Latest posts
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Withdrawal or COPD Symptoms? Telling Them Apart When You Quit Smoking With Lung Disease
You quit smoking four days ago. You’re irritable, you can’t concentrate, and you’re coughing more than you were last week. If you’ve also been told you have COPD, or you’re being watched for it, a question follows you around all day: is this just nicotine withdrawal, or is something happening in your lungs? This guide…
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How to Calculate Pack-Years for a Lung Screening Talk
How to Calculate Pack-Years for a Lung Screening Talk To calculate pack-years, multiply the packs of cigarettes smoked per day by the number of years smoked. One pack-year equals smoking one pack (20 cigarettes) a day for one year. This number is not a diagnosis — it is a starting point for a conversation with…
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Thirdhand Smoke: What Residue Remains on Surfaces and What Health Research Shows
What Is Thirdhand Smoke? Thirdhand smoke is the leftover residue that tobacco smoke leaves behind on surfaces, fabric, dust, and skin after the smoke itself has cleared. It includes nicotine and other chemicals that settle out of the air and stick around long after a cigarette is put out. Unlike secondhand smoke, which is the…
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Smoking and Eye Health: Macular Degeneration and Cataract Risk Research
Does smoking affect your eyes? Yes. Smoking is a well-documented risk factor for several serious eye conditions, including cataracts and age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) lists certain eye diseases among the many health problems caused by cigarette smoking. Researchers believe smoking damages the eyes through reduced blood flow,…
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Smoking and Chronic Back Pain: Spinal Disc Degeneration and Healing Impairment
Research links smoking to a higher risk of chronic back pain and faster breakdown of the spinal discs that cushion your vertebrae. Nicotine and other chemicals in cigarette smoke reduce blood flow to spinal tissue, which researchers believe speeds up disc degeneration and slows healing after an injury or spine surgery. This does not mean…
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Smoking and Pancreatic Cancer: Risk Factors and What Evidence Shows
Yes. Smoking is one of the clearest, most consistently confirmed risk factors for pancreatic cancer. The National Cancer Institute (NCI) lists smoking as a risk factor for pancreatic cancer that people can actually change, unlike genetics or family history. Pancreatic cancer is rare compared to some other cancers, but it is hard to catch early…
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Smoking and Rheumatoid Arthritis: The Autoimmune Connection
Smoking does not cause rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in every person who smokes. But research consistently links long-term cigarette smoking to a higher risk of developing RA, especially in people who already carry certain genes linked to the disease. The National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS) lists smoking as one of the…
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Smoking and Chronic Sinusitis: Upper Airway Inflammation and Recovery
Most sinus symptoms are uncomfortable but not an emergency. Call your doctor promptly, or seek emergency care, if you have a high fever, severe facial swelling, swelling or redness around one eye, vision changes, a stiff neck, confusion, or symptoms that keep getting worse instead of better. These can signal a spreading infection that needs…
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Smoking and Stroke Risk: Vascular Damage, Warning Signs and Risk Reduction
Smoking increases the risk of stroke because it damages the blood vessels leading to the brain and makes blood more likely to clot. A stroke happens when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked or a blood vessel bursts, and smoking is one of the risk factors that can be changed. Below, you’ll…
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Smoking and Peptic Ulcers: How Tobacco Affects the Digestive System
Smoking does not directly cause peptic ulcers the way an infection or a medicine can. But according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), people who smoke are more likely to develop peptic ulcers, and smoking can slow down how fast an existing ulcer heals. This guide explains what the…