Q I resolved to quit smoking this year, but I'm not sure what's the best way for me to quit and I don't have time to do a lot of research. Any suggestions? B.H., Tucson

A Those who want to quit using tobacco now can find help and encouragement 24 hours a day, seven days a week, on the Internet, thanks to the Arizona Smokers' Helpline (ASH) website, a new service provided by the Arizona Program for Nicotine and Tobacco Research (APNTR).

The ASH website, www.ashline.org, officially debuted Nov. 19, the date of the Great American Smokeout. The ASH website is designed to maximize accessibility of tobacco use cessation treatment services to Arizona residents.

The ASH website offers extensive research-based information about quitting tobacco, coping hints, online support through interactive e-mail to ASH counselors, and links to the Arizona Tobacco Education and Prevention Program (AzTEPP) website at the Arizona Department of Health Services.

The ASH website also features the Pima County Cessation Services Directory, a comprehensive directory of tobacco use cessation services compiled by APNTR, and the ASH Quit Guide, a step-by-step guide through the quitting process that includes cessation planning exercises and calendars.

Arizona residents who lack Internet access can call ASH, 1(800)556-6222 (in Tucson, 318-7148), for self-help materials and support. The toll-free line is available only in Arizona, and the service is for Arizona residents only.

The ASH telephone service is offered in both English and Spanish. Teens and pregnant women are provided with tailored smoking-cessation services.

All callers receive free phone counseling, "quit kits" sent through the mail and lists of smoking-cessation programs in their area.

Call ASH Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m.; weekends, 1 to 5 p.m.; after hours, leave a message and an ASH staff member will call you as soon as possible.

—Scott Leischow, Ph.D., director, Arizona Program for Nicotine and Tobacco Research, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson

Q Why do I always get "the blues" in January? E.G., Tucson

A Why is January such a blue month? Primarily because it follows December.

Christmas is the supreme holiday in our culture, taking in the whole range of human hopes and concerns. Many people knock themselves out trying to make Christmas successful. Even if they succeed, after such effort and excitement there has to be let-down and exhaustion. And if it happens that Christmas was not all that one expected _ and if one's bank account is depleted in the process _ disappointment is inevitable.

January is the time people go back to work after having taken some time off and enjoyed it. January also is the time that Christmas charges and bills come due. In addition, many people make New Year's resolutions on Dec. 31, only to see them broken in January.

January also is probably the least sunny month in the Northern Hemisphere--although this is less noticeable in Tucson and other southern parts of the country than in the northern parts. There appears to be an association between mood and exposure to light, and there is a subgroup of depressive disorders called seasonal affective disorder (SAD) in which certain individuals suffer depression each winter as the days get shorter.

Still, the majority of people make it through January and look forward to another season. The English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley spoke for all humans when he wrote, "If winter is here, can spring be far behind?"

—John Racy, M.D., professor and director, Medical Student Education, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson.

Q What studies have been done on kava? Is it as good as the ads say it is? A.C., Tucson

A Kava is an herbal preparation grown in the Micronesian and South Pacific areas. It is used by indigenous populations in Oceania for religious and ceremonial purposes to honor esteemed guests.

Kava's active ingredients come from the roots of the plant piper methysticum. It takes three to five years to cultivate the plant for herbal purposes.

Many of the earliest studies of kava were done in Germany. So far, the results of only a few kava studies have been published, mostly in German publications.

The studies have used primarily a concentrated extract of kava. Most have investigated the plant's anxiolytic (anxiety-relieving) aspects. The active ingredient has been identified as a group of five major compounds called kavalactones, which need to be present as a group to give a full anxiolytic effect.

In the West, kava recently has been studied as an herbal alternative to benzodiazepene drugs, which primarily are used as tranquilizers for the control of anxiety symptoms and for insomnia. The potential benefit of kava is relaxation with less sedation than other sedative medications (when it is used in the recommended doses and not in combination with other sedatives).

One study tested participants for mental alertness, comparing the effects of kava with those of conventional medications like Valium. The participants who used kava were significantly more alert.

The risks of using kava mainly focus on the potential for drowsiness, especially if it is taken along with conventional sedative medications like Valium (kava may increase the effects of alcohol and other sedatives).

Remember, herbal medicines can react with prescription medications, so always check with your personal physician before combining any medications.

—Roberta Lee, M.D., fellow, Program in Integrative Medicine, The University of Arizona College of Medicine, Tucson