SHARES
A colleague at work was coughing incessantly yesterday and we learnt that it was due to his smoking habit. Co-incidentally as I sat to write down this article, a few words flash in front of me and I wish to say this to him. Puff Puff Cough Cough. As a reader, what can you make of this slogan?
Well, this slogan was originally made by a classmate of mine from school way back in the mid-90s. It was coined for a competition under the theme “Smoking is Injurious to Health” and what better day and time to bring these coincidences together. It is World No Tobacco Day today and also a way to reach out to those friends and family who smoke; they are who we care about. And the slogan with minimal words conveys the message clearly! You puff, you cough!
By now, almost every single person in this world knows the ill-effects of tobacco, whether it is in the form of cigarettes, cigars, pipe or shisha or snuff or tobacco that is chewed or sniffed. It is basically tobacco and it did no one no good.
Tobacco causes cancer to the one that is consuming or inhaling or chewing on it. This is a known fact but sometimes it becomes an issue when people do not like others to interfere in their lives. I have heard people say” it is my wish, my body, my health; I do whatever I want with it, how does it matter to you!” Ok, valid point made. Now what if we tell you, the secondary smoke from cigarettes, pipes, and shishas can cause effects that are worse than what it does to you, to the people around you? Is that good enough reason to stop what you are doing?
Think about the children; think about the elders in your home. Would you want to hurt them? If you have a little bit of charity in your mind, you certainly wouldn’t.
So what are the side-effects of second hand smoke?
Over a period of time, upon exposure to second-hand smoke, people are at a risk of the following:
- lung cancer;
- heart disease
- nasal sinus cancer;
- stroke
- there might be breathing problems like increased coughing, pneumonia, wheezing, bronchitis, asthma.
Snuff, Chewing and dipping tobacco are other forms of “consuming” the poison called Tobacco. You thought that since this doesn’t have smoke, it will probably be a safer alternative to smoking. Well, you are wrong. Smokeless tobacco can have the following effects on you:
It has been seen that users of smokeless tobacco have (in comparison to non-users):
- 80 % higher risk of oral cancer
- 60 % increased risk of oesophageal and pancreatic cancer
Usage of smokeless tobacco can lead to the following cancers:
- Cancer of the pharynx (throat)
- Cancer of the esophagus
- Stomach cancer
- Cancer of the larynx (voice box)
- Pancreatic cancer
All said and done, there are a few examples of people who have lived long without any incidence of cancer or health issues even though they had been chain smokers, yes I know you were getting there. Come on guys, those are examples of some of the rarest of rare cases. It needn’t necessarily happen to every one who uses tobacco (in whatever form). So stop the reasoning and just Kick The Butt!
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Be considerate of other people, be considerate about yourself. You are important and so are the people around you.
Say No to Tobacco and Say Yes to a Happy Life.
If you think it is tough to kick the habit, you are wrong because Nothing Is Impossible, you just have to try! Good luck!
P.S: I hope this message has reached the one who I intended to reach out through this article. We hope to see a changed you, soon!
by Hridya Anand
A biochemist by education who could never put what she studied to good use, finally found GetDoc as a medium to do what she loved - bring information to people using a forum that is dedicated to all things medical. View all articles by Hridya Anand.
