My father's age is 53 had undergone heart surgery last year what all the tests he need to do every year. He is still smoking. Can you tell the health tips he need to follow sir. Please answer sir.

Dr. Saul PereiraPsychologist47yrs exp

91% (40637 ratings)

Ask Free Question

You should get your father a book written by Dr. Dean Ornish entitled, 'Reversing the Heart Disease'. It will give you all the guidance and more about dealing with heart disease. As for smoking I am sure he would have been told strictly to avoid consumption of tobacco smoke by the heart surgeons. Here are the things you can do for your father to quit smoking: Ideally you must spend a lot of time convincing him to stop the smoking. Of course he will agree sometimes and sometimes he will change his mind. Giving up is difficult but if you highlight the dangers of smoking regularly he may one day decide to quit. Never give up on him. Because of his age and quantity of cigarettes smoked and the length of abuse, he will find is even harder. When quitting, he must take one day at a time. If he looks too far ahead he will get discouraged and will give up. If he sits and counts the number of days he has given up, that will also focus too much on achievement. He must focus on the here and now, on that day to be precise. After all quitting is not that easy due to many factors. So even if he fails one day, he must try and try again. Very few people succeed in their first attempt. His persistence and yours will eventually pay off. The urge to discontinue is hampered by many factors but the worst of them is the conditioning. In fact these conditions can exist all through the day unlike other addictions. But his desire to want to stop is the most important factor. It is important to find out about the ill-effects of smoking to have a reason that alarms him about continuing in the habit. The information is really scary but true and he must remind himself about this every day. The nicotine in tobacco smoke stimulates the heart beat to raise the blood pressure in no time at all. Having had a heart surgery can you imagine the extent of damage he still doing to his heart?! So he must avoid it like the plague: it is just very bad medicine for him. In fact it is highly toxic too. He will need to stop smoking or consuming any tobacco related items with immediate effect. He should start exercises, gradually increasing it over a period of time. Do deep breathing exercises every time he feels like smoking (try Yoga), and replace the oral urge with some healthy food substitute to satiate the need. He may also take hard candy or chewing gum. If the urge is too strong, then use nicotine chewing gum or nicotine patches, for a little while until the smoking drive reduces, substantially. He may also join Smokers Anonymous in your city where the support is really extraordinary for like-minded people who are also in the same situation. Keep him occupied or engaged with interesting activities during the times when it is most tempting. Keep the company of non-smokers for some time i.e. at least for the first 21 days. Above all announce it to everyone that he has quit smoking. Here?s a piece of very good advice: even if he accidentally/willfully takes a cigarette, it is not the end of the world ? he can start the cessation all over again. He must persevere with the best support until he defeats this addiction. Counseling is very useful in the initial stages and when temptations are at their highest. Everyone who can help him should be involved until he succeeds. If all this does not work, you can admit him into a rehabilitation center and let him stay there until he has completely quit the habit. 

13 person found this helpful