"Come in, you wait. ”
That afternoon, 68-year-old Aunt Zhao was diagnosed with lung cancer, and for the first time, she regretted her habit of smoking, why she stopped quitting smoking every time.
But she also wondered why many of her friends who were addicted to smoking were in good health.
If you only smoke occasionally when you are stressed, will you get lung cancer?
1. Is there a difference between occasional smoking and regular smoking?
Authoritative data research shows that China is not only the most populous country in the world, but also the country with the largest number of smokers. Chinese smokers account for about one-third of the world's smokers.
Moreover, more than 60% of men over the age of 15 in China have a history of smoking. Globally, about 5 million people die each year from smoking-related diseases, of which 1.2 million are Chinese.
The World Health Organization has also predicted that in the future, 100 million young people in China will die prematurely from smoking!
Many smokers believe that the root cause of cigarette cancer is "heavy smoking", so some smokers will take an opportunistic approach and not quit smoking, but occasionally come to a cigarette to meet the demand.
So the question is, is there a difference between smoking occasionally and smoking regularly? As long as you smoke, it will cause harm to your body, and the harm of occasional smoking is small, and it is just a delusion of smokers! Relevant studies have shown that smokers smoke only one cigarette a day, and the risk of suffering from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases will increase suddenly.
In addition, once you start smoking, the cigarette will enter the respiratory and circulatory system with the breath, and harmful substances will have adverse effects on the respiratory tract. So even if you smoke only one cigarette a day, the lung damage still exists.
The most terrifying effect is that cigarettes can cause direct damage to the DNA in the body, because the chemicals in tobacco interact with the DNA, and the long-term effects can cause its structure to change or break, and the damaged DNA may not replicate properly, resulting in the wrong transmission of genetic information. This ongoing accumulation of DNA damage can lead to cancer.
In addition, the harmful substances in cigarettes will inhibit the body's immune response, weakening the ability to monitor and eliminate precancerous lesions and early cancers. This provides favorable conditions for the development of cancer cells, making it easier for them to escape the attack of the immune system and survive and spread.
Therefore, smokers should have regular health check-ups, especially for lung cancer screening, to detect and treat potential cancer risks early.
2. In addition to smoking, there are three major causes of lung cancer
Regarding lung cancer, there is a misunderstanding that many people do not understand, why some patients are still diagnosed if they do not have the habit of smoking and drinking? Even in life, some people have regular schedules and never stay up late, why are they targeted by lung cancer? Regarding these questions, Xiao Jiu will answer them for you, which may be related to the following three factors.
Trigger 1: Occupational influence
Lung cancer is one of the important representatives of occupational cancer, and about 10% of the people diagnosed with lung cancer each year are related to the environment and work. For example, they will be directly exposed to aluminum products, asbestos, vinyl chloride, etc. in the working environment.
Trigger 2: Genetic factors
Long Hao, chief expert of lung cancer at Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Prevention and Treatment Center, said that lung cancer is hereditary, and if a close relative in the family dies of lung cancer, it will increase the chance of lung cancer in the younger generations of the family to a certain extent. This hereditary condition is more common in women who do not smoke.
Trigger 3: Induced by related diseases
If a person has chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, it can accelerate the body's transition to lung cancer. For example, tuberculosis, sarcoidosis, scleroderma, etc., these major diseases will have a certain relationship with the occurrence of lung cancer.
3. Teach you 4 ways to avoid the risk of lung cancer
Cigarettes play a variety of roles in our daily lives, and many people use smoking as a tool to release stress, and even as a medium in many office workers' social situations. The failure rate of quitting smoking has turned away many smokers who want to quit smoking, perhaps, we can change our thinking and use some methods to slowly slow down the harm of smoking to the human body.
1. Control the amount of smoking
Excessive tobacco consumption is associated with an increased risk of cancer, and a moderate reduction in the number or number of cigarettes smoked per day can significantly improve the situation. It is recommended to try tapering until withdrawal, combined with medications such as nicotine patches or oral medications to help manage withdrawal symptoms.
2. Choose low-tar cigarettes
Tar is one of the harmful substances produced when tobacco is burned, and inhaling high concentrations of tar may increase the risk of many types of cancer. Choosing a product labeled "low tar" can effectively reduce the above risks.
3. Avoid secondhand smoke
Passive smoking is exposure to tobacco smoke that is not directly ignited but exhaled by others, and prolonged exposure to such an environment may cause a non-smoker to inhale the same amount or more of a harmful chemical. Tobacco smoke should be kept away as much as possible, especially in enclosed spaces.
4. Regular physical examination
Early detection and diagnosis are essential to increase the rate of successful cure, and frequent chest x-rays or other appropriate screening programs can help identify potential problems and take prompt action. In addition, you should also pay attention to the changes in your body, and seek medical attention in time if you have symptoms such as persistent cough and sputum production.
In addition, a balanced diet, regular exercise and adequate rest can help boost immunity against various health threats. Not only are these behaviors beneficial for cancer prevention, but they also help promote overall physical health.
Resources:
[1] "How many people who smoke all their lives will die of lung cancer? | World No Tobacco Day.Hunan Provincial Cancer Hospital Service Number.2020-05-31
[2] "5 Reasons for the High Incidence of Lung Cancer in China, Professor Zhi Xiuyi Summarizes It!", Medical Respiratory Channel.2019-11-05
[3] "National Cancer Center Releases Map of High Incidence of Cancer in Various Provinces!Stay Away from Cancer, Focus on Preventing These High Incidence Cancers!", Health Times.2023-03-27
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