| Smoking |
| Tobacco is a mood altering substance that has been used for thousands of years. Today it is used by smoking cigarettes. Tobacco smoke contains 1000's of chemical aspects but the main thing concerning its addictiveness, is nicotine. Nicotine acts as a stimulant on the central nervous system; when nicotine is ingested, adrenaline production increases, raising the blood pressure and heart rate. Nicotine also affects the overall metabolic rate, the regulation of body temperature, the degree of tension in the muscles, and the levels of certain hormones. These and other metabolic changes create a pleasurable sensation in the user that often and strangely is experienced as a feeling of relaxation. This pleasurable sensation is something that makes tobacco so addictive. Another is the fact that tolerance to the effects of nicotine develops quickly. So the amount needed to achieve the desired effect increases. Once addicted, your body depends on the presence of nicotine. If you then quit smoking, withdrawal symptoms occur and include: anger, anxiety, irritability, frustration, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite, headache, restlessness, stomach cramps, a slowed heart rate, a rise in blood pressure, and, most of all, an intense craving for nicotine. Even though it is difficult to stop smoking, many people do it every day. There are many reasons to quit. Cigarettes are a factor in approximately 17% of all deaths in the United States each year that's 350,000 - 400,000 people. This is more than the number of deaths from alcohol, illegal drugs, traffic accidents, suicide, and homicide combined. Tobacco smoking causes an estimated 33% of all cancer deaths, 25% of fatal heart attacks, and 85% of deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It accounts for at least 85% of lung cancer cases. Many other health problems have been linked to smoking as well, including angina, arteriosclerosis, cataracts, chronic bronchitis, corectal cancer, diarrhea, emphysema, heartburn, high blood pressure, impotence, peptic ulcers, respiratory ailments, urinary incontinence, circulatory ailments, and cancers of the mouth and throat, especially among cigarette smokers who also consume alcohol and/or use mouthwash containing alcohol. Smoking increases the risk of catching colds and lengthens recovery time. Tobacco smoke paralyzes the cilia (hair-like protrusions lining the nose and throat), reducing their capacity to clear the passages by moving mucus and the cold viruses trapped within it to the outside. Nicotine has long been known to be a deadly toxin. A single pinhead-sized drop of liquid nicotine, introduced directly into the bloodstream, would be fatal. At the doses normally ingested by smokers, nicotine makes the heart pump faster and work harder, increasing the likelihood of heart disease. It also constricts the peripheral blood vessels, contributing to circulatory disorders such as Raynaud's phenomenon and hardening of the arteries. And nicotine is not the only ingredient in cigarettes that poses a danger to health. Over 4,000 chemical substances have been identified as constituents of cigarette smoke, and at least 43 of these substances are known to cause cancer in humans. Cigarette smoke contains carbon monoxide, benzene, cyanide, ammonia, nitrosamines, vinyl chloride, radioactive particles, and other known irritants and carcinogens. Carbon monoxide binds to hemoglobin, interfering with the transport of oxygen throughout the body. Carbon monoxide also promotes the development of cholesterol deposits on artery walls. These two factors increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. Hydrogen cyanide causes bronchitis by inflaming the lining of the bronchi. Over the long term, smoking dramatically reduces flow of blood to the brain. Men who have smoked for years are more likely to have abnormally low penile blood pressure, which contributes to impotence. This is probably because smoking damages the blood vessels, including the tiny blood vessels that supply the penis. It also contributes to sterility; the sperm of men who smoke have less ability than that of nonsmokers to penetrate, and thus to fertilize, an egg. Women cigarette smokers tend to experience menopause earlier, face a greater risk of osteoporosis after menopause, and have a much higher risk of developing cervical or uterine cancer. They also appear less fertile and have more difficulties during pregnancy. Smokers tend to have more miscarriages, stillbirths, and premature deliveries. Their babies often are smaller and have more health problems than babies of nonsmokers. Infants whose mothers smoke both during pregnancy and after childbirth appear to be three times as likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as infants of nonsmokers. Children whose fathers smoke also face an increase in health problems. Children of male smokers have been shown to be at a higher than normal risk of developing brain cancer and leukemia. Smoking has a detrimental effect on nutrition. Smokers break down vitamin C about twice as fast as nonsmokers. This can deprive the body of adequate amounts of one of the most powerful and versatile antioxidants at our disposal. Other antioxidant vitamins are depleted as well. Cigarette smoke contains high concentrations of nitrogen dioxide ozone, a compound that oxidizes the antioxidant vitamins and is also known to do damage to DNA. The accelerated antioxidant usage, in combination with the DNA damage, speeds the aging process |
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