President Obama may be in "excellent health" according to his physician, but until he quits his nasty smoking habit, he continues to shave years off his life, doctors say.
"What we don't know is how much he smokes," said Len Horovitz, M.D., a pulmonologist at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. "But we do know that smoking just a few cigarettes a day can double or even triple your risk of coronary artery disease. That's from a study published in (medical journal) The Lancet and it's astounding. Smoking is the riskiest thing that you can do to damage your health."
"What we don't know is how much he smokes," said Len Horovitz, M.D., a pulmonologist at New York City's Lenox Hill Hospital. "But we do know that smoking just a few cigarettes a day can double or even triple your risk of coronary artery disease. That's from a study published in (medical journal) The Lancet and it's astounding. Smoking is the riskiest thing that you can do to damage your health."Obama signed the nation's toughest anti-smoking law last June. When asked at the time if he was still smoking, the president, almost angrily, responded that law was not about him, but about preventing others from starting a bad habit he's struggled with for his entire adult life.
Pulmonologist Brian Gelbman, M.D. of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Cornell University's Weill Medical College, said people who quit smoking by age 40 are usually able to undo most of the damage they've done to their bodies and though the president is already 48 years old, all hope is not lost.
"It's not too late for him," he aid. "The biggest benefit he'll he is a reduction in his cardiovascular risk. His risks for tobacco-related diseases like COPD, lung cancer and other cancers will all significantly decline as well. Unfortunately, it never returns to that of nonsmoker but he'll have much less risks than someone who doesn't quit smoking."
Horovitz agreed: "In particular, the president sets an example and he shouldn't set that example. Especially since he sets a good example in every other way: He's thin; he exercises; he appears to have good dietary habits. His blood pressure is ideal -- 105 over 60 for someone under that much stress is excellent."
Gelbman and Horovitz offered Obama these tips for kicking the habit for good:
1. Set a quit date. Gelbman said he usually tells his patients to set a quit date one month out. Over the course of the month, they're to rid their homes of all smoking-related items such as ashtrays, lighters and cigarettes. They should also start to avoid places and activities that trigger the desire to smoke.
2. Stop cold-turkey. Horovitz admitted this method does not work for all his patients, but said that people who are truly motivated to stop smoking can, with the right frame of mind, quit the habit cold-turkey and never look back.
3. Try medication. Gelbman usually starts his patients on Chantix; however people prone to depression and anxiety may want to avoid Chantix. "The data shows that, at a one-year follow up, 44 percent of patients who used Chantix remained abstinent from smoking," he said.
Horovitz said he has the most success starting his patients on a mix of nicotine patches and gum. "This takes care of the physical craving, but it doesn't address the psychological aspect, or the habit or ritual of it. But for those who can't just walk away from it, I find this is the best way to address it."
4. Make sure you want to quit. Both Horovitz and Gelbman said smokers will never quit the habit if they don't want to quit. "The first question I ask my patients is if they want to quit," Gelbman said. "If the answer is no, the conversation stops right there. If you're not motivated or you're doing it for someone else, it's not going to work. You have to want to quit."
5. Prepare to fail. Most smokers fail at their attempts to quit at least three or four times, Gelbman said, adding that the problem isn't failing, it's giving up. If you fail, keep trying until you get it right, Gelbman added. By Marrecca Fiore
Pulmonologist Brian Gelbman, M.D. of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Cornell University's Weill Medical College, said people who quit smoking by age 40 are usually able to undo most of the damage they've done to their bodies and though the president is already 48 years old, all hope is not lost.
"It's not too late for him," he aid. "The biggest benefit he'll he is a reduction in his cardiovascular risk. His risks for tobacco-related diseases like COPD, lung cancer and other cancers will all significantly decline as well. Unfortunately, it never returns to that of nonsmoker but he'll have much less risks than someone who doesn't quit smoking."
Horovitz agreed: "In particular, the president sets an example and he shouldn't set that example. Especially since he sets a good example in every other way: He's thin; he exercises; he appears to have good dietary habits. His blood pressure is ideal -- 105 over 60 for someone under that much stress is excellent."
Gelbman and Horovitz offered Obama these tips for kicking the habit for good:
1. Set a quit date. Gelbman said he usually tells his patients to set a quit date one month out. Over the course of the month, they're to rid their homes of all smoking-related items such as ashtrays, lighters and cigarettes. They should also start to avoid places and activities that trigger the desire to smoke.
2. Stop cold-turkey. Horovitz admitted this method does not work for all his patients, but said that people who are truly motivated to stop smoking can, with the right frame of mind, quit the habit cold-turkey and never look back.
3. Try medication. Gelbman usually starts his patients on Chantix; however people prone to depression and anxiety may want to avoid Chantix. "The data shows that, at a one-year follow up, 44 percent of patients who used Chantix remained abstinent from smoking," he said.
Horovitz said he has the most success starting his patients on a mix of nicotine patches and gum. "This takes care of the physical craving, but it doesn't address the psychological aspect, or the habit or ritual of it. But for those who can't just walk away from it, I find this is the best way to address it."
4. Make sure you want to quit. Both Horovitz and Gelbman said smokers will never quit the habit if they don't want to quit. "The first question I ask my patients is if they want to quit," Gelbman said. "If the answer is no, the conversation stops right there. If you're not motivated or you're doing it for someone else, it's not going to work. You have to want to quit."
5. Prepare to fail. Most smokers fail at their attempts to quit at least three or four times, Gelbman said, adding that the problem isn't failing, it's giving up. If you fail, keep trying until you get it right, Gelbman added. By Marrecca Fiore
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