Monday, May 25, 2020
Quit Smoking in 21 days, Using Home Remedies !!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Cigarette Smoking and Cancer
A.D.A.M. Tobacco use, particularly cigarette smoking is the single most preventable cause of death in the United States. Cigarette smoking alone is directly responsible for approximately 30% of all cancer deaths annually in the United States(1). Cigarette smoking also contributes to lung disease, heart disease, stroke, and the development of low birth weight babies(2).Quitting smoking can significantly reduce a person's risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and diseases of the lung, and can limit adverse health effects on children. What are the effects of cigarette smoking on cancer rates?
Cigarette smoking causes 87% of lung cancer deaths. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women(1). Smoking is also responsible for most cancers of the: larynx oral cavity esophagus bladderIn addition, it is highly associated with the development of, and deaths from, kidney, pancreatic, and cervical cancers(2,3).
Are there any health risks for nonsmokers?
The health risks caused by cigarette smoking are not limited to smokers - exposure to secondhand smoke, or environmental tobacco smoke ETS, significantly increases a nonsmoker's risk of developing lung cancer(1,2). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC), exposure to secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 lung cancer deaths among nonsmokers and is responsible for lower respiratory tract infections in an estimated 300,000 children each year(3). The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency(EPA) released a risk assessment report in December 1992 that classified secondhand smoke as a Group A carcinogen - a category reserved for only the most dangerous cancer-causing agents(4,5).
What harmful chemicals are found in cigarette smoke?
Cigarette smoke contains about 4000 chemical agents, including over 60 substances that are known to cause cancer in humans(carcinogens)(3). In addition, many of these substances, such as carbon monoxide, tar, arsenic, and lead, are poisonous and toxic to the human body. Nicotine is a drug that is naturally present in the tobacco plant and is primarily responsible for a person's addiction to tobacco products, including cigarettes. During smoking, nicotine is absorbed quickly into the bloodstream and travels to the brain in a matter of seconds. Nicotine causes addiction to cigarettes and other tobacco products that is similar to the addiction produced by using heroin and cocaine(6).
How does exposure to tobacco smoke affect the cigarette smoker?
The risk of developing smoking-related diseases, such as lung and other cancers, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory illnesses, is related to total lifetime exposure to cigarette smoke(7). This includes: the number of cigarettes a person smokes each day the intensity of smoking(i.e., the size and frequency of puffs) the age at which smoking began the number of years a person has smoked the smoker's exposure to secondhand smoke.
How would quitting smoking affect the risk of developing cancer and other diseases?
Smokers who quit live longer than those who continue to smoke. In addition, the earlier smokers quit, the greater the health benefit(1). Quitting smoking reduces a person's risk of dying from smoking-related cancers and other diseases(1). The extent to which this risk is reduced depends on: the number of years a person smoked the number of cigarettes smoked per day the age at which smoking began the presence or absence of illness at the time of quittingResearch has shown that people who quit before age 35 reduce their risk of developing a tobacco-related disease by 90 percent(1). Even smokers who quit before age 50 significantly reduce their risk of dying from a tobacco-related disease(1).
Just One Cigarette
When we quit smoking, most of us go through a fair amount of junkie thinking - the internal battle between our addiction and ourselves. Early on in smoking cessation, the dialogue can seem relentless. It's often persistent, annoying and exhausting. It is however, temporary, and the less attention you give to unhealthy thoughts of smoking, the better.
Thoughts of smoking just one cigarette have been the ruin of many good quitting efforts. It's important for you to realize ahead of time that these mental contortions are a normal part of the recovery process. A little preparation will keep you in the driver's seat when your mind starts to wander and smoking seems like a good option. Sometimes, distracting yourself for as little as 5 minutes is enough to snap you out of faulty thinking and get you moving forward with a better mindset.
Such is smoking cessation, and such is life. On those days when simple distractions don't work and you're feeling agitated and unhappy, have a game plan that you can turn to at a moment’s notice. You can start by making a list entitled: Put things on the list that you might reserve for those times when you need an extra boost: Take a long walk in nature, and bring the dog!Give yourself an hour to soak in a long hot bathHead to the gym for a workout and a swimSplurge on a hot fudge sundae with all the fixingsWhatever the treat, make it self-indulgent and guilt-free. You're working hard to free yourself from a tough addiction, and a little positive reinforcement goes a long way. If all else fails, put yourself on ignore and go to bed a little earlier than usual. Tomorrow will be a better day. As they say, cigarettes travel in packs. The only way to keep the beast at bay is to keep nicotine out of your system. If you decide to go ahead and smoke just one, chances are you'll be back to your old habit in short order. You may even find yourself smoking more than you used to.There is no such thing as just one cigarette.
If you absolutely cannot get thoughts of smoking out of your mind and you fear you're about to cave in and smoke, stop everything. Grab some paper and a pen, sit down, and answer the questions below with honesty and as much detail as you can muster. How long have I been smoke-free?How long do I think it should take to be free of this habit?If I go back to smoking, will I want to quit again?How long will it be before I do? Weeks...months...years? When illness strikes? Will quitting be any easier next time around?What benefits will smoking give me?Is it worth giving up what I've worked so hard to do?Some of these questions are hard to think about, but the fact is, people who return to smoking run the risk of not quitting again for years or before a smoking related illness strikes. Keep your memory green and don't lose sight of the reasons you quit smoking. They are no less true today than they were when you quit, but if you're not careful, they can feel less critical.
Be patient with yourself and allow the healing process to take place, regardless of how long it takes. Nurture and protect your quit program because it's the path to a healthier and happier you.
Definition Cigarette Tar
Photo © StockxpertDefinition: The term used to describe the toxic chemicals found in cigarettes. The concentration of tar in a cigarette determines its rating: High-tar cigarettes contain at least 22 milligrams (mg) of tar Medium-tar cigarettes from 15 mg to 21 mg Low-tar cigarettes 7 mg or less of tarSee also: Tar in Cigarettes if(zSbL
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Cadmium in Cigarette Smoke
Photo © Stockxpert What Cadmium Is and Where it Comes From:Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that occurs in nature. Cadmium is also produced as a by-product of the process of smelting (heating and melting ores to extract metals). Cadmium is present in low levels in food, and in high levels in cigarette smoke. Cadmium does not corrode easily, so it works well in batteries, its primary use. Cadmium is also used in metal plating, plastics and textile manufacturing. The most common form of cadmium exposure for the general population is through food and cigarette smoke.
Cadmium occurs naturally in many foods because it is present in the soil and water. Cadmium levels in most U.S. foods are between 2 and 40 parts per billion(2-40ppb). Fruits and beverages contain the least amount of cadmium, while leafy vegetables and raw potatoes contain the most. Shellfish, liver and kidney meats are also high in cadmium.It's estimated that of the 30 micrograms (mcg -- millionths of a gram) of cadmium the average person ingests daily, 1-3 mcg is retained by the body.
A single cigarette typically contains 1-2 mcg of cadmium. When burned, cadmium is present at a level of 1,000-3,000 ppb in the smoke. Approximately 40 to 60 percent of the cadmium inhaled from cigarette smoke is able to pass through the lungs and into the body. This means that for each pack of cigarettes smoked, a person can absorb an additional 1-3 mcg of cadmium over what is taken in from other sources in their daily life. Smokers typically have twice as much cadmium in their bodies as their nonsmoking counterparts.Other Sources of Cadmium Exposure:People who work in certain high-risk occupations may face an increased risk of cadmium exposure. This would include people who work with: Soldering Welding Battery, plastics and textile manufacturingThe Safe Level of Exposure to Cadmium for Humans:The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) suggests that a safe level cadmium in drinking water is 5 ppb or less. The EPA believes that this level of exposure to cadmium will not produce any of the health problems associated with cadmium.Health Risks Associated with Cadmium Exposure:Acute exposure to ingested cadmium can produce the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting diarrhea muscle cramps salivation sensory disturbances liver injury convulsions shock renal failureAcute exposure to inhaled cadmium can cause lung problems including pneumonitis and pulmonary edema.Chronic, long-term exposure to cadmium at levels above what is considered safe by the EPA may cause lung, kidney, liver, bone or blood damage.
While definitive conclusions have yet to be drawn, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have determined that cadmium probably causes cancer. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal and is present in large quantities in inhaled cigarette smoke. It damages lung tissue and can build up over time to cause kidney, liver, bone and blood damage. And, cadmium is just one of the hundreds of toxins present in cigarette smoke. Waste no time kicking your smoking habit to the curb. It offers you nothing more than disease and ultimately -- death. if(zSbLSaturday, June 25, 2011
Cigarette Health Warnings Makeover
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today that the 9 new required? health warnings and associated color graphic images that will soon grace cigarette packaging and tobacco advertisements in the United States have been selected.?? Narrowed down from 36 possible choices, these 9? deliver powerful messages about the hazards of smoking, and they speak to everyone.? If you pick up a pack of cigarettes, the risk you're taking will be right there, staring you in the face.
View the 9 New Cigarette Health Warnings/Images
This is the first time in 25 years that cigarette health warnings have been changed.
The Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act requires that the new health warnings? and color images be implemented on the upper half of both front and back of cigarette packages, and in the top 20%? of cigarette ads.
Beginning on September 22, 2012, cigarettes can no longer be manufactured or advertised without the new warnings.? October 22, 2012 will mark the removal of any cigarettes from store shelves that do not have the new packaging.
While images of diseased lungs and rotting teeth? may be tough to look at, they are realistic examples of the stark reality behind cigarette smoking.? Tobacco is a killer, pure and simple, and it steals? human life at the rate of one precious soul every eight seconds worldwide.
Ready to Quit?
If you're ready to stop smoking, use the resources and support below to set the foundation for long-term success.
You have every bit as much ability to quit as anyone else.? Believe in yourself and be willing to go the distance. You won't regret it.
Quit smoking today.