Southwest Florida's Health and Wellness Magazine Health and Wellness Articles
Have you made your New Year’s resolution yet? Along with the normal, lets get skinny mantra, its important for people to seriously take their health and wellness into consideration.
Along with eating a nutrient enriched diet and regular exercise, stopping smoking should be your number one priority for 2017. If you or someone you love is a smoker, no matter how long or how much you’ve smoked, quitting will benefit you immensely. It’s never too late to stop smoking.
Smoking related diseases
• Cancer
• Lung disease
• COPD (Chronic obstructive Pulmonary Disease)
• Causes inflammation in the arteries
• Increases heart rate
• Causes sticky plaque buildup in your arteries
(both coronary & peripheral)
• Raises LDL (bad cholesterol)
• Lowers HDL (good Cholesterol)
• Blood vessel walls become stiff and damaged
• Creates abnormal heart rhythms
• Macular Degeneration (leads to blindness)
• Cataracts
• Increases blood pressure
• Creates undue stress on your heart
• Causes blood to thicken
• Lowers oxygen levels in blood
• Exacerbates asthma & Bronchial symptoms
Lehigh Regional Medical Center is dedicated to helping you quit. They know the importance and changes in your health that you will see immediately upon putting down the pack of cigarettes. They have developed a dedicated smoking cessation program that offers you the help you need—for free!
It is a complete program that has provided many people in the local community with the freedom from their addiction. Is it difficult? Yes, it takes your dedication and commitment to succeed, but they prepare you with the best tools you need. During the six week long program you will receive free training and counseling to get you smoke free, along with a weekly support group meeting to keep you and your peers encouraged. They also provide you with nicotine replacements, like gum, lozenges and patches.
Have no fear, many people have gone before you and are successfully enjoying the freedom of being a nonsmoker. Do you want to feel better and enjoy a longer healthier life? Take a look at the positive health related changes that occur once you quit smoking for good.
Statistics According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services:
• Within 20 minutes of quitting, your heart rate will decrease
• Within 12 hours of quitting, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood will decrease to normal
• Within 3 months of quitting, your risk of a heart attack decreases and your lungs will begin to work better
• After 1 year, your added risk of coronary artery disease is half that of someone who smokes
• After 5 years, your risk of stroke is the same as that of a nonsmoker
• After 10 years, your lung cancer death rate is about half that of someone who smokes
• After 15 years, your risk of coronary artery disease is the same as that of a nonsmoker
Quitting smoking takes a plan and a lot of will power, but with the help of Lehigh Regional Medical Center, you will have a better chance of success.
Realistic advice to help you quit smoking:
• Pick a date to quit
• Get rid of all tobacco & lighters
• Plan ahead. Talk to your doctor now about smoking cessation programs, treatment options and medications.
• Let your family and friends know that you’re quitting
• Find a new hobby to stay busy
• Avoid the same old routine that allowed you the convenience of smoking
• Keep track of the money you save, write it down everyday and make a tally
• At the end of each week that you continue to not smoke, treat yourself to something nice.
• Don’t give up! It’s not easy, but it’s worth it to quit.
By quitting smoking you reduce your risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, stroke and countless other diseases. The program offered by Lehigh Regional is available for all forms of tobacco related additions. The next classes will start in January. You must register before the first class.
To register please call 877-819-2357, or to find out more about Lehigh Regional Medical Center programs, please visit their website at lehighregional.com.
