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Smoking Kills The Sex Drive
July 28th, 2010Smoking is a habit that is enjoyed by millions around the world, despite being generally known as a potentially serious health risk. There are several negative effects of tobacco on the body, not the least of which is the increased risk of lung cancer. Despite all of the warnings coming from every possible angle, including the Japanese anime industry and Hollywood getting in on the act, most people still prefer to smoke. However, for the modern male that is obsessed with traditionally masculine aspects such as virility, one reason to give up the habit might be the risk of sexual impotence. That is, if the findings of a recently concluded study by the Tulane University School of Public Health is accurate in its analysis.
Dr. Jiang He, head of the research team, said that the “association between cigarette smoking and erectile dysfunction was found in earlier studies.” However, he pointed out that other potential causes of sexual impotence were found in the test subjects, such as hypertension, depression, diabetes, and a number of cardiovascular diseases. He stated that while his study dealt with the same problem, he believed that there was a key difference between his research and what has come before. Unlike previous studies, which did not exclude potential test subjects based on health grounds, Dr. Jiang He’s research team specifically picked out men who were in good physical condition apart from their smoking. That, in theory, can go much further than previous studies in showing the link between impotence and smoking.
The research confirms that men who smoke are more likely to experience problems like erectile dysfunction than other men, though the 41% statistic is much higher than what the research team initially projected during preliminary tests. There is ample evidence to make the assumption that this is a standard “cause and effect” response, with the effects varying depending on the “dose” of nicotine introduced into the system over a given period. For example, a man who smoked 10 cigarettes a day came in with an increase of 27% risk of erectile dysfunction compared to normally healthy men. Men who had 11 to 20 exhibited an almost 40% increase in risk. The data was similar for men who smoked more than 20 in a day, with the percentage of risk going up with each stick added. This, combined with the cardiovascular and respiratory side effects of habitual smoking and factors such as psychology and emotional state, made for an incredible risk.
The study estimated that 22.7% of all cases of erectile dysfunction – roughly 11.8 million men – are caused by smoking. The study further discovered that quitting did not decrease the risks faced by long-time smokers, with the statistics showing that there was no difference if the subject was still a smoker or if they had already quit. Age did not appear to be a factor as well, with young men just as likely to develop erectile dysfunction due to smoking in middle-aged or older men. This is among men who were otherwise in excellent health, with the researchers conceding that if the subjects had been in poorer health, the numbers would likely have been much higher.
Up From The Ashes – Your Body’s Ability To Recover After Years Of Smoking
July 26th, 2010The human body is an incredible thing. Even after years of smoking, your system can mount a strong recovery; it’s possible you will even enjoy the same level of health as non-smokers.
I smoked two packs of cigarettes every day for many years. I couldn’t go for any length of time without lighting one up.
If I was awake, I had a smoke going. And quite often I would get up in the middle of the night, smoke a cigarette, and go back to bed.
I’m sure you can imagine the state of my health during those years. I was a wreck.
I hacked and wheezed all the time. My nose and eyes were always burning.
I could barely walk a block without losing my wind.
In fact, I even had a heart attack as a direct result of my nasty habit.
I won’t go into the details of how I finally quit; you’ll have to get that scoop in another one of my articles.
But I do want to share some amazing facts with you about the body’s ability to recover, even from the devastating effects of constant smoke inhalation and toxic chemical abuse.
At the time of this writing, I have been smoke free for four years. My heart is strong and relaxed, and I have the lung capacity to endure long walks and regular exercise sessions.
There was a time during my smoking years that I had pretty much thrown in the towel. I looked at my extremely poor state of health and just assumed I had ruined my body for good.
But I was wrong.
I think a lot of smokers fall into this mentality:
“I’ve done so much harm to myself already, what’s the point of quitting now? I’ll never be truly healthy again, so I might as well just keep on smoking.”
This is utter nonsense. And moreover, it’s a copout.
Did you know that your body will begin significant reparations in as little as 12 hours after your last smoke? In fact, minor positive changes begin to take place as quickly as 20 minutes after you stop inhaling cigarette smoke.
Within just one year of being smoke free, your risk of heart attack, stroke, and aneurism is half that of a smoker’s.
There is absolutely nothing natural about the act of smoking. Your lungs don’t want to breathe smoke and poisonous fumes.
And there are a total of 4,000 chemical compounds contained in cigarette smoke. Many of these substances are known to cause cancer.
Your body actively seeks to rid itself of these toxins, and all of your major systems will begin a recovery process once the initial detoxification is complete.
One million people quit smoking every year, and many of these individuals enjoy long, healthy lives which simply would not have been possible had they continued to smoke.
Sure it takes time to achieve a full recovery, but it can happen. And I’m living proof of this fact.
Teenage Nicotine Addiction: Smoking Away Young Lives
July 26th, 2010Because of advertisements and other forms of media that promote smoking, many teens think it is okay and cool to smoke. And the result is that many teens are getting addicted to nicotine and cigarettes. All over the world, smoking begins as a teenage experience. Few smokers have begun smoking as adults. In the United States, on an average day, at least 3,000 young people become regular smokers, and more than 6,000 adolescents try to smoke their first cigarette. The outlook for regular smokers who began smoking as teenagers and continue into adulthood is grim. Research shows that people who start smoking before the age of 21 have the hardest time quitting. It is also estimated that about 30% of youth smokers who continue smoking well into adulthood would die early from a smoking-related disease. While smoking may be legal for adults, the medical costs associated with it are enormous. Many of those who suffer and die from smoking-related illnesses actually took up the habit in their teens.
In today’s health news, there seem to be startling new statistics regarding teen smoking. It appears nearly one in five 13-to-15-year-old students worldwide uses some form of tobacco, according to the global youth tobacco survey started seven years ago, as a joint effort by the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Students from more than 130 countries responded to questions about tobacco, including personal use, secondhand exposure and advertising. The study found that Europe and the Americas had the highest rates of cigarette smoking, at approximately 18 percent. In all regions, the use of other tobacco products was generally more common among boys than among girls. Nearly a quarter of high school students in the US smoke cigarettes. Another 8% use smokeless tobacco. In addition to the innate dangers faced by the smoker, there are dangerous effects of secondhand smoke to non-smokers as well. Secondhand smoke causes many serious health problems. It contributes to as many as 300,000 cases of pneumonia, bronchitis, and other respiratory infections in infants and children every year. It is also one of the risk factors in the development of childhood asthma, causing 8,000 to 26,000 new cases each year. Smoking has many health risks for everyone. However, the younger a person starts to smoke, the more problems it can cause. The tobacco industry spends about $34 million per day to market cigarettes, and most of this marketing is targeted at kids. To stop this kind of unethical advertising, critics argue Congress should pass legislation that would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration the authority to regulate tobacco products and marketing, as well as to ban candy-flavored cigarettes.
Combating teen smoking in America is a really serious public health issue. It is relevant as well to the problems in developing countries faced with smoking by children and adolescents. The issues on teen smoking clearly speaks to policy makers, health personnel, researchers, and young people. Each group has a role to play to address the growing health problems among minors.
Why Do Some Fail To Quit Smoking?
July 25th, 2010Most smokers, when you ask them, will claim that even though they smoke everyday, they really do want to quit smoking. However, the number one reason some smokers don’t quit is because deep down inside, they really do not want to quit at all. Nicotine is an addictive drug, simple as that. And the body, once introduced to high amounts of it over a period of time, can’t seem to function without it. Quitting smoking is hard, but the truth of the matter is that if you go 48 hours without a cigarette, the nicotine in your body is then gone. After the first 48 hours, if a smoker wants another cigarette, it is possibly for reasons other than a nicotine addiction.
So what could those reasons be? Well many people give the reason that smoking gives them energy. This can be why it is so hard to quit smoking. In a way, this is true, because smoking speeds your heart rate up. But that is like saying running from a bear is good for you because it keeps you in shape. Nicotine is a true stimulant, and it not only increases your heart rate, but also your blood pressure. It is like getting angry with someone, getting the same biological results. But a way to get these same addictive effects (in ways other than smoking, running from bears, or getting mad at someone,) a good nights sleep and plenty of exercise should do the trick. Drinking lots of clean, cool water also helps. It gives you something to put in your mouth and can help flush more nicotine out of the body.
One of the most common reasons people give for not quitting smoking is that they have become comfortable with the feel of a cigarette in their hands. Some even say they just like to watch the smoke come out of their mouths. Lots of smokers go back to smoking because they had nothing to do with their hands. We are creatures of habit and this makes perfect sense. If all you just miss the touch of a cigarette, try and hold a real one. However, some find that simply handling a cigarette when trying to quit makes them want to smoke one. Eating regular meals to avoid getting hungry is also a good tip.
What Kills More- Cigarettes Smoking Or Obesity?
July 24th, 2010People who are either obese or smoking, even both are growing at a very alarming rate. While more and more people are suffering from the various diseases and complications that can be brought about by obesity and cigarette smoking, it’s still frustrating for health advocates how some people can still not care about how damaging their situation is to their health and well-being.
As for the debate on which one’s worse, smoking or being obese, there are actually doctors who suggest that it’ll do you a lot of good to just quit smoking cigarettes point blank even if they say that you may end up gaining a few pounds due to it. This is because doctors believe that the problem brought about by tobacco is actually the most preventable cause of death in the United States while obesity is just in a close second place even though deaths caused by being obese is severely alarming.
However, a lot of people in America believe that even though there are a lot of heavy people in the country, they still get to live longer compared to heavy smokers basically because they don’t have the irreversible effects that are being caused by the poisonous ingredients that one can take in due to cigarette smoking. Another point to consider when quitting smoking is that while there are also a lot of various diseases that can be brought about by excessive eating and a growing waistline, there are medicines and drugs that can help alleviate the harmful effects, thus helping obese people to get a cure for their ailments.
Matched by a good diet and enough exercise, the road to being fit and healthy is not far off for obese people while those who’ve stuck with cigarette smoking have already badly damaged their lungs and whatever damages they may have incurred from cigarette smoking is sadly, irreversible already and they have to continue to suffer the consequences – even make things worse by refusing to kick this bad habit goodbye.
Even though there are a lot of people who are obese, and even though there are possibilities that may incur some ailments or other health complications, still, a lot of people who are obese don’t really have any adverse health complications and are actually able to live pretty normal lives while those who are into cigarette smoking have already kissed a good bill of health goodbye with every cigarette that they pop in their mouth.
However, there are also some health officials that claim that obesity is actually worse than smoking cigarettes.
Why is this so? Well it’s basically just because of the fact that a lot more people love to eat rather that smoke cigarettes why is thy problem with obesity is quick to soon overtake cigarette smoking as the number cause of death in America. Aside from having poor eating habits, health officials are also deeply concerned about Americans low level of physical activity wherein in spite of hitting the gyms or taking some time out to exercise, a lot of people still not take their health seriously by opting to take cars instead of walk for just short distances, watch TV instead of go out in the park and indulge in some fun physical activity.
To put it quite simply, being obese or being addicted to cigarette smoking are both big health risks, however, obesity is still a lot easier to cure and prevent through enough exercise, discipline and a healthy diet while those who keep on smoking cigarettes have already scarred their health for life and even though they may kick this bad habit goodbye there’s only so much that they can to do to better their health while it is never too late to quit either.
