Did you know that almost one in five people in New Brunswick uses tobacco regularly?  That’s one of the highest rates in Canada.  Sheppard Chiropractic Centre cares about the health of the people in our community.  That’s why we blog about healthy eating, regular exercise, mental wellness, and healthy lifestyles, like living smoke-free.

Why give up cigarettes?

Firstly, smoking increases the risk of poor eyesight, macular degeneration, and cataracts.

Secondly, smoking outside may decrease your family’s exposures to the toxins from your tobacco, but it does not eliminate them entirely. If you don’t want to expose your children, your partner or your pets to toxins on your hands, clothes, hair or possessions, then you need to quit.

Harmful toxins remain behind in places where people have smoked previously. Research by the American Academy of Pediatrics has discovered that “third hand smoke” remains harmful.  That means that your cigarette leaves toxins behind in your surroundings, on your clothes, and on your skin, for other people to come into contact with…  They remain long after the cigarette is gone, and also these toxins still have negative effects.

Monkey see, monkey do: the longer children see their parents smoking, the more likely it is that they will grow up to be smokers too.

Every year, house fires are attributed to smoking.  You may not be a careless person, but it only takes one accident to start a fire.

Finally, smoking has a negative effect on your entire body.  Your endurance, your immune system, your athletic performance, your mental focus, your musculo-skeletal system…  All of them work better when you’re breathing fresh air instead of nicotine and toxin filled smoke.

Remember that vaping is not a “harmless” alternative to smoking.

If you smoke, it’s time to say “good riddance” to increased risk of disease, second-hand effects on others, and the discomfort of being a smoker in a cold, rainy, snowy climate.  Make a choice for your health.  Your body will thank you for it.