quitsmokingplus.com Blog

Some Of The Health Risks From Smoking

2006-08-09T11:01-04:00

by Gregg Hall

Scientific evidence of the health risks posed by smoking go back to the 1950s. Figures from the US government show that 28% of males 18 years old and above and 23% of females in the same age bracket were into the habit in the mid-1990s. The percentages were even higher in 1964, when the US surgeon general first issued an official warning that smoking was hazardous to one's health.

Following that formal warning, many reports were released on the link between cigarettes and tobacco to heart diseases, lung diseases, and cancers of the mouth and other tissues. However, the habit persisted, with young smokers doing so as an expression of rebellion and strong drive to be independent.

For adults, smoking marked an addiction to nicotine - the key factor that made smoking a pleasurable and addictive experience. This led to another warning from the surgeon general in 1988, which put addiction to nicotine on the same level as cocaine and heroin.

The danger in smoking comes from the chemical substances released either as a gas or as a particulate. Nitrogen oxides, hydrogen cyanide and most especially carbon monoxide are gaseous emissions from cigarette smoke that threaten to poison the body.

Nicotine is one of several hazardous particulates emitted from smoking. These particulates damage the cilia - the little hairs lining the lungs that help transport mucus out of the lungs, and all pollutants accumulated. When the cilia malfunction, pollutants remain in the lungs and the likelihood of influenza and bronchitis, emphysema and other diseases increases.

The possibility that smokers die from cancer and heart disease is twice that of their non-smoking counterparts. Individuals who smoke also have lungs that become less efficient with age much faster than those who don't. Smoking has been cited as the cause of over 400,000 deaths in the US every year.

Government agencies, scientists and health officials have also established that passive smoking, or second-hand smoke, also has ill effects. The National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion has reported that over 4,000 chemicals are generated by second-hand smoke, with more than 50 of those believed to be cancer-causing agents.

In 1975, the Centers for Disease Control released a report citing such a danger, noting that toxic chemicals stay in the air and are inhaled by unsuspecting victims. Thus, the concern over smoking as a private choice by individuals expanded into a public-health issue.

Passive smoking was cited as a cancer-causing agent by the US Environmental Protection agency in 1993. For pregnant women, smoking raises the chances that their baby will be underweight or that they end up with a miscarriage. Children less than a year old are twice as likely to have lung infections if their mothers smoke compared to counterparts whose mothers do not practice the habit. Individuals with asthma, allergies or other respiratory ailments were also warned, as exposure can worsen their conditions.

Some smokers gradually quit or smoked less, while nonsmokers became the focus of more protection, as government worked on policies and legislation to curb the habit. As early as 1964, the US signed into law a requirement that health warnings must be integrated into all cigarette advertising and packaging. Policies were also implemented to designate schools, offices and other public places as smoke-free buildings.

In the 1990s, class action suits started to bombard state and federal courts, claiming that cigarette makers employed deceptive marketing tactics to keep consumers from knowing that nicotine was addictive and worked on levels of the particulate in cigarettes to keep smokers hooked on their product.

More recent suits against the industry charge manufacturers of also misleading consumers into thinking that "lights" and similar products were healthier alternatives to regular cigarettes. These more recent cases later led to the multi-billion dollar settlement between the US government and industry in the late 1990s.

These lawsuits and the consistency of health lobbyists and persuasive government programs have helped pull down US smoking rates on a consistent basis over the last four decades, with government figures showing per capita rates at 22.5% and experts forecasting the rates to continue declining in the future.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. Get stop smoking products from http://www.quitsmokingplus.com

Some Of The Main Reasons You Should Stop Smoking

2006-08-01T00:07-04:00

by Gregg Hall

The addiction to nicotine is a powerful one to overcome. Cigarette manufacturers have known this for ages, which is why they at one time developed chemicals that would aid in increasing the nicotine transport to the bloodstream to enhance and intensify the addiction. It was good for business. This is a highly addictive and powerful substance which makes your body become psychologically and physically dependent on it. Any successful smoking cessation program must address both of these factors.

One of the things that you need to be aware of is the fact that you are going to experience some pretty major withdrawal symptoms when you give up smoking. First, since this act is one of behavior modification it requires the giving up of the habit. Denying nicotine to the body forces a physiological response which can result in anger and frustration, irritability, restlessness, insomnia, problems concentrating, increased appetite and headaches. All of these issues have to be dealt with.

Many people are overcome by the severity of their withdrawal symptoms and begin smoking again to relieve them. This is a tough habit to overcome, especially for those who have smoked a lot for a long time. Withdrawal symptoms for those attempting to quit smoking can begin within a couple of hours and stay fairly intense for several days, but can last for weeks.

Sometimes we hear people question why they should even stop smoking, after all they have lived as long as they have with no problems. I can assure you, there may be no outward evidence in some people, but inside your body is a mess and could be eaten up with cancer. The concern for your health should be the number one reason for you to quit. It is proven that cigarette smoking can lead to many types of cancers including lung cancer, as well as cancers of the mouth, voice box, throat, kidneys, cervix, and may more. Smoking also increases the risk of death due to cardiac arrest. For women over 35 years old using birth control there is an even more pronounced risk of heart attack and stroke as well as the risk of blood clots in the legs.

From a cosmetic standpoint it will give you yellow hair and fingernails, wrinkled skin, horrible smelling hair and clothes, and halitosis. It will also discolor your teeth, sometimes permanently. Wow, that's attractive.

For those who think it's too late, I have news for you the effects from smoking are largely reversible and it doesn't matter how long you have had the habit, quitting will increase your lifespan.

Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. Find more about Herbal Quit Smoking Aids at http://www.quitsmokingplus.com

How To Make The Right Choices To Help You Quit Smoking

2006-08-01T00:04-04:00

by Gregg Hall

The first thing you have to do in order to be successful in your quest to stop smoking is to make a conscious choice that you have that goal. The mechanics of how you go about achieving your goal will vary among different people with some using the patch, some under going some kind of hypnosis or other therapy, and other medicinal products that are available in the market place.

As with any addictive substance, for someone who is attempting to quit smoking they will need some kind of support group in most cases. For many people just the fact of having the support of friends and family can be the catalyst that makes them stop, others may need the encouragement and accountability that is afforded through an outside support group. There are surely support groups in your area, but there are many available online as well.

Positive results can be had when attempting to quell your habit if you get friends involved in helping you to reach your goal. Having the moral support of your peers and friends is a big motivator in behavior modification which is why many commercial support groups and advertisements for stop smoking aids stress the interaction between people as being important.

For people who feel the need to use medicinal aids to help them stop their nicotine cravings there are numerous drugs available including nicotine gum, the nicotine patch as mentioned above, and other substances that endeavor to help wean the body off of cigarettes by using nicotine sources that don't cause harm to your body like smoking does.

There have been many drugs recently approved by the FDA that are nicotine free which work to free people from the nicotine habit by replacing the body's need for nicotine with a craving for something that is less harmful which is then lessened gradually to rid one of their addiction.

Additionally there have been some new anti smoking vaccines recently tested and approved by the FDA that can be included to help those who can't seem to stop any other way. This is kind of a bizarre method to me that introduces a virus in the body of the smoker that causes a reduction in the need for nicotine.

Everyone has their own reasons to stop smoking, some may be cosmetic, and some personal, but the main reason for anyone should be for good health. It is a known and proven fact that cigarette smoking is linked to a laundry list of maladies.

Gregg Hall is an author and internet marketing consultant living in Navarre Florida. Find more about Quit Smoking Support at http://www.quitsmokingplus.com

Some Reasons Why It Is Difficult To Stop Smoking

2006-03-15T09:25-05:00

Foremost, this is because most smokers become addicted to the nicotine contained in tobacco products. Nicotine has a deadly addictive power. How? When a person puffs a cigarette, nicotine particles find their way to the lungs through inhalation. From there, nicotine is absorbed into the bloodstream just like the oxygen people breathe. It travels with the blood to the brain where it locks onto certain receptor areas. Dopamine is then released into the brain. This is the chemical that makes the smoker feel a euphoric sensation. Smokers find it difficult to quit because they come to be dependent on this good feeling. And in wanting to experience this repeatedly, this leads to dependence – a sign of addiction.

A person who attempts to quit may experience withdrawal symptoms. Topping the bill of withdrawal symptoms is depression. With the absence of the chemical that produces the relaxing feeling, the brain becomes distressed without it. Other withdrawal symptoms from smoking include:

- Headaches, dizziness, and nausea

- Shakes, chills

- Cough, dry throat nasal drip

- Hunger, fatigue

- Constipation, gas or stomach pain

- Insomnia, troubled sleep

Not knowing what to do with their hands is another common complaint among ex-smokers while quitting. Once people get hooked, smoking becomes a big part of their lives. They seem to enjoy holding on a stick of cigarette and puffing on them. And after a long period of lighting up, it becomes a routine. As a fact, humans are creatures of habit. By some force of habit, smokers find themselves reaching for a cigarette and lighting it up automatically without thinking about it.

Certain “triggers” in the environment may also hamper a smoker’s desire to quit. Things may turn on a smoker’s need for a cigarette. These may be feelings, places, and moods. Even the things done routinely may trigger this craving for a smoke.

For those who have been smoking for quite a while already, they may not realize it but they form some emotional attachment to cigarettes. They find the cigarette calming and comforting during those stressful times. Cigarette smoking somehow becomes an extension of their social life, particularly when they are emotionally at the highest or lowest. Giving the smoker a feeling that giving up smoking would seem like giving up a trusted friend.

These are only some of the major reasons why it is hard to quit smoking. But there are also several strategies and quitting techniques that may aid smokers to finally give up on this tenacious habit. Quitting smoking all begins with one’s intention to stop. They must have the will power to overcome the craving for smoke. There are also a lot of quit smoking products in the market. These may also be worth trying. Support groups are proved to be very helpful, too.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For more on stop smoking products go to http://www.quitsmokingplus.com

Want To Get Rid Of Bad Breath? Quit Smoking!

2006-02-13T10:20-05:00

One of the effects that smoking has on you is that it causes bad breath as well as other dental problems. There are several reasons why smoking causes problems with your breath and oral hygiene. While there may be some temporary fixes to banish bad breath, the easiest way to get rid of the bad oral hygiene is to quit smoking.

The main reason for bad breath when smoking is found to be caused by the chemicals found in cigarettes. These are then moved into your mouth, where they can build up. Tar and nicotine easily begin to build up on the mouth surfaces. They can stick to places like the teeth, gums, tongue and side of the cheeks. This causes smoker’s breath to form.

One of the major results of the chemicals in the cigarettes is that it allows bacteria to form in your mouth. The first way in which bacteria is able to stay in your mouth is from these chemicals. When they stay on your mouth’s surface, it allows the bacteria to stick to certain places, giving them a place to thrive.

Another reason why smoking causes bad breath, is because it dries out your mouth. In consequence, this stops the saliva from continuously flowing and cleansing out your mouth. This is what causes the growth of certain types of bacteria in your mouth, which then lead to a continuous odor on your breath. Because the saliva is not able to move as freely, it can’t clean out the bacteria that move through your mouth. These same parts of smoking also cause cavities and yellowing of teeth to form easier.

Another reason why smoking will cause bad breath is because it raises the temperature in your mouth. This causes oral tissue cells to be damaged and killed. These will then not be able to protect the mouth efficiently, causing the bacteria to be able to move into the mouth easier. This may eventually lead to more serious problems with your oral hygiene.

More serious problems with smoking and dental hygiene may include gum disease and oral cancer. This can cause long term effects by someone who smokes. The tobacco that moves into your system causes your immune system to limit how it can fight infection. It also stops the growing of blood vessels. Both of these contribute to one who smokes getting gum disease or oral cancer.

One of the ways that most smokers will get rid of bad breath is by using a certain type of smoke screen gum. This will neutralize the odor causing bacteria on your tongue after you smoke a cigarette. However, this type of gum is usually fairly expensive and does not eliminate the bad breath after you smoke another cigarette. The bacteria is still able to move inside your mouth, and the chemicals that stick to your teeth, gums, tongue and cheeks still remain in place. Most quick remedies that are there for smokers are used for shorter term fixes and are unable to eliminate the complex problems that form in your oral hygiene from smoking.

The easiest way to prevent dental problems and bad breath is by stopping smoking all together. This will begin to change several of the problems that have occurred with bad breath because of smoking. After you quit smoking, the saliva in your mouth is able to move more freely. This will naturally begin to get rid of the extra bacteria that were able to grow in your mouth. The next thing that will happen is the blood vessels and the tissue cells will begin to repair. Nutrients, such as Vitamin C, which were being killed by the bacteria before, will have a chance to repair and build back in your mouth. This is one of the main agents that will fight the bacteria.

Eventually, the chemicals, tar and nicotine that were beginning to stay in your mouth will also be washed away. This will leave no room for the bacteria to stay in your mouth and cause the bad breath. When you quit smoking, your mouth will begin to rebuild the damaged areas. These will not only help to prevent bad breath, but also things such as stained teeth, and more serious problems dealing with gum disease and oral cancer.

Deciding to quit smoking is a choice that will help with your health in many areas, including your oral hygiene. By deciding to quit smoking, your mouth will be able to function better and remain healthy. If you want to eliminate your bad breath or smokers’ breath then deciding to quit smoking is the best way to do it.

Gregg Hall is a business consultant and author for many online and offline businesses and lives in Navarre Florida with his 16 year old son. For help to quit smoking go to http://www.quitsmokingplus.com

How to Quit Smoking for Yourself

2006-02-10T10:37-05:00

Thousands of people are addicted to smoking, and, every day, thousands of people fight the battle of breaking this addiction. But, how can someone go about successfully quitting smoking? There are many reasons to quit, but the most important reason is for your self.

Quitting for Others

Many people trying to quit smoking are doing so in order to make others happy. They try to quit so their spouse will quit nagging. They try to stop because their job frowns upon smoking. They try to put out the cigarette because society has made smoking unacceptable. They try to quit because their kids look at them with big, puppy dog eyes and plead with them to stop. While it is great to have family and friends around you who care and who want to see you stay around awhile longer than you will if you continue smoking, the only reason that will truly motivate you is if you quit for yourself.

Sure, pleasing those around you may get you to start on the road toward recovery from nicotine addiction. You might tell yourself, “I’m doing it for my kids. I don’t want them to see me go through cancer.” Or, you might think, “If I quit smoking, my spouse might finally just leave me alone about it.” While these thoughts may get you initially motivated to quit smoking, they won’t help you sustain a cigarette free life. In fact, quitting for others might just help you make excuses to start back up again. For example, you might quit for your spouse, and then when you have a disagreement about something, you might say, “I’ll show him (or her).” Next thing you know, you’re lighting up. You may not think you would do that, but we do strange things when we’re upset – even destroy our own bodies.

Why You Should Quit for Yourself

There are plenty of reasons you should quit for yourself. A couple of them even do tie into quitting for others, but with a slightly different slant. For example, you might quit because of your kids, but not for them. By this I mean that you might want to quit so you can enjoy spending more years with them, rather than because you don’t want to see them get hurt by your early death. This may sound selfish, but you have to think about yourself when you are trying to quit. You have to convince yourself there are many reasons to quit that will benefit you personally.

Of course, there is the obvious health benefits involved with quitting. If you quit, you put years back onto your life. This is because you have now effectively reduced your chances of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, throat cancer, lung cancer, and emphysema. You have also lessened your likelihood of having a heart attack and of developing gum disease and ulcers, just to name a few.

If you aren’t feeling too concerned about the inside of your body, consider the outside. Smoking makes your finger and teeth yellow, not to mention the bad smell. Of course, you probably don’t realize just how bad it smells because your sense of taste and smell has both been dulled by smoking! Fortunately, quitting will help bring back these small joys of life.

In addition, smoking makes your skin wrinkle faster, particularly on your face. Not only that, the notion that smoking makes a person look “cool” has been gone for a long time. In fact, the majority of people are less attracted to people who smoke than the other way around.

Of course, there are also the financial rewards of quitting smoking. Most smokers will save literally thousands of dollars every year by simply quitting smoking. Just imagine all of the things you can do for you if you quit. Perhaps you have seen some new outfits or shoes you would like to buy at the end of a year of successfully not smoking. Maybe you can purchase a new entertainment center, or buy that new transmission for your project car. Perhaps you can take that vacation you have always wanted to take. If you managed to win the battle against this addiction, go ahead and spoil yourself – you deserve it! Consider it a celebration of saving your own life.

quitsmokingplus.com Blog

Some Of The Health Risks From Smoking

About the Author

Some Of The Main Reasons You Should Stop Smoking

About the Author

How To Make The Right Choices To Help You Quit Smoking

About the Author

Some Reasons Why It Is Difficult To Stop Smoking

Want To Get Rid Of Bad Breath? Quit Smoking!

How to Quit Smoking for Yourself