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Now I know that all of you smokers out there know darned well that smoking isn't good for you, so I'm not going to go on and on about the main problems that smoking can cause you, these things are already well documented, but I will say this; you can eat five portions of fruit and veg a day and exercise regularly, but healthy behaviour means little if you continue to smoke. Whilst all the messages of smoking causing ill-health are pretty much ignored nowadays, due mainly to overkill I think, I have included in this article a few of the lesser known problems that are caused by smoking: What a lot of people don't realise is that just one cigarette contains more than 4000 chemical compounds and around 400 of those are actually toxins (poison, to put it plainly). When you inhale on your cigarette, the tip burns at 700 degrees centigrade, whilst the core has a heat of around 60 degrees. What happens here is that the heat breaks down the tobacco to make various toxins, which are then concentrated towards the butt. You receive the worst of the 'poison' as you finish your cigarette. These are the worst of the products: 1) Tar, a carcinogen (substance that causes cancer) 2) The addictive substance is nicotine, which raises cholesterol too 3) carbon monoxide reduces oxygen in the body The problems caused by smoking can be influenced by: 1) The amount of cigarettes that you smoke 2) If the cigarette has a filter or not 3) How the tobacco has been prepared More recent research has shown that smoking reduces life expectancy by seven to eight years and of the 300 people who die every day in the UK as a result of smoking, many are now comparatively young smokers. The number of people under the age of 70 who die from smoking-related diseases exceeds the total figure for deaths caused by breast cancer, AIDS, traffic accidents and drug addiction. I know you're all going to shout, ah c'mon at this one, but the ugly truth is this...if you started smoking at an early age, smoke more than 20 a day and inhale deeply, the greater your chances of getting lung cancer. It then takes roughly 15 years for your risk of getting lung cancer to drop to that of a non smoker. Also if you smoke, the risk of contracting mouth cancer is four times higher than for a non-smoker. Cancer can start in many areas of the mouth, with the most common being on or underneath the tongue, or on the lips. Many smokers are not aware of the increased risk of getting these cancers. Smoking is the most common cause of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) and is responsible for 80 per cent of cases. It's estimated that 94 per cent of 20-a-day smokers have some emphysema when the lungs are examined after death, while more than 90 per cent of non-smokers have little or none. COPD typically starts between the ages of 35 and 45 when lung function starts to decline anyway. In smokers, the rate of decline in lung function can be three times the usual rate. As lung function declines, breathlessness begins. As the condition progresses, severe breathing problems can require hospital care. The final stage is death from slow and progressive breathlessness, a truly dreadful way to go. Nicotine itself is known to cause narrowing of the arteries all over the body, but there is one particular problem that affects you guys out there. Men in their 30s and 40s, who smoke, are much more likely to have erectile dysfunction...now you're listening aren't you?! Erection cannot happen if the arteries that lead to the penis are not functioning properly, as the blood flow would be reduced, so stopping your performance before it even gets started. I can't stress this enough, but this a serious problem for you guys out there, not only for the obvious reason (as I'm sure you are with me there...). If you are a smoker and begin to have problems achieving or maintaining an erection you should go and see your doctor. A problem with the blood vessels in the penis could also mean that damage has been done to vessels in other parts of the body too. The 'side-stream' smoke that comes off a cigarette between puffs carries a higher risk than directly inhaled smoke, so you're not doing your non-smoking partners, kids, friends, etc., any good either...feeling guilty yet...? When a child is brought up in a home where one or both parents smoke, the instances of asthma and bronchitis are twice that of non smoking households. The prevalance of allergies is also much higher. There is a much greater risk of cot death and chest infections amongst the very young. It has been proven that the risk of lung cancer is increased amongst people who smoke 'passively' but as yet there is no proof of whether the risk of heart disease is also increased. You can be sure though, that you can look forward to a much healthier old age if you can stop smoking. So after all this, what is my message? Well I hope to have given you one or two things that you had never thought of before to think about. There are folks out there who love you, and there are 100's of stop smoking programmes to help you too. Go on, give it a go...and stop smoking now!
Article Source: http://www.just-article.com
About the Author: Clare Innes has a number of health, fitness and lifestyle sites, including one showing the world's Top 3 ways to give up smoking. Look out for more of her websites in the 'First For...com' series that is currently under development.
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