Are You Aware of the Harmful Effects of Tobacco?

Do you know the dangerous harmful effects of smoking?

Are you stressed about the health of your family because of the presence of a smoker?

Do you want to take some step against the habit of smoking?

Your health is directly connected to the food you eat, the physical exercise you do and the amount of rest you take. While a large population is getting conscious about their life and is constantly adopting ways of a healthy lifestyle, some of us are still finding it difficult to quit the bad habits which have a severe impact on our health, as well as our family’s health.

In this article, I want to put light on one such life-threatening factor which is ever increasing despite its harmful effects of tobacco being known to all.

Yes, you guessed it right; today we will be discussing the harmful effects of tobacco.

If you are a non –smoker, you might feel that this article is not for you. But, ask yourself if you are completely tobacco free.

Stress has become abundant in today’s world, and so have the number of people getting addicted to tobacco. When we are surrounded by smokers in our homes and workplaces, our health is also affected by it.

So, before we tackle this evil, let us acquaint ourselves with it.

What is Tobacco?

Tobacco is a leave that is dried and processed before being supplied at the market for being consumed in many forms.

Tobacco plants have a nicotine content which makes it addictive. Tobacco can be used in many forms like cigarettes, cigars and hookah, pan, masalas and gutkas.

There are many myths about tobacco; some people believe that the hookah is safer than cigarette.  In reality, all the forms are equally dangerous. Smoking imposes health hazards to those who consume it directly and even to those who are not smoking, but are present in an environment that is full of tobacco particles.

All tobacco products contain nicotine and tar-like carcinogenic (cancer producing) constituents which when absorbed in the blood gives a slight, momentary euphoria and causes addiction.

Mostly, People fall prey to the tobacco addiction because of high stress in their life, which makes them seek some ways to handle stress. Constant chewing of tobacco in the form of pan, gutka, masala, etc. gives a temporary relief from stress and anxiety which makes the person get depended on it.

There are many harmful effects of tobacco; no matters in what form you consume it. Even If you are not a smoker and don’t consume tobacco in any form, you are not safe from its impacts on your health.

Smoking pollutes the nearby environment with its carcinogenic compounds and affects the health of those who come in its direct contact.

Thus, along with the active smoking, second-hand smoking and tertiary smoking are also some points that need immediate attention.

Different Types of Smoking

1. First-Hand smoke

First-hand smoking refers to consumption of tobacco effects actively, in other words, smoking directly in the form of cigarette, hookah or cigars. The smoke along with all its components is directly absorbed by the smoker’s blood.

2. Second-Hand Smoke

If you are around people who are smoking, you become a second-hand smoker. Even though you are not smoking, you are inhaling the dangerous chemicals that are doing you an equal harm.

Second-hand smoking occurs when either the tobacco smoke is puffed from the tip of a burning cigarette (unfiltered smoke) or when a non-smoker is present in an atmosphere that is filled smoke exhaled by a smoker.

It has been scientifically proven that exposure to second-hand tobacco smoking can cause various diseases, disability and even death.

It is proved that a non-smoker living with a chain smoker consumes nicotine equivalent to near about three cigarettes per day

3. Tertiary Smoking

Some harmful particles in the smoke dwell in the air long after a cigarette is puffed out. Tertiary or third-hand smoking refers to the inhalation of the toxic residual particles from the atmosphere where active smoking was done some time back.  The particles remain in the atmosphere even after the visible smoke has disappeared.

Tertiary Smoking is very harmful and poses great threats to infant and children who breathe in the suspended particles from the air.

The saddest part is, a tertiary smoker might not even be aware of the presence of the harmful suspended particle in the environment.

Things to Know About Smoking

• Excessive consumption of tobacco pan masala effects can cause various types of cancers like mouth, throat, lungs, stomach, etc.
• Tuberculosis affliction is rising due to consumption of bidis and cigarettes.
• Tobacco pan masala effects suddenly raises your blood pressure and flow of blood towards the heart decreases.
• Tobacco also decreases the flow of blood towards the nerves and once this happens, one can suffer from gangrene.
• The arterial lining of the body also gets damaged by consumption of tobacco.
• Some chemicals present in tobacco also decrease the HDL (High Density Lipoprotein) or the good cholesterol.
• It’s even more dangerous for those who are suffering from diabetes. Smoking can increase the bad cholesterol in the body.
• It also lowers the sperm count in male and hence might lead to impotency.
• In females, it lowers the o estrogen levels which may cause early menopause and several other complications.
• It affects your physical fitness level as it directly affects your lungs and breathing capacity.
• The chances of miscarriage, premature birth, still birth or infant disability in a child if the pregnant mother has a smoking habit.

Although, the health risks are more for the active smokers, but the second- and third-hand smokers get tobacco effects unintentionally. Hence, you should take a volunteering action against smokers around you and should motivate them to either quite smoking or to take the necessary steps required minimizing the ill-impacts on the non-smokers

Volunteer Yourself Against Tobacco

What can we do?

How can we volunteer against tobacco?

We can take the following small but effective initiatives against it-

• If you feel that your spouse is smoking in front of you ask him/her to smoke outside.
• Never smoke or let anyone smoke in the presence of children.
• Never blow cigarette smoke on the face of a non-smoker.
• Try and completely give up the habit of smoking.
• If you can leave smoking it is not only good for you but, it can also save lives of many around you.
• Teach the next generation to say ‘NO’ to things like tobacco and such bad habits. Tell them that it always starts with one time experiment but then it becomes an addiction.
• You can raise a point if any auto driver, your servant or any other person smokes near you, to stop it as it is harmful to you as well.
• There are smoking rooms in many public places like airports, railway stations, and restaurants. You can ask the smokers to use them instead of using the toilets or common public places.

These small steps can be very handy in countering the ill effects of tobacco. So be aware and do your bit to reduce it. Please share your views and experiences with us in the comments section below.

Courtesy:

1. AFTC forum
2. Advocacy campaigns initiated by Delhi based organization FRIDAY-SHAN

Photo Courtesy: healthtap.com