So natural, yet so dangerous!

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.