10. You have Stomach Ulcers. We all know with normal digestion, food moves from the mouth, down the esophagus, into the stomach. Then the stomach produces hydrochloric acid which helps digest the food. What many don’t know, is that smoking increases your chances of getting stomach ulcers. It slows down the rate that food is digested, which also prolongs the time the acid is in your stomach, hence increases your chances for an ulcer to form. Smoking also slows the healing of existing ulcers.
9. Heartburn/Acid Reflux. Smoking tobacco relaxes the lower esophageal sphincter muscle, which is basically the last part of the esophagus before the stomach. This muscle controls the opening and closing of that connection. When that relaxation happens, it allows for hydrochloric acid in your stomach to rise up and attack your esophagus, which gives you extreme heart burn!
8. Irritation/Inflammation of the throat or Sore throat . Sore throat is the inflammation of the throat, also known as Pharyngitis. The throat extends from the nose, upward to behind the mouth and then connects to the esophagus. What smoking does it is destroys the mucus lining that protects the throat from the smoke. When there is no mucus there to protect itself, you will experience a scratchy and burning feeling in your throat.
7. Asthma . Now a person with Asthma should not be smoking! They are much more likely to has more frequent and severe “flare ups.” And it’s not just being a smoker too; it’s being around people that smoke. Second hand smoke is just as dangerous if not more dangerous. If you have Asthma you should really consider quitting or finding another avenue to go down, your lungs will thank you.
6. You’re going broke! This is a no brainer. We all know that smoking is very expensive and will get out of control very quickly. At nearly $5 a pack right now, just think how much time, the time to buy your cigarettes at the store, and money you will be saving right off the bat. A pack a day is $5, for a week that $35, and for the year it’s $1820! You can’t tell me that you are willing to throw that amount of money away every year.
5. Chain Smoker . We know what it means, but do we know why people do it? A chain smoker refers to a person that smokes frequently, more accurately, a person that smokes one cigarette after another. Chain smoking is the ultimate sign of addiction. Smokers use this technique to allow a frequent and constant flow of nicotine into their bodies; this gives them a calm and relaxing feeling. Most smoker categorize themselves as a chain smoker, if you do, you need immediate help to stop smoking.
4. Loved ones are trying to get you to quit. Have you ever been watching TV with your family and lit a cigarette? I know that they don’t like it! I bet you have put the lit cigarette down to go to the bathroom and when you returned the cigarette miraculously went out. Well, I’ll let you in on a little secret, that cigarette was put out by one of your kids or your loved one that was with you. They know what’s best for you, so listen to them.
3. Emphysema/Shortness of breath. Emphysema is a long term progressive disease of the lungs. It destroys the walls of the lungs along with the capillary blood vessels that run within them. This lessens the total area of the lung where blood and air come together, which limits the transfer of oxygen and carbon dioxide. The main cause of emphysema is smoking, it activates enzymes called proteases, which attack and destroy the lung tissue.
2. Smokers cough. This is a cough only seen in smokers. Any object or particle that is in the respiratory system that shouldn’t be there will trigger a cough. But when you smoke it paralyzes the cilia, the small hairs in your throat and esophagus, and doesn’t allow the cilia to do their job. The cilia remove phlegm and if it can’t be removed via the cilia, the only way to remove it is coughing. Smokers cough will get more persistent and severe with time and the cough will soon bring up phlegm in a dark green/black color.
1. You have already tried to quit, but were unsuccessful. All the reason to quit again and this time don’t try, succeed! You have probably tried all the different techniques to quit, but give electronic cigarettes a chance. I’m sure that you will find that it is just like real cigarettes but without all of the bad side effects and harmful diseases that can be associated with them.
Gina King is a health advocate and electronic cigarette expert. Her sites inform and educate smokers about the benefits they can achieve using the electronic cigarette or electronic cigar.