When Will It Be Time To Quit Smoking? Let Coach Quit Help
If you are a smoker this is a great time of year. Many smokers are going to quit smoking. If you smoke, why not you? Most cigarette smokers want to quit anyway, so why not go ahead and do it? Many people hold the mistaken notion that as long as they quit smoking before they get cancer, they will be fine. Do you feel this way too? I hope not, because these ideas are incorrect. I have spoken recently to an oncologist about this very point. I was told that there is no correlation between how long you have quit and whether you will develop cancer. That means simply quitting at any stage is NO Guarantee of not getting cancer. There are other nasty diseases to worry about to, read on to see.
It is in fact a fallacy to believe that you can smoke safely for any period and then quit with no ill effects. One thing that has created this fallacy is that it is true that blood pressure problems and heart and artery problems can abate the longer you are not smoking. But, this does not have any relationship to lung disease. The American Heart Foundation might tell you that your heart is better each year that you don’t smoke. But this is not the whole health report card.
You might ask, why do people still get cancer many years after they have quit smoking? I spoke with an oncologist recently on this topic, and he said that is it unknown. But, in speaking with him more about “possible” reasons he agreed that the lungs get a cumulative effect. Most of what goes in does not come back out. So all the tar that was ever smoked in, is still there. All the carcinogens that stuck to the tar could well still be there. When a smoker quits, those chemicals are still there, and nothing will get them out. So, over time they are still acting like carcinogens.
That is a lot of tar, even if you only smoke for one year. One cup of tar in your lungs, does lots of damage, and it doesn’t really come out. So, all you can do is live with the tar, and the amount of lung damage you already have. There is no doubt that such COPD illnesses like bronchitis, pneumonia, emphysema, and even lung cancer has been invited. So quitting smoking is your best option if you are a smoker. More than 90% of people who get small cell lung cancer will not live 2 years even with the most aggressive cancer therapy.
I had the opportunity to see the “Bodies” Museum exhibit in Las Vegas NV at the Luxor Hotel. They showed many dead bodies, and the organs within. I saw several examples of lungs that were used to smoke cigarettes during a persons life. When you view these lungs and their tissue, it is amazing to learn that the lungs are more like sponges. If tar for instance touches the inside, it is quite likely to ooze its way to the outside of the lung. So, not only does the inside of the lung turn black with tar, and the smoke particles that it traps.
One very interesting aspect of the Bodies Exhibit, was the fact that they had a huge barrel filled with cigarette packages. Apparently, after smokers see the incredible destruction of the lungs due to smoking they decide to quit smoking cigarettes on the spot, and throw them into this huge container. Honestly, I have never seen such an en masse quitting of smoking like this ever. It was very impressive. If you get the chance, check out the “Bodies Exhibition”. they have one that goes all around the country.
