How Smoking is Bad
Almost everyone knows smoking is bad to our health, as we have been taught from as early as in our school-going years. In spite of this, and all health advertisements that condemned smoking, most of us still can’t help ourselves from smoking our life away.
It is a well-known fact that smoking lead to cancer, and to a lesser extent, emphysema. Cancers that have been linked with smoking are cancer of the oesophagus, pancreas, mouth, kidney and bladder. Smokers are more likely to be diagnosed with lung cancer than non-smokers. Emphysema, on the other hand, is a chronic disease that damage part of the lungs resulting in breathing shortness, asthma-like attacks, and hyperventilation.
Smoking can also cause heart diseases and strokes; when you smoke, it will increase the risks of blood clotting and higher blood pressure, reduces the amount of oxygen that reaches the heart and decreases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) or as we called it, ‘good’ cholesterol.
Other than damaging our health, smoking can also alter our appearances. Bad breath, yellow teeth and nails, and early wrinkles around the mouth are the effects of smoking. Smoking can also change the textures of the skin, and caused coloring which result in an ashy complexion. Rotten teeth are more likely to happen to smokers than non smokers.
Worse than affecting their own health, smokers also affects the health of others around them. Passive smoking or second hand smoke is particularly harmful to infants and children, pregnant women and non-smoking adults. Second hand smoke can cause life threatening illnesses and conditions in infants and babies which include sudden infant death syndrome, pneumonia, failure to thrive after birth, and low birth weight in babies. Pregnant smokers are also particularly at risk for miscarriages, premature labor, and ectopic pregnancy.
As a final point, smoking does not bring anything but harm. Giving up the habit is the best way to ensure a healthy life not only for yourself, but others as well.
By:Brenda Williams