Consumption of tobacco is the most common cause of preventable death. Globally, a large number of people die because of tobacco use. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that each year tobacco causes about 6 million deaths with 600,000 of these occurring in non smokers due to second hand smoke. Cigarette Smoking and tobacco use are major causes for heart attacks, strokes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and cancer. Cigarettes generate more than 7,000 chemicals and many of these chemicals are harmful. Once these chemicals enter our body, they affect a number of vital organs of central nervous, respiratory and cardiovascular system. Let us see how different organ systems are affected by tobacco.
Central Nervous System
Nicotine, one of the ingredients in tobacco, is a mood-altering drug. After consumption of tobacco, it reaches brain in a few seconds. It stimulates central nervous system and makes you feel more energized. As that effect subsides, you feel tired and crave more. Thus, Nicotine is habit-forming. Smoking affects eyes and increases risk of macular degeneration, cataracts, and poor eyesight. It can also weaken your sense of taste and sense of smell, so food may become less enjoyable. Physical withdrawal from smoking can impair cognitive functioning and make a person feel anxious, irritated, and depressed. Withdrawal can also cause headaches and sleep problems.
Respiratory System
Smoking can damage lungs. Regular smoking over a period of time makes lungs lose their ability to filter harmful chemicals. Coughing cannot clear out the toxins sufficiently, so these toxins get trapped in the lungs. Smokers have a higher risk of respiratory infections, colds, and flu. Besides repeated infections, smokers are at increased risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Long-term smokers are also at an increased risk of lung cancer.
Cardiovascular System
Smoking damages the entire cardiovascular system. When nicotine hits the body, it causes blood vessels to tighten, which restricts the flow of blood (peripheral artery disease). Smoking lowers good cholesterol levels and raises blood pressure, which can result in stretching of the arteries and a buildup of bad cholesterol (atherosclerosis). Smoking raises the risk of formation of blood clots which increases risk of heart attacks and strokes. In the long term, smokers are at greater risk of blood cancer (leukemia).
Some of the more obvious signs of smoking involve the skin. The substances in tobacco smoke can change the structure of skin. Smoking causes skin discoloration, wrinkles, and premature ageing. Fingernails and the skin on fingers may have yellow staining from holding cigarettes.
Digestive System
Smokers are at a greater risk of developing oral problems. Tobacco use can cause gum inflammation (gingivitis) or infection (periodontitis). These problems can lead to tooth decay, tooth loss, and bad breath. Smoking also increases risk of cancer in mouth, throat, larynx, and esophagus. Smokers experience higher incidene of kidney cancer and pancreatic cancer. Even cigar smokers, who do not inhale, are at an increased risk of mouth cancer.
Sexuality and Reproductive System
Restricted blood flow can affect a man's ability to get an erection. Both men and women who smoke may have difficulty achieving orgasm and are at a higher risk of infertility. Smokers experience more complications with pregnancy, including miscarriage, problems with the placenta, and premature delivery.
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It isn't that hard to imagine getting upset at the smallest of things in a fast-paced, stressful world. With hectic deadlines and cutthroat competition, flying off the handle has become increasingly common. If you consciously make an effort to control your temper though, you can actually save yourself a lot of trouble. Here are a few ways that will help you stay calm...
- As banal as it may sound, try this — close your eyes and take deep breaths. The extra oxygen actually helps clear your mind. And also helps prevent you from saying something that you might regret later!
- Keep lavender scent close to you. Sniffing on lavender will help calm you down by relaxing your senses.
- The next time you get upset, ask yourself a simple question — will this really matter two years from now? If the answer is no, you know it isn't even worth getting worked up about.
- Volunteering at a charitable institution may not seem appealing but spending time will the less fortunate will help you see things from a different perspective. It will also help you lose your temper less often.
- Music is another way to calm an irate mind. have a playlist of all your favourite songs and plug in when you find yourself upset.
- Keep a diary where you can vent out your turmoil. It is therapeutic to write down all your angst instead of dumping it on other people.
There is no escaping the heat in summer. Here's what you need to know about how the heat affects your body and the precautions you need to take.
Usually our body is capable of handling upto 37 degree.If the temperature exceeds above it, your body tends to sweat.By exceeding the temperature automatically, your body becomes a victim to heat.
Prevention & Precaution:
Avoid going outdoor during noon.Drink lot of water while sweating, because sweat will drain out the water resource from your body.
Wear cotton clothes as much as possible, which will let air passing through your clothes.Don't put in a situation of your body pushing up with hiccups for water.
It's is recommended to stay away from coffee,tea and alcohol for much damage to your body.
If you are unhealthily starving yourself and still not losing weight, you are certainly doing it all wrong! While it's a known fact that gaining pounds is much easier than losing them, your approach towards weight loss is what matters. People try gymming, dieting and end up falling sick thanks to their desperate attempts and though we believe in exercising moderation when it comes to working out and following a particular diet, there's a secret mantra of losing weight that many of you don't know about. Slimming teas! Well, you read that right, sipping onto that comforting cup of tea can actually make you slim, but we are not talking about the regular tea, but some specific teas which have the ability to aid weight loss. Here's a look at 5 of those wondrous teas which can give out unbelievable results if you are serious about losing that flab.
Peppermint tea
Since it helps in speeding up the process of digestion, it's best to have a cuppa of this concoction daily in order to burn more calories than usual. What's more, it will also curb your food cravings, thereby making you eat just as much as you should eat.
Prepare mint tea by taking a spoonful of fresh/dried mint leaves and adding them to boiling water. Let the leaves boil for 5 minutes and then strain the water. Add honey, if you like you tea a little sweet.
Rose tea
The easiest to make and the most flavourful of the lot, rose tea is a blessing in disguise as it clears all the toxins inside the body. Also, since it prevents constipation, the intake of rose tea ensures your metabolism is in place.
You can prepare rose tea by mixing fresh rose petals with a spoonful of tea leaves and boiling the same for 4-5 minutes.
Green tea
Though it might be a part of your daily diet already, green tea needs to be prepared in the right form (don't remove the tea bag/tea leaves before 3 minutes) for best weight loss results. A gift to mankind, the antioxidant catechins found in green tea not only boost metabolism, but also help in burning fat.
Oolong tea
Extremely popular in China and now widely available in India, courtesy the online shopping portals,oolong tea is nature's guard against obesity and can reduce cholesterol to a great extent.
Prepare oolong tea by putting a spoonful of tea leaves in boiling water and steeping the same for 4-5 minutes.
Drink twice a day for best results.
Black Tea
All of us have tasted black tea at least once in our lives, either when there's no milk in the fridge or when we are feeling too full. And well, despite having it quite regularly, most of us are not aware about its weight loss aiding abilities. Black tea helps controlling blood sugar levels and curbs the appetite to a great extent.
Can be simply prepared by boiling the tea leaves in water.
