Great American Smoke-out; Stop Smoking

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Make Smoking and Vaping History

September 15th marked the Great American Smoke-Out.
I recently experienced a surge in requests for assistance with ‘smoking cessation.’ Besides this being the time for the annual Great American Smoke-Out, I believe some of this upswing in consultations is due to the reports in the media of the dangers of vaping with the ‘risks of a serious lung disease.’ This year there have been 7 deaths reported in the United States related to serious lung diseases linked with vaping. This has led to calls in the media to ban flavored e-cigarettes, seemingly targeted at teenagers. The irony of this is how quickly politicians and agencies have talked about banning these products, and yet the Tobacco Industry is allowed to continue to sell knowingly lethal products, that are attributed to almost half a million deaths annually in the United States.
Some Important Facts:
  • E-cigarettes usually contain nicotine. Nicotine is what makes tobacco products addictive. Some e-cigarettes that claim to be nicotine-free have been found to contain nicotine.
  • E-cigarettes are harmful for youth, young adults, and pregnant women.
  • E-cigarettes may contain other harmful substances (Eg. heavy metals, flavorings linked to lung disease, small particles that can be inhaled deep into the lungs, and cancer-causing chemicals).
  • Being near someone using an e-cigarette can expose you to the aerosol and chemicals in it, similar to secondhand smoke from burning cigarettes.
  • 4.7 million middle and high school students use at least one tobacco product, including e-cigarettes.
  • More than 43 million people in the United States smoke cigarettes (about 1 in 5 adults).480,000 deaths each year from smoking-related illness
  • Nearly 40 million U.S. adults still smoke cigarettes
  • Smoking is the #1 preventable cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States
The Bottom Line – there is NO ‘safe’ nicotine or tobacco product. Stopping smoking and use of vaping nicotine products saves lives. Stop Now …, and you will be glad you did!
Contact us with questions and for assistance with smoking cessation: dreamtimewellness@gmail.com. 978-283-4258. Additional assistance can be found by calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW, or at https://smokefree.gov.
Wishing you the best in health,

Karen

Sources and For More Information:
  • CDC.gov
  • Smokefree.gov.
  • Cancer.net

Karen Pischke BSN, RN, Alumnus CCRN, Author, Speaker, Nurse Researcher, Photographer. Certified Hypnotherapist, Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Usui Reiki Teacher/Komyo Shihan. Owner/Founder of Dreamtime Wellness LLC. Your Bridge to Health. Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit. Karen is a registered nurse with a background in critical care nursing, cardiac rehabilitation, cardiac risk factor reduction, wellness and integrative healthcare. Incorporating a collaborative, integrative approach, Karen strives to educate, advocate for, and empower you in your healthcare goals. Providing evidence-based integrative healthcare services and self-care tools that are safe as well as effective at improving overall health, happiness and wellbeing. www.DreamtimeWellness.com. Find us on Instagram and Facebook

Disclaimer: This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion about health and related sub­jects. The words and other con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked mate­ri­als, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately licensed physi­cian or other health care worker. Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay in seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor or 911 immediately. The views expressed on this blog and web­site have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the authors are affiliated.

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Stop Smoking … and Take Back Your Health

Your Bridge to Health; Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind, Body and Spirit

Tomorrow is the Great American Smoke-Out! 

Smoking Remains the #1 Preventable Cause of Disease in the United States. Smoking negatively affects every body system. Thanks to the efforts of the American Cancer Society and American Heart Association, fewer people are still smoking.

The Good News: Within minutes of smoking your last cigarette, your body begins to recover and heal:

There are Immediate Benefits to Stopping: 

20 Minutes After Stopping – Your heart rate and blood pressure drop.

Within a Few Days of Stopping:

  • Clothes, hair and breath smell better.
  • Your sense of smell returns to normal.
  • Your teeth and fingernails stop yellowing.
  • It becomes easier to walk and climb stairs.

You Look and Feel Better and Are Healthier as a NON-Smoker!

Stopping smoking helps stop the damaging effects of tobacco that can cause premature wrinkling of your skin, gum disease, and tooth loss.

Within a few months your circulation and breathing improve, and Much More!  More Health Benefits

Happy and Proud to Be Smoke-FREE! Free of the Worry … Free of the Fear … Free of the Stigma … Free of the Danger that went along with smoking.

Continue reading →

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Smoking Cessation – Special Programs for Veterans

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Body, Mind and Spirit

Your Bridge to Health; Promoting Optimal Wellness for Mind Body and Spirit

Smoking Cessation – November was Lung Cancer Awareness Month and the Great American Smoke-Out, 2 major incentives to increase awareness for smoking cessation. More support is available than ever before. No time like the present to stop. Just think of the savings you receive once you stop smoking, in health benefits and ‘cash-in-hand.’  A great way to begin the New Year is with a focus on you and your good health. Start to put a plan in place now.

Help is Here!

The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a new program for smoking cessation to help make make it easier to stop, offering support via text messaging. 1-855-Quit-Vet.

Blow

Talk to your doctor about group and individualized treatment programs for smoking cessation. Stopping smoking can be a challenge. Medications for tobacco treatment along with tobacco treatment counseling may make it easier. Ask your doctor if you are a candidate for Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT,) Zyban (Wellbutrin) or Chantix. 

Addiction is a ‘disease of the brain.’ Nicotine addiction is no exception, and the cigarette companies know as much about the addiction pathway as healthcare providers, finding ways to  make cigarettes more addictive so they can sell more cigarettes.

Collaborative, comprehensive, supportive programs make it easier to stop.

Benefits of Stopping Smoking –  Click here to see the immediate and long-term benefits for your health and BREATHE EASIER. 

Make Smoking History – 1-800-quitnow and www.smokefree.gov offer FREE Help.

Dreamtime Wellness™ offers smoking cessation and tobacco treatment counseling combined with integrative therapies that can help make it easier to stop. As the clinical hypnotherapist for the North Shore Medical Center I participated in a study looking at the     use of Nicotine Replacement Therapy, alone and in combination with hypnosis. Ask about special discounts for veterans.  978-283-4258. Info@dreamtimewellness.com.

Stop Smoking, and Enjoy the Breath of Life,   Karen

Karen Pischke B.S.N., R.N., C.C.R.N. Alumnus. Certified Hypnotherapist, Tobacco Treatment Specialist, Usui Reiki Teacher/Komyo Shihan. Owner/Founder of Dreamtime Wellness LLC.  Promoting Optimal Wellness for Body, Mind and Spirit www.DreamtimeWellness.com. Find us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pages/Dreamtime-Wellness-/348619611849199

Disclaimer: This blog pro­vides gen­eral infor­ma­tion and dis­cus­sion about health and related sub­jects. The words and other con­tent pro­vided in this blog, and in any linked mate­ri­als, are not intended and should not be con­strued as med­ical advice. If the reader or any other per­son has a med­ical con­cern, he or she should con­sult with an appropriately licensed physi­cian or other health care worker. Never dis­re­gard pro­fes­sional med­ical advice or delay in seek­ing it because of some­thing you have read on this blog or in any linked materials. If you think you may have a med­ical emer­gency, call your doc­tor or 911 immediately. The views expressed on this blog and web­site have no rela­tion to those of any academic, hospital, practice or other insti­tu­tion with which the authors are affiliated.

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#GreatAmericanSmokeOut and #NationalTakeAHikeDay – Today

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Body, Mind and Spirit

Promoting Optimal Wellness for Body, Mind and Spirit

Want to Stop Smoking? Help is Available.

Do You Need Reasons to Stop Smoking? I know I did. Once there were more reasons to stop than to continue smoking, my choice became clear. Hiding from my nieces and nephews so I could smoke. Seeing my niece at the age of 4 mimic me smoking. Then, in my late 30’s I began to notice physical changes – changes in my skin, decreased circulation, decreased endurance, huffing and puffing walking up stairs. A chronic cough. Getting more colds and bronchitis, especially in the winter. The disgusting smell on my hair, my skin, my clothes, my breath. Nasty taste. The cost. Being outside a party, by myself and seeing everyone else inside having fun. I realized, I was missing out on life.

What are Your REASONS to STOP? “My health” is the #1 reason people tell me they want to stop smoking. Your HEALTH is an excellent reason to make positive lifestyle changes.

“The First Wealth is Health.”  -Ralph Waldo Emerson.                                                       You have but one life to live. Choose to live it well.

Cigarette Smoking Causes:

LUNG CANCER – Cigarette smoking is the # Cause of Lung Cancer (80-90%)

  • Lung Cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in the United States.
  • 1 out of 4 Cancer Deaths are from lung cancer.
  • More people die each year from lung cancer than colon, prostate and breast cancer combined
  • The rate of lung cancer in men has dropped 32% for men, but risen 94% for women

OTHER CANCERS. Smoking causes cancers of the lung, esophagus, larynx, mouth, throat, kidney, bladder, liver, pancreas, stomach, cervix, colon, and rectum, as well as acute myeloid leukemia.

INFLAMMATION and IMPAIRED IMMUNE FUNCTION – Making you more at risk of illness, including colds, cancers and heart disease.

HEART DISEASE – Cigarette smoking increases the risk of coronary heart disease by itself. When it acts with other factors, it greatly increases risk. Smoking increases blood pressure, decreases exercise tolerance and increases the tendency for blood to clot. (American Heart Association.)

Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment Can Save Lives.

The most important thing you can do to lower your lung cancer risk is to quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke. If you smoke, ask your doctor about your risks, screening and how to stop smoking.

It’s Your Life – Take Good Care of Your Lungs. Take Good Care of Your Health.

Lung Cancer DTW FB

Decrease Risk Factors –

  • Stop Smoking (Best thing you can do is ‘never start.’ )
  • Avoid exposure to second-hand smoke
  • Avoid exposure to radon* and other chemicals
  • Eat healthy, balanced meals with a variety of fruits and vegetables.
  • Exercise regularly. (Ask your doctor for recommendations.)

*Have your home tested for radon – Contact your local public health department or the American Lung Society for information on radon testing. More information on Radon Here.

‘Stop Smoking’ Today. Help is Available – Tobacco use and nicotine addiction is complex. Stopping smoking may require a comprehensive, collaborative approach. Electronic cigarettes and vaporizers contain nicotine, the addictive component in cigarettes.

Stopping Smoking is the Single Most Important Step you can take to improve their longevity and quality of life.

The GOOD News – The minute you stop smoking, your health begins to improve.                     Help and support are available for those that want to stop smoking.

Ask Your Physician – about your lung health, prevention of disease, screening, diagnosis, treatment and recommendations to stop smoking. If you have lung disease or have undergone lung surgery, ask your physician about Pulmonary Rehabilitation.**

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