How Cigarette Smoke Affects Our Bodies, from Head to Toe
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In our club, there are eighteen (18) active members who are still either heavy or occasional cigarette smokers, representing over one fourth of our active membership!   I hope this adapted article from About.com Smoking Cessation will greatly enlighten everyone and encourage all to quit smoking forever….We should never think it's too late for us to quit smoking… it’s ‘never too late ’to stop wasting any more of our life on cigarettes. Smoking offers us absolutely nothing of value.  Read on.

Smoking is hard on the heart, but the fact is, tobacco use plays a role in a multitude of diseases that ultimately lead to disability and/or death. Cigarette smoke contains over 4,000 chemical compounds; 200 of which are known to be poisonous, and upwards of 60 have been identified as carcinogens.

Let's take a look at how cigarette smoke affects our bodies, from head to toe. You may be surprised at some of the ways smoking has a negative impact on our health.

Hair:
  • Smell and staining

Brain and Mental Effects:

  • Stroke
  • Addiction/nicotine withdrawal
  • Altered brain chemistry
  • Anxiety about harm caused by smoking

Eyes:

  • Eyes that sting, water and blink more
  • Macular degeneration
  • Cataracts

Nose:

  • Less sense of smell

Thyroid

  • Graves Disease
  • Thyroid Disease

Skin:

  • Wrinkles
  • Premature aging

Teeth:

  • Discoloration and stains
  • Plaque
  • Loose teeth
  • Gum disease (gingivitis)

Mouth and Throat:

  • Cancers of the lips, mouth, throat and larynx
  • Cancer of the esophagus
  • Sore throat
  • Reduced sense of taste
  • Breath smells of smoke

Hands:

  • Poor circulation(cold fingers)
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Tar stained fingers

Respiration and Lungs:

  • Lung Cancer
  • COPD (includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema)
  • Cough and sputum
  • Shortness of breath

 
  • Colds and flu
  • Pneumonia
  • Asthma
  • Complicates Tuberculosis

Heart:

  • Harms, blocks and weakens arteries of the heart
  • Heart attak

Liver:

  • Cancer

Abdomen:

  • Stomach and duodenal ulcers
  • Cancer of stomach, pancreas and colon
  • Aortic aneurysm

Kidneys and bladder:

  • Kidney cancer
  • Bladder cancer

Bones:

  • Osteoporosis
  • Spine and hip fractures

Spine:

  • Degenerative Disc Disease

Male reproduction:

  • Sperm: deformity, loss of motility, reduced number
  • Infertility
  • Impotence

Female reproduction:

  • Period pains
  • Earlier menopause
  • Cancer of cervix
  • Infertility and delay in conception

Blood:

  • Leukemia

Legs and Feet:

  • Gangrene
  • Peripheral vascular disease
  • Beurger Disease

Immune System:

  • Weakened immune system

As long as this list of diseases known to be associated with smoking is, it is incomplete. We don't yet fully understand all of the dangers that cigarette smoke presents, but research continues, bringing us new discoveries seemingly by the day.

One thing is certain: Cigarettes snuff out life at an alarming rate. Statistics tell us that upwards of half of long-term smokers will die a smoking-related death. And globally, that presently translates to nearly 5 million deaths a year. Put another way, someone loses their life to smoking every 8 seconds somewhere in the world.

If you currently smoke, use this information to help you see your smoking habit for what it is - a deadly addiction that you can live without. The tools here at About.com Smoking Cessation are designed to help you learn what nicotine addiction involves and what it takes to quit smoking.

As humans, we are incredibly resilient. While not all smoking damage is reversible, so much can be healed, even after years of smoking.  Take back your life. You deserve the freedom and long-lasting benefits that smoking cessation brings.