Did you know that when lung disease is diagnosed that 87% of the people are smokers? Or that smoking is a factor in other cancers in as much as 30%. These numbers are very high. Researchers estimate as many as 440,000 people die in America each year from diseases caused by smoking. That
means that cigarette smoking is a cause in 1 out of 5 deaths.
But almost everyone that smokes is aware of the risk of lung cancer. Everyone knows that the number one cause of lung cancer is smoking. But is that really going to affect you? I would say yes. That is because the cigarette that you smoke is known to have been made with over 4000 chemical compounds. The smoke that is burned off the cigarette itself is known to have chemicals and carcinogens that get drawn right down into the lungs and cause damage, stress and inflammation. This sets the stage for tumors, and damage that the body is unable to repair. Your lungs are such vital organs that do not function well after ingesting all those chemicals. The risks associated with smoking and lung cancer are great, the best way to avoid it is to not smoke at all, or if you are a smoker to quit.
But there are other cancers associated with cigarette smoking. They include mouth cancer, throat cancer, and bladder cancer. As recently as 2004, scientists and doctors have added 5 new cancers to the list associated with smoking, and 4 other diseases. These would be cancers of the stomach, pancreas, kidney, cervix and acute myeloid leukemia. The 4 diseases put on the list as being linked to smoking are pneumonia, abdominal aortic aneurysm, cataracts, and periodontitis. These findings were all issued in a statement by the US Surgeon General in 2004 reiterating the fact that cigarette smoking is bad for you.
Doctors and physicians are getting better at recognizing and treating cancers, but they will be the first ones to tell you that your health will dramatically improve once you stop smoking. They will tell you that within 20 minutes of stopping to smoke your blood pressure drops. They will tell you that within 12 hours the CO2/carbon monoxide in your blood drops back to normal. They will tell you that after 3 months your lungs will breathe freer and function better. Nine months after you stop smoking, any shortness of breath diminishes and after 1 year of stopping to smoke your risk of heart disease is cut in half what it was when you were a smoker.
The doctor could go on with the good news and tell you that after 5 years your risk of stroke could be cut to that of a nonsmoker and after 10 years your lung cancer risk is cut in half. If you remain smoke free for up to 15 years your risk of heart disease will be the same as someone that has never smoked. The effort to stop is hard, but the benefits are huge.
~BizzyBuyer