Tobacco troubles
“Tobacco is one of the most addictive drugs in the world and smoking is the No. 1 cause of preventable death in the United States,” said Dr. Ali J. Al-Himyary, a board-certified specialist in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Kelsey-Seybold Clinic and St. Luke’s Hospital.

About 46 million Americans smoke. It’s a major cause of disease in the U.S., responsible for more than 420,000 deaths each year. Additionally, exposure to second-hand smoke is a contributing factor to an estimated 40,000 cases of heart disease.

“It’s strange,” Al-Himyary said, “loving parents who would never dream of striking their children, don’t think of the harm second-hand smoke does to them.”

Second-hand smoke causes lower-respiratory infections in children. Infants under 18 months old are especially vulnerable.

Cigarettes aren’t the only culprits.

“Whatever tobacco touches, whether it makes smoke or not, increases the risk of cancer to that area,” Al-Himyary said. “Some people are under the misconception that cigars are safe because not much of the smoke is inhaled.”

Chewing tobacco, unlit cigars and snuff contribute to oral cancers and gum diseases.

Smoking is also a major contributor to osteoporosis, premature facial wrinkles, peptic ulcers, impotence and pregnancy problems.

Smoke gets in your eyes
Most smokers have begun by age 18, Al-Himyary said.
“I started smoking in 1959, when I went into the Army,” Nesbett recalled. “Everyone in my unit smoked. I was young and wanted to fit in.”

Then there were movie-star role models.

“Growing up, we watched Humphrey Bogart or Clark Gable smoking cigarettes and looking great, and we wanted to be like them,” Al-Himyary said.

Bogart died of throat cancer at 57, and Gable of a heart attack at 59.

Also, advertising agencies appeal to the young and middle-aged with adventurous images from Marlboro or Camel aimed at men. And sexy, sophisticated Virginia Slims ads directed at women, such as the wildly successful “You’ve come a long way, baby” ad campaign of 1968-86.

“Smoking among American women, though in decline from its peak in the ’60s and ’70s, is still prevalent,” said Al-Himyary. “More disturbing is that 22 percent of pregnant women in the United States still smoke.”

Smoking is linked to prenatal deaths, low birth weights, premature births, sudden infant death syndrome and other reproductive complications. One study showed babies of smoking mothers were born with narrowed airways in underdeveloped lungs. (Source: U.S. Surgeon General’s Office.)

“Everybody’s lungs get a favor when you quit smoking,” Al-Himyary said.

Continued
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