Despite COVID grabbing national headlines, one thing Doctors are still looking at is smoking. Smoking accounts for nearly about 1 in 5 deaths globally with more than 16 million Americans living with a smoking-related disease. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 32 million American adults smoke cigarettes.
On November 19th, the American Cancer Society had the Great American Smokeout, a day designed to provide an opportunity for people to stop smoking. Dr. Timir Baman, who is an OSF HealthCare Cardiovascular Institute cardiologist says that statistics can always change.
With the world in a pandemic, Smoking poses an even greater risk to our health than ever before. There is still research being conducted, but many smokers already have lung problems from smoking that can be vulnerable to the flu, pneumonia, or bronchitis.
Dr. Baman knows that for a lot of people it’s not easy to just quit “cold turkey” and realizes that for some it takes many tries to kick the habit.
While rates of cigarette smoking have decreased in the last 30 years, cardiovascular doctors have seen a rise in the increase of e-cigarettes and vaping. Dr. Baman says this is NOT a safe alternative to cigarettes.
For more information on getting help for quitting smoking, visit with your primary care physician.
