November 17, 2007
Asthma And Smoking – Bad News For Your Lungs!
If you are asthmatic, then cigarettes are your enemy. Asthma and smoking is a lethal combination. Your lungs are already troubled due to coughing and wheezing during an asthma attack. And when you puff those cigarettes, the smoke adds fuel to the fire.
Effects of Smoking on Asthma Patients
- Be prepared for frequent asthma attacks with heavy coughing and wheezing.
- Your life will revolve around medicines and more medicines, as smaller doses will not work anymore.
- You will get to know each one at the hospital, as your visits to the emergency room will increase!
- You miss fun sports, playing with your kids, dancing to the tune of your favorite number, and other enjoyable moments of your life, as you will be bogged down with attacks, as soon as you shake a leg.
Sounds horrifying, isn’t it? Well, this is not to scare you, but is the simple truth – don’t mix asthma and smoking.
Passive Smoking Is Equally Harmful!
After reading this bit, the non-smokers might be heaving a sigh of relief! Wait, it’s too early to do that! If you don’t smoke, but sit next to a person who is smoking, you are at equal risk. You inhale the smoke too. It’s enough to cause an asthma attack. Kids are more susceptible to passive smoking. Kids who are constantly “under the smoke,” have higher chances of developing asthma, sinus infections, and other lung problems, than those who breathe smoke-free air.
So, the next time your friend or family member lights a cigarette in front of you, ask them to stop. It’s a small thing to do, but makes a huge difference for an asthmatic patient. Constant exposure to smoke can be a matter of life and death for a person suffering from asthma. You don’t want to end up in an emergency room again!
What The Smoke Does To Your Lungs?
Although, the smoke from cigarettes, cigars, and pipes harm the entire body, they are particularly damage the lungs. Already the air passages in an asthmatic patient are sensitive. When you smoke a cigarette, you inhale the tobacco smoke. The irritants present in the smoke, accumulate in the damp lining of the air passages or bronchioles. They destroy the minute hair-like projections known as “cilia” present in the air passages.
The function of “cilia” is to keep dust and mucus away from the air passage. They act as a filter for the lungs. When the smoke damages the “cilia”, dust, mucus, and other irritants find their way through the air passages. As a result, there is coughing and worsening of the condition. Thus, asthma and smoking both take a toll on your poor lungs!
And this is not all. The smoke of tobacco harbors carcinogens, cancer producing substances, such as tar. They accumulate in the lungs and make way for lung cancer, emphysema, and other lung diseases.
Quit Smoking
If you suffer from asthma and smoking is your habit, then you are inviting disaster. Heave mercy on your lungs and try to quit smoking. It’s difficult. You may even want to revert to smoking after spending a few days without smoke. However, it is possible to quit.
Asthma and smoking don’t go together. In fact, smoking never goes with anything. So, kick off those cigarettes before they kick your life!
