From: john schweinfurth
To: VOCALIST <vocalist>
Subject: Re: Quitting Smoking
Send reply to: VOCALIST <vocalist>

On Sat, 18 Dec 1999 05:18:05 EST, VOCALIST wrote:

> Dear All,
>
> I hate to say this, but i'm addicted to cigarettes. everytime I try to
quit, I develop a serious cold. My throat and nasal passages will feel
extremely weak and phlegmy. Returning back to cigarettes seems to help it.
> When I don't smoke, I develop vocal problems. When I do smoke, they seem
to
> go away when I know for a fact that they really aren't. Has anyone had
any
> experience with this?
> Andrew Lin, an admitted smoking addict

Andrew,

What you're describing is actually quite common. Most likely, you are an
allergy sufferer, and don't even know it!

The lining of your upper respiratory tract is filled with immunogenic cells,
kind of like security guards, and they stop anything coming in to keep it
from getting to your lungs and causing a real problem. In your case, these
security guards are even stopping the workers from getting in, and they
cause an unnecessary inflammatory response wich results in, among other
things, swelling of your nasal passages, production of thick phlegmy mucous,
and slight thickening of your vocal cords.

Smoking is like wiping out all of these cells, or security guards.
Everything, dust, pollen, molds, bacteria, viruses, get through without a
fight. In the short term, this reduces your allergic responses, and keeps
you from getting that 'cold.' In the long term, however, you're more likely
to get serious infections and cancer.

The next time you go to stop smoking (hopefully today :-), you should
immediately start on medication to suppress the allergic response (PLEASE
SEE A DOCTOR about this) and you probably will not have these transitional
problems.
Also, make sure you drink enough water!!!

Hope this helps...

John M. Schweinfurth, MD
Laryngology and Professional Voice Care
Assistant Professor
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
(615) 322-6180





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