For many smokers, cigarettes taste good and have good effects on the body. “This is because nicotine (a major compound present in cigarettes), is a stimulant, a potent euphoriant which can alleviate anxiety and depression and induce sense of well-being;’ explains Dr. Oscar Ferdinand Feliciano, FPCCP.
The Department of Health (DOH) adds that smoking can theoretically enhance memory, alertness and performance, alter mood and improve”sociability” and euphoria. DOH points out, however, that these seemingly positive effects of smoking in the body is insignificant compared to the problems that can rise from smoking, which include shortness of breath, chronic cough, increased heart rate, fertility reduction, increased heart rate and blood pressure, stomach pains, nausea and diarrhea, early onset of menopause, tremors, and sweating. Smoking can suppress appetite, and is linked with inability to taste food and decrease food metabolism. Recent studies also link smoking to premature teeth loss and increased risk of developing colon polyps.
The myriad of dreadful things that smoking can inflict upon the smoker’s body are not surprising. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), tobacco contains over 4,000 chemicals, including 43 known carcinogens.
Adds the American Cancer Society (ACS): “There are hundreds of substances added by manufacturers to cigarettes to enhance the flavor or to make the smoking experience more pleasant. Some of the compounds found in tobacco smoke include ammonia, tar and carbon monoxide. Manufacturers do not provide the public information about the precise amount of additives used in cigarettes, so it is difficult to accurately gauge the public health risk:’
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