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Not One Puff EVER!

Thomas3.20.2010
0 9 18

Just one gooey chocolate eclair, just one dash of salt, just one day of skipping a workout... usually, "just one" of anything isn't enough to do you any real damage. But when it comes to cigarettes,  "just one" is way too many!

Smoking just one cigarette causes arteries to stiffen by 25 percent. That's bad news bears, because the stiffer the artery, the harder the heart has to work--which means there's a greater risk of heart attack or stroke.

Instant effects

Studies can now measure the immediate changes in our bodies as we smoke a single cigarette, from a rise in blood pressure to a change in the gases in our blood stream.

Here's what happens when we smoke a cigarette:

      
  • Although we may feel more relaxed as we smoke, our blood pressure and heart rate both increase, the heart pumps differently, and the blood flow to the capillaries decreases making our feet and hands cold. We experience an increase in hand tremors and stomach secretions.
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  • Blood carbon monoxide levels increase. Carbon monoxide takes the place of oxygen in some of your red blood cells, and it sticks on to the red cells for days, preventing oxygen from being carried by these cells. The changes brought about by carbon monoxide mean that more effort must be made to achieve the same physical results as a non-smoker. In particular, the heart must work harder for the same effect, especially when doing rigorous exercise.
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  • Other changes happen in our airways: the little finger-like cilia which keep airways clear of phlegm are 'stunned' by chemicals in the smoke and tiny muscles in our airways contract, constricting them. Tobacco smoke also increases resistance in the airways leading to the lungs and reduces lung capacity.
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  • There are also measurable changes in the immune system. Every exposure to tobacco can damage DNA in ways that lead to cancer.

A recent review of several studies found that light smoking was connected to a host of other illnesses: cataracts, reduced fertility, an increased risk of an ectopic pregnancy (where the pregnancy develops outside the uterus) and weak bones.

Get this: Some 7,000 chemicals and toxins will still be attacking your body for up to 8 hours after your last puff, and a smear of gooey brown tar will be left in your lungs forever. Even worse, as your levels of dopamine plummet back to normal after smoking, your body will crave another nicotine high – even if you’re not aware of it. If you give in, you’ll be mentally hooked, which is how smoking becomes an addiction. Bottom line: Experts say that nicotine in cigarettes is just as addictive as heroin – even if you have just one smoke.

Recent changes in the design and ingredients in cigarettes have made them more likely to hook first-time users and keep older smokers coming back.

Changes include:

•Ammonia added to tobacco, which converts nicotine into a form that gets to the brain faster.

•Filter holes that allow people to inhale smoke more deeply into the lungs.

•Sugar and "moisture enhancers" to reduce the burning sensation of smoking, making it more pleasant, especially for new cigarette users.

One-third of the patients who are in the hospital today are there  because of cigarettes.

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About the Author
63 years old. 20 year smoker. 11 Years FREE! Diagnosed with COPD. Choosing a Quality LIFE! It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. -Galatians 5:1