A video has appeared on the web that may give food for thought to 8 million heavy smokers in Poland. It presents a comparison between the lungs of a healthy person and that of a smoker. Under the influence of tar, the organ changes a lot.
- Everyone knows that smoking is unhealthy, but only the sight of the smoker’s lungs shows how great changes occur in our body during smoking
- There is a video on the web that may give you food for thought. It depicts the lungs of a smoker. Due to the action of tar and chemicals, the lungs are black as tar and are filled with a sticky substance
- Smoking is an addiction that affects approximately 8 million Poles. Although the number of smokers is slowly decreasing, we are still far from freeing ourselves from the “smoke”
- There is also good news: the lungs are able to regenerate. However, the complete process takes 15 to 20 years from the end of smoking
- You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page
A black organ, almost charred, symbolizes what the lungs of a person who smokes might look like. They are pitch black and are filled with a sticky substance. It doesn’t take many years of smoking to bring them to this state. Already after the first cigarette you smoke, changes in your lungs take place. Scientists from the MEDspiration organization proved a few years ago that after smoking a pack of 20 menthol cigarettes, the pink lungs turned darker.
After a few months of smoking heavily, your lungs may look like those in the video below:
See also: Herbs to help you quit smoking
Black lungs are just the beginning
Smoking cigarettes has serious effects on the lungs and the entire respiratory system, such as lung cancer, emphysema, chronic bronchitis, cancer of the tongue, lip, mouth, larynx, trachea, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or bronchial asthma.
Smokers are also much more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, e.g. coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, obliterating arteriosclerosis of the lower limbs, arterial hypertension, aortic aneurysm, and struggle with other health problems such as impotence or impaired fertility.
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Fortunately, the lungs have the ability to regenerate. With each day “without a cigarette”, they slowly return to their normal appearance. This process lasts from several months to 15-20 years, but it all depends on how long and how intensely the lungs have been poisoned by smoking.
Lung cleansing after quitting smoking begins several hours after the last cigarette. Black lungs begin to disappear slowly 9 months after stopping smoking. Then the regeneration of the cilia should stop, which cleanse the lungs. When the cilia rebuild, the lungs begin to clear out more efficiently.
How does the body regenerate after smoking?
The World Health Organization lists the health benefits of smoking cessation:
- After 12 hours the blood carbon monoxide level drops to normal since the last cigarette
- Within 2-12 weeks circulation improves and lung function increases
- Within 1-9 months cough and shortness of breath are reduced
- After 1 year the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker
- Within 5 years the risk of a stroke is reduced to that of a non-smoker
- After 10 years your risk of lung cancer drops to about half that of a smoker. The risk of developing cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix and pancreas is also halved.
- After 15 years the risk of coronary heart disease is that of a non-smoker
- It usually takes time for the lungs to fully regenerate 15-20 years