Health Risks for Women who Smoke and how to quit smoking
56Health Risks for Women who Smoke
I’m sure by now, most people know that smoking can lead to deadly and serious illnesses. Despite all the information on the dangers of smoking rates are once again on the rise for adolescents and young adults.
This rise in smokers should prompt you to share information from a recent article by Dr. S. Kenfield and co-workers from Harvard School of Public Health. A study examined more than 12,000 women who died and who were being watched in the National Nurses’ Health Study.
With the female nurses, those who smoked had an increased risk of dying from any cause that was 281% higher than the risk is in non-smokers. It is assumed that the results are the same for men.
However, if cancers that are known to smoking are examined (lung cancer, bladder cancer, cervix, esophagus, kidney, tongue, mouth, throat, pancreas, stomach, and some forms of acute leukemia), the risk for smokers was 725% higher compared to those who do not smoke. Even in cancers that were thought to be unrelated to smoking the risk for smokers was 158% higher than that those who abstain from smoking.It also concluded that women who started smoking earlier in life had an increased death rate and had a higher rate of death associated with respiratory diseases like pneumonia and emphysema.
In light of all this information, women who stopped smoking rapidly declined their risk of dying due to cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately the death rate related to respiratory disease and cancer took 20 years to decrease to the levels of a non-smoker.
Bad effect of smoking
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Smoking Fetish Of Women
The ratio of smoking women in US is a staggering 1:4, which are even higher among high school girls. Approximately half of these smoking girls and women will die prematurely from smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer, oral cancer, heart disease, stroke and emphysema.
According to one of the researches, it has been found that the smell and taste of cigarettes play a greater role in women's smoking behavior than in that of men. Another study found that cognitive-behavioral therapy aimed at changing attitudes about weight promotes smoking cessation by women. Even if we compare their stats with men, we’ll be surprised to know that the guys who smoke are one out of every three. However, while smoking as well as smoking-related deaths from such diseases as lung cancer have been falling in men, they have been increasing in women. Smoking, in fact, takes a greater toll on the health of women than men; a smoking woman loses, on an average, 15 years of her life while a smoking man loses just over 13 years. In the first half of the 20th century, lung cancer in women was extremely atypical. In addition to that smoking wasn't very ubiquitous. Unfortunately, that soon changed when the tobacco industry started targeting women. In 1964, the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking and Health was released and it became clear that smoking was a deadly habit which engulfed 45 percentages of women all over. A media campaign followed and smoking rates began to fall, as did tobacco industry profits. But the rates declined more in men than women; the tobacco industry had started their own media campaign, once again marketing directly to women. Lung Cancer By 1987, lung cancer had outdone breast cancer as the leading cause of cancer deaths in women. Today, more women die each year from lung cancer than breast cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancers combined. In fact, lung cancer among women is now considered a scourge, killing almost 75,000 in the US last year. Women appear to be more vulnerable to lung cancer than men, and they tend to get it at younger ages. Symptoms of Lung Cancer • Shortness of breath • Fever with an unknown cause • Hoarseness • Chest pain • Wheezing • Coughing up blood • Chronic cough • Weight loss & loss of appetite • Repeated bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia Other Smoking influenced Diseases in Women While lung cancer might be the most lethal disease caused by smoking, it's not the only one. Smoking doubles the risk of having a heart attack, and increases the risk of dying from a heart attack within the first hour. This is an especially serious problem for women since women are more likely to die after a first heart attack than men. Women who use birth control pills and smoke are at especially high risk of having a heart attack. Smoking also increases the risk of other cancers, including breast, uterine cancer, bladder and oral cancer. Smoking also increases a woman's risk of low bone density and osteoporosis. Smoking-Related Disorders in Women • Heart disease • Stroke • Lung cancer • Emphysema • Oral cancer • Uterine cancer • Breast cancer • Bladder cancer • Rectal cancer • Colorectal polyps • Osteoporosis • Infertility • Early Menopause • Miscarriages • Stillbirths Family Matters Smoking is not just bad for women; it's bad for their families and future families as well. Smoking can cause infertility in women. If a woman becomes pregnant, smoking increases her risk of miscarriages, stillbirths and premature births. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy are also more likely to have babies with asthma, sleeping disorders and chronic ear infections than non-smoking mothers. The menstrual cycle phase has an effect on both mood and tobacco withdrawal symptoms for women trying to quit smoking -- a finding that clearly suggests that women could improve their success rate simply by starting their quit attempt during certain days of their cycle. Cosmetic and Other Considerations Ironically, teens and young women often think smoking is sexy and glamorous. However, the consequences — such as stained fingers and teeth, tooth loss, gum disease, bad breath — are anything but sexy and glamorous. Smoking also hastens the aging process most likely because of its adverse effect on estrogen. It can cause early menopause, facial wrinkling, and permanent voice lowering and urinary incontinence. Old Habits Die Hard Women and girls are not only more susceptible than men to the negative consequences of smoking; they are more likely to become addicted to cigarettes even when smoking comparable amounts. Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known to a man…and woman. Researchers are studying gender differences in smoking behavior and working to develop treatment plans that will help more women end their nicotine addiction. In fact, nicotine is considered more addictive than heroin or cocaine. And nicotine is more addictive for women than men. The highly addictive nature of nicotine is a major reason why most people have difficulty quitting smoking, and women have a harder time quitting than men. Another thing that makes quitting difficult for women is the weight gain that, unfortunately, often accompanies quitting smoking. On the other hand, the weight gain, which rarely exceeds five pounds, can be reversed by a healthy diet and exercise . More importantly, quitting smoking can also reverse many of the deadly consequences of the habit. Weighing the Benefits A woman who stops smoking reduces her risk of stroke to pre-smoking levels. Within a year, her smoking-related risk of heart disease drops by 50 percent. After three years, the risk of a heart attack is no greater than for a woman who never smoked. Within five years, her smoking-related risk of heart disease can disappear altogether. Clearly, the benefits of quitting outweigh the possibility of any weight gain. So think again...Are we going the right way??How to quit smoking
Follow these tips to get ready to quit:
• Cut down the number of cigarettes you smoke each day.
─ Smoke only half a cigarette each time.
─ Smoke only during the even hours of the day.
• Clean out ashtrays and start putting them away one by one. Clean the
drapes, the car, your office, or anything else that smells of tobacco
smoke.
• Get a friend or spouse to quit with you.
• Start exercising before you quit.
• Switch to a brand of cigarettes you do not like as much.
• Throw away spare lighters.
• Smoke alone if you like to smoke with people.
• Become aware of why you smoke each cigarette. Avoid the things that
cause you to smoke.
• Write down a list of the top 5 reasons you want to quit. Read this list
daily.
Health Risks for Women who Smoke in the News
- Longtime exposure to secondhand smoke ups risk of breast cancerPeople's Daily9 hours ago
Women who are exposed to secondhand cigarette smoke for a prolonged period of time may face greater risk of breast cancer, a new study suggests. The risk also applies to women who never smoke cigarettes themselves, according to the study appearing in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research. In the study ...
- Exposure To Secondhand Cigarette Smoke Over A Lifetime Increased Breast Cancer Risk Later In LifeMedical News Today2 days ago
Exposure to secondhand smoke for a prolonged period of time and in high quantity may increase the risk of breast cancer, even in women who never smoked cigarettes themselves. "The question of whether exposure to side-stream smoke could increase risk of breast cancer is one that is unresolved," said Peggy Reynolds, Ph.D., senior research scientist at the Northern California Cancer Center's ...
- Secondhand cigarette smoke exposure 'ups breast cancer risk'New Kerala2 days ago
Washington, Dec 4 : Women who are exposed to secondhand smoke for a prolonged period of time and in high quantity face an increased risk of breast cancer, says a new study.
Pick a date to quit and slowly reduce your smoking until your quit date. On
your quit date, stop completely. If you smoke a lot at work, quit during a
vacation.
The Day You Quit
• Throw away your cigarettes, lighters and hide remaining ashtrays.
• Ask for help from family and friends.
• Make plans for the day and keep busy. Spend time in places where
smoking is not allowed such as a library or the movies. Change your
routine.
• Drink 8 glasses of water each day. This helps flush out the nicotine in
your body.
• Keep celery, sugarless gum, hard candy, straws or toothpicks handy to
help meet the urge of something in your mouth.
• Try deep breathing exercises and listen to relaxation tapes.
• Exercise.
• Eat regular meals.
• Start a money jar with the money you save by not buying cigarettes.
• Reward yourself at the end of the day for not smoking.
Over the next days and weeks you may be coping with withdrawal
symptoms and cravings. Exercise and relaxation can help with withdrawal
symptoms of anger, edginess or irritability. There will be times when you
really want to smoke. Wait. The urge will pass in a few minutes. Take slow,
deep breaths until you relax and forget about the urge to smoke. Drink water
slowly and hold it in your mouth for a little while. Take your mind off
smoking by thinking about something else or focus on the things you are
doing. Get up and move around.
Mark your success every day on a calendar. Reward yourself each day and
week.
Exercises to Quit Smoking
Exercises to Quit Smoking
Working out in a gym or at your home, helps in smoking cessation. The more you exercise, greater is the success of your smoking cessation
program. To start with, you need to begin with light exercises. Make
sure that you choose the exercises you can enjoy doing them. Below is
the sample list of activities and exercises you can start with.
- Walking
- Jogging
- Aerobics
- Stretching
- Swimming
- Stair Climbing
- Light Weight Lifting
- Biking
- Basketball
- Tennis
You can even try yoga and meditation. While meditating you can keep chanting “I will quit smoking.” This would work in building your resistance towards your temptation to smoke. An exhausting cardiovascular workout is necessary to make your lungs and heart strong and healthy. Whatever exercise you choose to do make sure that you start slowly. You can take help of an experienced physical trainer.
Benefits of Exercise to Quit Smoking
“No Pain, No Gain” Although exercising may seem to be difficult and hard, it offers lot of benefits. Here are few benefits:
- Reduced toxin level
- Stress reduction
- Enhanced stamina
- Weight reduction
- Better muscle tone
- Improved physical appearance
- Sound sleep
- Improved disposition and attitude
- Increased sense of accomplishment and confidence
- Improved work performance
- Increased feeling of well being
- Improved health
Exercise also saves you from the weight gain accompanied with smoking cessation.
Points to Remember
There are few things you need to remember while exercising to quit smoking:
- You need to change your lifestyle completely. Make sure that you don’t indulge yourself in some other addiction.
- Make some healthy changes in your eating habits. Don’t stick to a particular type of food; instead try to include variety of foods in your diet.
- Try to keep a balance in your carbohydrate and protein intake.
- Avoid places and activities which might influence you to smoke.
- Consult your doctor before you start this program.
Remember that in the beginning exercising will hurt you but this will lead you to a healthier and long life.
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Comments
Today, when I see smokers huddled outside their office buildings in the winter I think there are a bunch of losers. Anybody who smokes today knowing what is known today about the health effects of tobacco is a loser and/or has a death wish. I smoked for many years until I was finally able to quit 25 years ago. So, I recognize that quitting is not easy. Cigarettes are quite addictive.
Excellent Hub, I found this very beneficial as I am doing a course on quitting smoking right now :)
I quit after going through a one week evening course put on many years ago by a crusading local thoracic surgeon. The first night we were linked with another "buddy" attending the program with instructions to call our buddy for support at any time thereafter if we experienced a strong desire for a smoke. Dr. Weaver used a multi-pronged approach with ranged with slide presentations of data showing the increased odds of emphysema and lung cancer from smoking, to movies. He even passed around blackened cancerous lungs he had removed from patients. I attended with a friend. We both succeeded in quitting, but she started up again later. N.B.: She didn't get lung cancer but she did develop emphysema, premature aging and mental problems which may be unrelated to smoking. Currently she is very unhappy in a nursing home.
Good plan Ralph. The course I am going through is brilliant, and I reckon it will work. Anything that stops us smoking has to be good, right? sorry to hear about your friend.
G-Ma Johnson says:
13 months ago
Smoking is sooo bad nice hub and covered well Thanks. G-Ma :o) Hugs