 |
| Smart kid. |
(Continued)
-Like I said in Part 1,
many people are particularly sensitive to smoke. I had a friend who
said she had an allergy to cigarette smoke because she would get
physically sick when she was around it for very long. Some of our
friends would call 'BS' on her, saying that cigarette smoke isn't
something you can be
allergic to. The stains on my shoes tell a different story.
:) Even if 'allergies' aren't possible, though, the secondhand smoke
can cause your friend's asthma or your mom's COPD to get worse. Even
if someone doesn't have a pre-existing condition, secondhand smoke
can still be harmful over time. Remember, when someone smokes,
everyone around them smokes too.
-Cancer and
heart-related diseases aren't the only health problems smoking can
cause or worsen. We've all heard that smoking damages blood vessels
and can cause them eventually degenerate, but that doesn't just apply
to the heart. Smoking isn't 'choosy' about the parts of the body it
can damage, which means-
-Smoking can make the
effects of diabetes worse by reducing the blood flow to
already-deficient areas, often resulting in blindness and/or
amputation.
-Smoking can cause
erectile dysfunction by damaging the blood vessels that lead to the
penis. Seeing as men are rather, um, protective of these parts,
knowing this can be very
helpful in convincing your man to quit!
-Smoking
can affect your looks by restricting the blood vessels to the skin.
Think about it; have you ever noticed how some women who smoke look
older than they are? The blood flow and
vitamin-A deficiencies caused by blood vessel damage can cause
wrinkles and a paler skin tone.
-Not
only does the nicotine in cigarettes stain your teeth and gums, it
can actually increase your chance of periodontal disease. Periodontal
disease causes swollen gums and can result in the loss of teeth.
For
more information, visit
http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/health_advice/facts/smokehealth.htm.
Before I go on much
longer, I'll remind you that it is not my intention to berate anyone;
I just want to do what I can to increase awareness about the ill
effects of smoking beyond what we hear in health class and read at
the bottom of cigarette ads in magazines. I know the sheer cost
involved will be an eye-opener to many of us! If your kids need any
other reasons not to smoke other than 'I said so', show them this
post. I guarantee you, they'll learn something whether they want to
or not!
*My calculations are
based on these sites-
Yes, I know the
American Cancer Society isn't exactly unbiased. Still, there are
plenty of other calculators that will give you the same basic
numbers:
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