Mary “Molly” Repper smoked 20 cigarettes a day for most of her life, until she turned 95. Then she gave it up. Just turning 100, Molly’s doctors have said that her lungs were clear, and her heart was as “sound as a bell.” Molly is living proof that it’s never too late to quit smoking.
If you’re still a smoker…well, we’re not going to tell you things you already know. Like it’s not good for your health. However, if, like Molly, you aren’t yet experiencing any negative consequences, or even if you are, it’s not too late to quit. Today. Now. If you’ve been thinking there’s no point because you’ve been smoking for so long, you’re wrong.
Amazing
If you’ve been following The 100 Year LifestyleⓇ you know for a fact how amazing your body is. What you may not know is what it is capable of once you stop smoking. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, your body begins to recover within minutes of smoking your last cigarette.
- 20 minutes after quitting your heart rate and blood pressure drop.
- A couple of days after quitting the carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
- Between 2 weeks and 3 months after quitting your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
- Between 1 and 12 months after quitting you experience a decrease in your coughing and shortness of breath. The cilia (tiny hair-like structures) that move mucus out of the lungs start to regain normal function. By better handling mucus and cleaning the lungs they reduce your risk of infection.
- 1 to 2 years after quitting your risk of heart attack drops substantially.
The benefits keep on coming as your risk of various cancers decreases year after year. At the 15 year mark your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker.
A big plus, you can add as much as 10 years to your life, compared to if you continued smoking.
Other Benefits
You can’t ignore the fact that by quitting you’ll be saving a lot of money that you would be spending on tobacco. But additionally:
- Food will taste better to you!
- You will have a normal sense of smell once again!
- You and your clothes will no longer smell like smoke!
- No more yellow teeth and nails!
- You’ll be able to exert yourself in sports or just household chores without becoming out of breath!
- No more leaving your friends to go outside to smoke!
If Molly can quit smoking and 95, and reap the benefits, so can you!
Chiropractic Care Can Help
Keeping your spine and nervous system functioning at 100% is the key to a long, healthy life. Visiting your chiropractor could also make quitting smoking a whole lot easier. In 2010, a meta-analysis looked at 40 different studies which addressed the link between smoking and back pain. The analysis found that smokers—both current and former—were more likely to have problems with their back than people who never smoked.
This statistically significant link means that if you are smoking and experiencing back pain, your smoking could be a contributing factor. You might be smoking to find a release or outlet from the pain, but actually worsening it.
Whether you are experiencing back pain or not, a 100 Year LifestyleⓇ Chiropractor near you can help you on your journey to becoming a healthy non-smoker. Through regular chiropractic adjustments the body’s innate intelligence is supported in healing your entire body. Your spine and nervous system are optimized to help you deal with and overcome the stress of an addiction, and your body is better and more quickly able to eliminate the toxins that have accumulated. There’s a 100 Year LifestyleⓇ provider near you ready to help you today!
The post It’s Never Too Late to Quit Smoking appeared first on The 100 Year Lifestyle.
