Lisa Boulton

By Lisa Boulton lisaboulton

“Smoking Kills!” We’ve all seen what it says on the cigarette packets. Though maybe we would be more accurate in saying where it doesn’t kill you, it will make you seriously ill.

We all know people that have smoked all their life and not got lung cancer. Many who smoke though die from such things as stroke, heart attack, emphesymia, bronchitis and other chronic lung diseases just to mention a few.

Approximately 100,000 smokers a year die directly from smoking. Smoking also contributes to many more deaths since existing diseases unrelated to smoking are made much worse by smoking. This figure is not counting all the people who suffer for years from smoke related diseases.

According to the Stroke Association, those that smoke 20 cigarettes a day are six times more likely to have a stroke, this risk increases the more a person smokes. This is also true of heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases.

How is this? Smoking increases bad cholesterol in the bloodstream, which deposits on arteries creating atherosclerotic plaques. It destroys good cholesterol that gets rid of excess bad cholesterol in the bloodstream. These plaques can break off at any time and cause heart attacks, strokes and other cardiovascular events out of the blue no matter what age you are.

These plaques also cause narrowing of the arteries. There is an increased risk of narrowed and blocked heart arteries: 9 out of 10 heart bypass patients smoke.

A person that smokes may find they don’t heal so well, they have cold hands and feet and are more prone to blockages in the extremities, that can lead to gangrene and amputations.

On top of that, smoking makes blood ‘stickier’ which gives it a tendency to clot, another cause of heart attacks and strokes.

Smokers are more likely to develop high blood pressure, because of narrowing of the arteries or from kidney disease caused by smoking. A smoker with high blood pressure is 15 times more likely to have a brain haemorrhage (a kind of stroke) than those that have never smoked or have blood pressure.

These diseases are just the tip of the ice-berg. The single most beneficial thing a person can do to improve their health is to stop smoking. So why should you stop smoking? Because your health will start improving within hours.

It’s not too late to take part in Stoptober. Stoptober is an NHS event hoping to support thousands of people kick the habit with a 28 day challenge.

Lisa Boulton is the Medical Director of Amethyst Health Screening, a local company which carries out health checks and cardiovascular risk assessments for Lincoln residents and local businesses. She contributes on health-related topics for The Lincolnite.

By Lisa Boulton lisaboulton

Do you fancy a holiday in the Maldives or Barbados; or maybe something nearer home? Does that sort of luxury seem out of reach? Well, if you smoke 20 cigarettes a day and you stop smoking now, in six months’ time you will have saved approximately £2190, so not as out of reach as you may think.

So why stop smoking? Apart from the obvious immediate health benefits to you and your family, you will be better off, feel less stressed and have more time. You will feel a sense of achievement that you have accomplished your goal, and you will feel more in control.

It’s important to be realistic: for most people stopping smoking is a difficult thing to do. Let’s also be positive, many millions of people have been able to do it, which shows it is possible. When you give up smoking you will most likely have cravings and other unpleasant symptoms, but remember this is a temporary thing. The temporary discomfort you may feel for a few weeks will get easier and abate.

Whether this is the only time you have tried to stop smoking, or you have had several attempts, it’s important to be prepared. First of all, set a date, tell your family and friends you are going to stop smoking, and stick to that date.

Write down your personal reasons for stopping and think of all the long and short term benefits of that. Google the benefits of stopping smoking and related topics and see what you can find out, there are many good reasons to stop smoking apart from your health.

Think about the times you have a cigarette and then think about what you could do to replace that activity, take a note of the new activities and remind yourself of them regularly. By doing this you are taking control of those trigger points that would usually have you reaching for a cigarette.

It’s important to look at how you eat and what your drinking habits are like, as this will also help you to stop smoking. Also, drink plenty of water and think of ways to get fit.

Finally think about you: tell yourself you are going to do this, keep telling yourself, and look forward to that holiday in the Maldives!

Lisa Boulton is the Medical Director of Amethyst Health Screening, a local company which carries out health checks and cardiovascular risk assessments for Lincoln residents and local businesses. She contributes on health-related topics for The Lincolnite.