The Best Treatment Method For Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Carpal tunnel syndrome is known to have an increased risk of flaring up in smokers. Smoking diminishes blood oxygen supply to the body, including the wrist and hand. Smoking also leads to greater problems with inflammation and the tightening up of capillaries. CTS flare-ups can therefore be reduced and better prevented if you quit smoking.

But, of course, quitting smoking in and of itself poses an enormous challenged to many people who smoke. Smoking is one of the most addictive habits in the world, so addictive that even though the people who do it know that it’s extremely unhealthy and diminishes their physical performance capacity, they still do it and do it gleefully. Smokers feel that tobacco gives them a mental surge and helps to keep them calm under pressure. They also like the taste and the whole sensual experience of smoking. State and local governments have started taking advantage of this addiction to fill their coffers by imposing obscene taxes on tobacco sales. Of course, they sell this to the public with the statement that such high taxes will cause many people to voluntarily quit smoking. But they know better: relatively few people have, or will, quit smoking as a result of these taxes which the governments are depending on to make them even richer. This, again, just goes to show how hard it is to quit smoking.

Another problem with quitting smoking is that no two people are entirely alike, and so there is never certainty that what enables one person to quit smoking will enable another person to do so. So many different methods have been devised to help people put and end to their insidious habit.

One relatively recent development on the market that has helped smokers break the habit is the nicotine patch. The nicotine patch is a transdermal patch that attaches to the skin’s surface and delivers a slow, steady stream of nicotine through the skin into the bloodstream. Although nicotine isn’t the only chemical in cigarettes, it is considered to be the one that is the most addictive in cigarettes; therefore, by partially “replacing” the dosage of nicotine gotten through cigarettes with a different method of delivery, the transdermal patch, the craving for cigarettes can be eased enough that for many people, smoking cessation is possible. Some patch programs advocate using the “step down” method, with different strengths of patches used throughout the smoking cessation program. For example, a stronger dosage of nicotine is delivered with the first patches when the program is begun, and gradually, the dosage of nicotine is reduced. And it is true that these patches can be quite effective, with up to 55% of people using them having the ability to break the habit. One drawback to these patches is that they aren’t cheap, and they also don’t address every reason smokers may smoke. They can be inconvenient to wear, and they can irritate the skin where they’ve been placed as well.

Other people take the psychological approach to quitting smoking. They may do a “build down” program where they slowly start smoking one to five fewer cigarettes per day than normal. Once they become comfortable with a new level, they lower it a little bit more, until they reach the point where they only smoke a few cigarettes per day and from there go on to quit. Others have quit by keeping an unopened pack in their garage or house and then making themselves quit cold (knowing that the pack is always there “just in case”).

There are also other methods to quitting smoking, such as vitamins and herbs supplements, and other treatments. Again, most of these work for some people, but quitting is hard regardless and may not work for all people.

If you would rather take care of your carpal tunnel syndrome without having to try to quit smoking, there are exercises available that can diminish the symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome if you have them, and that can prevent you from getting carpal tunnel syndrome if you don’t have it. In some cases, these excises may be able to reverse damage that’s already been done. If you’re a smoker and you have trouble with carpal tunnel syndrome, give these exercises a try to see if they can help you.

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