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Lifestyle
Stop smoking
Quitting smoking is beneficial regardless of age and there is no shortage of good arguments for quitting smoking! Smoking is harmful, and increases the risk of, among other things, cardiovascular diseases, cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. If you want to quit, we have more good advice and products that can help you.
Why stop smoking?
Quitting smoking gives you great health benefits! Smoking has many serious consequences for the body, and can lead to several diseases. You can read more about the consequences of smoking here. Quitting smoking will bring great health benefits, and some will come quickly. For example, the heart rate drops already after 20 minutes!
Other positive health effects of stopping smoking are:
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You reduce the risk of having a heart attack, stroke and a number of cancers.
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You get better fitness.
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The teeth become whiter and the breath becomes fresher.
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The sense of taste and smell is improved.
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Skin and nails look nicer and fresher.
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Better blood circulation.
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Fertility increases. Smoking reduces sperm quality as harmful substances in the smoke cause sperm cells to move more slowly and smoking doubles the risk of impotence. Women who smoke may also have more difficulty conceiving than non-smoking women.
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You do not expose others to secondhand smoke.
Nicotine and addiction
Addiction can manifest itself in different ways in different people. Some people do not realize that they are addicted to smoking until they try to quit. With others, you may feel that your thoughts are constantly directed towards smoke or snuff, and that you cannot concentrate if you do not have this available.
Smoke contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance. When the nicotine reaches the brain, dopamine is released, which is a hormone that gives us a positive feeling of reward. You feel satisfied, and want to continue smoking to get this feeling again and again. But because the body turns to the nicotine, the feeling of reward will become less and less, and this means that the urge to add nicotine becomes greater. This will increase the frequency of smoking, and with snus you will gradually want to increase the strength. Eventually, you will consume nicotine to avoid withdrawal, but it no longer provides well-being when consumed.
Another factor in the addiction to smoke is habits and routines. Gradually, you can link the smoke to different situations, such as smoke and coffee going together, smoke together with alcohol becoming a pattern, or a smoke after dinner. Social circles and friends who smoke can also make it harder to quit. It may also be that you associate smoke with stress or other feelings, so that you have a strong need for cigarettes if these feelings arise.
Abstinence when quitting smoking
Abstinences that can be experienced when quitting smoking are:
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Irritability
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Distress
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Concentration difficulties
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Restlessness
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Mild nausea
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Low spirits
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Dizziness
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Heart palpitations
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Cold sweat
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Headache
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Desire for smoke
What is nicotine shock?
If you have managed without nicotine for a long period, you can get nicotine shock the first time you take nicotine again. This is because nicotine is a toxin that creates stress in the body, causing nausea, dizziness and palpitations in larger or unfamiliar doses.
Do you gain weight from quitting smoking?
It is not unusual to gain 4-5 kilos after quitting smoking. Nicotine can give an artificially high burn rate and reduce appetite. After a cigarette, the pulse will increase and the heart will beat faster than usual. This contributes to an increase in combustion, but also to the fact that smokers are highly susceptible to heart disease. Increased appetite when you quit smoking combined with a better sense of taste can make you eat more than you did before you quit smoking. In addition, because combustion returns to normal levels after quitting smoking, you can gain weight even if you have not made any changes to your diet or activity level.
Nicotine replacement products
Nicotine replacement products increase your chances of successfully quitting smoking. They come in many different forms and strengths. You choose the strength based on how many cigarettes you smoke daily. Form, such as patch, chewing gum, lozenges, inhaler, oral spray and oral powder, you choose based on what you prefer. An optimal treatment may involve combining different nicotine replacement products, especially if you have a high nicotine addiction. You should use the products for at least three months and a maximum of one year. The exceptions are inhalers and plasters, which are usually not recommended to be used for longer than 6 months.
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Patches release nicotine for 16 or 24 hours. The patch is a simple and discreet form of treatment that is suitable for those who smoke regularly throughout the day. The patch is attached to hairless skin, the location should be varied to avoid skin irritation. The strength of the patch is gradually reduced.
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An inhaler is a great form of treatment for those who miss holding on to the smoke, as much as the smoking itself. The inhaler consists of a mouthpiece and a dose container containing nicotine, the dose container is inserted into the mouthpiece before use. Normal dosage is between 4 and 12 dose containers per day. The nicotine dose is gradually reduced.
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Oral powder is available in portioned bags that are placed under the upper lip. The portion bag is used for approx. 30 minutes, and is moved around with the tongue occasionally during this period. Nicotine effect occurs after a few minutes. In most cases, 8-12 sachets will be sufficient to curb nicotine cravings, and the number should be gradually reduced.
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Oral spray starts working within 60 seconds and provides quick relief from smoke inhalation. The mouth spray is slim, elegant and designed for an active life. The oral spray has a step-by-step treatment program that is recommended to be followed.
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Chewing gum and lozenges are suitable for most people, and the calculated amount is approx. 8-12 units each day. Correct chewing or sucking technique is important to achieve optimal effect:
Chew or suck slowly until you notice a strong taste
Leave the chewing gum/lozenge resting against the cheek until the strong taste disappears
Repeat the procedure until all the nicotine is released, that is approx. 30 minutes
Immune system
What is an immune system?
The immune system, also known as the immune system, is the body's defense system that protects us against disease and foreign substances. It consists of different types of cells and proteins that together help to prevent infections. The cells of the immune system are located in various places in the body, but especially in the bone marrow, lymph nodes, spleen and lymphatic tissue in the intestines.
A good and well-functioning immune system will be neither too passive nor too active. An overactive immune system can attack when you don't want it to, and cause various types of diseases. It may then be necessary to treat with so-called immunosuppressive drugs. Fortunately, most people have an immune system that does neither more nor less than it should.
Cases where the immune system presents problems:
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Autoimmune diseases. Well-known diseases such as diabetes type 1, multiple sclerosis, arthritis, psoriasis and Crohn's disease are all examples of various autoimmune diseases. These diseases have in common that the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own cells and tissues despite the fact that it is neither foreign nor harmful. What separates the diseases from each other is which parts of the body are mistakenly attacked.
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Organ transplantation. Here the immune system does what it is supposed to, but it is still very inappropriate as you naturally do not want the body to reject the new organ.
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Allergy. In the case of an allergy, the body will react to a harmless substance because the immune system treats it as a harmful intruder.
What does the immune system do?
We are completely dependent on a well-functioning immune system that protects us against infections in order to survive. This complex system is constantly working to keep unwanted intruders away. The immune system does this in collaboration with other parts of the body, such as the skin, which acts as an external barrier for bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms.
The immune system's tasks consist of detecting, cleaning up and initiating repair after tissue damage, as well as neutralizing disease-causing microorganisms and other potentially harmful substances.
When foreign substances or microorganisms reach the body, the immune system will start an inflammatory reaction. This will prevent, for example, bacteria from causing harmful effects in the body. Inflammation is characterized by pain, swelling, redness, heat and impaired function. You can also have a reduced general condition with, for example, fever, reduced appetite and a feeling of being tired.
What does the immune system consist of?
The immune system consists of specialized cells such as lymphocytes, macrophages and plasma cells. The immune system is divided into two main parts - the innate and the acquired immune system, also called the non-specific and the specific immune system. These two parts work together to protect the body in the most efficient way possible.
The innate immune system
Harmful invaders will primarily encounter the innate immune system, and it is this part that neutralizes most of the foreign substances and organisms. This part of the immune system will attack as soon as harmful invaders such as bacteria and viruses reach the body.
The innate immune system can further be divided into an internal and an external part. The outer part consists of the barriers that intruders encounter when they try to reach the body. These include skin, mucous membranes, stomach acid and normal flora. These will stop harmful microorganisms in various ways.
The inner part of the innate immune system consists of various types of white blood cells such as neutrophil granulocytes and macrophages which attack and "eat" invaders. These will also send out signaling substances that activate other parts of the immune system.
The acquired immune system
If invaders survive the innate immune system, the acquired immune system will be activated. This part of the immune system also consists of white blood cells, but here a subgroup called lymphocytes. The lymphocytes consist of B-lymphocytes and T-lymphocytes that work together to defeat disease-causing microbes. These will work more advanced and specifically, where different cells "remember" and destroy a specific invader, in contrast to the innate immune system which attacks "all" invaders it encounters.
