Column: Tobacco and smoking: How they cause diseases and illness — Jim Burns

Published 12:00 am Tuesday, August 17, 2004

Smoking negatively affects the body in many ways.

Tobacco suppresses the body s ability to phagocytize infection and abnormal cells.

Phagocytosis is a process whereby the body s immune cells clean up foreign protein, bacteria, and atypical human cells.

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Carbon monoxide in inhaled smoke binds with oxygen and thus lowers the available oxygen used in metabolism and other tissue reactions.

Nicotine causes vasoconstriction

or blood vessel spasm.

Thus there is less available blood and oxygen for the tissues.

Capillary or tissue blood flow is thus reduced by way of oxygen binding and constriction of the blood vessels.

Some examples of

diseases and conditions caused by

the above:

Cancer &045;The immune system continually removes pre-cancerous cells and chemicals. Smoking limits this disease fighting ability thus the increased cancer risk.

Infections &045; Fighting infections is impaired because of a weakened immune system. Thus the reason smokers have more infections and take longer to recover.

Skin aging &045; Reduced capillary or tissue skin flow causes premature wrinkling.

Tendonitis/bursitis &045; Impairment of the body’s recovery from microscopic injury and usage during rest/sleep causes susceptibility to tendonitis.

Impaired capillary blood flow leads to tendonitis.

Dental disease &045; Altered capillary dental blood flow leads to premature tooth separation and thus dentures. Smokers get dentures much earlier than non-smokers.

Back disease &045; During sleep the body repairs itself from the microinjuries of the previous day. Poor circulation limits this repair.

Another effect of poor circulation is that the ligaments, connective tissue etc is less elastic and strong.

Osteoporosis &045; Develops earlier and is more severe. Again secondary to impaired

capillary or tissue blood flow.

Strokes &045; Smoking accelerates atherosclerosis leading to increased health riskof heart attack and stroke. Poor quality blood vessels can lead to brain hemorrhage, a common form of stroke/sudden death in smokers.

Heart disease &045; Increased inflammation of the lining of the blood vessels

and less oxygen contribute to atherosclerosis and subsequent heart disease.

Hearing loss &045; impaired capillary blood flow leads to deterioration of the organ of hearing.

Impotence &045; occurs earlier and more severe with smokers. Caused by impaired circulation.

Death &045; smokers tend to die 10-15 years early.

Can anyone have any doubt about the health consequences of smoking and inhaling secondhand smoke?

One of my sayings is &uot;Bad things happen to good people that smoke.&uot;

Jim Burns is a family practice doctor with the Albert Lea Medical Group.