| As you stand in line at the pharmacy picking up the | | | | It has also been connected to chronic ear infections. |
| prescription for ADD medication for your eight-year old | | | | For those of us who have gone through endless |
| child, your mind wanders back to the conversation you | | | | sleepless nights with a crying child, multiple rounds of |
| had with his doctor. | | | | antibiotics, steroids and tubes, ear infections are the |
| "Did Johnny have recurring ear infections as a child?" | | | | stuff of nightmares. All children are susceptible to ear |
| "Yes" | | | | infections in the first eighteen months, but those who |
| "Did he have respiratory infections as well?" | | | | breathe in secondhand hand have an even greater risk |
| "Yes" | | | | of chronic ear infections, which may lead to hearing |
| "Ma'am, does anyone in your household smoke?" | | | | loss. To stop smoking is tough, but drugs like Chantix |
| "I do, why? Is that somehow related?" | | | | do help considerably. |
| "Unfortunately, ma'am, studies have shown a | | | | Finally, children of smokers, particularly mothers who |
| connection between secondhand smoke and all of | | | | smoked while pregnant have a much greater likelihood |
| these issues" | | | | of experiencing a non-verbal learning disability like |
| Too stunned to really hear much more of the | | | | hyperactivity. If not than, then a potential learning |
| conversation, you walk out of that office holding a | | | | disability connected to the same exposure to smoke. If |
| prescription for your now-hyperactive son wondering if | | | | you have children, or want to have children consider |
| you are responsible for his issues. | | | | the risks of secondhand smoke. For their sake, if not |
| Don't let this happen to you! Become educated to the | | | | yours, talk to your doctor about medication, for |
| hazardous effects of secondhand smoke on children, | | | | example Chantix and stop smoking before it is their |
| then stop smoking before the little one in your house | | | | health or their brain that suffers. |
| becomes nicotine's latest little victim. | | | | Chantix, a stop smoking aid from Pfizer, was recently |
| The Effects of Cigarette Smoke on Children: | | | | approved by the FDA and may well be the wonder |
| One of the most frequently affected areas in the | | | | drug chronic smokers need to quit. It acts on the same |
| bodies of children whose parents smoke is the lungs. | | | | areas in the brain as nicotine by provide similar stimuli. |
| Sadly, these children are more prone to everything | | | | The effect of this is to reduce the horrid withdrawal |
| from sinus infections to much more serious chronic | | | | symptoms. It also blocks nicotine, should the smoker |
| respiratory problems. Moreover, these children are | | | | start back to old habits. Isn't it time to ask yourself |
| more prone to bronchitis and even pneumonia. So, if | | | | whether you would rather stand in a pharmacy for a |
| you won't use a cure like Chantix to stop smoking for | | | | prescription for hyperactivity medication or stand there |
| yourself, then do it for your little one's respiratory | | | | for a stop smoking aid like Chantix potentially |
| health. | | | | preventing such health and educational risks for your |
| Secondhand smoke doesn't just affect their little lungs. | | | | son or daughter? |