Smoking as One of the Greatest Avoidable Health Risks in Our Society - Essay Example

Running header: Smoking Student’s name: Name of institution: Instructor’s name: Course code: Date of submission: Smoking is one of the greatest avoidable health risks in our society Introduction Smoking can be described as a practice or habit whereby a substance, mostly tobacco or cannabis, is burned slowly and the smoke from the substance is inhaled or tasted (Anstey, Von Sanden, Salim & O'Kearney, 2007). Smoking is most commonly practiced as a way of administering the elements or drugs found in the substance that is being burned (Boffetta, Hecht, Gray, Gupta & Straif, 2008). The burning of these two common substances, tobacco or cannabis, releases the active substance in them, such as nicotine, which is made available into the body through the lungs. The most popular method of smoking known today is done through cigarettes (Dechanet et el 2010). However, other methods of smoking may include the use of pipes, bongs, vaporizers, hookahs, bidis and cigars. Whichever the method used, the idea is to inhale the smoke released from the burning substance so as to feel the effects of that smoke in the body (Dollar, Mix & Kozlowski, 2008). Smoking is a worldwide problem that affects billions of people all over the world. According to a 2007 report by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), each year, 4.9 million people from all over the world lose their lives as a consequence of smoking . The same report also suggested that smoking-related ailments were found to kill more than half of all the long term smokers (Institute of Medicine, 2009). The shocking part is that these diseases can also be easily contracted by people who do not smoke and the effect of the smoke to them is just as lethal as it is to the smokers (Gabriel, Crott & Ghandour, 2006). The history of smoking is traced back to around 5000 BC (Burns, 2007). Smoking has been recorded among very many cultures all over the world. In the early days, smoking is said to have been associated with religious ceremonies, cleansing rituals, spiritual enlightenment and offerings. Today, research findings by the American Cancer Society show that tobacco smoking alone is practiced by more than one billion people from different human societies all over the world (American Cancer Society, 2009). This makes it the most popular form of smoking all over the world. As seen from the figures above, the high numbers of deaths that are caused by smoking are very alarming (Jacobsen et el 2005). With such number of people engaging in smoking, there is indeed a need to worry. There have been different perceptions of smoking over the years with some viewing it as holy, sinful, vulgar, irritating, a panacea, sophisticated and a deadly health hazard (Winickoff et el 2009). All in all, medical studies today have proved and revealed that smoking is very deadly and detrimental to human beings since it is known to cause a number of health complications such as heart attacks, lung cancer, erectile dysfunction, vascular stenosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and emphysema among others (Knishkowy & Amitai, 2005). It is therefore important to highlight this controversial issue from a current context so as to create awareness on the dangers of smoking to one’s health, especially to the cells (Spiro & Silvestri, 2005). From the history of smoking, it is evident that it is not a new issue and it deserves to be treated with a lot of seriousness because of the dangers that it has (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). This paper will report on the health risks that are associated with smoking from a cellular view point. The paper will discuss the issue of smoking from a cell biological basis so as to help in the understanding of the effects of smoking to the cells of the host and also to the whole body. Host Response- Whole organism and organ/tissue/cellular level Many years ago, in many regions across the world, people could freely buy cigarettes and smoke anywhere without causing alarm. Cigarette advertisements could be seen everywhere without warnings or restrictions (Winickoff et el 2009). With time, these trends have changed because people are becoming more and more aware of the health implications that smoking has on them. That is why in many countries today, smoking is banned and strictly prohibited in many public places (Dechanet et el 2010). The companies that manufacture cigarettes have also been banned from openly advertising on common media such as TV, popular magazines, radio etc (Anstey, Von Sanden, Salim & O'Kearney, 2007). The same cigarette companies are also required to warn the users of the negative effects of the cigarettes to their health. These warnings are supposed to be visible enough so that everyone can be aware of the dangers of smoking before indulging in it (Knishkowy & Amitai, 2005). This has been driven by the fact that people have become more enlightened on the fact that smoking is simply very dangerous to our health (Spiro & Silvestri, 2005). People have realized that smoking kills and that it has very many negative implications to the human body (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). The effects of smoking on the whole body of the host are quite many. First, there are the social effects that are brought about by smoking. These may include the difficulty of keeping up with others during physical activities such as sports and exercises, smelly clothes as s result of the smoke and bad breath due to the smoke among others (Winickoff et el 2009). Smoking also has economic effects in the sense that cigarettes, tobacco or other substances that can be smoked are very addictive yet they are very expensive (American Cancer Society, 2009). It is never easy to keep buying cigarettes without financial strains because they have become very expensive (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). Secondly, there are also numerous effects of smoking on the general health and body of a host (Spiro & Silvestri, 2005). These negative effects range from having stained or discolored teeth, being prone to coughs and colds, heart diseases, lung diseases, stroke, cancer, female infertility, influenza, mortality issues, pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases, renal infections, psychological problems and harm during pregnancy among others (Dechanet et el 2010). In a cellular point of view, smoking is known to affect the human cells, organs and tissues in very adverse ways. Smoking affects the lungs in a number of ways. Every puff of smoke that is inhaled slowly chips off the walls of the lungs and the natural defenses of the lungs (Winickoff et el 2009). This causes the respiratory rate to increase and the lungs are strained because they are forced to work harder than normal (Anstey, Von Sanden, Salim & O'Kearney, 2007). The gases from the smoke usually produce chemicals that injure the tissues found in the lungs (Spiro & Silvestri, 2005). This greatly increases the production of mucus and one will have an increased tendency of coughing sputum. Medical experts warn that the excess mucus produced create an ideal breeding ground for different types of viruses and bacteria (Knishkowy & Amitai, 2005). That is why a smoker is more susceptible to infections such as bronchitis, flu and cold. The body of a smoker has very little capability of fighting off diseases because the white blood cells’ ability to fight off invading organism has been greatly impaired (Dechanet et el 2010). Smoking is also known to thicken the lining of the bronchi. This predisposes the body to various types of cancer, most commonly, lung cancer (Gabriel, Crott & Ghandour, 2006). Mouth cancer is also another disease that many smokers are at a high risk of contracting. Lung cancer is said to arise and develop in the lining of the bronchi (Spiro & Silvestri, 2005). Inside the lungs, smoke is also said to weaken the scavenger cells that move around to clean the air sacs by removing any foreign particle (Anstey, Von Sanden, Salim & O'Kearney, 2007). Continued exposure of the lungs to smoke also has adverse effects on elastin. This is the enzyme responsible for keeping the lungs flexible (Knishkowy & Amitai, 2005). Smoking also has a lot of adverse effects on the heart. This is directly related to the effects of smoking on the lungs because the moments the lungs are affected by smoke, the heart has to work harder than normal to ensure that the body is kept alive (Winickoff et el 2009). This is because the pulse rate will become faster and the heart will be forced to beat 10 to 25 times extra per minute to keep blood flowing. This translates to about 36,000 extra times a day. The heart beat therefore becomes irregular as a result of the irritating effects of nicotine found in smoke (Dechanet et el 2010). This increases the chances of cardiac arrhythmia, heart attack and other coronary infections. A report released by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2006 revealed that smoking causes more that170, 000 heart attacks each year (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). Smoking raises the blood pressure as a result of excessive nicotine and makes blood to clot more easily (Spiro & Silvestri, 2005). Smoking affects the skin by constricting the blood vessels in the skin and causing a decrease in the delivery of oxygen to some of the very vital body organs (Institute of Medicine, 2009). As a result of this, the skin of a smoker is more susceptible to wrinkling. Smoking for a long time also impairs one’s sense of taste and smell as a result of decreased sensitivity (Dechanet et el 2010). In the cells of the body of a smoker, carbon monoxide is known to bind to the hemoglobin found in red blood cells (Winickoff et el 2009). This carbon monoxide is found in the smoke that is inhaled into the human body when smoking different elements such as cigarettes of cannabis (Spiro & Silvestri, 2005). Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen inside the human body. When carbon monoxide sticks to the red blood cells, they are prevented from carrying the full load of oxygen that they are supposed to carry (Dechanet et el 2010). The oxygen carrying capacity of the red blood cells is greatly lowered as a result of the carbon monoxide that has stuck to the cells (Institute of Medicine, 2009). Cancer-causing cell commonly known as carcinogens are found in tobacco smoke and they are known to damage the genes that are responsible for the growth of cells in the body (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2006). This causes the cells to reproduce too soon and to grow abnormally (Dechanet et el 2010). The carcinogens are also known to bind to the cells of the human body in the major organs and also in the airways where the smoke passes through (Winickoff et el 2009). The carcinogens that are contained in cigarettes are introduced to the body when one smokes the cigarettes and once in the lungs, they impact the cells in the entire body when they are distributed through the oxygenated blood (Dechanet et el 2010). The body of a human being is made up of billions of cells which are all responsible for making up different elements of the body such as the skin, blood vessels, chemical neurotransmitters and all the other organs in the human body (Spiro & Silvestri, 2005). Smoking therefore affects every part of the body in some way because the cells affected by smoking are found everywhere within the body as they move round to transport oxygen within the body (Jacobsen et el 2005). Smoking also leads to mutation of the cells. This means that it changes the cell structures from their intended forms. It also interferes with the normal cell division and causes genes to mutate. When cell wall are damaged, the body has mechanisms of repairing these cells. With smoking, these cell walls are difficult to repair because the level of antioxidants in the body has been greatly reduced by the smoke. The ability if cells to exchange gases (oxygenation) is greatly impaired by smoking (American Cancer Society, 2009). Statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO) reveal that in the year 2000, smoking of tobacco alone was practiced by more than 1.22 billion people from all over the world (Boffetta, Hecht, Gray, Gupta & Straif, 2008). The World Health Organization used the current trends to predict that these figures were expected to rise to 1.45 billion people in 2010. This indeed came to pass and another prediction was made which said that by 2025, the number of smoker worldwide was expected to reach 1.9 billion (Dechanet et el 2010). Out of the 1.22 billion smokers of 2000, 1 billion of them were found to be from developing countries. In 2004, the World Health Organization also reported that out of the 58.8 million deaths that were projected to occur globally that year, 5.4 million of them were attributed to tobacco smoking (Knishkowy & Amitai, 2005). In 2007, the number of projected deaths as a result of tobacco smoking stood at 4.7 million (Anstey, Von Sanden, Salim & O'Kearney, 2007). Scientists from Germany were able to show that lung cancer could also be caused by cigarette smoking. A scientist from John Hopkins University in 1938 suggested that there is a strong negative correlation between lifespan and smoking. In the 1950s, other five studies revealed that smoking is one of the greatest causes of lung cancer. The current status of scientific knowledge on smoking is very vast because smoking has been there for very many years now. Its effects have been under study for a long time because they are very common among smokers. Smoking is scientifically known to cause the numerous diseases that have been mentioned severally in the essay. There have been numerous studies over the years that have been investigating the adverse effects of smoking on the body of a smoker and also a non-smoker. The effects of secondary smoking have also been studied and it has been found out that secondary smokers, meaning people who are affected by smoke from other smokers, are also at a risk of contracting health complications just as the smokers. Conclusion In conclusion, smoking is seen to be most commonly practiced as a way of administering the elements or drugs found in the substance that is being burned. These substances have been identified as cigarettes, opium and cannabis among others. Based on the data presented in this essay, it can be concluded that smoking is very dangerous to the human body. Smoking simply kills as it destroys the cells and tissue found in the body. Smoking also causes very many diseases such as coughs and colds, heart diseases, lung diseases, stroke, cancer, female infertility, influenza, mortality issues, pulmonary diseases, cardiovascular diseases, renal infections, psychological problems and harm during pregnancy among others. More and more researchers are still conducting a lot of research on smoking and it effects. Personally, I would recommend that further research is conducted on ways of helping people to quit smoking or never start smoking at all because smoking has been proven to be a very dangerous and addictive habit. References American Cancer Society. (2009). Cancer Facts and Figures 2009. Atlanta: American Cancer Society. Anstey, K., Von Sanden, C., Salim, A. & O'Kearney, R. (2007). Smoking as a risk factor for dementia and cognitive decline: A meta-analysis of prospective studies. American journal of epidemiology, 166 (4): 367-378. Boffetta, P., Hecht, S., Gray, N., Gupta, P. & Straif, K. (2008). Smokeless tobacco and cancer. The Lancet Oncology 9 (7), 667-675. Burns, E. (2007). The Smoke of the Gods: A Social History of Tobacco. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Dechanet, C., et el (2010). Effects of cigarette smoking on reproduction. Human Reproduction Update, 17 (1): 76. Dollar, K., Mix, J. & Kozlowski, L. (2008). 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Beliefs about the health effects of "third hand" smoke and home smoking bans. Pediatrics123, (1): 74-79. Read More