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Doc prescribes replacements, meds to snuff smoking habit
By Jutta Biggerstaff / Hi-Desert Star
JOSHUA TREE — Marcia McKinney smoked too many cigarettes for too long before deciding to call it quits recently, the decision coming after a bout with kidney cancer.
The Yucca Valley woman was one of about 20 people attending Hi-Desert Medical Center’s smoking cessation seminar Thursday evening at the Helen Gray Education Center. The function was HDMC’s free educational seminar for the community for April.
Dr. Sumit Mahajan presented the program, entitled “Nicotine Addiction: How to Quit and Stay Quit.” The audience was attentive, and the doctor fielded many questions by people desperate to unchain themselves from the bondage of cigarettes.
The subject is one that Mahajan is passionate about, and he has made public education about the harmful effects of smoking a personal commitment, he said.
“Dr. Mahajan presented the program very well, and I think he has a lot of knowledge on the subject,” McKinney said.
During the first part of the session Mahajan focused on the myriad of harmful effects of smoking and provided some interesting statistics, like:
— Nicotine is the most powerful addictive substance;
— Twenty-three percent of Americans smoke;
— Smoking is on the rise in teenage girls;
— Smoking has declined by 50 percent since 1965;
— Seventy percent of smokers want to quit.
McKinney said she learned a lot about the topic and particularly found the information about nicotine’s effect on receptors in the brain helpful in understanding her addiction.
Her smoking cessation technique is to wean herself off the drug by severely limiting the amount of cigarettes she smokes.
“I could be doing better, but I only had four cigarettes yesterday, which is pretty good for me,” she said. “I’m going as long as I can, until my little receptors start screaming.”
For heavy smokers, Mahajan recommends nicotine replacement therapy in conjunction with drug therapy and behavioral counseling. Nicotine replacement therapy can be provided in several forms: patches, gum, lozenges and inhalers. Mahajan prefers the patches because they slowly release a steady amount of nicotine into the system.
When questioned about why they should give up smoking for another form of nicotine, Mahajan answered bluntly, “Nicotine is not killing you, cigarettes and their carcinogens are what kills.”
Tobacco contains many cancer-causing components all found naturally in the plant, among them ammonia, arsenic, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, he explained.
Drug therapy usually involves Zyban, or as it is generically known, bupropion. While it’s not understood exactly how the drug works, it has been shown to assist with withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings, Mahajan said. As an anti-depressant, Zyban also helps with the depression that afflicts some smokers who quit.
The doctor also informed the group about a new drug called Chantix, on the market for only six months, that has shown significant promise in helping smokers quit. The drug works by blocking receptors in the brain. Out of eight of his patients to whom he prescribed the drug, six already have quit smoking.
Along with the presentation by Mahajan, participants received information from the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society and a booklet outlining the steps to take when deciding to quit smoking.
——
Jutta Biggerstaff covers Hi-Desert Medical Center for the Star. You may reach her at jubiggerstaff@hidesertstar.com.
The Yucca Valley woman was one of about 20 people attending Hi-Desert Medical Center’s smoking cessation seminar Thursday evening at the Helen Gray Education Center. The function was HDMC’s free educational seminar for the community for April.
Dr. Sumit Mahajan presented the program, entitled “Nicotine Addiction: How to Quit and Stay Quit.” The audience was attentive, and the doctor fielded many questions by people desperate to unchain themselves from the bondage of cigarettes.
The subject is one that Mahajan is passionate about, and he has made public education about the harmful effects of smoking a personal commitment, he said.
“Dr. Mahajan presented the program very well, and I think he has a lot of knowledge on the subject,” McKinney said.
During the first part of the session Mahajan focused on the myriad of harmful effects of smoking and provided some interesting statistics, like:
— Nicotine is the most powerful addictive substance;
— Twenty-three percent of Americans smoke;
— Smoking is on the rise in teenage girls;
— Smoking has declined by 50 percent since 1965;
— Seventy percent of smokers want to quit.
McKinney said she learned a lot about the topic and particularly found the information about nicotine’s effect on receptors in the brain helpful in understanding her addiction.
Her smoking cessation technique is to wean herself off the drug by severely limiting the amount of cigarettes she smokes.
“I could be doing better, but I only had four cigarettes yesterday, which is pretty good for me,” she said. “I’m going as long as I can, until my little receptors start screaming.”
For heavy smokers, Mahajan recommends nicotine replacement therapy in conjunction with drug therapy and behavioral counseling. Nicotine replacement therapy can be provided in several forms: patches, gum, lozenges and inhalers. Mahajan prefers the patches because they slowly release a steady amount of nicotine into the system.
When questioned about why they should give up smoking for another form of nicotine, Mahajan answered bluntly, “Nicotine is not killing you, cigarettes and their carcinogens are what kills.”
Tobacco contains many cancer-causing components all found naturally in the plant, among them ammonia, arsenic, formaldehyde and hydrogen cyanide, he explained.
Drug therapy usually involves Zyban, or as it is generically known, bupropion. While it’s not understood exactly how the drug works, it has been shown to assist with withdrawal symptoms and reduce cravings, Mahajan said. As an anti-depressant, Zyban also helps with the depression that afflicts some smokers who quit.
The doctor also informed the group about a new drug called Chantix, on the market for only six months, that has shown significant promise in helping smokers quit. The drug works by blocking receptors in the brain. Out of eight of his patients to whom he prescribed the drug, six already have quit smoking.
Along with the presentation by Mahajan, participants received information from the American Lung Association and the American Cancer Society and a booklet outlining the steps to take when deciding to quit smoking.
——
Jutta Biggerstaff covers Hi-Desert Medical Center for the Star. You may reach her at jubiggerstaff@hidesertstar.com.
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GGWebGrrl wrote on Jan 17, 2009 1:59 PM: