Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking: How to Stop

The effects cigarette smoking can be very bad for health. Smoking can lead to a variety of diseases like asthma, emphysema and lung cancer. 

                                                                                                                People start cigarette smoking at a very young age and get addicted. Children pick up the habit, trying to imitate the elders. Movies are another reason why children start to smoke, trying to imitate their favorite actors. The pleasure derived out smoking is imaginary. But nicotine is highly addictive. Quitting the habit is extremely difficult and requires great mental strength but is essential for good health. 

                                Source: Tomasz Sienicki: Wikimedia Commons

Diseases Caused by Smoking

Cigarettes contain a substance that is akin to tar and coat the lungs with a soot like substance. This will reduce the lung capacity and deprive the brain of oxygen. Cigarette smokers are likely developed emphysema and chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD). The chances of smokers developing lung disease is ten times more than that of non-smokers. This is because effects of smoking may cause blockage of blood vessels by fat deposits. This may eventually lead to heart disease and heart failure. Cigarette smoking is the single largest cause of lung cancer. Lung cancer due to smoking causes 90% of the deaths. Pipe and cigar smokers who do not inhale much smoke are prone to mouth cancer.

Smoking during Pregnancy

Health effects of smoking by a pregnant mother can include harm to the unborn baby. Nicotine reduces the blood flow and the oxygen carried by the blood is also reduced. This will reduce the nutrients supplied to the unborn baby.

How to Quit Smoking

Mark Twain said “It is easy to give up smoking. I have done it thousands of times.”  This is position of all smokers. You may try your best to give up smoking. But the habit catches up with you again.

Nicotine Patch

Sudden stoppage of smoking can cause withdrawal symptoms like

- Craving for tobacco

- Difficulty to concentrate

- Nervousness

- Headache

A transdermal patch called nicotine patch helps to overcome these problems. Nicotine levels drop in your body suddenly when you stop smoking. Nicotine patch helps to maintain the nicotine levels and manage withdrawal symptoms. The patch is applied on the skin. Nicotine patches are available in different dosages. You can choose a patch that decreases your urge to smoke. The nicotine patch has to be applied on a non hairy area on the skin on the trunk or upper arm. It is better to consult a doctor to choose the suitable patch. Generally a patch stays for 24 hours. The subsequent patches of lower dosage can be used as the craving reduces. These patches may be used for 8-10 weeks to kick the habit.

Zyban

Bupropion (Zyban) is a pill that helps you to reduce your craving for tobacco and withdrawal symptoms. It is taken on prescription from a doctor. Bupropion is taken at least 2-3 weeks before you stop the smoking to build up the levels of the drug in the body. It can be used for 8-10 weeks. By this time the addiction for tobacco will be reduced. This can also be used along with other therapies like nicotine patch.

Meditation to Quit Smoking

Meditation techniques may help you to quit smoking. Meditation helps you concentrate you mind on an object. This will help you to wean your mind away from smoking. Meditation techniques can be mastered with practice. But it is worth the effort as it will help to kick the habit. Meditation will also help to improve your health by reducing stress and blood pressure. It will also help you to increase your levels of concentration.

Hypnosis to Stop Smoking

Hypnosis can help you to stop smoking. You can go to a trained hypnotherapist who can make your mind to relax and make an impression on your subconscious mind that you have to quit smoking

Alternately you can try self hypnosis to get rid of the habit. You have sit in a quiet place and make auto-suggestions that you are quitting smoking. Keep on repeating two or three reasons why you are quitting smoking. Let this seep into your subconscious mind. You have to make mental images of your kicking the habit. You have to do this repeatedly for several days. It will take quite some time to master.

No matter how you go about quitting the habit it will take single minded effort and resolve to succeed.

These are some of the health effects of smoking and how to stop smoking. 

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Cigarette Smoking and After Effects

The habit is very dangerous and can lead to asthma and emphysema. it is very difficult to get rid of the habit

Harmful Effects of Cigarette Smoking

 Harmful effects of cigarette smoking are numerous.  Smoking is one of the most dangerous habits any one can develop. It is one of the leading causes of death. It is highly addictive and extremely difficult to get rid of.

the habit

Cigarettes
Wikimedia Commons: Gereunited

Smoking and Your Health

                                                                                                                                        Smoking is very dangerous for your health. Once you pick up the habit, the number of cigarettes you smoke goes on increasing day by day. I picked up the habit when I was at college and smoked about two packs of cigarettes a day.  All my efforts to kick the habit were futile. I always remembered the famous quotation by Mark Twain “It is easy to quit smoking. I have done it a thousand times“.

Only when I got attacks of bronchial asthma found it hard to breathe, I got rid of the habit. Even then it was very difficult to stop. But the discomfort I was going through by far outweighed the pleasure I was getting out of smoking.

Finally after several false starts (stops), I finally got rid of the habit. When you decide stop cigarette smoking, you are aware one single puff can bring back your habit in full force. You will be counting days, weeks and months. Only after six months I was sure I was rid of the habit.

But even I got over the smoking habit, bronchial asthma remained. I suffered for years. I was taking salbutamol regularly. I was also on cortisones. Later I changed over to inhalers.

I was always looking for some remedy. My problem was acute in winter. I smoked for thirteen years. But I suffered from bronchial asthma for 30 years. I tried alternative systems of medicine. But nothing happened.

One season rains were heavy. My problem was very acute. I was taking greater dosage of medicines than that was prescribed. As a final resort I decided to learn pranayama ( breathing exercise). Fortunately I found an ayurvedic doctor, who knew and could teach pranayama well. I had two sessions with him.

I was taught six sets of breathing exercises to perform daily.

First exercise breath in out rapidly ten times.

 Second was take in a deep breath, hold it for 4 seconds, and breath out.

Third was to take in a deep breath hold it for 8 seconds and breath out slowly.

Fourth was to take in a deep breath and hold it for 12 seconds and breath out slowly in 8 secs.

Most important thing is that the breath you take in has to be deep enough so that you expand your lungs properly.

Fifth is breath in and out deeply in deeply 30 (10x3) times. As you take in the breath lift both your hands straight over your head. Bring it down as you breath out.

Finally breath in and out rapidly 20 times.

As I started to practice this my bronchial asthma stated to decline. After three months, I was almost rid of the problem. Even now I am almost free of the problem. Occasionally, I do feel slightly breathless. Then I take a puff of salbutamol. But I am not doing pranayama regularly. When I do experience the problem, I start once again. I have realized it would have been better not to have started cigarette smoking. At least I have stopped before it was too late.

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Health Effects of Cigarette Smoking: How to Stop