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Smoking Cessation

Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 480,000 deaths per year in the United States with more than 41,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure alone. Many smokers have a craving for a cigarette in stressful situations but with help and motivation anyone is able to quit.

To Quit Smoking

  • Prepare to quit. The first step to quitting is a true desire to quit smoking. Establish a quit date which can help you prepare emotionally. Prepare by not buying extra cartons of tobacco and eliminating ashtrays in your home. Pick a date that is meaningful to you – birth date, special anniversary, holiday, even a New Year’s resolution.
  • Get help from others. Inform family and friends that you are going to quit and that you will need their emotional support and help.
  • Get help from your physician and voluntary agencies. The CDC has a quit smoking consumer guide available on the web (www.cdc.gov/tobacco). The American Lung Association, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society all have helpful programs.
  • Quit with a friend. People who quit smoking together are more often successful. They can support each other when they feel the need for another cigarette.
  • Get pharmaceutical help. Nicotine, the addictive ingredient in cigarettes, is a drug. You can help yourself by supplying nicotine in another, safer fashion while you quit smoking. Nicotine replacement is available as gums, patches or sprays.
  • Non-nicotine containing medications such as Bupropion (Zyban®) and Varenicline (Chantix®) are prescription drugs that can also help you quit smoking.
  • Help yourself. The desire to smoke is both habit and addiction. When do you have a cigarette in your hand? Try putting something else in your hand. Change your routines where you find that smoking is your pleasure. If you feel smoking helps you with your bad moods, you should try talking with a friend or your doctor, or finding other activities that provide enjoyment such as exercise.
  • If you fail do not despair. On average most permanent non smokers will quit 8 times before finally quitting for good. If you have a set-back, don’t get discouraged, just try again!

The Oklahoma Tobacco Helpline is a great resource that offers free support, services and even smoking cessation therapies:  1-855-335-3569 OR OKhelpline.com

Recent News

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Allergist Joins OAAC Medical Providers

Maya N. Gharfeh, M.D.

Maya N. Gharfeh, M.D., has joined the Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic medical providers’ staff. Dr. Gharfeh treats both children and adults with asthma and allergic conditions. Her particular areas of expertise include atopic dermatitis, asthma, food allergy and delayed hypersensitivity. She is board-certified with the American Board of Allergy and Immunology and the American Board of Pediatrics.

Dr. Gharfeh was raised in Columbus, Ohio, and graduated from The Ohio State University in 2006 with her bachelor’s degree in Biology. She then attended medical school in Rootstown, Ohio, at Northeastern Ohio Medical University. During her medical school training, Dr. Gharfeh also pursued a public health degree from The Ohio State University with a specialty in health behavior and health promotion. She graduated from medical school and her master’s program in 2011 and moved back to Columbus, Ohio for her pediatric internship, residency and chief residency training at Nationwide Children’s Hospital/The Ohio State University.

She completed her fellowship training in Allergy and Immunology at Texas Children’s Hospital/Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Following completion of her training, Dr. Gharfeh worked in Waco, Texas prior to moving to Oklahoma City in the spring of 2020 to join the team at Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic. 

She is a patient advocate and is passionate about educating her patients and the community on important topics in allergy and asthma. Dr. Gharfeh published on the efficacy of food allergy school education during her training and has continued to utilize this data to educate local school personnel on food allergy and epinephrine auto-injector use. Dr. Gharfeh also takes time to blog on these important issues as well as the real-life struggles of living with a food allergic child. During her free time, Dr. Gharfeh spends her time with her husband and their three young children. The Gharfeh family resides in Edmond and is eager to make the greater Oklahoma City area their new home. 

The Oklahoma Allergy & Asthma Clinic is one of the largest and oldest allergy and asthma practices in the United States celebrating 95 years in 2020. The main clinic is located on the Oklahoma Health Center campus.  For patient convenience, satellite offices are located in Edmond, Norman, Midwest City and Yukon. Visit the OAAC website at www.oklahomaallergy.com to view the addresses for all Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic locations.  To make an initial appointment for an allergy or asthma problem or to request more information, please call (405) 235-0040 or visit the website.

The post Allergist Joins OAAC Medical Providers appeared first on Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic.

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