I don’t want to bang on about what harm smoking can do to your body, because you are well aware of that already, I’m sure. The threats of the health hazards are so ‘old hat’ now that no-one even takes any notice anymore. Just one question from me though…in these days of health and fitness, why bother with your five portions of fruit and veggies, and going down the gym three times a week, if you’re not going to give up the ciggies?
Whilst all the messages of smoking causing ill-health are pretty much ignored nowadays, due mainly to overkill I think, I have included in this article a few of the lesser known problems that are caused by smoking:
There are nearly 4000 chemical compounds in every single cigarette that you smoke, and of these, around 400 are toxic to your body. The tip of a cigarette burns at 700 degrees centigrade, whilst the core burns at 60. This combined heating and burning process turns the tobacco into various toxins (poisons, effectively) which is then sucked toward the butt as you inhale. If you smoke a cigarette right up until the filter, this is where you get a much higher level of toxins into your body.
These are the worst of the products:
1) Tar, a carcinogen that causes cancer
2) The addictive substance is nicotine, which raises cholesterol too
3) The oxygen in your body is reduced by carbon monoxide
The damage caused by smoking is influenced by:
1) How many cigarettes you smoke
2) If the cigarette has a filter or not
3) In what way has the tobacco has been prepared
It has been shown that life expectancy can be improved by as much as seven or eight years if you do not smoke, but not only that, recent research has shown that if you continue smoking from a young age, people are dying of smoking related illnesses at much younger ages.
It’s almost unbelievable to say, but there are more people under the age of 70 who die from illnesses related to smoking, than of breast cancer, traffic accidents, drug addiction and AIDS combined.
The more cigarettes you smoke in a day, and the longer you’ve smoked, the higher your risk of lung cancer (OK, you knew that one but I thought I’d sneak it in anyway as it’s kind of important). Similarly, the risk rises the deeper you inhale and the earlier in life you started smoking. For ex-smokers, it takes approximately 15 years before the risk of lung cancer drops to the same as that of a non-smoker.
Also if you smoke, the risk of contracting mouth cancer is four times higher than for a non-smoker. Cancer can start in many areas of the mouth, with the most common being on or underneath the tongue, or on the lips. Many smokers are not aware of the increased risk of getting these cancers. Smoking is the most common cause of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and is responsible for 80 per cent of cases.
A further illness affecting the lungs is emphysema, which 94 percent of a pack a day smokers have when their lungs are examined post mortem (when they’re dead!). Compare that to a non smokers lungs of which 90 percent have little o none. Not too impressive huh!
In smokers, the rate of decline in lung function can be three times the usual rate. As lung function declines, breathlessness begins. As the condition progresses, severe breathing problems can require hospital care. The final stage is death from slow and progressive breathlessness, a truly dreadful way to go.
And now one especially for the guys…did you know that smoking can affect your favourite person…yes, I am talking about mini-you! Men in their 30s and 40s can begin to suffer from erectile dysfunction because smoking can cause damage to blood vessels in various parts of your body. If the vessels are not functioning well in the penis, the blood cannot get there to do it’s job. Nicotine narrows those arteries…that should give you something to think about!
Don’t think that because you have no problems now, that you won’t. Oh no…this narrowing problem increases over time so things could get worse later on (no apologies for scare tactics here). More importantly, a smoker with erectile problems should see a doctor, as this can be an indicator that cigarettes have already damaged other blood vessels, including those that supply blood to the heart.
The smoke that you do not inhale and is released from your cigarette between puffs actually carries a higher risk than inhaled smoke. Maybe it’s time for a little thought for your non smoking partner, kids, friends, etc., (yeah, I’m trying the guilt trip tactic now).
Children who grow up in a home where one or both of their parents smoke have twice the risk of getting asthma and asthmatic bronchitis. They also have a higher risk of developing allergies. Infants under two years old are more prone to severe respiratory infections and cot death.
Passive smoking has also been widely documented and the link between that and lung cancer is pretty well established, although the link between passive smoking and heart disease is not conclusive. What you can be sure of though, is that as a non smoker or an ex smoker, you can look forward towards a happier and healthier old age.
Please do yourself and all those who love you (actually those who don’t but have to be near you when you are polluting the air as well) a huge favour. There are 100’s of stop smoking programmes out there to help you, so quit smoking NOW!