Tag: Stroke

081223 Tobacco use and your health

081223 Tobacco use and your health

Taken from literature provided and made available by the Veterans Administration for all of us Veterans.

This particular article is taken from the VA handout sheet healthy living a better way to live. If you notice errors in the wording, it is due my proofreading error because I’m using voice to text software.

The tobacco free.

Did you know that quitting tobacco is the single most important thing you can do to improve your health and protect the health of your family members? If you quit smoking or using other forms of tobacco, you and your family will experience health benefits in the short and long term. It’s never too late to quit.

What harm does tobacco use cause?

  • All forms of tobacco use are harmful. This includes cigarettes, cigars, pipes, snuff, snus, chewing tobacco and all other tobacco products.
  • In fact, tobacco and secondhand smoke kill approximately 443000 people in the US each year. It is the largest cause of preventable illness and health in the US.
  •  Tobacco use causes cancers, heart disease, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). If you are pregnant, tobacco use can cause complications of pregnancy.
  • (In the case of a pregnant woman it can cause irreparable harm to the fetus, causing lifelong learning difficulties for that person).[1]

What is secondhand smoke and why is it a problem?

  • Secondhand smoke is the smoke released from the burning end of a cigarette, cigar or pipe, and the smoke exhaled by the smoke.
  • There is no safe level of secondhand smoke.
  • Non-smokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke at home or work are 20% to 30% more likely to develop heart disease or lung cancer.
  • In babies and children, secondhand smoke is associated with Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS),acute lung infections, ear problems, and more frequent and severe asthma attacks.
  • If you already have heart disease, you are especially high risk when you breathe secondhand smoke. It can have immediate harmful effects on your health and increase the risk of heart attack.

[1] Based upon the numerous scientific studies and condensed into this sentence.