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Are you looking for ways to prevent the seasonal flu? One of the most effective ways you have to protect yourself and others from illness is good personal hygiene and care. For example, covering your cough and washing your hands often can help stop the spread of germs and prevent respiratory illnesses like the flu.
In addition, practicing healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, being physically active, managing your stress, drinking plenty of fluids, and eating nutritious food can also help to prevent the flu. Quitting smoking is also important for healthy living as there are more than 7,000 chemicals in a cigarette, and many are harmful to the body. Smoking weakens your immune system. When you quit smoking you help strengthen your body, and become more able to fight off colds and infections.
“If you quit before and are still smoking, do not give up!” said by Dr. Shu-Hong Zhu, Professor of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California, San Diego, “in fact, many smokers do not quit on their first attempt and need multiple attempts to quit for good.”
About Asian Smokers’ Quitline (ASQ) is a free telephone-based service funded by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide free help in quitting smoking and quitting vaping in Cantonese and Mandarin, Korean, and Vietnamese in the U.S.. A free two-week supply of nicotine patches will be sent to eligible ASQ participants.
According to 2020 Surgeon General’s Report, “Proactive quitline counseling, when provided alone or in combination with cessation medications, increases smoking cessation.”
Contact ASQ through one of these in-language phone numbers and websites to get free help to quit:
| Cantonese & Mandarin | 1-800-838-8917 | www.asq-chinese.org |
| Korean | 1-800-556-5564 | www.asq-korean.org |
| Vietnamese | 1-800-778-8440 | www.asq-viet.org |
In addition, tobacco users can text one of these key phrases:戒煙/戒烟/금연/Bỏ hút thuốc to 66819 to receive Chinese, Korean, or Vietnamese texts during the first vital weeks of quitting from the ASQ. (Opt-out at any time by texting STOP to 66819. Your phone carrier’s message rates may apply.) The messages are tailored to help at critical points along the way, including practical tips for quitting and staying quit.
People who would like to help someone to quit, can also contact ASQ to obtain information and advice from a friendly and informed counselor. If you are concerned about the health of you and your family members, quitting smoking is one of the best things you can.
