Text Credits: Shibul Pavithran 

Smoking has been a common practice for more than a century now. Smoking is inhaling the smoke from a burnt substance like tobacco.  Even though it has lethal side-effects, there has been no decrease in the number of people smoking, instead, the number has only been going up.

Souce:

The dried leaves of tobacco are smoked in the form of a cigarette, hookah, pipe, cigar, etc. In case of cigarettes, tobacco is mixed with aerosol particles and nicotine. On smoking, these aerosols are heated along with tobacco and nicotine and inhaled deep into the lungs. In the lungs, these harmful components are absorbed into the bloodstream. Tobacco smoking has become one of the largest causes of preventable illness and death in India. It causes 1 death in every 6 seconds, making India one of the top four countries with the highest mortality rates. Smoking attributes to a range of cancer and heart diseases. It can also cause ulcer, osteoporosis (brittle bones) stroke, emphysema, Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(COPD). Even when one decides to quit smoking, it is often difficult for them to quit it in one go. This is primarily because cigarettes containing Nicotine, It is addictive in nature and affects the brain reward system. Nicotine is the drug that makes people want to keep on smoking. It is addictive and when one starts to smoke regularly, their body starts becoming used to nicotine and starts needing a regular dose. Thus, when a regular smoker tries to quit, he starts experiencing withdrawal symptoms, which can be very uncomfortable. These withdrawal symptoms can be:

• Trouble sleeping
• Nausea
• Moodiness and irritability
• Restlessness
• Trouble thinking and concentrating

These symptoms of nicotine withdrawal start to disappear in a few days or weeks. But the craving for a cigarette might stick around for long. While counseling or support, nicotine patches, gum, inhalators, lozenges, and mouth spray may help in quitting smoking and detoxing your body of the accumulated toxins, it is often best to go with the natural remedy.

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The Turmeric Ginger Recipe
The turmeric ginger recipe can help you refrain from smoking and detox your body from all the harmful toxins that can cause a series of ailments in your body.
One of the key components of the recipe is ginger root. Ginger root has the ability to help ease nausea. Nausea is one of the early symptoms of nicotine withdrawal.
The other ingredient is turmeric. Smoking may open the risks for different types of cancer. Studies have shown that turmeric contains curcumin, which has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-cancerous and anti-toxicity properties. It can aid in removing harmful toxins from the body while protecting organs from further damage.
The third very important ingredient is onions. Onions contain quercetin, which has been studied to prevent lung cancer and possesses antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Here’s how to make your super effective turmeric ginger drink:

Ingredients: 

• Small piece of ginger root
• 400 grams of clean
• chopped onions
• 2 teaspoons of turmeric
• 1 liter of water
• Honey to taste (preferred)

Directions: Boil water in a pot and then add the ginger root and onions.Grate some more ginger into the water and add the turmeric.Decrease the temperature and let the ingredients boil for several minutes.The longer the mixture boils, the more intense the flavor will be.Drink this twice a day or after every time you smoke, to help clear your lungs.

Giving up smoking can be hard, but it is doable. It may seem daunting and can take a few attempts to be successful. But the longer you let your lungs take a break, the more time they have to strengthen and heal. So try to go as long as possible without smoking as you can.

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Words: Devika V Menon   Images: Various Sources

Throughout my life, “Smoking is injurious to health” is something i’ve heard at least a billion times, no exaggeration! Yet, I’ve seen people across the globe smoke one, and as they exhale their first drag, i’ve also seen how the stress leaves their face! I’ve always wondered, is smoking that bad? But then the movies always have ‘Mukesh’, who’s suffering from lung cancer due to excessive smoking, and that kinda puts me off!

It’s ‘World No Tobacco Day’, today. If you need reasons to stub that smoke right now, here are a few:

• The nicotine found in cigarettes and in smokeless tobacco is a powerful, addictive drug that acts on several parts of the body. Once addicted, it becomes difficult, but not impossible, to quit using smokeless tobacco or to stop smoking.
• It takes eight seconds for nicotine to reach the brain where it affects chemicals called dopamine and noradrenalin, changing your mood and temporarily reducing feelings of stress. Studies have shown that the younger you start smoking, the harder it is to quit.
• At least 19 different types of cancer-causing substances, called nitrosamines, are found in tobacco products.

• Oral cancer is serious. When it spreads to the lymph nodes in the neck, it is often deadly.
• The risk of developing lung cancer is 10 times greater for smokers than for non- smokers. Also, breathing secondhand smoke (someone else’s smoke) can be as dangerous as smoking.
• Smoking causes more deaths than road accidents, and every cigarette you smoke reduces your life expectancy by 11 minutes and tobacco is the world’s biggest avoidable cause of death.

• Lots of people smoke because it helps them relax but studies show that the habit has the reverse effect. As nicotine wears off, smokers become more stressed and anxious than they were before the last cigarette and begin to crave another. It’s a vicious cycle.
• Once you stop using tobacco products, your blood pressure, pulse rate and skin temperature will return to normal within 20 minutes. Within eight hours, high levels of carbon monoxide in your blood will return to normal and, within a few weeks, your circulation will improve, your sense of taste and smell will improve, and you will have fewer colds and more energy. It is never too late to stop!

• Whether you’ve smoked for four years or 40, it’s not too late to quit and, by doing so, you’ll dramatically increase your odds of a healthy life. Here’s what happens when you stop smoking:

– 24 hours after quitting: Carbon monoxide and nicotine have left your system.

– A month after quitting: You’ll notice a visible difference in your skin.

– A year after quitting: Your risk of heart attack is now half that of a smoker.

– Two years after quitting: Your risk of stroke is reduced to that of a non-smoker.

– 10 years after quitting: Your risk of lung cancer is now half that of a smoker.

– 15 years after quitting: Your risk of heart attack is now the same as someone who has never smoked.

The post Tobacco; a silent killer on the loose appeared first on FWD Life | The Premium Lifestyle Magazine |.