Stop Smoking Expert David Kaufman, M.D. shares Stop Smoking management news and commentary at StopSmokingConnection.com. The HealthCentral Network, Inc. (www.HealthCentral.com) is one of the top health destinations on the Web, with more than 35 condition-specific, wellness and general health Web properties. http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381 http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/rss self application/xml en-us 15 120 19 http://www.healthcentral.com/images/hc_logo_sm.gif http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381 http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/31254/depression Wed, 18 Jun 2008 11:02:00 -0400 David Kaufman, M.D. In my last post, I began to discuss how the medical expert David Katz, MD, sees smoking as part of a bigger picture of problems, including dependence on other substances, depression, anxiety, and trouble with weight. I wrote about how the presence of these other factors makes quitting smoking harder, but also sheds light on how to maximize a person’s attempts to quit. For example, identifying and treating depression or anxiety with... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/31254/depression http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/29782/quitting-hard Tue, 03 Jun 2008 15:12:00 -0400 David Kaufman, M.D. I attended a conference the other day given by Dr. David L. Katz, a well-known primary care doctor who regularly works with Oprah, ABC news, as well as other major news organizations (www.davidkatzmd.com). He is well known for his advice on helping people lose weight by identifying which elements of their lifestyles need change to encourage better eating and more exercise.   Recently, he has been applying the same ideas to help... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/29782/quitting-hard http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/28296/american Mon, 19 May 2008 18:23:00 -0400 David Kaufman, M.D. I am currently at the annual congress of the American Thoracic Society, the largest international professional society dedicated to respiratory science and medicine. The Society’s motto is “we help the world breathe,” and the congress consists of 6 days of lectures, presentations and meetings all dedicated to improving lung health and our understanding of the biology of lung disease. Over 17,000 people from all over the globe... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/28296/american http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/27090/told-lung-age Tue, 06 May 2008 10:28:00 -0400 David Kaufman, M.D. In the last post, I discussed COPD and asthma, and how to distinguish them. I introduced the topic of pulmonary function tests, or PFTs. Today, I would like to discuss PFTs in more detail. PFTs allow health care professionals to make the diagnosis of lung disease and to judge how severe it is. PFTs evaluate how well air can flow into and out of the lungs and how effective the lungs are at transferring gas from the air into the... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/27090/told-lung-age http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/25730/difference Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:51:49 -0400 David Kaufman, M.D. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is, I think, one of the most misunderstood common lung diseases. It is very important, as it is the 4th most common cause of death in the US, and the only common cause of death that is becoming more common, in contrast to, say, heart disease and many forms of cancer, which are getting better and better treatment. In my experience (and one that is shared by many other lung specialists) is that... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/25730/difference http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/23659/copd-lung Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:32:00 -0400 David Kaufman, M.D. In general, I think, people are aware that smoking is a major factor in lung disease, causing the overwhelming majority of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD, a combination of chronic bronchitis and emphysema), worsening asthma, and contributing to heart disease. In fact, smoking has been related to diseases of virtually every part of the body. A report by the U.S. Surgeon General in 2004 revealed that smoking has been linked to... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/23659/copd-lung http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/22372/field-smoke Fri, 21 Mar 2008 16:23:00 -0400 David Kaufman, M.D. I came across an interesting article yesterday while I was catching up on soccer news. David James is an English soccer goalie who smoked for many years before giving it up about 7 years ago. He discusses many of the strategies he tried to use to stop smoking, and the influence that new rules and regulations had on his success in quitting. (Reader beware: the article is written in British English, so some words may be unfamiliar or have... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/22372/field-smoke http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/20958/bans-global Tue, 04 Mar 2008 14:30:00 -0500 David Kaufman, M.D. Greetings! After introducing myself in my first post, I want to use this post to discuss the growing global smoking problem. In the US and Europe, the link between smoking and disease has been recognized for decades, and our culture has clearly changed. Many individual stores, towns, cities, states, and even countries have prohibited smoking in many or all public spaces, including Ireland, Spain, Italy and France (see this Wikipedia entry... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/20958/bans-global http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/20363/dr-kaufman Thu, 14 Feb 2008 11:01:00 -0500 David Kaufman, M.D. Hello, I am excited to be a part of the Stop Smoking community and I hope that my input will help smokers, ex-smokers, and those who care about them navigate the struggles of trying to quit smoking. I am a specialist in pulmonary (lung) medicine and intensive care medicine at an academic center. I also perform research related to the biology of lung inflammation. I have been practicing medicine for over ten years, first as a trainee (resident... http://www.healthcentral.com/stop-smoking/c/95381/20363/dr-kaufman