Cedars-Sinai's Wellness Solutions offers the Smoking Cessation Program, an innovative, medically guided course designed to help you quit smoking for good.
More than 4,000 compounds are in tobacco and tobacco smoke, including 60 known cancer-causing agents. Approximately half of all people who currently smoke will die because of the habit. Every year nearly 440,000 people in the U.S. lose their lives to smoking-related diseases. (For more detailed statistical information, click here .)
If you smoke, you are also putting those around you at risk. Secondhand smoke makes nonsmokers more susceptible to the same health risks attributed to smokers. Pregnant smokers often give birth to underweight babies. Each year as many as 300,000 cases of pneumonia and bronchitis are associated with infants up to 18 months of age who are regularly exposed to secondhand smoke. Children with smoking parents are more likely to experience coughing, wheezing, asthmatic episodes and middle ear problems. Teenagers of smoking parents are more than twice as likely as those of nonsmokers to pick up the habit.
To learn more about the lungs and the effects of smoking on the lungs, click here.
The health benefits from quitting smoking become apparent very quickly. Without cigarettes, you and your breath smell better, and your senses of smell and taste improve. Your cough goes away. You also save money - as much as $1100 a year for pack-a-day smokers.
When compared to people who currently smoke, ex-smokers experience less health complaints and fewer sick days. Quitting smoking decreases your risk of heart disease, stroke and lung cancer, as well as other cancers and respiratory diseases. Within a few years of quitting, the risk of heart disease is similar to that of a nonsmoker.
The nicotine found naturally in all forms of tobacco is a powerful drug that has addictive properties similar to heroin or cocaine. Nicotine is highly toxic, making it a valued component in pesticides and damaging to the human body. It affects the nervous system, interrupting the information that is traveling between the nerve cells. The nervous system eventually tolerates the presence of nicotine, giving smokers a pleasurable feeling that makes them want to smoke more. Nicotine addiction is the primary reason smokers become dependent on tobacco products and why quitting is so difficult.
Cedars-Sinai's Smoking Cessation Program is a 18-session course tailored to your individual needs. Together with your mentor, you set realistic goals and develop a plan to quit smoking based on your health evaluation and your lifestyle. The program uses state-of-the-art behavior modification techniques to help you become and stay a nonsmoker.
Participation in the Smoking Cessation Program includes:
- An initial evaluation of your current health and smoking habits
- Realistic short- and long-term goal setting
- An individualized plan for achieving your goals
- One-on-one mentoring in person or over the phone with an experienced health professional
- Access to educational kits and audiotapes about quitting smoking
- Ongoing support, motivation, re-evaluation and revision of your individualized plan
- Tracking for adherence and quality assurance
- The available option of medical management with a physician
The Smoking Cessation Program at Cedars-Sinai is offered through Wellness Solutions. To schedule an appointment or to learn more about the Smoking Cessation Program, call Wellness Solutions at (310) 423-9700.
