Quit smoking now, not tomorrow, because the longer you put it off, Sparky, the harder it’ll be. There are loads of ways to quit, but there are no magic bullets, says medical researcher Dr Michael Fiore. Here are five real-world bullets that can help you end the madness.

1. Don’t set yourself up for failure

It may be okay for sandwiches the day after Christmas, but cold turkey probably won’t get you anywhere when it comes to kicking your butts, says Fiore. Neither will hypnosis, acupuncture or aiming lasers at acupuncture points. “Those are probably the three worst ways to quit.”

Read more: How To Set Weight Loss Goals

2. Lay off the booze too

Don’t clear out just cigs, lighters and ashtrays. Toss as much booze as you’re willing to part with too. “Half the people who quit end up returning to their old habits with the first trace of alcohol in their bloodstream,” says Fiore. The only solid solution is to eliminate alcohol for the first couple of months after quitting. The other predictor of a relapse is living with a smoker, so if you can convince your wife or roomie to quit while you’re at it, you’ll both have a better chance.

Read more: This Is The Best Type Of Alcohol To Drink If You’re Trying To Lose Weight

3. Delay the game

When you get a craving you can’t seem to shake, promise yourself you won’t give in for 60 minutes. Almost every time, the urge will pass by the time the hour’s up. If you have to, spend the hour drinking water, walking around, doing deep breathing exercises or chewing something. “Try to chew something that won’t add a lot of extra kilojoules to your diet, since it’s common to gain a few kilograms when you quit,” says Fiore. Try carrots.

Read more: Yes, There’s a Way to Get Rid Of Junk Food Cravings—and Here’s How to Do It

4. Sweat

Whatever method you use to quit, combine it with exercise. A study by the American College of Chest Physicians shows that smokers who combine exercise with nicotine gum or patches are more likely to quit than those who don’t exercise.

Read more: How Eating Curry Could Undo The Effects Of Smoking

5. Go pharmacological

Prescription drugs to help you quit have improved in recent months. Last year, Pfizer’s Chantix (known as Champix in Europe) was approved for use in the US. This pill packs a one-two punch: it mimics the effects of nicotine while simultaneously blocking the reinforcing effects of the nicotine you take in from cigarettes.

^{Image credits: iStock}

Matriculants across the country have worked tirelessly to complete their school careers and are eagerly awaiting the results of their hard work.

It is such a momentous occasion – and finishing a 12-year school career should be reason for celebration. However, for many students around the country, the results end up being a great disappointment.

Helping your teen cope

The disappointment of not having achieved what they worked hard for may leave a teen feeling depressed. While you may not think there’s much you can do, there are ways of helping them get through this difficult time:

• Create a safe space where they can share their feelings.
• Listen when they share and do not judge them.
• Remind them that they are loved.
• Ensure that they are eating well as depression may affect appetite.
• Suggest some form of community involvement to avoid isolation.
• Acknowledge their achievements and hard work.
• Be patient as healing takes time.
• Encourage them to view their failures as learning opportunities.

Counseling psychologist, Charissa Bloomberg, says it is important that parents do not make their children feel rejected during this period.

“It is crucial that parents do not make their children feel like a failure or inferior. We place so much emphasis on this matric system. Just because a child did not make matric it does not mean that they will not go on to become a success, and parents need to remember that,” says Bloomberg.

Bloomberg adds that matriculants who have not achieved the results they wanted to must allow themselves time to grieve.

“It feels like a failure, but you need to pick yourself up and dust yourself off and start again. There are many people that did not make matric and went on to be successful,” says Bloomberg.

When to seek help

According to Bloomberg, one should not wait until signs of depression become visible but should rather seek help as soon as a child learns they have not done well.

“Seek help immediately so that your child can get over the fright of not having done well. The sooner you seek help, the quicker your child can begin to rebuild his/her life and start setting goals,” says Bloomberg.

For some students, however, failing matric can trigger suicidal thoughts. According to the Durban Para-suicide study, one third of attempted suicides involve children and adolescents.

“Suicide rates are really high for matriculants and that is why it is important to let them know that failing matric is not the end of the world,” says Bloomberg.

Prevention and intervention

The WHO says that suicide is preventable by reducing access to substances and tools which could result in suicide – such as poisonous substances, firearms, certain medication etc.

Behavioural healthcare group, Akeso, identifies hanging as the most common form of suicide among South Africans.

Dr Keith Ganasen, a Cape Town psychiatrist, said that prevention is imperative, but that it starts way before matric.

“Teachers, parents and others involved should be proactive and begin discussions; they should look into psychoeducation and communication early in the curriculum. In my clinical experience, there are children much younger than 18 who have suicidal ideation.

“These adolescents need solid support structures, which are easily accessible to the person and concerned family members. Family should, in fact, develop a communication style with a person in an open, non-judgemental and supportive manner,” says Dr Ganasen.

The WHO also states that talking about suicide doesn’t encourage it. The organisation’s statement on suicidal myths states that people who are suicidal often don’t know who to talk to and end up talking to no one, which results in them becoming overwhelmed with their thoughts and feelings.

Dr Ganasen adds that friends, family and community leaders need to be supportive and make themselves available to listen.

“Support is showing that you are emotionally available for a person, unconditionally, whether you fully understand what they are experiencing or not. It’s not about telling another how they should feel or minimise their symptoms,” says Dr Ganasen.

Keep an eye out for signs

Akeso states that there are a number of signs to keep an eye out for, should you suspect a loved one is suicidal:

• Depressed mood
• Low or no interest of pleasure in most or all activities
• Significant weight loss or weight gain
• Insomnia or hypersomnia – too little or too much sleep
• Too much activity or none at all
• Fatigue or loss of energy
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, excessive or inappropriate guilt
• Diminished ability to think or concentrate, also indecisiveness
• Recurrent thoughts of death

Other key signs to look out for:

• The teen has experienced a major trauma or a loss.
• The teen isolates him/herself.
• The teen gets involved in substance abuse.
• Excessive loneliness and a loss/lack of significant relationships
• The teen is not coping with school/academic expectations and/or there is a significant academic decline.

Suicide myths

Many often recall how bubbly someone was before they committed suicide, how they were the life of the party and they had so much going for them, that no one knew how depressed or sad they were.

A common myth about suicide is that the person must have had some mental disorder, but the World Health Organisation (WHO) explains that this is not necessarily the case.

The WHO also explains that heightened risk of suicide is short-term and that it is situation specific.

Their initiative for suicide prevention says that suicidal behaviour displays deep unhappiness, but not necessarily a mental disorder, and there are many people with mental disorders who are not affected by suicidal behaviour.

 ^{Image credit: iStock}

Nyakallo Moleko and Stefni Herbert

2017 has seen its fair share of medical breakthroughs and pioneering research.

This has paved the way for several new advances we can expect in 2018.

1. Drones to distribute medicine to isolated areas

With improved technology, remote treatment and better distribution of medical services and medicine is rapidly becoming a reality.

In 2016, it was reported that a start-up company made use of drones to deliver medicine to Rwanda. This practice has since become routine and it is estimated that even more areas will benefit through this method.

2. Curing diseases through gene editing (CRISPR technology)

One of the big medical breakthroughs featured on Health24 this year was the technique to “edit” embryos to avoid genetic diseases.

This method holds potential for the treatment of many diseases, including retinal degenerative disease and inherited diseases, such as cystic fibrosis and haemophilia.

It was reported in November 2017 that the FDA is set to approve a gene therapy for inherited retinal diseases. Many experts believe that this could pave the way to treatment for even more diseases.

3. ASL patients will be able to communicate with their thoughts

Earlier this year, CNN reported on a new technology that could help decode the thoughts of those with functional brain activity in a completely paralysed body, brought on by a stroke, traumatic injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

The initial research was published in the journal PLOS Biology. While the research was only in the beginning stages at the time, it holds great promise for 2018.

4. An artificial pancreas for diabetics

Diabetes is caused by the insufficient production of insulin by the pancreas. It was reported in May 2017 that the first artificial pancreas systems were beginning to infiltrate the market to help diabetics regulate their insulin levels.

As of December 2017, these are still not widely distributed, but we can expect artificial pancreas systems to become more prominent in 2018 and further.

The Hybrid Close-Loop Insulin Delivery System in the first automated artificial pancreas system.

5. Reduction of LDL cholesterol

When powerful cholesterol drugs known as PCSK9 inhibitors were approved by the FDA in 2015, many experts hailed it as an enormous breakthrough. The study findings were reassuring, but more studies were needed to see whether this would pave the way for a medication with fewer side-effects than statins.

But new studies have reported good news – earlier in 2017, a 20% reduction in LDL was reported in a study group of 25 982 patients. We can expect this drug to be used more frequently in 2018.

6.Enhanced post-surgery recovery

We know the drill when it comes to surgeries – no eating and drinking beforehand, feeling a bit groggy afterwards and being prescribed pain medication to help with the recovery. But readmissions after surgery remain a problem, not to mention the opioid problem caused by painkiller prescriptions.

New research has been looking at the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) protocol that accounts for various methods to speed up recovery after surgery. This includes post-operative nutrition plans and alternative methods to pain medication to speed up the recovery process.

In 2018, more hospitals will be looking to use the ERAS protocol.

7. More targeted, precise breast cancer therapies

Breast cancer is a disease that will affect one in 26 South African women in their lifetime. We rely on treatments such as chemotherapy to fight the cancer cells, but these do not always have the success rate we hope for.

In 2018 we could expect to see more targeted treatments for breast cancer that is designed to target the specific characteristics of the cancer cells, such as the protein that allows the cells to grow in a malignant way, according to Breastcancer.org.

8. Improved treatments for sleep apnoea

Sleep apnoea is a potentially dangerous condition and treatment for moderate to severe sleep apnoea is often evasive and uncomfortable, involving the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure machine (CPAP). This machines blows air into your nose via a nose mask, keeping the airway open and unobstructed.

But a less invasive method was approved by the US FDA in October 2017. The Remede sleep system, an implanted device that treats central sleep apnoea by activating a nerve that sends signals to the diaphragm to stimulate breathing, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration.

Following successful trial studies, this could be a treatment that we see more frequently in 2018. 

9. Next-generation vaccines

Developing vaccines for emerging diseases are pricey and time-consuming. It is important to keep abreast of vaccine technology and develop new ways of vaccination manufacturing to keep epidemics under control.

Luckily, innovators will be upgrading the vaccination manufacturing process in 2018. This includes freeze-drying so that vaccinations can be transported to remote areas more effectively. Companies are also investigating faster ways to manufacture vaccinations to make them more readily available. 

10. The first human head transplant

The jury is still out on this one, but deserves a mention. In 2017, Sergio Canavero, a neurosurgeon from Italy, was set to perform the first head transplant. Up to now, there has been no success in animal experiments.

This lengthy 36-hour long procedure will allow the head to be removed and be reattached to a new body, with all the nerve ends and blood vessels reattached and the spinal cord glued with a special bio-compatible glue.

Dr Canavero says that the required technology is available and he expects a 90% chance of success. Will we see this in 2018? Only time will tell.

^{Image credits: iStock}

Compiled by Marelize Wilke

Vasectomies may take away your ability to have children, but they also give something back: more sex, according to new research.

A study on 294 couples by researchers at Germany’s Frankfurt University found that men who had vasectomies reported having more sex, a better sex drive and stronger erections and orgasms.

Their female partners also reported an increase in sexual arousal. The researchers concluded that the boost in overall bedroom antics could be attributed to the “absence of anxiety of unwanted pregnancies”.

Read more: This guy had a vasectomy and then got his wife pregnant twice

Four out of 10 men surveyed said their sex lives had “significantly improved” after a vasectomy and 12.4% reported having sex more often, according to the Daily Mail.

Four-and-a-half percent of guys reported having less sex since the snip – but still, the report concluded that “the sexual satisfaction of men improved” and that it “did not diminish” for their female partners.

Read more: The most surprising side effect of a vasectomy

The researchers did note that there may have been some selection bias in the results. Only 30% of couples who received the researchers’ survey responded, and the team thinks it may be possible that couples who were having great post-vasectomy sex would be more likely to want to tell the scientists about it.

Read more: How a vasectomy works

The Frankfurt study largely backs up data that separate researchers at Stanford found in a study of nearly 6 000 men in 2015. The Stanford study found that men with vasectomies had sex 5.9 times per month, compared to 4.9 times for intact guys.

The author of that study, Dr David Guo, told Men’s Health that he thought couples would be more likely to get busy now that the risk of an unplanned pregnancy is completely off the table.

For a 20-minute procedure (with a few days of soreness), that’s not too bad.

Your sex life is just one of the many things to consider before going under the knife. But if you do, it could provide an extra spark in the bedroom.

^{This article was originally published on www.menshealth.com} 

^{Image credit: iStock}

Jack Crosbie

The holiday season can be stressful, especially for people with Alzheimer’s disease.

Not only is there the possibility of strange surroundings for a visiting family member suffering from Alzheimer’s, but the change in routine can also be challenging.

According to Health24, Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common forms of dementia. It results in progressive deterioration of brain tissue, which leads to memory loss, personality changes, forgetfulness and the inability to carry out ordinary tasks and functions.

How to help

The onset of Alzheimer’s disease can be frustrating for both the sufferer and family. But this doesn’t mean that the holidays should be a heartbreaking experience.

The US National Institute on Aging suggests some simple ways you can help a family member suffering from dementia or Alzheimer’s.

1. Use photos

If you have a relative living with you, a constant influx of visitors can be upsetting if they have difficulty recognising people. Show them a photo of a guest a week before their arrival. Each day show them the photo while explaining who the visitor is.

2. Call ahead

Before visitors arrive, set up a phone call between your loved one and the guest. This will help everyone feel a bit more prepared. Explain to guests that they need to call ahead and check with you before arriving as this will give you more time to put the Alzheimer’s patient at ease. 

3. Map out a routine

Stick to daily routines as much as possible. Respect their routines and make it clear that they are not inconveniencing you.

4. Make time for rest

Give the person with Alzheimer’s disease plenty of time to rest. Don’t force them to stay up and join in the activities.

5. A home away from home

When an elderly relative suffering from Alzheimer’s disease is visiting you, a strange room and surroundings might upset them. Make their guest room as comfortable as possible and encourage them to bring familiar bedding along.

^{Image credits: iStock}