Health dangers in Smoking

Smoking is a practice in which a substance is burned and the resulting smoke breathed in to be tasted and absorbed into the bloodstream. Most commonly the substance is the dried leaves of the tobacco plant which have been rolled into a small square of rice paper to create a small, round cylinder called a "cigarette". Smoking generally has negative health effects, and Obiaks Blog, have decided bring it to notice, They are listed below:

Smoking leads to cancer of the nose, mouth, larynx (voice box), trachea, esophagus, stomach, pancreas, kidneys, bladder, cervix, bone marrow and blood. Well, when you smoke, the entire process – right from when you light up your cigarette to when you exhale – leads to several drastic and disastrous effects in the body. Out of the 41,000 chemicals in cigarettes, a large percentage are known to be carcinogenic (cancer causing). These chemicals combined with the heat of the smoke leads to mutations in your cells causing them to multiply in an uncontrolled manner, leading to cancer. 

Yes, smoking leads to the appearance of fine lines(especially around the eyes and lips), age spots, puffy eyes, dull, dry and lifeless skin. The chemicals present in cigarettes cause the fine capillaries under your skin to contract and constricts the blood flow to your skin. This lack of blood and fresh oxygen causes your skin to look dull and lifeless.

lung cancer. The chemicals present in cigarette smoke affects the entire composition of your blood; making it thicker and more prone to formation of blood clots. It also causes the constriction of your blood vessels, increases your blood pressure (since it makes your heart beat faster), and leads to the formation of plaque – increasing your chances of suffering from cardiovascular and heart disease.

All this residue of smoking ends up clogging your lungs leading to  breathing problems and lowered lung function. This lack of fresh oxygen and blood to various parts of your body causes fatigue and breathlessness. Smoking can lead to COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease), emphysema, chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, lung infections, asthma and increases one's risk of suffering from TB (tuberculosis).

A condition commonly associated with older men, premature ejaculation is quite commonly seen in younger men who smoke. Smoking directly impacts a man's sexual desire, stamina and overall interest in sex.  Men who smokes had an overall lesser desire to engage in sexual activity when compared to non-smokers – as early as when they were in their late 20s and early 30s.

Smoking leads to the constriction of blood vessels that directly leads to the inability to maintaining an erection (since smoking lowers the amount of blood that flows to the penis). The chemicals present in cigarettes also alter the way the blood vessels around your penis expand and can lead to the formation of blocks in the arteries lowering the amount of blood that rushes to the penis when aroused. Moreover, nicotine is known to affect the blood vessels supplying the penis directly, making it difficult for you to have and maintain an erection.

Smoking leads to loss in bone density by increasing the amount of calcium leeched from the bones. This loss in bone density leads to early onset of osteroporosis (especially in women since smoking affects the amount of oestrogen produced), joint pain and even loss of teeth due to excessive loss of bone density in the jaws.  This factor also puts you at risk of suffering from frequent fractures and slower healing of injuries. 

Cigarettes contain tar, a chemical that coats your teeth lending them a yellowish tinge. This tar is difficult to clean with brushing and usually forms permanent stains on a smoker's teeth. Apart from that the habit also kills the good bacteria in your mouth, it increases the amount of saliva secreted and causes a higher amount of tartar formation on your teeth. 

Smoking is also known to cause problems with digestion, throat infections and build up of chemicals within the oral cavity (an unhealthy throat and stomach are one of the key reasons for bad breath, apart from poor oral hygiene). Not only does smoking cause conditions like oral thrush but also leads to a condition called ‘smoker's palate' (where the roof of the mouth is covered with cigarette residue, leading to formation of small red spots on the palate) which is one of the main reasons for bad breath.

Smoking also affects your vision. It increases one's risk of suffering from cataracts, age related macular degeneration and optic nerve damage and can actually make you go blind. Still feel like lighting that next cigarette?, think again.