Health News
by Jason Bosley-Smith, CSCS, Live Well @ LifeBridge
Today is The Great American Smokeout. There are myriad of reasons to kick the habit, but the key is to determine YOUR reason?your ?why? for quitting once and for all.
If you are considering quitting and want to be successful, begin first by sitting down and writing out your motivation. By now, most of us know the serious health impact smoking causes, which can provide a good place to start. Also consider what smoking will mean for you and your quality of life. What will quitting allow you to do that you feel you miss out on now? How will you feel both physically and mentally once you quit? What kind of example will your success be for those around you?
To provide you with some additional ammunition to get going, here is a timeline from the American Cancer Society that shows what you can expect to experience physically once you take that last puff and quit for good:
Even as soon as 20 minutes after a smoker smokes their last cigarette, their body begins the healing process.
Short-term Benefits
At 20 minutes after quitting:
? Blood pressure decreases
? Pulse rate drops
? Body temperature of hands and feet increases
At 8 hours:
? Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
? Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
At 24 hours:
Chance of a heart attack decreases
At 48 hours:
? Nerve endings start to regrow
? Ability to smell and taste is enhanced
At 2 weeks to 3 months:
? Circulation improves
? Walking becomes easier
? Lung function increases
1 to 9 months:
Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
1 year:
Excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker
Long-term Benefits
At 5 years:
From 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
At 10 years:
? Risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
? Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
? Risk of ulcer decreases
At 15 years:
? Risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
? Risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked
Other Benefits of Quitting
? Cigarettes are expensive
? No odor of smoke in your clothes and hair
? A healthy example for children and grandchildren
? A more sensitive sense of smell
? A better sense of taste
? Family members, particularly children, will be healthier because they aren't breathing in your smoke.
It is NEVER TOO LATE to quit! A smoker who quits smoking is likely to add years to their life, breathe more easily, and have more energy.
- Combination Of Tobacco Smoke And High Radon Levels Increase Kentuckians' Risk Of Getting Lung Cancer By A Factor Of 10
Red counties are expected to have an indoor radon level high enough to require a radon mitigation system. (USEPA map)Combined exposure to tobacco smoke and radon, an odorless gas that comes from small amounts of radioactive minerals in limestone bedrock,...
- Kentuckians Can Act To Protect Against Heart Disease And Stroke; Half Of Preventable Deaths Occur In Adults Age 65 Or Younger
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News Nearly one on three deaths in the U.S. each year is caused by heart disease and stroke. At least 200,000 of these deaths are preventable, and nearly half of those preventable deaths are of people under 65, says a...
- Small Steps Can Prevent Kentucky's No. 1 Killer, Heart Disease
It is now February, which is American Heart Month and a perfect time to remind people that small steps can reduce their risk of heart disease, Kentucky's No. 1 killer. You may be surprised to hear that almost 80 percent of heart disease is preventable...
- Women Who Smoke Triple Their Risk Of Dying Early, But Quitting Early Enough Might Just Wipe Out That Risk
A new study of more than a million women found that smokers have more than triple the risk of early death than nonsmokers, and that quitting can virtually eliminate the increased risk. Smoking is still the most preventable cause of death in the United...
- Smoking Increases Risk Of High Blood Pressure In Children
There's yet another reason to quit smoking: parents who smoke may be raising their child's blood pressure. This week in Circulation, Swiss researchers published their results of a study looking at parents who smoked and their preschool-aged children....
Health News
The Benefits of Quitting Smoking
by Jason Bosley-Smith, CSCS, Live Well @ LifeBridgeToday is The Great American Smokeout. There are myriad of reasons to kick the habit, but the key is to determine YOUR reason?your ?why? for quitting once and for all.
If you are considering quitting and want to be successful, begin first by sitting down and writing out your motivation. By now, most of us know the serious health impact smoking causes, which can provide a good place to start. Also consider what smoking will mean for you and your quality of life. What will quitting allow you to do that you feel you miss out on now? How will you feel both physically and mentally once you quit? What kind of example will your success be for those around you?
To provide you with some additional ammunition to get going, here is a timeline from the American Cancer Society that shows what you can expect to experience physically once you take that last puff and quit for good:
Even as soon as 20 minutes after a smoker smokes their last cigarette, their body begins the healing process.
Short-term Benefits
At 20 minutes after quitting:
? Blood pressure decreases
? Pulse rate drops
? Body temperature of hands and feet increases
At 8 hours:
? Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
? Oxygen level in blood increases to normal
At 24 hours:
Chance of a heart attack decreases
At 48 hours:
? Nerve endings start to regrow
? Ability to smell and taste is enhanced
At 2 weeks to 3 months:
? Circulation improves
? Walking becomes easier
? Lung function increases
1 to 9 months:
Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, shortness of breath decreases
1 year:
Excess risk of coronary heart disease is decreased to half that of a smoker
Long-term Benefits
At 5 years:
From 5 to 15 years after quitting, stroke risk is reduced to that of people who have never smoked.
At 10 years:
? Risk of lung cancer drops to as little as one-half that of continuing smokers
? Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidney, and pancreas decreases
? Risk of ulcer decreases
At 15 years:
? Risk of coronary heart disease is now similar to that of people who have never smoked
? Risk of death returns to nearly the level of people who have never smoked
Other Benefits of Quitting
? Cigarettes are expensive
? No odor of smoke in your clothes and hair
? A healthy example for children and grandchildren
? A more sensitive sense of smell
? A better sense of taste
? Family members, particularly children, will be healthier because they aren't breathing in your smoke.
It is NEVER TOO LATE to quit! A smoker who quits smoking is likely to add years to their life, breathe more easily, and have more energy.
- Combination Of Tobacco Smoke And High Radon Levels Increase Kentuckians' Risk Of Getting Lung Cancer By A Factor Of 10
Red counties are expected to have an indoor radon level high enough to require a radon mitigation system. (USEPA map)Combined exposure to tobacco smoke and radon, an odorless gas that comes from small amounts of radioactive minerals in limestone bedrock,...
- Kentuckians Can Act To Protect Against Heart Disease And Stroke; Half Of Preventable Deaths Occur In Adults Age 65 Or Younger
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News Nearly one on three deaths in the U.S. each year is caused by heart disease and stroke. At least 200,000 of these deaths are preventable, and nearly half of those preventable deaths are of people under 65, says a...
- Small Steps Can Prevent Kentucky's No. 1 Killer, Heart Disease
It is now February, which is American Heart Month and a perfect time to remind people that small steps can reduce their risk of heart disease, Kentucky's No. 1 killer. You may be surprised to hear that almost 80 percent of heart disease is preventable...
- Women Who Smoke Triple Their Risk Of Dying Early, But Quitting Early Enough Might Just Wipe Out That Risk
A new study of more than a million women found that smokers have more than triple the risk of early death than nonsmokers, and that quitting can virtually eliminate the increased risk. Smoking is still the most preventable cause of death in the United...
- Smoking Increases Risk Of High Blood Pressure In Children
There's yet another reason to quit smoking: parents who smoke may be raising their child's blood pressure. This week in Circulation, Swiss researchers published their results of a study looking at parents who smoked and their preschool-aged children....