Heart and smoking

Can you believe that smoking first gained popularity because people had a wrong belief that cigarette can clean their lungs? Such misconception stems from the fact that smokers cough out mucus.

             The first group of smokers in the world is Red Indians of North America. From them, smoking has spread to Spain and then swiftly to Europe and the United States.

            Although local hill tribe people in Thailand’s North appear to have smoked for ages, other Thais have apparently adopted smoking because of direct influence from foreigners.

            Inside the cigarettes is tobacco...Actually, one can consume tobacco both through “chewing” and “smoking”. Smoking means burning the tobacco leaves and inhaling the hot vapor that contains fine particles of carbon being produced by combustion. This is true for cigarettes, cigars and pipe tobacco alike. 

The hot vapor from the cigarettes comprises:

            Moreover, the smoke from cigarettes irritates respiratory system such as trachea and alveoli. Smokers thus can easily develop chronic bronchitis and emphysema.

Common Diseases among Smokers

            Cancers: trachea cancer, lung cancer, larynx cancer, lip cancer, bladder cancer, and kidney cancer

                Bronchitis: More than 80 per cent of bronchitis patients are smokers. Furthermore, bronchitis patients often develop complications such as pneumonia, influenza, tuberculosis and many other types of infection.

                Coronary Artery Disease:  Smoking encourages calcification and lipid deposit in blood vessels, which causes constriction of blood vessels. Smoking also increases the risk of thrombosis.

                Other Diseases of Blood-Vessel Constriction: Cigarettes not only cause coronary artery disease but also constrict blood vessels in other parts of the body. If the blood vessels to the brain are obstructed, paralysis or partial paralysis may develop. If the blood vessels to legs are constricted, there are risks of amputation.

Possible Causes of Smoking Addiction

            However, no matter what makes you addicted to smoking, you can throw away your smoking habit. It’s just a matter of determination.

            I once treated a patient in his 40s. He was rushed to the hospital with severe chest pain. The system arose while he was smoking right after a workout session. This patient had exercised on a regular basis. He had alternated between jogging for a period of 30 or 40 minutes, and playing tennis. He had misunderstood that the exercise would eradicate any health risk from his smoking habit.

            He was not alone with such misunderstanding. For example, many patients with high-blood cholesterol were falsely convinced that their regular exercise could allow them to live healthily without food control…

            It is absolutely wrong for patients to think this way because health risks could not be eliminated if the problems are not tackled at their root. Look at water-color mix! Even though we pour the white color into the black color…the grey (light black) color is a definite result. The result can never be white.

            Now go back to my patient! He told me that the pain was around his middle chest and it seared to left jaw. When he inhaled deeply (without cigarettes), he became so tired and felt he could not take a deep breath. Moreover, his symptom was accompanied by sweating, palpitation, nausea and vomit. Upon arrival at an emergency room, he was suspected of having gastritis because he was still so young. So far, an electrocardiogram (EKG) confirmed that this patient had a heart attack.

            In this case, it is believed that the patient suffered from the heart attack because of his smoking and dehydration (vigorous exercise caused his body to lose a lot of fluid and he failed to drink fluid to replace the water lost). At that time, coronary vessel was narrowing while platelets gathered in a number high enough to cause blood clot – completely blocking blood flow to cardiac muscles.

            The patient was thus treated with stent angioplasty. Following the treatments, he quickly recovered and was discharged within three or four days…Before he left the hospital, medical staffs gave him useful advice on proper exercise and encouraged them to give up smoking. The chance of heart diseases generally reduces by half within one year since smokers stop smoking.

            Recently (about a little over one year after his heart attack), this same patient returned for a regular checkup. He was healthy but I noticed something wrong.

            Doctor: "Why do you start smoking again?"

            The patient was apparently nonplussed!!  "How do you know that I am smoking?" he replied embarrassingly but a bit of denial in his tone.

            Doctor: "I do know.... Your lips turn darker and you smell of cigarettes. Of course, I can know it".

            The patient later divulged to me that he in fact tried to hide from me the fact that he started smoking again. Before coming to see me, he diligently did hair washing, bathing and showering himself with perfume. He also abstained from smoking that morning.

            Doctor: "Listen to me! If you want to enjoy a long and healthy life...you should stop smoking. You know, you may not be as lucky as in the last time....About half of people suffering from heart attacks succumbed before they reached the hands of doctors."

            The patient now appeared convinced and frightened… "OK. I can quit smoking. It's easy. That's no big deal!"

            Doctor: "Really???"

            Patient: “Of course, I can quit smoking…After I met you three months ago, I turned back to smoking habit. So far, during this period, I managed to successfully quit smoking a few times. Easy!”

            Doctor:   ?????