Fact: Smoking Is Taking Minutes Off Your Life

When you see a TV commercial for a brand of cigarette, you would see successful, professional men and gorgeous women enjoying their life to the hilt. They're good-looking, hip and glamorous. Or at least, that's what the advertisers would like to project smokers on screen.
But the truth of the matter remains. Cigarette smoking is absolutely damaging to the human body. There is nothing hip and glamorous with deep facial wrinkles. Smoking accelerates the normal aging process of your skin. These skin changes may be irreversible and may occur even after only ten years of smoking. Cigarette smoking causes the narrowing of blood vessels in the outermost layers of your skin. When blood flow to your skin is impaired, it depletes oxygen and important skin nutrients, such as vitamin A. It also damages collagen and elastin, special fibers that give your skin its strength and elasticity, resulting in sagging skin and premature wrinkles.
The nicotine substance in cigarettes does not only make your teeth yellow through the years, but it is a poison that produces physical and mood-altering effects in your brain that may cause nicotine dependence or addiction, and may lead to a host of heart and lung ailments.
Cigarette smoking has toxic effects on most systems and tissues in the body that it contributes to the thinning of bones, also known as osteoporosis, which can lead to a stooped posture and broken bones. Studies reveal that women who smoke tend to menopause at a younger age than non-smokers.
Some people are not keen to give up cigarette smoking due to a variety of reasons, one of which is the notion that quitting may lead to weight gain. However, planning a healthy diet and increasing your activity level will help keep off the unwanted pounds. Though some people indeed gain no more than ten pounds after quitting smoking, there are medications to help assist in delaying or suppressing the weight gain.
While there are fewer women who smoke than men, women share a much larger burden of smoking-related diseases. Cigarette smoking can affect a woman's chances of getting pregnant as it is a major cause of infertility. There is a high risk of miscarriage and complications during pregnancy.


Some people believe that it won't hurt to smoke one stick a day, especially the “light” brands. Unfortunately, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, these so-called “light” cigarettes have the same ingredients as regular cigarettes, including lead, ammonia, benzene, DDT, butane gas, carbon monoxide, arsenic, and polonium 210.
And it doesn't matter how many sticks you puff in a day. Every cigarette you smoke takes minutes off your life and keeps you in a nicotine-addicted state. In a matter of eight seconds, nicotine reaches the brain after someone inhales tobacco smoke. It can also enter the bloodstream through the mucous membranes that line the mouth when tobacco is chewed as most elderly people do. In the case of snuff users, the potentially poisonous substance passes through the nose. Moreover, even non-smokers can also get hurt as it can enter even through the skin. Think about the people around you who are suffering from asthma, heart disease, and allergies who will be harmed by second hand smoke.
Nicotine affects the entire body. It acts directly on the heart to change heart rate and blood pressure, as well as on the nerves that control respiration to change breathing patterns. In high concentrations, nicotine is deadly, as one drop of purified nicotine on the tongue can kill a person. It's so lethal that it has been used as a pesticide for centuries.
The number of reasons why people should quit smoking more than outweighs the number of excuses for quitting cigarette smoking. Yet, it isn't easy to quit. But unless one starts with determination, nothing can be accomplished.

Deadly Connection Between Cigarette Smoking and Back Pain

Cigarette smoking has been strongly linked to a number of serious health conditions like heart disease, emphysema, lung cancer, and other cardiovascular ailments. This habit is responsible for nearly 440,000 of more than 2.4 million premature deaths in the United States and is one of the leading causes of death around the world. The effects of cigarette smoking has been well documented in terms of cardiovascular and circulatory health is concerned. However recent medical studies have uncovered a link between smoking and back pain.

Various researches suggest that smoking may heighten the risk of developing back pain by about 30 percent. In addition to back pain, smokers may also be susceptible to pain in the neck, shoulders, hands, elbows, knees, and hips. Though the cause of this condition is unclear, one possible reason is that cigarette smoking may damage the general musculo-skeletal (muscles and skeleton system) tissues by reducing blood supply to the tissues, raising clotting risks, and reducing the flow of nutrients to muscles, joints, and back. Heavy coughing due to cigarette smoking may also be a factor in the development of back pain among smokers.

This damage is possible because cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, in which 60 are carcinogenic. Formaldehyde, arsenic, cadmium, benzene, and ethylene oxide are some of the substances that may cause cancer. These chemicals may accelerate the development of artherosclerosis, a disease that affects the large and medium arteries. This condition damages the blood vessels making them difficult to relax. Smoking may also cause the artery walls to stiffen the artery walls and cause pieces of plaque to clog some arteries. Once the plaque clogs the arteries, blood flow may be hampered and some nutrients may be deprived to some parts of the body which includes the spine and may lead to back pain.

Studies that link cigarette smoking to back pain are not conclusive and may need more studies to be verified. However, the message is clear, smokers who suffer from back pain have many reasons to kick this dreaded habit. Quitting smoking may not immediately relieve the pain, but it may help. Cutting the habit may also lower the risk of developing heart disease, various forms of cancer, and other diseases.
Individuals who have a hard time cutting the habit may use scientifically proven quit smoking products and alternative methods that are available. These products however cannot do all the work, the best and effective to quit smoking involves determination, discipline, and commitment to stop the habit permanently. Using these products and engaging in alternative methods can help smokers cut the habit by making them more comfortable and complacent to adjust to life without cigarettes. These products should not be used without the approval of health professionals because it may cause unwanted side effects to certain individuals and interact with other drugs.

People who want to quit smoking may also try other methods of quitting smoking by trying other methods like meditation and self hypnotism. Ask your doctor on how you can engage in these activities. With the right tools and attitude, cigarette smoking can be stopped permanently.

Combining Cigarette Smoking and Nutrition

Cigarette smoking is considered by many medical professionals as a dreaded habit because of the health conditions that may be developed by engaging this activity. It is has been strongly linked to health conditions like heart disease, emphysema, lung cancer, and other cardiovascular ailments. Cigarette smoking is responsible for nearly 440,000 of more than 2.4 million premature deaths in the United States and is one of the leading causes of death around the world. The effects of smoking on cardiovascular and circulatory health have taken the “limelight” for many years. What is forgotten is that nicotine and other toxic substances in cigarettes actually drain the body of several essential vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin C absorption is adversely affected by smoking. Vitamin C is one of the human body's most important antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that protect the body's cells from harmful molecules called free radicals. Free radicals may damage cells and play a role in the development of heart, disease, cancer, and other diseases. Antioxidants are linked to the prevention of a number of diseases and certain cancers. The more an individual smokes, the more Vitamin C one may lose from the tissues and the blood. However, smokers need more Vitamin C to prevent further cell damage that are caused by smoking. To achieve this, smokers need to increase their intake of this vitamin by about 2000 milligrams per day.

The only real solution to lessen the damage of cigarette smoking is to quit the habit. Individuals who want to quit smoking may use over-the-counter or prescription quit smoking products. However,  patients should seek the approval of doctors to know the side effects and drug interactions that may be developed while under medication. Doctors may prescribe the medication that is suitable for one's overall health.

Rather than search for the perfect quit smoking drug, individuals who want to quit smoking may try to improve their lifestyles and incorporate activities like exercise, meditation, and other activities. By doing this, they may reduce stress and provide the same rewards that nicotine may bring. Many smokers claim that they light up a cigarette to achieve a state of “highness” and reduce stress. Maintaining a stress free lifestyle is essential in quiting habits like smoking and improve one's quality of life. If these adjustments do not work, doctors are always there to help smokers achieve their health goals. Effective communication between smokers and doctors is essential in cutting the habit. With the right tools and attitude, quitting cigarette smoking is an achievable goal.

Bladder Cancer: Another Health Risk Posed by Cigarette Smoking

Cigarette smoking has been strongly linked to ailments such as heart disease, lung cancer, and other respiratory and circulatory diseases. However, there are several other cancers that can be developed because of cigarette smoking such as bladder cancer. Bladder cancer affects about 53,000 thousand individuals across the United States and smokers are twice more likely to get lung cancer than non-smokers.

Cigarette smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals, 60 of which are highly carcinogenic. Smoking means exposing oneself to chemicals like hydrogen cyanide, butane, nicotine, carbolic acid, ammonia, and other harmful chemicals. As these substances are inhaled, they are absorbed into the lungs and eventually into the bloodstream. The blood then gets filtered by the kidneys and is incorporated in the urine. These carcinogens damage the urothelial cells that line the bladder walls and cause the development of tumors.

In some cases, bladder cancer often causes no symptoms until it has reached an advanced cure that may be difficult to cure. Noticeable symptoms of bladder cancer are non-specific, which means that these conditions may be linked to other health conditions other than cancer. Some of the symptoms of bladder cancer include the following:

Presence of blood in the urine;
Pain or burning sensation during urination without the occurrence of urinary tract infection (UTI); and
Urinating more often or feeling the strong urge to urinate without producing much urine.

Because of modern technology and advanced medicine, treatments for bladder cancer are now widely available. Treatment depends on the stage of the disease, the type of cancer, and the patient's overall health. Surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and immunotherapy are some of the common methods performed to treat this kind of cancer. However these treatments may produce a number of side effects that may affect one's sexual health. These treatments may cause certain signs and symptoms that may make sexual intimacy with one's partner more difficult. But this does not mean that a healthy sex life after cancer treatment cannot be achieved. Doctors should be consulted for possible remedies for these conditions.

Some sexual health problems that may be caused by cancer treatment may include the following:

Inability to achieve or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction)
Difficulty climaxing
Orgasm without discharge of semen (dry orgasm)
Weaker, less satisfying orgasms
Loss of libido
Pain during sex

The development of different kinds of cancers that are linked to cigarette smoking have made the need to quit smoking more important. Despite the availability of many methods for cancer, people can drastically lessen the risks of developing bladder cancer by quitting cigarette smoking --- a goal that might be easier said than done for certain individuals. These individuals may use various quit smoking products like nicotine gums, patches, and others that are out in the market. These products are scientifically proven to aid individuals who want to quit smoking. These products work by temporarily supplying the body with nicotine through means other than cigarettes. This helps calm physical withdrawal symptoms of cigarette smoking. Using these products and coupling them with the right attitude a sure formula for the prevention of bladder cancer and improve one's overall health and well-being.