| Second Hand Smoke Your Not Just Harming Yourself | | | | the normal level which put them in a category |
| It only takes a few moments to read the Surgeon | | | | associated with an increased risk of a heart attack. |
| General's warning on the pack of cigarettes before | | | | Normal blood levels should be below 0.5 ng/mL, and |
| you even light up to understand that Smoking | | | | blood cotinine levels above the value of 0.7ng/mL have |
| cigarettes is not just bad for your health, it can kill you. | | | | been linked with a 40% increase in the risk of a heart |
| Most of us are aware of the health risks to ourselves | | | | attack. |
| whether we choose to heed the warning on the label | | | | If you have children you should be concerned as well. |
| or not. Each time you decide to light up you may | | | | Passive secondhand tobacco smoke exposure in |
| believe that you are only harming yourself, but that is | | | | children has been recognized to increase respiratory |
| not a true fact. What is true?.... The reality is that | | | | illnesses, asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, |
| tobacco smoking is one of the major killers in the | | | | decreases the immune system and contributes to |
| United States, and second hand smoke can be nearly | | | | middle ear disease in infants and children. It is also |
| as bad for those who live with smoking partner, mate, | | | | import to point out that by putting your child or children |
| or parent. Passive or secondhand smoke has been | | | | in situations where they will be exposed to |
| classified as a Group a carcinogen by the EPA due to | | | | secondhand smoke, that you are contributing to |
| the magnitude of major health problems associated | | | | dangerous health conditions, cancers and morbidity |
| with it. | | | | rates that are completely preventable. |
| Cigarette smoking has been proven to produce | | | | If you are wondering if there is a safe way to smoke |
| ominous and deadly health consequence in a large | | | | around others there is none. Cotinine and nicotine can |
| majority of people who smoke, but due to nicotine's | | | | hang as a toxic contaminant in the air; of your house, |
| addictive properties once started the habit can be hard | | | | your car, at work, and even outside. To answer the |
| to break. Cigarette smoke affects every major organ | | | | question; what is safe level of passive smoke? |
| in your bodies, and plays havoc with your immune | | | | Honestly, there really is no risk-free level of exposure |
| system as well. Smoking tobacco or chewing it can | | | | to second-hand smoke for your family, your friends, |
| increase the chances of developing many different | | | | people who frequent night clubs, bars, recreation areas, |
| types of lung, and mouth cancers. Smoking also | | | | and other places where they are exposed to |
| contributes highly to the possibility of developing | | | | secondhand smoke. Many people believe that by |
| emphysema, COPD, chronic respiratory diseases, | | | | staying separated from non smokers while smoking, |
| erectile dysfunction in men, hearing loss, strokes, | | | | using air cleaners, or ventilating buildings they can |
| peripheral artery disease and cardiovascular disease. | | | | prevent second hand smoke inhalation by nonsmokers, |
| To make it even more frightening there are roughly | | | | but it is almost impossible to completely eliminate |
| 4,000 chemical compounds identified in second hand | | | | secondhand smoke exposure. The only sure way is to |
| tobacco smoke, close to two hundred and fifty are | | | | quit smoking completely. |
| known to be harmful, and 50 of the chemicals are | | | | Believe me you are not alone, if you are the edge of |
| known to cause cancer. Second hand smoke can also | | | | trying to break the habit. It's tough, real tough to make |
| affect pregnant women who live with a second-hand | | | | the decision to give up a cigarette smoking addiction. |
| smoker as they are more likely to have | | | | Nicotine is habit forming, and can have a calming effect |
| low-birth-weight babies, pre-term delivery and | | | | on many people; cigarette smoking can be an adult |
| miscarriages. | | | | version of a security blanket that is there when you |
| So it should come as no surprise that at University | | | | need it. However, that does not change that fact that |
| College London and at St George's, University of | | | | breathing in tobacco smoke is toxic, and in smoking |
| London researchers were able to measure and | | | | you are not only harming yourself, but possibly others |
| provide visible proof that smoking not only affects your | | | | who are close to you as well. Quitting cold turkey is |
| own body negatively, but also of those who live and | | | | almost impossible, but there are patches, gum, |
| spend time around you. To verify this fact researcher's | | | | hypnotherapy, and quit smoking self hypnosis |
| screened and monitored primary and secondhand | | | | programs that can be very effective tools in helping |
| smoke exposure by measuring cotinine levels in the | | | | you overcome your smoking habit. To quit smoking |
| participant's blood. Cotinine can be found in the blood, | | | | successfully you really need to be motivated to quit, |
| and urine of people who have recently smoked or | | | | and what better motivation than preventing harm to |
| inhaled passive smoke; individuals who present with | | | | those around you who are breathing in the toxic |
| values of 10 ng/mL to 100 ng/mL are associated with | | | | fumes of your second hand smoke. |
| light smoking or moderate passive exposure, and | | | | It is possible to quit smoking, and it will take time. Don't |
| levels above 300 ng/mL are seen in heavy smokers | | | | give up on this endeavor. Your body needs to detoxify, |
| whereas individuals with levels 10 ng/mL or less are | | | | and that does not happen overnight. Giving up your |
| considered to be non-smokers, but demonstrate that | | | | habit is worth the price. Not only will you save tons of |
| they were recently exposed to tobacco smoke. In the | | | | money by not buying packs of cigarettes, but, and you |
| studies researchers confirmed that participants | | | | can feel good about not harming other people who are |
| exposed to high levels of tobacco smoke had | | | | inhaling the 400 toxic chemicals that hang in the air |
| measurable levels of cotinine in their blood. | | | | after you light up. You can find more information on |
| Non-smokers in the study who had a partner who | | | | quit smoking hypnosis. |
| smoked had average cotinine levels of roughly twice | | | | |