Healthy Trucking

Stop smoking, extend your life!

Smoking is the single largest preventable cause of death in the United States. Based on recent Professional Drivers Medical Depot (PDMD) studies, we suspect that 80% of truck drivers smoke, and those drivers who smoke average three packs of cigarettes a day.
     The same studies show that the average age at death of truck drivers is between 55 and 60, and 90% of drivers know at least one other driver who died in that age group due to medical problems.
     Smoking no doubt contributes to many of the premature deaths among truck drivers. Although exact figures are impossible to determine, and every case is different, I’d guess that an otherwise healthy 30-year-old driver could add as many as 15 years to his or her life expectancy if they stopped smoking today.
     If you smoke and you’re trying to quit but haven’t had success with patches or chewing gum, a promising new smoking cessation medication from Pfizer Pharmaceuticals may help you finally kick the harmful habit.
     Medications used in the past just substituted one problem for another. Patches and gum let the lungs take a break from the smoke and tar by moving it to the upper airway, often resulting in a worsening cough and more phlegm. Chantix, now available from your family doctor, works in a different way. If you have normal kidney and liver function, you can take this new medication in most cases.
     The medication works by replacing nicotine on certain receptors in the brain that give smokers the nicotine high with their first cigarette of the day. In smokers without Chantix, this high diminishes as the number of cigarettes smoked in-creases. It soon becomes impossible to reach the high of that first drag, since the receptors get occupied and remain so throughout the day. Thus, you smoke more and more to reach the few receptors that become available during the day.
     At night, during sleep, the receptors clear, so you start smoking again the next morning.
     Chantix does two remarkable things. First, it activates receptors in a less potent manner than nicotine does. Second, it binds to the receptors and in so doing denies nicotine a place to bind. Thus, there is no high and no craving to smoke.
     The bad news is that Chantix is expensive and requires a minimum three-month commitment. In addition, a second 12 weeks is recommended for hardcore smokers. The good news is that the cost is still cheaper than the $250 a month many truck drivers spend on cigarettes.
     So, you Kings of the Highways and Queens of the Interstate, if you smoke and want to quit, this may be your best chance. Let PD-MD know if we can help.
     Dr. John McElligott is the founder of Professional Drivers Medical Depot, a planned nationwide network of medical clinics located at truck stops and travel centers.