Revealing the harms of smoking:
4-5 million people die every year and over ten thousand people every day due to the harms of smoking. Although the answer to the question of why smoking varies from person to person, it is a known fact that it does not solve any problems, on the contrary, it creates serious health problems. Especially the high level of profit in this area caused the measures against smoking to be taken very late. Considering that cigarettes were sold in a country like England in the 1942s with the slogan "Smoking increases your self-confidence", it is not difficult to understand why its use increased so much. For example, if the issue of public health, which is treated as a serious business today, had started 50 years ago and was at that time If there had been some restrictions on smoking, probably so many people would not have been harmed by smoking. As a result of their research, especially in the mid-60s, scientists have determined that the harms of smoking are quite serious, contrary to popular belief. And especially Western countries - mainly the European Union Countries and the USA - have carried out some preventive activities since the 70s and worked to prevent the harms of smoking. For example, the ban on smoking in closed areas was carried out in the USA 20 years ago. In Turkey, this measure only came into force in 2009.
Why is Smoking Harmful?
Cigarettes have toxic effects on the human body due to the nicotine, tar and other poisonous gases they contain. . In particular, tar contains around 4500 chemical compounds that are toxic to the human body. It was determined by scientists in the 2000s that approximately 80 of these chemical compounds could 'definitely' cause cancer.
Gases such as carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide found in cigarette smoke reduce the amount of oxygen in the blood. They cause not enough oxygen to reach the organs and brain. For this reason, because the heart works faster and moves with the desire to pump blood containing more oxygen, the risk of heart attack is 80% higher in smokers than in non-smokers.
On the other hand, smoking find in Nicotine, the main and main addictive substance, has been used as a "poison" throughout history. Although cigarettes do not contain enough nicotine to kill a person directly, a person who consumes a sufficient amount of nicotine can die within a few hours.
Is Cigarette Addictive?
Cigarettes are addictive, as we mentioned above, due to the nicotine and other addictive substances they contain. Experts state that nicotine addiction begins with the first cigarette, and point out that craving symptoms begin when smoking is stopped after 1 month of chronic use. A person who has smoked a total of 100 cigarettes is considered a smoker throughout his life. If we know that the nicotine taken during smoking one branch of cigarette is enough to fill all the nicotine receptors in the reward system, we can explain why there are 20 cigarettes in a pack.
“After the nicotine ingested through cigarette smoke combines with these receptors, they become insensitive to nicotine. If all the nicotine receptors in the reward system are saturated with nicotine, taking more nicotine will not have a pleasurable effect. The nicotine taken during smoking one branch of cigarette is enough to fill all the nicotine receptors in the reward system. For this reason, the cigarette branch is of standard size. In other words, a longer cigarette branch cannot have a more pleasurable effect.
A certain amount of time must pass before the person can enjoy smoking again. Nicotine receptors become sensitive in approximately 45 minutes. If a person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day smokes one branch every 45 minutes, assuming that he stays awake for an average of 16 hours, he will need a total of 20 cigarettes. This is probably why there are 20 branches of cigarettes in cigarette packs. The smoker does not experience cigarette cravings by making the nicotine receptors in his brain constantly saturated and desensitized to nicotine throughout the day. However, as chronic cigarette use continues, the number of nicotine receptors in the brain increases and the smoker begins to feel the need to increase the dose in order to avoid craving.”
However, the feeling of deprivation that challenges cigarette addicts is not only caused by nicotine. Cigarettes, also cocaine and It also contains amphetamine. For this reason, after many years of smoking, smokers develop a feeling of withdrawal from these substances. Nicotine causes unnecessary movement of neurons in the region responsible for regulating vital functions in the brain and creates a feeling of 'pleasure and pleasure' in the person. Although this feeling is not as high as that of addicts who smoke heroin and cocaine, it creates the desire to smoke cigarettes again and again.
How Long After Quitting the Harms of Smoking?
Approximately ten years after quitting smoking, the risk of lung cancer decreases by 50%. The risk of heart attack returns to its normal course. However, even a few days after quitting smoking, the person may feel a sense of relief and be more energetic and happier than before, as the amount of oxygen in the blood increases. However, at the same time, the person has to cope with the feeling of 'deprivation'.
What are the Harms of Smoking on the Body?
Generally speaking, Bad and heavy odor spreads in the environment.
As your skin will deteriorate, dark skin and aging symptoms will begin.
Your teeth will be dirty and dirty-looking, and gum diseases will occur.
>Lack of taste begins in the mouth and pharynx, and the risk of cancer increases.
Inflammation in the larynx and trachea, damage to the vocal cords, as well as the possibility of developing cancer, increase.
Damage to the heart and vessels and Due to the damage, disadvantages such as heart attack, vascular occlusion, and increased blood pressure occur.
Brain paralysis and dementia (Alzheimer's) occur in old age. It causes the death of 50 thousand cells in each breath.
Cataracts in the eyes and blindness occur in old age.
The sense of smell in the nose decreases.
Cancer in the lungs, Bronchitis. and disorders such as emphysema occur.
Bleeding, ulcers and cancer formation in the stomach and esophagus increase.
The risk of pancreatic cancer increases.
Regarding the uterus and ovaries. Dangers such as infertility, miscarriage, disabled and incomplete birth, early menopause, uterine cancer occur.
Impotence in the testicles and sexual organs, decrease in erection, fertilization failure, hereditary disorders may occur.
Bladder cancer occurs in the urinary bladder.
Yellowing of hands and fingers and weakening of nails are observed.
Osteoporosis occurs in bones and skeletons.
Back and Waist Pain: Smoking is one of the only factors that prevents the treatment of waist-related diseases. In addition, it can occasionally cause severe back and waist pain in normal people. The reason for this is that in smokers, the body sends a very low amount of oxygen to the discs in the spinal cord.
Various diseases occur in the veins of the arms and legs.
Capillary vessels, starting from the hands and feet, extend to the arms and legs. Diseases that can lead to blockage and amputation of these organs (Burger disease) occur.
Fatigue, insomnia, mental tension, stress, poor performance, and decreased reflexes occur in the body.
Babies of women who smoke during pregnancy. They are born with 10-15% underweight and also have intelligence deficiencies.
The sense of smell in the nose decreases.
Smoking disrupts the protective structure and cells covering the respiratory tract, making the lungs vulnerable to all kinds of damage.
With the breath taken while smoking, the smoke of the cigarette and the harmful chemicals contained in the cigarette are drawn directly into the lungs.
For this reason, the most discomfort due to smoking is seen in the lungs. The chemicals contained in it cause lung diseases, and the biggest disease that cigarettes cause to the lungs is lung cancer.
DISEASES CAUSED BY SMOKING
Lung cancer, Mouth cancer, Nose cancer
Lip cancer, Throat cancer, Larynx cancer
Oesophageal cancer, Bladder cancer
Kidney cancer, Liver cancer
Stomach cancer, Pancreatic cancer
Prostate Cancer: Smoking is the cause of 40% of all these types of cancer.
Breast Cancer: Women who smoke have a 75% higher risk of developing breast cancer than non-smokers.
Uterine Cancer: Women who smoke have 4 times more risk of developing breast cancer than non-smokers. carries the risk of developing cancer.
Childhood Respiratory Problems: His mother or Children whose fathers smoke are 6 times more likely to suffer from respiratory diseases. (Colds, ear infections, bronchitis, tonsil problems, asthma and pneumonia, which sometimes even lead to death).
Diabetes: Smoking reduces the body's ability to secrete insulin over time. destroys. This leads to diabetes.
Drug Immunity – Smokers have to use much larger doses of a particular drug for it to be effective.
Ear Infections: Children of smokers are at risk of developing otitis disease.
Emphysema: 85% of the deaths caused by this disease are due to smoking. (The alveoli in the lungs lose their flexibility over time. In the later stages, there is intense breathing difficulty and the patient has to be connected to a breathing machine.)
Throat Cancer: Smoking causes 80% of throat cancer cases.
Stomach Cancer: Smokers' risk of developing stomach or bowel cancer is 2 times higher than non-smokers.
Heart Diseases >: Smokers' risk of having a heart attack is 4 times higher than non-smokers.
Infertility: If only one of the couples smokes, the risk of not having children increases 3 times.
Gangrene: Because the lungs become inefficient, very little oxygen spreads to the body. The human body is forced to distribute this very small amount of oxygen to the internal organs. For this reason, cells from the fingertips, which are the parts farthest from the heart, die rapidly in a chain. Most of the time, arms or legs may be amputated.
Liver Cancer: 80% of liver cancer cases are caused by smoking.
Throat Cancer strong>:If you smoke 25 cigarettes a day, you have a 30 times higher risk of developing throat cancer. This causes difficulty in speaking at first and the inability to speak completely in the later stages.
Premature Birth and Light Birth of the Baby: A pregnant woman who smokes only 5 cigarettes a day may give birth prematurely or be very small. and the risk of giving birth to an unhealthy baby is incredible.
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