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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

REAL-WORLD PRESCHOOL PEANUT ORAL IMMUNOTHERAPY EFFECTIVE AFTER ONE YEAR OF MAINTENANCE
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REAL-WORLD PRESCHOOL PEANUT ORAL IMMUNOTHERAPY EFFECTIVE AFTER ONE YEAR OF MAINTENANCE

The study, published in the AAAAI’s journal The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, reports findings for participants who received a follow-up oral food challenge after one year on peanut daily maintenance.

MILWAUKEE, WI – Data published in The Journal of Allergy and Immunology: In Practice (JACI: In Practice), an official journal of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI), demonstrated that peanut oral immunotherapy (OIT) is effective after one year of maintenance in preschool participants who received a follow-up oral food challenge (OFC).

Preschoolers (9-70 months old) enrolled in the real-world study were administered increasing peanut doses in a clinic every two weeks over 8-11 visits until reaching the 300mg peanut protein maintenance dose. After spending approximately 12 months taking maintenance doses, patients were invited to complete a peanut follow-up OFC.

A total of 164 patients completed build-up and three dropped out of maintenance, leaving 161 patients available for follow-up OFC. A total of 117 of the 161 eligible patients received the follow-up OFC. Among them, 92 (78.6%) were able to tolerate a cumulative peanut protein dose of 4,000mg. A total of 115 (98.3%) tolerated a cumulative 1,000mg dose at follow-up, which would protect against accidental peanut exposures.

“The main takeaway for parents is that in this study, OIT provided protection from accidental exposures for 98.3% of preschoolers,” said Lianne Soller, PhD, corresponding author of the study and University of British Columbia allergy research manager. “These data, in combination with our previous data demonstrating safety of peanut OIT in preschoolers, suggest that this therapy could be considered for this age group as an alternative to the current recommendations to avoid peanut.”

Also of note was that epinephrine use during maintenance dosing remained low with only two participants requiring it, and only 10.5% of participants experienced allergic reactions at all. During the maintenance phase, only one patient needed to go to the emergency department due to an allergic reaction.

“Our study is the first to report on effectiveness of peanut OIT in preschoolers in a real-world setting, as opposed to a clinical trial setting,” said Dr. Soller. “We plan to continue to follow-up with this cohort long-term so we can continue to strengthen and solidify our recommendations regarding peanut exposure and oral immunotherapy.”

You can learn more about the current state of oral immunotherapy at the AAAAI’s website, aaaai.org.

The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI) represents allergists, asthma specialists, clinical immunologists, allied health professionals and others with a special interest in the research and treatment of allergic and immunologic diseases. Established in 1943, the AAAAI has more than 7,100 members in the United States, Canada and 72 other countries. The AAAAI’s Find an Allergist/Immunologist service is a trusted resource to help you find a specialist close to home.

The post REAL-WORLD PRESCHOOL PEANUT ORAL IMMUNOTHERAPY EFFECTIVE AFTER ONE YEAR OF MAINTENANCE appeared first on Oklahoma Allergy and Asthma Clinic.

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