Snowy Day

Last evening as I left work I felt like everywhere I looked was dirty; the roads, my car, the snow banks. Today I woke up to 5 inches of snow. It looks so beautiful, fresh and clean. Have you ever wanted to have a fresh start. One day you have a cough, your tired of the bad breath, the need to go outside for a cigarette, just everything about smoking. Have you ever felt like you wanted a "do over" a chance to begin fresh. When you quit smoking you do begin a fresh start, a cleansing of your body from toxins, tar and nicotine. Here is a list of how long it takes to start the healing, benefitial changes after your last cigarette.

20 minutes:

• Blood pressure drops to normal
• Pulse rate drops to normal
• Body temperature of hands ad feet increase to normal

8 hours:

• Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal
• Oxygen level in blood increases to normal

24 hours:

• Chance of Heart attack decreases

48 hours:

• Nerve endings state regrowing
• Ability to smell and taste is enhanced

2 weeks to 3 months:

• Circulation improves
• Walking becomes easier
• Lung function increases up to 30%

1 to 9 months:

• Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and hortness of breath decrease
• Cilia re-grow in lungs, increasing body's ability to make mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection
• Body's overall energy increases

1 year:

• Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker

5 years:

• Lung carcer death rate for average former smoker (one pack a day) decreases by almost half
• Stroke is reduced to that of a non-smoker 5 -15 years after quitting
• Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat and esophagus is half that of a smoker's

10 years:

• Lung cancer death rate similar to that of nonsmokers
• Pre-cancerous cells are replaced
• Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, and esophagus, bladder, kidney and pancreas decrease

15 years:

• Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker

American Cancer Society; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention