No Smoking Community

Why become a victim of cancer and other ugly diseases, when life has so much to offer, says Dr Lancelot Pinto, consultant respirologist and smoking cessation therapy specialist at Mumbai's PD Hinduja Hospital. How important is it to stop smoking? One cannot emphasize enough the benefits of stopping to smoke, both in terms of the gain in quality of life, and the prevention of smoking-associated illnesses, which cover a very wide spectrum. What is encouraging, however, is that…

Dr Shital Raval tells you 5 tips how to heal lungs and improve lung function, especially if they are weakened by smoking. But first, quit smoking. Cigarette smoking is the leading cause of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease or COPD. Patients with COPD have impaired lung function, and one of the first things that you have to do to improve lung function is to quit smoking. A recent study by the Glasglow University stated that quitting can better lung function test scores by…

It is important to manage COPD if you do not want the complications to set in. The possible complications are: Heart failure Respiratory failure Food and nutrition  Drink plenty of fluids. You should drink at least 6 to 8 -ounce glasses of non-caffeinated beverages each day to keep mucus thin and easier to cough up. Limit caffeine (contained in coffee, tea, several carbonated beverages such as cola, and chocolate) as it might interfere with some of your medicines. Control sodium (salt)…

There is no known cure for COPD, but the symptoms are treatable and its progression can be delayed.  For smokers, quitting smoking is a key priority.  Supplemental oxygen, which can be supplied to the patient through masks and cylinders. This supplemental oxygen enables normal body functions in patients with COPD.  Talk to your doctor about taking an influenza vaccination every year and a pneumococcal vaccination once every five years.  If possible, reduce your exposure to…

Can COPD be prevented Most cases of COPD are potentially preventable. The best ways to prevent COPD is  to stop smoking and reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke and air pollution.  Those with COPD are recommended annual flu and influenza vaccinations to reduce exacerbations and hospitalisation.  Here's how you can improve lung function after you quit smoking:  http://www.patientsengage.com/conditions/improving-lung-function-after-you-quit-smoking  

There are lot of benefits from quitting smoking. Swapna Kishore explains in Hindi the benefits and the steps you can take: https://dementiahindi.wordpress.com/2015/05/25/how-to-quit-smoking-and-get-heath-benefits-hindi-article/ For another article in Hindi on how to stop smoking, you can also read http://www.cpaaindia.org/activities/quit-smoking-hindi.pdf

Says Dr V Shanta, cancer specialist and the Chairperson of Adyar Cancer Institute, Chennai. Lung cancer, which is related to smoking, is today the top cancer in the country. Within the year, 15.5% of 13 to 15-year-olds are going to start smoking. Don’t let your child be one of them. Plus, how smoking harms non-smokers, too.  1. How grave is the health problem posed by tobacco use in India? How much of it relates to smoking cigarettes, beedis and how much is it due to consumption of gutka,…

Asok Mitra, 80, used to smoke almost 100 cigarettes a day. He has been smoke-free for 40 years, but tobacco has taken its toll. He tells us why and how he quit.  1. Please tell us a bit about your condition. I am prone to chest infections and pneumonia. My lungs are impaired and do not work at optimum capacity. Years ago, I was told that my lungs were working at 70% of their capacity. 2. How long have you been suffering from this? This has been the situation for at…

Why your child is at risk and what to say to him or her. By Dr Shital Raval Patel. When you think of a smoker, you don’t think of a 10-year-old. But 67% of smokers in India start the tobacco habit between the ages of 9 and 15. According to the Global Youth Tobacco Survey (2006), more than one third of students aged 13 to 15 years (36.8%) reported initiating tobacco use before the age of 10 (Sinha et al., 2008). This could be cigarettes, bidis (which have three times the amount of nicotine and…

World No Tobacco Day is on May 31. Cancer survivor Vandana Gupta (VG), the founder of V Care, a support service for cancer patients and their families in India, talks about the urgent need to protect your kids and family members from the widespread scourge of tobacco use. Plus, what to say to kids who think smoking is cool.  PE: Your organisation, V Care, offers support to different types of cancer patients. What are the specific challenges pertaining to …