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Help is available to quit smoking Diseases caused by smoking kills more than 430,000 people in the United States each year. In fact, smoking is directly responsible for the majority of lung cancer cases (87 percent), emphysema cases, and chronic bronchitis cases.   Even with anti-smoking campaigns and medical health disclaimers in place, many people continue to smoke or start to smoke every year. According to the American Cancer Society, 90 percent of new smokers are children and teenagers, in many cases, replacing the smokers who quit or died prematurely from a smoking-related disease.   People who quit smoking can actually reverse some of the damage that was done to their lungs during an extended period of time.   Other benefits of quitting smoking may include the following: decreased risk of lung disease; decreased risk of heart disease; decreased risk of cancer; reduced cigarette stains on fingers and teeth; reduced occurrence of a hacking cough; and elimination of stale cigarettes smell on clothing and hair.   The American Academy of Otolaryngology and the American Lung Association offer the following tips to persons who use tobacco products and are trying to quit: Think about why you want to quit. Pick a stress-free time to quit. Ask for support and encouragement from family, friends, and colleagues. Start doing some exercise or activity each day to relieve stress and improve your health. Get plenty of rest and eat a well-balanced diet. Join a stop-smoking program, or other support group. Help is available at MUSC MUSC’s Smoking Cessation Program can help smokers kick the habit. For a $40 fee this four-week program provides the most up-to-date information and teaches the skills needed to quit for good. Classes are held at 5 p.m. every Monday on the fifth floor of the Institute of Psychiatry, 67 President St. New classes begin on the first Monday of the month. Participants are asked to arrive 10 minutes early for the first class. For more information on the program visit http://www.muschealth.com/quitsmoking/ Registration is required. Call MUSC Health Connection at 792.1414. “Quit To Win” is an individual smoking cessation treatment made available by Hollings Cancer Center clinical psychologist Cindy Carter, Ph.D.   For more information call 792-9192 or visit http://www.muschealth.com/quitsmoking/atoz.htm. Friday, Nov. 11, 2005 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to petersnd@musc.edu or catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Community Press at 849-1778.