Health After Smoking

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Admin

http://howtoquitsmokingblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/benefits-of-quitting-smoking.pngIf you are a smoker, you already know that your health is at stake. By understanding the positive changes to your body after you’ve stopped smoking, you will be more likely to stick to your new smoke-free regime.First, it’s important to understand how smoking affects your vital capacity. Ask your doctor to perform a Vital Capacity test to measure the amount of air you take in with each breath. You will be asked to take a deep breath and blow into a device that tells your doctor the volume of air dispelled. Air taken in by healthy lungs holds about 19% oxygen. Smokers take in even less vital oxygen, because the lungs are not able to expand as much. The more you smoke, the lower your vital capacity. Cigarette smokers also double their risk of heart attack, and sudden cardiac death. Additionally more young smokers are killed by stroke than their young non-smoking peers. That’s the bad news.

The good news is that the body has incredible healing powers, and can start to correct the negative effects of smoking within minutes of extinguishing your last buttAccording to the American Cancer Society, these are the estimated healing times following your last cigarette:After 15 minutes: Blood pressure, pulse rate, and body temperature of your hands and feet return to normal.After 8 hours: your oxygen level increases to normal, and the level of deadly carbon monoxide in your system drops After 24 hours: Heart attack risk decreases. You are less likely to have a heart attack in as little as one day after you’ve stopped smoking.

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Smoking, Nicotine and Health

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Admin

http://www.fda.gov/ucm/groups/fdagov-public/documents/image/ucm345272.jpgThe use of tobacco and its resulting nicotine addiction is responsible for killing more than 430,000 people each year in the United States, more people than die from car accidents, homicide, suicide, fire, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and AIDS combined. Tobacco use in some form accounts for around one in three of all deaths from cancer in the United States. Smoking is responsible for 83% of all lung cancer deaths. Smoking also causes cancers of the mouth, larynx, pharynx, esophagus, kidney, bladder, pancreas, uterus, cervix, and some leukemia. Cigarette smoking also can cause lung diseases that can be just as serious as lung cancer. Smokers may develop chronic bronchitis, with their airways blocked up with mucous, forcing them to cough frequently; and, of course, smoking can lead to emphysema, making it difficult for the lungs to perform their function of supplying adequate oxygen to the body. People with these problems tend to tire more easily and this influences them to avoid getting the exercise they need to promote their health.

Cigarette smoking is responsible for more than 65,000 deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema.Your heart is at risk. Smoking doubles the risk of heart attacks, and, in addition, is a major risk factor for peripheral vascular disease, which is the narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood to the leg and arm muscles.Cigarette smokers die much younger than nonsmokers. Based on data collected from 1995 to 1999, the Centers for Disease Control estimated that adult male smokers lost an average of 13.2 years of life and female smokers lost 14.5 years of life because of smoking. For smokers between the ages of 35 and 70 the death rate is three times higher than those who have never smoked.

Tobacco smoke is a major source of indoor pollution. Secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths every year among those who do not smoke, and also is a factor in up to 40,000 deaths related to cardiovascular disease for nonsmokers too. Exposure to tobacco smoke in the home increases the severity of asthma for children and is a risk factor for new cases of childhood asthma.Tobacco is very bad for the reproductive health of a woman, leading to a reduction in fertility and an increased risk of having a miscarriage.

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Smoking And The Health Damages

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Admin

http://data.whicdn.com/images/48456712/431217_429009947165558_831293155_n_large.jpgSmoking carries unhealthy, negative repercussions for your health, career and love life. It is better to give up smoking sooner rather than later. If you feel it will be difficult for you to quit smoking, and you fear withdrawal symptoms and cravings, don’t worry. Smoking cessation drugs such as Chantix and Zyban can help you out. Find out below how harmful and addictive smoking is and how you can quit smoking with the help of medications and aids.Smoking for more than 5 years can cause a variety of health problems. From respiratory disorders such as bronchitis to emphysema and the increased risks of cancers to brain hemorrhage, smoking brings about all these serious health risks. Smoking also leads to various aggravating health problems such as ulcers, laryngitis, high blood pressure, reduced immunity, reproductive problems and osteoporosis. Smokers tend to get tired and depressed easily and the added strain of health problems, make life even more difficult for them.Smoking can cause several irreversible permanent health problems. The habit of smoking for 5 to 10 years can lead to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tumor development, circulatory problems to the heart, brain and legs, loss of vision or vision problems, hip fractures and osteoporosis. It is important to quit smoking before you develop these permanent effects.

The addiction to smoking is caused by nicotine, a harmful ingredient of cigarettes. When we inhale tobacco smoke, nicotine heads straight to the brain and activates the cells in the brain that control pleasure and emotional sensations. By activating these cells, we receive temporary pleasure. Our brain becomes used to this pleasure if we smoke regularly, and demands it time and time again. This process evolves to addiction. Sometimes behavioral addiction plays an important part in smoking.

This takes place if a smoker is addicted to the act of smoking rather than its ingredients.If a smoker is hooked on cigarettes because of nicotine, several aids and drugs can help. Chantix, Zyban and nicotine replacement therapy are some of the recommended medications and aids that are available on the market. If he or she is addicted due to some psychological or environmental pressure, behavior modification and counseling is needed for smoking cessation. Chantix and Zyban are the 2 most popular medications for smoking cessation.

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