Wiltshire doctor urges people to quit smoking and "add years" to life
The NHS is running its Stoptober campaign this month
A Wiltshire doctor is urging people who smoke to "add months and years" to their life expectancy by quitting this month.
Dr Winni Arumemi-Ikhide is part of the Acute Medical Unit team at Salisbury District Hospital and says smoking is one the most destructive things we can do to our health.
Her call for people to quit comes during the NHS-backed Stoptober campaign, which encourages people to kick the habit for 28 days.
She said: "Smoking can really affect, not just the length of your life, but your quality of life in the long-term as well. It has an impact not just on your lung health, and your future risk of things like lung cancer, chronic obstructive airways disease, but it also has a huge impact on your heart health as well."
The benefits of stopping can be felt within minutes, with heart rate and blood pressure coming down within half an hour, while fine particles in our airways begin clearing gunk built up by smoking.
Dr Arumemi-Ikhide added: "Within a few days, you find that your lungs are clearer, you've got less secretions, that cough that smokers are usually troubled with starts to get better after a few weeks. And several months down the line, you've massively reduced your risks of heart attacks."
She admitted quitting can be tough, but urged people to keep going: "Even though sometimes it feels like you might not be making much progress, it's really important to keep in mind that every day you don't smoke is having a hugely beneficial impact on your health."
Many pharmacies will have cessation services, as does Wiltshire Council with its Smokefree Wiltshire scheme.
The 12-week programme offers personalised one-to-one support, advice on changing habits, as well as discussing the stop smoking aids available to you.
Further information on the Smokefree Wiltshire programme can be found here.