Let's spend some quality time as we are going
through some facts about the most favorite plant on the whole planet!
What is
tobacco?
Tobacco is a plant that is grown for its leaves,
which are dried and fermented before being placed on tobacco products. Tobacco
contains nicotine, an addictive ingredient, and that is why many people who use
tobacco
have a tough time when trying to stop it. The latter also has a lot
of other chemicals that are potentially harmful to the health and the overall
well being as combustion releases such things when smoking.
How is
tobacco used?
There are a few ways people can smoke, chew or
smell tobacco. Tobacco as an ingredient can be found in multiple products. The
list includes mainly cigarettes and cigars. Some people also smoke tobacco in
bulk in pipes or shisha. Tobacco products that have been chewed include
chewable tobacco, snuff, sauce.
Many studies have identified the bizarre inverse
relationship between smoking and Parkinson's disease. People who are smoking a
lot of years have a tendency to be protected from Parkinson's disease, not
because smokers die of other things sooner. The reason lies behind the fact
that a recent and well-executed research was published in a March 2010 edition
on neurology. Instead of determining the cause of the protective effect, these
researchers found that the number of years that one is smoking, rather than the
number of daily smoked cigarettes, was more critical for a stronger protective
effect.
Harvard researchers were among the first to
provide convincing evidence that smokers were less likely to develop Parkinson's
disease. In a study published in Neurology in March 2007, these researchers
concluded that the protective effect decreases after smoking cessation. And
they came to a conclusion where,
scientifically speaking, they had no idea why something like this could
happen.
Trying to
lose some weight?
The process of smoking- and particularly nicotine
in tobacco - can reduce appetite drastically. This has been known for centuries
and goes back to the indigenous cultures of America in pre-Columbian times. Tobacco
companies started in the 1920s and started to focus on women with tobacco baits
that would make them thinner.
A study published in the July 2011 issue of
Physiology & Behaviour is actually one of many studies that claim that the
inevitable weight gain associated with smoking cessation is a major barrier to
smoking cessation after addiction.
What are
the other health effects of smoking?
Although nicotine is addictive, the most serious
health effects come from other chemicals. Smoking can cause lung cancer,
chronic bronchitis, and emphysema. It increases the risk of heart disease that
can lead to a stroke or a heart attack. Smoking is also associated with other
types of cancer, leukemia, cataracts, and pneumonia. All these risks apply to
the use of smoked products, including water pipe tobacco. The latter also
increases the risk of oral cancer.
Pregnant women who smoke cigarettes are at
increased risk for miscarriages, stillbirths, premature births, or low birth
weight babies. Smoking during pregnancy can also be associated with learning
and behavior problems in exposed children
How does
tobacco use lead to addiction?
People that are smoking can experience long-term
changes in the brain caused by prolonged exposure to nicotine. When a person
tries to quit smoking, they may experience withdrawal symptoms, including
irritability (which is the worst thing as you are
misbehaving with people that love you)
attention problems
sleep disturbances
increased appetite
high need for tobacco
How can
people with nicotine addiction be treated?
Behavioral treatments and medication can help
people quit smoking, but the combination of medication and counseling is more
effective than both alone. The Department of Health and Human Services has
established a toll-free national hotline, 1-800-QUIT-NOW, to serve as a point
of contact for anyone seeking information and help in quitting smoking.
