DR MAX PEMBERTON: What DOES happen to your body if you stop smoking?

An annual stop smoking campaign by the NHS and the Department of Health is taking place this month. As a former smoker, I know how difficult it can be to even consider quitting.

I smoked about thirty cigarettes a day for years and tried to quit a few times before successfully doing so ten years ago.

I know from my own experience that change can cause fear. We often tell ourselves that we need to be absolutely sure we are ready before we try something new. Especially something as difficult as quitting smoking.

But in reality, you will always be a little worried and ambivalent about whether you want to quit. Or you try to put it off and tell yourself this isn’t the right time – I’ve done this for years.

Yet I also know first-hand the enormous benefits. These are not just physical. The psychological boost you get from freeing yourself from addiction is enormous.

It is a clear demonstration that you can take control of your life and how, if you focus on it, you can create positive change.

Moreover, it is never too late to quit, even for older people.

A few years ago I wrote a book about quitting smoking and was amazed to discover that the benefits start almost from the moment you quit. I found it very useful as a motivational tool to combat any nagging doubts or desires.

There’s a lot of help online if you’re looking, but to boost your motivation, here’s the timeline I discovered:

After 20 minutes: Your blood pressure and heart rate will return to normal levels.

Two o’clock: Heart rate and blood pressure have now dropped to normal levels. Peripheral circulation – those are the small blood vessels that nourish your skin, arms and legs – begin to improve. More oxygen begins to reach your fingers and toes.

You might be surprised to know that this is also the peak time for nicotine cravings. How many times have you gone two hours without smoking a cigarette? This is as bad as it gets.

Eight o’clock: The nicotine level in the body has already dropped by 90 percent.

12 hours: The blood begins to secrete the highly toxic chemical carbon monoxide, which binds very tightly to the red blood cells and reduces the amount of oxygen they can carry.

24 hours: It’s only been a day and the risk of a heart attack is already decreasing. Smokers are 70 percent more likely to have a heart attack than non-smokers, but the risk is now starting to decrease.

48 hours: Smoking kills the cells involved in smell and taste, but after two days they start to grow again, making you appreciate your food more.

72 hours: The nicotine has now left the body. As a result, people begin to experience withdrawals more often, but remember two things.

First, each shot is mild; and secondly, it will be easier from now on.

That’s because every day from now on, your nicotine receptors, which respond to the stimulation of a cigarette and keep you addicted, are slowly destroyed because you are no longer using them.

Four days: Some people may experience coughing. This may seem strange if you don’t smoke, but in fact the cough is caused by the lungs clearing themselves and trying to bring out all the dirt that has been in them for years. It’s annoying, but it only lasts a week or two.

Five to eight days: The body continues to repair itself. On average, people have three withdrawal symptoms per day, each lasting up to three minutes. They are a sign that the body is returning to normal.

Ten days: At this stage, the average person reports only two withdrawal symptoms per day.

Blood circulation to the teeth and gums is normal again. Smile!

Two weeks: Exercise tolerance and fitness are now significantly improved. People notice that their breathing is better. Around this time the skin also starts to improve.

Four weeks: As the cilia, or tiny hairs, in your lungs regrow, the risk of respiratory infections decreases.

Three months: The average lifespan of a red blood cell is three months, so at this point, after quitting, any red blood cells damaged by the carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke have been replaced with healthy new ones.

Your lung capacity increases by up to 30 percent.

Nine months: The smoker’s lungs repair themselves and the cilia are now fully functioning.

A year: One year after quitting smoking, the risk of heart disease is reduced by 50 percent compared to a smoker.

Five years: The risk of stroke is now back to the level of someone who has never smoked. The risk of death from lung, esophageal, throat and mouth cancer is significantly reduced.

Ten years: The risk of dying from lung cancer is now half that of a smoker.

13 years: The average smoker who lives to the age of 75 has six fewer teeth than a non-smoker, but thirteen years after quitting the risk of tooth loss is the same as someone who has never smoked.

15 years: The risk of cardiovascular disease is back to the level of someone who has never smoked. The risk of pancreatic cancer has also fallen to that of someone who has never smoked.

So just a few minutes after you stop smoking, the body starts to repair itself. I find it incredible that the body can do this – and all we have to do is let it get on with it.

MICK HAS THE RIGHT TO MONEY AND CHILDREN

Mick Jagger has hinted that he will leave his $500 million fortune to charity instead of his children. While some may find this mean, I believe it is a very wise parenting decision.

You might imagine that coming from wealth and privilege would be a surefire guarantee of happiness.

Yet time and time again, I have seen the children of rich people weighed down by their parents’ wealth and success, without having anything to strive for in life.

When I worked in drug addiction treatment, a significant number of my patients were children of wealthy families, whose inheritance was like a millstone around their necks.

It’s not just Jagger who’s worried about this; US billionaire Warren Buffett says he will give his children ‘enough money to do everything, but not enough to do nothing’.

He’s right: instilling work ethic in your children is a fundamental role of a parent.

According to a global study, around 800,000 women die worldwide due to ‘gender bias’ in healthcare.

Such bias applies to many countries around the world. But let’s not forget that women in Britain live four years longer than men.

Men die more often at work, by suicide and from cancer.

Sir Ian McKellen has called trigger warnings on his latest gig ‘ridiculous’.

Signs in the theater warn of a loud noise during the performance, ‘reference to mourning’ and, bizarrely, ‘reference to smoking’.

I quite agree with that. The idea of ​​triggers comes from PTSD, where something can suddenly cause symptoms of anxiety when a trauma is relived.

But the reality is that things that actually cause symptoms in people with disabling PTSD are often unclear and idiosyncratic. A smell, a sound, a sentence.

The idea that just bringing up topics or challenging their ideas can trigger their symptoms is laughable.

If you have to be warned that someone is going to talk about smoking in a theater, how on earth can you hope to even walk down the street?

DR MAX PRESCRIBES FOR…

Vitamin Gummies

THIS supplement, which contains ashwagandha, also known as ‘Indian ginseng’, is an ‘adaptogen’, meaning it helps calm the nervous system and is traditionally used to help manage stress. It also helps reduce swelling, lower blood pressure and improve the immune system.

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