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8 Cards in this Set
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According to the world health organization Cigarette smoking is the leading preventable cause of death,each year,globally.
Accounting for over 480’000deaths each year, including nearly 42,000 deaths resulting from secondhand smoke exposure. |
That figure far exceedsthat of homicides and Vehicularaccidents combined.
Statistic show that this is about onein five deaths annually, or 1,300 deaths every day in the United States alone. |
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Cigarettes are badfor your health.
Owingto the problem is the fact that cigarettes are highly addictive and this can becredited to its content. Cigarettes are composed mainly of tobacco and the mostactive and addictive ingredient in tobacco is nicotine. |
Nicotine is a stimulant that provides temporaryalertness and euphoria, hence its addictiveness.
Once a cigarette is lit thenicotine travels through your bloodstream and takes about 10 seconds to get toyour brain, where it alters your brains chemical composition and its sideeffects are experienced |
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Apart from the highlyaddictive nicotine, cigarettes play host to a foray of over 6000 toxicchemicals. Including over 40 of which have been labeled as carcinogens andmutagens. These are direct cancer-causing agents.
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Some of which you may alreadybe familiar with, for example:
Formaldehyde – the chemical used to preserve dead bodies Arsenic – this is the main ingredient in rat poison Ammonia – used in the production of dyes, pesticides andcleaning agents Hydrogen cyanide –used in the gas chambers for the death penalty |
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Now, as I stated before these chemicals passes throughyour bloodstream which brings it into contact with every organ inside your bodywhich makes it potentially dangerous to every organ within your body.
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Beingable to cause several cancers and internal dysfunction as well as the moreobvious Cosmetic and aesthetic damage. For example, the premature wrinkling ofskin and the loss of hair and teeth
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Not only his cigarette smoking a hazard to yourhealth, but also to the health of others and to the environment, through secondhand and third hand smoking.
Let me explain, secondhand smoking occurs when anon-smoker is directly exposed to cigarette smoke. For example being smokedaround or being around smokers. |
You may also think that if I step outside or go out inthe open, I won't be putting anyone else at risk.
That's not exactly true,cigarette smoke attaches itself to hair follicles, skin, fabric and etc. andwhen persons interact with you, these chemicals become transferable, resultingin third hand smoke, which also damages the ozone layer. |
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The best decision acigarette smoker can make is to quit. Iknow what you're thinking, that's the hardest thing to do.
As with all habits,quitting is a difficult step. However with proper planning, motivation andsupport it is achievable. |
Quitting is nevereasy, however, there are products to aid smokers throughthis process.
For example, the nicotine gum and patches are sold over thecounter, as well as your doctor may also advise you on prescription drugs. There is also aid in the form of support groups, for example there is the AddictionAlert Organization – which provides confidential support and counseling toaddicts. They can be contacted at (876) 967-3777. |
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Some of the healthbenefits associated with kicking the habit are:
Within 20 minutes after your lastcigarette, your heart rate will begin to drop back toward a normallevel. After 2 hours without a cigarette,your heart rate and blood pressure will be close to normal levelsagain. Your blood circulation will also start to improve. Within 12 hours after quittingsmoking, the carbon monoxide in your body decreases to lower levels.In turn, the amount of oxygen in your blood increases to normal levels. |
24 hours after quitting smoking,your risk for coronary artery disease will already begin to reduce. Yourrisk of having a heart attack also starts to decline. After 1 month without cigarettes,the cilia inside your lungs will begin to repair. The cilia are the tiny,hair-like structures that push mucus out of the lungs. Once the cilia are ableto do their job efficiently, they can fight off infection and clear the lungsmore easily. After a year without smoking,your risk for heart disease is lowered to half thatof a smoker’s. |
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You can quit smoking.
Let us recap before Iconclude.We discussed theingredients of a cigarette and its effects on your health and the health ofothers. I spoke about the advantages of quitting and mediums of getting assistancewith quitting the habit. In closing, |
:C |
