Quit for good, quit for health, quit tomorrow

It seems like every medical condition I’ve written about in the last three years, maybe excluding bee stings and sunburn, could be prevented or alleviated if the patient quit smoking. So, I must admit it’s always a surprise to me when someone lights up, but apparently one in five of us are still puffing away our health.

Tomorrow, Thursday, Nov. 21, is The Great American Smokeout and the American Cancer Society is anxious for all of you who still indulge in this health-threatening habit to spend one day, yes, just one day without a ciggie, bogey, gasper, dart, refry, hairy rag or whatever nickname you give to the butt of your stinking addiction. Of course, the thought is that if you can go one day, you can certainly go another, and another, and you get the picture.

“Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S., yet about 43.8 million Americans still smoke cigarettes,” according to ACS. “The health benefits of quitting start immediately from the moment of smoking cessation. Quitting while you are younger will reduce your health risks more, but quitting at any age can give back years of life that would be lost by continuing to smoke.”

Let’s look at some interesting numbers. You stop smoking and in twenty minutes your heart rate and blood pressure drop. In twelve hours the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal. In two weeks to three months your circulation improves and your lung function increases.

Coughing and shortness of breath decreases in one to nine months. Cilia start to regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs and reduce the risk of infection in that same period. Within a year the excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

The long-term effects are even better. In two to five years, stroke risk can fall to that of a non-smoker. Then, the risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder are cut in half within five years; while the cervical cancer risk falls to that of a non-smoker in that time frame.

Quit for 10 years and your risk of dying from lung cancer is about half what it would be if you continue to smoke and your risk of other cancers such as that of the larynx (voice box) and pancreas also decreases. Then, the ACS says, that after fifteen years, your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker’s.

You can start healing tomorrow, you know that, but are you ready? If so, there are a lot of resources available to you. Your health care provider is a really good place to start. Although many people are successful doing it, going cold turkey might not be good idea. WebMD says that since the brain has become addicted to nicotine, eliminating it will cause cravings and without it you’ll suffer withdrawal symptoms that will make you want to smoke again.

The CDC says that those symptoms include irritability, anxiety, difficulty concentrating and increased appetite. That urge for one more drag can be assuaged by nicotine replacement therapy. Your clinician can help you through the process. “Nicotine gum, lozenges and patches can help double your chances of quitting successfully when used with an intensive behavioral program,” according to WebMD.

They also explain that there are prescription pills on the market today that can ease symptoms without using products that contain nicotine. “They may also make smoking less satisfying if you do pick up a cigarette. Other drugs can help reduce troubling withdrawal symptoms such as depression or inability to concentrate.”

Bonner General Hospital offers smoking cessation classes the second Wednesday of each month at 6 p.m. The American Cancer Society’s website www.cancer.org has a wealth of information about staying away from tobacco. There are resources out there, so there really are no plausible reasons why you shouldn’t be able to kick the habit. How about trying tomorrow?

Kathy Hubbard is a trustee on Bonner General Hospital Foundation Board. She can be reached at 264-4029 or kathyleehubbard@yahoo.com.