Still Waters Posted May 12, 2013 #1 Share Posted May 12, 2013 Pregnant women are to take breath tests to check if they are smoking in a bid to tackle the one in five who light up while expecting. Midwives will test women at antenatal appointments and those with high carbon monoxide readings will be given advice on how to quit smoking, although no NHS treatment is compulsory, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has said. http://www.dailymail...-expecting.html 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissMelsWell Posted May 13, 2013 #2 Share Posted May 13, 2013 I'd be interested in seeing what kind of advice they think will get people to quit smoking. After my adventure in quitting that started almost 18 months ago... education probably isn't going to get any one to quit. Newsflash, people who smoke already know they shouldn't, know they should quit, but it's so much easier said than done. The unfortunately result here might be that more women will seek pre-natal care MUCH later, if at all, because they don't want the lecture they know is coming. The intention is good, the execution is poor. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Q-C Posted May 13, 2013 #3 Share Posted May 13, 2013 (edited) I wonder too, as they can't use patches or medicines while pregnant. I've said it before and I'll say it again, it will boil down to raising health care costs for individuals in those countries where we pay our own health care costs (U.S.) and maybe charging some kind of surcharge to those in countries where they don't (UK). When Big Brother starts keeping personal stats on people's lifestyles and numbers (cholesterol, Bp, weight, etc). Look out. I can see it being cost effective (for governments who are losing money (UK) and individuals who are having trouble paying for healthcare (Obamacare is raising our rates). I can also see it as motivational and maybe getting some to change their habits and numbers. However, I can envision problems too. How far will they go? Where do you draw the line? What will any guidelines be based on: Popularity (Dr. Oz)? Sensationalist medicine with their "studies" (news)? Or, actual scientific evidence? Etc Edited May 13, 2013 by QuiteContrary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MissMelsWell Posted May 13, 2013 #4 Share Posted May 13, 2013 (edited) Actually, according to doctors, the patches and gums can probably be used with relative safety, but all pregnant women should consult their doctors. I know when a gal I worked with became pregnant, her doctor put her on Chantix. Unfortunately, the patches and gums only have a 3% effectiveness rate, and Chantix and other anti depressants are in my opinion relatively dangerous, and very dangerous for pregnant women. Nicotine itself, is addictive... but the jury is still out as to how dangerous it is for you. It's addictive in the same way caffeine is, but in my opinion it's LESS addictive than caffeine. In cigarettes, you body finds itself addicted to all the other crap in cigarettes like carbon monoxide, tar, and whatever those 3000 other toxins are in cigarettes. I quit smoking using e-cigs and I'm also a relatively heavy coffee drinker. Here's a little story for ya.... Basically I had major surgery one year after I quit smoking cigarettes. I was in the hospital for 5 days. By the 4th day I had a headache to trump all headaches which put me in tears. So much so that I asked my nurse for something for the pain... never mind that I was already on TONS of pain medication. The nurse went away for about 10 minutes and came back with a giant cup of coffee for me. Twenty minutes later no more headache. In those 5 days, not once did I miss my nicotine. I didn't even use my ecig while I was in the hospital. It has me pretty convinced that I'm addicted to the action of smoking, not smoking itself. I'm sure some people quit cold turkey (which besides ecigs is probably the best way) and with gums patches and drugs, but it's fairly well documented that nicotine replacement therapy that doesn't satisfy the need the need to smoke because nicotine while addictive, just isn't THAT addictive. It's not enough to try and simply replace it. Oh, and since I quit smoking and went to ecigs, my blood pressure is perfect, my heart rate is perfect, my cholesterol is perfect and I have near perfect lung capacity now too. That wasn't the case a year ago. Edited May 13, 2013 by MissMelsWell 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Right Wing Posted May 13, 2013 #5 Share Posted May 13, 2013 Pregnant women are to take breath tests to check if they are smoking in a bid to tackle the one in five who light up while expecting. Midwives will test women at antenatal appointments and those with high carbon monoxide readings will be given advice on how to quit smoking, although no NHS treatment is compulsory, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has said. http://www.dailymail...-expecting.html Having seen how most smokers fail when the try to quit I suspect its more likely one in five who manage to stop during pregnancy lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Queen in the North Posted May 14, 2013 #6 Share Posted May 14, 2013 I'd be interested in seeing what kind of advice they think will get people to quit smoking. After my adventure in quitting that started almost 18 months ago... education probably isn't going to get any one to quit. Newsflash, people who smoke already know they shouldn't, know they should quit, but it's so much easier said than done. The unfortunately result here might be that more women will seek pre-natal care MUCH later, if at all, because they don't want the lecture they know is coming. The intention is good, the execution is poor. I agree. I was taught that in a pharmacy setting, you're doing well if you have a 5% success rate for smoking cessation in patients, and that relapse is pretty much the norm - most people will stop and start a few times before managing to stop for good. I would take a guess and say that most people who are pregnant and still smoking probably have tried giving up, and have probably already heard any advice they could give them. All the advice in the world won't take the craving away. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walter White Posted May 14, 2013 #7 Share Posted May 14, 2013 (edited) Whilst preggers with my sister, my brother and I, my mother managed to quit "cold turkey" without a hint of trouble; yet post-pregnancy she started smoking again. How can someone quit for nine months straight, on three occasions, just to lapse at the end of each term? Will power I guess, she had the will to quit for the sake of our health and yet she can't summon the strength to do so for her own health (I don't judge her for that, I'm a smoker myself and I find it just as hard). I once managed to cut down to just two fags a day. Going from two fags to none? I lasted an hour, never forgiven myself for it. Edited to add: I have inherited my mum's bad knees, I judge her for that. Edited May 14, 2013 by Walter White Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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