"Smoking is a man's romance, how can it be harmful?" Lao Zhao leaned on the railing of his balcony, the freshly lit cigarette in his hand swaying in the night breeze, flashing a faint red light.
Xiao Zhang, a well-built fitness trainer, is passionate about promoting a healthy lifestyle. He knew the dangers of tobacco, he put down the scissors, and sighed lightly: "Uncle Zhao, do you know? I have a student's father, who also smoked for a long time, and finally ......."
Lao Liu used to be the "king of cigarettes" in the community, with more than 30 years of smoking age, and two packs a day is not a problem. Early one morning half a year ago, Lao Liu was awakened by a violent cough, followed by unbearable heart palpitations, and his family rushed him to the hospital.
After learning more about Lao Liu's medical history and lifestyle habits, the doctor told him that frequent coughing and palpitations were warning signs of early aggravation of lung disease.
01. The dangers of smoking
Catalyst for COPD: Long-term smoking releases a large number of harmful substances such as nicotine, tar and carbon monoxide, which can trigger chronic inflammation of the airways in the lungs, leading to structural disruption, narrowing and increased mucus secretion.
Over time, lung function gradually declines, resulting in irreversible airflow limitation, which induces chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Patients often present with recurrent cough, sputum production, and shortness of breath, especially after exerting symptoms, which seriously affect quality of life.
The main culprit of increased heart load: Smoking not only directly damages the lungs, but its toxic substances can also enter the bloodstream and have a profound impact on the cardiovascular system.
The nicotine in tobacco smoke can cause coronary artery constriction, reduce blood supply to the heart muscle, raise blood pressure, increase heart rate, and increase the heart's workload.
Free radicals and other harmful substances in smoke promote the formation of atherosclerosis, making blood vessel walls thicker and less elastic, further obstructing blood flow and increasing the risk of serious cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and heart failure.
Soaring cancer risk: Smoking is strongly associated with the development of many types of cancer, especially lung cancer. Tobacco smoke contains dozens of known carcinogens, which can directly irritate the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, induce genetic mutations, and promote the growth of cancer cells.
The risk of lung cancer in smokers is several to dozens of times higher than that of non-smokers. Smoking is also strongly associated with the onset of a variety of malignancies.
Systemic damage: Smoking can be harmful to the respiratory and cardiovascular systems far beyond the respiratory and cardiovascular systems. It is potentially harmful to all parts of the body,
Smoking can lead to increased insulin resistance, increase the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and make it more difficult to control blood sugar in individuals with pre-existing diabetes.
Long-term smoking accelerates bone density loss and increases the risk of fractures, especially in female smokers.
Smoking has been linked to eye diseases such as cataracts, macular degeneration, etc., which can lead to vision loss and even blindness.
The harmful substances in tobacco smoke can destroy skin collagen and elastic fibers, accelerate skin aging, and manifest as increased wrinkles and dull skin tone.
02. These 2 situations speed quit smoking
Frequent coughing and dyspnea: Long-term smokers often experience frequent and persistent coughing, usually due to direct irritation of the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract by harmful substances in tobacco smoke.
Ingredients such as tar, nicotine, and carbon monoxide in smoke can trigger an inflammatory response in the airways, impairing ciliary function and leading to increased sputum production.
This cough may only appear immediately after smoking, but as the smoke age increases and the cumulative damage of smoke increases, the cough gradually becomes irrelevant to the time and occasion, and is not easy to relieve, and even develops into a "morning cough" or "cough", which seriously affects the quality of life.
Smoking can lead to irreversible changes in the structure of the lungs, such as the destruction of alveolar walls and the formation of emphysema, which in turn leads to the decline of lung function. Presents with shallow and rapid breathing and shortness of breath, especially when performing daily activities such as stair climbing, brisk walking, or household chores.
Increased pressure on the heart: The damage to the cardiovascular system caused by smoking should also not be overlooked. The harmful substances in tobacco can cause vascular endothelial dysfunction, promote the formation of atherosclerotic plaques, and make arteries harden and narrow, thereby increasing the resistance of the heart blood supply, resulting in increased heart workload.
Nicotine has a strong vasoconstrictive effect, which can temporarily increase blood pressure, and in the long run, it may induce or aggravate hypertension.
Smoking also causes blood levels of LDL cholesterol to rise and HDL cholesterol levels to decrease, further accelerating the process of arteriosclerosis.
03. Benefits and challenges of quitting smoking
Benefits of quitting smoking:
Improvement of lung function: After stopping smoking, lung inflammation gradually decreased, ciliary function was restored, sputum secretion was reduced, and cough symptoms were significantly relieved. Lung function gradually improved, dyspnea decreased, physical strength and endurance improved, and quality of life improved significantly.
Cardiovascular risk reduction: Weeks to months after quitting smoking, blood pressure, heart rate tend to stabilize, heart load decreases, and blood circulation improves. Long-term quitting smoking can reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, and stroke, and effectively prolong life.
Reduced risk of cancer: After quitting smoking, the level of carcinogens in the body gradually decreases, the lung cell repair mechanism is activated, and the risk of lung cancer decreases year by year. Long-term quitting can significantly reduce the risk of many cancers such as lung cancer, laryngeal cancer, and oral cancer.
Other health benefits: Quitting smoking can help improve blood sugar control and reduce complication rates in people with diabetes, promote bone health and reduce the risk of fractures, improve vision and reduce the incidence of eye diseases, delay skin aging and improve physical appearance.
Challenges of quitting smoking:
Withdrawal symptoms: The body's dependence on nicotine in the early stages of quitting smoking can lead to a series of withdrawal symptoms, such as anxiety, irritability, insomnia, headaches, difficulty concentrating, increased appetite, etc.
Psychological dependence: Many smokers associate smoking with specific situations and emotional states, forming psychological dependence. After quitting smoking, they may feel overwhelmed by these situations and develop a strong urge to smoke.
Environmental temptation: The social environment is full of smoking incentives, such as the smoking behavior of relatives, friends and colleagues, smoking scenes in film and television dramas, tobacco advertisements, etc., which may trigger the desire to smoke and test the willpower of ex-smokers.
Risk of relapse: Quitting smoking is not a one-time event, but an ongoing process. Some ex-smokers may experience a brief relapse when they experience stress, frustration or temptation. If you don't adjust your mindset in time and re-strengthen your determination to quit smoking, you may fall into a vicious cycle of repeated quitting and relapse.
"Why bother in the first place?" is the sentiment of many smokers when facing a health crisis. There are no ifs in life, only results. Only by cherishing the present and having the courage to change can we truly reverse the trajectory of destiny.
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