QUITTING TOBACCO...

FACTS:

1. 61% of daily and occasional smokers say they are seriously considering quitting in the next six months
2. 95% of all teenage smokers think they will have quit within five years, but only 25% succeeded, eight years later

When you give up tobacco, your body starts to renew itself as early as the first day of quitting:-

AFTER 8’HOURS:

• Carbon monoxide in your body drops
• Oxygen levels in your blood increases to normal

AFTER 2’DAYS:

• Your sense of smell and taste will improve. You will enjoy your food more
• Your risk of heart attack begins to decrease

AFTER 3-4’DAYS:

• Bronchial tubes relax and your lung capacity will have increased, making breathing easier

AFTER 2’WEEKS:

• Blood flow improves, nicotine has passed from your body

WITHIN 2’WEEKS TO 3’MONTHS:

• Circulation will improve, making walking and running easier; lung functioning increases up to 30%

WITHIN 6 TO 9’MONTHS:

• You will experience less coughing, sinus congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath

AFTER 1’YEAR:

• Your risk of heart disease will be about half of what it would have been if you continued to smoke

AFTER 5’YEAR:

• Your risk of stroke will be substantially reduced, within 5-15’years after quitting, it becomes about the same as a non- smokers.

AFTER 10’YEARS:

• Your risk of dying from lung cancer will be about half of what it would have been if you had continued to smoke
• Your risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, oesophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas will also decrease

WITHIN 15’YEARS:

• Your risk of dying from a heart attack is equal to a person who never smoked

[Article Contributed by- Dr. Nidhi Pathak, BHMS

Senior Consultant @ Nature Clinic]