Smoking – #Thinkhealth blog

Tips to Quit Smoking

For most tobacco users, tobacco cravings or urges to smoke can be powerful. But you’re not at the mercy of these cravings.

When an urge to use tobacco strikes, remember that although it may be intense, it will probably pass within five to 10 minutes whether or not you smoke a cigarette or take a dip of chewing tobacco. Each time you resist a tobacco craving, you’re one step closer to stopping tobacco use for good.

Here are few tips to help you resist the urge to smoke or use tobacco when a tobacco craving strikes.

Try nicotine replacement therapy

Ask your doctor about nicotine replacement therapy. The options include:

Prescription nicotine in a nasal spray or inhaler
Over the counter nicotine patches, gum and lozenges

Short-acting nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine gum, lozenges, nasal sprays or inhalers can help you overcome intense cravings.

Avoid triggers

Urges for tobacco are likely to be strongest in the situations where you smoked or chewed tobacco most often, such as at parties or bars, or while feeling stressed or sipping coffee. Identify your trigger situations and have a plan in place to avoid them entirely or get through them without using tobacco.

Delay

If you feel like you’re going to give in to your tobacco craving, tell yourself that you must first wait 10 more minutes and then do something to distract yourself for that period of time. Try going to a public, smoke-free zone. These simple tricks may be enough to derail your tobacco craving.

Chew on it

Give your mouth something to do to fight a tobacco craving. Chew on sugarless gum or hard candy, or munch on raw carrots, celery, nuts or sunflower seeds — something crunchy and satisfying.

Don’t have ‘just one’

You might be tempted to have just one cigarette to satisfy a tobacco craving. But don’t fool yourself into believing that you can stop there. More often than not, having just one leads to another and you may end up using tobacco again.

Workout

Physical activity can help distract you from tobacco cravings and reduce their intensity. Even short burst of physical activity such as running up and down the stairs a few times can make a tobacco craving go away. Get out for a walk or jog.

If you’re stuck at home or the office, try squats, deep knee bends, push ups, running in place, or walking up and down a set of stairs.

Practice relaxation techniques

Smoking may have been your way to deal with stress. Resisting a tobacco craving can itself be stressful. Take the edge off stress by practicing relaxation techniques, such as deep-breathing exercises, yoga, massage or listening to calming music.

Get support

Call up on with a family member, friend or support group member for help in your effort to resist a tobacco craving. Chat on the phone, go for a walk together, share a few laughs, or get together to commiserate about your cravings.

Remind yourself of the benefits

Write down or say out loud the reasons you want to stop smoking and resist tobacco cravings. These might include:

Feeling better
Getting healthier
Sparing your loved ones from secondhand smoke
Saving money

Remember, trying something to beat the urge is always better than doing nothing. And each time you resist a tobacco craving, you’re one step closer to being totally tobacco-free.

Reference

https://www.webmd.com/smoking-cessation/ss/slideshow-13-best-quit-smoking-tips-ever

https://vapingdaily.com/quit-smoking/quit-smoking-tips/

https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/smoking/Pages/Motivateyourself.aspx

– Dr.Chandrashekar

Diabetes and Smoking

What Is Diabetes?

Diabetes is a group of diseases in which blood sugar levels are higher than normal. Most of the food a person eats is turned into glucose (a kind of sugar) for the body’s cells to use for energy. When you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin very well. Less glucose gets into the cells and instead builds up in the blood.This leads to various risks and health issues affecting most major organs of human body.

How Is Smoking Related to Diabetes?

We now know that smoking causes type 2 diabetes. In fact, smokers are 30–40% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than nonsmokers. And people with diabetes who smoke are more likely than nonsmokers to have trouble with insulin dosing and with controlling their disease. The more cigarettes you smoke, the higher your risk for type 2 diabetes.No matter what type of diabetes you have, smoking makes your diabetes harder to control.

If you have diabetes and you smoke, you are more likely to have serious health problems from diabetes. Smokers with diabetes have higher risks for serious complications, including:

Heart and kidney disease
Poor blood flow in the legs and feet that can lead to infections, ulcers, and possible amputation (removal of a body part by surgery, such as toes or feet)
Retinopathy (an eye disease that can cause blindness)
Peripheral neuropathy (damaged nerves to the arms and legs that causes numbness, pain, weakness, and poor coordination).
Many of the combined health effects of smoking and diabetes may make it more difficult to make healthful lifestyle choices.

If you are a smoker with diabetes, quitting smoking will benefit your health right away. People with diabetes who quit have better control of their blood sugar levels.

How to lower the risk of smoking and diabetes

There is no safe way to smoke, particularly with diabetes. The best way to lower the risk from smoking is to quit. Or if quitting is not possible, to dramatically cut down.

The following strategies may lower the risks associated with smoking and diabetes:

Exercise may lower the risk of lung cancer in people who smoke. It also supports good glucose metabolism, and can reduce the chance of obesity, which is another risk factor for diabetes.
Healthful eating can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. Fiber intake is especially important for people with diabetes, because fiber helps lower blood sugar.
Taking diabetes medications as prescribed. People with uncontrolled diabetes are more likely to experience diabetes complications. Smoking compounds these risks.
Cutting back on smoking. There’s no safe number of cigarettes to smoke, but heavy smokers tend to suffer more extensive health problems.

How to make this change?

To lower your risk of complications, quit smoking and avoid tobacco products. Of course, that’s easier said than done. Smoking is addictive and can be very hard to quit.
Start by making a list of all the reasons you want to stop smoking.
Then set a quit date to begin your smoke-free lifestyle.
Share that date with friends and family members who can support you and help hold you accountable. Some of them may even want to join you on your journey!
Many people find that quitting cold turkey is the best way to stop. You might find it easier to quit gradually by decreasing the amount of cigarettes you smoke each day.

Whatever method you choose, your doctor can provide tips to help you along the way. They can also prescribe medications or recommend over-the-counter aids, such nicotine patches or gum. They may also encourage you to try smoking cessation counseling.

Remember, nicotine raises your blood sugar. If you use smoking cessation aids that contain nicotine, such as nicotine patches or gum, your blood sugar will remain elevated. Over time, you can wean yourself off of these aids and enjoy the benefits of lower blood sugar.

The Takeaway

Having diabetes raises your risk of many health problems. Why add fuel to the fire by smoking? Avoiding tobacco products lowers your risk of complications from diabetes. It can help you limit the damage to your organs, blood vessels, and nerves. This can help you live a longer and healthier life.

If you currently smoke, recognizing the benefits of quitting is an important first step. Now it’s time to commit to a change. Make an appointment with your doctor to learn about the treatment and support options that can help you quit for good.

-Dr Prerna Gaur

Acknowledgements

–https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317411.php

–https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/diabetes.html

–https://www.webmd.com/diabetes/guide/diabetes-smoking-cessation-tips#1

–https://www.healthline.com/health/type-2-diabetes/smoking-diabetes

Nutrition guidelines for patients with COPD

COPD patients experience weight loss due to poor appetite. Also, there is weakness that hinders with daily activities like cooking, chewing, swallowing which further results in weight loss and fatigue. Good nutrition plays an important role in improving quality of life of a COPD patient.

Nutrition in COPD.png Continue reading “Nutrition guidelines for patients with COPD”

What causes heart diseases?

Heart is one of the most important organs of the body. It is basically a kind of pump which supplies blood to different parts of the body. This blood supplies oxygen and other nutrients that is needed for proper functioning of the body. At the same time, carbon dioxide and other wastes are removed through the body through the blood. Arteries supply fresh blood to the tissues while veins carry the waste blood. The heart contains electrical “pacemaker” cells, which cause it to contract — producing a heartbeat.

Even a momentary lapse in functioning of the heart can have far reaching consequences, which can often be fatal. Continue reading “What causes heart diseases?”

Quitting Smoking – How to get rid of withdrawal symptoms?

how can you quit smoking

While it is a well known fact (even among smokers!) that smoking is not good for health, it is often quite difficult to quit smoking. Often it is lack of will power or lack of seriousness to quit. But often it is also about withdrawal symptoms wherein the body starts craving for tobacco/ cigarette after some time. Quitting smoking just to resume it few days later is not some thing that is uncommon.

Here are some ways you can deal with withdrawal symptoms.
SMOKING FOOD SUBSTITUTES

If you have given up smoking, weight gain is inevitable. Gain in appetite after quitting smoke is natural because nicotine suppresses appetite centers in the brain leading to increased snacking. Smell and taste sensations are also suppressed due to aftertaste of tobacco. Incidentally, the food you consume to tackle the withdrawal also plays a crucial part in your recovery process. Continue reading “Quitting Smoking – How to get rid of withdrawal symptoms?”