Secondhand Smoking: What It Is, Risks And Preventive Measures

What is secondhand smoking?

Secondhand smoking is the inhaling of smoke being exhaled by a smoker. Can secondhand smoke increase your risk of having a heart attack?

Answer From Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, M.D.

Yes. Secondhand smoke exposure is a risk factor for having a heart attack in both men and women. Secondhand smoke includes the smoke from a burning cigarette or pipe and the smoke a tobacco user breathes out.

Any amount of secondhand smoke is bad for the heart and blood vessels. Breathing secondhand smoke can cause the cells in the blood that are responsible for clotting, called platelets, to become very sticky. This makes blood more likely to clot. If a clot blocks blood flow, a heart attack or stroke can occur.

Secondhand smoke makes the arteries not able to widen. This condition is called endothelial dysfunction. It's associated with many forms of cardiovascular disease.

Chemicals in secondhand smoke also irritate the lining of the arteries, causing them to swell and become stiff. Such inflammation can narrow the arteries, increasing the risk of heart-related chest pain and heart attacks.

Many studies have found that heart attack rates go down in areas after smoke-curbing laws are passed.

Second hand smoking can also affect fertility in both men and women.

How can I protect myself and my family from secondhand smoke in my home?

• There is no safe amount of secondhand smoke exposure. The home is the main place many children and adults breathe in secondhand smoke.
• To protect yourself and those around you, do not smoke or let anyone smoke in your home or car. Encourage family members to quit smoking.
• Smoke from one cigarette can stay in a room for hours. Please, note that opening windows and using fans, air conditioners, air purifiers, air fresheners, and ventilation systems does not get rid of secondhand smoke.
• Smoking in another room—like a bathroom or bedroom—will not protect children and others from the effects of secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke can still spread through your home. It can travel through doorways, cracks in walls, electrical lines, ventilation systems, and plumbing.
• In an apartment building, secondhand smoke can travel between apartment units.
• Prohibiting all tobacco use, including e-cigarettes, in the home can set a good example for young people. It can also protect people who do not use e-cigarettes from exposure to e-cigarette emissions. The e-cigarette aerosol that people who use e-cigarettes breathe from the device and exhale can contain harmful and potentially harmful substances.

How can I protect myself and my family from secondhand smoke outside of my home?

If your child goes to daycare or school, talk to the provider or school officials to make sure they have a tobacco-free policy for all facilities. This type of policy can set a good example for young people. It can also protect children from secondhand smoke and e-cigarette emissions. Examples includes:

• Tobacco-free school events.
• Tobacco-free school policies that apply to buildings and grounds and include e-cigarettes.

If neither your state nor community have adopted laws preventing exposure to secondhand smoke in public areas, look for restaurants and other public places that do not allow smoking. "No Smoking" sections in restaurants that separate people who smoke from those who do not smoke do not protect you or your children from secondhand smoke.

Women should also avoid shops where smoking is  not prohibited and order their personal care and beauty products where necessary.

Talk to your employer about the benefits of a smokefree policy in your workplace.

Educate others about the benefits of smokefree laws in public places, workplaces, and housing.

If you own or manage a business, adopt a smokefree policy for employees and customers.

Protecting your loved ones also means not using other types of commercial tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

• The aerosol from e-cigarette is not harmless . It can contain cancer-causing chemicals, heavy metals like nickel, tin, and lead, among other chemicals.
• E-cigarettes are not safe for children, teens, young adults, pregnant adults, or people who do not already use tobacco.
• No e-cigarette has been approved by the FDA as a quit smoking aid. As mentioned above, there are proven tools that can help current smokers quit successfully.

If you smoke cigarettes, the best decision you can make for your health and your family's health is to quit.

Quitting smoking can be hard, and it can take many tries but the long term health benefits are worth the sacrifice.

 

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The Link Between Smoking And Heart Disease

            How harmful is smoking?

Smoking is very harmful to your heart. It seriously increases your risk of developing heart and circulatory diseases and even affects your digestive system.

To keep your heart healthy, you can make some lifestyle changes to help you quit smoking.

What does smoking do to my heart and circulatory system?

The chemicals in cigarettes make the walls of your arteries sticky. This causes fatty material to stick to the walls. The fatty material can begin to clog your arteries and reduce the space for blood to flow properly.

• If the arteries that carry blood to your heart get clogged, it can lead to a heart attack .
• If the arteries that carry blood to your brain get clogged, it can lead to a stroke.

Smoking can also affect your heart and blood vessels by:

• increasing your risk of blood clots
• causing an instant rise to your heart rate
• causing an instant rise to your blood pressure .
• reducing the amount of oxygen delivered to the rest of your body.

What are the benefits of quitting smoking?

You might notice benefits sooner than you think:

• your heart rate and blood pressure will begin to return to normal after 20 minutes
• your sense of smell and taste will begin to improve after 2-3 days
• your risk of a heart attack is half that of a smoker after 1 year.

Quitting smoking also has other benefits like:

• you will have fresher breath and whiter teeth
• your skin will look younger and age less quickly
• you might have more energy, feel less tired and get less headaches
• your immune system will find it easier to fight off colds and flu
• your sex drive may increase, and it can improve your fertility
• you will protect the health of your children, family and friends.

It’s never too late to benefit from stopping smoking. On average, smokers who quit in their 30s will add 10 years to their life. Even quitting at 60 will add 3 years. Being a non-smoker can also improve your chances of being more physically active and healthier as you get older.

What is in a cigarette?

Cigarettes contain many toxic chemicals that harm your body even after you’ve finished your cigarette. Some of the harmful chemicals used in cigarettes are:

Carbon monoxide

Carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas. It prevents your blood from carrying oxygen around your body properly. This forces your heart to work harder than it should. It also stops your lungs working as well as they should.

Tar

Tar stains smokers’ teeth and fingers a yellow-brown colour. It is very harmful to your health, it can cause:

• cancer
• lung disease
• heart and circulatory diseases
• your lungs to be more vulnerable to infections

Nicotine

Nicotine is the addictive chemical found in regular cigarettes, most e-cigarettes and shisha. It increases your heart rate and blood pressure. Untreated high blood pressure can increase the risk of:

Stroke

Heart Attack

kidney failure

Vascular Dementia problems with your sight.

Are smoking alternatives less harmful than cigarettes?

No smoking alternatives are risk-free but some are less harmful than cigarettes.

E-cigarettes

E-cigarettes, or vapes, are less harmful than regular cigarettes and they can be used to help you quit smoking. An e-cigarette is a device that you breath in vapour (steam) from rather than smoke.

The vapour contains nicotine, the addictive chemical used in cigarettes. E-cigarettes don’t burn tobacco and they don’t produce tar or carbon monoxide.

E-cigarettes can help you quit smoking by managing your cravings for nicotine. But because they use nicotine, e-cigarettes can be addictive. You should only use your e-cigarette when you really need it. If you have used e-cigarettes to successfully quit smoking normal cigarettes, you should consider quitting these as well.

E-cigarettes should not be used by non-smokers or young people.

Shisha

Shisha is not safer than smoking cigarettes. A specially prepared tobacco is heated to produce smoke. The smoke bubbles through a bowl of water and into a long hose-like pipe to be breathed in.

Despite what some believe, shisha isn’t an alternative to cigarettes. Like cigarettes, shisha tobacco can contain:

• nicotine
• tar
• carbon monoxide
• heavy metals such as arsenic and lead.

Even if you use tobacco-free shisha, the smoke still produces harmful levels of toxins. This can be either just as bad for you or even more harmful than smoke from tobacco-based shisha.

In a shisha session (which usually lasts 20-80 minutes), a shisha smoker can inhale the same amount of smoke as a cigarette smoker consuming over 100 cigarettes.

Smokeless tobacco

Smokeless tobacco is not safer than smoking cigarettes. It’s a type of tobacco that can either be chewed, sucked, or inhaled without producing smoke.

Most smokeless tobaccos have the same amount of nicotine as cigarettes. They can also have more than 25 chemicals that are known to cause cancer. Using smokeless tobacco can also increase your risk of having:

• complicated pregnancies
• mouth and tooth problems
• heart and circulatory diseases.

You might see smokeless tobacco being called snuff, snus or spit tobacco.

Low tar cigarettes

Smoking ‘low tar’ cigarettes is not safer than smoking regular cigarettes. Some cigarette packages describe the product as ‘low tar’, but this is misleading. Most ‘low tar’ cigarettes have the same amount of harmful chemicals as regular cigarettes.

‘Low tar’ cigarettes are often found in countries where the process of making cigarettes is not well regulated.

Around half of all long-term smokers die early from smoking-related conditions, like heart and circulatory diseases. Even if you’ve smoked for years, it’s never too late to stop. If you quit today, you might feel more energised to play with your children or grandchildren in just a couple of weeks.

 

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Hair Skin And Nails Capsules: 100% Beauty Pack

Hair Skin And Nails Capsule is an all-in-one solution for all your beauty needs. It is an effective herbal formular that boosts the natural beauty of your hair, skin and nails by providing them with the essential nutrients they need to grow strong and healthy.

·                     An antioxidant-rich formula.

·                     Benefits and improves skin, hair, and nail health.

·                     Helps to firm and increase skin elasticity.

·                     Fight dullness and uneven texture.

 

Price: N66, 000

 

To place orders: email kimekwu2@gmail.com or whatsapp +2347031040178

 

 Hair, Skin, And Nails Capsule also helps in reducing hair fall, dryness of skin, and brittle nails. The capsules are made up of various ingredients like Vitamin A, B6, C, and D3. As a result, it helps in strengthening the immune system as well as  promoting healthy hair growth.

Furthermore, Hair, Skin, And Nails Capsule is a scientific blend of various nutrients that boosts beauty from within. It strengthens cell membrane health, resulting in more youthful skin and healthy hair and nails.

Hair, Skin, And Nails Capsule is an anti-oxidant-rich formula that benefits and improves skin, hair, and nail health. Therefore, the ingredients help to firm and increase skin elasticity, and fight dullness and uneven texture. In addition, the phytoestrogens in soybean help to fight signs of aging, while vitamin E helps to renew dead skin cells and also form new ones.

Health Benefits of Hair, Skin, And Nails Capsule

1.            An antioxidant-rich formula.

2.            Benefits and improves skin, hair, and nail health.

3.            Helps to firm and increase skin elasticity.

4.            Fight dullness and uneven texture.

5.            The phytoestrogens help to fight signs of aging.

6.            Helps to renew dead skin cells and also form new ones.

7.            Boost beauty from within.

8.            Strengthens cell membrane health.

9.            It helps with energy metabolism.

10.         Assist overall health.

Dosage and Administration

·                     Take 2 capsules daily or as directed.

Precaution/Side Effect

·                     Don’t exceed the recommended dosage.

·                     Store in a cool place at room temperature.

·                     Keep out of reach of children.

·                     No side effects.

Key Ingredients

Soya concentrate, choline bitartrate, inositol, (vitamin c), l-cystine, (paba), magnesium oxide, (vitamin b1), (vitamin b2), (vitamin b6), (vitamin b5), (vitamin b6), ferrous fumerate, zinc gluconate, copper sulphate, biotin, folic acid.

Quantity

·                     60 Capsules per bottle.

Recommended Bottles

·                     We recommend taking 4 to 6 bottles for optimum results

Suitable for

·                     Adults

Not Suitable for

·                     For people who are allergic to Hair, Skin & Nails Products.

·                     Not recommended for pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children below 18 years.

  

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