Tobacco smoking is the act of burning dried or cured leaves of the tobacco plant and inhaling the smoke for pleasure, for ritualistic or social purposes, self-medication, as well as to satisfy a physiological dependence on nicotine. Tobacco use by Native Americans throughout North and South America dates back to 2000BC. The practice was brought back to Europe by the crew of Christopher Columbus. Tobacco smoking took hold in Spain and was introduced to the rest of the world, via trade. Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the fresh leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. Tobacco has been growing on the northen continents since about 6000 BC and began being used by native cultures at about 3000 BC. It has been smoked in one form or another since about 2000 BC. There are pictoral drawings of ancient Mayans smoking crude cigars from 1400 BC.
Tobacco smoke contains nicotine and harmane (a MAO inhibitor), which combined give rise to addictive stimulant and euphoriant properties. The effect of nicotine in first time or irregular users is an increase in alertness and memory, and mild euphoria. Nicotine also disturbs metabolism and suppresses appetite. This is because nicotine, like many stimulants, increases blood sugar.
Medical research has determined that chronic tobacco smoking can lead to many health problems, particularly lung cancer, emphysema, and cardiovascular disease.[1][2]
Health risks of smoking
Because of their nicotine addiction, many smokers find it difficult to cease smoking despite their knowledge of ill health effects.
[10] The main health risks in tobacco pertain to diseases of the cardiovascular system, in particular myocardial infarction (heart attack), diseases of the respiratory tract such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma[11], emphysema, and cancer, particularly lung cancer and cancers of the larynx and tongue.
A person's increased risk of contracting disease is directly proportional to the length of time that a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. However, if someone stops smoking, then these chances gradually decrease as the damage to their body is repaired. A year after quitting, the risk of contracting heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker.[4]
The health risks of smoking are not uniform across all smokers. Risks vary according to amount of tobacco smoked, with those who smoke more at greater risk. Light smoking is still a health risk. According to the Surgeon General of The United States, mortality rates for pipe smokers and cigar smokers who smoke less than five cigars per day are roughly the same as for non-smokers[citation needed]. The data regarding smoking to date focuses primarily on cigarette smoking, which even by conservative estimates increases mortality rates by 40%. Men who smoke 10-19 cigarettes a day have a 70% increase in mortality rates, men who smoke 20-39 cigarettes a day have an increase in mortality rate by 90%, for men smoking two packs a day or more, their mortality rates increased 120%.[12] Some studies suggests that hookah smoking is considered to be safer than other forms of smoking. However, water is not effective for removing all relevant toxins, e.g. the carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbons are not water-soluble. Several negative health effects are linked to hookah smoking and studies indicate that it is likely to be more harmful than cigarettes, due in part to the volume of smoke inhaled. [13] [14] In addition to the cancer risk, there is some risk of infectious disease resulting from pipe sharing, and other risks associated with the common addition of other psychoactive drugs to the tobacco.[15] According to the Canadian Lung Association, tobacco kills between 40,000–45,000 Canadians per year, more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, traffic accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisoning.[16][17] The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco use as "the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death worldwide
Tobacco smoke contains nicotine and harmane (a MAO inhibitor), which combined give rise to addictive stimulant and euphoriant properties. The effect of nicotine in first time or irregular users is an increase in alertness and memory, and mild euphoria. Nicotine also disturbs metabolism and suppresses appetite. This is because nicotine, like many stimulants, increases blood sugar.
Medical research has determined that chronic tobacco smoking can lead to many health problems, particularly lung cancer, emphysema, and cardiovascular disease.[1][2]
Health risks of smoking
Because of their nicotine addiction, many smokers find it difficult to cease smoking despite their knowledge of ill health effects.
[10] The main health risks in tobacco pertain to diseases of the cardiovascular system, in particular myocardial infarction (heart attack), diseases of the respiratory tract such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma[11], emphysema, and cancer, particularly lung cancer and cancers of the larynx and tongue.
A person's increased risk of contracting disease is directly proportional to the length of time that a person continues to smoke as well as the amount smoked. However, if someone stops smoking, then these chances gradually decrease as the damage to their body is repaired. A year after quitting, the risk of contracting heart disease is half that of a continuing smoker.[4]
The health risks of smoking are not uniform across all smokers. Risks vary according to amount of tobacco smoked, with those who smoke more at greater risk. Light smoking is still a health risk. According to the Surgeon General of The United States, mortality rates for pipe smokers and cigar smokers who smoke less than five cigars per day are roughly the same as for non-smokers[citation needed]. The data regarding smoking to date focuses primarily on cigarette smoking, which even by conservative estimates increases mortality rates by 40%. Men who smoke 10-19 cigarettes a day have a 70% increase in mortality rates, men who smoke 20-39 cigarettes a day have an increase in mortality rate by 90%, for men smoking two packs a day or more, their mortality rates increased 120%.[12] Some studies suggests that hookah smoking is considered to be safer than other forms of smoking. However, water is not effective for removing all relevant toxins, e.g. the carcinogenic aromatic hydrocarbons are not water-soluble. Several negative health effects are linked to hookah smoking and studies indicate that it is likely to be more harmful than cigarettes, due in part to the volume of smoke inhaled. [13] [14] In addition to the cancer risk, there is some risk of infectious disease resulting from pipe sharing, and other risks associated with the common addition of other psychoactive drugs to the tobacco.[15] According to the Canadian Lung Association, tobacco kills between 40,000–45,000 Canadians per year, more than the total number of deaths from AIDS, traffic accidents, suicide, murder, fires and accidental poisoning.[16][17] The United States' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes tobacco use as "the single most important preventable risk to human health in developed countries and an important cause of premature death worldwide
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