2016 Wellness Expo

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Page 20 2016 Wellness Expo Lincoln Daily Tuesday, February 16, 2016
for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC). One study
found that while most
calls involving e-cigarette liquid
poisoning came from accidental
ingestion of the e-cigarette or
its liquid, about one-sixth of the
calls related to someone inhaling
these items. Exposure through
the eye and the skin were also
reported.
Large doses of nicotine have
a potential for poisoning, with
symptoms beginning with
nausea and vomiting in cases of
acute toxicity and progressing
to seizures and respiratory
depression in cases of severe
nicotine poisoning. This is
particularly true in children.
Tobacco smoke is enormously
harmful to your health. There’s
no safe way to smoke. Replacing
your cigarette with a cigar, pipe,
or hookah won’t help you avoid
the health risks associated with
tobacco products.
When using a hookah pipe,
you’re likely to inhale more
smoke than you would from a
cigarette. Hookah smoke has
many toxic compounds and
exposes you to more carbon
monoxide than cigarettes do.
Hookahs also produce more
secondhand smoke.
No matter how you smoke it,
tobacco is dangerous to your
health and affects your entire
body. Smoking can affect your
central nervous system by
allowing mood-altering drug
called nicotine to reach your
brain in mere seconds. Because
it’s a central nervous system
stimulant, it makes you feel more
energized for a little while. As
that effect subsides, you feel tired
and crave more.
Nicotine is habit forming.
When you inhale smoke, you’re
taking in substances that can
damage your lungs, affecting
you respiratory system. Over
time, your lungs lose their ability
to filter harmful chemicals.
Coughing can’t clear out the
toxins sufficiently, so these
toxins get trapped in the lungs.
Smokers have a higher risk of
respiratory infections, colds, and
flu. Some of the more obvious
signs of smoking involve the
skin. The substances in tobacco
smoke actually change the
structure of your skin. Smoking
causes skin discoloration,
wrinkles, and premature aging.
Your fingernails and the skin on
your fingers may have yellow
staining from holding cigarettes.
Smokers usually develop yellow
or brown stains on their teeth.
Hair holds on to the smell of
tobacco long after you put your
cigarette out.
Smokers are at great risk of
developing oral problems.
Tobacco use can cause gum
inflammation (gingivitis) or
infection (periodontitis). These
problems can lead to tooth decay,
tooth loss, and bad breath.
Smoking also increases risk
of cancer of the mouth, throat,
larynx, and esophagus. Smokers
have higher rates of kidney
cancer and pancreatic cancer.
Even cigar smokers who don’t
inhale are at increased risk of
mouth cancer.
Smoking also has an effect on
insulin, making it more likely
that you’ll develop insulin
resistance. That puts you at
increased risk of type 2 diabetes.
When it comes to diabetes,
smokers tend to develop
complications at a faster rate than
nonsmokers. Women who smoke
may experience menopause at
an earlier age than nonsmoking
women.
Smoking increases a woman’s
risk of cervical cancer.
Smokers experience more
complications of pregnancy,
including miscarriage, problems
with the placenta, and premature
delivery.
Pregnant mothers who are
exposed to secondhand smoke
are also more likely to have a
baby with low birth weight.
Babies born to mothers who
smoke while pregnant are
at greater risk of low birth
weight, birth defects, and
sudden infant death syndrome
(SIDS). Newborns who breathe
secondhand smoke suffer more
ear infections and asthma attacks.
Smoking is the leading
preventable cause of death in the
United States. If you or someone
you know needs information
or help quitting, you can call
the Illinois Tobacco Quit line at
1-866-784-8937.