24 May 2010
A doctor who specialises in treating lung conditions at Epsom, Sutton and St Helier hospitals has praised a new iPhone application that helps people to quit smoking.
The official NHS app, which is called NHS Quit Smoking, provides daily hints and tips to help manage cravings, keeps a running tally on how much money quitters have saved since they stopped smoking and tracks the number of days, hours and minutes it has been since quitting.
Consultant in respiratory medicine, Dr Shakil Rahman said: "Quitting smoking takes a lot of effort and willpower, but it is the single best thing you can do to improve your health.
"Smoking is clearly very dangerous, and in each cigarette there are as many as 4,000 damaging chemicals, including 60 which are potentially cancer-causing. As if that wasn't enough, smoking damages your lungs, your heart and your circulatory system. This increases your chance of having a heart attack or a stroke and makes you more likely to suffer from asthma and emphysema (a long-term, progressive disease of the lung that causes shortness of breath).
"It is truly heart breaking for doctors, nurses and carers to see patients suffering life-threatening illnesses and extreme discomfort when they fall ill, when it could have been prevented.
"That's why it is so important that people can easily access the support and advice they need to stop. Whether you want help over the phone, at support meetings or now even with an iPhone app, the NHS is here to help and support in any way we can."
The new app is already proving to be popular and has a high rating from users.
Dr Rahman added: "Around two thirds of smokers want to stop smoking and try to quit time and time again. Many people worry about smoking and think of giving up but would find it difficult to do so. Nevertheless 337,000 people stopped smoking last year thanks to free support from NHS Stop Smoking Services, and we hope that new ideas like this app continue to be successful and can help hundreds more to quit."
The app includes:
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A direct link to the stop smoking helpline so users can speak with an adviser when they need to;
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Provides daily hints to help keep cravings at bay;
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Calculates how much money you have saved since quitting;
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Counts the number of days, hours and minutes since quitting;
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Help find local NHS Stop Smoking Services.
For those that do not have an iPhone or iPod touch, you can text the word 'calculator' to 64746 to receive similar information on an NHS Choices smoking calculator.
Further information on quitting smoking can be found at www.smokefree.nhs.uk or by texting GIVE UP to 88088.
Sutton and Merton residents can find local stop smoking services at www.giveup4good.nhs.uk and Surrey residents should visit www.surreyquit.net for more information.
