Health News resources and information

The need for gradual withdrawal is the justification for use of nicotine gum and nicotine skin patches, both of which release low levels of nicotine into the bloodstream over extended periods to ease withdrawal symptoms. Your doctor can prescribe them for you with specific instructions on their use. Neither nicotine gum nor patches are effective unless used as part of a smoking cessation program. If your doctor prescribes nicotine gum, chew it until you feel a tingling sensation in your mouth (about 10 seconds), then “park it” between your cheek and gums. Then periodically re-chew and re-park for about 30 minutes. Use one piece of gum for every two cigarettes that you would have smoked. Taper off the gum until you stop using it altogether in 3 to 6 months.

Nicotine transdermal (skin) patches have also been shown to help smokers stop smoking. The major advantage the patches have over nicotine gum is the ease with which they are used. The nicotine is slowly released through the skin and enters the bloodstream. Nicotine patches are effective at reducing withdrawal symptoms and then, like the gum, their use is tapered. When the nicotine levels decrease and the addictive “pull” has subsided, maintenance of abstinence will depend on the behavioral adjustments you have made.

Other medications, notably a blood pressure medication called clonidine, which is available in a skin patch form, have been shown to reduce symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. They may be advisable for some people with particularly uncomfortable withdrawal symptoms who do not tolerate nicotine gum or patches.

Of course, the problem with quitting is not the moment of stopping, but the process of never smoking again. Experts now recognize that prevention of relapse is the key to success. Again, your commitment is the mainstay, but many of the strategies to prevent relapse are designed to give you commitment a better chance.

Setting  measurable,  well-defined goals,  recording your behavior to monitor your progress, having frequent contact with health care provides, and arranging for social support and positive reinforcement will help you succeed. Many people use token rewards to encourage their progress. It is also important to maintain this vigilance over a long time to avoid relapse. Regardless of the specific assistance you may need in stopping smoking and maintaining abstinence, a comprehensive smoking cessation center or nicotine dependence treatment center may enhance your effort. In these settings, counseling, prescriptions instructions, and follow-up can be focused on your specific needs.

Quitting smoking is probably single best thing you can do to red your risk of heart attack. Modifying other risk factors certainly will help, but nothing can help more than getting rid of cigarettes. The combinatior of smoking and other risk factors greatly amplifies your risk of developing coronary artery disease. Be a winner and quit.

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The problem is that the human body simply is not designed to handle excess cholesterol very well, and for some people this problem is much worse than it is for others. Population studies clearly show that when the LDL cholesterol level is over 100 (you’ll learn about LDL cholesterol soon), a rise in total cholesterol level over the 160 mg/dl recommended is accompanied by an increased buildup of the atherosclerotic plaque that could eventually block the arteries. And these problems are not related to age. Autopsy research has shown evidence of early development of coronary heart disease in young American soldiers killed in Korea and Vietnam: Atherosclerosis was found in over one-third of 300 soldiers autopsied in Korea, and early development of atherosclerosis was found in 45 percent of 105 soldiers autopsied in Vietnam. Fortunately, even though this clogging of the arteries starts early in life, it’s a disease that develops slowly. Unfortunately, however, atherosclerosis displays no symptoms as it gradually restricts blood flow – until it reaches the life-threatening point. In fact, consider that cardiovascular disease claims well over half a million lives each year.

The most recent cholesterol guidelines announced by the National Cholesterol Education Program state that a “desirable” total serum cholesterol is one that falls below 200 mg/dl, a “borderline high” is from 200 to 239, and any cholesterol reading over 240 mg/dl is “unacceptably high” and in need of treatment. This is a far cry from the 250 to 300 that used to be considered acceptable. Nevertheless, thousands of people with serum cholesterol levels between 160 and 200 mg/dl still die from cardiovascular disease every year, which is why we feel strongly that a desirable cholesterol level – less than 160 mg/dl – is what is needed in order to save more lives. But the fact is that most people cannot attain this truly safe serum cholesterol level by following the relatively liberal NCEP/AHA dietary guidelines, and as a result many people will have to take expensive and potentially harmful cholesterol-lowering drugs in an attempt to do so.

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First look at the risk factors and if any of them applies to you, take preventative measures to look after yourself:

• family history of heart disease,

• high blood lipids (cholesterol, triglycerides, LDLs),

• high blood pressure,

• smoking,

• overweight,

• lack of exercise,

• stress,

• earlobe crease.

Earlobe crease is at the bottom of the list because it is unusual. In fact it should go at the top. Having a diagonal crease in your earlobe has now been found to be a better predictor of heart problems than any of the other risk factors on the list. It was first linked to heart disease in 1973 and since then thirty studies have confirmed this finding. Why is there this link? The earlobe has a rich supply of blood, so it is a good indicator of blood flow. If the supply of blood to the earlobe is restricted, over time a crease develops. So an earlobe crease can be a sign of restricted blood flow through the heart. It is interesting to note that in the West this link was first suspected in 1973 and yet traditional Oriental medicine has linked the ear to the heart for hundreds of years.

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