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World No Tobacco Day – Battle Your Enemy, The Cigarette!

World No Tobacco Day – Battle Your Enemy, The Cigarette!

The World Health Organisation has pulled out all stops to drive home the fact that tobacco is lethal. And that is why they have designated May 31st as World No Tobacco Day. This is the day that campaigns are launched to remind people to steer clear of tobacco. This year’s theme is focused to protect the environment ”tobacco is killing us and our planet”. Tobacco consumption is not just about smoking but also about the smokeless forms available as gutkha and pan masala. It is important to understand that tobacco consumption in any form and any quantity is extremely harmful to our health and our planet.”.

Here are some problems caused by tobacco consumption:

  1. Cancer Risk

Whether you are puffing on a cigarette, a cigar, pipe, hookah or chewing tobacco, the most fearful outcome of regular consumption of tobacco is an increased risk of cancers in your body which can take away your life, health and wealth. 

2. Lung Damage

Your lungs have delicate little air sacks that cannot survive an onslaught of constant smoking. The smoke also damages the air passages leading in and out of the lungs. Once you begin to smoke regularly, infection sets in. With continued smoking, the infection worsens and gradually paves the way for lung cancer. Moreover, it aggravates asthma and pneumonia.

3. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

This is a dangerous illness and unfortunately, there is no permanent cure. The more you smoke and the longer the duration of smoking, the greater the chances of your coming down with COPD. Some symptoms include:

4. Heart Disorders –

Smoking causes your blood pressure to soar which makes you susceptible to Peripheral Arterial Disease. Plaque starts to accumulate along your blood vessels. This thickens them and makes them inflexible which restricts the supply of blood to the heart. If this continues for long, the muscles of the heart will start to die. This escalates the risk of a heart attack.

5. Makes you prone to diabetes –

Smokers are actually much more likely to get Type 2 diabetes than non-smokers are. It makes your body resistant to insulin. And if you had already been diagnosed with this debilitating disease before you picked up the habit of smoking, then it will make the symptoms worse.

6. Other  health effects of smoking  –

What should you do?

You need to stop consuming tobacco the right way. But if you are a chain smoker, maybe you will have to gradually wean yourself off smoking. So, in the meantime try a nicotine patch or other substitutes for nicotine with a doctor’s advice and undergo the following tests to assess the state of your health:

Smoking cessation is nowadays aided by many medicines, nicotine replacement and psychotherapy but the big problem is that while many people can cease smoking for a few days, the urge to smoke is overwhelming and relapse rates are high.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

The Government’s preventive measures against consuming tobacco

It is the 21st century and the dependency of a large chunk of people still hangs on tobacco, one of the foremost preventable causes of death, killing almost half of the population in the world. According to WHO’s Global Tobacco Epidemic, 2015, tobacco is consumed and affects 14.6 per cent of the youth and 14 percent of the adult population. Governments all over the world issue notices and advertisements against the consumption of tobacco, yet 6 million people die due to diseases caused by tobacco, while 0.6 million due to second-hand (passive) smoking. 

Compared to no smoking, smoking even one cigarette per day carries a 40-50 times risk of heart disease and stroke, so be mindful when you think of smoking even one cigarette per day.

Dr. Ashish Bajaj, M.B.B.S., M.D.

Also Read: Why Does Nicotine Make You Poop: Decoding Its Effects on Digestion

The Government of India has taken certain steps to curb smoking as well as other forms of tobacco consumption:

The Government of India has banned certain kinds of smokeless tobacco products like gutkha and pan masala under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Other tobacco products are regulated by the COTPA 2003 which contains provisions, like

Certain states like Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Jharkhand had the highest number of tobacco users in India, especially the states of the North. The state governments/union territories of these states and UTs have issued orders/notifications regarding a ban on the sale of loose cigarettes.

Smoking & consuming tobacco can have a terrible impact on your health. This World No Tobacco Day, vow to lay off tobacco not just to avert the ailments it triggers but also for the sake of your loved ones.

Read More: How To Quit Smoking?

Disclaimer: The above information has been prepared by a qualified medical professional and may not represent the practices followed universally. The suggestions listed in this article constitute relatively common advice given to patients and since every patient is different, you are advised to consult your physician, if in doubt, before acting upon this information. Lupin Limited has only facilitated the distribution of this information to you in the interest of patient education and welfare.

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Effects of Tobacco on Health

None of us is ignorant towards the ill-effects of tobacco! But still, many amongst us find it extremely difficult to break free from the dangerous habit of ‘Smoking.’

Smoking is incredibly harmful, and there are no safe ways of going about it. You may replace the cigarette with a hookah or a pipe, but the damage that it will cause can be irreplaceable.

Tobacco Composition

Tobacco is a powerhouse of about 5000 toxic substances. Amongst which, the below three are majorly dangerous:

  1. Nicotine
  2. Tar
  3. Carbon Monoxide

Of these, Nicotine is the one that causes the behavioral effects of tobacco, predominate being, addiction.

While smoking can lead to some ongoing complications over the years, some of its physical effects are rather immediate. Read on to educate yourself on a few of them.

Bronchitis

As you inhale the smoke, you immediately take in the toxins that can damage the lungs. Over time, this can cause chronic and irreversible lung ailments such as:

Infertility

Smoking causes both long and short-term infertility issues in men and women

Anxiousness, anxiety, and irritability

Do you find yourself extremely restless if you miss your cigarette break? Well, the Nicotine withdrawal symptom is responsible for this uncomfortable state of mind.

Wrinkles

Regular smoking causes dry, patchy skin and premature aging. Since smoking also affects the blood flow to the skin, it eventually gets deprived of essential nutrients.

Heart Diseases

Smoking has an adverse impact on the entire cardiovascular system. Nicotine causes the blood vessels to tighten which obstructs the blood flow. Smoking increases the occurrences of blood clots, raises blood pressure and makes the blood vessels weak. These harmful effects are not restricted to chain smokers alone, even secondhand or passive smokers are at equally high risk if they get regular exposure to cigarette smoke.

Smoking causes cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung diseases, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smoking also increases risk for tuberculosis, certain eye diseases, and problems of the immune system, including rheumatoid arthritis.

Dr. M.G. Kartheeka, MBBS, MD

A rise in Cholesterol levels

Regular smoking lowers your HDL (good) cholesterol and increases the LDL (bad) cholesterol. Along with cholesterol, tobacco also elevates the levels of triglycerides (fats) in the blood.

Digestion related ailments

The probability of contracting Mouth, Larynx, Esophagus, and Mouth cancer increases manifold by regular consumption of tobacco. Studies also suggest that smokers are at high risk of developing Pancreatic cancer.

Sexuality and Reproductive systems

Nicotine is known to impact the blood flow to the genital areas of both – men and women. Thus, men can experience a decrease in sexual performance and women can experience sexual dissatisfaction due to decreased lubrication coupled with an inability to reach orgasm. Tobacco is also known to lower the levels of sex hormones in both males and females.

Loss of appetite

Smoking also affects your appetite by impacting your sense of taste.

Also Read: What Causes Yellow Teeth: Unpacking Oral Health Misconceptions

Disclaimer: The information provided here is for educational/awareness purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for medical treatment by a healthcare professional and should not be relied upon to diagnose or treat any medical condition. The reader should consult a registered medical practitioner to determine the appropriateness of the information and before consuming any medication. PharmEasy does not provide any guarantee or warranty (express or implied) regarding the accuracy, adequacy, completeness, legality, reliability or usefulness of the information; and disclaims any liability arising thereof.

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