HEALTH RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH SMOKING - CANCER AWARENESS CAMPAIGN #2

The WORLD CANCER DAY (February 4) actually inspired this article.

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Charles picks up a pack of cigarette, turns to the back and reads ‘smoking is dangerous to your health’ he smiles at the inscription, opens the pack, pulls out a stick, lights it up, sends the smoke to the air and says ‘such threats don’t work for Africans’.
60 years old Malam Audu reads on the pack of his cigarette ‘smokers are liable to die young’. He pauses and takes a look at himself; old, wrinkled and alive. He has smoked for the better part of his life and he wonders ‘this might be a political propaganda to deprive the poor masses of such cheap but treasured pleasure'.

INTRODUCTION

Mankind today battle with numerous hazards daily; some being environmental, industrial spiritual and emotional which are regular threats to her existence. These hazards have been warned against in various ways. For instance, unprotected sex which leads to the world’s most dreaded disease HIV has been warned against by healthcare professionals , religious organizations and even the academia. Efforts have been put in to checkmate it by raising awareness and providing prevention in form of contraceptives which are readily available, accessible and affordable. But despite the efforts put in from many angles to prevent the contact and spread of HIV, nothing has been more sticking like the effort put in to end smoking.

In Nigeria, you most often find health warnings like ‘Smoking is dangerous to your health’ or ‘The Federal Ministry of Health warns that smokers are liable to die young'.

Cigarette Packet

These warnings which come like death alarm signals appear on the pack of cigarettes, on street walls, in relaxation spots and other public places. But despite this warning, people still buy, smoke and even exchange cigarette as gifts. But what could make people choose to go on a blind date with death?

Why You Derive Pleasure From Smoking

Smoking of cigarettes, tobacco, etc can be pleasurable but dangerous to your health. What gives you pleasure and the urge to keep smoking despite the warning is Nicotine.

Nicotine is the addictive catalyst included in cigarette which enters the brain, acts like the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and stimulates the production of a number of the brains most powerful chemical messengers such as Dopamine which is part of the brain mechanism for pleasure, norepinepheline which stimulates alertness and Beta-endorphin which can reduce anxiety and pain.

The effect therefore is a temporary pleasure, decreased anxiety and a state of alert relaxation. Nicotine is like a pit trap set in cigarettes to draw millions to destruction; once you are in, you are caged.

Why Smoking is Bad For Your Health

There are over 5,000 chemicals in cigarette. 70 of these chemicals causes at least 14 types of cancer which include cancer of the brain, mouth, nose, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, pancreas, stomach, kidney, ovary, bladder, cervix, and most paramount of all, cancer of the lungs which has the lowest chance of survival.
Some Chemicals found in a Cigarette

Some of the chemicals contained in cigarette like Benzene, Polonium-210, and Nitrosamine when inhaled enters our blood stream and damages the DNA and important genes that protect the body against cancer while chemicals like Arsenic and Nickel destroy the ability of repairing damaged DNAs taking you steps closer to death.

The Awareness

Like Malam Audu, some may reason, ‘why am I not dead yet if smoking kills despite smoking for years?’ Well, scientific research has shown that the number of years one spends smoking affects his cancer risk more strongly than the number of cigarettes he smokes in a day. Simply put, smoking one pack a day for 20years is more dangerous than smoking two packs a day for ten years. But how does smoking cause cancer?

Cigarette Causes Lung Cancer

Smoking of cigarette is the biggest risk factor in the development of lung cancer. From the moment you inhale smoke into your lungs, it starts damaging your lung tissue.The lungs can definitely repair the damages, but continuous exposure to smoke makes it increasingly difficult for the lungs to keep up the repair. Once cells are damaged, they begin to behave abnormally, thereby increasing the chances of developing lung cancer. And lung cancer is the most common cancer death in both men and women worldwide.

Cancer of the Lungs

According to Dr George aka @nairadaddy

Cancer is the abnormal multiplication of the basic unit of life.

Did you see the word 'abnormal'? Quite dangerous. Lung cancer starts in the lungs as a result of growth of abnormal cells which occurs mostly in people that smoke cigarettes. The lungs is an important part of the respiratory system which helps us in breathing. The main role of the lungs is to exchange gases between the air we breathe and our blood. Through our lungs, carbon dioxide is removed from the bloodstream and oxygen enters the bloodstream which is circulated to the rest of the body. Why then should you interfere with the function of your lungs and inhale harmful substances into your system?

Healthy Lung vs Lung Cancer

Since lung cancer tends to metastasize (i.e spreads) very early after it forms, it is a life-threatening cancer and one of the most difficult cancers to treat. Meanwhile Lung cancer can also spread to other organs of the body, which include:

The Brain
The lymph nodes
The liver
The adrenal glands
The bones

Lung cancer is predominantly a disease of the elderly; almost 70% of people diagnosed with lung cancer are over 65 years of age, while less than 3% of lung cancers occur in people under 45 years of age. The median age at diagnosis is 70.

So you see it usually takes many years, or decades, for the DNA damage from smoking to cause cancer. And you may not notice the cancer early enough until it is advanced.

Cancerous Lungs

Symptoms Associated With Lung Cancer

Symptoms of lung cancer varies depending upon where and how widespread the cancer is. Some of symptoms that may occur include :

Persistent cough
Coughing up blood
Shortness of breath
Chest pain
Hoarse voice
Wheezing
Pains in the bones
Headache
Weakness
Weight loss
Visit the hospital if you start developing any of the symptoms above, for proper medical attention and advice.

Food For Thought

The risk of lung cancer increases with the number of cigarettes smoked and the time frame which smoking has occurred; which means the more and longer you smoke, the higher your risk of developing lung cancer. But when you stop smoking, you lower your risk of developing lung cancer over time.

CONCLUSION

Looking at the side effects of smoking, you would agree with me that death is very cheap. With just few bucks, one can buy and inhale over 5,000 chemicals and 70 cancer causing chemicals. Healthcare professionals should do more than just warn against the cigarette hazards, they should clearly inscribe on the pack of cigarettes, DEATH FOR SALE. Notwithstanding , abstaining from the claws of nicotine can be a hard task. But even if you are not able to quit completely, cutting down the rate at which you smoke daily can be a first step towards buying your life back. So if you have been asking how you can live healthier, younger, stronger and longer, then QUIT SMOKING!!!

References

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