The dangers of smoking on the human body's resistance

Smoking has been shown to cause various chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, lung cancer, obstructive pulmonary disease and stroke. These diseases are some of the dangers of smoking to health. In addition, smoking also has a dangerous impact on the human immune system.

Check out the full review of the dangers of smoking for health and powerful ways to quit smoking below.

What are the ingredients in cigarettes?

Before discussing further about the health effects of smoking, you must first know what ingredients are contained in cigarettes. Did you know that many of the chemicals contained in cigarettes are actually used in some of the products we use everyday?

Yes, don't be surprised if most of the chemicals contained in cigarettes are in fact unusual products that you shouldn't consume on a daily basis. Well, it is the various ingredients that make smoking dangerous to your health.

Here are some of the dangerous ingredients contained in a cigarette:

• Acetone: found in nail polish remover
• Ammonia: a commonly used household cleaner
• Acetic acid: a hair dye ingredient
• Arsenic: used in rat poison
• Benzene: found in rubber cement
• Butane: used in liquid matches
• Cadmium: the active component in battery acid
• Carbon monoxide: created from exhaust fumes
• Formaldehyde: liquid preservative
• Hexamine: found in barbecue matchsticks
• Lead: used in batteries
• Naphthalene: ingredient in camphor
• Methanol: the main component of rocket fuel
• Nicotine: used as an insecticide
• Tar: material for paving roads
• Toluene: used for paint

What are the effects of smoking on the body?

Smoking is known to the public as one of the leading causes of death in the world. Various studies have proven that there are many adverse effects of smoking on health, including asthma, lung infections, oral cancer, throat cancer, lung cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and dementia, erectile dysfunction (impotence).

Even the bad effects of smoking on health do not only apply to smokers. The reason is, people who are around smokers are also at high risk of being affected by these cigarettes, even though they themselves do not smoke.

David Currow, a Cancer Institute lecturer from New South Wales, Australia, told the ABC that there are several things that happen to your body when you smoke, including when you just inhale secondhand smoke, including:

• Your blood pressure and heart rate will increase. However, blood flow to your capillaries is reduced.
• The oxygen level in the blood decreases because the carbon monoxide in the blood actually increases from cigarette smoke.
• Exposure to chemicals contained in cigarette smoke causes the fine hairs in the respiratory tract to be damaged. In addition, the small muscles in the respiratory tract will also continue to contract.
• The immune system (immune system) weakens, making you susceptible to various infectious diseases.

Why does smoking have an impact on the body's resistance?

Cigarettes have various toxins from the chemicals they contain. The main health dangers of smoking come from toxic carcinogens (which cause cancer) and carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke. Both of these substances will be inhaled by the respiratory tract, which in turn can lead to organ damage and decreased function of the organs of the heart, blood vessels and respiratory systems.

As a result, the body will find it more difficult to fight germs in the environment because it has to deal with organ damage and fight toxins from exposure to cigarette smoke.

By smoking, it means that a person will be more likely to be exposed to toxins from smoke from cigarettes with more frequency and for a long time. The same thing can be experienced by secondhand smoke. The impact of smoking on the body's resistance will tend to increase if passive smokers inhale the breath exhaled by active smokers.

What are the health effects of smoking?

Decreased immune function is characterized by a lack of the body's ability to fight germs that can cause infection. This can be due to organ damage and immune components that cannot work properly when the body lacks the intake it needs, for example oxygen and antioxidants. This is very likely caused by smoking. Here are some of the health effects of smoking, especially your immune system:

1. Respiratory tract damage

Respiratory tract damage is the earliest effect of smoking which causes a decrease in endurance. The toxins in cigarettes can cause irritation and mucus in the respiratory tract which can cause an infection in the throat to the lungs.

Infections can also be more susceptible because cigarette smoke damages cilia, which are tiny hairs in the respiratory tract that trap dust. The more exposure to cigarette smoke, the greater the risk of the infection becoming more serious and causing damage to the air cavities in the lungs.

2. Trigger autoimmune conditions

The impact of smoking is not only on the respiratory tract, but also can trigger autoimmune conditions. The toxic carcinogens and tar in a cigarette make your body less effective at fighting inflammation. A weakened immune system is also dangerous because it can trigger autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism and multiple sclerosis.

3. Inhibits blood flow

The nicotine content in a cigarette can make the blood thicker. For this reason, nutrients, minerals, and oxygen that are distributed through the blood cannot be absorbed much and optimally by the body. The impact of this cigarette causes inflammation on the outside and internal organs to heal longer.

4. The number of antibodies is reduced

The effect the cigarette has on your bloodstream can reduce the number of antibodies in your body. Antibodies are blood proteins that play a role in reducing the number of germs in the body. As a result, smokers will experience a longer healing period than usual when they are sick.

5. Reducing antioxidant levels

Antioxidant compounds such as those from vitamin C in the blood function to ward off free radicals and repair organ damage. Unfortunately, the effects of smoking make the levels of antioxidants in the body of smokers to be less than in nonsmokers. This causes smokers to be prone to illness and the pain healing process tends to take a long time.

6. Increase white blood cells

Just like antibodies, white blood cells also function to fight infection. However, in smokers, the ongoing inflammation and damage results in high levels of white blood cells.

As a result, white blood cells will become less responsive to disease agents and if they occur for a long time it can increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, and cancer. This is the impact of smoking that must be watched out for.

Can it reduce the dangers of smoking to health?

Quitting smoking is the best way to prevent the decline in endurance from getting worse. When a person stops smoking, most of their immune system will get back on its own. This generally will run optimally as long as the person does not develop a serious infectious disease such as pneumonia and has damage to the respiratory tract organs.

There are several things you can do to reduce the dangers of smoking to your health when you are trying to quit smoking, including:

• Improve your diet. Meeting the needs of vitamins and minerals will speed up immune recovery. If it is necessary, complete with certain supplements.
• Get your vitamin D intake. Vitamin D is an important component in maintaining endurance. You can get your vitamin D intake from sun exposure or fruits and vegetables.
• Sports. Being active will help accelerate oxygen circulation which is beneficial for the function of the heart and blood vessels so that it can strengthen your body's immune system.
• Avoid sources of disease transmission. Exposure to infectious diseases can occur anywhere. However, avoid very risky patterns of transmission such as while in hospital and contact with people who have infectious diseases. Termination of transmission can also be done by maintaining personal hygiene and the environment.

Medically, what is the safe limit for smoking every day?

Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco conducted an evaluation of research on smoking habits and found out what is the safe limit for smoking each day. From the various existing collections of research, the researchers came to quite surprising conclusions. The results of this study were then published on the Harvard University website.

For those of you who smoke 1-4 cigarettes per day, here are the possible health effects of smoking.

• Lung cancer risk increased 2.8 times greater.
• The risk of esophageal cancer increased by 4.3 times greater.
• The risk of gastric cancer increased 2.4 times greater.

In fact, for those who only smoke occasionally (not every day), it is known that numbersdeath rate or the death rate was 1.6 times higher than those who did not smoke at all.

Quoted from the WebMD page, Russel Luepker, a cardiologist from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health in Minneapolis, United States said that smoking actually has no safe limit at all. Even if you only smoke occasionally, you still increase your risk of various health problems.

Yes, experts say that your risk of developing cancer and various other life-threatening chronic diseases will remain high even if you only smoke occasionally. In other words, experts agree that it really isthere is no safe limit to smoking.

Quitting smoking or not smoking at all is the wisest choice for maintaining your overall health. Always remember that the full impact of smoking is bad, whether it's from an economic perspective or your health. So, in order to avoid the dangers of smoking for health, start quitting smoking right now.

Why is it so hard to quit smoking?

Nicotine is the reason it is very difficult for active smokers to quit smoking. Nicotine itself is a substance that can be found naturally in tobacco. This substance is as addictive as cocaine or heroin.

Yes, nicotine affects brain performance so that it can lead to dependence. Nicotine can be absorbed by the oral mucosa when smoking, and reaches the brain within 10 seconds of being inhaled. This absorption process is faster than drugs that are given through a vein, such as an IV.

This substance causes dependence by triggering an increase in the hormone dopamine in the brain. The increase in this hormone is also accompanied by a decrease in the monoamineoxidase enzyme, an enzyme that plays a role in lowering dopamine levels. Without these enzymes, it will be more difficult to control dopamine levels in the body, leading to dependence, which in turn also changes the way you think and behave.

When you finish a cigarette, the amount of nicotine your body absorbs will begin to decline. The happy, relaxed, and calm feelings generated by the rookok will fade away. This causes you to want to smoke again so you can regain those sensations and feelings.

If you don't smoke right away, you will experience behavioral changes. For example, being more sensitive and irritable. When the smoker returns, the feeling disappears and this toxic cycle continues.

In general, the more nicotine that oral fluids absorb during smoking, the stronger the effects of addiction a person will experience. As a result, it will be even more difficult for you to quit smoking.

Even so, that doesn't mean quitting smoking is impossible

For those of you who are active smokers, quitting smoking is not easy. Even so, quitting smoking is also not an impossible thing for you to do. The biggest temptation when deciding to quit smoking is environmental factors. Yes, living with, working, or spending time with people who smoke can trigger the urge to smoke when you are trying to quit.

Therefore, consider some of the tips below that might help you overcome difficulties in quitting smoking:

1. Make up your mind and determination

Given the dangers of smoking for health should not be underestimated, you must commit to stop smoking from now on. Strong will and determination are important assets so that you can quit smoking. If your intentions and desires are as strong as steel, the temptations that are in front of your eyes can easily be ignored. Don't let anyone shake your confidence in the healing process. You are on the right path.

Usually, the toughest process of quitting smoking is felt in the first two weeks. Therefore, if you have passed the first two weeks of quitting smoking, don't let you come back to the temptation to smoke again. The reason is, this will make all the efforts you have done in vain.

2. Ask those around you for support

Don't hesitate to ask the people around you for help, if you are at home or are friends with fellow smokers. Tell them not to smoke around you or not to give you cigarettes, even if you ask for it yourself. If your friends at work are smokers, ask them not to invite you to smoke together during breaks.

3. Find something else to do

When stress comes, the desire to return to smoking usually increases. If you have this, you must be smart to handle it. Try to find other activities that can keep you busy and focused elsewhere.

If you can't stand the empty mouth, you can eat candy, chew sugar-free gum, or snack on fresh fruit and vegetables. In fact, some people also chew on a straw. You can also keep your hands busy tinkering with the engine of a car or motorcycle.

4. Stall for time

If you are not strong anymore, even a cigarette and lighter is already in hand, you can follow these tips. Try to buy time or delay smoking for 10 minutes.

So, if you want to smoke, try to wait about 10 minutes. Often times, after waiting 10 minutes, the craving disappears, or your mind clears up again and you realize that you don't really need a cigarette. Do it this way every time the urge to smoke comes back.

5. Always remember the reasons you quit smoking

If you do give up in the end, keep in mind the reasons you want to quit smoking. Try to list all of the reasons and place the list of reasons where you can see them. This is done as material for self-reflection. Especially if the reason you quit smoking is your family, especially your parents, children, or spouse.