Justines Asthma pages

What is the link between smoking and asthma? Smoke from cigars, cigarettes and pipes, harms your body in many different ways. but it is especially harmful to the respiratory system. The airways in a person with asthma are very sensitive and can react to many things. Coming into contact these triggers often produces asthma symptoms. Tobacco smoke is a very powerful asthma trigger. When a person inhales tobacco smoke, irritating substances settle in the lining of the airways. Often people with asthma who smoke lungs are in poor condition. Tobacco smoke also can damage tiny hair-like projections in our airways called "cillia"  Normally, cillia sweep all the dust and mucus out of our airways. Cigarette smoke damages cillia so they are unable to work. Cigarette smoke also causes the lungs to produce more mucus than normal. As a result the cillia do not work, mucus and other irritating substances therefore build up in the airways. Tobacco smoke also contains may cancer causing substances which can cause lung cancer and emphysema.

•   There is 4,000 chemicals in tobacco smoke. 
•   Tar: 70% of it is left in smoker's lungs.
•   Carbon minoxide: 15% is carried in smoke.
•   Ammonia: Used in cleaning fluids.
•   Arsenic: A deadly poison used in insecticides.
•   Cyanide: Poison. ( also many,many others).
•   Acetone: A solvent used in nail polish remover.                   

 Nicotine is a highly- addicted and fast acting drug. It reaches the brain in 7 seconds when inhaled in cigarette smoke. It has been scientifically proven that nicotine can increase the feeling of agitation, cause light-headedness and causes nausea. Different people have different levels of addiction, but learning a bit about it can help you manage your addiction.

My husband said to me the other day that my breath smelt like a million fags. It probably does but I thought of Robbie's song (Strong) that a line in it says: 'My breath smells like a thousand fags' and it did make me think. Yuck it must be awful. I hate smoking but it controls my life. I hate smoking in restaurants and in front of kids. People who do not smoke don't realise how hard it is to stop. I have smoked outside casuality at hospital during a severe asthma attack and a consultant came over to me and said he had never seen anything like it before. Thats how bad it is to be addicted to fags. Also I have seen myself standing outside in pouring down rain and severe winds on a boat just to have a wee smoke. The wee smokes are killing me now, and I still do it. Thats how hard it is to stop. I can't. I think the government should completely  ban them so we can't buy them anywhere. I blame them anyway as I was buying them in sweet shops from I was 13yrs old. If children could not buy them at such a young age then I don't think there would be many that become smokers. At 13yrs you don't have much sense and think you are big and grown up. In my opinion they shouldn't be sold in sweet shops or even at all.           

                                 SMOKING WITH ASTHMA.

Smoking with asthma is a very silly thing to do. I know that, but yet I still continue. If you have asthma smoking is extremley risky because of the damage it can do to your lungs. When someone smokes, he or she may cough, wheeze, and feel short of breath. This is because smoke irrates the airways, causing them to become swollen, narrow and full of mucus. These are the same things that happen during an asthma flare -up. This is also why smoking can cause those asthma flare-ups more often. These flare-ups will be more severe and harder to control, even with medicine. Smoking can also undo the effects of any medication that you are taking. It can also cause disturbed sleep because you cough, cough cough. It can also put you in hospital with a severe flare-up. If you do not smoke and others around you do, make them aware that they are putting you and themselves at risk of bad health.

Did you know if you smoke you are not alone. Ninety percent of smokers start before they are twenty one years. And many of them keep smoking because it is a highly addictive habit. Also that each cigarette can take five to twenty minites of your life. Smoking can cause vertility problems in both men and women. Smokers are more at risk from illness. A slower healing time when injured. Apart from all this smoking is very    expensive so try and give it up.

• Hide your matches, lighters, and ash trays.
• When you get the urge: Hold a deep breath for 10 ceconds.
• Do not let others smoke in your house.
• Keep finger foods handy.
• Chew gum also when you get the urge to smoke.
• Staw active to take your mind of smoking.
• Join a support group.
• Talk to your doctor about nicotene replacements.

Smoking as we all know is unhealthy for every one. Smoking causes the airways to become swollen, narrowed and to fill up will sticky muscus. The same as the problems with asthma. Just being around someone who smokes can cause problems. So parents especially, should protect their children from tobacco smoke. Take heed parents. 

Second hand smoke is an asthma trigger. If you smoke consider quiting if you or you child has asthma. Second hand smoke can damage lungs, lead to long term breathing problems and make excisting ones worse.

Children with asthma whos parents smoke.

May have more flare ups of asthma.

Are more likely to go to hospital with severe asthma.

Are more often off school with asthma.

Take more medication to control symptoms.

Have harder to control asthma.

Smoking when pregnant can harm the unborn baby. The effects of this can be a low birth weight, premature birth and even a miscarriage. Even after they are born babies whos mums continue to smoke are at a very high risk of breathing problems like asthma and even dying of sudden infant death syndrome. Smoking is harmful to babies.

Smokers with mild asthma do not perceive how breathless they are. 22% of asthmatics smoke and 82% of people with asthmas triggers are tobacco smoke. This may partly explain why smokers with asthma continue to smoke even though they are permanently damaging their airways.