Latest posts
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Quitting Smoking and Weight Gain: Why It Happens and Evidence-Based Management
Most people who quit smoking gain some weight, and it usually happens for two simple reasons: nicotine raises your resting metabolism, and smoking tends to blunt appetite. Once you stop smoking, your body may burn calories a little more slowly, and you may feel hungrier than before. Government health sources put the average weight gain…
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Smoking and Hearing Loss: What Audiological Research Shows
Research shows smoking is linked to a higher risk of hearing loss, and the risk tends to climb the longer and more heavily a person has smoked. Studies using national health data have found smokers are more likely than non-smokers to show measurable hearing loss on standard hearing tests, particularly at higher sound frequencies. The…
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Smoking and Bladder Cancer: The Overlooked Smoking-Related Cancer Risk
Yes. Smoking is the most well-established risk factor for bladder cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Bladder cancer is one of several cancers that health agencies list as caused by tobacco use, alongside lung, throat, and kidney cancers. Most people associate smoking with lung disease, so…
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Nicotine Replacement Therapy Dosing: Patches, Gum, Lozenges and Tapering
How Nicotine Replacement Therapy Dosing Works Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) dosing depends mainly on how many cigarettes you smoke per day and which product you choose. Patches deliver a steady dose all day, while gum and lozenges are used as needed for cravings and are often combined with a patch. This guide explains how each…
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Smoking and Kidney Health: What Research Shows About Renal Risk
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you have little or no urination, sudden swelling in your legs, ankles, or around your eyes, confusion, chest pain, or severe shortness of breath. These can be signs of a serious kidney or heart problem that needs emergency care. Does Smoking Damage Your Kidneys? Yes.…
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How Smoking Affects Taste and Smell: What Changes After Quitting
Yes. Smoking is widely recognized as a factor in dulled taste and smell, and most people who quit say food tastes better and smells stronger once they stop. Taste and smell work closely together, so a change in one often shows up as a change in the other. This guide explains how the senses work,…
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Smoking and Blood Circulation: Peripheral Artery Disease and Vascular Risk
Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if a leg suddenly turns pale, cold, or blue, loses feeling, or has no pulse. The same goes for a foot wound that looks infected, is spreading, or has a foul odor. These can be signs of a sudden blockage or severe tissue damage that needs…
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Understanding Smoking Triggers and Cravings: Identification and Management
Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a commission at no additional cost to you. This does not influence our assessments. A smoking trigger is anything — a feeling, a place, a person, or a habit — that sets off an urge to smoke. Cravings…
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Smoking Cessation Medications: How Varenicline and Bupropion Work
Stop taking varenicline or bupropion and contact your prescriber immediately if you notice new agitation, hostility, aggressive behavior, depressed mood, or thoughts of suicide. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room for thoughts of self-harm that feel urgent. If you have a seizure while taking bupropion, do not take another dose, and tell…
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Smoking and Eye Health: Macular Degeneration, Cataracts and Vision Risk
Does Smoking Cause Macular Degeneration and Cataracts? Smoking is one of the strongest known risk factors for two of the most common eye diseases in older adults: age-related macular degeneration (AMD) and cataracts. According to the National Eye Institute (NEI), people who smoke are more likely to develop AMD than people who never smoked, and…