Monday, May 17, 2010

Avoid any "100 guarantee" product or service to stop smoking

Several services send me daily updates on news items, blogs and other postings on anything to do with tobacco issues. I'm always amazed at the amount of misinformation available and the products that guarantee a smoker will quit. That 100% guarantee should be the tip off that it's just a 100% guarantee that they want your money. Every method will work for some individuals but no method will work for everyone. Many products “work” because of a placebo effect or the belief or positive expectation that it will work. Trying some of these products or services can be harmless but others can have devastating effects. Here are some products and services that have not been shown to be effective:


  
  • Acupuncture: No evidence to support efficacy as a cessation method in research studies.
  • E-cigarettes: A battery operated devise, not regulated by the FDA that vaporizes nicotine and propylene glycol. No independent safety studies. Mainly produced in China with no safety standards for manufacturing. A small study by the FDA showed some harmful chemicals and inconsistent levels of nicotine. Cannot be advertised as a cessation devise.
  • Hypnosis: Anecdotal stories as to efficacy but insufficient evidence to support hypnosis as a cessation method.
  • Lobedia: Also known as Indian tobacco, a substance chemically similar to nicotine that used in tablets, gum and vitamins pills. Marketed as a substance to help with nicotine withdrawal. Controlled studies have not shown it to be effective. Banned by the FDA in 1993 as a cessation medication.
  • Silver Acetate: A crystalline substance often an ingredient in chewing gum that is claimed to produce a repulsive taste when combined with cigarette smoke. No beneficial effects for cessation have been shown in randomized clinical studies.
  • Smokeless tobacco or snus: Tobacco products that held in the mouth. Different products have varying levels of harmful components. Linked to cancers of the mouth, tongue, gums, lips, and cheeks. Causes cavities, tooth loss, stained teeth, gum disease. Swallowing spit can cause heartburn, ulcers and cancers of the voicebox, esophagus, and parts of the throat and stomach. Increases blood pressure and heart rate. May contain more nicotine than cigarettes.
  • Welplex: An injection consisting of a combination of atropine, scopolamine and chlorpromazine (thorazine). This combination may cause a temporary mental break including hallucinations, heart palpitations, paranoia and possible coma. Not approved by the FDA for smoking cessation. Atropine is used to dilate the eyes. Scopolamine is used for motion sickness. Chlorpromazine is used for psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.

Saturday, May 15, 2010

The best way to quit smoking is to never start

For the past seven years I have been visiting Mrs. Smith's health education classes at Coachella Valley High School as a guest speaker. It's one of the most important talks I do and one of the most rewarding. Mrs. Smith handed me an envelope full of letters from students that attended my last talk. Each thanked me for for talking to them and listed what they learned that was most important to them. Several letters touched me.

I have a brother who smokes and his (wife is) having a baby. We have both tried to tell him to stop but he doesn't listen. One thing I learned (from) your presentation is how to talk to some who smokes and you want them to stop. It seemed like my brother understood what I was trying to tell him and it surprised me because he didn't get mad at all when I told him that maybe him not having enough money came from his smoking habit. Ana
I will stop smoking from now on because I learned that the younger you are to pick up smoking the greater chances I will continue smoking when I am older. Paola
One thing I learned is that smoking causes more damage than I thought. I knew that by smoking you can get lung cancer but I know now that you can cause more damage to yourself. One thing that I will do is try to make sure my little brother and sister don't grow up smoking. Mariana
I learned about that it may not seem like much but little by little smoking does it's effect on the body. Also it could be expensive. Jose.
Other letters just suprised me:
I will not smoke because it's not healthy for me and I won't smoke because I still want to talk and not burp. Eric
( When talking about cancer of the voicebox, I tell them that in the past if your voicebox was removed, you learned how to speak again by sucking in air and burping it up to talk.)
One thing I learned was that there are 30% of cancer's caused by smoking, and that if you get cancer in your lips they can take them off and put fake one's on. Deisy
( I tell the story of Peck who had lip cancer. He was given new lips by a plastic surgeon but he had to be careful not to drool when drinking since his lips were numb-like having novacaine from a dentist. Peck also told me that it took all the fun out of kissing).

Every day I speak to smokers struggling to quit and each one will say the easiest way to quit smoking is to never start. Someday I hope I'm out of business and the next generation will not have to struggle with a nicotine addiction like me and so many other smokers.