Smoking Cigarettes Hurts Your Heart

University of Michigan cardiovascular surgeon G. Michael Deeb, M.D., wants his patients to know something: Nicotine is toxic not only to the lungs, but also to the heart.

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“When most patients think of the dangers of smoking, they think about the lungs,” Deeb says. “But cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 killer in the world, and smoking is accelerating the problem.”

As many as 30 percent of coronary heart disease deaths in the United States each year are attributable to cigarette smoking, and the more you smoke, the greater your risk, according to the American Heart Association. Even teenage smokers can have early signs of cardiovascular disease, including atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in the artery walls that can restrict blood flow.

What smoking does to your heart

Cigarette smoke contains nicotine and carbon monoxide, both of which affect your heart and blood vessels. Here’s how:

• Smoking increases blood clotting, which can result in blocked arteries that can lead to heart attack and stroke.

• Smoking increases the risk of abnormal heart rhythms, which may cause sudden death.

• Smoking damages blood vessels and can make them thicken and grow narrower, resulting in a faster heartbeat and increased blood pressure.

• Smoking can lead to arteriosclerosis, a hardening of the arterial walls.

• Smoking harms the body by raising cholesterol levels.

When combined with other major risk factors, cigarette smoking increases your risk for such heart issues as:

• Angina: chest pain associated with a blockage in the arteries

• Heart attack: damage to your heart muscle because of a lack of blood flow to your heart

• Stroke: blockage in the blood flow to the brain because of a clot or a burst blood vessel in or around the brain

• Aneurysm: a widening and leaking of the aorta

• Peripheral arterial disease of the legs: narrowing or blockage of the peripheral arteries

• Sudden death

What you gain when you quit

Even if you’ve smoked for a long time, quitting has immediate health benefits.

SEE ALSO: 5 Ways to Measure Your Heart Disease Risk

According to the American Cancer Society, when you stop:

• Within 12 hours, the level of poisonous carbon monoxide in the body from cigarettes returns to normal.

• After one year, your risk of heart attack is half that of a continuing smoker’s risk.

• After 15 years, your risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s risk.

For help with smoking cessation, check out the American Heart Association resources and the MHealthy Tobacco Consultation Service (TCS), which has developed a “virtual quit kit” full of tools and resources. TCS also provides free one-on-one counseling to give you the support and skills to quit for good.

3 Ways Smoking Is Hurting Your Back

Does your back hurt? You might think it is because you slept wrong, or because you lifted something incorrectly. But there’s another possible culprit, one that can fire up soreness.

“Smoking cigarettes can lead to increased back pain based on multiple different levels,” said Anand Navarasala, DO, FAAPMR, a rehabilitation specialist with Franciscan Physician Physician Network. Here are three ways your smoking habit is hurting your back.

Smoking Hurts Your Blood Flow

Often, concern about smoking and blood flow focuses on its impact on the heart, but the rest of your body is impacted as well. “Because nicotine can alter the size of the blood vessels and the ability for the body to adapt, that can cause increased damage to the ligaments as well as muscles within the spine region,” Dr. Navarasala said.

Smoking Hurts Your Spine

The disks of the spine, which provide cushion to the spine and offer ranges of motion, are impacted by smoking as well.

“Smoking can actually cause breakdown of the disk because there’s lack of nutrient exchange, specifically where the bone meets the spine disk,” Dr. Navarasala said. “In terms of the disk itself, the presence of nicotine in the blood stream actually can decrease not only the healing but also the regeneration of the cells within the disk.

“Additional mechanisms of action include lack of blood flow to the muscles that surround the spine. These can include muscles on the back of the spine here that can lead to increased pain and discomfort.”

Smoking Hurts Your Healing

In addition to causing multiple diseases, cigarette smoking has many other adverse effects on the body, such as causing inflammation and impairing immune function.

“In terms of back pain, a lot of the progress that you potentially might make during physical therapy and the treatment plan that we outline can quickly be negated if smoking continues,” Dr. Navarasala said. “That’s very important to understand early on in this process.”

Learn more about smoking cessation programs in the new year.

Ready To Finally Quit?

Whether you want to quit smoking for your health and longevity, or because your loved ones have expressed concern, we want you to know you are not alone.

It’s your time to quit, and Franciscan Health can help.

Why Smoking Will Worsen Your Chronic Pain – Cleveland Clinic

Do you look to smoking for relief from a bad back? Or aching joints? Or abdominal pain?

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Think twice before lighting up that cigarette. “Nicotine-induced pain relief is short-term. Over time, smoking may actually worsen your pain,” says pain management specialist Crawford Barnett, MD.

Smokers are nearly three times as likely to get lower back pain. Smoking may aggravate abdominal pain and joint pain, as well. In fact, smoking may increase pain sensitivity in general.

About 18% of people in the United States are smokers, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet smokers make up more than 50% of patients who seek pain treatment.

How smoking hurts

The nicotine in tobacco can trick the body into feeling good — at first. It triggers the release of chemicals, like dopamine, which give off a satisfying, “reward” sensation. It’s part of what makes smoking so addictive.

But that same tobacco also impairs the delivery of oxygen-rich blood to your bones and tissues. Decreasing blood and nutrient flow can cause degeneration, particularly in discs of the spine, which already have more limited blood flow. The result can be lower back pain and sometimes osteoporosis.

Physicians also link smoking with fatigue and slower healing, factors that make painful conditions more prominent. Researchers are exploring even more physiological reasons why smoking makes people with fibromyalgia, arthritis and other chronic pain hurt more.

“Almost everyone knows smoking can cause cancer, lung disease and cardiovascular disease,” says Dr. Barnett. “But not everyone realizes that smoking can make your pain worse.”

To make matters worse, when smokers suffer from debilitating pain, potentially life-changing treatments may not work.

“Smokers aren’t the best candidates for implantable devices such as neurostimulators, which block pain sensation,” says Dr. Barnett. “Smoking impairs the immune system and increases the risk of infection after surgery.”

How to get started

Dr. Barnett actively counsels patients to quit smoking. “You may look to cigarettes for help coping with pain, anxiety or stress, but there are healthier ways to do that,” he says.

Here’s what he suggests:

• Schedule your “quit day.”
• Ask your primary care doctor about medication or nicotine replacement products.
• Consider additional treatments like acupuncture or hypnosis.
• Call 1-800-QUIT-NOW for free help from trained coaches.
• Get support from family and friends, and join a support group.
• Take a walk whenever you feel the urge to smoke.

You can also start a new exercise program. Exercise activates endorphins, chemicals in the brain that can help block or lessen pain.

“Quitting smoking may be one of the most significant things you can do to both improve your health and manage your pain,” says Dr. Barnett.

Smoking and Lung Cancer | Everyday Health

On the other hand, there are many good reasons to stop smoking, and if you do, your risk of developing lung cancer later in life will go down significantly. If the X-ray you had recently was a chest X-ray and it was normal, it is extraordinarily unlikely that you have lung cancer now. But the answer to your last question is yes, you should be worried about your future risk for lung cancer — worried enough to quit smoking.

Q2. I have, for the past two weeks, had pain in my back toward my shoulder blade. It sometimes travels down the back of my left arm, and at times I feel a tightening under my left arm. I am concerned that it may be lung cancer as I am an ex-smoker. I have no health insurance, so am hesitant to go to a doctor. I have no cough or shortness of breath. In fact, aside from the pain, I feel great. Is there something other than lung cancer that this could be a symptom of?

I understand your concern about lung cancer, given your history of smoking. However, there are many things other than lung cancer that could cause the symptoms you are having. They range from something as minor as muscle soreness to serious conditions such as heart disease, blood clots in the lungs or aneurysms.

Ironically, lung cancer would be less likely than all of the other things I listed, as most lung cancers produce no symptoms at all until they are very advanced.

If your symptoms ease or go away within another week or two, it’s probably nothing serious. However, if they get worse or if they persist for more than two weeks, you really should have them checked out.

Congratulations on successfully quitting smoking, and good luck with your continued tobacco abstinence.

Q3. I stopped smoking three years ago. This year, my X-ray showed lung nodule spots. My follow-up CT scan is scheduled. How or what percentage may it be cancer after 45 years of smoking? I was up to two and a half packs a day when I stopped.

Congratulations on stopping smoking. Keep up the good work!

The likelihood of a nodule representing lung cancer depends on the size of the nodule. On a chest X-ray, multiple small nodules are less likely to be lung cancer than a single nodule or a “mass” (larger than 3 cm, or about 1.5 inches).

Other factors that increase the likelihood of lung cancer in a nodule include older age, upper versus lower lobe location, and how the edge of the nodule appears (spiculated or jagged-edged nodules are more likely to be cancer than nodules with smooth edges).

Q4. I do not have lung cancer, but I have smoked for 50 years. My question is, Peter Jennings quit smoking yet still got lung cancer. It seems that if one quits, it really doesn’t seem to make any difference if they were a previous smoker. Is there any evidence to show that even though one quits that their chances of getting lung cancer are the same, or even higher? I hear of all kinds of “former” smokers who still got lung cancer years later.

Even non-smokers can and do get lung cancer, but the short answer to your question is that quitting smoking greatly reduces your chances of getting lung cancer. The evidence for this is absolutely unequivocal.

Yes, it is true that many patients with lung cancer are ex-smokers, but the risk of developing lung cancer in any one individual is much greater if that person continues to smoke. Within 10 years of quitting, former smokers reduce their lung cancer risk to half that of continuing smokers, according to the American Lung Association. And after 15 years, the risk of death is similar to people who never smoked.

There are so many reasons to quit smoking cigarettes, only one of which is to reduce your likelihood of getting lung cancer.

Q5. Why does one want to smoke when they have lung cancer and they have had two different sessions of chemo (radiation with the first session). Got rid of the first spot and another one popped up. What do you tell them? Help me with a person who wants to stop smoking.

Why someone smokes after having lung cancer is a common question. I often tell my patients that cigarette smoking is a combination of two extremely difficult problems. One is a physical addiction to nicotine, a very addictive drug. The other is the psychological addiction, or the habit of picking up a cigarette and smoking it (sometimes in association with other habits like having a cup of coffee or an alcoholic beverage). This sounds odd, but they really are two distinct problems, and this is one reason why smoking cessation is so difficult, even for those affected with tobacco-related diseases like lung cancer.

Many people can stop smoking for several weeks (which is long enough for almost everyone to overcome nicotine withdrawal) yet go back to smoking after that for various reasons, usually attributed to stress. There are a variety of products available to help overcome the physical addition to nicotine including nicotine patches and gum. There are also several prescription medications available like Zyban (bupropion) and Chantix (varenicline). These products work best when combined with behavioral modification therapy. This can be individual or group, but it is an extremely important part of the quitting process.

Smoking after lung cancer treatment greatly increases the odds of the cancer reoccurring in the future, as you have learned from personal experience. It also can lead to a host of other medical problems, particularly heart and lung disease. It is never too late to quit and I urge you to seek medical help for this problem.

Q6. I recently started smoking cigars, but I never inhale smoke into my lungs. I just take the smoke in my mouth and blow it out. My son is a respiratory therapist, and he says that the cigar smoke is still getting into my lungs. So, my question is how much of a risk of getting lung cancer by smoking the cigars the way that I do?

Your son is correct to a point. Any smoke you inhale, no matter how shallow, will get into your lungs. Cigar smokers have an increased risk of lung cancer; the risk is just not as great as it is for heavy smokers of cigarettes.

Cigar smoke, though usually inhaled in smaller quantities, is especially dangerous in its ability to cause mouth and esophageal cancer, because of the habit you describe of keeping the smoke in your mouth. Also, you do not have the benefit of inhaling though a filter, so the level of cancer-causing chemicals is likely even greater than you would get if you inhaled an equivalent amount of cigarette smoke.

Cigarettes produce an acidic smoke, while cigar smoke is alkaline. This means that the nicotine in cigar smoke can be absorbed through the lining of the nose and mouth. A premium cigar exposes a smoker to the same amount of dangerous chemicals as about 10 cigarettes.

Q7. With COPD and suffering a very serious heart attack, I’ve been told I have terminal lung cancer (left side), so I really see many reasons to stop smoking and many not to. If they cannot fix the heart, they cannot operate, so I die. And if they operate and the stuff has spread to the right side, I’m dead anyway. Now I’m at the point of not caring. I go to several doctors, then go to a charity hospital. They want CT scans and needle biopsies. When I tell them I don’t have any insurance, they tell me they will call and they never have. So why the hell care? Seems that without the insurance nobody gives a damn and the doctor just says “breathe till you can’t.” I know that if I stop smoking, it will greatly help the problem but why care about it anymore? No, I’m not sorry for myself because I’ve had a very good life, just maybe angry that I’m not allowed to fly anymore, and the hospital doesn’t seem to care. When I had some insurance and my kidneys failed, the nurses and doctors were all over me. Now it seems to me they don’t care to waste their time on what they make me feel — just a walking dead man. So what else is there?

It sounds like you have had to deal with a lot of health problems, and are rightfully frustrated. I cannot blame you for how you feel, and having to deal with all this without the benefit of insurance no doubt adds to your sense of frustration.

Let me suggest a couple things. First, not being able to tolerate surgery does not mean that you cannot get treatment, even curative treatment, for your lung cancer. I cannot say what that treatment would be without knowing what stage lung cancer you have, but inoperable does not mean incurable.

Nobody can make you care if you don’t already care, but saying you are “dead anyway” suggests to me that you have another (very understandable given your circumstances) medical problem: depression. Getting treated for these other problems will be difficult, if not impossible, if you are also suffering from depression.

There is assistance available to people without health insurance, and you should begin by not giving up on yourself, and seeking whatever resources are available to you. Start with your own state’s department of public health, and search for local resources available to uninsured persons for assistance in finding providers who serve uninsured, or underinsured individuals.

You already know that smoking is hurting you, and I agree with that.

Learn more in the Everyday Health Lung Cancer Center.

Smokers beware. Smoking can trigger severe leg and hand pain, poor wound healing

Researchers have found a strong link between smoking and peripheral artery disease — a circulatory condition in which narrowed blood vessels reduce blood flow to the limbs — and this elevated risk can persist up to 30 years after quitting smoking.

The study, led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University’s Bloomberg School of Public Health, also found that the link between smoking and peripheral artery disease was even stronger than that for coronary heart disease and stroke.

“The study suggests that campaigns about smoking’s health risks should emphasize the elevated risk of peripheral artery disease, not just coronary heart disease and stroke,” said senior study author Kunihiro Matsushita.

The study found that compared with never-smokers, those who smoked for more than 40 pack-years had roughly four times more risk for peripheral artery disease, versus 2. 1 times and 1.8 times more risk for coronary heart disease and stroke, respectively.

A pack-year is a parameter of smoking — 10 pack-years can mean one pack per day for 10 years or two packs per day for five years or some other combination.

Similarly, participants who reported currently smoking more than a pack per day had a relative increased risk — 5.4 times more for peripheral artery disease versus 2.4 for coronary heart disease and 1.9 for stroke — compared to those who had never smoked.

Peripheral artery disease features the atherosclerotic build-up of cholesterol-laden deposits in arteries serving the legs. The reduction of blood flow leads to limb pain, poor wound healing, and other signs and symptoms.

The effect of smoking on peripheral artery disease risk was not just stronger; it was also longer-lasting.

Only after 30 years of smoking cessation did the peripheral artery disease risk for former smokers return to the baseline level seen in never-smokers.

By comparison, coronary heart disease risk took about 20 years to return to baseline after smoking cessation.

The good news is that quitting smoking appeared to bring a meaningful drop in peripheral artery disease risk fairly quickly.

“We observed a lower risk for peripheral artery disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke within five years of smoking cessation,” says Ning Ding, a data analyst and author of the study.

“Smoking almost always starts in adolescence or early adulthood, and it’s very important that young people understand how long the elevated health risk persists even after they’ve quit,” Matsushita noted.

The study, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, is the first comprehensive comparison, in a large population moving through time, of the smoking-elevated risks of peripheral artery disease, coronary heart disease and stroke.

The analysis was based on a sample of 13,355 Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) cohort participants, including 3,323 current smokers and 4,185 former smokers, who were tracked for a median period of 26 years.

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Why Does Smoking Make Back Pain Worse?

Table of Contents

1. Smoking and Pain
2. Smoking and Back Pain
3. Taking Care of the Whole Spine
4. Smoking and Joint Pain
5. Quitting Smoking

Over the last five years, numerous research studies have reported that smoking is associated with chronic pain, especially in the back and joints. There are a number of reasons for the association of smoking and pain that include the impact on brain circuitry and the vascular system.

Smoking and Pain

Researchers have discovered a link between smoking and pain. People may find short-term pain relief as nicotine triggers the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in the feeling of pleasure. However, the relief is short-lived. The reality is the smoker is likely going to feel more pain over the longer term.

The link between smoking and chronic pain is due to the ability of nicotine and other chemicals to:

• Narrows blood vessels, reducing blood flow to the muscles, bones and organs
• Decrease the rate of exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen in the blood
• Slow healing
• Increase blood pressure
• Increase feelings of fatigue

Chronic pain is considered that lasts more than three months. Smoking causes a general deterioration of the body’s condition and not just the lungs. When the body heals slower and organs and other tissues are not functioning properly, feelings of pain intensify.

Smoking and Back Pain

Can smoking cause back pain? Though smoking impacts the entire body, it is also known to be specifically associated with chronic back pain, especially in the lower back. A lot of research has been conducted, but medical studies have not proved without a doubt that smoking causes back pain.

However, researchers have found a statistical correlation and continue to study the relationship of smoking to back pain. There are higher rates of chronic low back pain among smokers compared to non-smokers, and smokers experience more severe pain.

Current evidence does demonstrate the link between smoking and impairment of the vascular system and bone healing. The spine is made up of bones called vertebrae that are separated by cushioning discs made of an outer ring of fibrous cartilage and a softcore. Vertebrae and spinal discs need a healthy supply of nutrient and oxygen-rich blood to resist degeneration.

Since smoking reduces blood flow, the nutrients and oxygen are not delivered in the amounts required to keep bones, cartilage, muscles and other tissues healthy. Spinal discs already have limited blood flow, so depriving them of these elements can cause them to deteriorate at a much faster rate than would normally occur during the aging process.

There is also research from Northwestern University that found smoking interferes with the brain circuitry that is involved in pain feelings. That study and subsequent ones have found that brain receptors are desensitized, which makes a lower level of pain feel more severe.

Smokers have a higher risk of developing medical conditions, like osteoporosis and lumbar disc disease. Smoking also creates problems with bone healing, which can lead to chronic back pain after an injury or when other back problems develop. Considering all this information together, the result is that smokers are more likely to experience chronic back pain than non-smokers.

Taking Care of the Whole Spine

Spinal deterioration can occur anywhere along the spine due to smoking, and not just in the lower back. The upper back pain smoking patients experience in the spine is due to the same reasons as smoking and lower back pain.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking is the cause of up 80-90% of lung cancer, and pain in the upper back and chest is one symptom of lung cancer. Persistent upper back pain should be assessed by a physician as soon as possible.

Smoking and Joint Pain

A slowdown in blood circulation can have the same impact on joints, creating a compounded situation in which supporting joints like the hips and knees deteriorate. The restricted blood flow contributes to cartilage loss and bone deterioration. Smokers may develop osteoarthritis faster and experience worse chronic pain than a non-smoker.

Quitting Smoking

Naturally, the next question is whether quitting smoking will ease back and/or joint pain. Quitting smoking can:

• Decrease the chances of developing back pain
• Help reduce the severity of pain
• Reduce the chances of developing lung cancer
• Contribute to a healthier body
• Improve the quality of life

Sometimes, former smokers have already caused damage to their spine or joints from smoking and develop a painful medical condition, like osteoporosis in the spine. It is still important to quit smoking because smoking causes so many health problems, and pain from medical conditions in the back and joints may be less severe than it would if continuing to smoke.

In fact, quitting smoking and pain management for all medical conditions go hand-in-hand. For most people who quit smoking, back pain or joint paint is at least reduced. Smoking can also interfere with the ability of pain medications to work as intended. These are two very good reasons to quit smoking. 

Throat pain is a commonly experienced. From smoking to a viral infection, throat pain can be low-risk or severe, depending on its cause. Mina Le, M.D., ENT, explains throat pain in more detail.

Throat Pain Explained with Mina Le, M.D.

Throat pain is a commonly experienced annoyance, and the origins of the pain are wide-ranging. From smoking to a viral infection, throat pain can be low-risk or severe, depending on its cause.

We asked Mountainside Medical Group’s Otolaryngologist – Head and Neck Surgeon, Mina Le, M. D., to explain throat pain in more detail.

“Most commonly, throat pain is caused by irritation or inflammation,” Dr. Le said. “Irritation might be from dryness, or air pollutants, or smoking cigarettes or overusing your voice. Inflammation might be from acid reflux or a passing viral infection. Strep throat, which is a bacterial infection, is more likely if you are young and still have your tonsils. There are rarer types of bacterial throat infections that can start from a bad tooth. If you’re older, throat cancer is a possibility.”

While figuring out the cause of throat pain may be step one, figuring out how to soothe the pain is an anxiously awaited second step.

“If you’re looking to relieve pain in the throat, I would first suggest increasing your water intake,” Dr. Le said. “Hot tea is a longstanding home remedy; you can choose to add lemon or honey. If the sore throat has only been around for a day or two, you can try over-the-counter (OTC) treatments such as Sucrets, honey lozenges or a Chloraseptic (Phenol). If the sore throat has been around for weeks, try an over-the-counter antacid such as Tums, Pepcid or Prilosec OTC.”

Dr. Le warns there are no guarantees to a fast fix, but hot tea with honey is your best bet when it comes to home remedies.

If you’re experiencing chronic sore throat, it may be time to reevaluate your diet and lifestyle and consult a healthcare professional to get to the root cause of the pain.

“The most common cause of chronic sore throat is acid reflux,” Dr. Le said. “Take an antacid such as Tums (the mildest), Pepcid or Prilosec OTC (the strongest). Cut down on your intake of spicy food, fatty food, tomatoes, citrus, chocolate, coffee, tea, alcohol and soda. Eat smaller meals and stay upright for three hours after you eat. If you smoke, stop smoking, and remember to always stay well-hydrated.”

Your primary care provider (PCP) or an ear, nose and throat (ENT) doctor are both good resources when you’re dealing with throat pain. Depending on the symptoms and severity, an ENT specialist may be able to provide additional answers.

“If you’re already scheduled to see a PCP, or if you also have other medical concerns to discuss, your PCP is fine,” Dr. Le said. “As an ENT, I am happy to see you at any point in the process where you no longer feel comfortable dealing with a sore throat on your own at home. An ENT will have scope equipment to examine your throat more thoroughly. If throat pain is accompanied by other ENT symptoms such as trouble swallowing, changes in voice or ear pain, an ENT visit makes a lot of sense. If throat pain is severe and you cannot eat or have trouble breathing, go straight to the emergency room.”

If you’re experiencing throat pain, there are options to help. Schedule an appointment with Dr. Le today.

Dr. Le sees patients in the Mountainside Medical Office Building located at 311 Bay Avenue, Suite 300, Glen Ridge, New Jersey. New patients are welcome and may visit www.mountainsidemedicalgroup.com to request an appointment or call 973-798-4777.

90,000 What to do if the chest hurts after smoking, how to remove this pain?

Smoking is a habit, the dangers of which doctors constantly talk about. Sometimes the resulting diseases do not manifest themselves immediately, but only many years after a person started smoking, sometimes problems arise almost instantly, often right in the process of smoking or immediately after it. So, many smokers have a question: can smoking hurt in the chest and what can this be connected with? With such symptoms, a doctor is often consulted, and it can appear for a variety of reasons.Chest pain can be associated with pre-existing health problems that have been exacerbated by a bad habit, or can appear after starting smoking.

Chest pain after smoking: causes

To identify the exact cause, you need to see a doctor. Only the medical history collected by the doctor and the examinations passed will make it possible to diagnose and begin the treatment process. If you have chest pain after smoking, then this is a very alarming sign that cannot be ignored.What provokes the appearance of pain syndrome? These can be pulmonary (eg, bronchitis) or extrapulmonary (eg, heart or gastrointestinal disease) factors.

Chest sciatica

With chest radiculitis, soreness rolls over in attacks, the pain is acute and quite strong. The main source of pain is the spine, but it radiates to the sides or anterior chest.

Intercostal neuralgia

The cause of this pathology is herpes, and the disease is accompanied by various symptoms.If after smoking not only your chest hurts, but also a burning sensation, and from any touch the pain only intensifies, it is highly likely that this is intercostal neuralgia.

Inflammatory processes in the bronchi and lungs

Inflammation in the bronchi and lungs are signs of diseases such as bronchitis or bronchial asthma, tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc. Such pain is usually acute and appears periodically (that is, attacks) on the right or left. In addition, severe cough and shortness of breath may indicate inflammation.

Breast cancer

Chest pain after smoking, accompanied by cough and shortness of breath, is likely to be an oncological symptom that indicates the appearance of neoplasms in the chest (in men and women). As a rule, in the initial stages of the disease, a person does not experience any discomfort, so he does not think about going to the doctor. Lung cancer can be diagnosed by performing fluorography or during pneumonia treatment.

Diseases of the spine

As a rule, smokers have pain in the chest and back (during or after) due to the curvature of the spine and a violation of its normal position.In this case, soreness occurs in different areas (neck, lower back, etc.) when a person takes a particular pose.

Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract

If you have a bad habit such as smoking, chest pain may indicate (including after giving up cigarettes) gastritis or stomach ulcers. With gastritis, aching discomfort often appears after eating, and with an ulcer, the pain is acute and accompanied by severe spasms.

Heart disease

Pain syndrome can appear both with previously diagnosed heart ischemia and angina pectoris, and serve as the initial sign of these pathologies. If chest pain is associated with the heart, then it can be constant and intensify with excitement and the slightest physical exertion, or occur periodically. With angina pectoris, there may be a feeling of pressure and burning in the chest, as well as shortness of breath and arrhythmia.

Chest pain after quitting smoking

When a person quits smoking, certain changes begin to occur in his body, through which the former smoker needs to go through. As a rule, getting used to a new lifestyle is accompanied by a number of unpleasant and sometimes very uncomfortable sensations.All this is related to the detoxification process. After quitting smoking, the chest hurts, because the lungs and bronchi begin to clear of accumulated tar and nicotine, as well as due to exacerbated gastrointestinal diseases or because of heart failure, which appeared due to oxygen starvation.

How to relieve pain?

Much depends on the cause of the pain, which only a doctor can establish. Accordingly, if painful discomfort appears, you should immediately contact a neurologist , because the problem may be serious (for example, a stomach ulcer or breast cancer).What to do before consulting a specialist? Eliminate the source of pain – quit smoking. If you have already quit, but the pain remains, you need, again, to consult a doctor to find out why this is happening, whether the discomfort is associated with detoxification of the body or with any disease. It is not recommended to take pain relievers, as they will provide temporary relief, and without a doctor’s prescription, they can cause even more harm and prevent an accurate diagnosis.

Diagnostics

If you do not know which doctor to contact, you can first visit the therapist , who will give the first recommendations and referrals to other specialists.Patients with such problems are often recommended to undergo a complete examination of all body systems, that is, to diagnose the work of the cardiovascular system, as well as the gastrointestinal tract and respiratory organs. What kind of set of tests and examinations the doctor prescribes depends on the causes and symptoms.

Treatment

Treatment is prescribed based on what caused the pain. The first thing to do is to quit smoking, as well as follow the course of treatment and recovery, which will be selected and prescribed by the doctor.As a rehabilitation after refusal and to alleviate symptoms, the patient is given the following recommendations (in the absence of contraindications to them):

• physical activity (start with small and light loads): long walks, quiet running, swimming, etc.;
• breathing exercises;
• baths, inhalations, as well as trips to the coniferous forest;

90,059 dieting;

• drinking plenty of water (ordinary pure or mineral water).

Please note that treatment and cleansing of the lungs will take not a day or a week, but, depending on the complexity of the case, from several months to a year.
90,000 Laryngeal cancer and smoking

Laryngeal cancer

The vast majority of laryngeal cancer patients are smokers. According to various authors, smokers among patients with laryngeal cancer make up from 80 to 96%. In most cases, laryngeal cancer is squamous cell carcinoma. This type of cancer occurs as a result of cell changes caused by smoking and alcohol.

It has been established that laryngeal cancer develops in men 12-16 times more often than in women. The risk factor is less pronounced in filter cigarette smokers. A decrease in the role of a risk factor is observed in smoking cessation most rapidly during the first 5 years after smoking cessation, and after 10 years the risk intensity becomes the same for former smokers and non-smokers. Scientists analyzed the risk of developing laryngeal cancer in long-term smokers compared with nonsmokers. It turned out that cancer of the larynx was observed much less frequently than lung cancer.For men who smoked filter cigarettes for a long time, the risk ranged from 50 to 75% relative to the risk for non-filter cigarette smokers. Similar patterns were observed in women.

There is evidence that if smokers have leukoplastic changes for several years, laryngeal cancer develops in one of the five predisposed cases, and this occurs, as a rule, in age groups over 50 years old. At the same time, it should be noted that the risk of developing laryngeal cancer with smoking cessation, especially over 10 years, should be pointed out.

In the early stages of laryngeal cancer, the patient often experiences a foreign body sensation in the throat when swallowing. Then this feeling begins to be accompanied by pain that intensifies over time. The pain becomes very severe and begins to radiate to the ears. The timbre of the voice changes, becomes hoarse and often completely disappears. Depending on the location of the tumor, laryngeal stenosis and death from asphyxia are also possible.

But often initially the cancer of the larynx does not manifest itself in any way, i.e. is asymptomatic.This is the insidiousness of cancer, in this case, cancer of the larynx. As mentioned above, in the vast majority of cases, laryngeal cancer occurs in smokers. This is because often precancerous conditions concerning the larynx disappear by themselves when smoking cessation. And even the already appeared cancer of the larynx can disappear on its own, if you quit smoking, or it can be removed with a good prognosis for getting rid of it completely.

Don’t hesitate, quit smoking !!!

Oncologist Latysheva O.Yu.

The effect of tobacco smoking on the body

The effect of smoking on the body

Smoking causes diseases of many organs of the human body, including malignant neoplasms. All organs and systems of the body of a smoking person are affected: the brain, lungs, heart, blood vessels, tongue, larynx, the reproductive system suffers, the appearance of a smoking person is also affected changes towards early aging.

Nicotine acts on the blood vessels – they become more constricted than normal, less elastic than in a healthy non-smoker, therefore, the above organs suffer – narrowing of the cerebral vessels leads to early chronic circulatory failure of the brain, which means memory and working capacity decrease brain, headaches appear more often, blood pressure rises. Scientists believe that after each smoked cigarette, a short-term thickening of the blood occurs – a smoker can neutralize the harmful effect of nicotine on this fact and on blood vessels by taking 1 aspirin tablet.But you can’t do this all the time, because each pill has its own side effects, so aspirin causes gastritis, stomach ulcers. Should I do it?

A smoker earlier develops coronary artery disease – coronary heart disease, or angina pectoris, when chest pains appear at the slightest physical exertion. Each such attack of pain can end in a heart attack, which means death. Age 40-45-50 years are considered dangerous for men, especially smokers, in terms of death.

When the tongue comes into contact and the larynx is irritated with cigarette smoke, malignant diseases of these organs (cancer) develop more often than a non-smoker.

When future parents smoke, fetal pathology often occurs, the child develops weaker. After all, he does not have enough oxygen for the normal development of organs and tissues. And oxygen is supplied to the fetus with the mother’s blood. A smoking mother in her blood, in addition to the oxygen necessary for the child, also contains harmful substances associated with the processing of nicotine decomposition products by her body, inhalation of tobacco smoke.

Experienced smokers develop chronic diseases of the bronchi and lungs, when a person is worried about a persistent cough. Skin color changes (becomes earthy gray). The appearance of an experienced smoker immediately catches the eye even of a non-physician. Cancer is the final stage in respiratory diseases caused by smoking.

Smoking cessation

Studies of the effectiveness of smoking cessation have been conducted since the 1970s and the results have shown the following:

90,058 90,059 smoking cessation is effective at any age;

90,059 Smoking cessation early in pregnancy results in normal weight babies.

In addition to reducing the risk of disease, smoking cessation provides many additional benefits:

• physical activity increases;
• increased or restored potency;
• Improves the perception of food taste and smell;
• improves complexion;
• improves sleep;
• free time, previously spent on smoking cigarettes;
• money saving.

If you want to quit smoking on your own

1. Do not tighten. With deep tightening, up to 95% of the nicotine enters the bloodstream. With moderate – up to 70%, and with smoking without puffs – no more than 50%.
2. Smoke a cigarette no more than 2/3. The first puffs are less harmful, since nicotine and other hazardous substances are absorbed, deposited in the tobacco and filter; with subsequent puffs, harmful chemical substances penetrate the respiratory organs, irritate them, form mucus, which, together with the products of tobacco sublimation, injures the bronchi and lungs. A particularly large amount of them enters the lungs when the last third of the cigarette is smoked.
3. Try to choose cigarettes that are low in nicotine and other harmful substances.
4. Keep your cigarette in your mouth less.
5. Smoke less! Set the maximum number of cigarettes you smoke, which you must never exceed during the day.
6. Don’t smoke if you don’t feel like smoking. Before your hand reaches for a cigarette, ask yourself if you would like to smoke.More often than not, it turns out that the movement was just automatic.
7. Do not smoke on the go, climbing stairs or uphill, do not smoke for as long as possible after significant physical exertion, especially while doing physical work, because at this time, breathing is very intense and the carcinogens found in tobacco, which are the direct cause of cancer, enter the most distant parts of the lungs.
8. Do not smoke on an empty stomach, especially in the morning on an empty stomach. j. the combustion products of tobacco, mixing with saliva, affect the gastric mucosa, and getting into the intestines are immediately absorbed into the bloodstream; for the same reason, you should not smoke while eating.
9. From time to time, have a smoke-free day, spend more time in nature, strive to replace smoking with something else. Visit non-smoking areas.

90,000 More than five cigarettes a day – migraines come

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Tobacco acts as a triggering factor for headaches, especially migraines

This problem was identified by Western doctors in a study that shows that smokers are more likely to suffer from migraines and that smoking more than five cigarettes a day causes headaches.A work on this matter appeared in The Journal of Headache and Pain.

The hypothesis about the influence of tobacco on the occurrence of migraines as a non-random factor has caused conflicting opinions in the scientific literature.

A small study posted in the aforementioned publication indicates that smoking causes migraines through anxiety relief or anxiety suppression. This mechanism is called one of the main ones.

“Our study is innovative in Spain, where there is so little research on this topic and they are all very superficial,” said Julio Pascual, one of the authors of this study and MD from the University Hospital in Santander.

The main benefit of the new job is that the 361 medical students from the University of Salamanca who participated in the survey were fully aware of their problem.

Experts who asked the respondents about the presence or absence of migraine and the characteristics of its course, guaranteed the reliability of the results, since most of such studies are done by telephone, randomly and with people who poorly explain their illness.

Results showed that 16 percent of the students met the criterion for having a migraine headache, while 20 percent smoked. The percentage of smokers was higher in those who were prone to migraines and, conversely, with a lower frequency of migraines in non-smokers.

According to Pascual, “smoking is a real factor in the onset of this type of headache, since the prevalence of migraine among smokers is one third higher than among the rest and there is a direct relationship between the number of cigarettes consumed and the frequency of migraine.”

“In general, the appearance of a headache should be a kind of limiting signal for a smoker,” the neurologist is sure.”If you smoke a lot, then you should drastically reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke per day.”

For your information, migraines are recurrent attacks of acute headache, usually one-sided and throbbing. The attacks can last from 4 to 72 hours. Women suffer from it more often than men – 4: 1. Migraine attacks occur during adolescence or adolescence. They tend to disappear over the years: in men, usually after 45 years, in women – by the onset of menopause.

Other types of headache include Hortonian headache, cervical headache, tension headache, concussion headache, and headaches due to increased or decreased intracranial pressure.

***

Source: Smoking more than 5 cigarettes a day provokes migraine attacks / eurekalert.org

What happens to the body if you quit smoking? The doctor-narcologist answers

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What happens to the body if you quit smoking? The narcologist answers

What happens to the body if you quit smoking? The doctor-narcologist answers – RIA Novosti Sport, 14.09.2021

What happens to the body if you quit smoking? The narcologist answers

By giving up cigarettes, you will not only save money, but also get rid of cellulite. Psychiatrist-narcologist Victoria Kovaleva told RIA Novosti how quickly … RIA Novosti Sport, 09/14/2021

2020-10-24T08: 40

2020-10-24T08: 40

2021-09-14T13: 23

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By giving up cigarettes, you will not only save money, but also get rid of your cellulite. Psychiatrist-narcologist Victoria Kovaleva told RIA Novosti how quickly the state of health will change and when the lungs will recover if you get rid of the bad habit. Twenty-four hours It only takes a day for the cells to get rid of carbon monoxide and absorb oxygen faster. The body will eliminate nicotine on its own within 24 hours.If you have been smoking for a long time, this state will be new to you – most likely, you will feel lethargy, drowsiness, dizziness. Two to eleven days Withdrawal syndrome appears: irritability and increased appetite. The most important thing is to remember that the health benefits “will pay off”: already at this stage, salts of heavy metals come out of the lungs. You may start to cough up dark phlegm, and by the end of the first week without nicotine, you will notice that your food tastes richer. The pressure will return to normal, the intestines will work better, and within seven days the cells of its mucous membrane will have time to renew themselves.At this stage, vitamins, for example A, E and K, vitamins of group B (they are absorbed in the intestines) are better absorbed. Twelve to thirty days The smoker’s cough becomes softer. The body’s resistance to viruses increases, the risk of getting an infection is less. Smoking is one of the main factors for the development of pneumonia and other lung problems. Metabolism becomes faster: in the layer of subcutaneous fat, the work of the glands is normalized. If you do not overeat, then effortlessly get rid of a kilogram or two, which gained in the early days of quitting smoking.You will notice that your skin color will improve as nicotine interferes with collagen production. Those who have smoked for a short time will lose their nervousness and desire to take a cigarette after a month. Two months Blood pressure decreases, myocardium works better. “The blood supply to the skin is normalized: acne goes away, the hair becomes less greasy. Shallow wrinkles are smoothed out, less age spots – you will generally look younger,” says Viktoria Kovaleva. If you like strength exercises, you will notice that you gain muscle mass faster – this happens because the body has become better at absorbing protein.Three months Regeneration of the lungs will begin: the process will touch the cells called acini, from which the mucous membrane is built. Recovery can take up to a year, depending on smoking history. At this stage, many forget about the cough. “Many former smokers disappear cold hand syndrome, numbness in the fingertips. This happens because the blood supply to all tissues increases, and the nerve endings are restored,” the doctor notes. Six months – a year Hoarseness in the voice will disappear , tooth enamel brightens.At this stage, the risk of stroke and heart attack becomes lower. If you have had shortness of breath, then it will go away. Any smoker is considered a former if he is able to survive without cigarettes for a year.

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By giving up cigarettes, you will not only save money, but also get rid of cellulite. Psychiatrist-narcologist Victoria Kovaleva told RIA Novosti how quickly the state of health will change and when the lungs will recover if you get rid of the bad habit.

Twenty-four hours

It only takes a day for the cells to get rid of carbon monoxide and begin to absorb oxygen faster. The body will eliminate nicotine on its own within 24 hours. If you have been smoking for a long time, this state will be new to you – most likely, you will feel lethargy, drowsiness, dizziness.

Two to eleven days

Withdrawal syndrome appears: irritability and increased appetite. The most important thing is to remember that the health benefits “will pay off”: already at this stage, salts of heavy metals come out of the lungs.You may start to cough up dark phlegm.

“It will be easier to cope with your mood if you exclude fried and fatty foods. However, when you smoke, you get used to having something in your mouth, and unconsciously begin to snack more: seeds, cookies. First, you can gain excess weight: to prevent this from happening, use sugar-free lollipops, drink more liquid: water and water with lemon, “says the specialist.

By the end of the first nicotine-free week, you will notice that your food tastes richer.The pressure will return to normal, the intestines will work better, and within seven days the cells of its mucous membrane will have time to renew themselves. At this stage, vitamins are better absorbed, for example, A, E and K, vitamins of group B (they are absorbed in the intestines).

September 29, 2020, 05:00 am What happens if you give up alcohol? The narcologist answers

Twelve to thirty days

The smoker’s cough becomes softer. The body’s resistance to viruses increases, the risk of getting an infection is less. Smoking is one of the main factors in the development of pneumonia and other lung problems.

Metabolism becomes faster: in the layer of subcutaneous fat, the work of the glands is normalized. If you do not overeat, then effortlessly get rid of a kilogram or two, which gained in the early days of quitting smoking. You will notice your skin tone improves as nicotine interferes with collagen production.

Those who smoked for a short time, after a month, lose their nervousness and desire to take a cigarette.

The blood pressure becomes lower, the myocardium works better.

“The blood supply to the skin is normalized: acne disappears, the hair becomes less greasy.Shallow wrinkles are smoothed out, pigmentation spots are less – you will generally look younger, “says Viktoria Kovaleva.

If you like strength exercises, you will notice that you gain muscle mass faster – this happens because the body has begun to better absorb protein.

19 October 2020, 18:45 EOJSo you can’t do this: a nutritionist gave three advice to overweight people

Lung regeneration will begin: the process will touch cells called acini, from which the mucous membrane is built. Recovery can take up to a year, depending on smoking history. At this stage, many people forget about coughing.

“Many ex-smokers are relieved of the cold hand syndrome, numbness in the fingertips. This happens because the process of blood supply to all tissues is increased, and the nerve endings are restored,” the doctor notes.

Six months – year

The hoarseness in the voice will disappear, the tooth enamel brightens. At this stage, the risk of stroke and heart attack becomes lower.If you have had shortness of breath, then it will go away. Any smoker is considered a former if he is able to survive without cigarettes for a year.

Scientists told what happens to the body after quitting smoking

Novosibirsk scientists explained what happens to the human body after he quits smoking, and how long it will take to recover.

It is known that nicotine stimulates metabolic processes and the functioning of the nervous system, gastrointestinal tract, respiratory system and cardiovascular system. Therefore, when giving up cigarettes, the body, weaned from independent effective activity, can hardly rebuild to its usual mode of work. The smoker is experiencing severe discomfort.

According to scientists, a person can experience about 30 withdrawal symptoms that make him look for a new portion of nicotine.

– Irritability, headache, inability to concentrate, increased excitability, anxiety and so on appear, – reports the official publication of the SB RAS “Science in Siberia”.

A person who has “stuck” with a bad habit has symptoms of deterioration of blood circulation for some time: weakness, headaches, dizziness, loss of working capacity. Often, a person who quit smoking begins to eat a lot, “seizing” the discomfort from the withdrawal of nicotine.

However, reducing the risk of serious illness and improving well-being far outweigh the temporary inconvenience. From the very first days of quitting smoking, the body begins to cleanse itself of its consequences.

– After giving up nicotine in a person, the walls of blood vessels and myocardium are strengthened, the tone of smooth muscles, the patency of veins and arteries are normalized, blood pressure and heart rate return to normal, pathological narrowing of the vascular lumens is eliminated, the supply of oxygen to the heart is optimized, the risk of heart attack is reduced, – says the chief researcher of the Research Institute of Therapy and Preventive Medicine – a branch of the Federal Research Center “Institute of Cytology and Genetics” of the SB RAS, Doctor of Medical Sciences Diana Denisova.

According to scientists, the lungs have an almost magical ability to cure carcinogenic mutations caused by smoking. Even those few cells that remain intact are able to restore the respiratory organ.

The process of cleansing the body from the effects of smoking takes about a year. Then, the restoration of body functions, affected by exposure to toxic substances, begins. And after five years, the risk of developing cancer is reduced by three times.

Chest pain after smoking: causes, symptoms, treatment

Causes of pain in the lungs

Smoking causes the tar contained in tobacco smoke to accumulate in the lungs.This leads to the gradual destruction of the lung structure.

Each cigarette reduces the number of alveoli. This weakens the lungs, reducing immunity, and provokes a number of serious, including them, and deadly diseases.

Experts agree that lungs do not tend to get sick. This is impossible due to the absence of nerve endings in them. Manifestations of pain are characteristic of the pleura, trachea, bronchi.

Pain in the bronchi

Almost all nicotine addicts have signs of chronic bronchitis.It is provoked by the settling of resins and carcinogens on the walls of the bronchi.

The lungs do not have time to clear themselves, the smoke kills natural barriers that could prevent the spread of infections.

Lowered immunity contributes to poisoning and obstruction. Since the bronchi have nerve endings, pain occurs. But a person mistakenly considers them pulmonary.

The leading cause of chest pain when smoking is pathological changes in the lungs and bronchi.It can be bronchitis, as well as emphysema and pulmonary dysplasia. In the worst case, it is lung cancer and tuberculosis.

Pathology of internal organs

Sometimes pain is felt in the left arm. This is a sign of the pathology of the cardiovascular system.

Shooting chest pain may indicate a stomach ulcer and gallstones.

Often, those who have already quit smoking begin to complain of pain in the lungs. They push the smoker who decided to quit tobacco to think about cigarettes again.

During the period of abstinence from smoking, the lungs and bronchi are cleansed from the accumulated toxins in them.

Another symptom is a cough that begins during the period of getting rid of a bad habit.