BURNING CIGARETTES OR LUNGS???

Recently our college conducted paper presentation programme, in which I participated and gave a presentation on ill effects of smoking. I even won first prize for my presentation. But the irony of life is that, one of my family friends died of lung cancer after I gave my presentation. He was a chronic smoker, but the cancer wasn’t diagnosed until recently and he died in just one week of diagnosis. Nothing could be done as it was very chronic stage but remained inapparent till now. I thought though we could not save him but as a medico, I can save many people atleast by preventing them from smoking….

       The problem with most of the smokers is that, they know that smoking is injurious to their health. And others who don’t know are mostly illiterates. In either case, educating them with right facts about smoking and use of tobacco helps in reducing rate of smoking and prevent kids from getting addicted to smoking

       To start with, the consequences of tobacco, here is the list of preventable causes of death…

         If you add smoking and second hand smoke or passive smoking, it equals 438,000. If you add up all the non tobacco-related causes, it equals ½ of the people from tobacco-related. Given these numbers, helping people quit or reduce SHS exposure needs to be a health priority. Half of all teens who start to smoke will die of tobacco-related disease by they reach age of 50.