Today, May 31, is World No Tobacco Day, which aims to draw attention to the dangerous effects of smoking.
And Dr. Andrei Nefedov, an oncologist and thoracic surgeon, points out in an interview with the Izvestia newspaper the consequences of smoking and methods to help get rid of this bad habit.
According to him, smoking is the main cause of lung cancer (85-90 percent of cases). Lung cancer is one of the deadliest types of cancer, with 2.2 million people diagnosed each year worldwide and about 1.8 million patients dying each year.
And he adds: The first step in quitting smoking is to make a decision and always return to the argument that a person has put before himself when he feels the desire to smoke.
He says: “A person cannot quit smoking right away, and that’s okay. Therefore, this should be done gradually with a goal setting and a plan to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes of all kinds for each week or month. , relatives and friends should be informed of the decision to quit smoking because their support is helpful and they can be asked to help coordinate the decision. The habit of smoking should be replaced by other rituals such as deep breathing, walking, drinking water through a straw. All this helps to mimic the process of smoking, which reduces cravings for nicotine. Of course, you can consult with a specialist about this.
The specialist points out that a person who smokes or has smoked for 30 years is at risk for developing lung cancer, so he must always take care of his health.
He says: “The choice to smoke or not to smoke always remains with the person. If he makes it in favor of smoking, then it is worth going through a series of additional studies that can detect lung cancer in the early stages and save a life.” .One of these studies is low-dose tomography. Unlike fluorography, very small tumors can be detected and removed surgically without much harm to the body. Because if lung cancer is not treated in time, but in the last stages, then little can be done to save his life. Therefore, it is better to quit smoking, and if this is not possible, then regular check-ups should be done.”
Source: Izvestia newspaper.
