Smoking Effects

When it comes to smoking diseases, the medical community most often focuses on lung cancer.  While smoking lung cancer is a major disease related to this harmful habit, it is not the only disease that can be contracted and is often not the disease that affects the majority of smokers on a regular basis.  Bronchitis, emphysema, impotence, mouth diseases, heart attacks and strokes have all been directly related to smoking.

Have you ever heard the term that something can leave you breathless?  Well, smoking is one of those things.  Chronic bronchitis occurs when the lungs lose their ability to absorb oxygen effectively.  An excessive amount of mucus is formed in the lungs and the natural cleaning process that removes harmful impurities from the lungs is diminished.  If the smoker has a constant cough and excessive amounts of phlegm more than likely they are suffering from chronic bronchitis.  After bronchitis has affected the lungs for an extended period of time bronchitis emphysema can occur.  Emphysema results in a decreased amount of oxygen holding power of the lungs and eventually, due to the fact that there is no cure for emphysema, this condition can kill.

The effects of smoking on the circulatory system are profound.  With a decrease in circulation, the oxygen needed for a healthy body is simply not provided to the different areas.  This lack of circulation can cause impotence in males, heart attacks and strokes.

One of the least talked about smoking diseases are mouth illnesses.  Mouth illnesses can include cancer of the tongue, mouth cancer and cancer of the throat.  So lung cancer is not the only disease you have to worry about when you’re a smoker.

If you’re a smoker, today’s the day to stop smoking.  The sooner you stop cigarettes the sooner your lungs will  be able to rebuild and revitalize which is what the body is good at doing.  Smoke simply inhibits the body’s natural ability to heal. Apart from lung cancer there is a huge list of reasons not to smoke and each of those reasons concerns smoking diseases, other sickness and illness which sometimes eventually ends in premature death.