I was told that if a smoker stopped smoking, no matter how long he has been smoking for, his lungs would go back to average health in about 5/6 months. How true is this?
Tags: Back, Heal, Lungs, Smoking, Stop
This entry was posted
on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009 at 10:19 am and is filed under Quit Smoking Q&A.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
September 22nd, 2009 at 1:27 pm
This is False. If lungs could heal themselves we wouldn’t have as many paople in this world with COPD (the 4th leading cause of death in the US). It’s not your lungs that heal, its just your body systems returning to normal function. Your Risk for developing disease decrease the longer you go without smoking.
Cigarette smoking is the major cause of emphysema and Chronic Bronchitis.
When exposed to cigarette smoke, the air sacs of the lungs produce defensive cells, called macrophages, which “eat” the inhaled particles. But macrophages are stimulated to release materials which can destroy the proteins that let the lungs expand and contract, called elastin and collagen. This thins the walls of the alveoli and causes a decrease in difussion capacity, so your body can’t take in as much oxygen. It also makes the bronchial walls flimsy so they close easier and trap air in the lungs. This is called Emphysema.
Cigarette smoke also damages the cilia, tiny hair-like projections in the bronchi that “sweep” foreign bodies and bacteria out of the lungs. Your lungs aren’t able to evacuate mucus so it builds up making you cough all the time. a cough for 3 consecutive months for 2 consecutive years is defined as Chronic Bronchitis.
Any damage done to lung Tissue i.e. alveolar and bronchiolar walls is permenant, but not untreatable. Lung tissue does not heal itself. However your blood levels of oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide does return close to normal depending on how long you smoked and how much damage is done. There are lots of wonderful medicines that help people manage lung disease and have very productive lives.
This probably isn’t what you wanted to hear, and I’m not trying to discourage you but it is fact. This is my area of expertise. Respiratory Therapists are the Lung Health Experts. Lungs are our Job.
September 22nd, 2009 at 6:09 pm
It is true that your lungs will heal, but never fully and most definetly not in 5-6 months.
In reality..20 minutes after quitting: Your heart rate and blood pressure drops.
(Effect of Smoking on Arterial Stiffness and Pulse Pressure Amplification, Mahmud, A, Feely, J. 2003. Hypertension:41:183.)
12 hours after quitting: The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1988, p. 202)
2 weeks to 3 months after quitting: Your circulation improves and your lung function increases.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp.193, 194,196, 285, 323)
1 to 9 months after quitting: Coughing and shortness of breath decrease; cilia (tiny hair-like structures that move mucus out of the lungs) regain normal function in the lungs, increasing the ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce the risk of infection.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. 285-287, 304)
1 year after quitting: The excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)
5 years after quitting: Your stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)
10 years after quitting: The lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker’s. The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, pp. vi, 131, 148, 152, 155, 164,166)
15 years after quitting: The risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker’s.
(US Surgeon General’s Report, 1990, p. vi)
So yes, your lungs begin healing immediately and they are incredibly resiliant, but it takes many years of non smoking to have them return to anything close to their natural healthy state.
September 23rd, 2009 at 12:13 am
Definitely is going to get better, but it really depends on the damage done. If emphysema is already developed, has no way back, but it depends on the grade of the state. Maybe not all the lungs are already damaged and part of them can be saved in order for you to live better,. Conclusion: Stop questioning and STOP SMOKING
September 23rd, 2009 at 2:40 am
yes just make sure you start working out and having a good diet(don’t weight lift) and your lungs should start getting a little better. Also talk to your doctor on more on how your lungs can get better. Also try to eat VERY healthy foods that will clean your lungs. Try to vomit 2 times it might clean your body up. ONLY 2 TIMES. After vomiting 1 time each day for 2 days. You wont feel better. But it will clean your system a little. Try eating carrots, broccoli, and tomato’s. Your lungs will never be the way it was before. But your breathing will increase, you will be able to take deeper breathes. and also, try gargling mouth wash regularly if you don’t already do it.
September 23rd, 2009 at 7:44 am
Reversible or not, quit the smoking habit will STOP any more harm to you. And more importantly, be optimistic don’t let those irreversable damages to your lungs stuffs scare you! It never too late to quit! Good Luck!!