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Smoking Health Article

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Smokers' symptoms

Smokers are likely to exhibit a variety of symptoms that reveal the damage caused by smoking. A nagging morning cough may be one sign of a tobacco habit. Other symptoms include shortness of breath, wheezing, and frequent occurrences of respiratory illness, such as bronchitis. Smoking also increases fatigue and decreases the smoker's sense of smell and taste. Smokers are more likely to develop poor circulation, with cold hands and feet and premature wrinkles.

Sometimes the illnesses that result from smoking come on silently with little warning. For instance, coronary artery disease may exhibit few or no symptoms. At other times, there will be warning signs, such as bloody discharge from a woman's vagina, a sign of cancer of the cervix. Another warning sign is a hacking cough, worse

Symptoms That Occur After Quitting Smoking
Symptom	Cause	Duration	Relief
Craving for cigarette	nicotine craving	first week can linger for months	distract yourself with other activity
Irritability, impatience	nicotine craving	2 to 4 weeks	Exercise, relaxation techniques, avoid caffeine
Insomnia	nicotine craving temporarily reduces deep sleep	2 to 4 weeks	Avoid caffeine after 6 PM relaxation techniques; exercise
Fatigue	lack of nicotine stimulation	2 to 4 weeks	Nap
Lack of concentration	lack of nicotine stimulation	A few weeks	Reduce workload; avoid stress
Hunger	cigarettes craving confused hunger pangs	Up to several weeks	Drink water or low calorie drinks; eat low-calorie snacks
Coughing, dry throat, nasal drip	Body ridding itself of mucus in lungs and airways	Several weeks	Drink plenty of fluids; use cough drops
Constipation, gas	Intestinal movement decreases with lack of nicotine	1 to 2 weeks	Drink plenty of fluids; add fiber to diet; exercise

than the usual smoker's cough, that brings up phlegm or blood—a sign of lung cancer.

Withdrawal symptoms

A smoker who tries to quit may expect one or more of these withdrawal symptoms: nausea, constipation or diarrhea, drowsiness, loss of concentration, insomnia, headache, nausea, and irritability.

Diagnosis

It's not easy to quit smoking. That's why it may be wise for a smoker to turn to his physician for help. For the greatest success in quitting and to help with the withdrawal symptoms, the smoker should talk over a treatment plan with his doctor or alternative practitioner. He should have a general physical examination to gauge his general health and uncover any deficiencies. He should also have a thorough evaluation for some of the serious diseases that smoking can cause.

Treatment

Research shows that most smokers who want to quit benefit from the support of other people. It helps to quit with a friend or to join a group such as those organized by the American Cancer Society. These groups provide support and teach behavior modification methods that can help the smoker quit. The smoker's physician can often refer him to such groups.

Other alternatives to help with the withdrawal symptoms of kicking the habit include nicotine replacement therapy in the form of gum, patches, nasal sprays, and oral inhalers. These are available by prescription or over the counter. A physician can provide advice on how to use them. They slowly release a small amount of nicotine into the bloodstream, satisfying the smoker's physical craving. Over time, the amount of gum the smoker chews is decreased and the amount of time between applying the patches is increased. This helps wean the smoker from nicotine slowly, eventually beating his addiction to the drug. But there's one important caution: If the smoker lights up while taking a nicotine replacement, a nicotine overdose may cause serious health problems.

The prescription drug Zyban (buproprion hydrochloride) has shown some success in helping smokers quit. This drug contains no nicotine, and was originally developed as an antidepressant. It isn't known exactly how buproprion works to suppress the desire for nicotine.

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