Medication | Smoke Free Methods

Ways to Stop Smoking

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Quitting smoking is important for your health and for the health of those around you. It is also an expensive habit! Deciding to quit smoking is much easier than actually quitting, however. There are several ways you can try to quit smoking including medication, patches, gum and going cold turkey.

If you’ve decided to quit smoking, talk to your doctor. Several different brands of prescription medication can help you get over the addiction, craving and withdrawals. Not all of these, however, are covered by insurance and they can be quite costly. You can find a local doctor through Canada 411.

Nicotine patches work to replace the body’s need for nicotine through a slow release patch instead of a cigarette. Quitting smoking is only one part chemical addiction. The other half of the addiction is the actual physical process of smoking. These patches won’t help you overcome the physical act of smoking, but they can help to wean you off of the chemical addiction.

Nicotine gum is another option to help you quit smoking. These unpleasant tasting gums give your body a low dose of nicotine to replace that which you’re craving. You’re also giving yourself something to do other than physically smoking.

Quitting smoking cold turkey works great for some and is a terrible ordeal for others. If you have the willpower to forcefully deny yourself both the chemical and physical addiction of smoking, that’s great, but you’re in the minority.

Quitting smoking isn’t easy, and many people quit smoking only to start again later. It may take quitting many times before you actually succeed for good.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Medication Tagged With: Canada, Cold turkey, Smoking cessation

Smoke Free E-Cigarettes; are They any Better?

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Are the new smokeless electronic cigarettes a healthier alternative to smoking?

First, let’s understand how they work. As their name suggests, E-Cigarettes are electronic vapor-based cigarettes that use cartridges of nicotine to simulate a normal cigarette nicotine content. Many painstaking details have been built in to make the E-cigarettes as close to a real cigarette as possible, including a LED light at the tip to glow when the user inhales. Some E-cigarettes even have popular brand names printed on them to make them look like regular cigarettes.

Using E-cigarettes also reduces your costs by around 65%. Each cartridge will replace eight cigarettes and only costs a third of the price.

As the user breaths in, the nicotine solution inside is drawn through the “atomizer” or heater and is vaporized. As for second hand smoke, there isn’t any. E-cigarettes just produce a harmless vapor that quickly dissipates. Normal tobacco has more than 4,000 chemicals in it, but the liquid solution that E-cigarettes use can have as few as six, most of which are normal food additives.

Despite the decrease in chemicals and the harmless vapor, doctors are concerned. Since the E-cigarettes use pure nicotine, doctors think that this will increase nicotine addiction in the average person. They also aren’t sure what the long term effects of breathing pure nicotine can have.

Nicotine use causes your arteries to constrict and makes pumping blood harder for your heart. Doctors have linked nicotine to strokes and it is known to slow healing. Nicotine is also a known cause of reproductive toxicity and hypertension.

The benefits of using E-cigarettes versus regular cigarettes is yet to be seen beyond the reduction of cost and chemical content — as well as the lack of second hand smoke. Some doctors have theorized that E-cigarettes can help smokers quit by reducing the amount of nicotine in the cartridges over time.

Filed Under: Addiction, Anti-Smoking, Health, Medication Tagged With: Electronic cigarette, Specific Substances, Tobacco smoking

Panic Attack Tips

A panic attack is a sudden feeling of anxiety and fear, leading up to a peak of overwhelming panic. These attacks are accompanied by regular symptoms and it takes anywhere from nine minutes to half an hour for the panic attack to peak. There currently is no way to eliminate panic attacks entirely, but you can minimize the symptoms and shorten the attack.

Symptoms can include shortness of breath, pins and needle feelings in your hands and feet, nausea and faintness. Some other symptoms are feeling dizzy, having tunnel vision, breathing heavily and a strong urge to escape or run.

Breathing deeply is the best way to counter panic attacks without medication. Even when on medication, it’s good to know how to calm yourself quickly. Deep breathing provides your body with more oxygen and slows your heart rate, which has a calming effect and can help you think clearly.

Start your deep breathing by inhaling slowly while counting to four. Then exhale slowly, again counting to four. Never inhale slowly and exhale quickly, as this will increase your heart rate. Relax as you breathe out and stay relaxed while breathing in. Keep breathing deeply until the attack passes.

If possible, try to distract yourself from focusing on the panic attack. Splash cold water on your face or wash your hair in cold water. Sing along to loud music and step back and forth to the beat. Try to recite the alphabet backwards. Read or watch something funny — laughing is a good diversion. Try smiling as big as you can and remember to keep breathing deeply through any distractions that you attempt.

Do not stop moving until the attack passes. Just walking, pacing or stepping up and down can help circulate blood through your body. Try to move around in a regular pattern without moving fast enough to get out of breath, which will just defeat the purpose and increase the sensation of breathing difficulty.

There are lots of medications available for treating panic attacks, but most aren’t entirely effective. These methods are good to know in case you need to get through a panic attack without any treatment.

Filed Under: Medication Tagged With: Anxiety, Health, Panic attack

The Impact of Cigarettes on Public Health

A serious public health concern is involves smoking cigarettes. Not only are cigarettes harmful to the individual smoking, the secondhand smoke is harmful to innocent bystanders. This harmful nuisance has been addressed for years. Scientists discovered the harmful effects of smoking and began putting warning labels on packages of cigarettes. But the discoveries did not stop there.

With further studies, scientists began to see the effect of cigarette smoke on non-smoking individuals. People that had never smoked a cigarette in their life began developing cancer and other health problems. Even small children with smoking parents were being affected by secondhand smoke. These public health concerns triggered anti-smoking campaigns.

The Surgeon General recognized the risk, informed the public and began changing laws pertaining to tobacco products. No longer were minors allowed to buy cigarettes. Warning labels were rewritten to include information about the effects of smoke on unborn children. The public responded to the new laws by enacting their own restrictions. Restaurants and other places of business began enforcing strict “No Smoking” policies.

Today, smoking is still a habit for millions of people. However, there are more and more products on the market to help people quit. Pills, patches, chewing gum, and lozenges are just a few of the items people can buy to help them curb their nicotine cravings. While giving up cigarettes is not an easy thing to do, people everywhere are trying. The risk of emphysema, lung cancer and other cigarette-related problems overrides the desire for nicotine.

The public once believed that cigarettes were not harmful. Smoking was allowed in all places of business, even hospitals. Today, smoking is banned from almost all public businesses. Even bars and nightclubs are starting to shut their door on cigarette smoke. Science changed that belief and the public responded, proving that public health is an important issue.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health, Medication Tagged With: Cigarette, Tobacco, Tobacco smoking

Surviving Diarrhea

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Though we tend to make light of it in the US, diarrhea is the second cause of death in the world, aside from heart disease — causing over 1 million deaths a year.

Causes of diarrhea vary, but viral gastroenteritis, also known as the stomach flu, causes about 40% of all diarrhea cases each year. People who get diarrhea while traveling get the kind that is primarily caused from bacterial infections in unsanitary food or water. The other most common causes of diarrhea are food allergies, food sensitivities — like lactose intolerance — pernicious anemia, lack of pancreatic secretions and cancer therapy.

While you have diarrhea, your body is not able to absorb the nutrients it needs from your food as it passes through your digestive system. Eventually this will cause malnutrition and weight loss. Most diarrhea will run its course and stop on its own, and supportive treatment for diarrhea is similar for all types; you need to replace the electrolytes and liquids that your body is losing because of the diarrhea. Electrolytes are the basic salts that your body needs to function properly. Oral re-hydration is the most common method to help re-build lost salt content.

While the worse types of diarrhea may require antibacterial or antibiotic treatment from your doctor, most diarrhea can be treated with homeopathic or over the counter medications. Medicines that contain bismuth or loperamide can help shorten the duration of diarrhea. Codeine Phosphate can be used to slow down bowel movements, allowing your body to absorb water and get back to normal.

Diarrhea can quickly cause dehydration if you aren’t careful. Dehydration causes lose of important nutrients like potassium and magnesium. Drinking fruit or vegetable juice with an added pinch of salt or baking soda will help replace these nutrients.

Drinking plain water is also important while you have diarrhea. Your body needs two quarts a day on average. Always avoid caffeinated drinks when you have diarrhea because caffeine can irritate your bowels. Also avoid carbonated drinks, as they can make the diarrhea worse. You can, however, drink whole milk. Milk fat contains anti-infectious agents that might help stop the diarrhea.

Filed Under: General, Health, Health Medicine, Medication Tagged With: Conditions and Diseases, Dehydration, Diarrhea, Digestive Disorders, Lactose intolerance

Monkey on your Back

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Quitting cigarettes can be a headache. No, it can be more than a headache. Quitting can hurt your head and your stomach. Quitting can make you lash out at everyone around you. It can increase your daily stress and cause anxiety and depression. Quitting can even make it nearly impossible to drive your car! Quitting can is hard, but detrimental to your health would be picking up just one more cigarette. Those trying to quit must learn how to deal with the negative aspects of quitting, in order to make the process as easy as possible.

Below is a list of some of the possible challenges you will face when you quit, and how best to deal with these challenges once you get there.

-Increased irritability and frustration

Feelings of anger and frustration usually begin within the first day of your last cigarette, and can last up to a month. Exercise will help calm your emotions. Take a walk, play a sport, or go for a swim. Some people even choose to meditate, helping bring their feelings into perspective, acknowledging that the lack of nicotine is making them angry, not anything else.

-Increased Stress

People smoke to deal with stress. When cigarettes are no longer there, smokers feel like their best coping medicine is lost. Identify the stresses in your life, know their physical symptoms (headaches, trouble sleeping) and try to find other ways to cope.

-Intense Cravings for Nicotine

Smokers thrive off nicotine in their bodies. Once you quit, your body will urge you to smoke, craving more of that lost nicotine. Remember that these cravings will pass. Try to keep your mouth busy, stopping the oral fixation associated with smoking. Try to avoid situations where you would normally smoke.

These are just three of the thousands of hurdles you will have to face in order to quit. Remember to breathe deep, take life slow, and most of all, know your symptoms will pass. You will soon be healthier and happier for quitting!

Filed Under: Addiction, Health, Medication Tagged With: Cigarette, Smoking cessation, Tobacco smoking

What is Anemia?

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The symptoms for anemia vary from person to person, but typically include a tight pain in the chest, dizziness, a lack of energy, rapid heartbeat, headaches, inability to focus, shortness of breath and pale skin. When combined, most of these symptoms make recognizing anemia fairly easy. Anemia caused by iron deficiency is very common in women because they lose a small amount of their body’s iron supply each month during their menstrual period.

Treatments for anemia vary by type; genetic anemia such as sickle cell can be treated by blood transfusions, medications that suppress your immune system and erythropoietin — a medication to make your bones produce more marrow. Blood transfusions are only used in severe anemia cases, as the transfusion can be hard on a body already weakened by anemia. Individuals with anemia of all kinds benefit from supplements of iron, vitamin B12 and other nutrients.

Provided that you haven’t inherited it, preventing anemia is easy enough. Make sure to maintain a healthy diet full of iron rich foods. Vegetables are particularly good sources of iron; broccoli, Swiss chard and sweet potatoes are only a few examples. You should also eat a diet high in B vitamin complex — eggs and grains are two good sources. A good daily multiple vitamin with minerals will contain all the iron your body needs to avoid general anemia and stay healthy. For common iron deficiency anemia, powdered iron supplements are easily taken in a glass of orange juice.

Anemia is a condition in which there is a decrease of hemoglobin — red blood cells — in your blood. The lack of hemoglobin is sometimes caused by loss of nutrients, such as folic acid and vitamin B12. It can also be caused by inherited genetic disorders such as thalassemia and sickle cell. Sickle cell anemia is a particularly difficult condition, shortening life expectancy to less than fifty years in both men and women. Thankfully, sickle cell is not the most common kind of anemia. There are many types and causes of anemia and if you develop it suddenly, it’s most likely because your body is deficient in iron. The symptoms for anemia vary from person to person, but typically include a tight pain in the chest, dizziness, a lack of energy, rapid heartbeat, headaches, inability to focus, shortness of breath and pale skin. When combined, most of these symptoms make recognizing anemia fairly easy. Anemia caused by iron deficiency is very common in women because they lose a small amount of their body’s iron supply each month during their menstrual period. Treatments for anemia vary by type; genetic anemia such as sickle cell can be treated by blood transfusions, medications that suppress your immune system and erythropoietin — a medication to make your bones produce more marrow. Blood transfusions are only used in severe anemia cases, as the transfusion can be hard on a body already weakened by anemia. Individuals with anemia of all kinds benefit from supplements of iron, vitamin B12 and other nutrients. Provided that you haven’t inherited it, preventing anemia is easy enough. Make sure to maintain a healthy diet full of iron rich foods. Vegetables are particularly good sources of iron; broccoli, Swiss chard and sweet potatoes are only a few examples. You should also eat a diet high in B vitamin complex — eggs and grains are two good sources. A good daily multiple vitamin with minerals will contain all the iron your body needs to avoid general anemia and stay healthy. For common iron deficiency anemia, powdered iron supplements are easily taken in a glass of orange juice.

Filed Under: Health, Medication Tagged With: Anemia, Iron deficiency (medicine), Red blood cell, Sickle-cell disease

Using Electronic Cigarettes in Non-Smoking Environments

Hospitals are for the Sick

Go into any local hospital and you’re going to see rooms full of beds with sick people in them. That’s what you certainly would expect to see and shouldn’t be a surprise. Hospitals house patients who are too sick to care for themselves and give them around-the-clock care for their illnesses.

Surprisingly, the hospital is one of the main places where people can get sick if they’re not careful. This is why some hospitals take special precautions to protect their patient’s and the patient’s visitors from exposure to bacteria, diseases, and other factors that can hinder health. This is also why hospitals ask visitor’s not to smoke, as the residual effects of the habit can be damaging to patients. Hospitals often have flammable gases and medical supplies on hand to treat patients, and smoke can trigger symptoms for patients with certain conditions, like asthma.

Many people who smoke use electronic cigarettes as a way to continue to enjoy their habit yet remove any potentially offensive actions on their part. These devices don’t emit the harmful smoke or smell of nicotine cigarettes.

Lengthy Hospital Stays and Visits

Patients who have to stay in the hospital under their doctor’s care for a lengthy time period may also be given special precautions during the course of their treatment. They may need a special room away from other patients, or they may require a rigid course of treatment that is specially designed for their illness.

If a patient is given a lengthy time of recovery from the doctor, the family of the patient may request that the doctor prescribe home visits or therapy so the patient can get treatment in more comfortable surroundings. This can be a welcomed bonus for the patient and possibly even help to speed the recovery and healing time in a dramatic way.

Filed Under: Health, Medication Tagged With: Cigarette, Electronic cigarette, Health

The Risks of Antibacterial Soaps

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With more and more antibacterial soaps on the market, wouldn’t it make sense that we’d be less likely to get sick? Doctors and scientists think otherwise. People may use antibacterial soaps, but they rarely use them correctly. Most antibacterial soaps take two full minutes to work, but the average person washes it off immediately.

Over 75% of liquid soaps are labeled as antibacterial and more are being marketed each year. The question is: is using antibacterial soap any better than using regular hand soap? Both are made out of the same basic materials — acids and an alkali base – and experts at the Center for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) say that using regular hand soap is just as effective in killing germs. In fact, they say that antibacterial hand soaps actually cause more problems than they fix.

Though antibacterial soaps kill harmful bacteria if used properly, they also destroy good bacteria that our bodies need. Bacteria – good and bad – can develop a resistance to the antibacterial soap. Using regular hand soap does not cause germs to build up resistances. Also, common diseases are actually viruses and therefore can’t be eliminated by antibacterial hand soap in the first place.

Another known risk is what doctors are calling super viruses. While a virus will not be killed by an antibacterial soap, it can adapt and become stronger as a result of exposure to the soap and can actually become resistant to multiple types of chemical soaps. As stronger chemicals are developed to fight the stronger viruses, whatever strain of the virus that survives becomes a super virus.

The best known place for a super virus to survive is a hospital, where antibacterial soaps and antibiotics are used on a daily basis. Hospitals believe that antibacterial soaps keep patients from passing diseases around the hospital.

Many health officials are very concerned about the negative effects of antibacterial soaps and advise people to use regular hand soap until more study is undertaken. For the best protection, make sure to wash your hands with soap and warm water for at least a full minute.

Filed Under: Anti-Smoking, Health, Medication Tagged With: Antibacterial soap, Antibiotic resistance, Health

Cronic Fatigue Syndrome

What is chronic fatigue syndrome? Chronic fatigue is an ongoing condition causing severe exhaustion that can’t be helped with rest, but is not caused by any identifiable problem. Generally, chronic fatigue is only diagnosed if you cannot participate in about half of your ordinary activities.

A lot of the symptoms associated with chronic fatigue aresimilar to symptoms caused by viral infections. Symptoms include headaches, muscle pain and of course fatigue. These common symptoms can last for up to six months and more. Some other symptoms, like lack of concentration and irritability, can disguise chronic fatigue as stress.

Some symptoms are more obvious and can help you identify your condition as being more than a common cold. Muscle weakness and pain that can’t be explained by overexertion or injury, a mild fever of up to 101 F and lymph node tenderness.
Lymph nodes are located in your armpits and on your neck, making them easily noticeable if inflamed or swollen.

Though there is no known cure for chronic fatigue, there are medications to help treat the symptoms, as well as help with pain and anxiety. Another common symptom of chronic fatigue is depression, which can also be treated with the proper drugs. Doctors encourage their chronic fatigue patients to maintain active social lives. This helps the patient avoid depression from lack of social interaction.

The actual cause of chronic fatigue is still unknown. Some have linked it to human herpes virus-6 or HHV-6. No direct cause has been found and researchers are still looking for answers. Some studies suggest that chronic fatigue may be inflammation of the nervous system as a reaction to the presence of a virus.

Despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting it, health practitioners have recommended using large doses of vitamin C to treat chronic fatigue. The regular dose of vitamin C is around 3000 mg, but to treat chronic fatigue doctors recommend as much as 10,000 mg a day. More and more people believe that taking the drug treatments recommended by your doctor combined with high doses of vitamin C can help you live a more normal life.

Filed Under: Health Medicine, Medication Tagged With: Chronic fatigue syndrome