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Extinguishing the habit

It’s time to quit – no ifs or butts!

That’s the message from campaigners behind National No Smoking Day.

The links between smoking and lung cancer are well documented but cigarettes can also be a major contributing factor in the development of other cancers and illnesses. The habit kills around 114,000 people in the UK each year. *

National No Smoking Day, on March 11, is the UK’s leading health campaign for smokers who want to stop.

Entrepreneur and TV Dragon Duncan Bannatyne OBE is president of the campaign and will be acting as spokesperson and encouraging support from businesses.

The campaign’s website also features video diaries of well-known faces including Hollyoaks and Eastenders actress Gemma Bissix, who can be seen throwing away her lighters and ashtrays after deciding to keep her life in a "healthy place" after undergoing intensive training for the TV show Dancing On Ice. **

Westfield Health Chief Executive Jill Davies said: "National No Smoking Day should be viewed as a real incentive to create a more pleasant and healthy living and working environment.

"Giving up smoking is an important step towards minimising the effects on a person’s health and wellbeing and helping to safeguard the health of those around them."

The NHS is currently encouraging pregnant smokers to get help after an NHS Smokefree poll suggested that pregnant women who smoke do not seek assistance from their doctor because they fear being ‘judged’. ***

Of 224 women questioned, a quarter said they had not looked for help in case they were criticised and around 40 per cent had not admitted to their midwives or doctors that they smoked.

Smoking while pregnant can limit the amount of oxygen available to the developing foetus and lead to lower birth weights. But pregnant women can find it difficult to stop.

Rotherham-based NHS Specialist Adviser Lisa Fendall said: "We see lots of pregnant women who are worried about trying to stop smoking and feel they don't have the support or anyone to talk to about it."

The number of ways to tackle nicotine addiction continues to grow with products such as chewing gum, patches and inhalers.

But there are alternative methods which, combined with willpower and motivation, are believed to help kick the habit.

One such treatment is acupuncture. Practised in China for up to 4,000 years, it involves placing needles on the skin to stimulate nerves and muscles, targeting pain and problems in the body and brain.

Acupuncture is believed to help make smoking much less satisfying by transforming the taste of tobacco into a bad experience. It can also help to alleviate the mental distress symptoms associated with quitting, such as nervousness and agitation.

Many of Westfield Health’s cash plans cover the cost of acupuncture, up to set limits.

For more information on National No Smoking Day, visit http://www.nosmokingday.org.uk.

For more information on the Advantage Health Cash Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/advantage/index.asp

For more information on the Good4you Health Cash Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/individual-health-plans/health-cash-plan.asp

For more information on the Foresight Healthcare Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/foresight/index.asp

For more information on the Chamber Primary Health Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/chamber/index.asp

For more information on the Westfield Flex Health Cash Plan, please visit:
http://www.westfieldhealth.com/corporate-health-plans/flex/index.asp

References

* http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/smokehealth.htm

** http://specials.uk.msn.com/go-smoke-free/celebrity-videos.aspx?GT1=65505

*** http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/7867664.stm

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