Comprehensive Cancer Centers notes the arrival of the Great American Smokeout in November by sharing the health benefits enjoyed by those who quit smoking.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers welcomes the arrival of the Great American Smokeout, a national event promoting smoking cessation. It is always held on the third Thursday in November, which is the 20th. The oncology practice joins in that celebration in hopes that it will be the day that many people start their journey toward a smoke-free life.
Those who quit smoking enjoy numerous health benefits including living longer lives. According to the Great American Smokeout’s sponsor, the American Cancer Society, smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke combined cause more than 480,000 deaths in the United States every year. Smoking cigarettes increases the risk of at least 12 different cancers. In the US, cigarette smoking causes about 3 of every 10 cancer deaths. In addition to cancer, smoking also leads to many other health issues. The benefits of quitting smoking include improved circulation, better lung function and reduced risk of heart disease.
Making the decision to stop smoking is one of the most impactful health decisions a person can make. The process of recovery is a journey and unfolds in remarkable stages. From the very first hour without smoking cigarettes, to the five-year anniversary of being smoke-free, the human body starts healing and regeneration.
When making the decision to stop smoking on November 20, or any other day of the year, you’ll enjoy many benefits from just about every perspective of life. It starts with the immediate and challenging battle with nicotine and moves on towards physiological and physical repair for the body, mind, and overall health.
So, how does the process of recovery work when you stop smoking?
Within 20 minutes of putting out a cigarette, changes are instantaneous. Your heart rate and blood pressure, artificially elevated by nicotine, start to drop toward normal levels. Circulation in the hands and feet improves.
After 8-15 hours, carbon monoxide begins to clear from the body’s system. Carbon monoxide robs cells of their ability to carry oxygen. As carbon monoxide levels fall, oxygen levels in the blood begins to rise to normal and more oxygen reaches vital organs, including the brain and heart.
After a full day, risks of heart attacks already start to decrease due to improved heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen levels. While these benefits are great, they also come with the cost of your body fighting back for the nicotine it’s become addicted to, with waves of irritability and anxiety that are designed to get one back to smoking.
Those who stop smoking need to make it to the 48-hour mark, where nicotine has been flushed from the body. At this point, senses of taste and smell, dulled by smoke, start to return. Food can also start to taste better and smells often lost after smoking return. Damaged nerve endings begin to regrow, but those quitting often feel anxious with deep cravings for cigarettes.
With regard to the body healing itself after you stop for two full days, the following benefits are among those enjoyed by people who quit smoking in the first full week:
- Airflow & Energy: Bronchial tubes, airways in your lungs, begin to relax, making breathing easier. This results in a spike in energy levels as the body is no longer fighting the constant toxicity of smoke.
- The Mind: Cravings remain intense and frequent. Those who quit can feel irritable, lacking in focus and even depressed. These feelings are temporary signs that the brain’s chemistry is resetting and healing.
- Coughing: Those who quit may cough more than when smoking. This means that cilia in the lungs, which keep the lungs clean, are coming back to life and clearing out tar, mucus and other elements trapped in the lungs by smoke.
After the first full week, symptoms of withdrawal begin to subside dramatically and the challenge becomes more psychological than physical, with physical benefits of stopping smoking becoming more noticeable. This includes blood circulation improving significantly, with the skin starting to look clearer and more vibrant. Lung function continues to get better with activities like walking up stairs and being more generally active.
By the time a smoker has stopped for a full four weeks, physical cravings have mostly faded. Triggers for smoking, like finishing dinner or having a coffee break at work, still remain, and those who quit should know that this is normal and can be overcome. Regenerating lungs will lead to less coughing and easier breathing during tasks where the heart rate is even slightly elevated.
Making it a full year without smoking offers many rewards, with recovery feeling more dramatic and sustainable. Those who make it this far have reduced risks of bronchitis, pneumonia, less coughing and sinus congestion. Energy will be higher and the body’s ability to heal from an injury or illness will be improved.
Even more dramatic gains are made, including risk of coronary heart disease being cut in half compared to that of a smoker. Damage to the heart and blood vessels has been substantially repaired. Additionally, cravings and triggers are eliminated and replaced by new and healthy patterns.
The five-year mark of quitting smoking represents a transformative milestone. A significant portion of the catastrophic damage caused by smoking has been repaired, and risk profiles for many deadly diseases and ailments such as strokes, are more aligned with those of non-smokers. The body’s circulatory system has repaired inflammation and damage to blood vessel walls. This reduces risks of blood clots that cause strokes.
For the team Comprehensive Cancer Centers, reduction in cancer risks is the most celebrated benefit for those quitting smoking. Risks of developing several major cancers is reduced by approximately 50%. This includes cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus and bladder. For women, risk of developing cervical cancer falls to that of a non-smoker.
While the risk for lung cancer also decreases, it is a slower process due to the extensive direct damage to the lung tissue. However, even at five years, your risk is significantly lower than if you had continued to smoke.
The benefits of quitting smoking only increase as the years pass. While risks are reduced, Comprehensive recommends that anyone who smoked previously to get lung cancer screening to assess any potential health challenges.
Comprehensive offers screening with low-dose computed tomography (CT) for people at high risk for lung cancer, the only recommended screening test for the disease. LDCT is used to find nodules in the lungs and takes many pictures of the inside of your body from different angles using x-rays. The amount of radiation used is much lower than standard doses of a CT scan and contrast dye should not be used.
Quitting smoking begins with the difficult, moment-to-moment battles of the first few days and weeks that can start this November, or anytime else when you’re ready. The benefits, as noted above, are immediate and lifesaving.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers Can Help
Physicians at Comprehensive Cancer Centers provide a variety of treatment options for patients with lung cancer and other lung diseases with all treatments being done in Southern Nevada. To schedule an appointment, please call 702-952-3350.
The content is this post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.
