Tag: Health Quit Smoking

Smoking weed is becoming more and more popular, not just with youth but with people of all ages. Weed, or marijuana, is also on the verge of becoming legal in much of the United States, as well as other countries.

That being said, the long term health effects of smoking weed have not been fully studied as most people who smoke weed either lie about it or greatly understate how much they smoke. This is because marijuana is still a schedule 1 narcotic in most places, alongside heroin and acid, and many states still have fairly harsh penalties for marijuana possession.

This article will discuss marijuana risks, the dangerous paraphernalia that can be used to ingest weed, the effects of smoking weed everyday, and how long weed stays in your system.

The Risks of Smoking Marijuana

There are health risks to ingesting smoke of any kind, and weed is no different. The tar that is ingested when the resin in weed is smoked has the potential to build up in the lungs. This tar is similar to the tar produced by cigarettes.

While the tar produced from weed smoke is less than that of cigarettes, there is still a risk that the same kinds of nicotine cancers could develop. Long term health effects studies are currently ongoing and becoming more accurate as marijuana gradually becomes legalized and more prevalent in our society.

Personal safety and well being is also something to consider when smoking weed because it is still illegal in most of North America and many other countries around the world. Procuring weed could prove to be risky as ‘dealers’ can be shady individuals and could potentially be carrying weapons.

Additionally, different States have different laws affecting those who get caught with weed. Some might have no charges for a small amount, while others may have incredibly strict laws with mandatory jail time.

Some people choose to combine tobacco with weed and smoke it that way. This is obviously dangerous to your health and lungs because of the many risks associated with tobacco and nicotine use.

Dangerous Paraphernalia Used for Smoking Weed

Weed can be smoked or ingested in a variety of ways. Some of these methods are more dangerous than others. While there is no scientifically proven “safe” way to smoke weed, there are some that are more hazardous than others.

Marijuana can be smoked in a rolled cigarette-type paper, called a joint, which is obviously the most common, but also through constructed “bongs,” “spots,” and “hash oils.”

Smoking weed in a joint form is one of the safer ways, however there is the risk of a lit joint falling onto a bed or couch and causing a fire. This is also common in instances where people fall asleep while smoking cigarettes in bed, and the same danger applies with weed.

Smoking weed through a bong is another common form that has become more popular over the years. There is a perception that it is “cleaner” than smoking a joint, mainly because of the smoking of paper and that joints looks like a cigarette. However, smoking through a constructed bong can be dangerous depending on what it is constructed of. One form a bong is the use of a sideways tin can whereby holes are poked through the side and the weed is smoked through the mouth of the can. This means that there are potentially harmful chemicals being ingested from the burning of metal.

“Spots,” “dabs,” “knives,” and “hot knives” are all synonyms for a way of smoking weed by rolling small amounts of resin-rich weed and placing them between two hot knives. The smoke that then comes from the ‘spot’ is inhaled by the user.

Another way to smoke “spots” is by using a pipe, either glass or plastic, and heating it with a blowtorch to produce the smoke. The dangers of using a blowtorch indoors aside, the ultra hot smoke is much more harmful to the lungs. Putting ice in the bottom of the pipe cools the smoke but still has the inherent dangers.

There is also the danger of smoking through a plastic pipe which could melt and then the chemicals in the plastic would be inhaled. This method has been referred to as the ‘smoking crack method’ of smoking weed.

The Effects of Smoking Weed Everyday

Smoking weed everyday is dangerous to your health. As stated, smoking weed produces a tar that can build up in the lungs similar to smoking cigarettes and prolonged, steady use will only increase health risks in the lungs. Other factors of heavy weed use include:

• Shallow Breathing
• Increased Appetite
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Red eyes
• Dilated Pupils
• Lower Testosterone Levels

How Long Does Weed Stay In Your System

Unfortunately there is no exact scientific way to determine how long weed, or more specifically THC, will stay in your system. THC is the active ingredient in marijuana that gives the user a “high.” Other factors depend on how long you’ve been smoking weed, the amount of times per week, the amount smoked per day, as well as the body type and its metabolism. Below is an approximation of how long weed can be medically detected in the body’s urine:

• Occasional Users – 4 – 8 days
• Frequent Users – 10 – 25 days
• Daily Users – Up to 63 days

Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

The effects of smoking marijuana are still being studied but the ones that have been completed suggest that there are connections to memory loss, dementia, and schizophrenia. Weed is also an addictive and dangerous drug, perhaps not as much so as cigarettes, but the two share similar properties.

Quitting smoking weed is different than quitting smoking cigarettes in that there are fewer treatments such as gums and lozenges, but the cravings will still be there. The most effective way to quit smoking, and deal with the cravings is with Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy.

Joseph R. Giove is a certified Clinical Hypnotist and has over 30 years of experience helping people quit smoking. His methods are not intrusive and use no chemicals or carcinogens, only the power of the mind. By gently altering the brain patterns, the cravings can be subsided and the behavior towards smoking weed can be changed.

With Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy. Joseph R. Giove can help you get on your way to a smoke free life.

Smoking causes more deaths per year than murder, suicides, AIDS, car accidents, and alcohol and drug use in the United States.

This equates to more than 480,000 deaths per year. Most of these deaths are caused by the direct effects from smoking cigarettes. However, secondhand smoke is also a major factor in smoking related deaths and both will be discussed in this article.

Another term for secondhand smoke is “passive smoke.” This is a term that has been created by the big tobacco companies in an attempt to soften the concept of “secondhand smoke.” Smoking related diseases such as cancer, lung disease (COPD) and heart disease are the major factors that contribute to this incredibly high number of deaths per year in the United States.

This article will discuss these numbers, as well as worldwide statistics, secondhand smoke deaths, and how Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy can help decrease smoking related deaths.

Smoking and Cancer

Smoking cigarettes directly contributes to the development of cancer-causing cells. Nine out of ten instances of lung cancer are caused by smoking cigarettes.The damage done by smoking is two-fold, not only does cigarette smoke cause cancer, but it also weakens the immune system so the body cannot properly fight the damaged cells. The cancer can then spread freely throughout the body without being stopped by the body’s natural blocking systems.

Over 7300 people die each year as a result of someone else’s smoking, whether by cancer or any number of other smoking related diseases. Secondhand smoke is an entirely preventable problem, and help to quit smoking is always available. Joseph R. Giove can help curb this epidemic using Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy, one of the most effective methods of smoking cessation.

Smoking Deaths

In the United States alone, 480,000 people die each year from smoking and smoking related illnesses. Despite the numerous warning labels, advertisements, public service announcements and disclaimers on cigarette packages, the death toll nevertheless continues to increase every year.

The US government has put in place enhanced regulations to restrict cigarette advertising in television, movies and print, and they might have helped. However, these restrictions have forced the American tobacco companies to go overseas and prey on developing countries in order to sell their products.

According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 6 million people worldwide will die this year due to tobacco use. By 2030, that number will be 8 million. These numbers are appalling in of themselves, but here is an even more appalling number: 83. That is the percentage of the 8 million people who will die that reside in low- and middle-income countries.

Just because the advertising restrictions are working in the United States doesn’t mean it is being applied elsewhere. Tobacco companies are clearly preying on lower-class families around the world.

Secondhand Smoke Deaths

Of the 480,000 deaths in the United States, nearly 48,000 were caused by secondhand smoke. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary and Thesaurus defines secondhand smoke as “tobacco smoke that is exhaled by smokers or is given off by burning tobacco and is inhaled by persons nearby.” According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) when children are exposed to secondhand smoke they can experience the following conditions:

• Ear infections
• Increased risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Frequent and severe asthma attacks
• Coughing and shortness of breath
• Bronchitis and pneumonia

The health effects from secondhand smoke in adults are equally catastrophic. They range in severity of the following symptoms:

• Heart disease – Estimations of secondhand smoke related deaths reach 34,000 people per year in the United States.
• Lung Cancer – Lung cancer in secondhand smokers causes 7,300 deaths each year in the United States.
• Stroke – The risk of a stroke is very high for people who have been exposed to high amounts of secondhand smoke.

Secondhand smoke is an extremely dangerous side effect of smoking nicotine, and one that nonsmokers have little control over. While children are the most susceptible, anyone can develop the serious conditions associated with secondhand smoke.

A person smoking nicotine for their own personal abuse is one thing, but when it is affecting an innocent bystander, or worse, a child whose parents smoke, it is quite another. Children and others who unwittingly ingest secondhand smoke are victims of the people who smoke on a regular basis.

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease basically means that a person will have difficulty breathing normally. It is also a progressive disease, meaning that the more a person smokes, the worse this condition will get.

People whose lungs are affected by COPD have trouble breathing due to the damaged air sacs in the lungs.

Other symptoms of COPD include the following:

• Coughing
• Producing mucus when coughing
• Shortness of breath
• Tightness of the chest
• Wheezing

COPD is a disease caused by smoking nicotine for prolonged periods of time. The two main symptoms of COPD are emphysema and bronchitis. These diseases are incurable and can only be slowed by the cessation of smoking. COPD is the third leading cause of death in the United States and many people are not even aware they are afflicted with this disease.

Quitting smoking with Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy is the most effective option to quit smoking for life.

Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy

It is no secret that smoking cigarettes and nicotine in any form will increase the likelihood that a person will contract heart disease, lung cancer, diabetes, and any number of fateful diseases associated with smoking.

The numbers do not lie. When people start smoking cigarettes, their overall health decreases quickly. To stop or slow down these symptoms, people need to quit smoking all together. Joseph R.Giove can help people quit smoking using the power of the mind with Clinical Hypnosis and Hypnotherapy.

Joseph R. Giove is a certified Clinical Hypnotist with over 30 years of experience in assisting people with their smoking cessation efforts. He uses no additional chemicals or carcinogens that other methods of quitting smoking utilize. If you do not wish to be part of these alarming statistics then Joseph R. Giove can help you quit smoking for life.