San Pedro Doctor Offers Smoking Cessation Programs
- Posted on: Mar 20 2017
According to the National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, tobacco use is the number one cause of preventable death. In fact, 46 million American adults smoke cigarettes, and half of them will die from smoking-related problems. Smoking seriously impacts an employee’s general health and ability to perform physical tasks safely.
Many Smokers Would Stop if They Had the Right Support
About 23 percent of adult men and 19 percent of adult women smoke. Most of them are either actively trying to quit, recently succeeded in quitting for a time, or want to quit. However, quitting is not easy. Many people experience side effects that make quitting difficult.
Some of the short-term effects include:
- Irritability
- Weight gain
- Anxiety
- Feeling shaky
Quitting Incentives
Fortunately, as hard as quitting smoking may be, it also offers almost immediate gratification. Upon quitting, blood pressure and breathing starts to improve. The Surgeon General offers these startling facts:
- After one year off cigarettes, half reduce the excess risk of coronary heart disease caused by smoking. After 15 years of abstinence, the risk is similar to that for people who have never smoked.
- In 5 to 15 years, the risk of stroke for ex-smokers returns to the level of those who have never smoked.
- Male smokers who quit between ages 35 to 39 add an average of 5 years to their lives. Female quitters in this age group add 3 years. Men and women who quit at ages 65 to 69 increase their life expectancy by 1 year.
PrimeMedical is an Internal Medicine practice located in San Pedro, CA. We understand the difficulties in quitting smoking and work with employers to provide the support needed for success. If you are an employer wanting to know more or an employee and have questions, please call PrimeMedical at 310-548-0201.
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