Saudi Gazette W ith each cigarette you smoke, you add another nail to your coffin. The effects of smoking on human health paints a very ugly picture and cigarette smoke contains over 30 potentially carcinogenic chemicals, including carbon monoxide, cadmium, lead, arsenic, cyanide, nickel, and tar. Smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease since nicotine increases blood fats, blood pressure, and blood cholesterol levels. Smoking causes the blood to thicken, thus posing a risk of strokes and smokers are 3 times as likely as nonsmokers to suffer heart attacks. Smoking can also cause problems with the heart beat. Smoking causes poor blood circulation that may lead to varicose veins and other diseases of the arteries in the arms and legs. Long use of tobacco smoke eventually destroys the lung tissues by irritation, inflammation, and scarring. Smokers have a higher incidence of respiratory infections, colds and flu, bronchitis, and chronic cough, compared to non-smokers. Smoking reduces lung capacity and endurance and may result in an inability to exercise. When lung scarring and loss of lung elasticity occurs from chronic smoking, emphysema develops. At this point the damage is irreversible, breathing becomes labored, activity may be totally limited, and regular breathing treatments may be required. Smoking is also bad for your complexion. It dehydrates the skin and speeds up the aging process and causes an increase in facial wrinkles. Smoking also stains the teeth, tongue, and fingers, not to mention persistent bad breath. Cigarette smoking increases your risk of developing cancers in the lungs, mouth, tongue, larynx, esophagus, bladder, kidneys, pancreas, and cervix. Smokers are 5 to 10 times more susceptible to lung cancer than nonsmokers and cancer of the lungs is the most deadly and most difficult to treat cancer. Due to decreased blood circulation to the brain, smoking leads to memory and thinking problems, and early dementia. __
