Approaching soon is the closing of Fall semester. The holidays are coming, a time to rejoice with family and friends. This past weekend I was eating dinner with my parents, and my dad mentioned that one of his clients has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and that hopefully she will make it to enjoy one last Christmas. Although this woman is in her late eighties and has lived a long and fulfilling life, perhaps it could have been longer had she not smoked cigarettes. My father also mentioned this weekend that quality of life is on the rise, so much that in the future people might be living up to 150 years old! Mind you, the current life expectancy is 78 years old, so we have a long wait before we reach that high mark (and mind you my dad is a smart man, but he is by no means a credible source to quote as fact).
My Uncle Ed lives in South Dakota. Unmarried and with no children, he lived with my Aunt Ann, his sister - not wife - in a small farmhouse in Watertown, S.D. Although my Aunt Ann has recently passed, Ed is still alive and kicking and over 100 years in age. This weekend when I was with my family, we were talking about how Uncle Ed has managed to live well past the average American life expectancy. My mother, a on and off lifetime smoker (currently on), replied: "Well its because he didn't have any children." Which makes sense, since children do cause increased stress both emotionally and economically in one's life (BUT also bring lots of joy :) ). My dad, who has never smoked in his life and HATES HATES HATES the fact that my mother smokes her "cancer sticks," had a different explanation: "Its because he never smoked cigarettes."
Getting at my point - other than the fact a weekend holiday vacation with the family has turned me into a rambling fool - life is a precious thing. Although I may be a fool at this moment, due to lack of sleep, sixteen hours in a car and a sore throat that has been looming for the past two weeks - some good ol' R & R will cure that. A real fool is someone who fails to realize how precious life is, because there is no easy cure for lung cancer, just an end: death.
So I will be ending this blog by examining the numerous ways to end smoking. I found a list of quit-smoking products at the Mayo Clinic web site, which includes:
Nicotine replacement therapy, which includes a small amount of nicotine:
Nicotine Patch
Nicotine Gum
Nicotine Lozenge
Nicotine Inhaler
There are also several prescription medications:
Bupropion SR (Zyban)
Varenicline (Chantix)
Under each kind of quit smoking product is: an overview, pros, cons, cautions and a timeline of how long each product should be used. The anti-smoking prescription medication Zyban also function as an anti-depressant, and both Zyban and Chantix are required by the FDA to carry a black box warning:
In July 2009, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) required bupropion (Zyban) SR to carry a black box warning — the strongest safety warning that the FDA can issue about a prescription medication. The warning is required because bupropion SR may be associated with serious mental health problems either while taking it or after stopping it, including an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior, hostility and depression.
In July 2009, the FDA required varenicline (Chantix) to carry a black box warning — the strongest safety warning that the FDA can issue about a prescription medication. The warning is required because varenicline may be associated with serious mental health problems either while taking it or after stopping it, including an increased risk of suicidal thoughts or behavior, hostility and depression.
Click here to read more about these products and depression.
On top of these cautionary side effects, these prescription drugs can be pricey. Reading the comments from a blog written about Chantix, it seems to range from thirty to low one hundred dollars in price. Maybe you are a smoker, maybe you are not - but most likely someone close to you or at least someone you know is a smoker. Perhaps these products are the trick to quitting smoking for some people, but surely anyone who is quitting smoking needs the support and encouragement of fellow friends and family members. Help someone close the door on smoking and open a new door to a longer and healthier life, a guaranteed cheap - yet also priceless - gift to give this holiday season.
