Jul 3 2009

Deadly Connection Between Cigarette Smoking And Back Pain

Cigarette smoking has been strongly linked to a number of serious health conditions like heart disease, emphysema, lung cancer, and other cardiovascular ailments. This habit is responsible for nearly 440,000 of more than 2.4 million premature deaths in the United States and is one of the leading causes of death around the world. The effects of cigarette smoking has been well documented in terms of cardiovascular and circulatory health is concerned. However recent medical studies have uncovered a link between smoking and back pain.

Various researches suggest that smoking may heighten the risk of developing back pain by about 30 percent. In addition to back pain, smokers may also be susceptible to pain in the neck, shoulders, hands, elbows, knees, and hips. Though the cause of this condition is unclear, one possible reason is that cigarette smoking may damage the general musculo-skeletal (muscles and skeleton system) tissues by reducing blood supply to the tissues, raising clotting risks, and reducing the flow of nutrients to muscles, joints, and back. Heavy coughing due to cigarette smoking may also be a factor in the development of back pain among smokers.

This damage is possible because cigarette smoke contains about 4,000 chemicals, in which 60 are carcinogenic. Formaldehyde, arsenic, cadmium, benzene, and ethylene oxide are some of the substances that may cause cancer. These chemicals may accelerate the development of artherosclerosis, a disease that affects the large and medium arteries. This condition damages the blood vessels making them difficult to relax. Smoking may also cause the artery walls to stiffen the artery walls and cause pieces of plaque to clog some arteries. Once the plaque clogs the arteries, blood flow may be hampered and some nutrients may be deprived to some parts of the body which includes the spine and may lead to back pain.

Studies that link cigarette smoking to back pain are not conclusive and may need more studies to be verified. However, the message is clear, smokers who suffer from back pain have many reasons to kick this dreaded habit. Quitting smoking may not immediately relieve the pain, but it may help. Cutting the habit may also lower the risk of developing heart disease, various forms of cancer, and other diseases.
Individuals who have a hard time cutting the habit may use scientifically proven quit smoking products and alternative methods that are available. These products however cannot do all the work, the best and effective to quit smoking involves determination, discipline, and commitment to stop the habit permanently. Using these products and engaging in alternative methods can help smokers cut the habit by making them more comfortable and complacent to adjust to life without cigarettes. These products should not be used without the approval of health professionals because it may cause unwanted side effects to certain individuals and interact with other drugs.

People who want to quit smoking may also try other methods of quitting smoking by trying other methods like meditation and self hypnotism. Ask your doctor on how you can engage in these activities. With the right tools and attitude, cigarette smoking can be stopped permanently.

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Jul 2 2009

Become A Millionaire – Stop Smoking

So you want to be a millionaire? If you smoke or are thinking about it – I will give you at least $1 million reasons not to start. For the sake of discussion, I am going to use me as an example. I have smoked for over 20 years and frankly I enjoyed it. It wasn’t until I finally got it through my head about the health risks to me, my family and the rising costs that I finally decided to quit.

You all know or should know about the health risks and I will not rehash it. What I want to talk to you about is the financial impact. I smoked 2 packs of cigarettes per day and on a good Friday night out on the town it could sometimes be as much as 3 packs.

Ok.. here it comes. Two packs of cigarettes per day at an average cost of $3.50 per pack multiplied by seven days equals $49.00 per week or $2555.00 for one year. Now lets take a teenager at age 18 who starts to smoke and lets also assume they were to stop at age 65 on retirement which is 47 years. 47 years x $2555.00 = $120,085.00 spent on cigarettes at todays prices.

Now a hundred and twenty thousand dollars is in itself not enough to make you rich but you could buy some pretty nice stuff for that amount. The magic is in a little thing called compound interest. Assuming that instead of smoking – You took that same two packs per day or seven dollars and invested it in a mutual fund. Let’s also assume that you invested it in an index mutual fund which over the lifetime of the stock market has averaged 10% per year. After 47 years you would retire with $2,730,489.02. That almost $3 Million dollars. How is that for an incentive to not smoke?

What about the rest of us who have smoked for 20 plus years? A man or woman who quit at age 40 under the same scenario who save $282,615.51. Now that’s not a million dollars but it would still buy a pretty nice home. What is even more astounding is that these figures are based on today’s prices and don’t even account for inflation over the same amount of time.

Even if you are not interested in investing the money saved from smoking then think about this: $2555.00 applied one time each year to a $200,000.00 mortgage would cut 10 years off of a 30 year loan. You would be paying your home off in one-third the time.

The bottom line: If your health and family aren’t enough to make you stop – Think about why your not living next door to the rich and famous. I hope this gives you food for thought about all the extras in life you are giving up by smoking.

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