If ever you’ve wanted to STOP smoking, now’s your chance.On April 5, the Ontario Pharmacist’s Association, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health and the Ministry of Health Promotion launched the second phase of the Smoking Treatment for Ontario Patients (STOP) Study.
Under the program, as many as 5,000 Ontarians will be eligible to receive five weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) in the form of a patch, gum or inhaler. Ian McDowell, a pharmacist at Coward Pharmacy in Tillsonburg, is among the 55 pharmacists in 43 locations provincewide, who are participating.
"I think this is very good," said McDowell. "Anything that will help people stop smoking will be of benefit to their long-term health, and of course will help lower costs to the health-care system."The first phase of the STOP Study was introduced in January, 2006, and was the first of its kind in Canada. With the help of NRT, at least 12 per cent of participants, or 1,600 Ontarians were able to quit smoking.
McDowell said there are two branches of this phase of the STOP study; one where participants receive three meetings with their pharmacist over the course of their five weeks of therapy, and another where participants receive all five weeks of NRT at once, with only one pharmacist intervention.
Placement in one branch or the other is completely random, McDowell explained, adding he’s not even sure which branch of the study an individual will be in, until he keys in their voucher number on the STOP Study website.The only difference between the two branches, he added, is that at the end of the study, data will be used to determine the effectiveness of a pharmacist’s intervention in helping someone quit smoking.Anyone who is over 18, not pregnant and is currently smoking is encouraged to go online to www.stopstudy.ca and complete a brief registration survey. Those deemed eligible for the study will be given a voucher number, which they then take to a participating pharmacist to redeem for free nicotine replacement therapy.
McDowell said he will help individuals choose the method of cessation therapy that will give them the best chance of success, but added individuals enrolled in the study who receive three counseling sessions with their pharmacist, are eligible to try different methods over the five weeks.Although the program was only officially launched a few days ago, McDowell said he’s already met with two local STOP study participants, and had an appointment to see one more before the week’s end.
He encouraged anyone who registers with the program to call the pharmacy and make an appointment to see him about the free NRT, as he’s not always on duty.
Although the STOP study has obvious benefits for smokers who want to quit, McDowell said he’d also like to see incentives for pharmacists who voluntarily administer such programs. This phase of the STOP Study will benefit as many as 5,000 Ontarians, but McDowell said the benefits of NRT are open to anyone who wants to quit."Anyone (pharmacist) can sell nicotine replacement therapy," he said. "But to be part of the study, you have to go through an approved pharmacist."
"Anyone (pharmacist) can sell nicotine replacement therapy. But to be part of the study, you have to go through an approved pharmacist."- Ian McDowell
By Nancy Boutin
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Quit smoking tips that i could paste on every wall in my house
Chew gum
I save 5 bux
put a pen in ur mouth
go read a book
Look at all of this money I am saving
I smell like a dirty ashtray
eat twislers
My house smells bad
I will get ugly wrinkles if i don't quit
I am killing myself
I am too busy to smoke
I often forget to smoke
Cigarettes stink
I am a nonsmoker
I want to live a long healthy life
I save 5 bux
put a pen in ur mouth
go read a book
Look at all of this money I am saving
I smell like a dirty ashtray
eat twislers
My house smells bad
I will get ugly wrinkles if i don't quit
I am killing myself
I am too busy to smoke
I often forget to smoke
Cigarettes stink
I am a nonsmoker
I want to live a long healthy life
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
A diet to quit smoking?
What do a slice of cheese, a glass of water, and a plate of broccoli have in common?
According to new research, consuming any of these foods seems to diminish the taste of cigarettes.
The research also found that cigarette taste is enhanced after eating meat or drinking alcohol or beverages that contain caffeine.
Taken together, the discoveries raise the possibility of fashioning a so-called "smoker's diet" - one that could help make quitting easier.
Not just about nicotine
"Smoking is not just about nicotine addiction, it's also about taste and sensory qualities of smoking," said study author F. Joseph McClernon, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, North Carolina. "So, anything we find that can disturb or disrupt the smoking experience might make it easier for a smoker to quit."
In the April issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research, McClernon and his colleagues reported on their analysis of questionnaires administered to 209 adult male and female smokers who had already participated in one of six previous smoking studies between 2002 and 2004.
All the participants smoked a minimum of 10 to 15 cigarettes a day and were in otherwise good health. About 70 percent were white, while about a quarter were black.
The authors asked the smokers to indicate which foods they felt either enhanced or worsened the taste of cigarettes. The number of cigarettes smoked per day was noted, as was the participants' choice of cigarette brand, type, size and strength.
On average, the participants smoked about 22 cigarettes a day and had been lighting up for a little more than 21 years. Almost 47 percent said they smoked menthol cigarettes. Just over 40 percent said they smoked "light" cigarettes, while just under 40 percent said they smoked full-flavour brands.
Almost 45 percent of the smokers mentioned some kind of food that worsened cigarette taste, while almost 70 percent identified foods that improved taste.
Fruit and veg sited
Fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and non-caffeinated drinks (such as water and juice) were among the foods most commonly cited as worsening the taste of a cigarette.
Participants also pointed to specific situations they said had a taste-diminishing impact, including taking medicines, hot weather, or smoking too much or too fast. Stale cigarettes and a smoky environment also dampened cigarette taste.
On the other hand, caffeinated drinks, alcohol and meat were most often highlighted as improving taste.
McClernon and his team found that younger smokers were more sensitive to foods that worsened taste, whereas those who smoked fewer cigarettes were more susceptible to taste-enhancing foods. Those who smoked non-menthol brands were more sensitive to either kind of influence.
Dietary changes may help
The researchers suggested that clinicians might want to consider advising dietary changes for patients trying to kick the habit.
"There's really no harm in smokers trying some of these things now," McClernon said. "Try drinking skim milk or other dairy products, drinking more water, eating fruits and vegetables before stopping smoking - and see if that makes smoking less pleasurable."
McClernon acknowledged, however, that further investigation is needed to figure out how exactly foods affect cigarette taste and whether altering a diet might improve quitting success. "But we're going to follow up on that," he noted, "because any kind of clue that has the potential to lead to new treatments is important in dealing with the leading preventable cause of death and disability in the US"
Stanton A. Glantz, director of the Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, described the findings as both interesting and plausible.
Practical implications
"It's not going to make the world start spinning in the opposite direction, but it could have some very practical implications," he said. "When you talk about the perceived taste of smoking, there's a lot of psychopharmacology going on there, so it would depend on how big the effect really turns out to be. But it makes sense. And creating a programme where you modify your diet in certain ways to make it easier to quit smoking is not unreasonable at all."
Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, agreed.
"This is new," he noted. "No one has written anything about this seriously up until now, at least that I've seen, and it is certainly worth further study. So, ultimately, the significance of this will be to prompt more research into the role of diet into both starting smoking and quitting. It doesn't provide all the answers, but it opens a new avenue to explore." – (HealthDayNews)
According to new research, consuming any of these foods seems to diminish the taste of cigarettes.
The research also found that cigarette taste is enhanced after eating meat or drinking alcohol or beverages that contain caffeine.
Taken together, the discoveries raise the possibility of fashioning a so-called "smoker's diet" - one that could help make quitting easier.
Not just about nicotine
"Smoking is not just about nicotine addiction, it's also about taste and sensory qualities of smoking," said study author F. Joseph McClernon, an assistant professor in the department of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at Duke University Medical Centre in Durham, North Carolina. "So, anything we find that can disturb or disrupt the smoking experience might make it easier for a smoker to quit."
In the April issue of Nicotine & Tobacco Research, McClernon and his colleagues reported on their analysis of questionnaires administered to 209 adult male and female smokers who had already participated in one of six previous smoking studies between 2002 and 2004.
All the participants smoked a minimum of 10 to 15 cigarettes a day and were in otherwise good health. About 70 percent were white, while about a quarter were black.
The authors asked the smokers to indicate which foods they felt either enhanced or worsened the taste of cigarettes. The number of cigarettes smoked per day was noted, as was the participants' choice of cigarette brand, type, size and strength.
On average, the participants smoked about 22 cigarettes a day and had been lighting up for a little more than 21 years. Almost 47 percent said they smoked menthol cigarettes. Just over 40 percent said they smoked "light" cigarettes, while just under 40 percent said they smoked full-flavour brands.
Almost 45 percent of the smokers mentioned some kind of food that worsened cigarette taste, while almost 70 percent identified foods that improved taste.
Fruit and veg sited
Fruits and vegetables, dairy products, and non-caffeinated drinks (such as water and juice) were among the foods most commonly cited as worsening the taste of a cigarette.
Participants also pointed to specific situations they said had a taste-diminishing impact, including taking medicines, hot weather, or smoking too much or too fast. Stale cigarettes and a smoky environment also dampened cigarette taste.
On the other hand, caffeinated drinks, alcohol and meat were most often highlighted as improving taste.
McClernon and his team found that younger smokers were more sensitive to foods that worsened taste, whereas those who smoked fewer cigarettes were more susceptible to taste-enhancing foods. Those who smoked non-menthol brands were more sensitive to either kind of influence.
Dietary changes may help
The researchers suggested that clinicians might want to consider advising dietary changes for patients trying to kick the habit.
"There's really no harm in smokers trying some of these things now," McClernon said. "Try drinking skim milk or other dairy products, drinking more water, eating fruits and vegetables before stopping smoking - and see if that makes smoking less pleasurable."
McClernon acknowledged, however, that further investigation is needed to figure out how exactly foods affect cigarette taste and whether altering a diet might improve quitting success. "But we're going to follow up on that," he noted, "because any kind of clue that has the potential to lead to new treatments is important in dealing with the leading preventable cause of death and disability in the US"
Stanton A. Glantz, director of the Centre for Tobacco Control Research and Education at the University of California, San Francisco, described the findings as both interesting and plausible.
Practical implications
"It's not going to make the world start spinning in the opposite direction, but it could have some very practical implications," he said. "When you talk about the perceived taste of smoking, there's a lot of psychopharmacology going on there, so it would depend on how big the effect really turns out to be. But it makes sense. And creating a programme where you modify your diet in certain ways to make it easier to quit smoking is not unreasonable at all."
Matthew L. Myers, president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, agreed.
"This is new," he noted. "No one has written anything about this seriously up until now, at least that I've seen, and it is certainly worth further study. So, ultimately, the significance of this will be to prompt more research into the role of diet into both starting smoking and quitting. It doesn't provide all the answers, but it opens a new avenue to explore." – (HealthDayNews)
I try to quit so many times...
I try to quit so many times... and I finally did after I start exercise and eat healthy...
I used to be a swimmer and triathlete when I was younger and pick up the habit of smoking when I go to college... and stop sports... so many times I promise my boy that I quit and end up smoking behind his back at work... I am not proud of it at all... and feel guilty everyday. At last, I decide to join a triathlon competition that encourage me to start doing sport...
Haha... I even smoke two days before the race... is crazy but I finished the race... and start doing sports again... that was about 3 months ago... one day I was out in the field for work and I bump a cigarette from a co-worker and it end up to feel nothing at all... I don't even get that feeling of dizziness... so that really show me that I don't need it and I am going towards a healthier life...
Good Luck... if you use to do sports... it will help to get back in it not just because is healthier but it will also help you stop smoking...
by Jo Jo
I used to be a swimmer and triathlete when I was younger and pick up the habit of smoking when I go to college... and stop sports... so many times I promise my boy that I quit and end up smoking behind his back at work... I am not proud of it at all... and feel guilty everyday. At last, I decide to join a triathlon competition that encourage me to start doing sport...
Haha... I even smoke two days before the race... is crazy but I finished the race... and start doing sports again... that was about 3 months ago... one day I was out in the field for work and I bump a cigarette from a co-worker and it end up to feel nothing at all... I don't even get that feeling of dizziness... so that really show me that I don't need it and I am going towards a healthier life...
Good Luck... if you use to do sports... it will help to get back in it not just because is healthier but it will also help you stop smoking...
by Jo Jo
Monday, April 16, 2007
Quit smoking tips on mirror
1. Find something else to do with your hands: musical instrument, crocheting, knitting.
2. Find something else to put in your mouth.
3. When you logon, check out sites that show that plump, pink, healthy lung compared to the black and shriveled up smoke-filled lung. Guess which one yours will look like when you die.
4. The patch.
5. Nicorette CQ.
6. Understand that cold turkey doesn't work for everyone. If you sneak a smoke, don't give up. Just jump back on the bandwagon. Maybe you can punish yourself with a 10-minute mile -- because you're a smoker you may hack and cough a lot during that time.
7. Get a sponsor like alcoholics do. When you want to smoke, call your sponsor and maybe you two can do something together to get pass that urge.
Ok, I can't think of 10, but hopefully those ideas will help. What helped my mother quit smoking was the massive heart attack.
You can do this! It'll be hard, but you know you can do this. Paste a good affirmation to you bathroom mirror. That positive reinforcement may help. And you don't have to quit smoking one big time. Try quitting everyday. You know, one-day-at-a-time.
Put this on your mirror:
"Today, I quit smoking. I'm proud of myself and my family is proud of me. And when someone asks if I want a cigarette, I will say "No thanks. I don't smoke". ---------- if they ask "since when?" you tell them big and proud "since now".
YOU CAN DO IT!! YOU CAN!!
By Christy
2. Find something else to put in your mouth.
3. When you logon, check out sites that show that plump, pink, healthy lung compared to the black and shriveled up smoke-filled lung. Guess which one yours will look like when you die.
4. The patch.
5. Nicorette CQ.
6. Understand that cold turkey doesn't work for everyone. If you sneak a smoke, don't give up. Just jump back on the bandwagon. Maybe you can punish yourself with a 10-minute mile -- because you're a smoker you may hack and cough a lot during that time.
7. Get a sponsor like alcoholics do. When you want to smoke, call your sponsor and maybe you two can do something together to get pass that urge.
Ok, I can't think of 10, but hopefully those ideas will help. What helped my mother quit smoking was the massive heart attack.
You can do this! It'll be hard, but you know you can do this. Paste a good affirmation to you bathroom mirror. That positive reinforcement may help. And you don't have to quit smoking one big time. Try quitting everyday. You know, one-day-at-a-time.
Put this on your mirror:
"Today, I quit smoking. I'm proud of myself and my family is proud of me. And when someone asks if I want a cigarette, I will say "No thanks. I don't smoke". ---------- if they ask "since when?" you tell them big and proud "since now".
YOU CAN DO IT!! YOU CAN!!
By Christy
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