Tobacco Smoking; Do you want to be a casualty?

Most historians that have researched into the past to ascertain the history of smoking have reached a consensus that smoking as an act started around 5000 BC in the form of incense burning and was initially used as a ritual process by the ancient Shaman civilization in present day central  America.

ancient smokers

Traditionally, local Shamans who invented smoking, indulged in the act in other to subdue their physical senses, in a quest to attain a  trance-state to communicate with their gods and ancestors, while civilizations like the Persians, Ethiopians and Indians smoked substances including cannabis, fish offal, clarified butter, and dried snake skin etc. for pleasure and social purposes.

Tobacco, initially referred to as ‘golden weed’  was first grown commercially in Jamestown, Virginia by John Rolfe in 1612 and the product which was  locally endorsed and nationally accepted, continued to spread across the world and has now become a global phenomenon today..

The practice is now a norm for most societies spread across all continents and as a result, in every human settlement on the planet today, cigarettes and smokers are present.

According to W.H.O statistics, in 2010, more than 1.2 billion people were indulged in the act of tobacco smoking, with over 5 million dying annually and 70% of the deaths occurring in developing countries.

tobacco smokers are liable to die young

Why are they dying?

In the late 1920s, a group of German scientists became the first to discover a link between tobacco smoking and lungs cancer and this singular discovery led to the maiden anti-smoking campaign in the world.

Today, cigarette smoking has been identified as the number one cause of preventable deaths on the planet and it is so because it results to a plethora of diseases that affect the lungs and the heart. Tobacco smoking triggers strokes, heart attacks, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and several types of cancer.

The centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) USA stated that tobacco use amounts to a huge number of premature deaths globally and that although 70% of smokers declare their intention to quit, only about 2%-3% successfully do so.

third world smokers

So what about all the anti-smoking campaigns going on everywhere?

In the developed world, years of enlightenment and anti-smoking campaigns have started to bear dividends and as illustrated by the CDC, tobacco use amongst  adults in America declined from 42% to 20.8% between 1965- 2006. Other industrialized nations have also recorded a decline in the trend but sadly for developing countries, tobacco smoking seems to be on the rise and based on permutations, 70% of the estimated 10 million annual tobacco-related deaths will occur in these countries by 2025. There is a steady 3.8% rise in tobacco smoking in developing countries and that is why Judith Mackay at Edinburgh University posited that ‘Compared with developed countries, more men and fewer women currently smoke in developing countries, but smoking among girls and women is increasing.’

NO to smoking

 What is the way forward?

It is very clear from the above that the developed world is slowly but steadily winning the war against tobacco use, while the developing world has become a hotspot for tobacco use and substance abuse.

One of the reasons for the spike in tobacco use in developing countries, according to Judith Mackay is the fact that multinational tobacco companies have moved their attention away from the developed world and now fully focused on establishing a solid market in developing countries. This shift in focus with regards to the tobacco companies is as a result of the structures and platforms that have been put in place to help discourage current and potential smokers in the developed world.

Although local tobacco companies exist in developing countries, Judith Mackay advised governments in these countries to focus their efforts on building structures and platforms, as well as educating their population on the social, economical and health dangers of tobacco smoking, as has been the case in the developed world for decades. One major downside is the fact that these companies use world class marketing strategies that are unmatched locally in most developing countries.

Cigarette smoking is not just a public health concern, socially, it also constitutes public nuisance and on the long run, it is highly beneficial for smokers to quit and lead a clean, healthy life.

smoking is addictive

Wow! I find it very difficult to quit smoking and even the USA CDC says that only 2%-3% of smokers that declare their intention to quit successfully do so. So how do I quit?

When tobacco was first introduced to France, it was done by a Frenchman named Jean Nicot in 1560 and the stimulant present in tobacco called nicotine was named after him.

Scientists believe that every stick of cigarette comes with an equal amount of nicotine that lasts in the bloodstream for 7-8 hours and nicotine is basically the substance that fuels human craving and addiction.

What this means is, any smoker that aims to quit smoking, daily flushing out of nicotine is the way to go!

Now, how do I flush out nicotine from my system so that I can reduce the cravings and finally stop smoking, to lead a healthy life?

The analogy is simple and straightforward! The key to staying off cigarettes is flushing out nicotine and below are three super foods that can help you in doing that;

orange

·         Oranges; Oranges contain Vitamin C, which helps to flush out nicotine from the body speedily and also aid metabolism. Smokers, who are on their way to quitting, are advised to consume lots of oranges.

spinach

·         Spinach; while oranges help in the flushing out of nicotine, this green leaf helps to replenish depleted folic acids and dead cells that have been left redundant by smoking. In other words, spinach is rich in folic acids.

broccoli

·         Broccoli; Smoking depletes Vitamin C and Vitamin B5 and this is what results to the damage in human lungs. Broccoli is a vegetable rich in both minerals and as such, it helps protect the lungs from further damage.

Nicotine is eliminated from the body as urine and that is one of the reasons why smokers should drink lots of water. Water also helps to keep the body hydrated and the skin in good condition.

cos im happy..........

So far so good and at this point, every smoker that is on his way to quitting, should see this as a valid support and is advised to make use of the recommendations as stated above.

Like it is said in Nigeria; the federal ministry of health warns that smokers are liable to die young.

Quit smoking and live a healthy, long and fruitful life.

Long live mankind

Henry Goin