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About Michael Dean
Expertise
Can answer
General information on tobacco addiction, and resources for quitting.
Information on current cancer research and the health effects of tobacco.
The risk of smoking for lung cancer and other cancers, as well as SIDS, heart disease, and vision loss.
The best place to start is 1-800-QUIT-NOW
Cannot answer
Specific medical questions
Experience
Cancer Researcher for over 20 years
Author of the book "Empty Cribs-The impact of smoking on child health" www.artsciencepub.com.
Author of over 200 scientific articles on cancer, genetics and human disease.
Multiple interviews in print, TV and radio media.
Organizations
American Association for Cancer Research
American Association of Human Genetics
Publications
Scientific journals (Science, Nature, NE Journal Medicine, etc.)
Scientific American, Discovery Medicine, Nature Reviews in Cancer
Education/Credentials
PhD. in Biochemistry from Boston University School of Medicine
Awards and Honors
Young Investigator award-American Association of Cancer Research
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You are here: Experts > Health/Fitness > Smoking Cessation > Quitting Smoking > quitting smoking
Expert: Michael Dean
Date: 8/25/2008
Subject: quitting smoking
Question
QUESTION: Michael,
am 55 yr old man with very long smoking history who is trying to quit...hopefully with determination..
first off...what is it about smoking that makes one smoke heavy?? is it primarily an insatiable desire or need for a huge volume of nicotine to reach satiation? or does a constant demand for the 'flavour and taste' of tobacco play in with equal ferrocity?
2) are nicotine substitutes, patch, gum etc. best or does the new drug chantix actually work?? and to what degree has chantix worked to assist people to quit?
3) how good an aid is hypnosis?? what exactly does it do and what result can one expect from hypnosis? or is hypnosis a fallacy?
4) obviously many years of smoking will leave volumes of tar etc. on the lungs...when a person succesfully quits, over time do the lungs self-cleanse to some degree or is the tar layer simply left behind fully intact and acting on the lung tissue forever leaving a big risk of change in tissue pathology that at some future point may result in a malignancy regardless of succesfully quitting the addiction?
thanks for any help with this querry..Ian
ANSWER: Dear Ian,
It is great that you are trying to quit.
Different people have different levels of addiction. It has to do with when you started, the earlier the worse, and genetics.
Talk to that doctor about prescribing both Chantix and Zyban. Chantix is a drug that blocks nicotine's action. Zyban helps in reducing anxiety and withdrawal symptoms. Pfizer provides an online counseling program along with Zyban. The 2 together have a higher success rate tahn patches, but they work too.
I'd also suggest you read "The EasyWay to Quit Smoking" by Allen Carr. He explains how smoking has no positive benefit in your life and the many advantages of quitting. The book has been a best seller in Europe for many years, and you might find it useful.
If you are in the US you should also call 1-800-QUIT-Now and find out about resources in your state. Some states provide free therapy and telephone quitlines, and these are useful.
The physical effects of nicotine withdrawal last only one week, so any symptoms after that are the psychological part of the addiction. This is where Zyban helps a lot of people.
The healiing of the lungs starts right away and can take a month or 2 to complete. There is some permanant damage, and it would be good to get regular checkups including lung function tests.
Or for online resources:
http://smokefree.gov/
I have a site with info as well:
http://artsciencepub.com/quitting.htm
Let me know how this goes, I like to hear about individual responses. And feel to write back with other questions
Good luck,
Michael Dean, Ph.D.
Author "Empty Cribs-The Impact of Smoking on Child Health"
http//www.artsciencepub.com
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Thanks for your reply Mr.Dean.
FYI..I started smoking at 15, so my history is 40 yrs as a smoker...and not a light smoker,pack a day(25 cig). I dont know what it is but I know I just love the taste and the flavour of tobacco, beyond the nicotine.
Today is day 7 for me as far as quitting goes...there has been the odd cheat and nicotine gum has become my good friend...and this is gonna be a tuff ride..
I focus mentally on lung damage...I figure that smoke from app. 400,000 cig. have passed through my lungs already, not to mention the 12 year or so period long ago that I was a
chronic, daily pot smoker to boot and all that is notwithstanding the welding fumes I used to be subject to via my former occupation. Not a rosy picture....
My lungs gotta look like tar buckets, how could they not?
I will get the book you have suggested...
As for zyban, I did try it once but found that the effect was amphetamine like for me, felt like taking 'speed' and was hard to deal with...but perhaps I will try again.
And I will give the chantix a go this week....
I did mention that I was once a 'pothead'...chronic daily user age 27 thru to age 40...and folks claim pot is non-addictive...what a laugh that is!...anyhow,I walked away from that one succesfully and it was real tuff..I was solidly hooked and couldn't go a day without being high...and these days my desire for it is zero, just the thought of my addict days and how drugs screwed up my life for so long and how I let it makes me sick!
I can only hope that maybe, just maybe I can ride this one thru as well....
Just wish that some scientist had come up with a "magic pill".....one that would erase all memory of addiction; the taste, the flavour....one that would quell all desire for tobacco's attributes.....
QUESTION: so what is your feeling about hypnosis as an aid?
ANY value there?
ps...am in Canada, Ian
Answer
Ian,
Yes that is a long history of lung abuse. But the body has amazing ability to recuperate.
The Chantix alone is fine, but you cannot use the gum (but you should not want to). Chantix is close to a majic bullet, but addiction is tricky as you know, and anything associated with the habit (taste, smell, rituals, surroundings) becomes somehing your brain craves.
Some people do great with hypnosis, and a supplent to the Chantix why not try it, if you have someone with experience in addiction.
Canada has great quitting resources. Here are a few-
http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/hl-vs/tobac-tabac/quit-cesser/index-eng.php
http://www.quit4life.com/index_e.asp
Hang in there. Each day gets better!
Mike
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