Time to kick the habit? In today’s episode of Dr Nora, I take you through why smoking cigarettes is so addictive, what the impacts are on health and how to successfully stop.
NICOTINE
Each year over 19,000 Australians die of smoking related illnesses. Cigarettes contain over 4000 chemicals of which 43 are known to cause cancer. One of those chemicals is called nicotine which is the principle reason why smoking can be so addictive. Once inhaled nicotine travels into the blood and passes through to the brain activating the reward pathway releasing a happy hormone called dopamine. Each time a cigarette is smoked, the reward pathway is activated and so the body craves more.
HEALTH EFFECTS
Smoking also causes a number of illnesses, such as lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Not only does it affect the lungs but it also is a major risk factor for heart failure. It also contributes to premature ageing and erectile dysfunction in men.
The good news is, once you stop smoking, a number of positive changes happen in the body, such as the protective barriers to the lungs and airways called cilia recover, more oxygen can be carried around the body and the risk of lung cancer is reduced to less that half that of a smoker after 10 years of cessation.
HOW TO STOP
There are many ways to stop smoking, however, we know the most successful people have the aid of support networks. Nicotine replacement therapy is aimed at those addicted to nicotine and can take the shape of lozenges, spray, gum or patches. Oral medications can be given on the advice of a medical practitioner. In Australia, e-cigarettes or vaping is a prescription only medication that can be used if the above methods have failed. It is important to know that vaping is not approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration as the long term side effects are not known.
Alongside medication, cognitive strategies can be implemented. These are strategies that use the power of thought to overcome addiction. Examples of this include keeping a smoking diary and see what triggers you to smoke. When you decide to stop smoking you can avoid these triggers. Another example includes keeping a list of the benefits of not smoking somewhere visible.
Behavioural strategies are used to help with the triggers of smoking. These include delaying the idea of smoking, taking a deep breath and performing another activity.
If you are planning to stop, always choose a target date and throw out any smoking paraphernalia, let your friends know you’re stopping too so they can support you. There are also a number of resources to get help from alongside your medical practitioner.
On average the heart pumps blood 60-100 times a minute. The Apple watch monitors the heart function and it does this by using a sensor on the back, for this to work accurately, during setup you need to enter in your height, weight, gender and age. It gives you an alert if your heart rate is too high or too low.
Having a high heart rate - over 100 beats a minute can be a sign of an irregular heart rhythm, otherwise known as an arrhythmia, An example of this is Atrial Fibrillation. This is where the heart pumps quickly in a chaotic manor which can then cause small plaques or clots to break off from vessels causing serious medical conditions such as a stroke or other heart conditions. So with this regard the Apple watch certainly is useful, in fact there has been cases reported of people being correctly diagnosed via the watch for Atrial Fibrillation, prompting them to seek medical attention and potentially saving their lives.
But what about a low heart rate? This is a heart rate under 60 beats per minute, this can be normal in some situations, for example an athlete may have a lower resting heart rate. Similarly some medications or illnesses such as an under-active thyroid can also cause a low heart rate. It is important that you discuss your target heart rate with your medical doctor so that you can accurately use your Apple watch.
People who have an abnormally high or low heart rate may also have symptoms, such as fatigue, dizziness, lethargy, shortness or breath or fainting. Again if you do have these symptoms despite having a normal heart rate it is important to discuss this with your medical doctor and remember that the Apple Watch doesn’t check for all types of abnormal heart conditions.
ECG/EKG
You may have seen the ECG/ EKG function (electrocardiogram) on TV shows like Scrubs, House, Casualty or Holby City, where we put stickers onto your chest to have a look at the electrical activity of the heart. It helps us to determine any rhythm defects, whether you’ve had a recent heart attack or any structural problems related to having a murmur. This feature is yet to be released to Australia.
MENSTRUAL CYCLE
One of the new health features is the ability to monitor and track the regularity of periods and any associated symptoms. This is particularly useful in patients who have underlying medical conditions such as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, or for those who are wishing to get pregnant or those going through the menopause.
NOISE
Another new feature of the Apple watch is the noise application. Background noise ranges from 65-70 Decibels and doesn’t usually cause damage. Long term or repeated exposure to 85 decibels can cause damage, examples include motorbike or dirt bike.
PEDOMETER
We’ve all heard of step counts, step count this, step count that, 10,000 steps. We know that by having an active lifestyle, we’ll be healthier.
However, if you’re doing 10,000 steps a day and you’re eating KFC, Burger King, Bob’s Burgers, you’re probably not on the right track to having a healthy lifestyle.
FALLS DETECTION
The Apple Watch has a gyroscope and an accelerator and when a hard fall is detected an alert is sent to your watch. You can then press on the screen to say you’re ok, or if you remain immobile and don’t disable the alert after 60 seconds it will call the emergency services. This is particularly useful for certain groups of people, such as epileptics or the elderly.
CONCLUSION
As you can see the Apple watch has a number of medical features which have a number of benefits if used correctly. Please note however, that the Apple watch nor the contents of this video are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice and should not be relied on as health or personal advice. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions you may have regarding your health or medical condition.
Thanks for watching and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to drop me a line in the comments section below.
Men’s Health | Enlarged Prostate Symptoms and Treatments
Did you know that over 600,000 men in Australia are affected with problems with their prostate? With over 30% of men over 50s having problems with their urinary system.
Today’s talk is all about Male’s Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia otherwise known as enlarged prostate - which is part of the male reproductive system.
SYMPTOMS
The symptoms you should look out for is any change or difficulty in passing water. Which can be categorised with problems holding your water.
- If you feel like you need to go to the toilet a lot more frequently.
- If you have problems passing water, for example getting the stream going or maintaining the stream, or experiencing any bleeding in the urine stream.
- If you experience dribbling after going to the toilet.
These are very important symptoms to look out for and you should see your doctor as soon as you notice them, as the quicker the symptoms can be managed the better the outcome is.
WHAT TO EXPECT AT THE DOCTOR
You can expect to have a blood test as well as an internal examination. Which is where one gloved lubricated finger is inserted into the back passage to detect an enlarged prostate or suspicious nodules.
TREATMENT
Treatment generally tends to be medication which can be started as soon as you notice symptoms, or alternatively you could be referred to a urologist for further investigations or for surgical treatment.
PREVENTION
The main take away point is that we want to prevent any long term bladder problems, and the way to do that is by raising awareness in the general population and making sure that if you suffer from any urinary problems to come see your doctor as soon as you can. It is a very common problem and your GP can guide you through this.
ABOUT DR NORA
Dr Nora is a GP from London, England. She graduated from St. George’s University of London in 2011. She carried out her postgraduate speciality studies in London and is a member of the Royal College of General Practitioners and The Faculty of Sexual & Reproductive Healthcare. Dr Nora has a Diploma in Women’s Health & Family Planning.
Her specialties include
Facial cosmetics including dermal fillers and anti-wrinkle therapy.
Medical treatment of bruxism and hyperhidrosis using anti-wrinkle injections.
Minor Surgery & Skin Checks
Family planning, including the insertion and removal of intrauterine devices and sub-dermal implants & sexual health screens.
Chronic disease management such as Diabetes and Respiratory Health.
Dr Nora takes a proactive approach to health promotion.
She is also fluent in the Arabic language.
You can view more articles or arrange to drop by at my website: http://drnora.com
