| RNS,
Nov 03, quit smoking
1:52
http://www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2003/quitsmoking.htm
Quit smoking, and
your whole body will thank you:
U-M lung expert offers 10 reasons to kick the habit
(Download
audio version)
Suggested
Lead: Most smokers might assume only their lungs suffer from
their tobacco habit, but that is not true. From a smoker’s
head to his or her toes, puffing away on cigarettes or cigars does
damage throughout the body. That’s what makes it so risky
– and what makes quitting so important. Here is Erin Block
with more.
TRT 1:52
SOQ
Smoking is an
incredibly dangerous disorder. 47 million Americans take their lives
in their hands each day by lighting up. Roughly, half a million
people each year die from smoking-related diseases, making it the
No.1 cause of premature death in the United States.
Smokers can
keep themselves from becoming a statistic if they quit — and
November’s Great American Smoke Out is a great time to do
it. The damage done by years of puffing won’t go away, but
quitting can prevent any further damage.
Dr. Steven Gay,
(MD), lung specialist at the University of Michigan Health System
emphasizes
“You
will feel better if you stop smiling. In addition, as time goes
on, your mortality, your possibility of dying secondary to smoking
related diseases, is going to decrease, is going to diminish.
So you’re going to do better the longer that you stop smoking.”
Gay’s
top 10 reasons to quit smoking:
1. You’ll
drastically cut your risk of developing lung cancer and other cancers.
2. You’ll cough less and breathe easier.
3. You’ll be less likely to develop chronic lung diseases
like emphysema and bronchitis.
4. You’ll decrease your risk of heart disease and heart attack.
5. You’ll be less likely to have a stroke.
6. If you’re a man, you’ll be less likely to experience
erectile dysfunction.
7. If you’re a woman, you’ll be less likely to have
fertility problems, or give birth to a premature or low birth weight
baby.
8. Quitting will help your personal appearance, by reducing bad
breath, yellowed teeth and fingernails, premature skin aging and
early hair loss.
9. If you quit, you’ll spare your spouse or partner the dangers
of second-hand smoke.
10. If you quit, you’ll keep your kids from getting sick from
second-hand smoke.
Gay states
“It
is clearly worth it to quit smoking. We as physicians clearly
understand how difficult it is to stop smoking. That’s why
we are here to help you and assist you in quitting smoking. Very
clearly, quitting smoking will improve your health, the health
of the individuals that you love and the health of the people
around you.”
Now is the time
to stop smoking. It is good for you, it is good for your family
and it is good for your life.
I’m Erin
Block, U-M Health System News.
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