SMOKING HEALTH ISSUES OF SMOKING AND ITS CURE

Tobacco has been around for millennia, but what we know about the harmful effects of smoking is more recent. According to research, smokers are more likely to die 10 years earlier than non-smokers. The habit is considered injurious to health and can help a person improve their health by deciding to give up on it. 

Is Smoking Injurious to Health?

According to health authorities, Numerous health issues of smoking have been linked to lung cancer since the 1950s. This addicting habit has been linked to a variety of illnesses, including cancer and chronic disorders. Smoking is injurious to our health and our body system.

According to experts, approximately 16 million Indians, especially in the metro cities of Maharashtra, Goa & Karnataka suffer from health issues related to smoking. This habit has been known to claim the lives of around 480,000 individuals each year. For every person who dies, there are at least 30 people who are living with health issues related to smoking.

Can there be less harmful types of tobacco?

When it comes to tobacco use in general, many individuals feel that cigars are safer than cigarettes. The hazards associated with using cigars are similar to smoking cigarettes, the biggest hazard being leading to causing cancer. There's no difference in terms of the safety between cigarettes and chewing or smokeless tobacco products, either. 

According to research, nearly 30 cancer-causing compounds can be found in smokeless tobacco. Tobacco products such as conventional cigarettes are being replaced with electronic cigarettes (vapes), which simply deliver nicotine differently. In a smokeless mist, vaping offers a higher concentration of nicotine than cigarettes (vapor). Asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease, and cancer are among the health concerns associated with vaping.

In what ways can smoking be harmful to health?

Organs in one’s body face a lot of danger due to the use of tobacco products. Besides nicotine, smoking releases more than 5,000 compounds, including several carcinogens, into your lungs, blood, and organs. Smoking can reduce your life by a substantial amount due to the damage it causes. In fact, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is the number one avoidable cause of death in India.

Smoking During Pregnancy 

Smoking tobacco during pregnancy puts the unborn child in danger as well. Pregnancy-related consequences include:

- An ectopic pregnancy is a potentially life-threatening disorder that occurs when an embryo implants outside the uterine cavity.

- Miscarriages

- Stillbirths

- Birth malformations, such as a cleft palate, are a common occurrence in children.

- Birth weight that is too low.

When compared to smoking, is vaping safer?

There is still a lot of uncertainty about the safety of e-cigarettes and their potential risks. The nicotine content of many electronic cigarettes is high. Smoking or chewing tobacco may be used as a gateway to e-cigarettes. The fumes from e-cigarettes can include additional potentially harmful chemicals. Non-nicotine vape components can cause serious and even fatal lung damage.

How are health issues of smoking/ tobacco in smoke diagnosed?

The diagnosis is based on your symptoms. For example, a smoker who gets stomach cancer after ingesting nicotine-laced juice will need different testing than someone who inhales smoke. Tobacco users will be asked about their smoking habits by their healthcare practitioner, who will also do a physical examination and occasionally request tests.

Are there any other diseases or illnesses that cigarettes can cause or worsen?

Smoking is known to cause cancer, but it also causes a host of other chronic health issues that require continuous treatment. Treatment is needed for certain smoking-related disorders, including: 

- A rise in blood pressure with a decrease in HDL cholesterol, increasing risks for heart attack and stroke. 

- Irregular menstruation. 

- The heart and other organs in the body receive less oxygen.

- Regular diseases like colds are more common in youngsters who are exposed to smokers. 

- COPD, asthma, and bronchitis are all caused by poor lung function.

How to Quit Smoking

Stopping smoking prevents you from becoming sick from the habit in the first place. The sooner you give up smoking, the better your health will be. The benefits of giving up smoking include: 

- Longevity.

- Cardiovascular disease is less likely to occur if you reduce your risk. As a result, you'll be less likely to get additional diseases.

- Feeling better and having more energy is a good thing.

- You'll look and feel better as a result of this.

- Your sense of taste and smell will improve as a result of this training.

- Save money by cutting out on unnecessary expenses.

What is the best way to Stop Smoking ?

It is possible to stop smoking in a variety of methods. In order to be successful, you must select a smoking cessation strategy that fits your personality and your lifestyle. You must be emotionally and psychologically prepared for the task at hand. Rather than only thinking about your family or friends who are exposed to secondhand smoke, you should desire to quit smoking for yourself.

How to quit smoking? What are the methods?

- Get rid of all cigarettes, lighters, ashtrays, and surrounding harmful effects of smoking.

- Do you share a house with a smoker? Solicit that they refrain from smoking near you or encourage them to quit smoking together.

- Do not focus on the urges when they occur. Focus instead on the reasons you want to stop.

- Doodling or toying with a pencil or straw are great ways to keep oneself occupied.

- Change any smoking-related behaviours as well. Stop smoking and go for a stroll or read instead.

- Breathe deeply whenever you feel the temptation to smoke. Slowly release it after 10 seconds. Repeat this process numerous times until the temptation to smoke has disappeared. If you want to lower your stress levels, you may also try meditation.

- Avoid locations, people, and situations that you associate with smoking, such as bars, restaurants, and public transportation. Spend time with non-smokers or travel to areas where smoking is prohibited.

- Don't replace smoking with food or sugary drinks. All of these factors might contribute to weight gain. In its place, go for low-calorie, healthful options. Try carrot or celery sticks, sugar-free hard candies, or gum as alternatives to sugary snacks.

- Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages and drink lots of water. Smoking cravings might be triggered by them.

- Make a mental note of the fact that you are not a smoker.

- Don't forget to exercise because it's good for your health and helps you unwind.

Does it matter if you have been smoking for a while?

Quitting will enhance your health at any age and will reduce harmful effects of smoking on you. It is possible to undo the effects of years of smoking with time.

Beneficial effects of quitting occur very immediately:

- Blood pressure and pulse rate decline after 20 minutes, but the warmth of your hands and feet rises as a result of the cooling effect. Aside from that, you're not polluting the air anymore.

- Oxygen and carbon monoxide levels in your blood will increase after eight hours.

- After 24 hours, your chance of having a heart attack falls dramatically.

- As your nerve endings acclimatise to the lack of nicotine, you begin to restore your sense of taste and smell after 48 hours.

- After two to three months, your circulation improves, and you can endure more activity than you were previously able to.

- One to nine months into the treatment, your general energy level improves, and you have less of a coughing fit. Sinus congestion, tiredness and shortness of breath are also reduced as a result of this treatment method.

- Compared to a current smoker, your risk of heart disease is reduced by half after a year of quitting smoking.

- A person's stroke risk drops to that of a non-smoker within five to fifteen years of quitting smoking

- Smokers' lung cancer mortality rate reduces to virtually the same as that of a nonsmoker after 10 years. In addition, you reduce your chance of developing other malignancies.

- It takes 15 years to attain the same level of heart disease risk as someone who never smoked.

Conclusion

When you're ready to give up smoking, you have a wide range of services at your disposal to help you. There are medical clinics, neighborhood pharmacies, and support organizations like Nicotine Anonymous that are ready to assist you. Apps and websites provide support and accountability while you're trying to quit smoking.