After Effects of Smoking That We All Need to Know

“I can quit smoking anytime I want.” This is the most common argument I hear when I try to convince a smoker about quitting smoking. For most people it is a thing of joy with no after effects. Some people have a psychological understanding that smoking helps in food digestion. They argue that they cannot digest the meals well if they do not smoke at least twice a day. This is an argument I do not agree to. They think that it will not have any negative effects on their health, rather try to prove the benefits of smoking, at least to them. The reason for writing this article was an incident that happened with one of my relatives. He has a rural background and is 55+ in age. Diabetes was diagnosed for him about five years ago. In addition to this, he has been a chain smoker. He considered both things of minor importance. Whenever I told him that smoking one cigarette decreases the expected life span by one day, he laughed at my citation and used to say that he might have died long time ago if my assumption was right.

About two weeks ago, he came to us to consult with a doctor. One toe in his right foot had been infected and had become blackish without any feeling or sensation. The doctor examined the foot in detail and told him that the toe was infected and it is spreading to the rest of the leg. Half of his foot had to be amputated. I discussed in detail with the doctor to know the reasons for all this. He mentioned that the foot is at the longest distance from the heart. The heart has to make a lot of effort to transport blood to and from the foot. Diabetes and smoking are the two worse things that make the blood vessels narrower. It becomes quite difficult to supply blood to the distant parts of the body. When the blood does not reach that distant part, the cells in that part start dying. The area turns black and if it is not taken care of well in time, the infection starts spreading to the remaining part of that organ. That person had no other chance but to have that part of his foot amputated as the infection might spread to the whole leg.

Now he is living with half of his right foot amputated. Whenever I go before him, he is silent. I am trying to convince him about the harmful effects of smoking. He has started listening to me and has quit smoking now. Also, I am trying to make him realize that diabetes is not a minor disease and should continuously be taken care of. I have focused on smoking in this article and have listed down its after effects. The list is not final though.

After Effects of smoking

• heart complications
• stroke
• diabetes
• social issues
• tooth decay

• The smoke of the cigarette affects every organ of the body, not only the lungs. The reason is that the toxic materials in the tobacco accumulate in blood capillaries and those are present in all organs of the body.
• Deaths caused by smoking are much more than all the other factors combined. These include HIV, illegal drug use, alcohol use, incidents related to firearms and vehicle related injuries.
• Doctors have mentioned that for more than 90% cases, the reason for lung cancer is smoking.
• As compared to non-smokers, smokers are more likely to develop complicated diseases like heart disease, stroke as well as lung cancer.
• Smoking can make it harder for women to get pregnant. Child’s health before and after birth is greatly affected by smoking.
• In men, it can reduce the fertility and increases the risk of birth defects in the off springs.
• Smoking affects bone health badly.
• Smoking also affects teeth and they can be lost due to continued smoking. You might have noticed that the white color of teeth changes to yellow in smokers.
• It is one of the main causes to develop type II diabetes. Nonsmokers are at lower risk than smokers are.

• Immune system of the body is also affected by smoking.
• It reduces the brain and nervous system activity.
• Continuous smoking causes bad breath. This further complicates social life for that person. Everyone avoids getting closer to the smoker due to the bad breath. Relationship with the spouse is also affected.
• In addition to bad breath, appetite also decreases while coughing increases due to irritations caused by smoke.
• Continued smoking increases the risk of stroke and brain damage.
• Wrinkle on the face develop at an early age.

These are some of the after effects of smoking. The list is not final and expected to be long. I have tried to convey the simple message that smoking kills. There are many health benefits of quitting smoking.