Tobacco and Smoking :
In today’s generation of accelerated modernization consuming tobacco and smoking are so normalized that it is often seen as a sign of grownup and a cool practice without knowing the damages it does to our body.
The need to do something adventurous and peer pressure marks the onset of the vicious cycle of chain smoking and tobacco chewing which makes the person addicted to this habit and with increased age this habits continue which leads to severe disease in our body. Not only direct smoking, but passive smoking also harms our body vitals and different organs.
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Although rates of smoking have declined, it is estimated that it leads to about 480,000 deaths yearly. According to data The overall rates of death from cancer are twice as high among smokers as nonsmokers, with heavy smokers having a four times greater risk of death from cancer than nonsmokers.
Health issues due to Tobacco and Smoking :
Cardiovascular diseases
Smokers are more prone to develop heart related disorders than non smokers. Smoking increases blood pressure which further can lead to stroke, vessels collapse, coronary artery disease.
Respiratory diseases
Smoking damages lung alveoli thus reducing surface area for gas exchange which in chronic cases leads to emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Cancer of various organs
Tobacco and Smoking consumption can lead to cancer of various organs such as :
- Bladder
- Blood (acute myeloid leukemia)
- Cervix
- Colon and rectum (colorectal)
- Esophagus
- Kidney and ureter
- Larynx
- Liver
- Oropharynx (includes parts of the throat, tongue, soft palate, and the tonsils)
- Pancreas
- Stomach
- Trachea, bronchus, and lung
Other health issues :
Apart from these above mentioned major diseases smoking cause some other disorders in our body :
- It increases the chance of type ii diabetes mellitus.
If a women smokes during initial weeks of pregnancy it can lead to defective development of foetus or monstor baby as it is teratogenic. - It decreases the strength of teeth and gums.
- It leads to decrease in sperm count and infertility in male.
Though this practice of consuming tobacco and smoking is performed as a ritual in ancient times but it’s effects are severe in our body and if this practice continues then in coming time maximum deaths will be from cancer due to smoking and tobacco chewing.
So quitting smoking is one of the important action one can take for a better health.
It’s tough but not inevitable so say no to tobacco and smoking if you want to led a happy and healthy life.
WHO : Leading cause of death, illness and impoverishment :
The tobacco epidemic is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced, killing over 8 million people a year around the world. More than 7 million of those deaths are the result of direct tobacco use while around 1.3 million are the result of non-smokers being exposed to second-hand smoke (4).
All forms of tobacco use are harmful, and there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco. Cigarette smoking is the most common form of tobacco use worldwide. Other tobacco products include waterpipe tobacco, cigars, cigarillos, heated tobacco, roll-your-own tobacco, pipe tobacco, bidis and kreteks, and smokeless tobacco products.
Around 80% of the 1.3 billion tobacco users worldwide live in low- and middle-income countries (5), where the burden of tobacco-related illness and death is heaviest. Tobacco use contributes to poverty by diverting household spending from basic needs such as food and shelter to tobacco. This spending behaviour is difficult to curb because tobacco is so addictive.
The economic costs of tobacco use are… (continue reading)
