# Healing Lungs: Really the Fastest? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 12, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260 "2005-09-12T16:16:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/1 "2005-09-12T16:16:29Z")
I heard many years ago that your lungs are one of the fastest healing parts of the human body. This was part of an anti-smoking pamphlet that was encouraging people to quit by pointing out that your lungs will quickly recover from the years of damage. So what’s the straight dope on this one? Are your lungs really one of the fastestest healing body parts and can you recover from smoking related damage in a fairly short period of time? ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/2 "2005-09-12T16:21:45Z")
I’ve the same about the tongue. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/3 "2005-09-12T16:29:35Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > I’ve the same about the tongue. Funny, there was another thread today about the tongue healing that inspired this question. So do you think this healing would include damage done by smoking as well as physical injury? ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/4 "2005-09-12T17:27:44Z")
I’n lieu of your name I’d say that any smoke be it cigs or pot is damaging to your lungs. Look at poor Peter Jennings. Smoked for a while then gave it up and 2 decades later died of Lung cancer. Granted smoking out of a waterpipe would be the better of two evils, but I’m sure you already know that 😉 ---
**Author:** ![chaoticbear](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@chaoticbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chaoticbear)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/5 "2005-09-12T17:30:11Z")
Water pipe. Heh. ---
**Author:** ![Bongmaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Bongmaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bongmaster)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/6 "2005-09-12T19:43:21Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > I’n lieu of your name I’d say that any smoke be it cigs or pot is damaging to your lungs. Look at poor Peter Jennings. Smoked for a while then gave it up and 2 decades later died of Lung cancer. Granted smoking out of a waterpipe would be the better of two evils, but I’m sure you already know that 😉 Yeah, I’ve studied the effects of pot smoke for some time now. Opinions vary but its generally conceded that smoking pot is in fact more harmful to your lungs than an equilivent amount of tobacco. I obviously use the “water pipe” primarily but even with water filtration there is an accumulation of the bad stuff in my lungs. But I really wasn’t worried about it at this point, just curious about the body and how some parts heal faster than others. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/7 "2005-09-12T20:13:18Z")
> [@Bongmaster](#): > > So do you think this healing would include damage done by smoking as well as physical injury? No idea, I just recall a schoolmate biting through his tongue (accidentally while playing ball) and it healed incredibly quickly. His doc told him it was either one of the quickest healing parts, or maybe even the quickest healing part. ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/8 "2005-09-12T22:59:27Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > I’n lieu of your name I’d say that any smoke be it cigs or pot is damaging to your lungs. Look at poor Peter Jennings. Smoked for a while then gave it up and 2 decades later died of Lung cancer. Granted smoking out of a waterpipe would be the better of two evils, but I’m sure you already know that 😉 I heard that he started smoking again during/after 9/11. ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/9 "2005-09-12T23:22:07Z")
I have heard it said many times that the Liver is actually the ogran that has the greatest regenerative factor. Of course, I too have heard the same about the lungs, and the same about the eyes. However, I have never heard of anybody regrowing parts of the lungs, and I sure ain’t heard of anybodies eyes growing back. Blind people rarely if ever miracuously see again, and faulty eyesight rarely normalises. The liver, however, will [regenerate](http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/9907/21/liver.transplant/) itself. The Lungs take a lot of damage, and if they didn’t have a good healing rate, I am sure they would fail within years of use. (maybe decades, who knows). The liver takes much more damage, it after all, filters all your toxins (among other things). I doubt any organ comes close to the superhuman powers of the liver! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Epimetheus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/c4cdca/32.png) [@Epimetheus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Epimetheus)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/10 "2005-09-12T23:27:49Z")
Another link: [http://www.hepnet.com/liver/health.html](http://www.hepnet.com/liver/health.html) > [@](#): > > One of the unique capacities of the liver is its ability to regenerate after partial removal or damage, although severe damage can lead to irreversible scarring. ---
**Author:** ![Cagey\_Drifter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@Cagey\_Drifter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cagey_Drifter)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/11 "2005-09-13T01:45:23Z")
> [@SlyFrog](#): > > I heard that he started smoking again during/after 9/11. Must have been the effect of watching footage of smoking buildings on repeat all day for 3 months. ---
**Author:** ![easy\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb8c5e/32.png) [@easy\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/easy_e)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/12 "2005-09-13T02:49:47Z")
I’ve also heard the tongue or mouth. Which is pretty amazing, considering how dirty your mouth is. It doesn’t seem too surprising though, as both the stomach and the intestines have pretty high rates of turnover for their linings. Damage deeper than that (such as in ulcers) takes longer. ---
**Author:** ![LavenderBlue](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e95f7d/32.png) [@LavenderBlue](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LavenderBlue)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2005, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healing-lungs-really-the-fastest/321260/13 "2005-09-13T05:33:47Z")
My mom has emphysema and hasn’t smoked in over three decades ☹ so I also wonder about the alleged healing power of the lungs.