Tobacco which has been the deadliest enemy of the mankind of all times has become a crucial and usual thing in our culture nowadays. Even though most people are aware of the impacts of consuming tobacco, it’s been a global epidemic among the youths. The impact of cigarette smoking and other tobacco use pose a serious health threat to both youth and young adults across the world. Despite of the thousands of  programmes and media stories in reducing the use of smoking and other tobacco use, generation after generation it continues to be consumed and families after families continues to suffer the devasting consequences. As per the records of 2018 nearly 21Mn citizens of Srilanka has been in consumption of Tobacco, which resulted nearly 10% of the death rate to increase. Tobacco does not mean only cigarettes, it also consists of many varieties such as Cigarettes, Menthol Cigarettes, Cigars, Bidis, Hookahs and etc….

Introduction of Tobacco

Tobacco cultivation was first introduced by the Portuguese and it is speculated that they also introduced the habit of smoking tobacco. Ceylon Tobacco Company PLC was incorporated in 1932. There are approximately 600 ingredients in cigarettes. when burned, Cigarettes creates more than 7,000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer, and many are toxic. Acetone, Acetic Acid, Ammonia, Hexamine, Lead, Methanol, Nicotine, Tar are some of the chemicals in Tobacco which is highly addictive that makes difficult for the smoker to kick the habit. Tobacco also contains many poisonous substances that causes disease and premature death, killing more than 8 million people a year around the world.

According to the survey conducted by the Alcohol and Drug Information Centre during the year 2018 on tobacco smoking trends over the age of 15 years has resulted a smoking prevalence of 28.4% which was an increase from 23.8% during the year 2017. Proportionately to the current smokers among those aged between 15 and 4 years was 21.5%, whereas the smoking prevalence above 40 years was 31.9%. Smoking prevalence among female remains low as to 1%.

Effects of Smoking…

Every cigarette you smoke is harmful. Every cigarette you smoke will cause you a mutation in your body, mutations lead you to cancers. When you start smoking, the poisons from the tar in your cigarette enter your body then it makes your body thicker and increase of clot formation. Later it increase your blood pressure and heart rate making your heart work harder than the normal rate. Basically Smoking leads to diseases affecting the heart and lungs and will most commonly affect areas such as hands feet etc…. A person’s increased risk of the disease being stimulated is directly proportionate to the length of time that a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. The health risk of smoking is not common across all smokers, but rather it varies according to the amount of tobacco smoked, with those who smoke more has greater risk. Smoking so-called “Light” cigarettes does not reduce the risk.

How Smoking Tobacco Effects Your Heart and Blood Vessels

Smoking tobacco damages your heart and blood vessels (Cardiovascular System), increasing your risk of heart diseases and stroke. It’s a major cause of coronary heart disease, which can eventually lead to a heart attack. Smoking causes high blood pressure, lowers your ability to exercise, and makes your blood more likely to be clotted. It also decreases HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Smoking is a major risk factor for peripheral arterial disease, where it builds up in the arteries that carry blood to the head, organs and Limbs which eventually increases your risk of heart diseases, heart attack and stroke. Smoking can cause or worsen poor blood flow to the arms and legs. This too can cause pain in legs while walking and may lead to open sores that don’t heal. Surgery to improve the blood flow often fails in people who keep smoking. This is why many doctors who operate on blood vessels keep neglecting in doing certain operations on patients who suffer from these diseases unless they stop smoking.

How Smoking Tobacco Can Affect Your Sex Life and Reproductive System

Women…

The use of tobacco can damage a women’s reproductive health. Women who smoke are more likely to have trouble getting pregnant. When they are pregnant, they also tend to have problems that can hurt both the mother and baby. For instance: Ectopic Pregnancy, early membrane ruptures, serious bleeding, early delivery and emergency Caesarean Section. Smokers are more likely to have miscarriages, stillbirths and low birth-weight babies. Women who smoke tend to be younger at the start of menopause than non-smokers and may have more unpleasant symptoms while going through this process.

Men…

Smoking damages the arteries, and blood flow is a key part of male erections. Male smokers have a higher risk of sexual impotence the more they smoke and the longer they smoke. Smoking can also affect sperm (Reduction of fertility) and increase the risk for miscarriage and birth defects.

How Smoking Tobacco Can Affect Digestive system

What some might not realize however is the strong effect of smoking has on the Digestive system. Smoking increases the chances of developing many types of cancers of the Digestive system, including the mouth, esophagus, stomach and pancreas. In addition, smoking can be a factor in developing of many common disorders of the Digestive system, Such as Heartburns and Gastroesophageal reflux diseases. When you smoke, it could also can cause the lower esophagus spinchter to weaken. Another harmful effect of smoking can have on the digestive system is it increases the risk of developing Peptic Ulcers. Peptic Ulcers are sores on the inside lining of the stomach, Which is commonly caused by an infection resulting from the development of a bacteria. The good news is that quitting smoking can improve the symptoms of Digestive disease or keep them from getting worse.

Other Ways Smoking Tobacco Affects Your Health…

Not all the health problems related to smoking results in the death. Smoking effects a smoker’s health in many other ways, harming every organ of the body and causing many diseases. Here are a few examples of other ways smoking tobacco affects your health: Increased risk of gum disease and tooth loss, decreased immune system function, Premature aging of the skin, Bad breathing process, Increased risk of Cataracts, Lower bone density, Higher risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis and plenty more which results from the smoking of Tobacco.

By Rtr. Salmaan Mehraan | Email:Salmanmehraan@gmail.com