Things U should know about Smoking!

  Every time you smoke a cigarette, each puff introduces a drug called Nicotine into your body (along with thousands of other toxic chemicals - some even kill insects on contact, and some are used to embalm dead bodies).

Nicotine is the substance responsible for fooling your brain into releasing a "pleasure" chemical called Dopamine. Nicotine receptors on your nerve endings receive the Dopamine and create "Happy" nerve cells.

It's Dopamine that gives you a false sense of well-being, soon the body wants more and more Dopamine on a regular basis. This is the beginning of your addiction.

Unfortunately, the large number of toxic chemicals that come with the nicotine can ravage your body and cause such devastating conditions as heart disease, lung cancer, throat cancer, and emphysema. Many times the results are fatal.

    I personally have an opinion. In My lifetime I have noticed that most people who smoke tend to have an attitude, an air about selves, they R anxious & nervous people. If someone doesn’t want to take care of the one body that God gives them. How can they have any respect for anyone else! 

 Women: Time it Right to stop smoking

Menstrual phase can ease tobacco withdrawal

Woman who quit smoking during the 1^st ½ of their menstrual cycle may have the edge over those who stop during the 2^nd ½, researchers at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine have found. Tobacco withdrawal symptoms – including depression, anxiety, & irritability – were less severe for the 41 women who quit between days 1 & 14 of their menstrual cycle, compared to the 37 who quit between day 14 & start of their next period, Says lead researcher Kennith A. Perkins, PhD, a professor of psychiatry at the University.

Women in both groups were, on average, 38 years old. Had been smoking for 19 – 20 years, smoked about 20 cigarettes a day, & had already tried to quit 3 times. All of them attended group counseling sessions about smoking cessation.” Quitting produces withdrawal symptoms that R often similar to premenstrual symptoms,” Dr. Perkins explains. “Giving up smoking during the luteal phase – the 2^nd ½ of the menstrual cycle would have additive effects that could make the experience more difficult”

   In a report of 2004 from the Centers for Disease Control & Preservation, indicated men who smoke die an average of 13.2 years earlier than men who don’t smoke, & Women who smoke die an average of 14.5 years earlier than woman who do not. In spite of data showing the deadly effects of smoking, it was estimated that more than 46 million adults in the U.S. still smoked cigarettes in 2002. The good news is that rates of smoking continue to decline.  The American Heart Association & other researchers are always trying to find new ways of kicking the bad habit.

There are as many treatments for smoking as there are brands of cigarettes. These include patches, gums, lozenges, hypnosis, acupuncture and even an anti-depressant, Zyban. Zyban wasn't originally developed as a smoking cessation drug but as a treatment for depression. A side effect was observed- people on this drug smoked less. It has been moderately successful (Zyban). (Bupropion hydrochloride is also sold as Zyban, a drug used to quit smoking. Depending on your HMO schedule or your health insurance, you may want to get a prescription for Zyban instead of Wellbutrin. Why? Sometimes it's cheaper. Sometimes you may not have any mental health coverage on your health insurance but you can get drugs to quit smoking. And some insurance companies they have a points system like car insurance. If you get too crazy, your rates go way up, but if you do something positive like try to quit smoking, your rates go down. So check with the person who works in your doctor's office about the rates and the system, and see if you need to game the system with a Zyban prescription instead of a Wellbutrin SR prescription. The only issues will be with dosages.  You can't take as much Zyban as you can Wellbutrin. Like all antidepressants you should give Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride) a month before giving up, barring any really nasty side effects.  However it usually starts working within two weeks. Wellbutrin (bupropion hydrochloride) is generally too be avoided by anyone with a seizure disorder.). Unfortunately, the effectiveness of these methods is limited.  An estimated 70 % of U.S. adult smokers want to quit, & Approx. 40% of daily smokers stops for at least 1-day of the year in an effort to quit completely. Because quitting is difficult, success often comes with pure dedication and persistence. One of the holy grails of the pharmaceutical industry is to design a drug that would cure or, otherwise significantly reduce nicotine cravings i.e. cure smoking. There are 48 million smokers in the U.S. and 45 million of them would, surely, give anything to quit. So, to conquer that market would mean immeasurable wealth to the victor. With this in mind, there is a potential blockbuster drug currently making its way through the regulatory hurdles that shows promise: Varenicline. I also found an Article in the USA Weekend Dec. 23-25 2005 showed a study with the AHA that there’s new hope they found a drug called Varenicline. (Varenicline is a drug, which stimulates nicotine receptors in the brain without itself being addictive. Developed by Pfizer Pharmaceuticals, varenicline is a nicotine receptor partial agonist (A drug or other chemical that can combine with a receptor on a cell to produce a physiologic reaction typical of a naturally occurring substance.) that comes in pill form, and helps to prevent withdrawal symptoms in people attempting to quit smoking. The drug is currently in phase III testing, usually the final stage before a company applies for approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (The FDA regulates over $1 trillion worth of products, which account for 25 cents of every dollar spent annually by American consumers and touches the lives of virtually every American every day. It is FDA's job to see that food is safe and wholesome, cosmetics won't hurt people, the medicines and medical devices are safe and effective, and that radiation-emitting products such as microwave ovens won't do harm. Feed and drugs for pets and farm animals also come under FDA scrutiny. FDA ensures that all of these products are labeled truthfully with the information that people need to use them properly). Each time a new method for smoking cessation hits the market, we all get excited, only to be disappointed later because we underestimated the challenge. However, these results R encouraging: A significant % of smokers on Varenicline were still smoke – free after a year, and it’s long-term success that’s meaningful.  

One effective way to see how Ur lungs R doing is the way U breath, the quantity, quality, and how the body is able to process it under various conditions of rest and activity, revealing much about the inner workings & health of the respiratory system. A Spiro meter is an apparatus, which, in its most elementary form, uses the air breathed out to displace water & make a pen trace a line across a moving chart. Measuring the volume of air per unit time, which provides a measure of flow determine the makeup of inspired & expired air. Another gadget, much simpler & economical than the Spiro meter, is a peak flow meter. It gauges the fastest (Peak) rate at which air can be blown out of the mouth, & hence up from the lungs. The meter is a useful ready reckoner in respiratory illnesses.

Inspired air usually our atmosphere, which has a relatively constant composition: Nitrogen 78.08%, Oxygen 20.95%, Argon 0.93%, Carbon Dioxide 0.03%, & a miscellany of other trace gases.

Smoking also affects the stomach & bladder, lets converse about the respiratory system which is the most susceptible to damage. The toxic components in tobacco smoke include: carbon monoxide, nicotine, & tar, Inhaled vapors. They kill millions of the tiny hair- like cilia lining the airways, which leads to accumulation & stagnation of mucus, germs & inhaled debris, which the cilia would other wise sweep away. The smokers attempt to bring up the mucus & clear clogged airways.

Prolonged exposure to cigarette smoke (not necessarily one’s own) tends to result in increased mucus production, greater susceptibility to infection, obstructive & destructive changes in the bronchial tubes & severe gas exchange problems. Smoking is the single most important reason for chronic bronchitis & emphysema, which annually kill tens of thousands of people in the U.S.

Individuals who smoke create a constant irritation to the trachea. Over time, this irritation from smoke can cause the epithelium of the trachea to change from a pseudostratified, ciliated columnar epithelium to a stratified, Squamous epithelium. Without cilia, the epithelium cannot clear the passageway of mucus & debris. This provides an environment ideal for the growth of microorganisms leading to respiratory infections. This constant irritation & respiratory inflammation triggers the cough reflex resulting in what we call a smoker’s cough.

What U may experience Physically.

(     Cravings. (This withdrawal symptom lasts up to 1 month.) When blood levels of nicotine decline, U crave a cigarette. Highly addicted people “need” a cigarette the minute they wake up.

(     Cough. (Lasts up to 1 week) Smoker’s cough may increase at 1^st because the cilia in Ur lung passages begin to function again, sweeping out debris.

(     Constipation. (Lasts approx. 1 month) Some people rely on nicotine as a catalyst for elimination.

(     Weight Gain. (Lasts several months) Nicotine may speed metabolism & suppress appetite. Many people who quit smoking replace that addiction with another one – food.

(     Depression. (Lasts up to several weeks) Research says that smokers who R prone to depression R much more likely to experience it than any other withdrawal symptom when they quit.

(     Loss of the ritual. (Lasts approx. several months) No longer using the hand – to – mouth motions of smoking can lead to irritability or to another oral fixation like eating.

(     Pressure from Friends & Family who smoke. It’s tough to stop smoking if Ur spouse or best friend is still lighting up.

(     Temptation From Alcohol. Alcohol impairs Ur ability to make decisions, like staying away from tobacco.

“Quitting smoking is a personal experience. There is no 1 way that works for everyone. The more knowledgeable U become on the subject the easer it becomes to quitting.” To quit smoking is difficult, people have become successful before U.

    People with emphysema can be low on Amino acids. Since they also tend to suffer from chronic congestion, the amino acid N – Acetylcysteine (NAC) can be useful, as it helps to break down mucus & expedite its removal from the lungs. This compound has been used in hospitals to treat bronchitis, which often accompanies emphysema. In addition, NAC’s powerful antioxidant activity affords lung tissue protection from free radical damage. One worst side effect of emphysema is the inability to sustain much physical activity. Research on the use of L- Carnitine shows that people with chronic lung disease who took 2 gm of L – Carnitine twice daily for 2 – 4 weeks were able to breath better during periods of exercise. Keep in mind that it may take up to 6 months to see a significant result with amino acid therapy. Other test show that people admitted to the hospital with emphysema can also suffer from a lack of fatty acids Essential fatty acids found in Flaxseed, Evening Primrose & Salmon Oils, a must for people with any type of chronic lung disease. A high dietary intake of these fatty acids may protect cigarette smokers. Any compound that boosts blood oxygenation is valuable in treating emphysema &other pulmonary disease. CoQ10 supplement can improve the use of oxygen at the cellular level. Good News Regarding Fruits & Vegetables studies show that a high consumption of Antioxidants improves lung function. Ex. lets take the Vit. C, which helps to protect lung tissue by mopping up free radicals (dangerous byproducts of breathing) that can damage healthy cells. Antioxidants also boost immunity, which helps people with emphysema resist secondary lung infections like bronchitis. Interestingly, studies show that a diet high in simple carbohydrates can actually increase carbon dioxide production, which makes it even harder to breath, especially during exercise.

How about ending the burning pain of GERD, also called acid reflux disease?

Researchers at the Medical College of Wisconsin just completed a study that showed cigarettes don’t stop crudding up Ur lungs & stinking Up Ur cloths, house, car, never mind your breath. They also interfere with 3 different reflexive mechanisms that keep stomach contents from coming back up. Smoking cigarettes definitely impairs vital throat reflexes. As a result, stomach acid can wash into the esophagus, & pharynx where it can cause larynx & lung problems.

Quitting smoking is advised to reduce the amount of toxins in the body linked to lung cancer & vasoconstriction. (see atherosclerosis article).

Someone I know who has a serious smoking habit, tried a treatment from this company called Laser points LLC at the empire state building 350 5^th Ave. #4923 N.Y. N.Y. 10118 he has had beneficial experience in stopping the smoking habit the phone # is 1.877- QUIT-ASAP/ 1.877 – 784-8272.

             I hope that after reading this article u will be educated enough to make the right decision, after all it’s up to U to take it to the next step. (Mind over matter) We have now conclusive evidence that smoking and 2^nd hand smoke is the un-healthiest way to live. Studies have shown that even non – smokers r at risk, by testing non- smokers working in a smoking environment who R showing lung X – rays and through examinations, equivalent to a 2 pk. a day smoker! If Ur spouse or other family member smokes frequently in the same room with U, U might as well be smoking yourself.

Source of reference: USA weekend //Dec23-25, 1/24 - 26 03, Prevention 11/00, www.crazymeds.org, http://ezinearticles.com/?Varenicline:-A-Cure-for-Smoking--Or-a-Smokescreen?&id=97154, The Human Body 80, 85, Natural Health Mag. pg.98 9.01, Lets Live Mag. pg. 70,71, my notes, Delmar’s Fundamentals of anatomy & physiology pg 171,

 Brought to U by www.nancysuniverse.com