Tag: Tobacco

Doctors as Tobacco Users – What Made Them Start

Doctors are the intellects of the society. People look at them for guidance in all fields most importantly the health aspect of life. Advising is his profession and he sets example by his conduct and behaviour.

Lot of people when told to quit tobacco they give examples of doctors using tobacco. It is interesting to know the journey of a doctor from the time he enters the medical schools and how he gets into the trap of tobacco.

  1. Some of them come with the habit of tobacco to the campus – started in school
  2. Some were assigned rooms with a smoker/chewer
  3. Some where infected by their colleagues and “well-wishers” who unfortunately suggested them that the best way to Relieve the stress, perform well in the exams, stay awake to gobble up the books.
  4. Most Smokers in a medical college are ‘ullu’ (owl) of the campus, the old steam engine working throughout the night, throwing the polluted smoke and spit just anywhere in the room and campus.
  5. Some where forced into this during ragging and it catches up with them
  6. Some the ‘occasional’ ones enjoyed the ‘kash’ during the parties for the instant kick along with alcohol cajoled by the ‘friends’.
  7. ‘The family’ pressure due to fractured relationship pushing them into the company of party goes – alcohol and tobacco
  8. Impressing the girls – make belief impression show casing himself as a charismatic independent person. It’s a thought of doubt that any girls would ever get impressed because of tobacco use. Girls are smarter.
  9. Generally, the students who adopted to using tobacco did not have any second activity like sports or any hobbies to rely on the much-needed happy hormone the dopamine surge.
  10. Some start to give company to their seniors during the ward or emergency duties.

 

There are only two reactions when a person tries tobacco for the first time

  • Shit – I will never have it again
  • Wow- majha aagaya (enjoyed)

The very addictive nature of nicotine catches on.

Then the strong believe put by a tobacco user to the new user that one needs to “smoke/chew” to perform. However, the fact is that to perform an addict would require a constant dose of nicotine but an non-addict performs the better or same anyway.

Another biggest problem is the social acceptability and easy availability of tobacco in the medical campus.

Well I end by saying that “one is free to choose, but one is not free from the consequences of the choice”.

 

So “BE SMART DO NOT START” and for those who have started earlier you quit the better. Do not hesitate to take help of Certified Tobacco Cessation Specialist. Quitting Tobacco is easy but staying quit is difficult!  The specialist would give you support, medication, comorbidity management, follow up and continued motivation to prevent relapse during your journey.

Tobacco is a complex endemic disease. It is well recognised and now diagnostic methodology, specific medicines and counselling process are available to treat this disease. The book WIN OVER TOBACCO MADE EASY authored by Dr Pawan Gupta is a comprehensive guide for those willing to quit and also for doctors. It is moral responsibility of all doctors to take training to understand the intricacies of the disease and advice the patient in an evidence based method for tobacco quit to be successfully.

ICanCaRe Tobacco Wellness centre is coming up at various Hospital for helping tobacco patients in distress.

(The Author – Dr Pawan Gupta M.Ch. is Director of Surgical Oncology at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Vaishali. Patparganj and Noida. HE is author the book – Win Over Tobacco Made Easy, Be Smart Do Not Start and is highly recognised for his work on Oral Cancer and Tobacco Cessation. He is the Convenor for Certified Course in Tobacco Cessation under the Gujarat University)

Emerging Role of Dental Practices in Oral Cancers

A Round Table Discussion titled “Emerging role of Dental Practices in Oral Cancer” was conducted at Max Hospital Vaishali on 8.8.2021. The occasion was to mark World Head and Neck Day which is observed every year on twenty-seventh July.

The round table between Dental practitioners and Oncologists discussed the importance of collaboration between the two groups to change the dismal presentation and prognosis of oral cancers. The event was organized at MAX Vaishali in collaboration with Santosh deemed to be University, ICanCaRe, and Indian Dental Association.

Dr. Pawan Gupta, Director Head, and Neck, Max Healthcare said 97 % of oral cancer patients if detected and treated early can survive more than 5 years. However, sadly most of the oral cancers present to the oncologists at a very late stage with only 20 % surviving for 5 years. Oral Cancers are easily detected, easily treated, and importantly easily prevented. The cause of oral cancers chiefly – tobacco (smoking and non-smoking), alcohol, sharp teeth, ill-fitting dentures can be easily taken care and this disease can be prevented.

Dr. Amit B Lal, Professor Santosh Dental College stressed the need for collaboration amongst the dental profession to create awareness amongst the public about oral cancers.

At MAX Vaishali an Oral Care and Tobacco cessation center was established to take care of oral cancer patients from screening, oral care, and rehabilitation before, after, and during treatment and also protocol-based tobacco Cessation intervention program.

Dr. Harshita Pandey, the specialist taking care of the oral care program at Max Vaishali said “patients come at various stages and invariably they need oral and dental care. With the establishment of this center in MAX the patients are better rehabilitated and have fewer complications during treatment as well.” Many small suspicious lesions have been detected during screening and patients treated on an OPD basis itself.

It was decided that in a collaboration understanding community program would be conducted by a team from Santosh Dental College and MAX Vaishali as per digitalized protocol established by ICanCaRe.

The Round Table was Inaugurated by Dr. Meenu Walia, Chief Clinical Head and Sr. Director MAX Health Care EZ, and Dr. Umesh Sharma, President-Elect -IDA-UP in presence of dignitaries from various Dental Colleges – IDS, Sharda, etc.

The co-convenor of the event Dr. Sanjeev Tomar conducted the event with dignitaries – Dr. Neeraj, Dr. Gagan, Dr. Sowrabh Dr. Rashi, Dr. Prekshi, Dr. Safalta, Dr. Deepankar, Dr. Gurjap, Dr. Sachin, Dr. Abhishek Rathi, Dr. Vidhi Rathi, Dr. Hemkant Verma, and Dr. Hemant Sawhney.

The Round Table ended with the participants asking for more such discussions in the future.

For Quitting Tobacco call Helpline 011-43077695.

Download the Android ICanCaRe App – https://app.icancare.in

Dr. Pawan Gupta M.Ch. Director Head and Neck, MAX Superspeciality Hospital, Vaishali and Founder ICanCaRe as Convenor of the Round Table on “Emerging Role of Dental Practices in Oral Cancers
Inauguration of the Round Table on “Emerging Role of Dental Practices in Oral Cancers”
Round Table Discussion Round 2 – Challenges of Collaboration at the “Emerging Role of Dental Practices in Oral Cancers”

Relapse is just not Will Power, but Environment As well

LEWINS EQUATION TO MAKE YOU A TOBACCO WINNER!

Kurt Lewin in 1936 gave a very simple formula an equation which said behaviour is a function of the person in the environment. What it means is – the habit or behaviour of a person is just not dependent on a person’s character but it also depends on the environment one is exposed to.

This is very much true with tobacco also whether it is smoking or chewing.

Both your personality and environment determines the good habits you would build, bad habits you would break and the way you would progress in life.

A person who is into the action phase of quit cycle, relapses not just because he is born with low will power but mostly because of the environment.

Tobacco addiction has three important components – PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, SOCIAL.

Determining the level of Physical addiction and controlling it with medication when necessary is the first step. But a major component is also the Psychological and Social environment. Psychological or mental strength is a must but at the same time you need to be surrounded with a healthy environment and motivational materials to keep you strong and constantly remind you and strengthen your will power.

Your social environment is one major determinant of your long journey of tobacco cessation – your friend circle, the party time, office colleagues, the pan shop etc. may trigger you to try once again. One slip will take you back to the bottom of the stairs you have climbed so far in your quit cycle. Keep track of your triggers, it is important. I will talk about triggers in subsequent blogs.

Anyone who is into a wrong habit we should help before the early signs of tobacco harm sets in. The advance harms are really dangerous.

The book WIN OVER TOBACCO MADE EASY would be of help.

A word of caution – the teachers, school counsellors, parents should be aware how to deal with such situation. I will talk about it in my subsequent blogs.