Smoking habit is harmful

DEAR DR. GOTT: Please write an article on smoking.
DEAR READER: Smoking is the most common form of drug addiction in the United States. In fact, according to the American Cancer Society, studies have determined that nicotine in tobacco products is as addictive as alcohol, cocaine and heroin. Cigarette smoke is a complex blend of such chemicals as cyanide, formaldehyde, acetylene, benzene, methanol and ammonia. Using any form of tobacco causes the combination to reach the brain within seconds, where it works on the central nervous system to provide a seemingly pleasant, relaxing, satisfying sensation. Furthermore, those enjoyable effects wear off rapidly, so the smoker reaches for yet another cigarette or nicotine-containing product to maintain that euphoric “high.” And so it goes.
Unfortunately, nicotine also increases a person’s blood pressure, the rate at which the heart beats and can lead to countless medical conditions, including cancer, emphysema, smoker’s cough, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and numerous other debilitating disorders.
The use of tobacco accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer-related deaths in the United States, and that figure jumps to almost 90 percent of all lung-cancer deaths. People who smoke pipes or cigars, or use any form of smokeless tobacco, are susceptible to cancer as well. There is simply no safe means of using tobacco without suffering potential and debilitating side effects. It certainly makes us wonder, then, why we are so drawn to peer pressure and those well-placed ads on billboards and at every turn throughout life.
The habit looks appealing, sexy and the right thing to do. How could it possibly be bad for our health? Well, smoking damages our arteries. A nagging condition known as smoker’s cough can develop; wounds take longer to heal, unhealthful weight loss occurs, and poor appetite and inadequate lung function may be present.
Secondhand smoke doesn’t lessen the possibility of developing side effects, either. The lungs are still compromised when a person is exposed to someone else’s habit. Because secondhand smoke is formed at lower temperatures, there is the potential for even larger amounts of some cancer-causing and toxic substances to occur. Should this occur in any household, the person who indulges should be made to smoke out of doors.
Now, on to the positive side. The body, if given the opportunity, will begin to restore itself once nicotine is eliminated. According to the American Cancer Society, if a person discontinues smoking for 20 minutes, heart rate and blood-pressure readings drop. If abstinence continues for 12 hours, carbon-monoxide levels in the blood return to normal. A period between two weeks and three months will result in improved circulation and an increase in lung function. One to nine months without tobacco will find chronic cough and shortness of breath improved. There will also be a reduced risk of infection, and the cilia, tiny hairlike structures that move mucus out of the lungs, will be repaired. Within one year, the elevated risk of chronic heart disease will be half that of a smoker. In five years, the risk of stroke will be decreased to that of a nonsmoker. In 10 years, the death rate from lung cancer will be half that of a smoker, and the risk of cancer of the throat, mouth, esophagus, bladder, pancreas and cervix will be reduced.
Having said this, discontinuation of what may be a short or lifelong habit isn’t easy. Yet, for people who seriously want to live a healthier lifestyle by kicking the habit, there is help through manuals, classes, counseling, support groups, over-the-counter patches, gums and lozenges. Inhalers and nasal sprays are available via prescription. The Food and Drug Administration has even approved several medications designed for other conditions as cessation aids.
Long-term smoking doesn’t present an attractive picture. The physical act of breathing, which we don’t even think about and often take for granted, becomes tedious. Circulation is impaired, and it becomes difficult to get around. Obesity creeps in. Cancer may develop. A person’s voice becomes raspy, and the lungs fill with mucus. Should a heart attack occur, a smoker is more likely to die within an hour of the attack than a nonsmoker. Smoking during pregnancy is linked to an increased risk of miscarriage, premature delivery and stillbirth. And there’s the financial aspect we often fail to recognize. Nicotine-containing products are expensive. States are attempting to discourage the habit by imposing heavy taxes. I could continue for another 800 or more words, but space restrictions won’t allow me to. Perhaps another day!