9 ways your body heals itself when you quit smoking


 9 Benefits of quitting smoking

A report by the World Health Organization indicates that, Tobacco kills more than 8 million people each year. And more than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.2 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke.

According to the Center for Disease Control & Prevention ( CDC), smoking leads to disease and disability and harms nearly every organ of the body and more than 16 million Americans are living with a disease caused by smoking.

 Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.

 Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Secondhand smoke exposure contributes to approximately 41,000 deaths among nonsmoking adults and 400 deaths in infants each year. 

The good news

The good news is that, the body is able to heal itself from all these complications if one quits smoking. 

Dr Jorge Alberto Gonzalez presents 9 ways the body does it.

1) Within 20 minutes

Blood pressure & heart rate tend to stabilize


2) Within 8 hours

The levels of nicotine & carbon monoxide content in the blood decrease by half. The amount of oxygen the body is able to carry tends to stabilize

3) Within 24 hours

Carbon monoxide from cigarette smoke residue has almost disappeared in our body. The lungs begin " cleaning" by eliminating mucus & smoke residue.

4) Within 48 hours

The body has completely eliminated the remainder of nicotine, & great improvement in smell & taste senses are noted.

5) Within 72 hours

An improvement in breathing & lung capacity is experienced.

6) From 2-12 weeks

A significant improvement is produced in the operation of the circulatory system. A sense of well-being increases.

7) From 3 to 9 months

The chronic cough that accompanied our lives as smokers disappears. By this time, breathing capacity has increased, by at least 10%

8) Within 5 years

The chance of suffering a heart attack is two times lower than that of a smoker.

9) Within 10 years

The possibility of having a heart attack is the same as that of a nonsmoker. The risk of suffering from lung cancer is two times lower than that of a smoker.

Conclusion

It is better late than never. If the body  system is ready to remedy the ill consequences it has suffered should one quits smoking, then that is really a good news. The  issue of second smokers( innocent victims) may also be another motivation for quitting smoking. And you should always know that, you have nothing good to loose and yet everything healthful to gain by quitting smoking.

By: Francis Owusu-Banahene, T/Dr


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