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Dear Visitor,
Welcome to the first issue of The Ashe Street Clinic newsletter. We hope to keep you informed about relevant health topics on a monthly basis.
We are kicking off with advice on how to stop smoking. If you are currently a smoker, we would strongly encourage you to read the entire document as it may be of help in your quest to be smoke-free. If you do not smoke yourself, please consider forwarding this document or printing it for any of your family, friends, neighbours or work colleagues who are currently smoking.
If you have any suggestions about this or other topics, please do not hesitate to contact us at reception@theashestreetclinic.com
The Ashe Street Clinic
Top Ten Tips to Help you Stop Smoking
1. There are many benefits to stopping smoking. Not only will you look and feel healthier, your food and drinks will taste better and your clothes, hair and breath will not smell like an ashtray. Some people develop a cough after giving up the cigarettes. This is usually a good sign as it means the lungs are finally working again and clearing out all the tar you have inhaled over the years. The cough usually settles after a few months.
You can also make substantial financial savings by giving up smoking. If you smoke twenty cigarettes a day, you can save enough for a family holiday after one year or a decent family car after ten years. The money you save from not smoking twenty cigarettes a day, over forty years, would buy you a family home.
2. It is difficult to give up cigarettes but well worth the effort. There is never a perfect time to quit. Plan the date you intend to quit. Tell all your friends, relatives and work mates your plan to stop and get their help and support. Avoid situations that might make you think about smoking such as drinking alcohol outdoors or drinking coffee after a meal. Have a fresh orange juice or some peppermint tea instead. Get rid of all cigarettes, lighters, ash trays, etc out of the house or office.
3. When you give up one bad habit such as smoking, it is a good idea to take up a good habit such as more physical exercise. Try walking, jogging, tennis or golf. Physical exercise releases endorphins which are natural “feel good” hormones that will help to counteract the withdrawal effects of nicotine. When you give up smoking cigarettes, we recommend you adopt a healthy lifestyle and try to concentrate on having a good healthy diet, getting plenty of fresh air and exercise. Try to keep alcohol to a minimum and avoid binge drinking. Try to deal with any stress in your life in a positive way. While some people gain weight after stopping, others stay the same weight or even lose weight, especially if they stay on a low sugar, low fat diet and take plenty of exercise.
4. If you do get a craving to smoke, try some or all of the following:
- Take a few deep breaths and remind yourself why you need to stop
- Brush your teeth
- Drink fresh juice, peppermint tea or water.
- Go for a brisk walk or a jog
- Chew on some sugar-free gum
- Distract yourself by doing something engaging.
Most cravings pass within a few minutes.
5 Nicotine replacement therapy such as Nicotine Gums or E-Cigarettes may help ease the withdrawal effects from nicotine. However, if you use these nicotine replacement methods you should plan to wean yourself off them gradually over the course of three to six months. Other options available from the doctors in The Ashe Street Clinic include “ Champex”, a tablet that reduces the withdrawal effects and cravings for nicotine. Some people find hypnosis helpful.
6 The peace of mind that comes with not smoking should not be underestimated. You will have no more worries about your health and the guilt associated with smoking will disappear. Cravings will pass and you will no longer have to plan your life around your next cigarette.
7 For most people, giving up smoking is an all or nothing process. Complete abstinence will give you the best chance of success. If you do happen to fall off the wagon and have a cigarette, examine the reasons why you smoked and try to avoid that situation in the future, at least until you have gotten over the craving stages. Take your smoking cessation programme one day at a time. Be determined. Recognise your achievements and give yourself a small reward once in a while (i.e. the money you saved might buy you a nice shirt or a pair).
8 People mistakenly believe that smoking helps them relax or deal with stress. This is untrue. The withdrawal effects of nicotine make you feel agitated and you can get temporary relief from these symptoms when you smoke. Withdrawal effects from nicotine usually last a few weeks. However, cravings can last a lot longer but get less intense as time goes by.
9 Almost everybody knows smoking is a major cause of heart attacks, strokes and lung cancer. However, smoking can also cause the following:-
-Wrinkles on your face as you get older.
-Bad breath, smelly clothes and smelly hair.
-Yellow staining of your teeth and fingers
-Sexual problems such as impotence (i.e. difficulty in getting or maintain an erection during sex)
-Dementia (poor memory)
-Cervical cancer in women
-Sore throats and recurrent tonsillitis
-Mouth cancer
-Infertility
-Low birth rate babies in women who smoke during pregnancy
-Low IQ in children whose mothers smoked during pregnancy
-Passive smoking is harmful for children and adults.
-Children who see their parents smoke are more likely to smoke themselves.
-Smoking can take 10 -15 quality years off your life
10 Tobacco smoke contains over 4000 chemicals including tar, arsenic, carbon monoxide and nicotine. These are poisonous or addictive and can cause cancer and heart disease. One in every two smokers will die of a tobacco related illness. The more cigarettes you smoke and the more years you are smoking the higher the risk. However, research by the British Heart Foundation showed that even smoking one to four cigarettes a day triples the risk of heart disease. You are never too young or too old to stop smoking. Once you quit, the benefits start immediately. After a year, you will have cut your risk of heart attack by half.
While smoking can cause premature death, it is more likely to cause chronic illness such as chronic lung disease, a stroke or angina which can affect your quality of life. Do you want to end up in a nursing home with a stroke or so breathless that you cannot walk to the shop? Remember, if you get sick from a smoking related illness, you will have brought it on yourself and your family.
For more help and advice about trying to stop smoking please visit the following website: www.quit.ie or phone the Irish Cancer Society Quit line = Free phone=1 800 201 203 Monday to Friday 9.30 am till 4.30 pm or read Alan Carr’s book “The Easy Way To Stop Smoking” or see his website www.allencarr.com
All the doctors and nurses in The Ashe Street Clinic are trained in nicotine addiction and how to help people to stop smoking. Please do not hesitate to ask us for our help and support.
Phone 066 712 5611 for an appointment.
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The Ashe Street Clinic
Our aim is to provide high quality patient care in a courteous and efficient manner
Ashe Street, Tralee, Co. Kerry
Telephone 066 7125611 | Fax 066 7122626 | Email reception@theashestreetclinic.com
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