Credit: Story by KY3
Experts at Citizens Memorial Hospital (CMH) believe it’s urgent teens understand the effects of vaping and overall health, the development of the brain, and the potential for addiction. That’s why CMH developed their new “Ready Now” vaping cessation counseling service, which focuses in on today’s teens.
“Ready Now” is a free, one-hour crash course led by a CMH Registered Respiratory Therapist with more than 40 years of experience and a master’s degree in education and counseling. Anne Bristow can also work with teens who feel more comfortable in small group settings or without their parents in a session.
Through counseling, the goal is to provide the tools and resources for vaping cessation, while also establishing a supportive relationship with the teen.
Bristow said she constantly reminds parents to work as a team with their child. “I would be careful about shaming people into quitting,” said Bristow. “I think it’s better to be helpful, to give them information, to seek resources.”
Bristow also talked about some of the youngest patients she works with. “We had a call the other day from a grandfather who is raising his 11 and 13-year-old granddaughters and both of them are hopelessly addicted to vaping.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) stated as of October 22, 2019, they believe there have been more than 1,600 lung related illness and 34 deaths that could be a direct result of vaping.
Bristow talked about what some of the warning signs could look like if vaping is taking a toll on someone. “Respiratory failure after not even a very long period of vaping, even months,” she began. Bristow added that it’s hard to tell what the long-term impacts of vaping will look like. “It’s not been around long enough to know exactly what kind of damage it does to their lungs, but it seems to be very rapid.”
Bristow encouraged teens to do their research. She explained she felt like her generation was “duped” when they were told cigarettes were “healthy.” “Do your homework, read about it, look it up, don’t accept what the companies tell you,” she began. “Their goal is to get the next generation hooked on nicotine.”
CMH Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation offers free vaping and smoking cessation for adults as well. For more information, contact your medical provider or make an appointment with Registered Respiratory Therapist Anne Bristow by calling 417-328-6574. Classes are scheduled as needed.