By Dr Ritesh Kohli, MD
(Internal Medicine Specialist)
People have many questions about tobacco that can sometimes be hard to answer. These usually include questions regarding cigarettes, cigars, nicotine addiction and quitting. Today we shall talk about the hazards of smoking and its ill effects on a person’s health.
Why do people begin to smoke?
Most people begin smoking as teens, usually as a result of curiosity and peer pressure. People with friends or parents who smoke are more likely to take up smoking than those who don’t. The tobacco industry’s ads and promotions are a major influence in our society.
What in cigarette smoke is harmful?
Cigarette smoke is a complex mixture of chemicals produced by the burning of tobacco and its additives. The smoke contains tar, which is a mixture of 4,000 chemicals, 60 of which are known to cause cancer. Cigarette smoke also contains poisonous gases like nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide.
Is there a safe way to smoke cigarettes?
No. All cigarettes can damage the human body. Any smoking is dangerous. Cigarettes are the only legal product whose advertised and intended use, ie smoking, is harmful to the body and causes cancer.
Although some people try to make their smoking habit safer by smoking fewer cigarettes, most smokers find that hard to do. Research has found that smoking as few as 1 to 4 cigarettes a day can lead to serious health outcomes, including an increased risk of heart disease and a higher risk of dying at a younger age. Herbal cigarettes, even without tobacco, give off tar and carbon monoxide and are serious health hazards. The bottom line is – there’s no such thing as a safe smoke.
Is cigarette smoking really addictive?
Yes. The nicotine in cigarette smoke causes an addiction to smoking. Nicotine is an addictive drug (just like heroin and cocaine) for two main reasons:
When taken in small amounts, nicotine creates pleasant feelings that make the smoker want to smoke more.
Smokers usually become dependent on nicotine and suffer physical and emotional (psychological) withdrawal symptoms when they stop smoking. These symptoms include nervousness, headaches, and trouble falling asleep.
Does smoking cause cancer?
Yes. Tobacco use accounts for about one third of all cancer deaths in the world. Smoking causes about 87% of lung cancer deaths. Smoking also causes cancers of the larynx (voice box), mouth, pharynx (throat), oesophagus (food pipe), and bladder, and contributes to the development of cancers of the pancreas, cervix, kidney, and stomach.
Why do smokers have ‘smoker’s cough?’
Cigarette smoke has chemicals that irritate the air passages and lungs. The early morning smoker’s cough happens for many reasons. Normally, tiny hair-like formations (called cilia) beat outward and sweep harmful material out of the lungs. After waking up, the smoker coughs because the lungs are trying to clear away the poisons that built up the previous day.
If you smoke and don’t inhale, is there any danger?
Yes. Wherever smoke touches living cells, it does harm. Pipe and cigar smokers, who often don’t inhale, are still at an increased risk for lip, mouth, tongue, and some other cancers.
How does smoking affect pregnant women and their babies?
Pregnant women who smoke risk the health and lives of their unborn babies. Smoking during pregnancy is linked with a greater chance of miscarriage, premature delivery, stillbirth, infant death, low birth-weight, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Up to 5% of infant deaths would be prevented if pregnant women did not smoke.
When a pregnant woman smokes, the nicotine, carbon monoxide, and other harmful chemicals enter her bloodstream, pass directly into the baby’s body, and keep it from getting vital nutrients and oxygen needed for its growth.
What are some of the short and long-term effects of smoking cigarettes?
Smoking causes many types of cancer, which may not develop for years. But cancers account for only about half of the deaths linked to smoking. Long term, smoking is also a major cause of heart disease, aneurysms, bronchitis, emphysema and stroke, and it makes pneumonia and asthma worse. Wounds take longer to heal and the immune system may be less effective in smokers than in non-smokers. Male smokers have a higher risk of sexual impotence (erectile dysfunction) the longer they smoke. Smoking also causes many short-term effects, such as poor lung function. Because of this, smokers often suffer shortness of breath and nagging coughs. They often will tire easily during physical activity. Some other common short-term effects include decreased ability to smell and taste, premature aging of the skin, bad breath, and stained teeth.
Are menthol cigarettes safer than other brands?
Menthol cigarettes are not safer than any other brand. In fact, they may even be more dangerous. The added menthol produces a cooling sensation in the throat when the smoke is inhaled. It also decreases the cough reflex and covers the dry feeling in the throat that smokers often have. People who smoke menthol cigarettes can inhale deeper and hold the smoke in longer.
Are there some benefits of quitting that I’ll notice right away?
Kicking the tobacco habit offers some benefits that you’ll notice right away and some that will develop slowly over time. These benefits can improve your day-to-day life a lot.
* Food will taste better.
* Your sense of smell returns to normal.
* Ordinary activities no longer leave you out of breath (for example, climbing stairs or doing light housework).
* Quitting also helps stop the damaging effects of tobacco on how you look, including premature wrinkling of your skin and gum disease.
How do people quit smoking?
Quitting for good may mean using methods like step-by-step manuals, self-help classes, counselling, or using medicines like nicotine replacement therapy. Smokers may also need to make changes in their daily routine to help them break their smoking habit.
What are nicotine replacement therapies?
Nicotine replacement therapies (NRTs) are medicines that help to decrease or stop a smoker’s withdrawal symptoms by giving controlled doses of nicotine without the other harmful chemicals of cigarette smoke. NRTs are available as patches, gums, inhalers, nasal sprays, or lozenges. Patches, gums, and lozenges are available over the counter, but you will need a doctor’s prescription for inhalers and nasal sprays. These products work by helping smokers control their physical responses as they quit
