How Cigarettes Harm Us - From Head to Toe

Most smokers live in denial about what cigarettes are doing to them. We think smoking-related diseases will somehow skip us and happen to someone else. Eventually though, there comes a time when the "smokescreen" starts to wear thin. If you are here reading this, then very likely that time has come for you.

Tobacco use plays a role in many diseases which ultimately lead to death or disability. With over 4000 chemical compounds present in the inhaled smoke, several of which are known carcinogens, it's no wonder that the effects of smoking are so destructive.

What are the two big diseases you think of being related to smoking? Chances are they are lung cancer and emphysema, neither of which is the number one killer of smokers. Heart disease holds first place. Researchers report that worldwide, there were 1,690,000 premature deaths from cardiovascular disease among smokers in the year 2000. In contrast, there were “only? 850,000 lung cancer deaths from smoking in the same year.

The effects of smoking hold additional risks for women. Those who smoke throughout their pregnancies increase the risk of:

  • Spontaneous abortion/miscarriage
  • Ectopic pregnancy
  • Abruptio placentae
  • Placenta previa
  • Premature rupture of the membranes
  • Premature birth  

Risks to the fetus include:

  • Smaller infant(for gestational age)
  • Stillborn infant
  • Birth defects, e.g. congenital limb reduction
  • Increased nicotine receptors in baby's brain
  • Increased likelihood of child smoking as a teenager
  • Possible physical and mental long-term effects
     

Let's take a look at how tobacco affects us from head to toe. You'll probably be surprised by at least a few of the things on the following list that occur due to tobacco.

Hair:  Smell and staining

Brain and Mental Effects:

  • Stroke (cerebrovascular accidents)
  • Addiction/withdrawal
  • Altered Brain chemistry
  • Anxiety about harm caused by smoking 

Eyes:

  • Eyes sting, water and blink more
  • Blindness (macular degeneration)
  • Cataracts 

Nose:  Less sense of smell

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
  • 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
  • Cough and sputum
  • Shortness of breath
  • Colds and flu
  • Pneumonia
  • Asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD, which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema)
  • Complicates Tuberculosis 

Heart:

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

Chest: Cancer of the esophagus

Liver:  Cancer

Abdomen:

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

Kidneys and bladder: Cancer

Bones:

  • Osteoporosis
  • Spine and hip fractures 

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:

  • Increased leg pain and gangrene: peripheral vascular disease
  • Beurger's Disease  

Immune System: Weakened

Smoking is destructive and deadly. If you currently smoke, use this information to help you build the resolve you need to quit this addiction that will kill you, given the chance. Take a look at the positive effects on your body once you quit, of which there are many. We humans are incredibly resilient, and our bodies can heal so much, even after years of smoking. After the Last Cigarette details the healing that begins to take place within just 20 minutes of the last cigarette. Don't waste any more of your life on cigarettes. They offer you absolutely nothing of value. Take back your life! You deserve to be free!

Facts for this article obtained at the World Health Organization (WHO).