I used to be a nurse years ago and sometimes the doctors would tell patients not give up smoking until they were a little better.
Of course this was rare and 99% of the time they told people to give up or else. It was usually with patients who were very ill with something acute. One doctor told a patient that because his health was so bad due to his acute problems that the stress of giving up at that time could make him worse.
He did say to him though that as soon as he was well enough that he should quit. The doctors would nearly always tell patients with chronic conditions to give up though as the smoking was adding to their symptoms and even a period of being worse would be better then continuing to damage their lungs.
That does makes
sense though.
I've heard of long term smokers even having the rubbish in their systems cause problems for a while after thy quit but in the end they would be healthier and better able to fight off other diseases.
My partner's father had to have a lung removed in the late 50's because he had cysts in it. The doctor asked him if he smoked and he answered that he had never touched them. The doctor told him to start smoking to "exercise" his remaining lung and make it stronger!!! It's amazing how much the World has changed.
