Smoking - What You Need To Know

An estimated 46.5 million adults in the United States smoke cigarettes, in spite of the dangers. Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death. Nearly 70% of the more than 46.5 million American adults who smoke cigarettes want to quit, but few are able to quit permanently. According to the American Lung Association, an estimated 442,398 Americans die each year from diseases directly related to smoking. Smoking is responsible for heart disease and strokes that can leave you dead within seconds. If those facts do not scare you, there is always the possibility of emphysema or lung cancer, which can both ultimately lead to death - only these diseases are usually extremely slow and quite painful.

Deadly Facts

1. 4.9 million people die each year from tobacco products.*

2. About 1 out of every 5 deaths in the US can be attributed to tobacco products.*

3. Secondhand cigarette smoke kills about 53,000 Americans each year.*

4. Tobacco kills more Americans than AIDS, drugs, homicides, fires, and auto accidents combined.*

5. Cigarettes will eventually kill half of the people who use if used for many decades.*

*TheTruth.com

Obvious Reasons to Quit

We are often judged by our physical appearance. Beyond the health battles smoking presents, there are several social challenges you may have to contend with:

Bad smelling breath, hair, and clothes

Yellow stains on teeth and fingers

Problem skin

Chronic cough/phlegm

Ashes scattered in car, home and office

Premature aging

Smoking limits where you dine and can hinder your ability to taste and smell your food, it even raises your medical insurance premiums.

Pregnancy and Smoking is Risky Business

The American Lung Association has warned that smoking during pregnancy can cause low birth weight, birth defects, and even Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. It also increases the risk of damage to your baby's immune system. Low-level laser therapy may not be an option once you are pregnant so you may want to plan to quit prior to trying to conceive a child. If you are pregnant and are interested in our clinical trial, you must obtain a written referral from your physician to receive low-level laser for smoking cessation.

Avoiding Weight Gain

When you quit smoking, your metabolism slows down, because it is no longer fighting to force toxins out of your body. Do not compound your problem by replacing cigarettes with overeating.

You should watch your intake of food and try to eat small portions at mealtime. Frequent meals with smaller portions may work best to avoid weight gain upon quitting. At first not smoking may feel strange to your mind and body, so give yourself a chance to adjust. In the meantime, there are things you may do to help avoid weight gain when you stop smoking:

Exercise

Follow a specific diet or nutritional plan, as recommended by your doctor or nutritionist. There are an abundance of education tools at your local library or bookstore to deal with weight issues. A regular exercise program can be important to create a healthy body. Consult your physician or employ a licensed trainer to learn what program may be best for you.

Smoking Facts and Statistics

Cigarette smoking is the most preventable cause of death worldwide as well as the major cause of premature death in North America today. According to the American Lung Association, in 2002, more than 45.8 million in the U.S are smokers and over 440,000 deaths each year in the U.S. are attributed to cigarette smoking. Over 260,000 men die each year from smoking as well as over 178,000 women. Lung cancer is #1 with over 125,000 deaths each year.

In the U.S. today: 26% of men and 21% of women smoke. Respectively this number is decreasing each year but statistics claim there will still be a rate of over 20% in both parties by 2010. However smoking prevalence was highest amongst people ages 18-24 years.

Smoking related diseases kills 1 in 10 adults globally or causes 4 million deaths. By 2030, if current trend continues, smoking will kill 1 in 6 people.

Every 8 seconds, someone dies from tobacco-related disease.

Teens: Studies show that the average age of first time smokers is 14 years old. Nearly 75% of teen smokers are still smoking 5-6 years after their first cigarette. Each day in the United States, a minimum of 3,000 young people from 11-20 become regular smokers; 2,000 of them are under age 18.

The American Lung Association conducted a recent survey reporting a whopping 34.8% of high school students, as well as 12.8% of middle school students smoke cigarettes. None of these teens were of legal age to purchase cigarettes. 3,000 adolescents will smoke their first cigarette today. Approximately 80% of adult smokers started smoking before the age of 18, and nearly half will not put them down. Eventually, one-third of these kids will die of smoking-related diseases. Among teens between the ages of 13-15, about 1 in 5 smokes worldwide. Between 80,000 and 100,000 children worldwide start smoking daily; half of which live in Asia.

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