Smoking is the most immediately reversible cause of heart disease.\u00a0It acutely activates platelets<\/em>, which are cell parts in the bloodstream that help form clots.\u00a0Within 24 hours of quitting smoking, your blood becomes less \u201csticky,\u201d lowering the tendency to having a heart attack.\u00a0By the same token, though, don\u2019t think that \u201cone cigarette won\u2019t hurt me.\u201d\u00a0That could be the one that triggers the blood to clot off an artery!\u00a0 Furthermore, nicotine, which is what makes tobacco so addictive, acts as a vasoconstrictor<\/em>\u2014tightening the arteries and diminishing the blood flow immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Smoking also has long term effects that promote atherosclerosis<\/em> (plaque build-up in arteries).\u00a0The combustion of tobacco releases thousands of molecules into the airway, which enter the bloodstream through the lungs.\u00a0Many of these molecules cause irritation and inflammation in the blood vessels.\u00a0Some of these substances are oxidative, which is harmful to the body in general and the blood vessels in particular.\u00a0So, while it is true that a person\u2019s risk of a heart attack drops immediately upon quitting smoking, it doesn\u2019t reverse the long-term toxic effects of tobacco on the blood vessels.\u00a0The good news is\u2014the less, the better.\u00a0Cutting down on tobacco use lowers the \u201cdose\u201d of the harmful effects.\u00a0But keep in mind: complete cessation is best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As I mentioned above, nicotine is the substance that makes people crave cigarettes.\u00a0It gives people a high and is tremendously addictive.\u00a0But there are many options out there nowadays to help people quit, ranging from \u201cnicotine substitutes\u201d like nicotine patches and nicotine gum, to medications that can decrease the craving for nicotine.\u00a0These include bupropion and varenicline\u2014and other drugs are being developed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, vaping has become a popular alternative to smoking.\u00a0The jury is still out on how risky that is, but it is reasonable to believe that it is less harmful than smoking tobacco.\u00a0Vaping doesn\u2019t produce nearly as many toxic substances as smoking does.\u00a0 However, \u201cnot as many\u201d does not mean \u201cnone\u201d and they can also be damaging to the airway and lungs.\u00a0Furthermore, as I indicated earlier, nicotine itself causes harm by constricting the blood vessels.\u00a0So, if you aren\u2019t a smoker, please don\u2019t start vaping!\u00a0And if you are a smoker and have not been able to quit through other methods, consider vaping with the goal to gradually wean yourself off of it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One other method I have suggested to patients that can be helpful: don\u2019t tell yourself you are quitting.\u00a0 Just put off that next cigarette.\u00a0When you\u2019ve gone an hour without smoking, decide that you can go 3 hours.\u00a0When you\u2019ve done that, try for a day without a cigarette.\u00a0Then string a few of those together.\u00a0The psychological trick is that you never feel the panic of having quit, the \u201cOh my God, I can\u2019t imagine never having a cigarette again!\u201d feeling.\u00a0You tell yourself that you can smoke whenever you want to, but you\u2019re just not going to do it right now.\u00a0Maybe later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good luck to those of you struggling with this very difficult addiction!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greg Koshkarian, MD, FACC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Smoking is the most immediately reversible cause of heart disease.\u00a0It acutely activates platelets, which are cell parts in the bloodstream that help form clots.\u00a0Within 24 hours of quitting smoking, your blood becomes less \u201csticky,\u201d lowering the tendency to having a heart attack.\u00a0By the same token, though, don\u2019t think that \u201cone cigarette won\u2019t hurt me.\u201d\u00a0That could be the one that triggers…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1566,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[24],"tags":[80,76,97,156],"yoast_head":"\n