Cigarette is one of the most harmful vices man has ever invented. We all know too much that smoking kills people–not just the smoker, but even the people around them.
These hand-rolled addictive product may vary in sizes and flavors, but they all contain nicotine. Nicotine is a chemical derived from tobacco plants, and anyone consuming this either by smoking or chewing the plant itself is believed to experience euphoria and relaxation.
Smokers find it hard to quit due to the chemical’s addictive properties that is almost similar to heroin. According to 2009 Philippine Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), an estimate of 17.3 million Filipinos ages 15 and above are smokers, and 13.8 million of them smoke every day. Just imagine these people affecting other non-smokers.
If you are a smoker, or just starting/planning to smoke, these are the threats that you should look out for:
1.Smokers are more prone to cancer
Due to the growing number of people having lung cancer, smoking is strongly attributed to this disease with an estimate of 90 percent. Lung cancer is the leading cause of death among men and third among women that is cancer-related. It’s not only lung cancer that is linked to smoking, but the other 10 types of cancer such as stomach, pancreatic, kidney, urinary bladder, and cervical.
2.Smokers become unattractive
Smoking also has visible side effects that will affect your physical attributes.It induces premature aging as wrinkles appear on the body, lips will have a darker shade, teeth might have stains, and some people experience a change of their skin color into yellowish complexion. In addition to these, the smell of cigarettes will stay on the smoker’s lips, skin, and hair because of its strong odor.
3.Smokers affect people around them
Aside from risking your own health, you also risk the health of other people around you. Second-hand smokers are also at risk of getting lung cancer. According to Rappler, 24 million Filipinos are experiencing second-hand smoke regularly, with a percentage of 66.7 at work and 75.7 in places without no-smoking policy.
Children who are exposed to second-hand smoke may develop ear infections, coughs and colds, respiratory diseases, and tooth decay. A pregnant woman who smokes may suffer from miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, and other physical ailments during its development.
4.Smokers shorten their life span
According to New England Journal of Medicine, people who smoke live 10 years shorter than those who do not smoke, or those smokers who quit at an average age of 29.
5.Smokers find it harder to sleep
When a person starts to smoke, it changes and destroys the sleeping cycle of the body. They are more likely to experience insomnia and tend to wake up frequently at night, leaving them feeling groggy and restlessin the morning.
6.Smokers put their internal organs at risk
Lungs are the primary organs that are damaged in the smoker’s body. It starts to have damages from the first time the smoker takes its first huff. When a smoker decides to quit, most of the body parts will restore its health but the lungs do not. Aside from the lungs, the liver is also affected. According to a study in 2011, smoking contributed to the liver cancer or hepatocellular carcinoma.
If you’ve been smoking a long time and have developed COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), which includes chronic bronchitis or emphysema, the lungs never totally heal. Chronic bronchitis is an inflammation of the airway.
7.Smokers have a dull taste for food
Due to smoking, people who smoke cannot savor the taste of food they eat, hence, losing their mood for eating. When the chemicals of the cigarette reaches the tongue, the taste buds tend to lose their shape and become dull, which leads to poor reception to taste stimuli.
8.Smokers become prone to infections
The bone marrow creates a short-lived type of white blood cells called neutrophil. These white blood cells are responsible for finding and destroying bacteria that may harm the body. In a smoker’s situation, due to the chemicals that cigarettes contain, neutrophils are affected and could not do their work, thus, increasing the risk of the body to have an infection.
9.Smokers waste money for their vice
Smokers are willing to pay for their cigarettes, no matter how much it will cost. In 2012, the Philippine government implemented a tax increase which led to the price hike of the tobacco as well. Store retailers then increased the price of cigarettes. For a smoker who consumes an average of 10 sticks per day, one spends an estimate of P1,500 a month or P18,000 a year. For a worker who receives an average salary, it’s like spending 14% of their income just to feed their addiction.
10.Smokers can become impotent/infertile
Impotence or erectile dysfunction (ED) may be caused by a lot of factors, and smoking is one of them. When a person smokes, the chemicals of the cigarette damage almost every part of the human body including the blood vessels. When the blood vessels in the penis are damaged, this can lead to erectile failure.
Smoking can also affect a woman’s fertility. A female smoker has a large risk of infertility and may take longer to get pregnant because the chemicals of the cigarette affect the egg’s maturation, ovulation, and fertilization. A female smoker may also begin its menopause two years earlier than female non-smokers.
Cigarettes may bring a person a brief pleasure, but this short enjoyment may not be worth it if it creates permanent damages to the body. Having known the dangers could happen, is it really worth the risk?
If you want good and effective advice on how to stop smoking, medical practitioners from ManilaMed can help you do just that. Learn more about their other services at www.manilamed.com.ph
