[C-U Smokefree] Fw: Defying Logic

Mon Feb 16 17:41:31 CST 2004

Bottom Line's Daily Health News
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Daily Health News 
To: carlisle at soltec.net 
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2004 2:19 AM
Subject: Defying Logic


     February 16, 2004 

      DEFYING LOGIC

      With all of the documented facts about how incredibly bad smoking is for your health, it baffles me that people continue to do it. Sure, the incidence of smoking is down substantially compared with 1964 -- but 47 million Americans continue to smoke. 

      For those of us who have a loved one who smokes, watching him/her light up day after day is frustrating and frightening. As much as you might want to shake him and throw out his cigarettes, pipes or cigars, taking a head-on approach is guaranteed to fail. To find out what does work, I spoke with smoking cessation expert Deborah Hudson, a registered respiratory therapist and program manager of Clarian Tobacco Control Center, which offers a gamut of tobacco-related tools, including prevention and cessation techniques.

      STEP ONE: THROUGH THE SMOKER'S EYES

      Hudson points out that helping a loved one through the painful process of giving up tobacco requires great patience and understanding. First, look at why a tobacco addict clings so tightly to what he knows is a lethal habit. Simply put, smoking can be a source of great pleasure. Hudson explains that tobacco smoke chemically alters the body in many ways, but along with the terrible things it does, it changes six neurotransmitters in the brain to actually increase pleasure, enhance memory, reduce anxiety and tension, modulate mood and suppress appetite. Add to this that for a smoker, having cigarettes at hand is akin to having a best friend to soothe you when you need it, to entertain you when you're bored and to give you extra time to ponder your response to a challenging person or situation. So it is really no wonder that smokers love it.

      And the sobering realization that faces smokers grappling with their addiction is that giving up this extraordinarily satisfying habit can be and usually is excruciating -- more difficult, in fact, than getting off cocaine or heroin, says Hudson. No, it's not a pretty picture. But then again, neither are the cancers, cardiovascular diseases and numerous other physical consequences of continuing to smoke. 

      Trying to shame or criticize a smoker or "force" him to give up the habit with rational explanations is the worst possible approach, says Hudson. Smokers view these kinds of maneuvers as attempts to wrestle control from them, and they respond by going on the defensive. In fact, Hudson likens them to teenagers when it comes to their attitudes toward smoking. Tell a smoker he "has" to quit and he'll end up puffing away more just to prove that he, not you, controls his life. And don't bother playing the how-inconsiderate-it-is-for-others card. Years of smoking dull a smoker's sense of smell and create greater tolerance for smoke-filled rooms, says Hudson. A smoker simply doesn't experience the unpleasantness of tobacco smoke to the extent that a nonsmoker does, and he is apt to wonder what all the fuss is about. 

      STEP TWO: STRIKE WHEN HE'S READY 

      At some point, though, most smokers try to quit or decide they are ready to do so. Only when that happens, says Hudson, is it possible for you to be genuinely helpful. As you prepare to take action, keep an empathetic and nonjudgmental attitude. View a smoker as separate from the habit -- he is a person who is suffering from an addiction and what Hudson considers a chronic disease. 

      Once you know that a smoker is ready to quit, you can help in the following ways... 

        a.. Share your concern about the dangers of the habit. 
        b.. Let the person know you are there to help him lick this. 
        c.. Ask permission to do so. 
        d.. Don't tell the person what to do -- ask for suggestions about what you can do to help. 
        e.. Ask if you can assist in finding him a program or other tools that ease the process. 
        f.. If you are a former smoker, talk about what it was like for you to give it up. 
        g.. Never nag. 
      STEP THREE: SHARE THE EXPERIENCE

      Have no illusions. However cheerful and pleasant a person is ordinarily, being in the throes of giving up smoking obliterates these traits. Expect the person to be outrageously cranky and suffer from a variety of physical and psychological symptoms, including headaches, nasal and chest congestion, inability to concentrate, nausea, constipation or diarrhea, forgetfulness, restlessness, anxiety, depression and aggressive behavior. While these symptoms will start to ease after three or so days, it is just the beginning of a long process.

      Here are some ways that you can be a source of support as your ex-smoker endures the withdrawal period... 

        a.. Provide plenty of fruits and vegetables -- fiber will help ease the gastrointestinal symptoms and healthful nutrients will make it easier to avoid fattening foods. 
        b.. Offer to exercise with the ex-smoker. Physical activity enhances moods, increases focus and is relaxing -- all properties that nicotine was providing. 
        c.. Help the former smoker find new ways to de-stress. Deep breathing, a few minutes of meditation, going to the movies or for a quiet stroll can help fill the spaces that smoking once did. 
        d.. Remind the person that your support is unswerving and show it with regular calls. Just be sure you don't come across as checking up. 
        e.. Help the person avoid the situations that trigger his smoking -- being at a favorite coffee shop, socializing at a party, etc. 
      This will be a long and challenging process. The smoker may miss his cigarettes forever (as do my loved ones who have quit), but the benefits gained are well worth it in the end. 

      In our next issue of Daily Health News, we'll talk about how to help a quitter through a relapse. 


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      TRUST BUT VERIFY

      In our data-driven world, we have been trained to accept as fact the results of scientific study. That said, the media has a magical way of twisting the truth in order to create the most drama. 

      Example: The recent highly publicized research on echinacea purpurea and its ineffectiveness in treating upper respiratory illness in children (financed by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, part of the National Institutes of Health). If we take the news at face value, we should all be throwing away our bottles of echinacea. However, there are several fractions of echinacea -- they vary based on the material used to manufacture it -- and the study only tested one type. 

      Head researcher Carlo Calabrese, ND, explained that the echinacea used in the study was a type manufactured by Madaus-Murdock/Schwabe that is "widely distributed internationally." However, the Madaus-Murdock product is made from the whole plant, which is generally known to be less effective than versions created from the root only. Additionally, this product is a glycerin-sweetened and spray-dried reconstituted powder, making it quite different from other more potent forms of echinacea. 

      One of the foremost authorities on echinacea, Ed Alstat, ND, author and founder of Eclectic Institute, a manufacturer of organic botanical products, says that the published interpretation of the results is misleading. "There are easily more than 500 various forms of echinacea products on the market. Since many forms of processing are involved with various manufacturers, you can assume that no two products are alike," explains Dr. Alstat. "The press greatly errs when it assumes every form of echinacea, no matter if it is fresh or dried, extracted with one or 100 chemicals, is the same." Comparing the material used for this study with a proper traditional extract of a potent echinacea cultivar is like comparing grapes to raisins, says Dr. Alstat. Even the Bastyr researchers concluded that further studies were necessary using different echinacea formulations. 

      THE NEED FOR CONSISTENCY

      The real learning that resulted from the study is the reaffirmation of the critical need for creating standards in the supplement and herbal community. The alternative medicine world has long been criticized for a lack of standards and the potential dangers that this creates. There are vast differences within botanical species and their extractions. The Bastyr study makes this fact very clear. 

      Self-defense: Be aware that all herbal offerings at a health-food store are not created equal. Talk to a naturopathic physician or trained herbologist (http://www.americanherbalistsguild.com) about the best forms to take. 

      As for echinacea and colds, Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew Rubman, ND, and Dr. Alstat agree. When taken at the start of cold symptoms, echinacea has been shown time and again to reduce the impact of the illness. Echinacea can be essentially free from side effects (a few people experience stomach upset). Take one dose -- two 300-mg tablets of dried root or one teaspoon (5 ml) of echinacea root tincture -- three times per day. Fresh freeze-dried root in capsule form is the strongest and most complex reliable form. 

      Be well, 


      Carole Jackson 
      Bottom Line's Daily Health News


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      HEALING FOODS

        a.. Beef... a health food? 
        b.. Fat... a powerful cancer fighter? 
        c.. Beat your cholesterol problem with a mere half cup of a delicious food? 
        d.. "Liquid rubber cement" that grabs the fat from your foods before it piles on your belly, hips and thighs? 
        e.. Folic acid... the new male vitamin? 
        f.. Garlic... the heart-healthy hoax of the century? 
        g.. Calcium... the essential mineral that can trigger a devastating stroke? 
      What's going on here? (Read on... )


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      Sources... 

      Defying Logic

        a.. Deborah Hudson, registered respiratory therapist, program manager, Clarian Tobacco Control Center, Clarian Health, Indianapolis. www.clarian.org 
        b.. The No-Nag, No-Guilt, Do-It-Your-Own-Way Guide to Quitting Smoking, by Tom Ferguson, MD (Ballantine). 
      Trust But Verify

        a.. Ed Alstat, ND, founder, Eclectic Institute, Sandy, Oregon. 
        b.. Carlo Calabrese, ND, research professor, National College of Naturopathic Medicine, Portland, Oregon, and senior scientist, Bastyr University, Kenmore, Washington. He is also clinical assistant professor, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland. 
        c.. Andrew L. Rubman, ND, adjunct professor of clinical medicine, Florida College of Integrative Medicine, Orlando, Florida, and director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut. 

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