Kidney Cancer : Prevention

Stop smoking. Follow your health care provider's recommendations in the treatment of kidney disorders, especially those that may require dialysis.

The exact cause of kidney cancer is not known, so it is not possible to prevent all cases. However, because a strong association between kidney cancer and tobacco has been shown, avoiding tobacco is the best way to lower one's risk of developing t...

The exact cause of kidney cancer is not known, so it is not possible to prevent all cases. However, because a strong association between kidney cancer and tobacco has been shown, avoiding tobacco is the best way to lower one's risk of developing t...

There are a lot of ways to quit smoking and many resources to help you. Family members, friends, and coworkers may be supportive or encouraging, but the desire and commitment to quit must be your own. Most people who have been able to successfully quit smoking made at least one unsuccessful attempt in the past. Try not to view past attempts to quit as failures, but rather as learning experiences. Feel ready to quit? First and foremost, set a quit date and quit completely on that day. To prepare for that day: Identify the times you are most likely to smoke. For example, do you tend to smoke when feeling stressed? When you are out at night with friends? While you are drinking coffee or alcohol? When you are bored? While you are driving; Keep a diary to help you determine such risky times. Record each time you have a cigarette, including time of day and what you are doing; Make a plan about what you will do instead of smoking at those times when you are most likely to smoke. For example, drink tea instead of coffee - tea may not trigger the desire for a cigarette. Or, take a walk when feeling stressed. Remove ashtrays and cigarettes from the car. Place pretzels or hard candies there instead. Pretend-smoke with a straw; Let all of your friends, family, and coworkers know of your plan to stop smoking and your quit date. Just being aware that they know can be a helpful reminder and motivator; Before your quit date, start reducing your cigarette use, including decreasing the number and strength of the cigarettes. However, do NOT do this simply to make your diary "look good." Get rid of all of your cigarettes just before the quit date, and clean out anything that smells like smoke, such as clothes and furniture. Other tips to help you quit smoking and stick to it: Enroll in a smoking cessation program (hospitals, health departments, community centers, and work sites often offer programs; Ask your health care provider for advice, including whether prescription medications are safe and appropriate for you; Find out about nicotine patches, gum, and sprays; Try hypnosis - it works for some people; Avoid smoke-filled settings and situations in which you are more likely to smoke; Get more exercise. It helps relieve the urge to smoke; Learn self-hypnosis from a qualified practitioner. This helps some people. The American Cancer Society's web site - www.cancer.org - is an excellent resource for smokers who are trying to quit, and the Great American Smokeout can help some smokers kick the habit. Above all, don't get discouraged if you aren't able to quit smoking the first time. Nicotine addiction is a hard habit to break. Try something different next time. See also: Nicotine withdrawal; Tobacco use.

Smoking prevalence has been declining in countries such as the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, but these declines are matched by increasing rates in most other countries. The Healthy People 2010 goal in the United States is to decrease prevalence from 24 percent to 12 percent by the year 2010. This goal can only be achieved by helping current smokers to quit. Increasing the incidence of quitting is achieved through medications, counseling strategies, and public health approaches.

Questions and Answers About Smoking Cessation1. How important is it to stop smoking? 

Smoking cessation is the medical term for quitting smoking. It is a vital part of cancer prevention because smoking is the single most preventable cause of death from cancer. As early as 1982, the Surgeon General reported that tobacco causes more cancer deaths in the United States than any other factor-30% of all cancer deaths, including 87% of deaths from lung cancer. Although people think of smoking most often in connection with lung cancer, smoking is also associated with cancers of the mouth, throat, voice box (larynx), esophagus, pancreas, kidney, and bladder. Women who smoke increase their risk of cancer of the cervix. Quitting smoking, however, significantly reduces the risk of cancer; 15 years after quitting, a former smoker's risk is almost as low as that of someone who has never smoked.

You may think that willpower is all it takes to quit smoking. But the truth is that it takes much more. It also takes planning, support, coping, and changes to your daily routine.

When you are trying to quit, the support of friends, coworkers and family members can make a big difference.

Smoking: Yes, You Can QuitLearn how to get help to quit smoking and improve your chances of quitting.This document explains the best ways for you to quit as well as new treatments to help. It lists new medications that can double or triple your ch...

Smoking cessation means "to quit smoking," or "withdrawal from nicotine." Because smoking is highly addictive, quitting the habit often involves irritability, headache, mood swings, and cravings associated with the sudden cessation or reduction of tobacco use by a nicotine-dependent individual.

Know your triggers for wanting a cigarette and figure out a plan to deal with them.

Nicotine Substitutes Can Help You QuitIf you're ready to stop smoking, then you must be ready for the challenge when your quit date arrives. Clean out your ashtrays, and throw away any lighters and old packs lying around.

Life may seem out of control, but you're really making progress. You're going through withdrawal, which is how your body recovers from smoking.

Teens who smoke are more likely to quit if they can be convinced to participate in a cessation program that emphasizes the health risks of smoking, provides motivational encouragement and coping skills, and encourages a healthy overall lifestyle.

It's Never Too Late to Quit SmokingWhen you’ve been diagnosed with cancer--particularly lung cancer--it may be hard to think or talk about quitting smoking. Why?

Once you’re addicted to smoking you will always be addicted. The strength of the addiction will gradually decrease, however, and now you are a recovering addict. Many recent ex-smokers have been lulled into a false sense of security.

Is there a safe treatment for a pregnant woman to help stop nicotine cravings?

In the short term, quitters just feel better, and in the long run, their health is better than those who keep smoking.

Quitting is difficult, but people do quit. Each year, three million Americans give up smoking for good.

Have realistic expectations - quitting isn't easy, but it's not impossible either. More than 3 million Americans quit every year. Understand that withdrawal symptoms are temporary. They usually last only 1-2 weeks.

Several new drugs, if approved for public use, may give smokers additional options to help them quit.

Everyone who successfully quits smoking makes a commitment to stop smoking, then devises a plan to do so.

I stopped smoking several weeks ago, and now I find that I'm coughing a lot. Is that normal?

I recently stopped smoking -- a month ago to be exact -- and now I find that I'm coughing a lot. Is this normal?

Every day, about 3,000 U.S. teenagers start smoking. If you're a parent of a young smoker, you can take steps to help the child quit. But first, it helps to understand why teens light up.

Summarizes studies that show benefits of quitting smoking at various ages.

Quitting Smoking During Pregnancy: Let Go of Stress Without SmokingStress is a common way to react to life events. Your body may become tense, your mood may shift, or you may feel worried.

Quitting Smoking During Pregnancy: Beating WithdrawalThe first day after you quit smoking, as the nicotine leaves your body, you’re likely to notice symptoms ofwithdrawal.These are signs of your body recovering form smoking. For some people, withd...

Decide what actions will help you quit. Think about the triggers around you. Then create a plan that works for you.

Every cigarette you don’t smoke is a benefit to you and your baby. Deciding not to smoke can be a tough choice, but you can change. Even if you’ve tried before, don’t give up.

The personal motivation list will help you identify the benefits of quitting, for you, for your family, and for your friends.

A smoker's recovery plan includes listing those activities that you have chosen to help reduce the pressures of nicotine withdrawal and staying smoke-free.

If you slip and smoke, don't be discouraged. Many former smokers tried to stop several times before they finally succeeded. Here's what to do.

Among other things, keep a personal benefits log. Write down the benefits you experience from being smoke-free (for example, I can smell flowers again!) Write the specific occurrence, the date it first happened, and your reaction.

This article can help you cope with the short-term discomforts that come with quitting. We also give suggestions on how to avoid or limit the situations that make you want to smoke and what to do if you start smoking again.

Having a plan helps you reach any goal. Your plan to quit smoking starts with a choice. First, pick a way to quit.

As you probably already know, quitting smoking isn't easy. But, millions of other people have done it, and you can, too.

By using nicotine replacement therapy to reduce withdrawal symptoms, smokers who try to quit have a better chance of succeeding.

Fewer than a quarter of those who attempt to quit are able to make it beyond three months before resuming smoking. Women usually find it harder to quit than do men, even though women have a higher risk of smoking-related diseases. The following suggestions can help you kick the habit, again, for good.

Saying good-bye to cigarettes for good can be difficult. To succeed, you need to make changes to your daily life. But, like the many others who have quit, you too can triumph.

You know you should quit smoking. But you just haven't gotten around to it yet. Here are some reasons to help you commit to quitting.

A balanced diet means getting the right types and amounts of foods and drinks to supply nutrition and energy for maintaining body cells, tissues, and organs, and for supporting normal growth and development.

The rules of healthy eating have changed. Eating a "balanced diet" is no longer the most important goal. Instead, scientists have learned much more specifically which foods can help prevent disease and which promote it.

Reading labels can improve your diet by helping you make more sensible food choices at the grocery store. You also can buy with confidence knowing that foods claiming to be low in cholesterol or fat have met standards set by the Food and Drug Administration.