Cancer Stick

Since I mentioned it in my last blog, I thought my topic today would be cigarette smoking. I have never understood why anybody with half a brain would start smoking cigarettes. There is mountains of scientific evidence that shows the detrimental effects of smoking, not only on the body, but also on the economy. I find it quite interesting that the Word of Wisdom was revealed in 1833, before there was any scientific evidence or common understanding of the deleterious effects of smoking.

It is common knowledge that smoking causes cancer and emphysema. And it is highly addictive. Let me just tell you some of the things I remember that I was taught in school. First let me discuss smoking's effect on the cardiovascular system. Smoking causes vasoconstriction, which is to say, causes blood vessels to constrict and become smaller, allowing less blood flow, and therefore less oxygen to permeate tissues. This causes problems to the extremities such as the hands and feet and can lead to amputation. Also, the coronary arteries are affected which causes less blood flow to the heart and can lead to heart attacks (myocardial infarction). Not to mention restricted blood flow to other organ systems such as the brain. Another effect on the cardiovascular system that smoking has is it damages the inner lining of blood vessels. This damage leads to plaque deposits, atherosclerosis which also leads to heart attacks. And let's not forget the damage maternal smoking causes to a developing fetus. The restricted blood flow leads to restricted growth, i.e. low birth weight. When these babies are born they are often more irritable and can suffer from learning disabilities. How could any mother do this to her unborn child?

These are just a few examples of the detrimental effects of smoking. When I was in podiatry school one of my biochemistry lectures was devoted to the harmful effects of smoking on the body. I had several classmates who were smokers. During the 10 minute break between lectures they would often go outside to smoke. Well, during this particular lecture I thought nobody would be outside smoking. But to my surprise, nothing changed. So I approached one of my classmates and asked him why he was smoking after just hearing that lecture about how bad it was. His reply was that it helped him relax or relieve stress. Well, I can think of a lot better ways to relieve stress than to smoke. That just goes to show me how unintelligent, and illogical smokers are. And not only that, but how disrespectful it is to their own body.

1 Corinthians 6:19 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s. "

In my opinion, cigarette smokers are selfish, disrespectful, unintelligent, and inconsiderate people. I'm sure there are exceptions to this rule but most people who I've met who are smokers fit this description. A lot of times I see smokers blatantly disrespecting and disobeying rules to not smoke in certain areas in public places. As you may recall from my litterbug post, cigarette butts make up a large portion of litter on the sides of roads.

And let's not forget about secondhand smoke. Which is just as harmful to innocent bystanders as first-hand smoke is to those who choose to smoke. Smokers don't seem to have any consideration for those around them who breathe in the noxious smoke, unwillingly. This is especially bad for parents who smoke and expose their children to secondhand smoke constantly.

Now I would like to talk about an aspect of cigarette smoking that we might not think about. And that is the economical effects on society. Anybody who pays taxes in this great country of ours, pays a lot of money to provide medical attention to cigarette smokers. I don't know any of the numbers but I know that cigarette smoking costs an astronomical amount in healthcare. Which is 100% preventable. And the majority are people on Medicare, which we all, as taxpayers, support. This is not right! Why should I have to pay to provide health care for somebody who is stupid enough to smoke? It doesn't take an Einstein to figure out that smoking is bad for you, and will eventually kill you. That is common knowledge in this day and age. Not only will smoking kill you, but it's a very unpleasant and slow way to die. I have seen people at the hospital, dragging around an oxygen bottle, going outside to smoke in their hospital gown. Or people with half their face cut off, smoking through a tracheostomy hole in their neck. These are not uncommon scenarios either. So why would anybody start smoking? Knowing they are slowly killing themselves, and will end up suffering a terrible death. You would think they would avoid it like the plague. This is something that has always baffled me. And still does.

That's my two cents.