Smoking and Cancer

Out of all lung cancer deaths 87% of them are attributed to cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking is the number one cause of cancer death in both men and women. It is also responsible for cancers of the larynx, oral cavity and the bladder. It doesn't stop here; it is also a cause of cancer on many digestive organs such as the stomach and the pancreas.

There are over 4000 chemical agents out of which many of them are toxic and poisonous such as Carbon monoxide and lead. Nicotine is an active drug present in cigarettes and it is quickly absorbed into the bloodstream and travels to the brain in a matter of seconds. It is nicotine that gives the addiction to smoking.

These risks are not limited to smokers only; health risks to non smokers are equally appalling. Exposure to second hand smoke or what we also call as passive smoking significantly increases the risk of lung cancer and other heart diseases in nonsmokers, as well as many other respiratory illnesses in young children. Passive smoking is the inhaling of the smoke that is released from the end of the burning cigarette and from the lungs of smokers.

Smoking affects majority of the organs in the body. The risk of developing smoking related diseases such as lung and other cancers, heart disease, stroke, and respiratory illnesses, increases with the increases in the exposure to cigarette smoke.

Quitting smoking has major and immediate health benefits for men and women. It decreases the risk of lung and other cancers, heart attack, stroke and chronic lung diseases. The earlier the person quits the more the benefits. For example, research has shown that people who quit before age 50 reduce their risk of dying in the next 15 years by half compared with those who continue to smoke.

There are many techniques to quitting your smoke. A real success story is the Electronic cigarette which resembles and works like an ordinary cigarette except for the toxic chemicals and unhealthy fumes. The Electronic cigarette or the E-cigarette was developed as an alternative to people who wish to quit smoking but are unable to do so because of their addiction to smoking or because of other reasons.