Smoking versus health: Silent killer

The effects of smoking

During my childhood we used to find it a vibe for smokers. We even went ahead and started to ‘taste the feeling’ by wrapping a roll of paper and try smoke it. Have you ever tried smoking? Well, do not even try it. We could cough and cough for some times. Bad memories!

Growing up I came to realize that it was never a vibe, but an addiction. Some one would take 10 sticks in half a day, even more.

Many people experience the same day in day out. In fact, the number of smokers keep increasing world wide. Tobacco smoking has been a serious cause of preventable deaths.

Imagine someone who is as good as healthy trying to bring on diseases of the heart such as ischemic heart disease. Some one exposing you or himself / herself to lung disease? How painful when one dies of this conditions, being in mind that it can be prevented.

I remember during my practice in a certain hospital when I met this patient who has been a chronic smoker. He used to smoke up to 20 cigarettes per day. How painful this was, when he died of a heart disease, both to us and the family? I can’t stop telling this story.

This might take me a decade narrating about this. SMOKING KILLS!

The most common effect of smoking is addiction. That is when problems start. When you start over smoking is the time you should watch.

Common health problems you are likely to acquire from smoking includes:

1. Diseases of the heart and blood vessel including but not limited to coronary artery disease where blood vessels narrows and hypertension among others.
2. Increased risk to acquire tuberculosis as it lowers the immunity.
3. Cancers
4. Diabetes
5. Lung diseases such as Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
6. Stroke.

First hand smokers are not the only people at risk. Exposure to second hand smoke is almost equally dangerous.

If someone next to you smokes, advice them to go far away from you, to the smoking zone. An addict? Seek help. Cigarette is not the vibe. The diseases are melting you down, sweeping the generation away. Quit!