Health Benefits of Smoking Cessation
By James T. Parsons, MD
If you were to choose just one thing to improve your health, what would it be?
Go to the gym? Reduce stress? Eat less junk food? Get more sleep? Stay out of the sun?
All of these are great things to do for your general well-being. But if you are a smoker, far and away, the number
one thing you can do to improve your health is to stop smoking.
According to the American Lung Association, almost half a million people will die of
smoking –related illness this year. By stopping smoking, you immediately begin to
reduce your risk of heart attack, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, cancer of the
head and neck, esophagus, lung, bladder and cancers of a variety of other sites, emphysema,
chronic bronchitis, and many other bothersome ailments.
Not only are your chances of a longer life increased, but your chances of enjoying the
rest your life in excellent health are greatly improved. Would you rather be taking an
enjoyable bike ride or attached to a ventilator in a hospital? Swimming at the beach
or coughing up greenish phlegm? Having a manicure or having your lung removed? Jogging through a park or
paralyzed on one side of your body?
The answer is simple: stop smoking. Get help to do so. Make yourself a success story.