Health risks associated with smoking

Tobacco use plays a role in many diseases which ultimately lead to death or disability. With over 4000 chemical compounds present in the inhaled smoke, several of which are known carcinogens, it's no wonder that the effects of smoking are so destructive.

What are the two big diseases you think of being related to smoking? Chances are they are lung cancer and emphysema, neither of which is the number one killer of smokers. Heart disease holds first place. Researchers report that worldwide, there were 1,690,000 premature deaths from cardiovascular disease among smokers in the year 2000. In contrast, there were “only” 850,000 lung cancer deaths from smoking in the same year.

The effects of smoking hold additional risks for women. Those who smoke throughout their pregnancies increase the risk of:

Spontaneous abortion/miscarriage

Ectopic pregnancy

Abruptio placentae

Placenta previa

Premature rupture of the membranes

Premature birthRisks to the fetus include:

Smaller infant(for gestational age)

Stillborn infant

Birth defects, e.g. congenital limb reduction

Increased nicotine receptors in baby's brain

Increased likelihood of child smoking as a teenager

Possible physical and mental long-term effects

Let's take a look at how tobacco affects us from head to toe. You may be surprised at some of the ways smoking has a negative impact on our health.

Hair:

Smell and staining

Brain and Mental Effects:

Stroke(cerebrovascular accidents)

Addiction/withdrawal

Altered brain chemistry

Anxiety about harm caused by smoking

Eyes:

Eyes sting, water and blink more

Blindness(macular degeneration)

Cataracts

Nose:

Less sense of smell

Thyroid:

Graves Disease

Thyroid Disease

Skin:

Wrinkles

Premature aging

Teeth:

Discoloration and stains

Plaque

Loose teeth

Gum disease(gingivitis)

Mouth and Throat:

Cancers of the lips, mouth, throat and larynx

Sore throat

Reduced sense of taste

Breath smells of smoke

Hands:

Poor circulation(cold fingers)

Peripheral vascular disease

Tar stained fingers

Respiration and Lungs:

Lung Cancer

Cough and sputum

Shortness of breath

Colds and flu

Pneumonia

Asthma

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema)

Complicates Tuberculosis

Heart:

Harms, blocks and weakens arteries of the heart

Heart attack

Chest:

Cancer of the oesophagus

Liver:

Cancer

Abdomen:

Stomach and duodenal ulcers

Cancer of stomach, pancreas and colon

Aortic aneurysm

Kidneys and bladder:

Cancer

Bones:

Osteoporosis

Spine and hip fractures

Spine:

Degenerative Disc Disease

Male reproduction:

Sperm: deformity,loss of motility, reduced number

Infertility

Impotence

Female reproduction:

Period pains

Earlier menopause

Cancer of cervix

Infertility and delay in conception

Blood:

Leukemia

Legs and Feet:

Increased leg pain and gangreneP

Peripheral vascular disease

Beurger's Disease

Immune System:

Weakened

Smoking is destructive and deadly. If you currently smoke, use this information to help you build the resolve you need to quit this addiction that will kill you, given the chance. Take a look at the positive effects on your body once you quit, of which there are many. We humans are incredibly resilient, and our bodies can heal so much, even after years of smoking. After the Last Cigarette healing begins to take place within just 20 minutes.

The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr's Easyway Method

Allen Carr was a great man whose book has helped so many people to give up smoking. This book has worked for so many people that it must be a first choice for anyone looking for help with quitting. Allen Carr’s innovative Easyway method—which he discovered after his own 100-cigarette-a-day habit nearly drove him to despair—has helped millions kick smoking without feeling anxious and deprived. That’s because he helps smokers discover the psychological reasons behind their dependency, explains in detail how to handle the withdrawal symptoms, shows them how to avoid situations when temptation might become too strong, and enables them to stay smoke-free. Carr discusses such issues as nicotine addiction; the social “brainwashing” that encourages smoking; the false belief that a cigarette relieves stress; the role boredom plays in sabotaging efforts to stop; and the main reasons for failure. With this proven program, smokers will be throwing away their packs for good. Click on the link if you want to try this method.

Start'em young!!!!

WHAT ARE THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO STOP CIGARETTE SMOKING?

There are many different ways to stop smoking and I'll describe a sampling of the most effective ones below. But remember that there are many different approaches and the best method for one person may not be the best method for another. Also, it's common for people to make several "quit attempts" before they finally succeed. So if you try one approach and it doesn't work for you -- don't give up! Try again using another approach instead of, or in addition to, the one you tried.

Cigarette smoking involves both a physical addiction to nicotine and a psychosocial habit, so effective interventions typically include components that address BOTH of these factors.
Physical addiction: Many people can successfully quit by going "cold turkey." But those who are more physically dependent on nicotine (generally those who smoke within 30 minutes of waking up and/or who smoke more than 20 cigarettes per day) are more likely to succeed if they gradually "wean" themselves off of nicotine before trying to quit altogether. This makes it easier by decreasing their experience of unpleasant withdrawal symptoms when they quit.

One effective way to wean yourself is by using nicotine replacement products, such as nicotine patches or nicotine gum. There are advantages and disadvantages to each of these methods (e.g., the patches are much easier to use, but the gum can provide a nicotine "hit" on demand), but a full discussion of these is beyond the scope of this post.

Both nicotine gum and nicotine patches are now available "over-the-counter," that is, without a prescription. But remember that they are a little pricey and they are not "magic pills" -- studies have found that quit rates are much higher when nicotine replacement products are used in combination with "cognitive-behavioral" approaches that also address your smoking habit.

Another effective approach for weaning yourself off of nicotine is called "nicotine fading." It involves progressively switching to cigarette brands with lower and lower nicotine levels before quitting altogether -- a typical schedule is to switch once a week for 3 weeks to brands with 30%, 60%, and then 90% less nicotine than you started with.

One potential problem with this approach is that some smokers "compensate" for lower nicotine levels by smoking more cigarettes, taking more puffs off of each cigarette, and/or puffing more deeply and this can lessen the effectiveness of nicotine fading.

But there are things you can do to decrease the compensation problem -- you can be aware of it and minimize these behaviors, and you can delay a brand switch for a few days if you notice that you're compensating (some people's bodies take a little longer to adjust and they will naturally stop compensating after a few extra days). Besides being inexpensive, this approach to "weaning" can also help you develop confidence in your ability to exercise some control over your smoking habit before you stop smoking altogether.

Smoking habit: One effective approach for addressing your smoking habit is called "relapse prevention." This involves identifying your personal "triggers," "cues," or "high-risk situations" for smoking, and then developing "tools" or "coping skills" for dealing with them. Triggers can be a wide variety of things -- people, places, events, emotions. Do you smoke after meals, at parties, when you're angry or anxious or bored, or in your car?

Once you've identified the situations that are likely to put you at risk for relapsing after you've quit, you can develop ways to cope with them. If you smoke when you're anxious, learn a deep breathing skill or work on some calming thoughts you can say to yourself when you're nervous (e.g., "Calm," "Relax"). If you smoke, when you're bored, make a list of 10 things you can do instead of smoke and keep it handy for after you've quit. If you smoke after dinner, plan to go for a walk each night after dinner instead. In other words, plan ahead and develop ways to avoid, escape from, or cope with the things that might trigger you to return to smoking after you've quit.

Continue to identify difficult situations after you quit and continue to work on improving your coping skills so that you can stay smoke free. If you slip, don't give up! -- examine the situation to identify hidden or new triggers, develop some new coping skills or strengthen your existing ones, then set another quit date, and try again.

Another effective approach for addressing your smoking habit is to develop a quit smoking contract with yourself -- plan to give yourself small rewards for each day, and progressively larger rewards for increasingly longer periods of time, that you stay smoke free.

Yet another effective approach is to develop a support system for quitting -- ask a non-smoking friend or family member to be your "buddy," someone you can call to help you through tough times and someone who can help reward you for time smoke free (by doing one of your household chores for you for a full day smoke free, by taking you to lunch for being smoke free for a whole week).

Remember, combining approaches that address both your physical addiction and your smoking habit is most likely to be effective...and, as the old adage says, "If at first you don't succeed -- Try, Try again!"

Smoking kills! That's what it says on the packets.
Saw this funny video and thought of this blog.
WARNING: This ad is not for animal lovers. Don't say I didn't tell you, but it made me chuckle.

Anti-Smoking Commercial - FUNNY!

A carpet layer demonstrates why smoking kills.

You know it makes sense

You know it's bad for you. You know it's costing you a whole lot of money. You know you should stop. Here I'm trying to gather all the stuff I can find to help you. Do it now. Find the way you think will work for you and DO IT NOW! Quit smoking and feel a whole lot better. Give up smoking and feel good again. The only thing that is stopping you is YOU. If you want to quit smoking tobacco you have won half the battle. Let's throw those cigarettes in the trash and breathe a deep sigh of relief.



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