Bone Health And Smoking

The effects of smoking can be seen all over your body, right from your head to your toes. You might be aware of smoking causing chronic lung disease, heart disease, and even cancer. But, are you aware that smoking also affects the health of your bones? Smoking is one of the primary risk factors for bone fracture and osteoporosis.

Smoking and osteoporosis

There is a direct relationship between the use of tobacco and a decrease in bone density that can lead osteoporosis. Studies are still being conducted to know whether there is a direct relationship between smoking and a reduction in bone density or the associated risk factors of smoking can be a reason behind a decrease in bone density. Typically, smokers are thinner and might also have poorer diets as compared to non smokers. This can make them susceptible to decreased bone density and osteoporosis.

Smoking and bone fracture

Many studies have been conducted on smoking and its effect on bone health has proven that if you are a smoker you are putting yourself at risk of suffering from factures. As you smoke, your bones become progressively weaker, and your body becomes more prone to factures in old age. There is also a chance that the time taken for a fracture to heal can be more in smokers.

Quit smoking and improve bone health

If smoking affects your bone health, it makes sense to stop smoking so that the bones in your body get back into shape. When you quit smoking, your body will stop losing its bone mass, but you must understand that the benefits when it comes to bone mass and density, are not immediate. It will take many years for your reduced bone mass to reach normal levels. But yes smoking cessation will halt further degeneration of your bones.

Advice On Smoking At Work

Think about it, do you really want to let your smoking habit, affect the health of your colleagues. So, the first advice that comes across very strongly when we talk about smoking at the work place is – Just don’t smoke. Stop smoking at the work place. This might also help you control your smoking habit.

Smoke free workplace benefits

A smoke free workplace is a great idea for everybody because it’s healthier and safer. Also, a smoke free environment is a much cleaner environment. Imagine a workplace where smokers are free to smoke whenever they want to. It’s going to make life difficult for non-smokers. Such an atmosphere is not conducive to good work, as well. Also, if you can stay quit of smoking while you are at work, there are chances that you might be able to quit smoking for good.

There are legally binding regulations that prevent people from smoking at the workplace, but it’s important that the need to stop smoking at the work place comes from within and not because your habit has been curbed by the law.

Employers also benefit from a “No Smoking” workplace

Not smoking at the workplace is also a good idea for the employers. If an employer asks his employees not to smoke at the workplace, it actually permeates a feeling that the employer cares about the health of his employees. Also, employees are less likely to take a leave of absence due to sickness, which is a result of smoking or exposure to second hand smoke.

All said and done, if you still choose to smoke while you are at work, you should make sure that none of your co-workers are exposed to second hand smoke.

Cigarettes And Their Destruction Of The Brain

Smoking is one of the leading causes of preventable death and disease all over the world. Addiction to cigarettes has been associated with a number of serious and even fatal side effects and a variety of health risks. New research has reported that there is direct connection between smoking and brain damage. Read on to know more about the processes that damage the nerve cells of smokers or of those who consume tobacco.

Smoking and brain damage

Researchers have reported that a compound present in tobacco incites the white blood cells in the central nervous system to attack healthy cells, resulting in severe neurological damage. This compound, known as NNK, is a chemical substance that becomes carcinogenic after being altered by the body’s metabolic process. Unlike drugs or alcohol, NNK is not known to have a direct impact on the brain cells, but can cause neuro-inflammation – a condition that causes disorders such as multiple sclerosis.

Second hand smoke and brain damage

While other negative effects of tobacco usually result from smoke or tar, brain damage due to NNK can also be caused by chewing tobacco. Studies have also suggested that this neuro-inflammation condition can also be caused by second hand smoke. The concentration of NNK can range from 20-310 nanograms in the tobacco present in cigarettes. However, NNK is a part of cigarette smoke too and indoor smoke-filled air can contain up to 26 nanograms of NNK. This means that increased NNK intake is linked to both direct as well as passive smoking.

The Adverse Effects Of Smoking On Reproduction And Health

Smoking is linked to a number of negative health consequences. Various studies have reported that smoking causes about 80-90% of lung cancer deaths in men and women. Smoking also leads to greater risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, and chronic obstructive lung diseases such as emphysema and bronchitis. Smoking is known to be a major cause of cancers of the pancreas, bladder, cervix, stomach, larynx, lungs, pharynx, etc.

Studies have reported that women smokers find it more difficult to conceive and that pregnant women smokers can cause great harm to their unborn children. Smoking cessation before pregnancy is a healthy decision for both mother and child. Smoking has a harmful effect on the health as well as on every aspect and phase of the process of reproduction. Read on to know more about why smoking is extremely detrimental for reproductive health.

• Women smokers are at a greater risk of infertility.
• Smoking before or during pregnancy is linked to a number of health conditions which include premature birth, complications during pregnancy, low birth weight in infants, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) and stillbirths.
• Research has shown that pregnant women smokers double their risk of pregnancy complications such as placenta previa - a condition wherein the placenta is too near the uterus and often results in delivery by Caesarean section.
• Smoking may also increase the risk of placental absorption - a condition wherein the placenta separates prematurely from the uterus wall. This often results in stillbirth, pre-term delivery or SIDS. The risk of placental absorption among smokers is about 1.4-2.4 times that of non-smokers.
• Smoking during pregnancy increases the risk of premature membrane rupture before going into labour and shortens the normal period of gestation.

It is advisable to quit smoking before you plan to conceive because it can have significant benefits for your reproductive and overall health.

Improve Your Smoking Cessation

All smokers are aware of the dangers of smoking but few seem to be able to quit smoking successfully. Simply going the cold turkey way rarely seems to work because sheer willpower can never be enough to wean off cigarettes successfully. This is primarily because nicotine - a major ingredient in cigarettes - is extremely addictive in nature. The withdrawal symptoms of nicotine are very difficult to withstand and most smokers give in to their craving to smoke after a while. Taking the decision to quit smoking is easy but sticking to it can take its toll. This is where smoking cessation aids can help you achieve your goal.

Smoking cessation aids

• Smoking cessation aids such as nicotine gums, patches, sprays, lozenges and inhalators work on the principle of nicotine replacement. These devices provide you with a gradually decreasing dose of nicotine in order to help your body deal with the symptoms of nicotine withdrawal. It is possible to quit smoking altogether with these products, particularly if you combine them with smoking cessation therapy and counseling.
• Hypnotic techniques alter your state of mind so that you lose the desire as well as the urge to smoke. This technique, however, has not been clinically proven and may not work effectively for everyone.
• Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese technique that involves placing needles on specific parts of your body, and is used for treating various conditions.
• Prescription medications such as Chantix work on the nicotine receptors present in your brain; this prevents nicotine withdrawal symptoms.
• Smoking cessation groups and services offer individual or group therapy involving a combination of motivational coaching, pharmacological counseling and cognitive behavioural therapy.

The Negative Consequences of Smoking

Smoking has detrimental effects on almost every part of your body and destroys your overall health. Smoking is a leading risk factor in life threatening medical conditions such as cancers of the lungs, larynx, throat, mouth, esophagus, kidney, bladder, pancreas, stomach and cervix, as well as in acute myeloid leukemia. Smoking is also the cause of other serious health conditions such as heart disease, stroke as well as lung disease such as emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Smokers are at a greater risk of pneumonia and airway infections.

Why stop smoking - Negative effects of tobacco

The health risks associated with smoking have been well documented. Smoking-related diseases include lung cancer, heart disease, COPD/emphysema, and others. Tobacco addiction plays a major role in a number of diseases that cause premature death and disability. Cigarette smoke consists of more than 4000 chemical compounds, some of which are well-known poisons and carcinogens. Some of the most damaging ingredients in cigarettes are nicotine (increases cholesterol levels and is addictive), tar (causes cancer) and carbon monoxide (reduces oxygen levels). The amount of damage caused to a smoker’s body depends on various factors like the number of cigarettes being smoked, whether the cigarettes have filters and how the tobacco present in the cigarettes has been prepared. Smoking is a killer whose effects are both destructive as well as widespread.

Anti smoking pills can help in smoking cessation

Chantix is one of the first prescription medications to be approved for smoking cessation treatment. This oral medication can be taken only by adults and in conjunction with counselling and other forms of therapy. Unlike most other smoking cessation treatments, Chantix does not work on the principle of nicotine replacement and does not substitute one form of nicotine addiction for another. Chantix specifically targets the nicotine receptors present in the brain and reduces the intensity and severity of nicotine withdrawal symptoms.