03-26T15:29:00.000+08:00

People who develop chronic cough and phlegm are at significantly higher risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), researchers say.

COPD, the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, is a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema. The main cause of COPD is smoking.

In a study published in the Jan. 1 issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, researchers followed young adults for 10 years to investigate factors that may predict COPD.

Isa Cerveri, of the Division of Respiratory Diseases at San Matteo Hospital and University of Pavia in Italy, and colleagues recruited a group of young adults aged 20 to 44 who had normal lung function when the study began.

The participants had lung function tests and blood workups at the beginning and end of the study, and the researchers investigated how factors such as age, sex, education, smoking habits, breathlessness, the development of chronic cough and phlegm influenced the risk of COPD.

Of the more than 5,000 participants, 123 were diagnosed with COPD during the study.

The participants who developed chronic cough and phlegm had a fourfold higher risk of developing COPD.

"Our results show that the presence of chronic cough and phlegm is not an innocent symptom but is an early marker of airflow obstruction," Cerveri said in a prepared statement.

The study also underscored the importance of smoking prevention and cessation in preventing COPD. Among the study group, 77 percent of the 123 participants who developed COPD were smokers, while about 55 percent of the entire study group were smokers.

In an editorial that accompanied the study, Jorgen Vestbo, of Hvidovre University Hospital in Denmark and the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom, said the study "indicates that the statement '15 percent of smokers will develop COPD' is wrong and that lifetime risk of COPD in smokers is significantly higher, probably about 35 to 50 percent."

Smoking May Play Role in Knee Osteoarthritis

2007-03-26T15:28:00.000+08:00

Smoking may increase the risk for cartilage loss and more severe pain in men with osteoarthritis of the knee, according to a new study.

The study, by researchers from Boston University School of Medicine and the Mayo Clinic and published in the January issue of the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases, followed 159 men with knee osteoarthritis for 30 months. Nineteen of the men were smokers.

After the researchers adjusted their study results for age, body mass index (a measure of weight in relation to height) and baseline cartilage scores, they found that the smokers were at increased risk of cartilage loss and experienced more pain than the men who did not smoke.

"Our findings also suggest smoking plays a role in the progression of symptomatic knee osteoarthritis and, therefore, is a modifiable risk factor with important public health implications," Dr. David Felson, director of the Clinical Epidemiology Research and Training Unit and professor of medicine and public health at Boston University School of Medicine, said in a prepared statement.

The researchers could not pinpoint why smoking was associated with knee pain. It is not likely due to cartilage loss, since cartilage does not have pain fibers, Felson explained.

"Instead, smoking may have direct effects on other articular structures mediating knee pain or may modify the threshold for musculoskeletal pain among smokers," he said.

Further study is needed to investigate the effects of smoking on knee osteoarthritis, the researchers added.

Smoking May Be Risk Factor for TB

2007-03-26T15:23:00.000+08:00

Smoking may increase the risk of tuberculosis, say researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, who analyzed data from 24 previously published studies on the subject.

The meta-analysis found that, compared to nonsmokers, people who smoked were 73 percent more likely to become infected with TB and more than twice as likely to develop active TB.

Overall, smokers are 40 percent to 60 percent more likely than nonsmokers to develop TB after being infected with TB bacteria, the researchers said.

The findings were published in the Feb. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

About a third of the world's population is infected with TB bacteria, usually rendered inactive by the immune system. In 2003, active TB developed in about 8.8 million people worldwide. The disease kills about 1.7 million people a year, according to background information in the study.

There may be several reasons for the association between smoking and TB. Smoking may decrease immune response or damage the protective effect of tiny hair-like structures called cilia in the airways, resulting in increased TB risk.

"Tuberculosis control policies should in the future incorporate tobacco control as a preventive intervention," the review authors wrote.

"Potentially, smoking is one of the most modifiable of exposures. In developing countries, where life expectancy is short, highlighting smoking as a risk factor for TB may have greater resonance than advertising its risks for cancer and cardiovascular disease," they concluded.

The review authors also found that the increased risk of death from TB associated with smoking was less than the increased risk of getting TB disease. The authors said this suggests that smoking doesn't increase the risk of death in people who already have active TB.

Smoking lowers Parkinson's disease risk

2007-03-26T15:11:00.000+08:00

A new study adds to the previously reported evidence that cigarette smoking protects against Parkinson's disease. Specifically, the new research shows a temporal relationship between smoking and reduced risk of Parkinson's disease. That is, the protective effect wanes after smokers quit.

"It is not our intent to promote smoking as a protective measure against Parkinson's disease," Evan L. Thacker from Harvard School of Public Health emphasized in comments to Reuters Health. "Obviously smoking has a multitude of negative consequences. Rather, we did this study to try to encourage other scientists...to consider the possibility that neuroprotective chemicals may be present in tobacco leaves."

As reported in the March 6th issue of Neurology, Thacker and colleagues analyzed data, including detailed lifetime smoking histories, from 79,977 women and 63,348 men participating in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. During about 9 years of follow-up, 413 subjects developed definite or probable Parkinson's disease.

Compared to people who had never smoked and were considered to have "normal" Parkinson's disease risk, former smokers had a 22-percent lower risk of Parkinson's disease and current smokers had a 73-percent lower risk.

"The results were similar for men and women, and were also similar to the results of studies by many other researchers looking at the same topic," Thacker noted.

In former smokers, more years of smoking, fewer years since quitting, more cigarettes per day, and a higher total amount of lifetime smoking were all related to a lower Parkinson's disease risk. The researchers also found that the duration of smoking and the time since quitting influenced risk more than the average daily amount of smoking.

"A 30 percent to 60 percent decreased risk of Parkinson's disease was apparent for smoking as early as 15 to 24 years before symptom onset, but not for smoking 25 or more years before onset," the investigators report.

"The results of our study," Thacker said, "can probably be explained by something in cigarettes -- most likely in the tobacco itself -- actually protecting people against getting Parkinson's disease. That would be the simplest explanation that makes the most sense."

Studies to determine if, in fact, there are neuroprotective compounds in tobacco are warranted, the researchers say. "The observation that smokeless tobacco users also have a lower risk of Parkinson's disease suggests that the most likely candidates are not compounds generated by combustion, but rather constituents of the tobacco leaves."

Toxcin

2007-03-26T15:05:00.000+08:00

Toxicology

The LD₅₀ of nicotine is 50 mg/kg for rats and 3 mg/kg for mice. 40–60 mg can be a lethal dosage for adult human beings.Okamoto M., Kita T., Okuda H., Tanaka T., Nakashima T. (1994). "Effects of aging on acute toxicity of nicotine in rats". Pharmacol Toxicol. 75 (1): 1-6. This makes it an extremely deadly poison. It is more toxic than many other alkaloids such as cocaine, which has a lethal dose of 1000 mg.^{[citation needed]}

The carcinogenic properties of nicotine in standalone form, separate from tobacco smoke, have not been evaluated by the IARC, and it has not been assigned to an official carcinogen group. The currently available literature indicates that nicotine, on its own, does not promote the development of cancer in healthy tissue and has no mutagenic properties. Its teratogenic properties have not yet been adequately researched, and while the likelihood of birth defects caused by nicotine is believed to be very small or nonexistent, nicotine replacement product manufacturers recommend consultation with a physician before using a nicotine patch or nicotine gum while pregnant or nursing. However, nicotine and the increased cholinergic activity it causes have been shown to impede apoptosis, which is one of the methods by which the body destroys unwanted cells (programmed cell death). Since apoptosis helps to remove mutated or damaged cells that may eventually become cancerous, the inhibitory actions of nicotine creates a more favourable environment for cancer to develop. Thus nicotine plays an indirect role in carcinogenesis. It is also important to note that its addictive properties are often the primary motivating factor for tobacco smoking, contributing to the proliferation of cancer.

At least one study has concluded that exposure to nicotine alone, not simply as a component of cigarette smoke, could be responsible for some of the neuropathological changes observed in infants dying from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

It has been noted that the majority of people diagnosed with schizophrenia smoke tobacco. Estimates for the number of schizophrenics that smoke range from 75% to 90%. It was recently argued that the increased level of smoking in schizophrenia may be due to a desire to self-medicate with nicotine. More recent research has found the reverse, that it is a risk factor without long-term benefit, used only for its short term effects. However, research on nicotine as administered through a patch or gum is ongoing.

Nicotine

2007-03-26T13:26:00.000+08:00

Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco. It is highly addictive – as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Over time, the body becomes both physically and psychologically dependent on nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers must overcome both of these addictions to be successful at quitting and staying quit.

When smoke is inhaled, nicotine is carried deep into the lungs, where it is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and carried throughout the body. Nicotine affects many parts of the body, including your heart and blood vessels, your hormonal system, your metabolism, and your brain. Nicotine can be found in breast milk and even in cervix mucous secretions of smokers. During pregnancy, nicotine freely crosses the placenta and has been found in amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants.

Several different factors can affect the rate of metabolism (the work of the living cell in the body) and excretion (or getting rid of the waste) related to nicotine. In general, a regular smoker will have nicotine or its by-products present in the body for about 3 to 4 days after stopping.

Nicotine produces pleasant feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more. It also acts as a kind of depressant by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. As the nervous system adapts to nicotine, smokers tend to increase the number of cigarettes they smoke, and therefore the amount of nicotine in their blood. After a while, the smoker develops a tolerance to the drug, which leads to an increase in smoking over time. Over time, the smoker reaches a certain nicotine level and then smokes to maintain this level of nicotine. In fact, nicotine, when inhaled in cigarette smoke, reaches the brain faster than drugs that enter the body intravenously.

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