We all enjoy watching movies in cinema theatres but none of us like the 2-minute advertisement concerning smoking and the vivid graphics of smokers’ lungs. But the irony of the matter is that still, we don’t learn from it. People smoke with an indulgence without bothering with the unhealthy consequences. The expert oncologists at Capitol Hospital, the best cancer care unit in the region will guide you through smoking and its aftermaths.
In our era, smoking is the most common form of leisure of drug use.
Tobacco smoke contains around 250 harmful chemicals, out of which more than 60 can cause cancer. It damages the overall health of a person. The oxygen in the human body gets replaced by the carbon monoxide. Smoking is one of the most prominent causes of cancer. It causes cancer of nose, mouth, throat, liver, esophagus, pancreas, bowel, kidney, rectum as well as other problems like heart diseases, stroke, asthma, tuberculosis, erectile dysfunction and other respiratory problems.
Even Feroz Khan, an Indian actor, director and producer was a chain smoker who met his demise because of lung cancer in 2009.
HOW SMOKING CAUSES CANCER?
After the cigarette smoke is inhaled, the body handles the toxins produced from it in two ways. The toxins are cleared from your body through urine and the body detoxifies itself. If it doesn’t detoxify that way, then the carcinogens will interact with your DNA. For a normal repair of a healthy cell, the cells divide to repair the damage. When the damage is repaired the cells of the body stop dividing, whereas, in the case of a cancerous cell, it doesn’t know when to stop dividing. This results in a tumor, which may be malignant or benign. Malignant tumors are the cancerous tumors.
Researchers have seen that after around 15 cigarettes, the DNA of a smoker changes and could result in a cancerous cell.
The rate at which the cells are repaired in a human body differs for different people. Sometimes it takes decades before all the mutations are evolved enough to cause cancer. That is the reason cancer is most common in older people.
Inflammation is another reason to stay away from smoking, not that we need one after knowing that it causes cancer. Inflammation is a protective way to repair immune cells, eliminate the initial call injury and ensure that the cell is repaired. But too much inflammation can rupture cells and damage the DNA. Smoking leads to an increase in inflammation, which in turn increases damage to our DNA and increase the probability of a smoker getting a cancer. Smoking affects the immune system of our body making it difficult to heal even with a regular cough or cold. A non-smoker will heal faster than a smoker.
PASSIVE SMOKING
Breathing and inhaling other people’s smoke is called passive smoking. It can also cause cancer. It is particularly dangerous for children. Smoking is banned in India in public places, but no one in our country adheres to it. They damage their health and spoil the health of others too. It is not a healthy practice.
E-CIGARETTES
E-cigarettes are used as a substitute for cigarettes or other such tobacco products. They have different flavors, contain nicotine and other chemicals which are toxic in nature and can cause cancer. Their safety is questionable as research is still going on. Little research done on embryo shows it to be a potential threat and causes heart defects.
QUITTING SMOKING
After getting addicted to nicotine, it is hard to quit smoking but not impossible. The addiction is both mental and physical. With emotional support from your loved ones, your doctor’s help and healthy lifestyle, you can come a long way from smoking and other detrimental after effects of it.
Quit Smoking for a better tomorrow.
