Benefits of Quitting Smoking
Comprehensive Cancer Centers understands that finding the right time and motivation to quit smoking can be challenging. With that in mind, the arrival of Lung Cancer Awareness Month provides the perfect opportunity for those who smoke to seriously consider the consequences of smoking, vaping and using e-cigarettes, and how quitting can greatly lower health risks, including lung cancer.
While everyone is generally aware of the risks of smoking — and now more frequently, the risks of using e-cigarettes — when simple numbers and facts are combined, the danger of lighting up become even more obvious:
- Lung cancer kills 433 Americans every day, the same number of seats on a 747.
- Someone in the U.S. dies of lung cancer every 3.3 minutes.
- Lung cancer kills almost twice as many women as breast cancer, making it the leading cause of cancer death among women since 1987.
A new challenge for the team at Comprehensive Cancer Centers is increasing awareness of the benefits of quitting use of e-cigarettes/vaping and making that part of the smoking narrative. These products have been marketed as ways to help quit smoking, or as a substitute to smoking. The underlying and misleading message for these products is that they’re safer alternatives to tobacco smoking. Increasing evidence is emerging that debunks this dangerous myth, and fortunately that message is starting to sink in with more and more Americans.
A national online poll conducted by Reuters, found that 63 percent of adults in the United States disagreed with the statement that e-cigarettes are healthier than traditional cigarettes. That number increased 16 percentage points from a similar Reuters poll conducted in the spring of 2016.
The study also found that only 29 percent of adults consider e-cigarettes a good way to help people quit smoking, and 77 percent said that e-cigarettes should be regulated at least as strongly as traditional cigarettes. The survey was conducted in mid-September, shortly before U.S. health officials lifted to 530 the number of confirmed and probable cases of lung-related illnesses linked to e-cigarettes/vaping. The FDA is investigating the causes of an outbreak that has so far killed seven people and is believed tied to e-cigarettes.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers has long advocated for smoking cessation, with programs such as I Quit For, done in conjunction with UNLV, providing positive encouragement for those looking to give up the habit. A particular message of programs such as these, and Lung Cancer Awareness Month, is found in urging younger smokers to stop while they are still young.
- Bad for the Blood – Smoking makes blood thicker and increases risk of clots, and increases blood pressure and risks for stroke, heart disease and lung cancers.
- Bad for the Stomach – Smoking can increase acid reflux and the odds of getting stomach cancer and ulcers.
- Bad for the Skin – Toxins in cigarette smoke cause cellulite while reducing oxygen flow to the skin making it age quickly and look grey and dull.
- Bad for the Mouth – Smoking ruins teeth, causes bad breath and gum disease, all while killing taste buds making food less enjoyable.
- Bad for Sex – Smoking may cause male impotence and reduced fertility in women. Fertility of women who smoke was 72 percent that of non-smokers.
While there is plenty of bad news regarding smoking, your body rebounds quickly once you stop smoking. Two years after quitting smoking, stroke risk is reduced to half that of a non-smoker. Within five years of quitting, risk will be the same as a non-smoker. Lungs, skin, taste buds and other health factors improve after quitting smoking as well.
Comprehensive Cancer Centers recognizes that quitting smoking can be a difficult process and encourages those interested in quitting to take advantage of the Nevada Tobacco Quitline’s resources by visiting Nevada Tobacco Quitline or calling 1-800-QUIT-NOW (784-8669).
Comprehensive Cancer Centers Can Help
Physicians at Comprehensive Cancer Centers provide a variety of treatment options for lung cancer including chemotherapy and radiation therapy. For certain lung cancer patients, clinical research studies currently being conducted at Comprehensive Cancer Centers may offer help. Please click here to learn more. To schedule an appointment with the team at Comprehensive, 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.