Mitchell County Home Health Care & Public Health

Mitchell County Public Health offers a free tobacco cessation counseling program here in Osage for those who need or want to quit tobacco use.  We will provide one on one support, help start a quit plan that works best for you, and educate you on the mutliple nicotine replacement therapies that are available.  We are not here to lecture, we are here to help.  Our staff is trained in the Freedom from Smoking Cessation Program by the American Lung Association.  We provide 2 or 3 times a year as needed. 

Physical Improvements

Following Cessation:

20 Minutes after a smoker quits: 

· Blood Pressure drops to a level close to that before the last cigarette.

· Temperature of hands and feet increases to normal.

8 hours after a smoker quits:

· Carbon monoxide level in blood drops to normal.

2 wks-3 mths after a smoker quits:

· Circulation improves.

· Lung function increases up to 30%

1-9 mths after a smoker quits:

· Coughing, sinus congestion, fatigue, and shortness of breath decrease.

· Cilia regain normal function in the lungs, increasing ability to handle mucus, clean the lungs, and reduce infection.

1 year after a smoker quits:

· Excess risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.

5 years after a smoker quits:

· Stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker’s 5-15 years after quitting.

10 years after a smoker quits:

· Lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker’s.

· Risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, kidneys, and pancreas decreases.

15 years after a smoker quits:

· Risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s.