Smoking and health

Researchers have found that there is significant correlation between smoking and lung cancer, heart diseases, bronchitis, gastric ulcer and many other diseases. There is a greater chance of getting stroke if patients have long smoking history with heavy tobacco dependency; and male to female ratio of stroke is 14.2 % to 3.1 %.

Cerebrovascular disease is the second leading causes of death in Taiwan and there is 1/7 correlation of male stroke to smoking.

Harmful effects of smoking

1. Nicotine induces peripheral vessel constriction; thus, long-term smoking may incur cardiovascular disease.
2. Carbon monoxide hinders normal combination of oxygen and hemoglobin, causing oxygen shortage and further resulting death if the condition is severe enough.
3. Tar is an irritative substance that causes chronic pulmonary diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and various cancers.
4. Smoking increased the risk of  ischemic stroke..
5. Smoking also causes coronary heart disease and atherosclerosis.
6. Stroke caused by smoking is 2 to 3 times higher than that in non-smokers.
7. Second-hand smoke hazard:
8. Incompletely combusted substance often leads to greater toxic carcinogens and harm.
9. Accidents: smoking often causes incautious fire disasters, burns, or poisoning.

Benefits of quit smoking

1. Effectively decrease stroke mortality by 5 %.
2. Lower the probabilities of having heart disease, stroke, and cancer .
3. Keep your family members and children away from second-hand smoke hazard.
4. Save you a large amount of money from buying cigarettes.
5. Reduce coughing, enhance exercise capacity, and improve brain and cardio-pulmonary functions.
6. Provide healthier environment for both your family members and you
7. 6 months to 1 year after your quitting smoking, your blood pressure is lower down to 5-10 mmHg; whenever there is 2mmHg decrease, there is 7% chance less of getting stroke. Therefore, do not underestimate the significance of quitting smoking.

Six procedures of quitting

1. Choose a proper date
2. Throw away your cigarettes
3. Discard your lighter
4. Lock away your ashtray
5. Think over carefully, do you really want to smoke?
6. Ask for support from relatives and friends.

Say NO to smoking

No matter how long you have been smoking, stroke risk can be decreased as long as you quit.