Did you, a friend or family member make a New Year's resolution to improve your health? Was one of those resolutions to quit smoking? Well I want to pass along an interesting and hopefully helpful aid that I stumbled across. If this sounds of interest to you, keep reading.
Dr. Carolyn M. Clancy, director of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, said quitting smoking is one of the best things anyone can do to improve health.
- Cigarette smoking causes an estimated 443,000 deaths each year, including approximately 49,400 deaths due to exposure to secondhand smoke.
- 8.6 million people live with a serious illness caused by smoking.
- On average, smokers die 13 to 14 years earlier than nonsmokers.
- Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death among both men and women in the United States, and 90% of lung cancer deaths among men and approximately 80% of lung cancer deaths among women are due to smoking.
- Smoking causes many other types of cancer, including cancers of the throat, mouth, nasal cavity, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidney, bladder, and cervix, as well as acute myeloid leukemia.
- People who smoke are up to two to four times more likely to suffer a heart attack than nonsmokers, and the risk increases with the number of cigarettes smoked. Smoking also causes most cases of chronic obstructive lung disease.
- Among youth who persist in smoking, a third will die prematurely from smoking.
The website — BeTobaccoFree.gov — has interactive features, mobile apps, tools and resources designed specifically for parents, educators and teens.
The site offers facts on smoking and second hand smoke, smokeless tobacco, educational/informational videos with former smokers and numerous tools under the "Quit Now" tab to help you or those you love; all for FREE. Click on this link to be taken to the website.
Best of luck on your New Year's health endeavors!
For your health,
Dr. Heller
No comments:
Post a Comment