Doctors in England said that smokers diagnosed with lung cancer should not assume they have a death sentence. Quitting smoking even if you are diagnosed with a fatal illness can greatly boost your chances of  survival.

63 to 70 percent of smokers who quit after diagnosis were still alive after five years. This 5-year period is a benchmark of survival in cancer research. On the other hand, only 29 to 33 per cent of smokers who continued to smoke survived this 5-year period, said an online report published by the British Medical Journal.

The study was a result of a review of 10 published studies in smoking and cancer survival carried out by scientists at Birmingham University, central England.

The authors speculated that tobacco smoke may accelerate progression of a tumor, although further work is needed to confirm this.

In spite of the lack of empirical evidence, the study showed it could be worthwhile for doctors to encourage smokers to give up their habit when diagnosed with early-stage lung cancer.

The connection between smoking and lung cancer has been know for many years. The risk of developing a primary lung tumor is 20 times greater for a hardcore smoker than a non-smoker, according to a 2003 study.

So smokers, stub it out while you still can!

It’s Never Too Late To Quit Smoking is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

If you find that you are smoking more cigarettes ove time, your dependence on nicotine has increased and this is the first telltale sign of the beginning of your addiction.

Then withdrawal symptoms occur when you stop smoking, and disappear when you smoke again. You have now developed a psychological dependence and have the urge to smoke again.

From statistics, it takes six months to one year to become dependent on nicotine if your take one to five puffs of cigarette every day.

Nearly half of smokers who have tried to quit before found it difficult to do so due to psychological dependence while another quarter of smokers found it difficult to quit due to physical dependence.

Physical dependence is when you experience the characteristic withdrawal symptoms when nicotine use is cut off, such as the intense craving for a smoke. Psychological dependence occurs when you develop a daily routine and a habit of smoking cigarettes.

It is a well know fact that nicotine is extremely addictive. It reaches the brain in less than 10 seconds with just a single puff. It then binds to receptors in the brain leading to the release of a neurotransmitter called dopamine, which in turn gives smokers the temporary feeling of pleasure.

Many smokers are aware of the health risks of smoking and have tried quitting, or planned to quit. However, the World Health Organzation estimates that less than 5 per cent of smokers who tried to quit unaided were able to stay smoke-free for only one year.

Smoking Just For The Fun Of It? Think Again! is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

While its a well known fact that smoking causes Erectile Dysfunction (ED), recent studies have reinforced the harmful effects of cigarette smoking to impotence and infertility.

ED is the persistent inability to attain and maintain penile erections adequate for satisfactory sexual performance.

When you smoke, fatty deposits build up in the arteries supplying blood to your penis. This results in decreased blood flow to the penis, which causes ED.

Further reduction in blood flow can also result from rapid contractions in the penile tissue that restrict arterial blood flow into the penis. This is a direct result of nicotine stimulation in the brain.

Nicotine in the bloodstream also causes excessive outflow from veins in the penis and this reduces the duration of an erection.

However, these are not the only problems. Men who smoke also have lower sperm count and motility. There are also increased abnormalities in sperm shape and function.

On the other hand, if you choose to stop smoking, your sperm motility almost always improves, though the other effects will improve only if the arteries are not permanently hardened and damaged.

Studies have shown that smoking causes infertility within months and ED within four to five years.

Women smokers do not fare that well either. You will have decreased egg counts and are more likely to have painful and irregular menstruation. Also, the risk of early menopause will be markedly increased and you are four times more likely to suffer from cervical cancer than a non-smoker.

Should you become pregnant, you also face an increased risk of miscarriages and are twice as likely to have an ectopic pregnancy.

An ectopic pregnancy happens when the fertilized egg grows outside the uterus.

Smoking is also responsible for 15 per cent of premature births.

There is help for you if you want to stop smoking immediately. You can join the smoking cessation clinic near you home, or download this quit smoking ebook here.

Stop Smoking If You Want To Have Kids is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

SINGAPORE: More people are giving hypnosis a shot in their efforts to quit smoking. While this form of treatment has been available here for at least ten years now, more hospital professionals are being trained in it.

Some 30 health care professionals will complete a clinical hypnosis course conducted by London College of Clinical Hypnosis in collaboration with Tan Tock Seng Hospital in October.

The whole session will take about 1.5 hours and according to therapist Mdm Karen Ong from the London College of Clinical Hypnosis, the therapy is very safe.

Sheila Menon, principal, London College of Clinical Hypnosis, said: “What happens is when a smoker decides to quit smoking, they can go into a relaxed state and focus acutely on what it is they want to achieve and they can break the habit. In addition to that, they can also imagine themselves as a non—smoker in the future.”

But does this method work for teenagers who do not want to quit smoking?

Ms Menon said: “When a parent brings a teenager who really doesn’t want to quit, we quite often say, ’Why not give it a shot? Try out being a non—smoker and you can choose to remain a non—smoker, or go back to smoking.’”

The hope is that they will benefit from the attempt. — CNA/vm/ls

More People Opting For Hypnosis To Try To Quit Smoking is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

The research was conducted by Dr Inga-Cecilie Soerheim and researchers at the Bringham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and the University of Bergen in Norway.

Dr Soerheim said their analysis indicated that women may be more vulnerable to the effects of smoking as they may be more susceptible to the toxic effects of cigarette smoking.

A total of 954 people in Norway with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – including lung problems from chronic bronchitis to emphysema – were tested. About 60 percent were men and 40 percent were women. All were either ex-smokers or current smokers.

Health official are especially concerned about COPD as more people are affected with this disease. It currently affects more than 200 million people worldwide, and the trend is rising. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath and coughing.

The study revealed that both groups had similar lung impairments. However, the researchers found that among the younger subjects and those who were light smokers, women had more severe disease and worse lung function than men.

“This means that female smokers in our study experienced reduced lung function at a lower level of smoking exposure and at an earlier age than men,” Dr Soerheim said.

“Many people believe that their own smoking is too limited to be harmful – that a few cigarettes a day represent a minimal risk,” she said. “However, in the low exposure group in this study, half of the women actually had severe COPD.”

Is Smoking More Harmful To Female Smokers? is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

Another smoking related threat to children’s health has been identified by experts, and its not easy to get rid of. Its called third-hand smoke, a term coined by doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston, US, in a new study that focused on the risks they pose to infants and children.

Third-hand smoke is the invisible toxic brew of gases and particles that lingers and settles on the cushions and carpets long after smoke has cleared from your room. Even if you smoke outdoors, third-hand smoke can still cling to your hair and clothes.

Its easy for young children to be exposed to this toxic brew. If you have small kids crawling or playing on the floor or sofa, the residue can get on their hands and ingest. This is especially worrying as the third-hand smoke includes very toxic residue of heavy metals, carcinogens and even radioactive materials.

Dr Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of paediatrics at Harvard Medical School says: “Everyone knows that 2nd hand smoke is bad, but they don’t know about this. When their kids are out of the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car.

“Or they strap the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and smoke, and they think it’s okay because the second-hand smoke isn’t getting to their kids. We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren’t visible.”

He continues: “Third-hand smoke is what one smells when a smoker gets in an elevator after going outside for a cigarette, or in a hotel room where people were smoking. Your nose isn’t lying. The stuff is so toxic that your brain is telling you, ‘Get away’.”

Says Dr Philip Landrigan, a paediatrician who heads the Children’s Environmental Health Center at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York: “The central message here is that simply closing the kitchen door to take a smoke is not protecting the kids from the effects of that smoke. There are carcinogens in this third-hand smoke that they are a cancer risk for anybody of any age who comes into contact with them.”

Third Hand Smoke is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

The study used ultrasound to measure how the arteries of healthy young adults respond to changes in blood flow. 18 college students were recruited for their study. Among them, half smoked less than a pack a week and were smoke-free for two days prior to the test. The other half were non-smokers.

They found that the arteries of the occasional smokers were 36 per cent less responsive to changes in blood flow than non-smokers. The occasional smokers were asked to smoke two cigarettes after they underwent their initial test. The researchers then re-examined their arteries and found that smoking dropped their arterial responsiveness by another 24 percent compared to before they smoked.

Study co-author Kevin McCully, a professor of kinesiology in the UGA College of Education, have this to say: “Most people know that if they have a cigarette or two over the weekend that it’s not good for their arteries, but what they may not be aware of—and what our study shows—is that the decrease in function persists into the next week, if not longer.”

McCully went on to explain that the healthier an artery is, the more responsive it is to changes in blood flow. An impaired flow-mediated dilation, as a result of a reduction in responsiveness, is an early sign of arterial damage that often foreshadows cardiovascular disease.

“We saw a definite effect of cigarettes on the arteries, even in young people who you would expect to be healthy,” he said.

Smoking Damage is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

Facts About Smoking:

1. On average, you will die 16 years earlier than normal. Not only that, your death will most likely be a painful one, from smoking related diseases such as cancer and stroke.
2. Your child will be more prone to asthma and ear, nose and chest infections, increased risk of dying from sudden infant death syndrome, and increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
3. You will have a harder time finding the right job as employers know that smokers are more likely to have sick leave than non-smokers. When the economy is bad, everything being equal, smokers will be the first to be retrenched.
4. If you are single, your chances of bedding a hot date are greatly reduced. Nobody wants to bed someone with bad breath, stained teeth, and can’t last the distant as a result of smoking related conditions such as impotence and pre-mature ejaculation.
5. Smoking not only costs you your health, but it also costs you a mini fortune! An average smoker burns up to $3,102.50 a year. Multiply that by 20 years and think what you could do with that money!

If you still insist on smoking your health and happiness away, by all means carry on your path to a slow and painful death. Otherwise, if you are serious about quitting smoking, don’t despair. There’s still hope yet.

Quit Smoking Facts:

1. Within 3 months after quitting, there will be significant improvement in the functions of all your internal organs. Your heart attack risks drops, and your lungs begin to clear out mucous and other smoking debris. You will begin to love life, as your sense of smell and taste return to normal, and you will have the energy to participate in the activities you used to love doing.
2. Your loved ones will be very proud of you, not because you have quit, but the fact that you even tried in the first place. And they will be forever grateful that you have stopped poisoning them with tobacco chemicals, day in day out.
3. You will be fresh and brimming with confidence. Because you have just overcome a big obstacle, you will be so confident that you will ace that interview that will land you your dream job. Even better, your present boss will be so impressed with your quitting smoking that he gives you a promotion!
4. You are a magnet in any social occasions. Beautiful people want to be seen with you. You look cool and confident. You can bring anyone you desire home, and you will enjoy romance and sex like never before.
5. You will find that you always have extra cash at the end of the month, unlike the times when you were a smoker. Save it, give your loved ones a treat, or indulge in yourself a little. Whatever you decide to do with the extra money, you would have made someone happy.

Now, that should be incentive enough for you to quit smoking. Quitting smoking is never difficult. It’s all in the mind. If quitting smoking ever crosses your mind, then you CAN quit! Our free 5-Day quit smoking eCourse is designed to make quitting smoking painless and enjoyable. Just follow every step of the way and you will be a non-smoker in no time. Go ahead and download this free quit smoking eCourse now!

Quit Smoking Facts is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

The Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation: A report of the Surgeon General. US DHHS, 1990.

This is what happens the moment you stopped smoking.

Within 20 Minutes:
Your blood pressure, pulse rate, and the temperature of your hands and feet will all return to normal.

Within 8 Hours:
Nicotine and carbon monoxide levels in blood will reduce by half. Oxygen levels will return to normal.

Within 24 Hours:
Carbon monoxide will be eliminated from the body. Lungs start to clear out mucous and other smoking debris.

Within 48 Hours:
Damaged nerve endings have started to regrow and your sense of smell and taste are beginning to return to normal.

Within 72 Hours:
Your entire body will test 100% nicotine-free and over 90% of all nicotine metabolites will now have passed from your body via your urine. You can also expect the symptoms of chemical withdrawal to have peaked in intensity. Your bronchial tubes are beginning to relax thus making it easier to breathe. Your lung capacity has also started to increase.

Within 10 – 14 Days:
Your body has physically adjusted to again functioning without nicotine and the more than 3,500 chemical particles and 500 gases present in each and every puff.

Within 2 – 12 Weeks:
Your heart attack risk has started to drop. Your lung function is beginning to improve. Your circulation has also substantially improved. Walking has become easier. Your chronic cough, if any, has likely disappeared.

Within 3 – 9 Months:
Any smoking related sinus congestion, fatigue or shortness of breath have decreased. Cilia have regrown in your lungs thereby increasing their ability to handle mucus, keep your lungs clean, and reduce infections. Your body’s overall energy has increased.

Within 5 Years:
Your excess risk of coronary heart disease has dropped to less than half that of a smoker.

Within 10 Years:
Your risk of death from lung cancer has declined by almost half if you were an average smoker (one pack per day). Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus has now decreased. Your risk of stroke has declined to that of a non-smoker.

Within 15 Years:
Your risk of coronary heart disease is now that of a person who has never smoked.

As you can see, the moment you stopped smoking, your body functions will start returning to normal and the physical health benefits are almost instantaneous. This is what happens when you quit smoking immediately. If you are looking to start quitting, there is no better time than now. I am sure this report will give you the strength and determination to quit smoking…NOW!

What Happens When You Quit Smoking is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids

Impressive in front of goal this season, James is getting the attention of national coach Fabio Capello, and wants to emulate goalkeeping greats such as Peter Shilton and Dino Zoff.

James credits his impressive form to kicking the smoking habit, admitting that he only gave up smoking when he left Liverpool.

“Football is a tough game and it is quite literally a survival of the fittest. The fact that he [Capello] selected me [last time] means I must be doing something right.”

He said: “I’ve signed a new contract with Portsmouth that gives me clearance beyond the World Cup. My goal is to be involved in that.

“What happens between now and then we’ll just have to see, but I’m happy with my performances and happy with football. If I can keep performing, why just limit myself to league football?”, reports The Daily Telegraph.

David James Credits Quitting Smoking for his Impressive Form is a post from: Quit Smoking Aids