Effects of Smoking to People - Essay Example

Lecturer: Effects of Smoking Introduction Smoking is not a new issue in the society. In fact, it has a culture and it is a culture. Many expressions have been put up about smoking and they tend to benefit the subject person of the moment. For instance, Fitzgerald (2007) rightfully expresses the value that smoking enthusiasts have in the product (the cigarette). He asserts that the enthusiasm lies in the culture of smokers. This points out to smoking having ‘joys’. On the other hand, other authors and educationists have expressed a lot of discontent about the very existence of cigarette smoking. Bernard (2011) claims that the smoke has very high toxicity levels so harmful to the human life given the amount of chemicals contained in the cigarette. He goes ahead to quite cite the actual fact that toxicologists and health care professionals have gone a long way in finding several harmful chemicals in the cigarette. Cigarettes are the most popular, most addictive and the deadliest form of tobacco ever to be used (World Health Organization). These contrasting ideas between smoking enthusiasts (revelers) and the equally enthusiastic dissidents create an interesting discovery of facts about smoking. If there is proof that smoking kills, with health professional’s strong campaigning against the ‘vice’, then why is the number of smokers increasing day after day? The US National Cancer Institute brings out the observation that some of the facts leading to someone talking up smoking may just be a social issue as opposed to personal or medical issue. Actually, smoking has never been proved to cure any health problem apart from allegations by some health researchers that Cannabis has some medical content. The review of this work therefore seeks to point out the effects of smoking to the body of the smoker and those who are physically close to him/her. This will also seek to establish whether smoking in public should be Okayed as a legal aspect of life or be deemed illegal by the law. Effects of Smoking to People A report on smoking was released on September 17th 2009 by Dr. Jen Doe and Dr. Chris DeSanto had very comprehensive information about effects of smoking. These two medical professionals are members of the Georgetown Hospitals Community Pediatrics Program and have served as campaigners for Tobacco Free Kids in America. Their work was seconded strongly by the American Medical Student Association having produced accurate reports on kids and smoking (Doe and DeSanto). This article about children and smoking reflects on effects of smoking by elucidating critical aspects. The authors assert that the effects of smoking are immediate and rapid. The effects are both internal and external. Immediate and rapid effects directly affect the brain, respiratory system, cardiovascular system, Gastrointestinal System, Immune System and Metabolic System. They may also affect the body interaction with drugs. This practically is the whole body system. In the brains system, which is the core of the body operations, the victim experiences increased levels of stress. This, according to the medical practitioners is caused by alteration done to the chemistry of the brain. Smoking kills brain cell receptors leading to a lapse in normal operations of the victim. It however causes relaxation which the doctors explain as “The feelings of relaxation that smokers experience while they are smoking are actually a return to the normal unstressed state that non-smokers experience all of the time”. In the respiratory system, smoking causes a collection of conditions; Bronchospasm-refers to irritation of the airway Increased production of phlegm-increased production of mucus in the lungs of the victim Coughing persistently-this occurs due to increased phlegm and occurrence of bronchospasm In the Cardiovascular System, the effects of smoking in terms of developed conditions are: Adverse lipid profile-lipids, a form of fat are supposed to be maintained at a given balanced profile which however is altered by smoking Atherosclerosis-this is the process by which fats and cholesterol stick to the walls of arteries causing a low movement of blood Thrombosis-this is a condition that results in formation of blood clots in blood vessels. The doctors state that “Smokers have elevated levels of thrombin”. The three conditions above have the effect of increasing heart rate and blood pressure as well as constricting blood vessels Gastrointestinal System is the food system and this is usually a very serious case. The effects are: Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease-this is a condition witnessed by extreme cases of heart burn and acid regurgitation. Peptic Ulcers-acid is known to be corrosive. Due to Gastro esophageal Reflux Disease, there is corrosion of parts of the stomach, esophagus and the small intestines by this acid causing ulcer. Periodontal Diseases-this is a condition that occurs when groups of bacteria are able to form colonies in a given part of the body. These colonies reach destructive levels leading to a collection of internal diseases. Halitosis-this is a medical word for bad breath. From the doctors’ perspectives, “Bad breath, smelly hair and clothes, and yellow teeth are among the most immediate and unattractive effects of smoking”. There are collections of other systems that are affected. The immune system is affected by virtue of the other systems not operating well. Presence of excess bacteria for instance may overwhelm this system to crawling levels. In equal measure, the metabolic system depends on the performance of the other systems especially Gastrointestinal System. One ineffective system leads to the other being ineffective. When drugs are taken, their ingestion into the system is dependent on effectiveness of this system. Due to the named conditions, drugs usually do not function effectively when taken by smokers. Many of these effects are supported by the work of Dr. Niyogi (2011). This source has effectively addressed the question on effects of smoking to an individual in a very comprehensive manner. The second article, “Smoking And Its Ill Effects” was written by Dr. Jaydip Niyogi. Dr Niyogi, a former student of Calcutta National Medical College and Hospital in India worked in various hospitals, both in India and the Maldives between 2000 and 2008. A general practitioner in nature, he has also undergone surgical studies at the Ethicon Institute of Surgical Education, Royal College of Surgeon of Edinburgh, Indian chapter. This work therefore is a piece from a very experienced practitioner from the field. In the article, he starts off by defining smoking. He defines smoking as “a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke tasted or inhaled”. This means that smoking does not refer to cigarettes alone but a collection of other substances. He asserts that there are 4000 ingredients in a cigarette apart from tobacco itself and provides a list of amongst them ammonia, arsenic and cyanide. Some of these are extremely poisonous. He however singles out nicotine as the main addictive factor in cigars. It is this nicotine that is responsible for addiction experienced by smokers. The physiological fact is that nicotine is a stimulant. However, when taken in large doses, it is a depressant and inhibits the efficient flow of signals in between blood cells. Dr. Niyogi goes ahead to elucidate seven types of smokers. The effects as indicated however do not spare any of the Categories of the smokers. The most important aspect of the smoker however that is directly different from what was highlighted by Dr. Jen Doe and Dr. Chris DeSanto is the aspect of the second hand smoke and its effects. He explains second hand smoking to occur when ‘….the exhaled and ambient smoke from one persons cigarette is inhaled by other people’. The other people become passive smokers. According to him, second hand smokers are equally at risk of exposure to the dangerous effects of smoking as the direct smokers. Categorically, passive smoking is harmful to young babies and can cause low birth weights, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), bronchitis, pneumonia and Mid Ear Infections. If non-smoker lives with a smoker, he/she has a 25% increase in suffering from the heart attack as opposed to someone not accessed to the smoker. Stroke is also a possible effect to the victim. In other cases, the effects may be worse. He states that ‘exposure to second hand smoke increases the risk of heart disease among non-smokers by as much as 60%’. This is even more than anticipated. Other sources have supported this piece of writing through emphasizing on the specific hazards caused by specified sections of the smoke in this case called the second hand smoke. The Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice (USA) in 2010 classifies the smoke as either side-stream or mainstream. Either way, this smoke has adverse effects on the second hand smokers as it does to the primary smokers. Discussion In essence, the information from the two articles has answered all the three questions effectively on smoking. From an academic perspective, it is worth noting that the descriptions, explorations, analysis and arguments brought forward makes it easy for a personal expression and research into the in-depth meaning of details. Smoking is an international problem and the American statistics show that smoking is one giant killer (Weight). So, should smoking be legalized in public places? The 2010 public health report in America showed that: 126 million Americans are victims of second hand smoke Second hand smoke causes death to 50,000 Americans annually. 40% of children in America who visit hospital emergency rooms stay with acute smokers Thousands of second hand smokers die annually of lung infections and heart attack annually. It may not be easy stopping the smoking menace but to be fair to the innocent public, smoking in public must be regulated effectively. Statistical data from the National Cancer Institute (U.S.) indicates that most non-smokers support the idea. However, with the challenge posed by the very large number of smokers, there is a proposal for smoking zones to be established in public places to avoid the menace of a widespread death of innocent victims. This research is of great significance to me as a person and the society because it addresses a public issue which, if not addressed on time might cause death to a very huge population in the near future. References (U.S.), National Cancer Institute. Risks associated with smoking cigarettes with low machine-measured yields of tar and nicotine. New York: U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Cancer Institute, 2001. Bernhard, David. Cigarette Smoke Toxicity: Linking Individual Chemicals to Human Diseases. Washington: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Committee on Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Acute Coronary Events, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, Institute of Medicine. Secondhand Smoke Exposure and Cardiovascular Effects: Making Sense of the Evidence. washinton: National Academies Press, 2010. Doe, Dr. Jen and Dr. Chris DeSanto. SMOKING’S IMMEDIATE EFFECTS ON THE BODY. Ed. Dr. David Granger and Dr. Stacey Cohn. 7 September 2009. Georgetown Hospital. 8 February 2014 . Fitzgerald, James. The Joys of Smoking Cigarettes. New York: HarperCollins, 2007. Niyogi, Dr. Jaydip. "Smoking and its ill effects." May 2011. CEDARS – Jebel Ali International Hospital. 8 February 2014 . Weight, L B. "Health Effects of Secondhand Smoke on Children." 2009. Americans for Non-Smokers Rights Foundation . 8 February 2014 . World Health Organization, WHO. Protection from Exposure to Second-hand Tobacco Smoke: Policy Recommendations. Washington: World Health Organization, 20007. Read More