Why you need to quit smoking today!
Yes, you read that right! You need to kick that (Cigarette) butt today!
Smoking is one of the major causes of death and illness around the globe. Smoking raises your risk of developing more than 50 serious health conditions.
Some may be fatal, and others can cause irreversible long-term damage to your health.
You can become ill if you:
- Smoke yourself
- Surround yourself if smokers or are in a smoking zone(passive smoking)
Health Risks:
Smoking contributes to around 7 out of every 10 cases of lung cancer (70%).
It also causes cancer in many other parts of the body, including the:
- Mouth
- Throat/Larynx
- Oesophagus or the food-pipe
- Bladder
- Bowel
- Cervix
- Kidney
- Liver
- Stomach
- Pancreas
Smoking severely damages your heart and your blood circulation, increasing your risk of developing conditions such as:
- Coronary heart disease
- Cardiac arrest
- Stroke
- Peripheral vascular disease (damaged blood vessels)
- Cerebrovascular disease (damaged arteries that supply blood to your brain)
Smoking also damages your lungs, leading to conditions such as:
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which incorporates bronchitis and emphysema
- Pneumonia
Smoking can also worsen or prolong the symptoms of respiratory conditions such as asthma, or respiratory tract infections such as the common cold.
In men, smoking can cause impotence because it limits the blood supply. It can also reduce the fertility of both men and women.
Health risk associated with Passive smoking:
Here’s why passive smoking can be harmful to you; Secondhand smoke comes from the tip of a lit cigarette and the smoke that the smoker breathes out.
Breathing in secondhand smoke, also known as passive smoking, increases your risk of getting the same health conditions as smokers.
For example, if you have never smoked but you have a spouse who smokes, your risk of developing lung cancer increases by about a quarter.
Babies and children are particularly vulnerable to the effects of secondhand smoke.
A child who’s exposed to passive smoke is at increased risk of developing chest infections, meningitis, a persistent cough and, if they have asthma, their symptoms will get worse.
They’re also at increased risk of cot death and an ear infection called glue ear.
Lesser-known effects caused by smoking:
- Blindness
- Type-2 diabetes
- Ectopic pregnancy
- Hip fractures
- Colorectal cancer
- Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Cleft Lip and Cleft Palate
- Gum Disease
To know more about these lesser-known effects, click here.
Follow me for more educational information. My next article is about reversing the effects of smoking.
That’s It for now folks! Thank you.
