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Smoking Fetish of Women
Have we really come a Long Way…Ask yourself...??
The ratio of smoking women in US is a staggering 1:4,
which are even higher among high school girls. Approximately
half of these smoking girls and women will die prematurely
from smoking-related diseases such as lung cancer, oral
cancer, heart disease, stroke and emphysema.
According to one of the researches, it has been found
that the smell and taste of cigarettes play a greater
role in women's smoking behavior than in that of men.
Another study found that cognitive-behavioral therapy
aimed at changing attitudes about weight promotes smoking
cessation by women. Even if we compare their stats with
men, we'll be surprised to know that the guys who smoke
are one out of every three. However, while smoking as
well as smoking-related deaths from such diseases as
lung cancer have been falling in men, they have been
increasing in women. Smoking, in fact, takes a greater
toll on the health of women than men; a smoking woman
loses, on an average, 15 years of her life while a smoking
man loses just over 13 years.
In the first half of the 20th century, lung cancer in
women was extremely atypical. In addition to that smoking
wasn't very ubiquitous. Unfortunately, that soon changed
when the tobacco industry started targeting women. In
1964, the first Surgeon General's Report on Smoking
and Health was released and it became clear that smoking
was a deadly habit which engulfed 45 percentages of
women all over. A media campaign followed and smoking
rates began to fall, as did tobacco industry profits.
But the rates declined more in men than women; the tobacco
industry had started their own media campaign, once
again marketing directly to women.
Lung Cancer
By 1987, lung cancer had outdone breast cancer as the
leading cause of cancer deaths in women.
Today, more women die each year from lung cancer than
breast cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancers combined.
In fact, lung cancer among women is now considered a
scourge, killing almost 75,000 in the US last year.
Women appear to be more vulnerable to lung cancer than
men, and they tend to get it at younger ages.
Symptoms of Lung Cancer
- Shortness of breath
- Fever with an unknown cause
- Hoarseness
- Chest pain
- Wheezing
- Coughing up blood
- Chronic cough
- Weight loss & loss of appetite
Other Smoking influenced Diseases in Women
While lung cancer might be the most lethal disease caused
by smoking, it's not the only one. Smoking doubles the
risk of having a heart attack, and increases the risk
of dying from a heart attack within the first hour.
This is an especially serious problem for women since
women are more likely to die after a first heart attack
than men. Women who use birth control pills and smoke
are at especially high risk of having a heart attack.
Smoking also increases the risk of other cancers, including
breast, uterine cancer, bladder and oral cancer. Smoking
also increases a woman's risk of low bone density and
osteoporosis.
Smoking-Related Disorders in Women
- Heart disease
- Stroke
- Lung cancer
- Emphysema
- Oral cancer
- Uterine cancer
- Breast cancer
- Bladder cancer
- Rectal cancer
- Colorectal polyps
- Osteoporosis
- Infertility
- Early
Menopause
- Miscarriages
- Stillbirths
Family Matters
Smoking is not just bad for women; it's bad for their
families and future families as well. Smoking can cause
infertility in women. If a woman becomes pregnant, smoking
increases her risk of miscarriages, stillbirths and
premature births. Mothers who smoke during pregnancy
are also more likely to have babies with asthma, sleeping
disorders and chronic ear infections than non-smoking
mothers. The menstrual cycle phase has an effect on
both mood and tobacco withdrawal symptoms for women
trying to quit smoking -- a finding that clearly suggests
that women could improve their success rate simply by
starting their quit attempt during certain days of their
cycle.
Cosmetic and Other Considerations
Ironically, teens and young women often think smoking
is sexy and glamorous. However, the consequences - such
as stained fingers and teeth, tooth loss, gum disease,
bad breath - are anything but sexy and glamorous. Smoking
also hastens the aging process most likely because of
its adverse effect on estrogen. It can cause early menopause,
facial wrinkling, and permanent voice lowering and urinary
incontinence.
Old Habits Die Hard
Women and girls are not only more susceptible than men
to the negative consequences of they are more likely
to become addicted to cigarettes even when smoking comparable
amounts.
Nicotine is one of the most addictive substances known
to a man…and woman. Researchers are studying gender
differences in smoking behavior and working to develop
treatment plans that will help more women end their
nicotine addiction. In fact, nicotine is considered
more addictive than heroin or cocaine. And nicotine
is more addictive for women than men.
The highly addictive nature of nicotine is a major reason
why most people have difficulty quitting smoking, and
women have a harder time quitting than men. Another
thing that makes quitting difficult for women is the
weight gain that, unfortunately, often accompanies quitting
smoking. On the other hand, the weight gain, which rarely
exceeds five pounds, can be reversed by a healthy diet
and exercise. More importantly, quitting smoking can
also reverse many of the deadly consequences of the
habit.
Weighing the Benefits
A woman who stops smoking reduces her risk of stroke
to pre-smoking levels. Within a year, her smoking-related
risk of heart disease drops by 50 percent. After three
years, the risk of a heart attack is no greater than
for a woman who never smoked. Within five years, her
smoking-related risk of heart disease can disappear
altogether. Clearly, the benefits of quitting outweigh
the possibility of any weight gain. So think again...Are
we going the right way??
About the Author
Chris Read, An associated editor to Hateweight.com.
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