by Cheri Hinshelwood
Every time you smoke, harmful chemicals and poisons are infused directly into your body. “Smoking harms nearly every organ in the body,” said Kimberly Freeman, RN, CDE, CIC, a certified treatment specialist and nurse clinician in the Diabetes Program at Mission Hospital McDowell, “Your body begins healing itself between cigarettes. You deserve to give yourself a fresh start this New Year.”
(Transcript below infographic)
10 Reasons to Quit Smoking
- Smoking is the No. 1 preventable cause of lung cancer.
- About 1 in 5 deaths from heart disease is caused by smoking.
- Tobacco use increases blood sugar levels and leads to diabetes.
- Tobacco smoke contains dozens of cancer-causing agents and poisons.
- Tar from cigarettes coats your lungs, making them work harder.
- Smoking makes blood thicker, increasing your risk for stroke.
- Women smokers are 4 times as likely to have a life-threatening ectopic pregnancy.
- Smoking damages blood vessels and leads to erectile dysfunction.
- Nonsmoking family inhale cancer-causing agents and poisons.
- Smokers have high levels of carbon monoxide in their blood, starving their body of oxygen.
5 Things to Look Forward to When You Quit
- Higher energy
- Smoking puts chemicals and oxygen-depleting poisons in your system, and when those are cleared away, you’ll notice an energy boost.
- Better tasting food
- Everything you eat will taste amazing as your taste buds wake up. The chemicals in smoke have dulled your taste buds.
- Easy breathing
- When you stop smoking, your lungs will help sweep out the tar and chemicals. Coughing may increase temporarily as your body rids itself of dangerous chemicals.
- Better skin tone
- When you stop, your body and skin will get the nutrients they needs and you may look younger.
- Being a role model
- Hold your head high as you set an example in your home for clean living.
Mission Health partners with you to find personalized ways to end dependence on nicotine. For more information to make your best life now or to make an appointment, call 828-213-3222 or visit missionhealth.org/bestlife.
Kimberly Freeman, RN, CDE, CIC, is a certified tobacco treatment specialist and nurse clinician in the Diabetes Program at Mission Hospital McDowell.
