Quitting smoking may be incredibly difficult for some people, but doing so can have lasting positive effects on your health. In addition to the addictive nicotine, cigarettes contain over 4,000 other chemicals, some of which are also used in...
Acid reflux, or gastroesophageal reflux, is the backward flow of stomach acid into the esophagus. During an acid reflux episode, you may taste regurgitated food or sour liquid in your mouth, or experience heartburn, a burning sensation in your...
Nicotine is the addictive substance that occurs naturally in tobacco products like cigarettes. It acts as a stimulant, boosting production of dopamine and attaching to acetylcholine receptors in the brain. Like many other stimulants, nicotine...
One in every four men and one in every five women smoke cigarettes, according to Reader's Digest. Although some people want to quit smoking, it can be difficult physically and mentally to actually do it. Determination, support and concentration...
Nicotine replacement therapy products are designed to help people to quit the use of tobacco-based nicotine sources such as cigarettes. The website Smokefree.gov describes alternative forms of nicotine, including lozenges, patches, nasal sprays,...
A blood test can be used to check for nicotine. The reasons for this can vary, but nicotine is an indication that a person smokes, which can have a large impact on a person's health. This information can be of interest to insurance agencies and...
Nicotine is an addictive substance found in products that may be smoked or chewed. Nicotine increases the release of dopamine within the brain, producing temporary pleasure. Nicotine gum is commonly used for smoking cessation to reduce withdrawal...
Cholesterol, a compound produced by the liver and found in certain foods, is vital because it helps build cells in the body and produces hormones. Because the body produces all the cholesterol you need, dietary sources will only raise blood...
According to the American Lung Association, there were 46 million adult smokers in 2008, with over 393,000 individuals dying from smoking-related illnesses. Addiction causes individuals to continue using tobacco products in spite of the existing...
Wrinkling and aging go hand in hand for most people. As you get older, your skin becomes less pliant and elastic, and you'll begin to see lines and creases where your skin was previously smooth. Though wrinkling cannot always be avoided, making...
The smoking of nicotine products such as cigarettes and cigars comes with a long list of possible health side effects, ranging from heart disease to cancer. Among these side effects are those smoking has on the skin. According to the Cleveland...
At five weeks pregnant, your baby is actually three weeks along in development. The timeline for your pregnancy begins on the first day of your last menstrual period, which is about two weeks before the conception. This is a time of hormonal...
Fatigue is a normal response to physical exertion during exercise. However, its symptoms can be magnified if you do not maintain a healthy diet, sleep enough or if you exercise excessively. Because exercise-related fatigue can make it difficult to...
Each year, a new strain of the flu virus circulates throughout the world. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other national health groups work diligently to keep up by developing new vaccines each year. They recommend that those in...
According to the National Cancer Institute, smoking harms almost every organ in the body, causes many diseases and diminishes a person's overall health. These facts give many smokers the motivation and desire to quit smoking, but quitting can be...
Individuals addicted to smoking have a dependency on the chemical nicotine found in such tobacco products as cigarettes, cigars and chewing tobacco. The habit-forming drug produces brief pleasant feelings in the brain, which encourages smokers to...
One of the reasons why it is so difficult to quit using tobacco is due to the addictive properties of nicotine. Tobacco products are a highly efficient form of nicotine delivery. When most people stop using tobacco, they go through nicotine...
Secondhand smoke has been known to cause a variety of health problems and respiratory illnesses, especially in children, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA has even classified secondhand smoke as a cancer-causing...
Stomach ulcers, otherwise known as peptic ulcers, are an open sore in the stomach lining. Depending on the location of the ulcer, peptic ulcers may be referred to by other names. Gastric ulcers are sores that develop in the stomach. Duodenal...
Approximately one out of three adults in the United States has hypertension (high blood pressure), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Known as the silent killer due to its lack of signs and symptoms, medications are...
Diarrhea is defined as loose, watery stools occurring three or more times in one day, states MedlinePlus. The condition is caused by bacteria, viruses, eating or drinking contaminated food and some medications. Still, in many cases of diarrhea no...
The stomach flu, also known as viral gastroenteritis, causes nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and fever. The condition spreads through contact with an infected person or drinking contaminated water, states MayoClinic.com. Though most people...
Smoking is one of the most common forms of recreational drug use in the United States. The use of tobacco and nicotine products extends hundreds of years into the past, when parts of the United States were highly coveted for their ideal conditions...
When you smoke cigarettes or cigars, you aren't only smoking the tobacco. According to Cleveland Clinic in the article "Types of Tobacco," that cigarette may also include over 4,000 chemicals, including ammonia, arsenic, hydrogen cyanide and DDT....
For many people, cigarettes are the delivery method of choice for a very addictive drug. Cigarettes enable you get a dose of nicotine into your body quickly and maintain adequate blood levels as a result of its unique pharmacokinetic profile....
With the help of a support system and a smoking cessation tool like the nicotine patch, an individual can make their desire to stop smoking a reality. Before starting any plan to stop smoking, be sure to consult your medical care provider and any...
You will be doing your body a favor by quitting smoking . Although "cold turkey" is the most popular approach to quitting, some people prefer a gradual approach. Although smoking kills millions of people every year, millions of other people have...
Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable diseases and death in the United States, according to the National Cancer Institute. It causes many different kinds of cancers, lung and heart diseases. People who smoke are six times more likely to...
Herbal remedies for quitting smoking aren't well-studied in the United States. For this reason, you're more likely to find reliable information about smoking cessation prodicts like nicotine gum or anti-smoking drugs than you are about herbal teas...
Quitting smoking is a very difficult habit to break. Learn how to get started quitting smoking from a licensed professional psychotherapist in this video.
