Does Smoking or Vaping Put You at Increased Risk for Covid-19?
According to a recent article on Scientific American, the risk of a severe coronavirus infection could be higher for people who smoke or vape.
Though we don’t yet have all the answers about Covid-19, the newest type of coronavirus, we do have a lot of information about how viruses act, and the way smoking effects the immune system, and the evidence strongly suggests that those who smoke or vape are at a much higher risk of developing a severe coronavirus infection.
Both e-cigarette users and smokers have a higher risk of developing chronic lung conditions, which are associated with more severe cases of Covid-19. “It is definitely common sense to think that once you have a history of smoking or vaping, the whole airways, the defense mechanism of your lungs—everything changes”, according to Melodi Pirzada, chief of pediatric pulmonology at NYU Winthrop Hospital on Long Island.
According to the Surgeon General’s Report, posted on the CDC’s website, smoking damages the immune system, making smokers less able to fight off illnesses. The same report goes on to say that viral infections are made worse by smoking. And while there’s less research on vaping, John Hopkins Medicine researchers report increased odds of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) linked to e-cigarettes. And a 2016 study showed that e-cigarette users have a suppressed immune system.
And while it wasn’t the only factor involved, this study of patients hospitalized for Covid-19-induced pneumonia, published in the Chinese Medical Journal, shows that those who didn’t show improvement two weeks after hospitalization, had a higher proportion people with a history of smoking than did the group that improved after two weeks.
What To Do If You Currently Smoke or Vape
It’s safe to say that if you smoke or vape, quitting immediately could definitely make a difference. In fact, you’ll start noticing health benefits sooner than you might think. Though little research has been done on the immediate effects of quitting vaping, they may come close to the improvement seen when a person quits smoking. For instance, just 12 hours after your last cigarette, carbon monoxide levels in your body return to normal, thereby increasing oxygen levels. And in as little as one month, a person’s lung function begins to heal and improve.
With all the precautions you may already be taking to keep your family safe… maybe working from home, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands… it makes sense to take one of the biggest steps you can to improve your health, and do so fast!
Keep It Simple
With all the options for quitting smoking or vaping… pills, patches, gum… it can be hard to know where to start. The problem with all those options, is while they may address the body’s dependence on nicotine, they can also take longer and have a much lower success rate. And they do nothing to address the part of your mind where habit actually originates.
Unlike other smoking or vaping cessation options, hypnosis directly impacts the subconscious mind, where all habits and automatic behaviors originate. Hypnosis can reduce or eliminate cravings. Hypnosis is also a more holistic approach to quitting… instead of “giving up” cigarettes and living with cravings, it can feel like you never smoked at all.
When you’re addicted to something, the neurotransmitters in your brain respond differently. When we stop giving our body that substance, the neurons can’t fire properly. This physical change in the brain—and the time it takes for the body to adapt to a life without nicotine—is one of the reasons it’s so hard to quit smoking without professional assistance. During hypnosis, a physiological change occurs in the brain that enables the rapid and effective establishment of new neural pathways.
And best of all, it’s fast. For most people, only one session is needed. You could be a non-smoker in as little as two hours. Drake Eastburn has helped hundreds of people quit smoking through smoking cessation hypnosis, will you let him help you? Give us a call… you can schedule your session or set up a free consultation. And if you’re worried about leaving the house, we can schedule a session for you virtually… over Zoom, Skype, phone or FaceTime. We’re here to help you stay healthy.