Smoking Health Risks - Harmful Effects Of Smoking Cigarettes

Smoking carries a myriad of risks to your health, causing just about every detrimental disease imaginable. The reasons for smoking are numerous, stress being just one of many components, but the addiction to nicotine defies all logic, particularly when knowing it's the dire effects.

Health Risks:

Heart disease is the leading killer of people in the United States. Additionally, it is the leading cause of death in smokers. Other risks and effects include:

• Stroke


• Loss of smell and taste


• Nicotine addiction and withdrawal


• Thyroid disease


• Wrinkles and aging prematurely


• Discolors the teeth


• Bad breath and gum disease


• Cancers of the digestive tract beginning at the mouth


• Diseases of the lung including cancer, bronchitis, emphysema


• Arterial disease including the heart and peripheral arteries


• Cancers of the blood, liver, lungs, abdomen, kidneys, and bladder


• Weakens the immune system

Gender risk factors:

• Men: Sperm deformity, loss of motility, reduced number, infertility, impotence


• Women: Painful menstrual cycles, early menopause, cervical cancer, fertility problems

Risks to a developing fetus:

• Smaller and low birth weight infant


• Stillbirth


• Birth defects


• Increased nicotine brain receptors


• Increased chance of child being a teen smoker


• Possible anxiety disorders as an adult

Every eight seconds, someone in the world dies of a smoking related illness.

A smoker is not hard to detect. Their hair and clothes reek of the odor of cigarette smoke, not to mention the smoke of smell of smoke on their breath. Walking into a smoker's home, the first thing you notice is the smell of stale smoke in the air and on the furniture. You will also notice a chronic cough. Now, this is not to say that every time somebody coughs, that they are a smoker. Actually coughing is good in keeping your lungs clear, but if the cough is constant, and is accompanied phlegm, sputum, or blood, this is indicative of a possible serious condition, such as bronchitis, emphysema, or cancer. This is when a visit with a health care professional is warranted.

Cigarettes contain a harmful and addictive carcinogen called nicotine. This substance is just as addictive as heroine, and may be harder to let go of. Withdrawing from smoking is not an easy endeavor. Many have tried thousands of times to quit and were unsuccessful, that's why it is called an addiction. It is important to try to stop smoking, as your years of life can increase. It is never too late.

If you are a smoker, your doctor can help you with several ways to stop. It won't be easy, but you've got to try. Smoking is like committing suicide, by slowly killing yourself. Think of the money you will save. Cigarettes currently cost about $5 to $6 or more per pack. If you are a 1 pack per day smoker and spend $6 per pack, that is $42 week, or $2184 per year you spend on cigarettes. Can you think of other things you can do with that kind of money instead of spending it on ruining your health?

by Barb Hicks RN/LMT