Make Smoking Cessation Counseling a Routine Intervention
As we know, smoking can affect the lungs significantly by causing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancers. Most of our patients believe [smoking only] affects [the lungs]. However, smoking can affect our heart significantly, causing advanced atherosclerosis, early-onset hypertension, and early-onset heart attacks.
Smoking not only causes cancer of the lungs but can also cause cancer of our esophagus, mouth, bladder, stomach, and pancreas. This leads to early-onset tooth decay and gum disease. This can impact infertility and can also cause a decreased immune system that can lead to continued chronic conditions and illnesses.
Counseling our patients on smoking cessation is one of the best things we can do for them. Telling our patients about hotlines, apps, or counseling are ways to help them quit. Also, medications such as Chantix (varenicline) and bupropion have been FDA approved in addition to nicotine replacement therapy, whether it's in the form of gum, patches, lozenges, or inhalers. All of these, even combined together, can significantly help our patients quit.
Other modalities such as hypnotherapy, and acupuncture, herbal remedies exist, and some people find great benefit with these. Helping our patients to quit is the number-one thing we can do for them.
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