Tobacco use is a public health issue. I am so surprise that the post of “Cigarette Smoking – Primary Risk Factor of Lung Cancer” being listed in the top 200 of controversial article in Reddit.com yesterday. Although this was not good news (I think), I decided to write more about the benefits of smoking cessation today to firmly increase people’s awareness about that.
Smoking cessation provides extensive health benefits for everyone including the smokers and non-smokers. According to the reports of the US Surgeon General on the health consequences of smoking, there are many significant health benefits of quitting smoking. Although some cases show that the increased of lung cancer risk at the beginning of smoking cessation, there are still a lot of successful cases show the good side of smoking cessation.
Below are the 15 benefits of quitting smoking which I arrange it according to the timeline of smoking cessation.
1. After quitting within 2 weeks to 3 months, the pulmonary function and circulation will be improved.
2. Within 1-9 months after quitting, the ciliary and lung epithelium function will be restored.
3. Although the former smoker might experience coughing frequently initially, this is good for our body as the lungs remove excess mucus and tobacco smoke particulates.
4. After several months, the lung function of the former smoker will improve significantly.
5. After a year quitting from smoking, the former smoker will experience decreased coughing.
6. At the same time, the former smoker will regain his fatigue and the shortness of breath will be improved.
7. Consequently, the excess risk for coronary heart disease will be reduced to half than the continuing smokers.
8. After 5 – 15 years later, the risk of getting stroke will be reduced to the rate similar to the non-smokers.
9. The risk of getting the lung cancer will be reduced to half of the continuing smokers.
10. The risk of getting mouth larynx, pharynx, esophagus, bladder, kidney or pancreas cancer will be reduced.
11. After 15 years of smoking cessation, the risk for coronary heart disease will be reduced to the same rate as the people who never smoked.
12. Smoking cessation can significantly reduce the cumulative risk of death from lung cancer regardless the gender.
13. The former smokers that successfully give up the tobacco use can be expected to live much longer. If you are 35 years old and you quit from smoking, you are expected to live an additional 6 – 9 years than the smokers.
14. Some of the elderly smokers keep claiming that it is too late to quit from smoking as the damage is done on their body for a long time ago. However, according to the cancer research, there is an individual who quit from smoking start from 65 can live much longer (4 – 5 years) compared to those continued to smoke. Therefore, please do not ignore the potential of smoking cessation even for the elderly smokers.
15. If you are under medical treatment, quitting from smoking is better for you. According to cancer research, smoking will reduces the overall effectiveness of treatment, while causing the side effect of treatment and consequently decrease the survival rate.
In conclusion, there are too many benefits of smoking cessation. It is never too late to quit or advice others to quit from smoking to incur health benefits. I will try to find out more information about how to quit smoking effectively and post in my blog next time. Stay tuned!
(Reference: David S. Albert, Lisa M. Hess. Fundamental of Cancer Prevention, Second edition)
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey….Kok Siong,
A fantastic and well written report on your cancel surveys. Really impress me in all means. A great job! Keep going.
I’m sure your concerns will soon or later awake the people around you. Anyway, thanks for sharings and your great effort.
Cheers and best rgds,
Adrian
Thanks Adrian. I will continue to write more valuable contents in my blog. Do visit my blog frequently!
Hey Si Heng, nice article. I will share it with others. My friends need to know more about smoking. Good job! =)
Thanks Sue May! Hope that you enjoy the reading here. Let us do some efforts to increase the awareness together.:)
Hey man excellent post………..
as you have mentioned in point 14 its very rite………. there is not age to quite smoking………
give up smoking to live longer……….
Even I was I smoker……….thanks that I have given up the habit for good……..
Sandesh Mascarenhas´s last blog ..Scan files and folders for virus online with viruschief
Thanks for dropping by! Smoking cessation is for our own good and good to people around us too. Hope that you enjoy this reading.:)
Another good article. It is again presented clearly and is easy to process. The article models and outlines what many many articles and quit programs have claimed for years. Yet many people continue to smoke, The reason people smoke is as complex as the reasons some can quit and others do not. Further research into treatment may benefit those who do not find current methods beneficial.
Dr. Fox, nice to meet you here! You are right! Although many people start to aware about the disadvantages of smoking, still many people keep smoking. Hope that we can influence the youngsters to stop smoking.
I am not certain we need to hear again the benefits. Those who smoke know the damage, what is needed is some definitive solutions to this disgusting and costly habit. Every smoker I know would pay the equivalent to be able to stop without all the pain in doing so. I am certain the chemicals alone would be a greater negative impact than radon gas.
Since the article is about smoking cessation i would like some information regarding Acupuncture smoking cessation program.Acupuncture helps in permanent smoking cessation by lessening the cravings and reducing the withdrawal symptoms. Moreover, it has no side effects and enhances your overall health. Find how you can quit smoking with acupuncture treatment.According to your diagnostic reports, your therapist designs a unique treatment plan for you. Generally, a combination of ear and body points is used in this treatment. It is believed that these points influence the energetic pathways and the organs related to the smoking habit.
Thanks for your sharing Sandeep! This is really a good information for us!
smoking will be never good for health as it contains nicotine.The people who smoke a lot will be effected with lung cancer.not only lung cancer it wont allow a person to concentrate on any thing.smoking will never leaves a person healthy. some will say that if a fellow got habituated for drugs,the effect of drugs on body will be there, and this effect on body can be reduced by smoking, and this is not true.smoking is meant for only ruining the health.
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Ya, you are right! Thanks for leaving a nice comment!
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