SMOKING AND IMPOTENCE

For men in their 30s and 40s,

Smoking increases the risk of erectile dysfunction(ED) by about 50 per cent.

Did You Know?

The British Medical Association estimates that up to 120,000 men have ED because of smoking.

Erection can't occur unless blood can flow freely into penis, so these blood vessels have to be in good condition.

Smoking can damage the blood vessels and cause them to degenerate : nicotine narrows the arteries that lead to the penis, reducing blood flow and the pressure of blood in the penis.

The narrowing effect increases over time, so if you haven't got problems now, things could change later.

Bad Effects of Smoking

Beat Cigarettes Now!

BEAT CIGARETTES ONE AT A TIME

“You’re twice as likely to succeed with Nicotine Replacement Therapy”

Well done, you’ve made the important decision to quit. Now comes the hard work, because once you stop smoking your body begins to miss and crave the nicotine it used to get.

YOU CAN DO IT GUYS!!!

         

As a result, you may feel tense, irritable and anxious. That’s why one of the most effective ways to help stop smoking is with Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT). NRT works by releasing controlled amounts of nicotine into your body to help relieve cravings and ‘withdrawal sypmtoms’. Using NRT is safer than smoking as your body doesn’t get the harmful tar, irritants and carbon monoxide in cigarettes.

-so if you want to beat cigarettes, you are twice as likely to succeed with NRT compared to willpower alone.

THE BENEFITS OF QUITTING

Quitting the habit is a big step, and once you’ve stopped you’ll quickly realize there are lots of great reasons to stay a quitter. One of the really noticeable things is the extra money you’ll have. To reward yourself for your ongoing determination you should treat yourself to a little something special such as a CD or some perfume.

Then there are health reasons to think about, both short term and long term. For example, the general feeling of being unfit and the more serious long term conditions directly attributable to smoking such as heart disease and lung cancer.

Last but not least are the many social and family reasons both at home and at work. Your clothes and breath no longer smelling of smoke are just the first couple that come to mind.

Some valuable quit tips.

Follow these techniques to further improve your chances of quitting:

v  Choose a good day to quit. This is your ‘Quit Day’. It should be one without too much stress or social activity.

v  Remove temptation. Destroy all your cigarettes, both at home and at work.

v  Do something you enjoy. Stay busy on your ‘Quit Day’. Keep your hands busy.

v  Take one day at a time. Get plenty of sleep to avoid fatigue. Tell yourself ‘I won’t smoke today’.

v  Reconfirm your reasons for quitting, work out how much money you are saving. And what could you buy with it in one year?

v  Start a gentle exercise programme to avoid weight gain and get fit as well.

v  Learn relaxation techniques.

v  If at first you don’t succeed, try again. Successful quitters keep trying.

All the best to you!!!

The Well Known Dangers of Smoking

Firstly, we are all basically knowledgeable on the effects of smoking and how devastating this habit is to us, financially and health wise. Cigarettes burn holes in our lungs and right through our pockets (literally!). 

Fact: Smoking is a disgusting habit.

Check out this link on facts and data on current smoking issues worldwide: http://www.smokingstatistics.org/  

Looks pretty harmless eh?

Lets take a step back and go through once again, all the dangers of smoking cigarettes.

1. Smoking causes cancer.

Cigarette smoke contains carcinogens, which in other words are generally cancer causing agents. The carcinogenic pyrolytic products in the smoke bind to the DNA and cause genetic mutations which later on turn into cancer cells. Among the types of cancer most commonly associated with cigarette smoking are cancers of the lung, kidney, larynx, head and neck, breast, bladder, oral cavity, esophagus, pancreas and stomach. Need we say more?

A cancer ridden smoker's lung

Throat cancer 

2. Smoking increases the risk factor for heart attacks.

Tar buildup causes the narrowing of blood vessels (atherosclerosis) which increases the likelihood of a blockage to the heart and brain (stroke). Increased cholesterol levels, weakening of blood vessel walls and an increased blood pressure are also contributing side effects of cigarette addiction that might lead to a heart attack. 

Photo taken from www.gfxindia.com

3. Smoking causes impotence.

Erectile Dysfunction (ED) due to arterial narrowing is one of the major dangers of smoking for men. Women however experience lower estrogen levels, which in turn effects ovulation, folliculogenesis  (maturation of the ovarian follicle), embryo transport, endometrial receptivity, endometrial angiogenesis, uterine blood flow and uterine myometrium. Check out this link for further details: http://www.reproduction-online.org/

Stop smoking. Keep the missus happy.
Picture taken from http://www.hivehealthmedia.com/smoking-impotence/ 

4. Smoking causes higher mortality rates.

Now this is simple. Smoking causes a proven higher death rate in any country. Check out this article from The Star Online 1 June 2011, http://thestar.com.my/health/story.asp?file=/2011/6/1/health/8773930&sec=health

5. Smoking causes cognitive dysfunction.
Among other side effects of smoking are dementia, loss of cognitive function, reduced memory function and brain shrinkage (cerebral atrophy) in adolescents. The smoke basically KILLS your brain cells. 

The brain is a marvelous thing. Respect it. Give up smoking NOW!!

We know there are many more diseases and side effects that may be worsened by smoking cigarettes. But what use is knowing alone without an effort to quit?? We should stop living for ourselves. Our loved ones need us. They need us to be alive and well. 

Quitting is a smart move. Do it now. 

Why do students smoke?

A question that has been asked one time too many. Why do they do it anyway?

PTPTN loans are just about enough to cover the cost of living, sometimes even that is not enough. It is polite to say that the majority of the students of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang do not smoke, a fact we're all proud of. What about those who do? Since quitting the habit is no easy task, what are we doing as friends, brothers and sisters to help curb this fatal habit? 

Have the campaigns by various government and non-governmental bodies not met their goals? Or is stress still a large factor that continues to play a major role?

What ever the causes may be, smoking has got to stop. The change has to start here. Ever heard of the phrase "leave no man behind"? Let's put it to practice. Save a life. 

Check out this article by Ernest Dichter from The Psychology of Everyday Living:  Why Do We Smoke Cigarettes?