Spring into putting the butt out….for good! With all the smoking bans in the household and workplace you would expect fewer people lighting up. Statistics Canada in 2007 showed that 19% of Canadians are smokers which have not changed since 2005. What’s promising is that the biggest drop between 2001 and 2007 was among those 12 to 17 years of age. Still 5.9 million Canadians are smokers and so many of them at one point or another thought of quitting and wished that they never took a puff of that first cigarette.
The minute you stop smoking your body automatically starts to heal and within minutes you will feel start to feel healthier. However sometimes nicotine withdrawal symptoms can be quite uncomfortable resembling flu like symptoms – hence the term “Quitter’s Flu”. Acupuncture is a great non-invasive way to combat these withdrawal symptoms and to decrease your nicotine cravings. The treatments are designed specific to each individuals unique symptoms. Treatments last approximately 30 minutes each session and patients may require 3 to 6 sessions.
So just remember, with each minute that your body goes without a cigarette you are buying yourself a better quality of life. Spring is here – it is a time for regeneration and renewal. Traditional Chinese Medicine views Spring as a time when the liver element resurges to help cleanse the body so what better time to cleanse your body from the toxic effects of smoking. Here is a timeline of all the positive things that start to happen when you make the decision to put the butt out….for good!
The First 20 minutes after you stop smoking
Blood pressure drops to near the level before your last cigarette.
Pulse rate drops to near the level before your last cigarette.
Within 8 hours after you stop smoking
Carbon monoxide level drops in your body
Oxygen level in your blood increases to normal
Within 48 hours after you stop smoking
Your chances of having a heart attack start to go down
Your sense of smell and taste begin to improve
Within 72 hours after you stop smoking
Your bronchial tubes relax and make breathing easier
Your lung capacity increases
Within 2 weeks to 3 months after you stop smoking
Your blood circulation improves
Your lung functioning increases up to 30 percent
Within 6 months after you stop smoking
Your coughing, stuffy nose, tiredness and shortness of breath improve
Within 1 year after you stop smoking
Your risk of smoking-related heart attack is cut in half
Within 10 years after you stop smoking
Your risk of dying from lung cancer is cut in half
Within 15 years after you stop smoking
CONGRATULATIONS!!! Your risk of dying from a heart attack is the same as a person who never smoked
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