If your health isn't enough to make you quit smoking, then the health of your baby should be. Smoking during pregnancy affects you and your baby's health before, during, and after your baby is born. The nicotine (the addictive substance in cigarettes), carbon monoxide, and numerous other poisons you inhale from a cigarette are carried through your bloodstream and go directly to your baby. Smoking while pregnant will:
Lower the amount of oxygen available to you and your growing baby.
Increase your baby's heart rate.
Increase the chances of miscarriage and stillbirth.
Increase the risk that your baby is born prematurely and/or born with low birth weight.
Increase your baby's risk of developing respiratory (lung) problems.
The more cigarettes you smoke per day, the greater your baby's chances of developing these and other health problems. There is no "safe" level of smoking while pregnant.
How Does Secondhand Smoke Affect Pregnancy?
Secondhand smoke (also called passive smoke or environmental tobacco smoke) is the combination of smoke from a burning cigarette and smoke exhaled by a smoker.
The smoke that burns off the end of a cigarette or cigar actually contains more harmful substances (tar, carbon monoxide, nicotine, and others) than the smoke inhaled by the smoker.
If you are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke, you increase your and your baby's risk of developing lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, allergies, asthma, and other health problems.
Babies exposed to secondhand smoke may also develop reduced lung capacity and are at higher risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
How Can I Quit Smoking Before or During Pregnancy?
There are many smoking cessation programs available to help you quit smoking. Ask your health care provider for more information about these programs.
Here are some tips that may help you kick the habit:
Hide your matches, lighters, and ashtrays.
Designate your home a non-smoking area.
Ask people who smoke not to smoke around you.
Drink fewer caffeinated beverages; caffeine may stimulate your urge to smoke. Also avoid alcohol, as it may also increase your urge to smoke and can be harmful to your baby.
Change your habits connected with smoking. If you smoked while driving or when feeling stressed, try other activities to replace smoking.
Keep mints or gum (preferably sugarless) on hand for those times when you get the urge to smoke.
Stay active to keep your mind off smoking and help relieve tension: take a walk, exercise, read a book, or try a new a hobby.
Look for support from others. Join a support group or smoking cessation program.
Do not go places where many people are smoking such as bars or clubs, and smoking sections of restaurants.
Can I Use a Nicotine Replacement During Pregnancy?
Nicotine gum and patches release nicotine into the bloodstream of the smoker who is trying to quit. Although these products can reduce withdrawal symptoms and decrease cravings in smokers who are trying to quit, the safety of these products hasn't been adequately evaluated in pregnant women.
The American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommend that nicotine gum and patches be considered in pregnant women only after other non-drug treatments, like counseling, have failed and if the increased likelihood of quitting smoking, with its potential benefits, outweighs the unknown risk of nicotine replacement and potential smoking.
How Will I Feel When I Quit Smoking During Pregnancy?
The benefits of not smoking start within days of quitting. After you quit, you and your baby's heartbeat will return to normal, and your baby will be less likely to develop breathing problems.
You may have symptoms of withdrawal because your body is used to nicotine, the addictive substance in cigarettes. You may crave cigarettes, be irritable, feel very hungry, cough often, get headaches, or have difficulty concentrating. The withdrawal symptoms are only temporary. They are strongest when you first quit but will go away within 10-14 days. When withdrawal symptoms occur, stay in control. Think about your reasons for quitting. Remind yourself that these are signs that your body is healing and getting used to being without cigarettes. Remember that withdrawal symptoms are easier to treat than the major diseases that smoking can cause.
Even after the withdrawal is over, expect periodic urges to smoke. However, these cravings are generally short-lived and will go away whether you smoke or not. Don't smoke!
If you relapse and smoke again do not lose hope. Of the people who quit, 75% relapse. Most smokers quit three times before they are successful. If you relapse, don't give up! Plan ahead and think about what you will do next time you get the urge to smoke.
Wednesday 23 December 2009
Saturday 19 December 2009
Mom's Smoking During Pregnancy Ups Preemie's SIDS Risk
Babies born prematurely to women who smoked during their pregnancy may be at higher risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) than premature infants born to nonsmoking moms, new research suggests.
The Canadian study is the first to compare the breathing reflexes of "preemies" born to smokers versus nonsmokers. The researchers found that these tiny babies were more likely to have impaired recovery from pauses in breathing if their mother had smoked during her pregnancy.
"Our study shows that preterm infants make incomplete and/or delayed recovery from interruptions in breathing," study author and neonatologist Dr. Shabih Hasan, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Calgary, said in an American Thoracic Society news release. "This has clear implications for their risk of SIDS."
The study, published in the first issue for September of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, involved 22 infants born spontaneously between 28 and 32 weeks of gestation. Twelve of the babies had mothers who smoked five or more cigarettes daily, while the moms of the other 10 babies did not smoke during their pregnancy. The team assessed factors such as the infants' breathing rate, interruptions in breathing, breathing recovery time, oxygen saturation in the blood, and heart rate.
While the team found no differences between the two groups in terms of respiratory rates and the number of breathing pauses, infants born to smoking mothers showed increases in heart rate during a short period of lowered oxygen. Babies born to nonsmoking women did not show such a change, indicating that they were less stressed when oxygen levels dipped. Babies born to women who smoked during pregnancy also took longer to recover from depleted blood oxygen levels than infants born to nonsmoking mothers.
Besides the risk of SIDS, "inability or delayed recovery from repeated low oxygen episodes can also be detrimental to brain development," Hasan noted. "There is increasing evidence that infants exposed to prenatal cigarette smoke are at high risk for developmental and behavioral disorders."
Hasan said the findings may help doctors and parents better identify those premature babies at higher risk of SIDS, so that they can be more closely monitored at home.
More information
There's more on SIDS at the Nemours Foundation.
Friday 18 December 2009
Smoking Cessation
About 46 million American adults smoke cigarettes, but most smokers are either actively trying to quit or want to quit. Since 1965, more than 49 percent of all adults who have ever smoked have quit.
AHA Scientific Position
According to the 2004 Surgeon General's Report, The Health Consequences of Smoking, eliminating smoking can greatly reduce the occurrence of coronary heart disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease. Smoking cessation is important in the medical management of many contributors to heart attack. These include atherosclerosis (fatty buildups in arteries), thrombosis (blood clots), coronary artery spasm and cardiac arrhythmia (heart rhythm problems). Quitting smoking also can help manage several other disorders, especially arteriosclerotic peripheral vascular disease (fatty buildups in peripheral arteries) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
According to the 2004 Surgeon General's Report, tobacco smoking remains the No. 1 cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.
About 23 percent of adult men and 19 percent of adult women smoke. This figure is down considerably from 42 percent in 1965. Changes in smoking habits during the late 1960s, the 1970s and the 1980s have very likely contributed to the drop in cardiovascular deaths that occurred at the same time in the United States.
Why Quit?:
After one year off cigarettes, the excess risk of coronary heart disease caused by smoking is reduced by half. After 15 years of abstinence, the risk is similar to that for people who've never smoked.†
In 5 to 15 years, the risk of stroke for ex-smokers returns to the level of those who've never smoked.†
Male smokers who quit between ages 35 to 39 add an average of 5 years to their lives. Female quitters in this age group add 3 years. Men and women who quit at ages 65 to 69 increase their life expectancy by 1 year.‡
More than four in five smokers say they want to quit. And each year about 1.3 million smokers do quit. With good smoking cessation programs, 20 to 40 percent of participants are able to quit smoking and stay off cigarettes for at least one year.‡ According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, new, effective clinical treatments for tobacco dependence have been identified in the past decade. Combining interventions such as physician advice and follow-up with nicotine gum and behavior modification may increase success rates. Smoking cessation programs seem especially helpful for people who smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day.
AHA Advocacy Position
The American Heart Association continues to advocate that adequate resources be provided for tobacco cessation programs. While prevention programs may be able to prevent new smokers from ever becoming addicted to nicotine, about one-third of tobacco users will die prematurely because of their dependence on tobacco unless treatment efforts are increased. Tobacco-use cessation or treatment programs offer the best hope for helping these people.
AHA Scientific Position
According to the 2004 Surgeon General's Report, The Health Consequences of Smoking, eliminating smoking can greatly reduce the occurrence of coronary heart disease and other forms of cardiovascular disease. Smoking cessation is important in the medical management of many contributors to heart attack. These include atherosclerosis (fatty buildups in arteries), thrombosis (blood clots), coronary artery spasm and cardiac arrhythmia (heart rhythm problems). Quitting smoking also can help manage several other disorders, especially arteriosclerotic peripheral vascular disease (fatty buildups in peripheral arteries) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
According to the 2004 Surgeon General's Report, tobacco smoking remains the No. 1 cause of preventable disease and death in the United States.
About 23 percent of adult men and 19 percent of adult women smoke. This figure is down considerably from 42 percent in 1965. Changes in smoking habits during the late 1960s, the 1970s and the 1980s have very likely contributed to the drop in cardiovascular deaths that occurred at the same time in the United States.
Why Quit?:
After one year off cigarettes, the excess risk of coronary heart disease caused by smoking is reduced by half. After 15 years of abstinence, the risk is similar to that for people who've never smoked.†
In 5 to 15 years, the risk of stroke for ex-smokers returns to the level of those who've never smoked.†
Male smokers who quit between ages 35 to 39 add an average of 5 years to their lives. Female quitters in this age group add 3 years. Men and women who quit at ages 65 to 69 increase their life expectancy by 1 year.‡
More than four in five smokers say they want to quit. And each year about 1.3 million smokers do quit. With good smoking cessation programs, 20 to 40 percent of participants are able to quit smoking and stay off cigarettes for at least one year.‡ According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence, new, effective clinical treatments for tobacco dependence have been identified in the past decade. Combining interventions such as physician advice and follow-up with nicotine gum and behavior modification may increase success rates. Smoking cessation programs seem especially helpful for people who smoke more than 25 cigarettes a day.
AHA Advocacy Position
The American Heart Association continues to advocate that adequate resources be provided for tobacco cessation programs. While prevention programs may be able to prevent new smokers from ever becoming addicted to nicotine, about one-third of tobacco users will die prematurely because of their dependence on tobacco unless treatment efforts are increased. Tobacco-use cessation or treatment programs offer the best hope for helping these people.
Wednesday 16 December 2009
Adolescent Smokers Prone To Drug Abuse
It is common knowledge that smoking is a health risk but why do teens become addicted to smoking more easily than adults? In an evaluation for Faculty of 1000 Biology, Neil Grunberg looks into why adolescents are more prone to substance abuse.
Grunberg describes the study, published by Natividad et al. in Synapse journal, as "fascinating" and suggests it "may have implications to help understand why adolescents are particularly prone to drug abuse".
Nicotine increases the level of dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and wellbeing. The study looked at dopamine levels in adolescent and adult rats after nicotine withdrawal. The authors found that the withdrawal signs (physical and neurochemical) seen in adolescent rats were fewer than those observed in adults.
The study provides previously unknown mechanisms as to why there are differences in nicotine withdrawal between adolescent and adult rats. The key here, as stated by Grunberg, is "age alters [neurological] systems and interactions relevant to nicotine".
The reason that adolescents are prone to drug abuse (in this case, nicotine) is that they have increased sensitivity to its rewarding effects and do not display the same negative withdrawal effects as adults do, due to an underdeveloped dopamine-producing system.
Since rats are not subject to cultural influences, "rat studies of nicotine ... have provided valuable insights that have led to practical behavioural and pharmacological interventions", says Grunberg.
The results of this study may not stop at nicotine. Grunberg continues, "these findings might also be relevant to other addictive and abuse drugs".
The full text of this article is available free for 90 days at http://www.f1000biology.com/article/d43fbwjsqtzb3f1/id/1166360
An abstract of the original article Nicotine withdrawal produces a decrease in extracellular levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens that is lower in adolescent versus adult male rats is at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/19771590
Grunberg describes the study, published by Natividad et al. in Synapse journal, as "fascinating" and suggests it "may have implications to help understand why adolescents are particularly prone to drug abuse".
Nicotine increases the level of dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter that is responsible for feelings of pleasure and wellbeing. The study looked at dopamine levels in adolescent and adult rats after nicotine withdrawal. The authors found that the withdrawal signs (physical and neurochemical) seen in adolescent rats were fewer than those observed in adults.
The study provides previously unknown mechanisms as to why there are differences in nicotine withdrawal between adolescent and adult rats. The key here, as stated by Grunberg, is "age alters [neurological] systems and interactions relevant to nicotine".
The reason that adolescents are prone to drug abuse (in this case, nicotine) is that they have increased sensitivity to its rewarding effects and do not display the same negative withdrawal effects as adults do, due to an underdeveloped dopamine-producing system.
Since rats are not subject to cultural influences, "rat studies of nicotine ... have provided valuable insights that have led to practical behavioural and pharmacological interventions", says Grunberg.
The results of this study may not stop at nicotine. Grunberg continues, "these findings might also be relevant to other addictive and abuse drugs".
The full text of this article is available free for 90 days at http://www.f1000biology.com/article/d43fbwjsqtzb3f1/id/1166360
An abstract of the original article Nicotine withdrawal produces a decrease in extracellular levels of dopamine in the nucleus accumbens that is lower in adolescent versus adult male rats is at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/19771590
Saturday 12 December 2009
Friday 4 December 2009
Teen Smoking Facts
Each day 3,000 children smoke their first cigarette.
At least 3 million adolescents are smokers.
Tobacco use primarily begins in early adolescence, typically by age 16.
Almost all first use occurs before high school graduation.
20 percent of American teens smoke.
Roughly 6 million teens in the US today smoke despite the knowledge that it is addictive and leads to disease.
Of every 100,000 15 year old smokers, tobacco will prematurely kill at least 20,000 before the age of 70.
Of the 3,000 teens who started smoking today, nearly 1,000 will eventually die as a result from smoking.
Adolescent girls who smoke and take oral birth control pills greatly increase their chances of having blood clots and strokes.
According to the Surgeon's General, Teenagers who smoke were:
•Three times more likely to use alcohol.
•Eight times are likely to smoke marijuana.
•And 22 times more likely to use Cocaine.
Although only 5 percent of high school smokers said that they would definitely be smoking five years later, close to 75 percent were still smoking 7 to 9 years later.
A person who starts smoking at age 13 will have a more difficult time quitting, has more health-related problems and probably will die earlier than a person who begins to smoke at age 21.
Kids who smoke experience changes in the lungs and reduced lung growth, and they risk not achieving normal lung function as an adult.
Kids who smoke have significant health problems, including cough and phlegm production, decreased physical fitness and unfavorable lipid profile.
If your child's best friends smoke, then your youngster is 13 times more likely to smoke than if his or her friends did not smoke.
More than 90 percent of adult smokers started when they were teens.
Adolescents who have two parents who smoke are more than twice as likely as youth without smoking parents to become smokers.
A 2001 Survey found that 69.4 percent of teenage smokers reported never being asked for proof of age when buying cigarettes in a store. The same survey found that 62.4 percent were allowed to buy cigarettes even when the retailer was aware they were under eighteen.
At least 3 million adolescents are smokers.
Tobacco use primarily begins in early adolescence, typically by age 16.
Almost all first use occurs before high school graduation.
20 percent of American teens smoke.
Roughly 6 million teens in the US today smoke despite the knowledge that it is addictive and leads to disease.
Of every 100,000 15 year old smokers, tobacco will prematurely kill at least 20,000 before the age of 70.
Of the 3,000 teens who started smoking today, nearly 1,000 will eventually die as a result from smoking.
Adolescent girls who smoke and take oral birth control pills greatly increase their chances of having blood clots and strokes.
According to the Surgeon's General, Teenagers who smoke were:
•Three times more likely to use alcohol.
•Eight times are likely to smoke marijuana.
•And 22 times more likely to use Cocaine.
Although only 5 percent of high school smokers said that they would definitely be smoking five years later, close to 75 percent were still smoking 7 to 9 years later.
A person who starts smoking at age 13 will have a more difficult time quitting, has more health-related problems and probably will die earlier than a person who begins to smoke at age 21.
Kids who smoke experience changes in the lungs and reduced lung growth, and they risk not achieving normal lung function as an adult.
Kids who smoke have significant health problems, including cough and phlegm production, decreased physical fitness and unfavorable lipid profile.
If your child's best friends smoke, then your youngster is 13 times more likely to smoke than if his or her friends did not smoke.
More than 90 percent of adult smokers started when they were teens.
Adolescents who have two parents who smoke are more than twice as likely as youth without smoking parents to become smokers.
A 2001 Survey found that 69.4 percent of teenage smokers reported never being asked for proof of age when buying cigarettes in a store. The same survey found that 62.4 percent were allowed to buy cigarettes even when the retailer was aware they were under eighteen.
Thursday 3 December 2009
If You Want to Stop Smoking - You Can
If you want to stop smoking you can, because there is only one person preventing you from doing so, and that is yourself.
So, you must really, really, want to stop smoking, because if you don't you will make excuses for not doing so. You will say, I can't, or why should I, or I enjoy smoking, or whatever.
If you need reminding that smoking kills, just remember the Grim Reaper's Smoking Poem, which is reproduced below:
Just Remember
The Grim Reaper Loves Smokers
Stop smoking NOW - You may have read
'Cos if you don't - You'll soon be dead
That smoking kills - You can be sure
From this and that - There is no cure
You stumble on - With cough and wheeze
'Tis smoking - Caused your lung disease
Not me you say - My breathings good
Was that my heart - I heard a thud
Can't stop now - It is too late
There is no point - I know my fate
But just a mo' - 'Cause you know what
It's not too late - To stop the rot
There's patches, pills - Advice to take
The effort is - Just yours to make
It seemed quite hard - But your success
Improved your health - And nothing less
That smoking kills - You now agree
But say "I've stopped" - It won't get me
After you have read it, print it, and then cut it out, and carry it with you in your handbag or wallet. Then refer to it whenever the need arises. The first four lines should be enough to make you want to stop smoking without any excuses. The last four lines show that it is hardly ever too late to stop smoking, and derive considerable benefit.
In many cases stopping smoking will save peoples lives, because in the USA alone around 440,000 people die every year from smoking related diseases. It's just about the biggest cause of avoidable death there is. So, never pretend you don't want to stop smoking. Because it's almost like saying you want to die, which fortunately is not true for most people.
Luckily we have reached the stage when a great deal of informed opinion is being focused on stopping smoking. Some health authorities and government departments are doing whatever they can to assist people who want to stop smoking. Such assistance even extends, in some instances, to providing commercial non-smoking aids free. It seems obvious they care about the state of the nations health. They have also recognized the cost of treating people with smoking related diseases, against the cost of assisting them to stop.
There are all sorts of ways that can be of assistance in your quest to stop smoking. You are not on your own, and although stopping is seldom easy, it may not be as difficult as it once was. This is particularly the case in those countries providing state aid through health services etc.
Richard Wise writes articles about natural health, including stopping smoking, aromatherapy, herbal remedies, antioxidants, allergies and vegetarianism. If you are interested in stopping smoking please visit his web site which is at http://www.wanttostopsmoking.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Wise
So, you must really, really, want to stop smoking, because if you don't you will make excuses for not doing so. You will say, I can't, or why should I, or I enjoy smoking, or whatever.
If you need reminding that smoking kills, just remember the Grim Reaper's Smoking Poem, which is reproduced below:
Just Remember
The Grim Reaper Loves Smokers
Stop smoking NOW - You may have read
'Cos if you don't - You'll soon be dead
That smoking kills - You can be sure
From this and that - There is no cure
You stumble on - With cough and wheeze
'Tis smoking - Caused your lung disease
Not me you say - My breathings good
Was that my heart - I heard a thud
Can't stop now - It is too late
There is no point - I know my fate
But just a mo' - 'Cause you know what
It's not too late - To stop the rot
There's patches, pills - Advice to take
The effort is - Just yours to make
It seemed quite hard - But your success
Improved your health - And nothing less
That smoking kills - You now agree
But say "I've stopped" - It won't get me
After you have read it, print it, and then cut it out, and carry it with you in your handbag or wallet. Then refer to it whenever the need arises. The first four lines should be enough to make you want to stop smoking without any excuses. The last four lines show that it is hardly ever too late to stop smoking, and derive considerable benefit.
In many cases stopping smoking will save peoples lives, because in the USA alone around 440,000 people die every year from smoking related diseases. It's just about the biggest cause of avoidable death there is. So, never pretend you don't want to stop smoking. Because it's almost like saying you want to die, which fortunately is not true for most people.
Luckily we have reached the stage when a great deal of informed opinion is being focused on stopping smoking. Some health authorities and government departments are doing whatever they can to assist people who want to stop smoking. Such assistance even extends, in some instances, to providing commercial non-smoking aids free. It seems obvious they care about the state of the nations health. They have also recognized the cost of treating people with smoking related diseases, against the cost of assisting them to stop.
There are all sorts of ways that can be of assistance in your quest to stop smoking. You are not on your own, and although stopping is seldom easy, it may not be as difficult as it once was. This is particularly the case in those countries providing state aid through health services etc.
Richard Wise writes articles about natural health, including stopping smoking, aromatherapy, herbal remedies, antioxidants, allergies and vegetarianism. If you are interested in stopping smoking please visit his web site which is at http://www.wanttostopsmoking.com/
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Wise
Wednesday 2 December 2009
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