smoking Archives - Elite Care Family Medicine

The Great American Smokeout of 2019 is November 22. This day is set aside to encourage Americans to finally put down the cigarettes. Need a few reasons why you should choose this year to quit smoking? Take a look at what happens to your body after you’ve had your last cigarette. 20 minutes after your last cigarette, blood pressure and pulse rates return to normal. The fibers that help move bacteria and irritants out of the lungs will also recover and resume working...

Men are often seen as the physically stronger gender, however it's commonly known that women tend to live longer than men. While there are some factors that play into a shorter lifespan in men that cannot be controlled, many common men's health issues can be prevented. During International Men’s Health Month this June, we’re dedicated to bringing awareness of common men’s health issues and ways to reduce the risk of developing problems. According to Healthline,...

Spring is always torture for people with allergies. Usually sometime in March or April there’s a sudden shift away from wintry weather that encourages plants to release pollen into the air. Windy conditions then send that pollen into our noses, throats, and eyes. The pollen trigger allergy symptoms that range from congestion, sneezing and itchy eyes to headaches, diarrhea, and even depression. So what can you do if allergies are hitting you hard this year? Determine...

E-cigarettes work by heating a liquid that contains nicotine, other chemicals, and flavors. Heating the liquid turns it into a vapor which is what the user inhales and exhales. They’ve been advertised as an alternative to tobacco products. They’re growing in popularity among smokers who want to quit, but there are hazards associated with them as well. Vaping may damage the heart Because they do not burn tobacco but infuse water vapor with nicotine, people who vape...

Many say smoking is a bad habit, but it’s not. Smoking is more than a bad habit. It’s a chemical dependence on nicotine. Chemical dependence is a condition in which a person experiences physical withdrawal symptoms when they stop taking certain drugs. If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking before and experienced irritability, anxiety, depression, impatience, insatiable hunger, weight gain, difficulty concentrating, or difficulty sleeping, you experienced nicotine...

One minute you’re fine and the next a steady stream of blood is gushing from your nose. A nosebleed occurs when one of the many fragile surface blood vessels in the nose break. Even if the particular cause of a nosebleed is unknown, most cases are minor and treatable from home. Patients experience two kinds of nosebleeds. An anterior nosebleed occurs when the blood vessels in the front of the nose break and bleed. A posterior nosebleed occurs in the back or the deepest...

Since a cold and a sinus infection share similar symptoms. Knowing the difference and being able to tell which one you have can be tricky. We’ll make it a little easier on you with these questions you need to ask. What is a cold? A cold is a virus in the upper respiratory system. The common cold can be caused by many different types of viruses. A cold is usually harmless and symptoms usually resolve within two weeks. Symptoms include runny nose, nasal congestion,...

When cold weather hits or allergy season comes around, you can hear it. The sound of countless people hacking up a lung. While coughing is a pain, its purpose is to protect you. It’s a reflex that rids the body of things that don’t belong in your respiratory system like inhaled dirt, food, germs, and excess mucus. Many things can trigger a cough, but here are a few of the most common. Viruses Cold and the flu are the most common causes of a cough. The purpose of...

Making a New Year’s resolution is one of the most exciting things about the start of the new year. It’s a time to stop thinking about what you're going to do and start doing it. If you’re one of the 7 in 10 U.S. smokers who want to quit smoking, why not make a resolution to get started in 2018? According to the CDC, smoking is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in the United States. Quitting now can cut your risk of disease and leave you feeling...

Do you know anyone who vapes? Do you vape? Are you completely lost on what vaping is? Vaping is the act of using an e-cigarette (a battery powered electronic cigarette). Rising taxation and regulation on tobacco products often makes smokers seek alternatives or cessation. Because of the rising costs of tobacco products, E-cigarettes have become more and more popular over the past decade. While there is a controversy about whether e-cigarettes are harmful, new evidence...