NICOTINE REPLACEMENT THERAPY

 The truth the agencies in the last blog don’t want you to know about.

Cigarettes are a highly refined nicotine delivery system that last year alone generated £8,000 million for the government’s coffers.

Today, with greater restrictions imposed on marketing and the sales of cigarettes and the immanent ban on smoking in confined spaces, more and more people are looking at giving up the weed.

Although many of the 4000 ingredients found in the burning of cigarettes are carcinogenic, Nicotine is highly addictive and as dangerous as heroin.

 So if you want to stop smoking what are the alternatives?

Will power or cold turkey – on your own dealing with the addiction, breaking the habit, the cravings and the physicality of what to do with your hands. This method is attributed to have a success rate of 1%. (That’s someone who is a non-smoker one year after giving up)

Nicotine Replacement Therapy – patches, gum, nasal spray, microtab, lozenge and inhalators.

If you approach a doctor, pharmacist of healthcare professional expressing support to give up smoking you are offered one of the above listed forms of NRT.

These products are manufactured by large pharmaceutical companies Pfizer, GlaxoSmithKline & Pharmacia and are advertised as twice as effective as will power alone. Wait a minute, willpower alone is 1% successful so NRT is 2% successful or 98% unsuccessful. So why do medical professionals, NHS Smoking Helpline, Quit, British Heart Foundation and ASH promote them above all else and are there any other alternatives?

Well all of these institutions and charitable bodies rely on either the government or the pharmaceutical industry for a sauce of revenue. I’m sure the people who work for any of these bodies are good people with good intensions but I can’t help thinking there is a serious conflict of interest here. This results in the people who need the real help in kicking the smoking habit swap cigarettes for patches.

A common argument is that the government needs revenue from smokers or the economy would be screwed, but by swapping cigarettes for NRT this revenue stream continues to flow. So who has reverted back to smoking? Are you on a continuous cycle of smoking, NRT, smoking? So you tell me who’s getting screwed?

Hypnotherapy – Men’s Health recently reported a success rate of 80% of stopping smoking with hypnosis and New Scientist wrote hypnosis is the most effective way of giving up smoking, according to the largest ever scientific comparison of ways of breaking the smoking habit, willpower, it turns out, counts for very little.

Why are alternative treatments like hypnotherapy and acupuncture not offered to people who wish to stop smoking when they appear to be the best method to stop? Is it because there isn’t a consistent revenue stream flowing back to the government coffers?

More information about how to quit smoking. at Men’s Health.

Technorati Tags: ban, cigarettes, cold turkey, gum, habit, healthcare, hypnotherapy, hyposis, inhalators, microab, nicotine, non-smoker, NRT, patches, quit, smoking, stop, weed, will power

• Forward by The Inside Smoking Man I’m not a smoker. I’m not an anti smoker. I...
• Cigarettes And The Healthy Death Rate Amongst Brazilian tobacco farmers, suicide rates are seven times higher...

• The Danger of Fad Diets and Why They Never Work When desperate to loss weight, people tend to lean toward fad dieting, due to their...
• Smoke A Cigar Involves Lower Health Problems In the present day there must be virtually nobody on the planet who can claim...

Sunday 13 May 10.03pm Perry

Listening to – Bush -- Come Down

Emotions – Reflective

Days until smoke down – 8

‘Dates change, seasons change, people don’t change’ (Jack in 16 Blocks). Just finished watching the DVD and of course Jack (Bruce Willis) changes but you knew that anyway.

As I got online today the following article appeared on my AOL home page. Signs are everywhere.

Smoking: Busting the Myths.

We all know that smoking is bad for you -- but sometimes it’s easier to believe the various half-truths and myths that surround smoking than to accept that it’s time to give up.

Here we debunk some of those myths once and for all. Bring on the nicotine patches!

Smoking makes you sexy

www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6Ti2nExlUk

In fact, male smokers are twice as likely as non-smokers to suffer impotence. Around 120,000 men in their thirties and forties are impotent in the UK as a result of smoking.

The habit will also make your skin wrinkled and can leave you looking 10 to 20 years older than you really are, according to the Government’s Chief Medical Officer.

Smoking calms you down

It actually makes you more anxious -- because when you aren’t having a cigarette, you end up suffering nicotine withdrawal symptoms, which make you crave another. Rather than being pleasurable in itself, it’s a way of easing your withdrawal -- a bit like hair of the dog, really.

Your health barely suffers if you smoke fewer than 10 cigarettes a day

Sadly not true. Research shows that if you smoke one to four cigarettes a day, you’re three times more likely than a non-smoker to die from lung cancer or heart disease.

What’s more, there is some evidence that the number of years you smoke affects your cancer risk more than the amount you smoke each day.

Smoking ‘low-tar’ brands will protect my health

Low-tar cigarettes are just as harmful as regular brands, because people inhale them much more deeply to satisfy their nicotine cravings. Nor are you safe if you avoid inhaling, because you’ll still be at risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and food pipe (oesophagus), which can be very disfiguring.

My gran smoked 80 a day and died in her sleep at 94, so it can’t be that bad…

We all have different genes and surroundings, which make some people more vulnerable to the damage done by smoking. But smoking dramatically increases your chance of dying early and getting cancer, heart disease or another smoking-related illness.

Smoking helps you keep your weight down

This is true, in that the habit reduces your appetite and makes your body waste energy. But you can avoid weight gain if you start to take more exercise (easier when you don’t smoke) and/or cut your intake of alcohol and high-calorie foods.

There’s no point in stopping now -- the damage is done

In fact, your body starts to recover within minutes of you quitting. Within three days, breathing will be easier and you’ll have more energy; and within a few weeks, exercise will be less of a struggle.

After ten years, your risk of lung cancer is about half that of a smoker, while your risk of a heart attack is the same as non-smokers’.

The only thing that can help you give up for good is willpower

Yes, willpower is vital, but there’s strong evidence that using nicotine replacement products such as gum and patches can roughly double your chances of success, because they take the edge off the cravings you will feel in your first few days.

You can get NRT on prescription from your GP and there are also prescription drugs that your GP can give you to dramatically boost your chances of success.

It’s better to cut down gradually than to stop suddenly

The problem with cutting down is that you may never actually quit altogether. However, recent research shows that people who can’t face going cold turkey can give up by gradually cutting back on fags while starting to use nicotine replacement therapy to fill some of their nicotine gap -- then, eventually, coming off NRT.

The NHS is too poor to help me quit

In fact, the NHS runs free stop smoking groups all over the country -- and you can join one by getting a referral from your GP.

For expert advice on quitting, call Quitline 0800 00 22 00, or the NHS Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 0169.

Other good sources of support and information are the British Heart Foundation and Action on Smoking and Health.

Technorati Tags: cancer, cigarettes, heart, impotence, impotent, light, low tar, myths, NHS, nicotine, NRT, quit, repleacement, skin, smoke, smoking, stop, therapy, treatment

• I've Stopped Smoking but All I Want is a Cigarette Day 7 – Kate Not much to report today. I...
• Cigarettes And The Healthy Death Rate Amongst Brazilian tobacco farmers, suicide rates are seven times higher...

• Choose the Right Home Smoke Detector A home smoke detector or smoke alarm is the best safety device you can use...
• Attain Optimum Cholesterol Through Ayurveda Herbs In this day and age, too much fuss has been created about high cholesterol levels...

Amongst Brazilian tobacco farmers, suicide rates are seven times higher then the average suicide rate reported for the rest of the country. These deaths coincide with the seeding and harvesting of tobacco plants. Many of the suicides were suffering from acute neurological imbalances. Organophosphate pesticides can result in psychological depression. Tobacco farmers use this pestercide. Any connection?

The Brazilian Ministry of Health made changes to the pesticide labelling. The new labels for highly dangerous chemicals now resemble those of less toxic products. These changes took place after the agrochemical industry applied pressure on the government. However, most farmers are illiterate and protective clothing and storage facilities are expensive. Chemicals are often stored in a house or dwelling exposing children, pregnant women and the elderly to pesticide poisoning.

The tobacco industry have investigated and patented many technologies that reduce substances in cigarette smoke that cause cancer, heart disease and emphysema. These include ‘Eclipse’, ‘Premier’ – FDA regulated devise could be used to smoke crack, and ‘Accord’ – a specially constructed cigarette and lighter. Most of these devices have been withdrawn or never implemented.

Using advanced biotechnology, tobacco crops have now been engineered and grown to contain higher levels of nicotine. These crops fit the legal definition of a drug. In 1968 Dr David Owen tried to introduce nicotine to the Medicines Act (Pharmaceutical regulations) and proposed that tobacco as such a substance the act should control cigarettes. However the plans were dropped after ministerial reshuffles within the UK government.

This consequently sees cigarettes being exempt from regulations that apply to pharmaceutical nicotine products. There by, tobacco products have a nicotine maintenance monopoly for nicotine addiction.

Death Rates

The death rate to cigarette related diseases in the UK is 120,000 p.a. That is a town the size of Norwich or Chester. In the past 40 years over 5 million people have died from smoking related diseases. That is 12 times more than in World War II.

Smoking related deaths are 6 times higher in the UK than road accidents, murder/manslaughter, poisoning, suicide, overdoses and HIV put together.

To put it into context, cocaine is an illegal class ‘A’ drug and is attributed to 140 deaths in the UK per year. Meanwhile the use of mobile telephones while driving was made illegal in the UK in 2004, 20 deaths in the last 5 years are linked to this practise. You have to ask yourself why can anyone from sixteen year old legally buy cigarettes?

China now has the largest death rate from smoking of any country overtaking the USA. A third of all men will die if current habits persist.

 1 million smoking related deaths in China in 2000

2 million smoking related deaths in China forecast by 2025

3 million smoking related deaths in China forecast by 2050 (8000 per day)

Cigarette consumption in China has risen from 100 billion cigarettes in the early 50’s to over 1,800 billion today.

Find more information about smoking in China here.

 Worldwide deaths from smoking –

4 million in 2000 -- 50/50 between developed and developing countries.

10 million by 2030 -- 70% in developing countries.

As litigation and laws surrounding the tobacco industry tighten up in USA and the EU the tobacco industry are shifting production and sales to the new markets of Russia, Poland, Cuba, Mexico, Egypt, India, South America and South Africa. There are little or no laws governing the sale of tobacco in these countries. Pressure on these governments to legislate against tobacco consumption now could save millions of deaths in the future.

If worldwide consumption of cigarettes decreased by half by 2020 25 million premature deaths in the first quarter of the century and 150 million in the second quarter of the century would be avoided.

People who stop smoking live longer, contribute to society for longer, experience improved health, lower the demand on the NHS, reduce the cost to employers in days lost to smoking related illnesses, have more money to spend and create more jobs.

Cigarettes are exempt from most forms of consumer protection because products were already in the market before consumer laws were developed. The extent of harm to consumers by cigarettes cannot reach safety standard requirements as imposed on other products.

Image if you will if you just invented a cigarette and took it onto the popular television show ‘Dragon Den’ How would you present it to the Dragons and what sort of reaction would you think you would get? Watch Dragons Den -- Duncan Bannatyne in this Quit video.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELtfKpYCGB8

Although there have been moves to restrict advertising cigarette brands, introducing health warnings and lowering tar rates in cigarettes, nicotine regulations serve the tobacco industry over public health. Tobacco companies make voluntary concessions rather than legislate. This gives an air of perceived respectability to the industry, although agreements are difficult to monitor, controls are easily evaded and there are no penalties for violations. Health warnings also work in favor of manufacturers in litigation defense cases.

Tobacco companies make a big noise of how most of their litigation cases are overthrown at appeal. The tobacco companies are at a distinct advantage over individuals, companies or evens States, because of their huge cash reserves they can tie the courts up for decades.

Technorati Tags: cancer, china, deaths, depression, dragons den, Duncan Bannatyne, emphysema, farmers, habits, health, heart disease, illiterate, Medicines, NHS, nicotine, pesticides, poisoning, quit, smoking, suicide, tobacco, toxic, warnings

• The Spanish Up In Smoke Saturday 23 April 2005 Perry This is the third day...
• A Smoking Pariah in Europe DAY 2 Perry – Bermondsey to Florence Listening to –...

• E Cigarettes National Welcome to E Cigarettes National, We supply the best e cigarettes on the market, but...
• How to Start a Rare Amusement Coin Collection The reason for each person to start a coin collection varies greatly. Some people start...

Before exploring health issues synonymous with tobacco smoking, it is useful to look back and define what is a cigarette? 

A cigarette is a Nicotine Delivery System, a highly refined and carefully engineered product. Cigarettes are designed pacifically to deliver naturally occurring alkaloids like nicotine fast and efficiently to the body avoiding or masking them from the bodies natural defence mechanisms.

Nicotine is the cause of addiction but cigarettes are laced with up to 600 compounds commonly referred to as additives or flavourings, which mask the serious effects some of these compounds have on the body.

These ingredients are approved additives in food, however, were not tested by burning them. It is the burning of these substances that changes their properties. When burnt 4000 chemical compounds are made and these do most of the damage to the body, as many of them are toxic and/or carcinogenic. These include over 40 know carcinogenic including Hydrogen cyanide, Carbon Monoxide and Nitrogen Oxides.

If a person takes on average 10 hits from a cigarette and smokes between 20 and 30 cigarettes a day they are sending 1mg of nicotine to the brain. That’s 300 hits of cancer causing agents per day while the nicotine addiction leaves you craving for yet another hit.

To increase the amount of nicotine to the body household cleaners like ammonia are added to tobacco. Up to 40% more nicotine can be delivered faster to the smoker by using ammonia in the manufacture of cigarettes.

Levulinic acids are added to cigarettes to mask the harsh taste of nicotine. These acids also bind nicotine to the brains receptors and increase the kick felt by the nicotine. The more nicotine that is bound on the receptors the bigger the kick the smoker experiences.

Glycyrrhizin, liquorice and cocoa are compounds added to cigarettes to make the act of smoking a more enjoyable experience by masking the bitter taste of the nicotine. They are also added because in fact these compounds are bronchodilators, that is they dilate or open up the lungs membranes which allow more nicotine to enter the body.

Other common additives found in the manufacture of cigarettes are Arsenic (Rat Poison), Formaldehyde (Body Preservative), Acetone (Nail Polish Remover) Hexamine (BBQ Lighter), Cadmium (Rechargeable Batteries), Toluene (Industrial Solvent), DDT (Insecticide), Methanol (Rocket Fuel) and Lead (Petrol Fumes).

In 1995 Philip Morris recalled 8 billion cigarettes after traces of the chemical methyl isothiocyanate (Pesticide) were found in its filters. Internal documents from the Liggett Group revealed arsenic, DDT and taxophene were found in their products. Tobacco is now grown in developing countries were high, often unregulated use of pesticides are used. In the three months from seedbed to transplanting Kenyan farmers are recommended there should be 16 separate applications of pesticides on their crops.

1000 people give up smoking everyday – they die! View images of the Silent Killer.

Technorati Tags: addiction, body, burning, carbon monoxide, carcinogenic, chemicals, cigarette, crops, hexamine, hit, kick, lead, lungs, nicotine, pesticides, smoking, tobacco, toxic

• I'm Going to Stop Smoking - Manana, Manana, Manana. DAY 12 Perry – Barcelona to Bermondsey Listening to: Amaury...
• Smoking And The Environment Cigarette butts or filters are the most common form of...

• Is Dave Ramsey Right? Are Credit Cards the Cigarettes of Finance? I've been listening to Dave Ramsey's radio show on my way home form work the...
• Calories in and Calories out One of the simplest possible ways that you can look at weight loss is on...

Sunday13 May 2007 Perry

Listening to: Matteo Scumaci – Good Hands

Emotion – Positively charged

Days until smoke down – 7

Cycled down to Lewisham first thing this morning and hit the gym. I know it’s vanity on my part but I want to get my fitness levels up as high as possible if my health is going to be under the microscope for all to see. I ran 6 miles with relative ease and had an awesome leg workout with weights before cycling back in the rain.

I really don’t know how smoking is going to impact on my training or my health but one thing is for sure, it’s not going to make it any easier. It’s going to be a great/horrible experience. I’ve been lectured to and had the riot act read at me about doing this. I’ve been asked ‘Would you inject heroin?’ by doctors ‘Because nicotine is worse than that’. Of course I wouldn’t. I know I’m taking a huge risk of becoming a cigarette addict but I’m strong willed and have a great support mechanism of friends, family and colleagues to help in the aftermath of this experiment. I will not let nicotine corrupt my belief mechanism. I’m going to smoke for two weeks and then I’m not smoking anymore. I’ve talked to my good friend Lee Bannister who also happens to be a hypnotherapist. The idea is that I see him before and after the experiment for hypnotherapy. I think it will be a good safety net to set in place. Although I’m feeling strong about it now, I am jumping into the unknown somewhat. I’ve started to have feelings of apprehension just thinking about sparking up. I’ll be so relieved when it’s all over. Got my sights set on running the London Marathon 2008. There I’ve said it! It’s in black and white. No going back now. Run forest run.

The headline in the London paper last Thursday reads ‘BLAIR QUITS’ apparently it doesn’t refer to a smoking habit but he is stepping down from the position of President of the United States of Britain Plc. I hope that clears up any confusion caused.

My friend Polly sent me a film called Scene Smoking – Cigarette, Cinema and the Myth of Cool. That’s what I’m watching tonight!

Technorati Tags: addict, cigaretees, habit, health, heroin, hypnotherapist, hypnotherapy, myth of cool, nicotine, quit, quits, scene smoking, smoke, smoking, stop

• I'm Going to Stop Smoking - Manana, Manana, Manana. DAY 12 Perry – Barcelona to Bermondsey Listening to: Amaury...
• Smoking Man Song Lyrics Saturday 9 April 2005 Perry Wrote the lyrics for The...

• Speaker Pelosi's Job-Killing Agenda Sunday Paper - January 17th, 2010 After a three-week holiday break, the House of Representatives...
• Hey Ladies, Put Down the Cigs! [caption id="attachment_3865" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Photo Courtesy Valentin.Ottone"][/caption]For all of you women out there who smoke,...