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There are some smoking facts that showed the smoking effect on us. And these smoking facts can be help in quit smoking as a strong reason to show how stop smoking health benefits.

According to the world health organization, smoking causes more deaths and disability than any other disease.

The health effects of smoking tobacco are severe, and secondhand smoke also affects those around you. Most smokers are aware of the risks for lung disease and cardiovascular disease, but smoking affects nearly every organ in your body. Research has shown that smoking causes more than 25 different diseases.

The following are the smoking facts that containing information on health risks due to smoking.

Lung Cancer Risk
- Increases from 50 to 100 percent for each cigarette you smoke everyday.

Heart Disease Risk
- Increase 100 percent for each pack of cigarette you smoke per day.

Switching to Filter-tip Cigarette
- Reduces risk of lung cancer by 20 percent.

Time at Hospital
- Smokers spend 27 percent more time at hospitals and more than twice as much time in intensive care units than non-smokers.

Shortened Life-span
- Each cigarette shortens a smoker’s life by 5 to 20 minutes.

Death
- Compared to a non-smoker, a smoker is at twice the risk of dying before the age of sixty-five.

Death in US Attributed to Smoking
- Lung cancer = 85 - 90%

- Bronchitis and emphysema = 85%

- Mouth cancer = 70%

- Throat cancer = 50%

- Bladder cancer = 30 - 50%

- Esophagus cancer = 20 - 40%

- Pancreas cancer = 35%

- Arteriosclerosis = 33%

- Heart disease = 30%

- Kidney disease = 15 - 25%

Pregnant Women Who Smoke
- Risk of babies’ deaths during or before birth is 27% higher for smoking mothers.

- Carbon dioxide from cigarette passes freely from mother’s circulatory system to baby’s bloodstream, and decreases the baby’s oxygen level.

- Nicotine increases catecholamines, the hormones that narrow the baby’s arteries and limit the blood flow.

By now, we all know that smoking is bad for us. So, what are you waiting for? Quit smoking now for health benefits by using stop smoking herb!

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One of the obvious quitting smoking effect is people who stop smoking gain weight. In a personal capacity, I did not encounter any problem with additional weight gain using stop smoking herb method.

Stop smoking herb method does not call for any substitution like candies or chewing gum. The feeling of anxiety through the absence of cigarette did not arise as I always have the pack with me should I really want to smoke, which I don’t of course.

Obviously the additional weight gain experienced by those who quit smoking could come from two sources:

- Consumption of candies and chocolates as substitute for smoking.

- Better appetite due to improved sense of taste and smell.

Research on smoking indicated that most smokers who managed to quit would experience a weight gain of less than 5 kilograms. However, ten percent of those who quit can gain as mush as 15 kilograms of extra weight.

In view of the above, it is not surprising that there are quite a number of smokers, especially women who refuse or are reluctant to quit due to the weight related concerns.

Here are several ways that should be considered by those who are concerned about the possible weight gain as a result of the quit smoking plan:

Exercise to control weight

Exercise is a healthy activity and can also help an ex-smoker to keep his mind odd cigarettes. There are many books and materials that can be obtained on this subject. The exercises can be done at home, at the gym or outdoor.

Outdoor exercise like brisk walking and jogging are better options as what an ex-smoker need would be to burn calories, improve respiration and regulate blood flow. Such activities are also good ways for an ex-smoker - enjoying healthy living, breathing fresh air and enjoying the beauty of nature.

Controlled sugar intake

Sweets and chocolates are popular substitutes for the nicotine found in cigarettes by those who are on quit smoking programs.

An uncontrolled intake of sweet things would obviously lead to additional weight problem. The urge for sweet things can be substituted using sugar substitutes, eating fruits or drinking fruit juices.

Fear of weight gain should not prevent a person from quitting smoking. The health risks of smoking are far greater than the health risks of a small short-term weight gain when quit smoking is success.

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Quit moking - Is it too hard?

If you are a smoker and have ever attempted to quit smoking then you may be aware of the difficulties that are faced once you have quit. There is no denying the fact that quitting can be tough, but the task can be made easier by the use of effective medications such as Chantix.

The main ingredient in a cigarette is nicotine. It creates short term feelings of elation and pleasure in the brain. The body begins to crave nicotine and the smoker becomes addicted to the nicotine. In turn the more you smoke the more your body craves this chemical in order to produce these feelings of pleasure and elation.

This addiction as evidenced above is generally the main reason why smokers are unable to quit or find it more difficult to kick the habit. It is however possible to make use of anti-smoking medication coupled with strong discipline, dedication and behavioral support to overcome your addiction and ultimately quit smoking.

What Steps Can Be Taken To Overcome Smoking?

In order to quit smoking you would be required to make a few personal changes, be committed and dedicated to your efforts to beat your habit.

You need to devise a positive regime that is suitable to your needs and attainable goals that are within you’re the scope of achievement. Anti-smoking drugs can be effective and alleviate the stresses and strains of quitting however it must be borne in mind that an individual needs to realize that the process of quitting also requires a certain degree of ‘mind over matter’.

What needs to be remembered is that quitting smoking is a lengthy process and often involves undoing years of abuse and addiction. Giving up is not something that is going to happen overnight.

As a smoker you need to find a means of quitting that is comfortable and suitable to your individual needs. If you have made the decision to quit then you have already taken the first major step towards kicking your box of smokes to the curb. If the urges and cravings become too intense try chatting to a friend, having a glass of water or chewing some gum.

These tactics are by no means going to make you quit but are definitely going to make the experience far more bearable and possibly help you resist the temptations and urges to light up. Try to avoid overly stressful situations. Take up yoga, jogging, go for a relaxing walk or take up meditation.

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Lung cancer is an abnormal growth of cells in the lung tissue.

These cancer cells destroy the normal lung tissue. As the cancer cells grow they can become tumors that will interfere with lung function, so that the lungs can no longer transport oxygen to the blood. Cigarette smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer, other causes are asbestos, radon, environmental factors and secondhand smoke.

Lung Cancer Symptoms
In the early stages of lung cancer there are usually no symptoms, therefore lung cancer is often diagnosed at an advanced stage. Chronic cough and coughing of blood is sometimes an early symptom of lung cancer that still might be possible to cure. Other symptoms and signs of lung cancer may be:

• Chest, shoulder or back pain
• Signs of blood in sputum
• Shortness of breath
• Hoarse voice
• Wheezing
• Recurrent bronchitis or pneumonia
• Loss of appetite or involuntary weight loss
• Fatigue
• Difficulty swallowing
• Swelling in the neck or swelling of the face

Stages of Lung Cancer
There are two types of lung cancer, non small cell lung cancer and small cell lung cancer, for which staging is different.

Staging of Non Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)

Stage 1: This is an early stage of lung cancer. It is possible to completely remove the tumor with surgery and cancer cells have not spread to the lymph nodes.

Stage 2: The cancer has spread to lymph nodes, but they are contained within the lung and can be removed by surgery.

Stage 3: In stage 3 it is hard and sometimes impossible to remove the cancer with surgery. Cancer has spread to lymph nodes not contained within the lung on the same side as the cancer started (stage 3a) or to lymph nodes on the other side of the chest (stage 3b).

Stage 4: The cancer has spread to different parts of the lung or other parts of the body through the blood stream.

Staging of Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC)

Limited stage: Cancer is only found in one lung and lymph nodes close to the lung.

Extensive stage: Cancer has spread to other parts of the chest or to other organs.

Diagnosis
A wide range of tests can be used to diagnose lung cancer.

They include:

• Physical examination, examination of the chest – A physical examination can reveal typical symptoms of lung cancer such as breathing problems.
• Chest x-ray – The patient is exposed to radiation to loo for abnormalities in the lungs.
• CT (Computed Tomography) scan – CT scans can be used to get more detailed images of the lungs, brain and than the X-ray images.
• Spiral CT scan – Spiral CT scans have proven to be effective in discovering small cell lung cancer in smokers and x-smokers and is more sensitive than regular CT scans.
• MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan – MRI can be used to determine a tumors location with good accuracy. It is a method similar to CT scan, but this technique uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create images. The patient is not exposed to radiation and there are no known side effects.
  PET (Positron Emission Tomography) scan – Cancer cells absorb sugar quicker than normal cells. This is used by radiologists to make a diagnosis by giving the patient a radioactive sugar substance and recording the radioactivity.
• Bone scans – Can be used to determine if lung cancer has spread to the bones.
• Sputum cytology – Sputum is examined under a microscope to determine if any cancerous cells are present.
• Bronchoscopy – A bronchoscope is used to enter the lungs through the nose and throat. This makes it possible to see inside the lung and look for abnormalities.
• Biopsy – A sample of cell tissue is taken from the lung to be examined under a microscope.

Prognosis
The prognosis or life expectancy for people diagnosed with lung cancer depends on the location and size of the tumor, the symptoms, what type of cancer the patient has been diagnosed with and the patient’s general health status. Of all patients diagnosed with small cell lung cancer, the survival rate after 5 years is 5-10%, most of them have limited stage small cell lung cancer.

For non small cell lung cancer the survival rate is poor, however for patients diagnosed with stage 1 non small lung cancer, the survival rate is about 75%.

Overall, the prognosis for lung cancer recovery is poor compared to other types of cancer. The survival rate is about 16% after 5 years.

Lung Cancer Treatment
Lung cancer can be treated with surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of the three methods. When deciding which treatments to use, the location and size of the tumor, the type of lung cancer and the patient’s general health are important factors.

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According to the world health organization, smoking causes more deaths and disability than any other disease.

The health effects of smoking tobacco are severe, and secondhand smoke also affects those around you. Most smokers are aware of the risks for lung disease and cardiovascular disease, but smoking affects nearly every organ in your body. Research has shown that smoking causes more than 25 different diseases.

Short term effects of smoking
If you decide to stop smoking, you will experience immediate improvement of your health. The body starts healing itself within 20 minutes after quitting and all of the below short term health effects of smoking will improve.

• Blood pressure increases
• Pulse rate increases
• Body temperature of hands and feet drops
• Chances of having a heart attack increases
• Decreased ability to taste and smell
• Decreased lung function
• Decreased circulation
• Coughs
• Colds
• Bronchitis
• Shortness of breath
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the chance for premature birth and respiratory illnesses.

Long term effects of smoking
The long term effects of smoking are severe. A number of diseases can be caused by smoking, they include:

• Cardiovascular disease
• Lung cancer
• Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (chronic bronchitis, emphysema)
• Cancer of the mouth, throat, stomach, bladder, kidneys , pancreas, and cervix and other cancers.

Smoking cessation will reduce the chances of obtaining long term effects of smoking and if disease caused by smoking is already present, there are still great short and long term health benefits.