Addiction | Tobacco Free Mass

The Link Between Smoking and Cancer

It is estimated that there are 1.3 billion smokers in the world according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It is expected that smoking will kill approximately 6.5 million people by the year 2015. Statistics show that more than 18 percent of all deaths in the USA annually occur as a result of smoking. In 2009 there were 46 million smokers in the USA alone according to The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) .

It is a well known fact that smoking causes an increase in the prevalence of some types of cancer. Tar has been identified as the primary cause. The smoke itself is seen as cancer causing and affects not only the smoker, but also the nonsmoker who inhales environmental tobacco smoke. A cigarette contains between 60 to 80 different cancer-causing agents.

Which Cancers Does Smoking Cause?

When many people think of smoking and cancer, only lung cancer comes to mind. However, smoking has been linked to many other types of cancer. Six of the cancers most often associated with the habit are:

1. Lung

2. Bladder

3. Mouth

4. Esophageal

5. Throat

6. Larynx

Evidence is also emerging that smoking may have an impact on other cancers such ovarian, liver, stomach, bowel and breast. Research has shown that smoking over time causes a buildup of dangerous poisons in the body which damages the organs and inhibits normal functioning of the body. Some of these toxins are cadmium, benzene and arsenic. Individually these compounds are dangerous, when combined they are deadly. Scientists have found that the blood of smokers has 10 times as much arsenic as that of nonsmokers.

There can be no doubt based on the number of studies done over the years that smoking is a prime cause of cancer in humans. The good news is that for many people, most of the cancers listed above can be prevented by not smoking.

Filed Under: Addiction Tagged With: Cancer, Lung cancer, Smoking

Simple Ways to Help You Quit the Habit

While quitting smoking is hard, there are lots of ways to help people stop. Despite this, it is important to know that many people sometimes have to stop and start over repeatedly before they beat nicotine addiction. This is prove of how addictive nicotine is.

While there are well-known aids such as drugs to help people quit smoking, there are other ways to get the process started. It helps if the smoker makes a list of some of these steps as they work towards their stop smoking goal. The first stage of any such program should include these:

A desire to quit on the part of the smoker. Making a list of all the reasons why you want to quit will help make the decision easier.Start a conditioning program such as going to the gym and eating better so as to get your mind and body in gear.Learn what your triggers are and try to avoid them. Some people smoke when they face great stress others after eating certain types of food. Knowing what sparks cravings can help you avoid them and find other coping methods.Drinking lots of water is believed to help flush out nicotine and related toxins from your body.

Some methods that people all over the globe use to help them beat nicotine are:

Going cold turkeyGradually reducing cigarette smokingUsing medicationUsing herbal therapyUsing traditional means such as acupuncture and meditation

Some methods or combination of methods work best for some people and not for others. To beat addiction of any type is not easy. The person with the addiction must want to stop and be willing to keep going even when they fail. Many former smokers tried to quit numerous times before they succeeded.

Filed Under: Addiction Tagged With: Nicotine, Quitting, Smoking cessation

Women and Smoking: The Added Risks

Women seem to face more risks from smoking. They are exposed to all the known health risks that men face such as cancers of the lung, throat, mouth and larynx, heart and circulatory diseases. However, they have to deal with unique situations as well.

Women who smoke could have fertility issues and problems while giving birth. It has been reported that smokers will generally take over a year to conceive in comparison to nonsmokers. Published reports suggest that the fertilization process in smokers can be impaired.

Babies of smokers are more likely to develop colds, allergies and respiratory illnesses than babies of nonsmokers. These babies may be born prematurely and even when they are full term, babies of smokers tend to be of low birth weight which can have health implications.

Women who use birth control also face certain dangers from smoking. Many ads for birth control products warn that women who smoke may be at increased risks of certain conditions such as blood clots and stroke. According to some of these ads, the danger increases after age 35.

Pre and post-menopausal women also have increased risks of some health conditions if they are smokers. Osteoporosis, bone density loss among older women, can be compounded by smoking. Female smokers lose more bone density than nonsmokers especially as they reach menopause.

It would seem that the cards are stacked against women smokers. The health risks discussed are just a few of the the known dangers when it comes to women and smoking. Thankfully, there are now many ways for women to get help to quit smoking.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Menopause, Smoking cessation, Tobacco smoking

Naturals Ways to Quit Smoking

Every day people try to quit smoking without success. There are many products on the market that are designed for helping people quite the habit, but some want to do it naturally. There are lots of natural methods that smokers can try to help them get over the habit for good.

Herbs

There are many herbs that have been used for years as aids to help people quit. Some of them are quite popular such as St. John’s Wort, Lobelia and Ginseng. Some can be had as pills while others are used in powder form to brew tea.

Acupuncture

This ancient Chinese treatment has helped some smokers quit. The treatment is said to help by changing the taste of cigarettes, which result in the smoker not wanting to smoke. Some acupuncturists use herbs in conjunction with acupuncture to hasten the process of withdrawal and cessation.

Hypnotherapy

Many people who have quit smoking swear by this method. It may not be for everyone, but it may be worth a try.

Just Stopping

For many people it is hard to quit abruptly. However, this has been the route taken by many former smokers who have given up the habit. This is a good method for people who are strong willed as it is easier for them to stop cold turkey, that is, without the use of any other methods. This may have to be tried repeatedly before success is finally achieved.

These methods have proven successful for some smokers, but not everyone will succeed at the first try. Like all addictions, support and encouragement is needed to help the smoker start the quitting process and to stick to it.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Lobelia, Smoking cessation, Tobacco smoking

The Relation Between Smoking And Cancer

Smoking and lung cancer are terms that are commonly used in various situations. There are many people who have been suffering from diseases of the lungs and some of them suffer very severe problems and a very few of them may even suffer from lung cancer. The truth is that the relation between smoking and lung cancer is very high.

There are various reasons for this. The first important factor is that the smoke from the cigarettes contains nicotine that is released from the tobacco. The nicotine is a very addictive substance and at the same time, it is also a carcinogen. A carcinogen is a substance that can cause cancer in a person. Since the nicotine is a carcinogen, it can cause cancer in the person.

The nicotine enters the lungs of the person with each breath when the person draws in the smoke. Once this occurs on a regular basis, the person will start having changes in the tissues of the lungs. The lungs start collecting fluids and there is also infection. The air that enters into the lungs is also not to the full amount. This decreased air entry into the lungs will cause the person to suffer from breathlessness.

Other than the person who smokes, the people who live around the smoker can also be affected by smoking and this is called as the passive smoking. Since the affected individual is not an active smoker, the inhalation of the smoke that is exhaled by a smoker is called as passive smoking. The passive smoking also has the same kind of effect as active smoking. The family members or people living with a smoker are prone to this condition and may also suffer from lung cancer. Cessation of smoking decreases the chances of a person suffering from lung cancer very drastically.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Cancer, Lung, Lung cancer

Quit Smoking The Self-Inflicted Punishment

One of the biggest health challenges facing mankind is unfortunately of their own making. As it is, the world is becoming an unhealthier place to live in because of pollution and environmental degradation. Added to this the menace of smoking is snuffing out many valuable lives in the prime of their youth.

It is unfortunate that millions of people across the world continue with this life-threatening practice even though they are very much aware of the risks associated with it. Smoking is an almost certain route to cancer and a host of other diseases. Though a plethora of laws are floating around in various countries, it is very difficult to implement them unless the end users of cigarettes, i.e. the consumers themselves realize the dangers they are bringing upon them and to society at large

One more dangerous consequence associated with cigarettes is passive smoking or exposure to second-hand smoking as it also called. Imagine a situation in a small apartment where the parents are smokers. They are surely damaging their health irretrievably but what they may not be realizing is that they are also seriously damaging their family members’ health. Passive smoking is as big a health challenge as active smoking in many parts of the world, especially in poor countries where the living conditions are very bad, unhygienic and with lack of ventilation.

To combat this menace, there are many initiatives taking place out there but more needs to be done. There are many ways to quit smoking provided there is a determination and will power amongst the users. More importantly there should be a mass uprising to get the world rid of this menace and a long fight is ahead, especially with the biggest vested interest, i.e. the tobacco manufacturing companies and tobacco cultivators. These people tout death and destruction in the name of creating jobs and opportunities.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Health, Passive smoking, Smoking cessation

How to Identify a Person who Smokes

Many of you may have heard about the harm and health risks of smoking, but how many of you have actually taken care to see the signs of a smoker? Smoking is a habit which can harm both you and your family, it would be better to keep away from it, and try to stop the habit before it gets out of hand. Lung cancer is not the only thing is causes; there are many other health risks.

One of the main sign of a smoker is the fingers and the teeth. The fingers would have a yellowish tinge, while the teeth would be stained. This is because the cigarettes contain nicotine, the chemical responsible for various health risks in you. It is a strong one and can cause addiction to the person using it. Nicotine has the ability to stain the nails and teeth.

Dark lips are a quality, albeit a subtle one. A person who smokes is said to have a darker lips than his normal color when he smokes. Another unstable sign is the smell. You can say whether a person has been smoking by the smell on his clothes but you can’t be hundred percent sure. This is because the smell sticks on to the cloth when the person is around smokers as well.

Also, people who have the habit of smoking get wrinkles and crow’s feet around their eyes much earlier than others who don’t. This is definitely bad news for the people who are extremely beauty conscious. Smoking is a habit which can make you look older than you actually are. In fact, it also affects your health. You can easily get out of breath or have eyes which look red.

Doctors who are experienced can identify heavy smokers at a glance. If you have the habit of smoking then it would be better to try to stop it and lead a healthy life.

Filed Under: Addiction Tagged With: Health effects of tobacco, Nicotine, Tobacco smoking

Benefits of Quitting

Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances, which upon ingestion gets distributed rapidly in the bloodstream, crosses blood-brain barrier. Nicotine inhaled can reach the brain in about 7 seconds. Nicotine has a half life of 2 hours in the body. Nicotine is ingested in various ways which include smoking, chewing tobacco etc. Once people get addicted to smoking they find it hard to quit unless they are determined to do so.

Once a person stops smoking, his pulse rate and blood pressure returns back to normal range and the hand and feet temperature also increases and returns to normal. The Carbon Monoxide levels in the blood drops and as a result the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood increases and the risk of heart attack decrease. Along with it the nerves starts regenerating and in turn improves the sense of smell and taste. The cilia lining the lungs start to re-grow and assist in keeping the lungs healthy and prevent any foreign particles from entering the respiratory tract. There will be an improvement in the circulation of blood to the lungs increasing the lung function and allowing efficient transfer of oxygen to the blood. The risk of getting a coronary also drops drastically compared to that of a smoker.

Even though a person can’t quit smoking in a day, it will take some time to get over the habit. To achieve it, the person should have a strong will, determination and focus. Once it is achieved, it does more good than one can realize. Once the person quits smoking, his life expectancy increases, the person lives longer and also have a healthy body, skin and mind. It is never late for anyone to kick a habit that causes more harm than benefit. And here smoking causes only harm without any benefit.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Carbon Monoxide, Smoking cessation

Why Smoking Is Injurious To Health

Smoking is injurious to health is a term that we have been listening for a number of years. The irony of the situation is that all the cigarette packets also carry this message but still we see people smoking cigarettes in such a manner as if they are proud for this act of theirs. Rather, they should be shameful for this act because they are doing something deliberately which they know is harmful for their health. It is the same situation when a person keeps on walking straight in false pride even when he knows there is a pit ahead on the road and he would fall in it.

Let us try to understand as to why smoking is injurious to health. Lungs of the person are affected to a greater extent because of smoking. This gives rise to lung related health problems such as asthma. The matter of the concern is that smoking doesn’t just affect the person but other people who are stand beside him, when he is smoking. Such people who are there while smoking are termed as passive smokers and they are also affected by this act of the active smoker.

In addition to lung related problems, it also gives rise to kidney diseases as well. People who smoke are also prone to diseases like high blood pressure, cervical cancer and diabetes. People who are in professions such as singing, teaching and acting are advised not to smoke as it affects their voice box a lot something which becomes really difficult to treat, later on.

Quitting smoking also has very less withdrawal symptoms, thus, anybody who is smoking can quit it easily with the help of doctor who can help in case of any withdrawal symptoms. So if you are a smoker, quit smoking today and save your life!

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Health, Smoking cessation, Withdrawal

The Top Ways To Quit Smoking

Smoking is one of the major problems in society. This is because of the diseases that smoking can cause in the person who is smoking. Other than causing diseases in the person who smokes, cigarettes and the tobacco can also cause problems in the person who is near a person who is smoking too.

A smoker can try to make sure that he quits smoking if some of the methods that are listed here are followed. The first thing that the smoker needs to know is that smoking can lead to health problems for him and also for the other people who love around him. There are several people who are still ignorant of these problems. Only a percentage of the population knows of all the health problems that can be caused by smoking. All the others need to be educated on the health problem that can be caused by this habit.

After the awareness is created, the smokers must be given a chance to come clean. This can be done by giving them tips to overcome smoking. Some of them can be asked to chew gum that helps to overcome smoking. There are some chewing gums that help to overcome smoking by creating an alternate sense of satisfaction in smokers.

Some of the smokers can be distracted from smoking by asking them to start a hobby in which they are interested. There are several kinds of hobbies that can be started by the person. They can start some things like musical instruments playing, singing, philately and others. All this causes the energy of the person to be focused on other methods and helps them to quit smoking. In case a person is not able to quit smoking in any of these methods, then the person should make sure that he uses the help of a counselor or a therapist.

Filed Under: Addiction, Health Tagged With: Cigarette, Smoking cessation, Tobacco smoking