Cancer Prevention: Tobacco Use

As we shared last week, the number one thing you can do to reduce your risk of cancer is to stop using tobacco. More specifically, to stop smoking cigarettes. By now, everyone knows that smoking is linked to lung cancer, but did you know that lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States for men and women. 90% of lung cancer deaths in men and 80% of lung cancer deaths in women are directly linked to smoking. Lung cancer is also one of the costliest cancers - contributing to approximately $263.8 billion in costs to patients and insurance companies in the U.S. in 2010.

And if that news was not sobering enough, smoking is also linked to many other types of cancer, including cancers of the throat, mouth, nasal cavity, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix, and acute myeloid leukemia.

Now that we've got your attention, we're going to share some information about how you can stop smoking.

We know that smoking is one of the hardest habits to break, simply because there is an addiction involved. Nicotine is the drug in tobacco that causes addiction. It is absorbed and enters the bloodstream through the lungs when smoke is inhaled, and through the lining of the mouth when tobacco is chewed or used as oral snuff or for non-inhaled pipe and cigar smoking.

Nicotine is a psychoactive drug with stimulant effects on the electrical activity of the brain. It also has calming effects, especially at times of stress, as well as effects on hormonal and other systems throughout the body. Although its subjective effects are less dramatic and obvious than those of some other addictive drugs, smoking doses of nicotine causes activation of "pleasure centers" in the brain, which may explain the pleasure, and addictiveness of smoking.

Studies show that tobacco use usually begins in early adolescence, and those who begin smoking at an early age are more likely to develop severe nicotine addiction than those who start later. Each day, more than 4,800 adolescents smoke their first cigarette, and 42 percent of them go on to become regular smokers. (from ehealthmd.com)

So, what can you do to stop? Quitting cold turkey is generally not effective, for reasons detailed above. But there is help available. Google "how to quit smoking" and you'll find countless articles, programs and could easily get bogged down in the many different suggestions and plans offered. There are telephone helplines, various nicotine replacement options available by prescription, and prescription medications as well. Some people swear by alternative therapies such as hypnosis, acupuncture, herbal remedies and even electronic cigarettes. The wide range of options is detailed here at the American Cancer Society website.

For our neighbors in Northwest Arkansas, we have an even better suggestion. At Hope Cancer Resources we are fortunate to have a Certified Tobacco Treatment Specialist on staff who can help you create a personal plan that is best suited to you, your lifestyle, and the resources available. Whether you have decided for yourself that it's time to quit - or if you know someone who needs information, contact Casey Shelor by email or at 479-361-5847 and let her help you develop a plan. It may be the most important decision you can make for your health, and for the people you love.