Perhaps you or a loved one has resolved to quit smoking this year, a recent report from the U.S. surgeon general provides some eye-opening information about the serious health hazards of tobacco smoke.
The surgeon general says there is no safe level of tobacco smoke exposure. Even occasional smoking and secondhand smoke is harmful to your health because it causes immediate inflammation and damage to blood vessels and makes blood more likely to clot. This means just one cigarette could be enough to trigger a heart attack or stroke in someone at risk.
The surgeon general's report notes that cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic and cancer-causing. Lung cancer is not the only cancer it can cause.
It can cause cancers throughout the body. A few examples include mouth, larynx, kidney and bladder cancer. There is also evidence that pancreatic cancer could be linked to tobacco smoke exposure. Smoking can interfere with your body's ability to fight cancer, even those not related to tobacco. In some cases, it can even help tumors grow. The chemicals in cigarette smoke also lead to serious respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Women experience additional health consequences related to tobacco smoke exposure. It can cause irregular periods, early menopause, osteoporosis and infertility. The surgeon general says women who smoke during pregnancy are at higher risk for ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight and miscarriage. Simply put, if you smoke during pregnancy, your baby is smoking, too. If your partner smokes, you should know that chemicals in tobacco smoke damage the DNA in sperm, which may also lead to decreased fertility and birth defects, says Doctor DIANE HOOD
The risk of developing life-threatening, smoker-related diseases is even worse for post-menopausal women and women taking birth control pills. Women who smoke and who also take oral contraceptives may have an increased risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. If you are a woman smoker aged between 35 and 64, you are statistically nearly five times more likely to suffer from a stroke than a non-smoking woman of the same age.
Smoking women are at a higher risk of early menopause and infertility. If women smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day or if they had started smoking before they were 18 years of age, then they are placed at a greater risk of infertility. Women who smoke are also at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis and other degenerative bone disorders. Mothers who smoke carry the addictive substance called nicotine directly to the baby through their bloodstream. Women smokers who are pregnant run a greater risk of pregnancy complications, pre-term deliveries, miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant deaths. If a women smokes while pregnant, she has a 33% higher chance of losing her baby before or just after its birth.
The surgeon general says there is no safe level of tobacco smoke exposure. Even occasional smoking and secondhand smoke is harmful to your health because it causes immediate inflammation and damage to blood vessels and makes blood more likely to clot. This means just one cigarette could be enough to trigger a heart attack or stroke in someone at risk.
The surgeon general's report notes that cigarette smoke contains more than 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic and cancer-causing. Lung cancer is not the only cancer it can cause.
It can cause cancers throughout the body. A few examples include mouth, larynx, kidney and bladder cancer. There is also evidence that pancreatic cancer could be linked to tobacco smoke exposure. Smoking can interfere with your body's ability to fight cancer, even those not related to tobacco. In some cases, it can even help tumors grow. The chemicals in cigarette smoke also lead to serious respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Women experience additional health consequences related to tobacco smoke exposure. It can cause irregular periods, early menopause, osteoporosis and infertility. The surgeon general says women who smoke during pregnancy are at higher risk for ectopic pregnancy, low birth weight and miscarriage. Simply put, if you smoke during pregnancy, your baby is smoking, too. If your partner smokes, you should know that chemicals in tobacco smoke damage the DNA in sperm, which may also lead to decreased fertility and birth defects, says Doctor DIANE HOOD
The risk of developing life-threatening, smoker-related diseases is even worse for post-menopausal women and women taking birth control pills. Women who smoke and who also take oral contraceptives may have an increased risk of suffering from a heart attack or stroke. If you are a woman smoker aged between 35 and 64, you are statistically nearly five times more likely to suffer from a stroke than a non-smoking woman of the same age.
Smoking women are at a higher risk of early menopause and infertility. If women smoke more than a pack of cigarettes a day or if they had started smoking before they were 18 years of age, then they are placed at a greater risk of infertility. Women who smoke are also at a higher risk of developing osteoporosis and other degenerative bone disorders. Mothers who smoke carry the addictive substance called nicotine directly to the baby through their bloodstream. Women smokers who are pregnant run a greater risk of pregnancy complications, pre-term deliveries, miscarriages, stillbirths, and infant deaths. If a women smokes while pregnant, she has a 33% higher chance of losing her baby before or just after its birth.
Tests have shown that women may, on an average, find it harder to give up smoking than men. This is despite the fact that women are often more at risk of developing smoking related diseases than men. A woman's menstrual cycle can affect the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. Women who are pregnant, or are intending to become pregnant, should generally not use Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) because of the damage that nicotine can cause to the fetus. Women who are breast-feeding should not use NRT because the nicotine that passes into the system can easily enter the breast milk.
Though giving up smoking is difficult, it can be achieved with strong determination and discipline. If you want to quit smoking you can keep away or hide your matches, lighter, and ashtrays. On getting the urge to smoke, take a deep breath and hold it for five to ten seconds. Don't let anyone smoke in your house. Try chewing gum or eat some fruits whenever you feel like smoking. To stay away from smoking, cultivate good habits like reading books or going for walks, join a support group, or talk to your health care provider. Exercise regularly and keep yourself busy.
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