Thank you for not smoking.
That’s pretty much the axiom that all medical professionals live by, and the efforts to discourage smoking are part of every high school’s curriculum and government health initiative.
Lighting up a tobacco product, once a sign of sophistication and sex appeal, has been submerged in public life to the relentless actions of the morality police. As such, it’s been consigned to the cold, the dark, the rain and the heat, shunted off to places out of the way and off the grid. Smokers are the unwashed, the forbidden and the guests who won’t leave, restricted by laws and busybodies who resent even the slightest sign that they may be partaken in this unhealthy habit.
There are an estimated 40 million Americans who smoke tobacco products. But given the health hazards and the social stigma, those numbers are dwindling, even as alternatives like e-cigarettes (the so-called vaping or electronic smoking) rise up as tobacco substitutes.
There are many reasons to call it quits. Addiction, cancer and heart disease, lung problems and the cost of cigarettes, cigars and other products are high, discouraging smoking. Advertising for tobacco products is banned by the Federal Communications Commission, and gone are the days when Joe Camel was encouraging kids to partake in this once-celebrated pastime.
And rightfully so. New evidence shows that smoking has an undiscovered medical issue. It can actually damage parts of the brain.
A study published in Molecular Psychiatry reveals that smoking may actually lead to a thinner cortex area in the brain than that found in non-smokers. The study examined more than 500 men and women, and included smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers who were, on average, about 73 years old.
Using brain scans, the researchers discovered that smokers and former smokers have a thinner cortex than those who have never touched tobacco products. The cortex is the area of the brain where memory, language and perceptions occur, making it one of the most vital areas of cognition.
While stopping smoking can partially restore some of the cortex’s thickness, the restoration process is slow and certainly doesn’t repair the area all the way back to its former depth. Those subjects described as heavy former smokers who had quit for more than 25 years still had effects from their smoking days, researchers found, displaying a thinner cortex than those who never smoked.
While it is acknowledged that the cortex grows thinner as people age, smoking apparently speeds up the thinning process, leading to a marked mental decline in thinking and memory. Combined with other factors that can cause mental issues, smoking seems to exacerbate the problems associated with aging.
The thinning cortex findings are new. But there are other brain issues associated with smoking that have been known for some time. None of the news is good.
NICOTINE IS THE KEY
Tobacco smoking is a key to the development of a nicotine dependence. That means that stopping use of the substance is difficult, as the body builds up a craving for more of the product.
Nicotine is a pleasure-inducing drug. It alters mood and produces physical sensations that are pleasing and relaxing, causing the body to crave more of the same. Unfortunately, as with other drugs, cutting out the source of those feelings can lead to withdrawal symptoms, including anxiety, irritability, restlessness, difficulty concentrating, depression, hunger, insomnia, constipation and/or diarrhea.
The need to return to the pleasurable state is what keeps smokers going, even though most smokers realize that they are buying a ticket to future heart problems, strokes and cancer issues.
Such issues are not reflective of a lack of willpower or other moral issues. In fact, nicotine is a drug like any other, and it creates a dependency that is as hard to break as any other addiction to a drug.
Family history and other factors influence this addictive behavior. Genetics, peer pressures, age that smoking begins, prior mental issues and other substance abuse can guide someone toward smoking. Tobacco smoke contains thousands of substances, many of them working on the brain to induce more use of the product.
That issue is why nicotine dependence is listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, which is published by the American Psychiatric Association and is considered the Bible of mental health by medical professionals. The manual is used to accurately diagnose all forms of mental troubles and also serves as a guide for insurance companies in their determination of reimbursements for treatment.
BREAKING THE HABIT
Because the addiction is physical as well as mental, stopping smoking often requires medical professional help, and the patient may not be able to stop on their first try.
Nicotine replacement therapy is often used to fool the brain into getting its dose of nicotine without any other harmful chemicals. The therapy can help with withdrawal symptoms and cravings.
Replacement products include the nicotine patch (sold under the brand names NicoDerm CQ and Habitrol, among others); nicotine gum (Nicorette and others), and nicotine lozenges (Commit and Nicorette). These products should be used from the moment the smoker decides to quit, helping to ease back on the cravings throttle.
If the over-the-counter medications are not working, there are also nicotine replacement products that are available via prescription. These include nicotine nasal sprays (sold as Nicotrol NS), and nicotine inhalers (Nicotrol).
Finally, in order to help with some of the mental health issues that may have led to smoking or increased by smoking, there are such antidepressants as Bupropion (Zyban or Wellbutrin), which can increase the dopamine and norepinephrine levels that are also found in nicotine; Verenicline (sold as Chantix) which acts on the brain’s nicotine receptors to moderate pleasure and decrease withdrawal; and Nortriptyline (sold as Pamelor), which boosts levels of norepinephrine that are found in nicotine.
Whatever method is used to overcome the smoking habit, medical professionals agree that stopping is an overall health booster for the brain and other body parts. Talk to a doctor about smoking cessation methods available.
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