Thursday, September 2, 2010

Quitting Smoking .. How !?


هل تفكر في الإقلاع عن التدخين ، إليك بعض الطرق المساعدة لذلك



What do I need to know about quitting?

The US Surgeon General has said, "Smoking cessation (stopping smoking) represents the single most important step that smokers can take to enhance the length and quality of their lives."
Quitting smoking is not easy, but you can do it. To have the best chance of quitting and staying quit, you need to know what you’re up against, what your options are, and where to go for help. You'll find this information here.


Why is it so hard to quit smoking?
Mark Twain said, "Quitting smoking is easy. I've done it a thousand times." Maybe you've tried to quit, too. Why is quitting and staying quit hard for so many people? The answer is nicotine.


Nicotine

Nicotine is a drug found naturally in tobacco. It is as addictive as heroin or cocaine. Over time, a person becomes physically and emotionally addicted to (dependent on) nicotine. Studies have shown that smokers must deal with both the physical and psychological (mental) dependence to quit and stay quit.


How nicotine gets in, where it goes, and how long it stays
When you inhale smoke, nicotine is carried deep into your lungs. There it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and carried throughout your body. Nicotine affects many parts of the body, including your heart and blood vessels, your hormones, the way your body uses food (your metabolism), and your brain. Nicotine can be found in breast milk and even in mucus from the cervix of a female smoker. During pregnancy, nicotine freely crosses the placenta and has been found in amniotic fluid and the umbilical cord blood of newborn infants.




Different factors affect how long it takes the body to remove nicotine and its by-products. In most cases, regular smokers will still have nicotine or its by-products, such as cotinine, in their bodies for about 3 to 4 days after stopping.



How nicotine hooks smokers
Nicotine causes pleasant feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more. It also acts as a kind of depressant by interfering with the flow of information between nerve cells. Smokers tend to increase the number of cigarettes they smoke as the nervous system adapts to nicotine. This, in turn, increases the amount of nicotine in the smoker's blood. In fact, nicotine inhaled in cigarette smoke reaches the brain faster than drugs that enter the body through a vein (intravenously or IV).


After a while, the smoker develops a tolerance to the drug. Tolerance means that it takes more nicotine to get the same effect that the smoker used to get from smaller amounts. This leads to an increase in smoking over time. The smoker reaches a certain nicotine level and then keeps smoking to maintain this level of nicotine.




Toxic and harmful component of the cigarette



Nicotine withdrawal symptoms can lead quitters back to smoking
When smokers try to cut back or quit, the lack of nicotine leads to withdrawal symptoms. Withdrawal is both physical and mental. Physically, the body reacts to the absence of nicotine. Mentally, the smoker is faced with giving up a habit, which calls for a major change in behavior. Both the physical and mental factors must be addressed for the quitting process to work.


Those who have smoked regularly for a few weeks or longer, and suddenly stop using tobacco or greatly reduce the amount smoked, will have withdrawal symptoms. Symptoms usually start within a few hours of the last cigarette and peak about 2 to 3 days later when most of the nicotine and its by-products are out of the body. Withdrawal symptoms can last for a few days to up to several weeks. They will get better every day that you stay smoke-free.



Withdrawal symptoms can include any of the following:

• Dizziness (which may only last 1 to 2 days after quitting)
• Depression
• Feelings of frustration, impatience, and anger


• Anxiety

• Irritability

• Sleep disturbances, including having trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, and having bad dreams or even nightmares

• Trouble concentrating

• Restlessness or boredom

• Headaches

• Tiredness

• Increased appetite

• Weight gain

• Constipation and gas

• Cough, dry mouth, sore throat, and nasal drip

• Chest tightness


These symptoms can lead the smoker to start smoking cigarettes again to boost blood levels of nicotine back to a level where there are no symptoms.
Smoking also makes your body get rid of some drugs faster than usual. When you quit smoking, it may change the way your body handles medicines. Ask your doctor if any medicines you take regularly need to be checked or changed after you quit.


Why should I quit?


Your health

Health concerns usually top the list of reasons people give for quitting smoking. This is a very real concern: Half of all smokers who keep smoking will end up dying from a smoking-related illness. In the US alone, smoking is responsible for nearly 1 in 5 deaths, and about 8.6 million people suffer from smoking-related lung and heart diseases.


Cancer
Nearly everyone knows that smoking can cause lung cancer, but few people realize it is also a risk factor for many other kinds of cancer too, including cancer of the mouth, voice box (larynx), throat (pharynx), esophagus, bladder, kidney, pancreas, cervix, stomach, and some leukemias.




Cancer and all COPD diseases can be caused by smoking in general



Lung diseases
Pneumonia is included in the list of diseases known to be caused by smoking. Smoking also increases your risk of getting lung diseases like emphysema and chronic bronchitis. These diseases are grouped together under the term COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). COPD causes on-going (chronic) illness and disability, and worsens over time -- sometimes becoming fatal. Emphysema and chronic bronchitis can be found in people as young as 40, but are usually found later in life, when the symptoms get much worse. Long-term smokers have the highest risk of developing severe COPD.


Heart attacks, strokes, and blood vessel diseases
Smokers are twice as likely to die from heart attacks as are non-smokers. And smoking is a major risk factor for peripheral vascular disease, a narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood to the leg and arm muscles. Smoking also affects the walls of the vessels that carry blood to the brain (carotid arteries), which can cause strokes. Men who smoke are more likely to develop erectile dysfunction (impotence) because of blood vessel disease.




Blindness and other problems

Smoking causes an increased risk of macular degeneration, one of the most common causes of blindness in older people. It also causes premature wrinkling of the skin, bad breath, gum and tooth problems, bad-smelling clothes and hair, yellow fingernails.


Special risks to women and babies
Women have some unique risks linked to smoking. Women over 35 who smoke and use birth control pills have a higher risk of heart attack, stroke, and blood clots of the legs. Women who smoke are more likely to miscarry (lose the baby) or have a lower birth-weight baby. And low birth-weight babies are more likely to die, or have learning and physical problems.


Years of life lost due to smoking
Based on data collected in the late 1990s, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimated that adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking. And given the diseases that smoking can cause, it can steal your quality of life long before you die. Smoking-related illness can limit your activities by making it harder to breathe, get around, work, or play.


Why quit now?

No matter how old you are or how long you've smoked, quitting can help you live longer and be healthier. People who stop smoking before age 50 cut their risk of dying in the next 15 years in half compared with those who keep smoking. Ex-smokers enjoy a higher quality of life with fewer illnesses from cold and flu viruses, better self-reported health, and reduced rates of bronchitis and pneumonia.


For decades the Surgeon General has reported the health risks linked to smoking. In 1990, the Surgeon General concluded:

• Quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for men and women of all ages. These benefits apply to people who already have smoking-related disease and those who don't.
• Ex-smokers live longer than people who keep smoking.
• Quitting smoking lowers the risk of lung cancer, other cancers, heart attack, stroke, and chronic lung disease.
• Women who stop smoking before pregnancy or during the first 3 to 4 months of pregnancy reduce their risk of having a low birth-weight baby to that of women who never smoked.
• The health benefits of quitting smoking are far greater than any risks from the small weight gain (usually less than 10 pounds) or any emotional or psychological problems that may follow quitting.


When smokers quit -- What are the benefits over time?



20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.

12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.

2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.

1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker's.
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a person who continues smoking. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease, too.
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is the same as a non-smoker's.

Immediate rewards of quitting
Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you'll notice right away and some that will develop over time. These rewards can improve your day-to-day life a great deal:
• Your breath smells better
• Stained teeth get whiter
• Bad smelling clothes and hair go away
• Your yellow fingers and fingernails disappear
• Food tastes better
• Your sense of smell returns to normal
• Everyday activities no longer leave you out of breath (such as climbing stairs or light housework)




Cost



The prospect of better health is a major reason for quitting, but there are other reasons, too.
Smoking is expensive. It isn't hard to figure out how much you spend on smoking: multiply how much money you spend on tobacco every day by 365 (days per year). The amount may surprise you. Now multiply that by the number of years you have been using tobacco and that amount will probably shock you.


Multiply the cost per year by 10 (for the next 10 years) and ask yourself what you would rather do with that much money.
And this doesn't include other possible costs, such as higher costs for health and life insurance, and likely health care costs due to tobacco-related problems.


Social acceptance



Smoking is less socially acceptable now than ever.
Today, almost all workplaces have some type of smoking rules. Some employers even prefer to hire non-smokers. Studies show smoking employees cost businesses more because they are out sick more. Employees who are ill more often than others can raise an employer's need for costly short-term replacement workers. They can increase insurance costs both for other employees and for the employer, who often pays part of the workers' insurance premiums. Smokers in a building also can increase the maintenance costs of keeping odors down, since residue from cigarette smoke clings to carpets, drapes, and other fabrics.


Landlords may choose not to rent to smokers since maintenance costs and insurance rates may rise when smokers live in buildings.


Friends may ask you not to smoke in their homes or cars. Public buildings, concerts, and even sporting events are largely smoke-free. And more and more communities are restricting smoking in all public places, including restaurants and bars. Like it or not, finding a place to smoke can be a hassle.


Smokers may also find their prospects for dating or romantic involvement, including marriage, are largely limited to other smokers, who make up less than 21% of the adult population.


Health of others
Smoking not only harms your health but it hurts the health of those around you. Exposure to secondhand smoke (also called environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoking) includes exhaled smoke as well as smoke from burning cigarettes.
Studies have shown that secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths each year from lung cancer and heart disease in healthy non-smokers.


If a mother smokes, there is a higher risk of her baby developing asthma in childhood, especially if she smoked while she was pregnant. Smoking is also linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and low-birth weight infants. Babies and children raised in a household where there is smoking have more ear infections, colds, bronchitis, and other lung and breathing problems than children in non-smoking families. Secondhand smoke can also cause eye irritation, headaches, nausea, and dizziness.




Health of others



Smoking not only harms your health but it hurts the health of those around you. Exposure to secondhand smoke (also called environmental tobacco smoke or passive smoking) includes exhaled smoke as well as smoke from burning cigarettes.
Studies have shown that secondhand smoke causes thousands of deaths each year from lung cancer and heart disease in healthy non-smokers.

If a mother smokes, there is a higher risk of her baby developing asthma in childhood, especially if she smoked while she was pregnant. Smoking is also linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) and low-birth weight infants. Babies and children raised in a household where there is smoking have more ear infections, colds, bronchitis, and other lung and breathing problems than children in non-smoking families. Secondhand smoke can also cause eye irritation, headaches, nausea, and dizziness.


A word about quitting success rates


Before you start using nicotine replacement or sign up for a stop smoking class or program, you may wonder about its success rate. Success rates are hard to figure out for many reasons. First, not all programs define success in the same way. Does success mean that a person is not smoking at the end of the program? After 3 months? 6 months? 1 year? Does smoking fewer cigarettes (rather than stopping completely) count as success? If a program you're considering claims a certain success rate, ask for more details on how success is defined and what kind of follow-up is done to confirm the rate.
The truth is that quit smoking programs, like other programs that treat addictions, often have fairly low success rates. But that does not mean they are not worthwhile or that you should be discouraged. Your own success in quitting is what really counts, and that is under your control.


Success rates in general
Only about 4% to 7% of people are able to quit smoking on any given attempt without medicines or other help.


Studies in medical journals have reported that between about 25% and 33% of smokers who use medicines can stay smoke-free for over 6 months. There is also early evidence that combining some medicines may work better than using them alone.
Behavioral and supportive therapies may increase success rates even further. Check the package insert of any product you are using to see if the manufacturer provides free telephone-based counseling.

How to quit


Smokers often say, "Don't tell me why to quit, tell me how." There is no one right way to quit, but there are some key elements in quitting with success. These 4 factors are key:
• Making the decision to quit
• Setting a quit date and choosing a quit plan• Dealing with withdrawal
• Staying quit (maintenance)


Making the decision to quit


The decision to quit smoking is one that only you can make. Others may want you to quit, but the real commitment must come from you.


Think about why you want to quit.
• Are you worried that you could get a smoking-related disease?
• Do you really believe that the benefits of quitting outweigh the benefits of continuing to smoke?
• Do you know someone who has had health problems because of their smoking?
• Are you ready to make a serious try at quitting?


If you are thinking about quitting, setting a date and deciding on a plan will move you to the next step.





Setting a quit date and making a plan



Pick a Quit Day


Once you've decided to quit, you're ready to pick a quit date. This is a very important step. Pick a specific day within the next month as your Quit Day. Picking a date too far away can allow you time to rationalize and change your mind. But do give yourself enough time to prepare and come up with a plan. You might choose a date with a special meaning like a birthday or anniversary, or the date of the Great American Smokeout (the third Thursday in November each year). Or you may want to just pick a random date. Circle the date on your calendar. Make a strong, personal commitment to quit on that day.


Plan for your prescriptions: Remember that if you are planning to use a prescription drug, you will need to talk with your doctor about getting it in time for your Quit Day. If you plan to use bupropion (Zyban) or varenicline (Chantix), you must start taking the drug a full week before your Quit Day. If you are using one of these medicines, add a note on your calendar for the week before your Quit Day to remind you to start taking the drug.










Prepare for your Quit Day



There is no one right way to quit. Most smokers prefer to quit cold turkey -- they stop completely, all at once. They smoke until their Quit Day and then quit. Or they may smoke fewer cigarettes for 1 or 2 weeks before their Quit Day. Another way involves cutting down on the number of cigarettes you smoke each day. With this method, you slowly reduce the amount of nicotine in your body. You might cut out cigarettes smoked with a cup of coffee, or you might decide to smoke only at certain times of the day. While it makes sense to cut down in order to reduce withdrawal symptoms, in practice this can be hard to do.


Quitting smoking is a lot like losing weight: it takes a strong commitment over a long time. Smokers may wish there was a magic bullet -- a pill or method that would make quitting painless and easy. But there is nothing like that. Nicotine substitutes can help reduce withdrawal symptoms, but they work best when they are used as part of a stop-smoking plan that addresses both the physical and psychological components of quitting smoking.


Here are some steps to help you prepare for your Quit Day:
• Pick the date and mark it on your calendar.
• Tell friends and family about your Quit Day.
• Get rid of all the cigarettes and ashtrays in your home, car, and place of work.
• Stock up on oral substitutes -- sugarless gum, carrot sticks, hard candy, cinnamon sticks, coffee stirrers, straws, and/or toothpicks.
• Decide on a plan. Will you use NRT or other medicines? Will you attend a stop-smoking class? If so, sign up now.
• Practice saying, "No thank you, I don't smoke."
• Set up a support system. This could be a group class, Nicotine Anonymous, or a friend or family member who has successfully quit and is willing to help you. Ask family and friends who still smoke not to smoke around you or leave cigarettes out where you can see them.
• Think back to your past attempts to quit. Try to figure out what worked and what did not work for you.


Successful quitting is a matter of planning and commitment, not luck. Decide now on your own plan. Some options include using nicotine replacement or other medicines, joining a stop-smoking class, going to Nicotine Anonymous meetings, using self-help materials such as books and pamphlets, or some combination of these methods. For the best chance at success, your plan should include 2 or more of these options.


Your Quit Day


On your Quit Day, follow these suggestions:
• Do not smoke. This means none at all -- not even one puff!
• Keep active -- try walking, exercising, or doing other activities or hobbies.
• Drink lots of water and juices.
• Begin using nicotine replacement if that is your choice.
• Attend stop-smoking class or follow your self-help plan.
• Avoid situations where the urge to smoke is strong.
• Reduce or avoid alcohol.
• Think about changing your routine. Use a different route to go to work, drink tea instead of coffee. Eat breakfast in a different place or eat different foods.


Read on to find out more about the kinds of thoughts and temptations that come up when you try to quit, and ideas for ways to deal with or avoid them.




Dealing with withdrawal



Withdrawal from nicotine has 2 parts -- the physical and the mental. The physical symptoms, while annoying, are not life-threatening. Nicotine replacement and other medicines can help reduce many of these physical symptoms. Most smokers find that the bigger challenge is the mental part of quitting.


If you have been smoking for any length of time, smoking has become linked with nearly everything you do -- waking up in the morning, eating, reading, watching TV, and drinking coffee, for example. It will take time to "un-link" smoking from these activities. This is why, even if you are using a nicotine replacement, you may still have strong urges to smoke




Rationalizations are sneaky



One way to overcome these urges or cravings is to notice and identify rationalizations as they come up. A rationalization is a mistaken thought that seems to make sense to you at the time, but the thought is not based on reality. If you choose to believe in such a thought, it can serve as a way to justify smoking. If you have tried to quit before, you will probably recognize many of these common rationalizations:
• I'll just have one to get through this rough spot.
• Today is not a good day. I'll quit tomorrow.
• It's my only vice.
• How bad is smoking, really? Uncle Harry smoked all his life and he lived to be over 90.
• Air pollution is probably just as bad.
• You've got to die of something.
• Life is no fun without smoking.


You probably can add more to the list. As you go through the first few days without smoking, write down any rationalizations as they come up and recognize them for what they are: messages that can trick you into going back to smoking. Look out for them, because they always show up when you're trying to quit. After you write down the idea, let it go from your mind. Be ready with a distraction, a plan of action, and other ways to re-direct your thoughts to something else.
Use the ideas below to help you stay committed to quitting.



Avoid temptation
Stay away from people and places where you are tempted to smoke. Later on you will be able to handle these with more confidence.


Change your habits
Switch to juices or water instead of alcohol or coffee. Take a different route to work. Take a brisk walk instead of a coffee break.


Alternatives: Use substitutes you can put in your mouth such as sugarless gum or hard candy, raw vegetables such as carrot sticks, or sunflower seeds. Some people chew on a coffee stirrer or a straw.


Activities: Do something to reduce your stress. Exercise or do hobbies that keep your hands busy, such as needlework or woodworking, which can help distract you from the urge to smoke. Take a hot bath, exercise, or read a book.


Deep breathing: When you were smoking, you breathed deeply as you inhaled the smoke. When the urge strikes now, breathe deeply and picture your lungs filling with fresh, clean air. Remind yourself of your reasons for quitting and the benefits you'll gain as an ex-smoker.


Delay: If you feel that you are about to light up, delay. Tell yourself you must wait at least 10 minutes. Often this simple trick will allow you to move beyond the strong urge to smoke.


Reward yourself


What you're doing is not easy, so you deserve a reward. Put the money you would have spent on tobacco in a jar every day and then buy yourself a weekly treat. Buy a magazine or book, go out to eat, develop a new hobby, or take a yoga class. Or save the money for a major purchase. You can also reward yourself in ways that don't cost money: visit a park, go to the library, and check local news listings for museums, community centers, and colleges that have free classes, exhibits, films, and other things to do.




Staying quit (maintenance)



Remember the Mark Twain quote? Maybe you, too, have quit many times before. If so, you know that staying quit is the final, longest, and most important stage of the process. You can use the same methods to stay quit as you did to help you through withdrawal. Think ahead to those times when you may be tempted to smoke, and plan on how you will use other ways to cope with these situations.


More dangerous, perhaps, are the unexpected strong desires to smoke that can sometimes happen months, or even years after you've quit. To get through these without relapse, try these:
• Review your reasons for quitting and think of all the benefits to your health, your finances, and your family.
• Remind yourself that there is no such thing as just one cigarette -- or even one puff.
• Ride out the desire to smoke. It will go away, but do not fool yourself into thinking you can have just one.
• Avoid alcohol. Drinking lowers your chance of success.
• If you are worried about gaining weight, put some energy into eating a healthy diet and staying active with exercise.


Recovering from slips


What if you do smoke? The difference between a slip and a relapse is within your control. A slip is a one-time mistake that is quickly corrected -- a relapse is going back to smoking. You can use the slip as an excuse to go back to smoking, or you can look at what went wrong and renew your commitment to staying away from smoking for good.


Even if you do relapse, try not to get too discouraged. Very few people are able to quit for good on the first try. In fact, it takes most people many attempts before quitting for good. What's important is figuring out what helped you when you tried to quit and what worked against you. You can then use this information to make a stronger attempt at quitting the next time.


Some special concerns


Weight gain


Many smokers do gain some weight when they quit. But even when steps aren't taken to try to prevent this, the gain is usually less than 10 pounds. Women tend to gain slightly more weight than men. There is some evidence that smokers will gain weight after they quit even if they do not eat more. There are some studies that suggest that nicotine replacement therapy or bupropion may help delay weight gain, but they don't prevent it.


For some people, a concern about weight gain can lead to a decision not to quit. But the weight gain that follows quitting smoking is usually very small. It is much more dangerous to keep smoking than it is to gain a small amount of weight.



You are more likely to be quit smoking successfully if you deal with the smoking first, and then later take steps to reduce your weight. While you are quitting, try to focus on ways to help you stay healthy, rather than on your weight. Stressing about your weight may make it harder to quit. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables and limit the fat. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and get enough sleep and regular physical activity.


Try walking


Walking is a great way to be physically active and increase your chances of staying quit. Walking can help you by:
• Reducing stress
• Burning calories and toning muscles
• Giving you something to do instead of thinking about smoking


No special equipment or clothing is needed for walking, other than a pair of comfortable shoes. And most people can do it pretty much anytime. You can use these ideas as starting points and come up with more of your own:
• Walk around a shopping mall
• Get off the bus one stop before you usually do
• Find a buddy to walk with during lunch time at work
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator
• Walk with a friend, family member, or neighbor after dinner
• Push your baby in a stroller
• Take a dog (yours or a maybe neighbor's) out for a walk


Set a goal of 30 minutes of physical activity 5 or more times a week. But if you don't already exercise regularly, please check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.


Stress


Smokers often mention stress as one of the reasons for going back to smoking. Stress is a part of everyone's lives, smokers and non-smokers alike. The difference is that smokers have come to use nicotine to help cope with stress and unpleasant emotions. When quitting, you have to learn new ways of handling stress. Nicotine replacement can help to some extent, but for long-term success you will need other strategies, too.


As mentioned above, physical activity is a good stress-reducer. It can also help with the short-term sense of depression that some smokers have when they quit. There are also stress-management classes and self-help books. Check your community newspaper, library, or bookstore.




Spiritual practices such as admitting that you cannot control your addiction and believing that a higher power can give you strength have been used with much success to deal with other addictions. These practices, along with the fellowship of others on a similar path, are a key part of 12-step recovery programs. These same principles can be applied to quitting smoking.



Taking care of yourself


It is important for your health care provider to know of any present or past tobacco use so he or she can be sure that you will get the preventive health care you need. It is well known that using tobacco use puts you at risk for certain health-related illnesses, so part of your health care should focus on related screening and preventive measures to help you stay as healthy as possible. For example, you will want to be certain that you regularly check inside your mouth for any changes. Have your doctor or dentist look at your mouth, tongue, or throat if you have any changes or problems. The American Cancer Society recommends that medical check-ups should include oral cavity (mouth) exams. This way, tobacco users may be able to find changes such as leukoplakia (white patches on the mouth tissues) early, and prevent oral cancer or find it at a stage that is easier to treat.


You should also be aware of any of the following changes:
• Change in cough
• A new cough
• Coughing up blood
• Hoarseness
• Trouble breathing
• Wheezing
• Headaches
• Chest pain
• Loss of appetite
• Weight loss
• General tiredness
• Frequent lung or bronchial infections


Any of these could be signs of lung cancer or a number of other lung conditions and should be reported to a doctor. While these can be signs of a problem, people with lung cancer often do not notice any symptoms until the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.


Remember that tobacco users have a higher risk for other cancers as well, depending on the way they use tobacco. You can learn about the types of cancer you may be at risk for by reading our document that discusses the way you use tobacco. Other risk factors for these cancers may be more important than your use of tobacco, but you should know about the extra risks that might apply to you.


If you have any health concerns that may be related to your tobacco use, please see a health care provider as soon as possible. Taking care of yourself and getting treatment for small problems will give you the best chance for successful treatment. The best way, though, to take care of yourself and decrease your risk for life-threatening health problems is to quit using tobacco




Why should I quit smoking?



Everyone knows that smoking can cause cancer when you get older, but did you know that it also has bad effects on your body right now? A cigarette contains about 4000 chemicals, and at least 43 of those chemicals are known to cause cancer in humans. Some of the other chemicals are found in products that are known to be poisonous. Some of the worst ones are:

• Nicotine: a deadly poison
• Arsenic: used in rat poison
• Methane: a component of rocket fuel
• Ammonia: found in floor cleaner
• Cadmium: used in batteries
• Carbon Monoxide: part of car exhaust
• Formaldehyde: used to preserve body tissue
• Butane: lighter fluid
• Hydrogen Cyanide: the poison used in gas chambers


Every time you inhale smoke from a cigarette, small amounts of these chemicals get into your blood through your lungs. They travel to all the parts of your body and cause harm.




Electronic Cigarettes



Electronic cigarettes offer no promises. The truth is that e-cigarettes are not scientific analysed, for now. An electronic cigarette is a great solution for smokers, becouse it does not contain carcinogens and tar and can be legally smoked in places where smoking is prohibited. It enables smokers to enjoy the same pleasure as they get from a traditional cigarette when inhaling the nicotine, imitating the whole process of smoking. There is no second hand smoke!




Electronic Cigarettes



What is the electronic cigarette?


All of them work on the same manner. The difference is in products' quality.


There is a brand new invention that everyone who smokes should know about. It's called the electronic cigarette, also known as a smokeless cigarette or e-cigarette, and it is changing the legal landscape for cigarette smokers around the world.


The patented Electronic Cigarette offers to effectively simulate the experience of smoking an actual cigarette, without any of the health or legal issues surrounding traditional cigarettes.


While Electronic cigarettes look, feel and taste much like traditional cigarettes, they function very differently. You see, electronic cigarettes do not actually burn any tobacco, but rather, when you inhale from an e-cigarette, you activate a "flow censor" which releases a water vapor containing nicotine, propylene glycol, and a scent that simulates the flavor of tobacco. All of which simply means that electronic cigarettes allow you to get your nicotine fix while avoiding all of the cancer causing agents found in traditional cigarettes such as tar, glue, hundreds of additives, and hydrocarbons.


In addition to being healthier than traditional cigarettes, and perhaps most importantly of all, is the fact that electronic cigarettes are completely legal. Because Electronic cigarettes do not involve tobacco, you can legally smoke them anywhere that traditional cigarettes are prohibited such as bars, restaurants, the work place, even on airplanes. Furthermore, electronic cigarettes allow you to smoke with no fears of inflicting harm on others due to nasty second hand smoke.


The refillable cartridges come in a multitude of flavors as well as nicotine strengths. You can get regular, menthol, even apple and strawberry flavored cartridges and nicotine strengths come in full, medium, light, and none. While electronic cigarettes are technically a "smoking alternative" rather than a smoking cessation device, the range of nicotine strengths offers some obvious potential as an aid in the ones attempts to quit smoking and seems to be proving popular within that market.


The nice thing about electronic cigarettes as apposed to say, nicotine patches, is that e-cigarettes produce the same tactile sensation and oral fixation that smokers desire, while satisfying ones tobacco cravings as well. When you take a drag from n electronic cigarette you actually feel the your lungs fill with a warm tobacco flavored smoke and when you exhale the smoke billows out of your lungs just like regular smoking, however, as mentioned, that smoke is actually a much healthier water vapor that quickly evaporates and therefore does not offend anyone in the immediate vicinity.


While electronic cigarettes have been around for a while in various incarnations, it has been recent advances in the technology as well as ever increasing restrictions against smoking that have propelled the e-cigarette into a new found popularity. If you are interested in a healthier alternative to smoking, or if you simply want to have the freedom to smoke wherever and whenever you want, an electronic cigarette might be the solution you've been looking for.



نماذج عدة من السجائر الإلكترونية الموجودة في الأسواق

Sunday, July 18, 2010

Sarcoidosis (sar-koy-DO-sis)

Sarcoidosis

Sarcoidosis (sar-koy-DO-sis) is a disease of unknown cause that leads to inflammation. It can affect various organs in the body.

Normally, your immune system defends your body against foreign or harmful substances. For example, it sends special cells to protect organs that are in danger.
These cells release chemicals that recruit other cells to isolate and destroy the harmful substance. Inflammation occurs during this process. Once the harmful substance is destroyed, the cells and the inflammation go away.
In people who have sarcoidosis, the inflammation doesn't go away. Instead, some of the immune system cells cluster to form lumps called granulomas (gran-yu-LO-mas) in various organs in your body.


Skin granulomas

Overview
Sarcoidosis can affect any organ in your body. However, it's more likely to occur in some organs than in others. The disease usually starts in the lungs, skin, and/or lymph nodes (especially the lymph nodes in your chest).
The disease also often affects the eyes and the liver. Although less common, sarcoidosis can affect the heart and brain, leading to serious complications.
If many granulomas form in an organ, they can affect how the organ works. This can cause signs and symptoms. Signs and symptoms vary depending on which organs are affected. Many people who have sarcoidosis have no symptoms or mild symptoms.

Lofgren's syndrome is a classic set of signs and symptoms that is typical in some people who have sarcoidosis. Lofgren's syndrome may cause fever, enlarged lymph nodes, arthritis (usually in the ankles), and/or erythema nodosum (er-i-THE-ma no-DO-sum).
Erythema nodosum is a rash of red or reddish-purple bumps on your ankles and shins. The rash may be warm and tender to the touch.


Treatment for sarcoidosis also varies depending on which organs are affected. Your doctor may prescribe topical treatments and/or medicines to treat the disease. Not everyone who has sarcoidosis needs treatment.
Outlook
The outcome of sarcoidosis varies. Many people recover from the disease with few or no long-term problems.
More than half of the people who have sarcoidosis have remission within 3 years of diagnosis. "Remission" means the disease isn't active, but it can return.
Two-thirds of people who have the disease have remission within 10 years of diagnosis. People who have Lofgren's syndrome usually have remission. Relapse (return of the disease) 1 or more years after remission occurs in less than 5 percent of patients.
Sarcoidosis leads to organ damage in about one-third of the people diagnosed with the disease. Damage may occur over many years and involve more than one organ. Rarely, sarcoidosis can be fatal. Death usually is the result of complications with the lungs, heart, or brain.

Poor outcomes are more likely in people who have advanced disease and show little improvement from treatment.
Certain people are at higher risk for poor outcomes from chronic (long-term) sarcoidosis. This includes people who have lung scarring, heart or brain complications, or lupus pernio (LU-pus PAR-ne-o). Lupus pernio is a serious skin condition that sarcoidosis may cause.
Research is ongoing for new and better treatments for sarcoidosis.


Bernie Mac dies of Sarcoidosis
What Causes Sarcoidosis?
The cause of sarcoidosis isn't known. More than one factor may play a role in causing the disease.
Some researchers think that sarcoidosis develops when your immune system responds to a trigger, such as bacteria, viruses, dust, or chemicals.
Normally, your immune system defends your body against foreign or harmful substances. For example, it sends special cells to protect organs that are in danger.
These cells release chemicals that recruit other cells to isolate and destroy the harmful substance. Inflammation occurs during this process. Once the harmful substance is destroyed, the cells and the inflammation go away.
In people who have sarcoidosis, the inflammation doesn't go away. Instead, some of the immune system cells cluster to form lumps called granulomas in various organs in your body.


Genetics also may play a role in sarcoidosis. Researchers believe that sarcoidosis occurs if:
You have a certain gene (or certain genes) that raise your risk for the disease
—And—
You're exposed to something that triggers your immune system
Triggers may vary depending on your genetic makeup. Certain genes may influence which organs are affected and how severe your symptoms are.
Researchers continue to try to pinpoint the genes that are linked to sarcoidosis
Who Is At Risk for Sarcoidosis?
Sarcoidosis affects people of all ages and races. However, it's more common among African Americans and Northern Europeans. In the United States, the disease affects African Americans somewhat more often and more severely than Whites.
Studies have shown that sarcoidosis tends to vary in different ethnic groups. For example, eye problems due to the disease are more common in Japanese people.


Lofgren's syndrome, a type of sarcoidosis, is more common in people of European descent. Lofgren's syndrome may involve fever, enlarged lymph nodes, arthritis (usually in the ankles), and/or erythema nodosum. Erythema nodosum is a rash of red or reddish-purple bumps on your ankles and shins. The rash may be warm and tender to the touch.
Sarcoidosis is somewhat more common in women than in men. The disease usually develops between the ages of 20 and 50.
People who have certain jobs also may be at higher risk for sarcoidosis. Examples include:
Health care workers
Elementary and secondary school teachers
People whose jobs expose them to agricultural dust, insecticides, pesticides, or mold
Suppliers of building materials, hardware, or gardening materials
Firefighters
People who have a family history of sarcoidosis also are at higher risk for the disease.
What Are the Signs and Symptoms of Sarcoidosis?
Many people who have sarcoidosis have no symptoms or mild symptoms. Often, the disease is found during achest x ray done for another reason (for example, to diagnose pneumonia).
The signs and symptoms of sarcoidosis vary depending on which organs are affected. Signs and symptoms also may vary depending on your gender, age, and ethnic background.
Common Signs and Symptoms
In both adults and children, the disease most often affects the lungs. If granulomas (inflamed lumps) form in your lungs, you may wheeze, cough, feel short of breath, or have chest pain. Or, you may have no symptoms at all.
Some people who have sarcoidosis feel very fatigued (tired), uneasy, or depressed. Night sweats and weight loss are common symptoms of the disease.
Common signs and symptoms in children are fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss, bone and joint pain, and anemia. Children who are younger than 4 years old may have a distinct form of sarcoidosis. It may cause enlarged lymph nodes in the chest (which can be seen on a chest x ray), skin lesions, and eye swelling or redness.

Other Signs and Symptoms
Sarcoidosis may affect your lymph nodes. The disease can cause enlarged lymph nodes that feel tender. Sarcoidosis usually affects the lymph nodes in your neck and chest. However, the disease also may affect the lymph nodes under your chin, in your armpits, or in your groin.


Sarcoidosis can cause lumps, ulcers, or areas of discolored skin. They may itch, but they don't hurt. These signs tend to appear on your back, arms, legs, and scalp. Sometimes they appear near your nose or eyes. These signs usually last a long time.


Sarcoidosis may cause a more serious skin condition called lupus pernio. Disfiguring skin sores may affect your nose, nasal passages, cheeks, ears, eyelids, and fingers. These sores tend to be ongoing. They can return after treatment is over.
Sarcoidosis also can cause eye problems. If you have sarcoidosis, it's important to have an annual eye exam. If you have changes in your vision and can't see as clearly or can't see color, call 9–1–1 or have someone drive you to the emergency room.
You should call your doctor if you have any new eye symptoms, such as burning, itching, tearing, pain, or sensitivity to light.

Signs and symptoms of sarcoidosis also may include an enlarged liver, spleen, or salivary glands.
Although less common, sarcoidosis can affect the heart and brain. This can cause a number of symptoms, such as abnormal heartbeats, shortness of breath, headaches, and vision problems. If sarcoidosis affects the heart or brain, serious complications can occur.
Lofgren's Syndrome
Lofgren's syndrome is a classic set of signs and symptoms that appear in some people when they first develop sarcoidosis. Signs and symptoms may include:
Fever. This symptom only occurs in some people.
Enlarged lymph nodes (which can be seen on a chest x ray).
Arthritis, usually in the ankles. This symptom is more common in men.
Erythema nodosum. This is a rash of red or reddish-purple bumps on your ankles and shins. The rash may be warm and tender to the touch. This symptom is more common in women.


Sarcoidosis Signs and Symptoms


The illustration shows the major signs and symptoms of sarcoidosis and the organs involved.

How Is Sarcoidosis Diagnosed?
Your doctor will diagnose sarcoidosis based on your medical history, a physical exam, and the results from tests. He or she will look for granulomas (inflamed lumps) in your organs. Your doctor also will try to rule out other causes of your symptoms.
Medical History
Your doctor may ask you detailed questions about your medical history. For example, he or she may ask whether you have a family history of sarcoidosis. Your doctor also may ask whether you've had any jobs that may have raised your risk for the disease.
Your doctor also may ask whether you've ever been exposed to inhaled beryllium metal. This type of metal is used to make aircrafts and weapons. Your doctor also may want to know whether you've had contact with organic dust from birds or hay.
Exposure to these substances can cause inflamed lumps in your lungs that look like the granulomas from sarcoidosis. However, these lumps are signs of other conditions.


Physical Exam
Your doctor will examine you for signs and symptoms of sarcoidosis. Signs and symptoms may include red bumps on your skin; swollen lymph nodes; an enlarged liver, spleen, or salivary glands; or redness in your eyes. He or she will check for other causes of your symptoms.
Your doctor also may listen to your lungs and heart. Abnormal breathing and heartbeat sounds may be a sign that sarcoidosis is affecting your lungs or heart.
Diagnostic Tests
You may have tests to confirm a diagnosis and to find out how the disease is affecting you. Tests include chest x ray, lung function tests, biopsy, and other tests to assess organ damage.
Chest X Ray
A chest x ray is a painless test that creates pictures of the structures inside your chest, such as your heart and lungs. The test may show granulomas or enlarged lymph nodes in your chest. About 95 percent of people who have sarcoidosis have an abnormal chest x ray.


Lung Function Tests
Lung function tests measure the size of your lungs, how much air you can breathe in and out, how fast you can breathe air out, and how well your lungs deliver oxygen to your blood. These tests may be used to find out whether sarcoidosis is affecting your lungs.


Biopsy
Your doctor may do a biopsy to confirm a diagnosis or rule out other causes of your symptoms. A biopsy involves taking a small sample of tissue from one of your affected organs.
Usually, doctors try to biopsy the organs that are easiest to access. Examples include the skin, tear glands, or the lymph nodes that are just under the skin.
If this isn't possible, your doctor may use a positron emission tomography (PET) scan to pinpoint areas for biopsy. For this test, a small amount of a radioactive substance is injected into a vein, usually in your arm.


The substance, which releases energy, travels through the blood and collects in organs or tissues. Special cameras detect the energy and convert it into three-dimensional pictures.
If lung function tests or a chest x ray shows signs of sarcoidosis in your lungs, your doctor may do a bronchoscopy (bron-KOS-ko-pee) to get a small sample of lung tissue.
During this procedure, a thin, flexible tube is passed through your nose (or sometimes your mouth), down your throat, and into the airways to reach your lung tissue.


Other Tests To Assess Organ Damage
You also may have other tests to assess organ damage and find out whether you need treatment. For example, your doctor may recommend blood tests and/or an EKG (electrocardiogram).
Everyone who is diagnosed with sarcoidosis should see an ophthalmologist (eye specialist) for eye tests, even if they don't have eye symptoms. This is important because eye damage can occur without symptoms.
How Is Sarcoidosis Treated?
Not everyone who has sarcoidosis needs treatment. In some cases, the disease goes away on its own. Whether you need treatment and what type of treatment you need depend on your signs and symptoms, which organs are affected, and whether those organs are working well.
If the disease affects certain organs, such as your eyes, heart, or brain, you'll need treatment even if you don't have any symptoms.
In either case-whether you have symptoms or not-you should see your doctor for ongoing care. He or she will want to check to make sure that the disease isn't damaging your organs. For example, you may need lung function tests to make sure that your lungs continue to work well.
If the disease isn't worsening, your doctor may watch you closely to see whether the disease goes away on its own. If the disease does start to get worse, your doctor can prescribe treatment.
The goals of treatment are to:
Relieve symptoms
Improve organ function
Control inflammation and reduce the size of granulomas (inflamed lumps)
Prevent pulmonary fibrosis (lung scarring) if your lungs are affected
Your doctor may prescribe topical treatments and/or medicines to treat the disease.
Medicines
Prednisone
Prednisone, a type of steroid, is the main treatment for sarcoidosis. This medicine reduces inflammation. In most people, prednisone relieves symptoms within a couple of months.


Although most people need to take prednisone for 12 months or longer, your doctor may lower the dose within a few months after you start the medicine.
Long-term use of prednisone, especially at high doses, can cause serious side effects. Work with your doctor to decide whether the benefits of this medicine outweigh the risks. If your doctor prescribes this treatment, he or she will find the lowest dose that controls your disease.
When you stop taking prednisone, you should cut back slowly (as your doctor advises). This will help prevent flareups of sarcoidosis. Cutting back slowly also allows your body to adjust to not having the medicine.
If a relapse or flareup occurs after you stop taking prednisone, you may need a second round of treatment. If you remain stable for more than 1 year after stopping this treatment, the risk of relapse is low.
Other Medicines
Other medicines, besides prednisone, also are used to treat sarcoidosis. Examples include:
Hydroxychloroquine. This medicine works best for treating sarcoidosis that affects the skin or brain. Your doctor also may prescribe this medicine if you have a high level of calcium in your blood due to sarcoidosis.
Methotrexate. This medicine works best for treating sarcoidosis that affects your lungs, eyes, skin, or joints.


Your doctor may prescribe these medicines if your sarcoidosis worsens while you're taking prednisone or if you can't handle prednisone's side effects.
If you have Lofgren's syndrome with pain or fever, your doctor may prescribe nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen.
If you're wheezing and coughing, you may need inhaled medicine to help open your airways. You take inhaled medicine using an inhaler. This device allows the medicine to go right to your lungs.
Ongoing Research
Researchers continue to look for new and better treatments for sarcoidosis. They're currently studying treatments aimed at the immune system. Researchers also are studying antibiotics as a possible treatment for sarcoidosis that affects the skin.
Living With Sarcoidosis
Sarcoidosis has no cure. However, you can take steps to manage the disease. Get ongoing care and follow a healthy lifestyle. Talk to your doctor if you’re pregnant or planning a pregnancy.


Ongoing Care
Getting ongoing care is important, even if you don't take medicine for your sarcoidosis. New symptoms can occur at any time. Also, the disease can slowly worsen without your noticing.
How often you need to see your doctor will depend on how severe your symptoms are, which organs are affected, what treatments you're using, and whether you have any side effects from treatments. Even if you don’t have symptoms, you should see your doctor for ongoing care.
Your doctor may recommend routine tests, such as lung function tests and eye exams. He or she will want to check to make sure that the disease isn’t damaging your organs.
Discuss with your doctor how often you need to have followup visits. You may have some followup visits with your primary care doctor and others with one or more specialists.
Lifestyle Changes
Making lifestyle changes can help you manage your health. For example, follow a healthy diet and be as physically active as you can. A healthy diet includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.
It also includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, and fat-free or low-fat milk or milk products. A healthy diet is low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, sodium (salt), and added sugar.
If you smoke, quit. Talk to your doctor about program and products that can help you quit. Also, try to avoid other lung irritants, such as dust, chemicals, and secondhand smoke.
Emotional Issues
Living with a chronic disease may cause fear, anxiety, depression, and stress. It’s important to talk about how you feel with your health care team. Talking to a professional counselor also can help. If you’re feeling very depressed, your health care team or counselor may prescribe medicines to make you feel better.
Joining a patient support group may help you adjust to living with sarcoidosis. You can see how other people who have the disease have coped with it. Talk to your doctor about local support groups or check with an area medical center.
Support from family and friends also can help relieve stress and anxiety. Let your loved ones know how you feel and what they can do to help you.


Pregnancy
Many women who have sarcoidosis give birth to healthy babies. Women who have severe sarcoidosis, especially if they’re older, may have trouble becoming pregnant. In some cases, sarcoidosis may get worse after the baby is delivered.
If you have sarcoidosis and are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, talk to your doctor about the risks. Also, if you become pregnant, it’s important to get good prenatal care and regular sarcoidosis checkups during and after pregnancy.
Some sarcoidosis medicines are considered safe to use during pregnancy; others are not recommended.
Life style change can stop Sarcoidosis !


Sarcoidosis takes its name from the Greek words, sarx, meaning "flesh" and osis, meaning "condition." Hence, sarcoidosis is nothing but a flesh (skin) condition and as I have always said, any disease or condition of the flesh is a blood disorder, for as the Bible states in Leviticus 17:11 "for the life of the flesh is in the blood." Said another way, the condition of the flesh is manifested in the blood and the condition of the blood is manifested in the skin.
Clearly, sarcoidosis affects the glands, the inner and outer skin, and the lymphatic system.
Sarcoidosis is a degenerative disease and is therefore due to improper diet. A degenerative disease is a preventable and reversible disease.
People with sarcoidosis, such as actor Bernie Mac and actress Tisha Campbell, suffer from TOXIC BLOOD and MUCOIDAL OBSTUCTION of the lymphatic system and mucous membranes (internal skin). While most of us suffer from toxic blood and mucus or mucoidal obstruction also, everybody's body is different and our diseases manifest differently and in areas where we have weak or deficient energy.

Tisha Campbell-Martin American actress and singer

So Western medical doctors may call the disease sarcoidosis, but in reality it's nothing but a skin condition predicated upon obstruction of the mucous membranes and lymphatic system.
Sarcoidosis can be reversed by first modifying the diet. Meat, dairy and simple starches should be greatly reduced if not outright eliminated from the diet (which is greatly recommended).
Junk foods (refined grains/pastries, soda pop, candy and chocolate, processed food stuffs, coffee, alcohol and beer, etc.) should be entirely eliminated.
Next, the blood should be purified. The first initial step in purifying the blood is by detoxifying your whole body. When you cleanse your blood you automatically cleanse your lymphatic fluid.
However, since the blood and lymph fluid run or travel in opposite directions but are adjacent to one another, I prefer to deal with them together or congruently with certain herbs that have an affinity for these vital fluids.
The human body actually has three times the amount of blood in lymphatic fluid. Yes, we have more lymph fluid than blood in our bodies. The ration is 3 to 1. However, whereas the blood circulates ten times per minute, the lymph only circulates once a day. Based upon this, I think we will all concur that our lymphatic circulation is greatly stagnant and obstructed.
Lymphatic (and blood) stagnation and impurity can be reversed with herbs.


Herbs that cleanse, strengthen, revitalize and nourish the lymphatic system and lymph fluid include
OCTILLO, LOBELIA, MULLEIN LEAVES, GOLDENSEAL ROOT, ECHINACEA ROOT, CLEAVERS, RED ROOT, BURDOCK ROOT, and WILD INDIGO.
Blood purifying, building, nourishing, revitalizing, and strengthening herbs include
STRAWBERRY LEAF, BURDOCK ROOT, DANDELION ROOT, YELLOW DOCK ROOT, CAPSICUM (CAYENNE) FRUIT, NETTLE LEAF, OREGON GRAPE, MANJISTHA, ALMA (AMALAKI FRUIT), CRANSEBILL, ECHINACEA ROOT, CERASEE, ELDER BERRIES, BAY BERRIE, and GOLDENSEAL ROOT.


The glandular system also needs working on and the following herbs greatly help the glandular or endocrine system –
SARSAPARILLA, LICORICE ROOT, KELP, MACA and GINSENG (all varieties).
The mucous membranes also need attention in cases of sarcoidosis. Herbs that are beneficial and healing for the mucous membranes include
MULLEIN LEAVES, MARSHMALLOW (ALTHEA), LOBELIA, RED RASPBERRY, SLIPPERY ELM BARK, and IRISH MOSS
People suffering from sarcoidosis would be amazed at what happens with the constant cleansing and purifying of the body, especially the blood. By converting to a mostly vegan-vegetarian diet and consuming vast amounts of green foods (green, leafy vegetables) and fruit, the body would alkalize and greatly speed up the healing of its internal organs.
Alkalizing baths consisting of sea salt (one whole box or package added to the water) proves very therapeutic in cases of sarcoidosis.
Putting more oxygen into the body via ozone or oxygen baths and/or liquid oxygen drops would also help to cleanse and alkalize the body, greatly enhancing the natural healing effect of the body.
Elimination of meat (dead, slaughtered animal flesh) and dairy products (liquefied cow snot and pus) would prove most beneficial in healing of sarcoidosis.
Remember, since sarcoidosis is a flesh disease or condition, a flesh condition is nothing but a blood condition. A blood condition usually represents or denotes toxicity so with the cleansing of blood automatically comes the cleansing of the organs. Plain and simple!


Contrary to what you have been told and/or irregardless of what you may think, sarcoidosis is 100% healable. You do not have to live out your entire life with this insidious disease, unless you choose to do so, which would be unwise, very unwise.
Key Points
Sarcoidosis is a disease of unknown cause that leads to inflammation. It can affect various organs in the body.
Sarcoidosis is more likely to occur in some organs than in others. The disease usually starts in the lungs, skin, and/or lymph nodes (especially the lymph nodes in your chest). The disease also often affects the eyes and the liver.
In people who have sarcoidosis, immune system cells cause inflammation and cluster to form lumps called granulomas.
If many granulomas form in an organ, they can affect how the organ works. This can cause signs and symptoms. Signs and symptoms vary depending on which organs are affected. Many people who have sarcoidosis have no symptoms or mild symptoms.
Some researchers think that sarcoidosis develops when your immune system responds to a trigger, such as bacteria, viruses, dust, or chemicals. Genetics also may play a role in sarcoidosis.
Sarcoidosis affects people of all ages and races. In the United States, the disease affects African Americans somewhat more often and more severely than Whites. The disease also is slightly more common in women than in men. It usually develops between the ages of 20 and 50.
In both adults and children, the disease most often affects the lungs. If granulomas form in your lungs, you may wheeze, cough, feel short of breath, or have chest pain. Some people who have sarcoidosis feel very fatigued (tired), uneasy, or depressed. Night sweats and weight loss are common symptoms of the disease.
Lofgren's syndrome is a classic set of signs and symptoms that appear in some people when they first develop sarcoidosis. Signs and symptoms may include fever, enlarged lymph nodes, arthritis, and erythema nodosum (a rash of red or reddish-purple bumps on your ankles).
Your doctor will diagnose sarcoidosis based on your medical history, a physical exam, and the results from tests. He or she will look for granulomas (inflamed lumps) in your organs. Your doctor also will try to rule out other causes of your symptoms.
Whether you need treatment and what type of treatment you need depend on your signs and symptoms, which organs are affected, and whether those organs are working well.
Your doctor may prescribe topical treatments and/or medicines to treat the disease. Not everyone who has sarcoidosis needs treatment. In some cases, the disease goes away on its own.
If the disease affects certain organs, such as your eyes, heart, or brain, you may need treatment even if you don't have any symptoms.
Sarcoidosis has no cure. However, you can take steps to manage the disease. Get ongoing care and follow a healthy lifestyle. Talk to your doctor if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy.
Getting ongoing care is important, even if you don't take medicine for your sarcoidosis. New symptoms can occur at any time. Also, your condition can slowly worsen without your noticing.
The outcome of sarcoidosis varies. Many people recover from the disease with few or no long-term problems.
Rarely, sarcoidosis can be fatal. Death usually is the result of complications with the lungs, heart, or brain. Poor outcomes are more likely in people who have advanced disease and show little improvement from treatment.
Chinese herbs can play a big role for healing Sarcoidosis