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Dangers of Smoking:Smokers never become old simply because they die younger! Taking in those first few puffs of smoke
as a teenager is never a conscious decision. The initial choice of smoking is made when the
implications of tobacco use and its addiction are not very clear. Here's an article that tells you how
you could be putting yourself in danger by smoking.
Do you think a single drag of smoke would cost you not more than a few quick bucks? Think again. If
you add up all future health expenses to it, then you'll realize that it actually may cost you a huge
fortune.
Now let's closely examine what happens when you slowly inhale smoke.It enters your respiratory
system and causes irritation to the delicate mucosal lining in the lungs. This is because the cigarette
smoke consists of a mixture of toxic chemicals like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and nicotine that
can severely harm your respiratory system. The lung's defense mechanism instantly tries to throw
these toxic fumes out of the body. And hence you start coughing! You continue to inhale smoke
further until it paralyzes the protective lining and crumples your lungs and then your immune system.
Now the cough disappears and the toxic gases travel through your blood to other body systems.
Once nicotine enters the liver, it starts acting like a drug and stimulates the secretion of blood
glucose. At the same time, it acts on the brain causing an increase in heart rate and blood pressure. It
stays in the blood for quite some time before it's excreted by the kidney and liver. You can see how
just one drag of smoke has the capacity to not only compromise your immunity but also make way for
foreign bodies like bacteria, viruses, and the like thus inviting a host of illnesses.
How good does that feel! Not to mention that this euphoria wears off within minutes wanting you to
smoke more and more, to retain that effect.
smokers suffer from such direct damage on a daily basis with each passing cigarette.
Cardiovascular Diseases:
Cigarette smoking is one of the major risk factors for hypertension and fatal heart attacks. The
chemicals in the smoke develop atherosclerosis and lower supply of oxygen to the heart leading to
cardiovascular diseases. However, there's still a glimmer of hope given that the damage already
caused due to the smoke can be reversed.
Once you quit smoking successfully, the risk of developing a heart disease or stroke is the same as
you never smoked. This is not to say that you should wait longer to quit the habit until you are
completely smoke-dried.
Stroke and Gangrene:
The effect of smoking in causing stroke and brain hemorrhage is due to deposition of plaque in blood
vessels. This causes narrowing of blood vessels and reduced blood circulation that may lead to stroke
and paralysis. Smoking may also cause gangrene due to clogged arteries.
Lung Disorders:
The toxins in smoke can cause lung disorders like emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease,
bronchitis, and significant reduction in lung functioning. This is because the alveolar sacs in the
bronchioles that are functional in oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange are damaged.
Smoker's cough is a common symptom that develops as the defense system tries to expel the
chemicals accumulated in the air passage and lungs. Gradually, the respiratory system becomes more
prone to infections due to lowered immunity.
Other Effects:
Nicotine affects the bones, joints and muscles of the body. A single cigarette contains about 9 mg of
nicotine, most of which is burnt off and 1 mg enters your body with each cigarette that you smoke.
This small amount of nicotine can cause severe harm to your body. It causes osteopenia,
osteoporosis, and hence increased chances of fractures and tissue injuries. Smoking may cause loss of
taste, bad breath, dental caries, stained teeth, mouth sores and receding gums. Dry mouth and loss of
appetite are some signs of addiction to smoking.
Infertility:
Smoking impacts women's health by causing infertility, miscarriages, complicated pregnancies and
early menopause. Smoking during pregnancy and breastfeeding can have hazardous effects on the
baby in early childhood and also as they grow up. Smoking is also known to cause sperm
abnormalities leading to infertility in men.
Stats:
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About 33% of male adult population (global) smokes.
Time cut down from one's lifespan is approximately equal to the time indulged in smoking.
Every minute, seven people die of tobacco use.
49 known carcinogenic compounds and 4000 other toxins are contained in a single cigarette.
More than 90% of lung cancer deaths are due to cigarette smoking.
The cost that smokers impose on US economy is more than $193 billion a year.
The effects of smoking are increased by manifold due to the gateway effects. Two important gateways
are children choosing to smoke due to their parents; and the second gateway is that these puffs lead
to many other addictions, even drug abuse. Medical costs incurred from the tobacco-related illnesses
and complicated pregnancies could be the direct costs affecting the national economy. Lower workefficiency, dropping of earnings, higher medical expenses, early retirement (if ever) put an additional
burden on the growth and economy.
Dangers of Smoking , http://www.buzzle.com/articles/dangers-of-smoking.html , By Dr. Maisie M , 4/6/2012
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Abu Al saud , H . M .(2012) "Smoking”
Abu Muhammad Shajaat Ali .