Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Why physicians should look beyond smoking cessation

Tamir Katz, MD
Conditions
March 5, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

shutterstock_122818414

It’s not only about smoking cessation.

As I entered the examination room, J.L., a new patient here for a well visit, was sitting comfortably on the examination table. In his mid thirties, tall, slim and with an athletic build, he had a relaxed, easygoing air about him.

Before entering the room, I had quickly scanned his chart, and noted that in the pre-examination questionnaire, my nurse had noted that J.L. was a current cigarette smoker; so after introducing myself, that was where we started off.

“So, I see here that you mention that you smoke cigarettes. How many cigarettes do you smoke daily?”

“Oh, about a pack to a pack and a half.”

“Are you at all interested in quitting, or at least cutting down?”

“To be honest doc, no, not really. I know that smoking is not great for my health; however, I thoroughly enjoy smoking. I know many people smoke because they are stressed out or because they are addicted, but I really only smoke because I like it!”

At this point in the visit, many of us would have some pre-conceived notions about J.L. We would likely assume that he doesn’t care much about his health. We would assume that he eats a poor diet, and that he probably does not exercise much. We may not even ask him about his vitamin and supplement intake.

As it turned out, J.L., aside from his smoking habit, was following a rather healthy lifestyle. He had joined a gym a few months back and was exercising there 3-4 times a week. In addition, he often went on walks with his wife in the evening. His wife was committed to following a healthy diet, and cooked healthy fare with plenty of vegetables and fish. He enquired about having his cholesterol checked, and asked me what I thought about him taking vitamin D supplements; he had read that they may have some purported health benefits.

Towards the end of the visit, I brought up the smoking issue once again. I mentioned to him that when he is ready to quit, I will be there to help him. I do plan to discuss smoking cessation with J.L at every subsequent visit (both sick and well visits), and I hope that he does eventually decide to quit. However, in the meantime, there are several other ways in which J.L., as well as many current smokers like him, can improve their health.

One of the biggest mistakes that we can make in our approach to our smoking patients is to limit the extent of our intervention into improving their health solely to smoking cessation. Of course, smoking cessation IS probably the single best thing a person can do to improve his or her health. Of course, we, as health care providers, should bring up smoking cessation at every visit. However, through our own erroneous assumption that all smokers who do not currently wish to quit are basically unhealthy people who do not care at all about improving their health, we miss opportunities to better other aspects of their lives. For example, encouraging regular exercise, a healthy diet, and stress reduction are all important ways in which we can make a positive difference.

Several studies have shown that in current smokers, frequent exercise and healthy food can mitigate some of the harmful effects of cigarette smoking. Exercise may help with smoking cessation as well. In addition, by discussing stress reduction in smokers who smoke because they are stressed out, we again may ultimately help them to quit.

The take home message is that next time you encounter a patient who smokes and does not wish to quit, instead of rolling your eyes back and brushing him or her off, actively pursue other positive lifestyle changes.

ADVERTISEMENT

Tamir Katz is a family physician who blogs at SmokersFitness.com and is co-author of A Smoker’s Guide to Health and Fitness.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com

Prev

Patients don’t matter as much as payment in our system

March 4, 2013 Kevin 31
…
Next

Learning about costs: A gross failure in medical education

March 5, 2013 Kevin 4
…

Tagged as: Cardiology, Primary Care

Post navigation

< Previous Post
Patients don’t matter as much as payment in our system
Next Post >
Learning about costs: A gross failure in medical education

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

More in Conditions

  • Financing cancer or fighting it: the real cost of tobacco

    Dr. Bhavin P. Vadodariya
  • 5 cancer myths that could delay your diagnosis or treatment

    Joseph Alvarnas, MD
  • When bleeding disorders meet IVF: Navigating von Willebrand disease in fertility treatment

    Oluyemisi Famuyiwa, MD
  • What one diagnosis can change: the movement to make dining safer

    Lianne Mandelbaum, PT
  • How kindness in disguise is holding women back in academic medicine

    Sylk Sotto, EdD, MPS, MBA
  • Measles is back: Why vaccination is more vital than ever

    American College of Physicians
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

View 8 Comments >

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Physician patriots: the forgotten founders who lit the torch of liberty

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Physician
    • Why medical students are trading empathy for publications

      Vijay Rajput, MD | Education
    • The hidden cost of becoming a doctor: a South Asian perspective

      Momeina Aslam | Education
    • Why fixing health care’s data quality is crucial for AI success [PODCAST]

      Jay Anders, MD | Podcast
    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • When errors of nature are treated as medical negligence

      Howard Smith, MD | Physician
  • Past 6 Months

    • What’s driving medical students away from primary care?

      ​​Vineeth Amba, MPH, Archita Goyal, and Wayne Altman, MD | Education
    • A faster path to becoming a doctor is possible—here’s how

      Ankit Jain | Education
    • How dismantling DEI endangers the future of medical care

      Shashank Madhu and Christian Tallo | Education
    • Make cognitive testing as routine as a blood pressure check

      Joshua Baker and James Jackson, PsyD | Conditions
    • How scales of justice saved a doctor-patient relationship

      Neil Baum, MD | Physician
    • The broken health care system doesn’t have to break you

      Jessie Mahoney, MD | Physician
  • Recent Posts

    • Why tracking cognitive load could save doctors and patients

      Hiba Fatima Hamid | Education
    • When a doctor becomes the narrator of a patient’s final chapter

      Ryan McCarthy, MD | Physician
    • Why innovation in health care starts with bold thinking

      Miguel Villagra, MD | Tech
    • Navigating fair market value as an independent or locum tenens physician [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • Gaslighting and professional licensing: a call for reform

      Donald J. Murphy, MD | Physician
    • How self-improving AI systems are redefining intelligence and what it means for health care

      Harvey Castro, MD, MBA | Tech

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Why physicians should look beyond smoking cessation
8 comments

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...