Another consideration to quit smoking with all this smoke

If you live in Southern Oregon and you don’t smoke, you might be having trouble breathing, or feeling a burning sensation in your throat, or experiencing headaches as a side effect.  The smoke in the air has been at hazardous levels for days.  Our bodies were not meant to breath in smoke, whether unintentional as a byproduct of fires, or intentional like a cigarette.  If you do smoke, maybe our toxic air has given you an opportunity to think about what the inhaled smoke from cigarettes is doing to your lungs and body.  Smoke has a deleterious effect on the body and even your bones are affected.  It can make you prone to osteoporosis and bone fractures by reducing the blood supply to your bones and other body tissues.  Smoking also decreases the body’s ability to absorb calcium, which is necessary for strong bones.  It also affects the hormones in your body that assist with building and maintaining a strong skeleton.  As many smoking pre-operative patients at Paragon Orthopedic Center have discovered, Dr. Bents and Dr. Van Horne will tell you you cannot have surgery without a complete cessation of smoking because research concludes you will heal slowly and have a higher likelihood of a failed surgery if you smoke.  Hip fractures are higher in smokers and a fracture of your hip is something you want to avoid if at all possible.  The University of California Irving (UCI) has some fantastic information with a great graphic about how smoking affects your bones.  It is information you need if you smoke.  If you don’t smoke, educate yourself to help loved ones quit.  Click on the link here:

https://www.ucihealth.org/blog/2018/11/smoking-bone-health