Erectile Dysfunction Drugs

Facts About Smoking

Views on smoking have changed over history. When the first tobacco, imported from the colonies in South America, entered into fashion in the middle of the XVI century, it became a popular stimulant.

There were even those who glimpsed the practical benefits: "Use of tobacco led to the quiet peace and great servility in the mind, so that by a general use of tobacco, her Majesty's subjects become docile and easy to control," the French ambassador to Portugal, Jean Nicot, wrote in his letters to the queen, Catherine of Medici. The year was 1559.

 

 

Smoking Kills 10 000 People a Day

Nowadays, the situation has changed. Most people view smoking tobacco as an addiction that in one way or another kills millions of people worldwide.

The World Health Organization estimates that about 30% of world population over 15 years old smoke, which is more than one billion people in the aggregate. The prevalence of smoking causes about 5.4 million deaths annually or 10,000 deaths daily or a one death every 8 seconds.

Additionally, scientists have measured that a single cigarette cuts circa 10 minutes of life. By 2030, if current trends continue, smoking will kill one in six people.

In the U.S., an estimated 48.2 million people are smokers. That number breaks down to 25.6 million men and 22.6 million women.

In EU, smoking is the greatest cause of mortality according to the World Health Organization. In 90s, tobacco led to the death of every 511 out of 700 people in European Union.

 

9/10 Smokers Start as Teenagers

Ninety percent of all smokers begin as teenagers. Twenty five thousand new young people start smoking each year.

The statistics for those aged 16-19 years show that there are 4.3 million teenagers in the United States who smoke.

Worldwide numbers estimate that 20% teenagers between the ages of thirteen and fifteen smoke. About 90,000 teenagers worldwide start to smoke every day. Circa 50% of them live in Asian region.

In UK, more than one quarter (27%) of those aged 15-24 years smoke regularly.

 

Smoking and Erectile Dysfunction (Impotence)

Erectile Dysfunction (ED), commonly known as Impotence, is the inability for men to achieve or maintain an erection sufficient to complete a satisfactory sexual intercourse. ED can be directly linked to the effects of smoking, even passive smoking.

According to studies in Europe, smoking increases the risk of impotence among men of 30-40 years of age by up to 50%. Further research also links smoking with a reduction in sperm volume, decreased fertility or infertility, and a reduction of the response to fertility treatments.

 

How Smoking Causes Erectile Dysfunction?

Cigarettes contain up to 4,000 harmful chemicals, which are transferred directly into your body during smoking.  Inhaled smoke has an immediate effect on the cardiovascular system in the body. Smoke particles clog up the walls of arteries and veins of the blood system, therefore negatively affecting the blood circulation in your body and penile function as well.

In general, the blood pressure to the pelvic area in smokers is lower compared to those men who avoid tobacco. This is mostly due to atherosclerosis, a medical disorder during which fat, cholesterol, and other substances accumulate in the walls of arteries and form hard structures called plaques. Smoking increases the risk of developing atherosclerosis by 200% after several years.

 

Negative Effects of Nicotine on Penile Function

When nicotine stimulates specific hormones in the brain, it also makes the penis tissues rapidly contract. When they constrict, blood flow through the arteries decreases, which means that blood cannot be transported to the penis. This has a medical name, known as acute vasospasm. Reduced blood flow through the arteries to the penis is not enough for an erection to occur, therefore this condition leads to Erectile Dysfunction.

Nicotine inhaled through smoking has a different effect on the penis, known as venous dilatation. Basically, nicotine has a direct effect on the valve system that regulates blood flow from the penis after erection. Depending on the valve not working properly, it frequently happens that the blood flow from the penis is much faster than it should, resulting in shorter erections.

Both acute vasospasm and venous dilation are a direct result of harmful nicotine effects, resulting in various degrees of Erectile Dysfunction, from mild to severe. Quitting smoking improves these conditions over time.

 

Quitting Smoking

Those who drop smoking have an opportunity to make their lives longer by eight years. It also applies to old people who quit smoking, according to the reports on smoking cessation. A smoker who quits smoking before age of fifty can reduce his risk of dying over the next decade by 50% compared to if he or she goes on the harmful habit.

 

Smoking and Weight

Approximately eight out of ten smokers stop gaining weight after quitting smoking. But only about three in every hundred (3.5 percent) of those who quit smoking increase their weight by more than 3.5 kg. The average weight gain after smoking cessation is 2.3 kg. The cause of weight gain after abstinence is an approximately 10-percent reduction in metabolic rate, which had previously been elevated due to smoking. In addition, there is a tendency to eat more when you quit smoking.

 

Quit Smoking and Get Richer

A pack of cigarettes costs circa 10-15$ (10 pounds). The average smoker consumes 10-12 cigarettes a day. In one year, it means an expenditure of approximately 2700$ (1800 pounds).

An average smoker who keeps up a year can buy a three-week charter vacation for that money.

A person who smokes a pack a day but ends saves roughly 5400$ per year.

But an even greater saving of smoking cessation does the society. Helping people to quit smoking is an inexpensive way to save lives today.

Each life-year saved with only counseling costs between 3300$ (2000 pounds) and 9900$ (6000 pounds). Each life-year saved with nicotine replacement costs 30,000-80,000 dollars. Saving a life with antihypertensive drugs costing 150,000-200,000 dollars. The cost of road safety measures to save a life is approximately 14 million a year.

 

Smoking Causes a Loss of Production That is Costly to Businesses.

According to a calculation from the Center for Tobacco Prevention at Huddinge hospital, smoking breaks cost 12-17 thousand USD per year for the employer. Smokers are, on average, sick 2,5 days more per year compared to non-smokers.

Only One Smoker in Twenty Gives up Smoking on His Own

It is difficult to stop smoking; only 1 in 20 succeeds on his own. Many have tried and failed.

About 30 million people in Europe tried to quit smoking in 1998, according to the WHO. 90 percent failed and the main reason was nicotine's strong addictive potential.

 

Why is It so Hard to Quit Smoking?

Nicotine produces a neurobiological dependence which is by the American Psychiatric Society and the World Health Organization's classifications formally considered as a medical problem. Nicotine accelerates chemical activity and release of neurotransmitters in the brain. The constant consumption of nicotine creates a chemical shift of the brain. If nicotine delivery is interrupted, brain reacts with withdrawals of different kinds.

Studies show that a majority of smokers want to quit. Still there are few who really succeed. Many have tried to quit, but experienced withdrawal symptoms as overpowering. Some people are afraid to even try because of withdrawal symptoms.

 

The Nicotine from the Cigarette Reaches the Brain on Less Than Ten Seconds

When you pull into a puff from a cigarette, the nicotine via the lungs to the oxygenated blood is pumped from the heart directly to the brain. Within 10 seconds, a concentrated dose of nicotine reaches the brain and exerts its effects.

 

 

Withdrawal Symptoms

Abstinence is the physical and psychological problem that occurs when you cancel a drug addiction. Typical withdrawal symptoms after smoking cessation are:

1. Depression, anxiety or mood changes.
2. Sleeping disturbances.
3. Irritability, frustration or rage.
4. Absent-mind, restlessness.

Withdrawal symptoms can persist up to 4 weeks after quitting smoking. Despite withdrawal symptoms create discomfort, they disappear over time.

 More than 4000 Chemical Substances in Each Cigarette

There are over 4000 different chemicals in tobacco smoke. The most disastrous ones are:

 

1. Nicotine which is the addictive chemical. Nicotine accelerates the brain activity, raises heart rate and blood pressure. In large proportions, nicotine acts like a poison.
2. The tar that comprises formaldehyde, arsenic, cyanide and benzene. The tar is brown and syrupy. Several of the substances contained in the tar are carcinogenic.
3. Carbon monoxide is a gas that binds to the body's oxygen carrier hemoglobin and decreases the blood oxygen level, which is extremely harmful for those who suffer from chronic lung or heart diseases.

 

Smokers Have Different Reasons to Fight Addiction

Smokers who are trying to defeat addiction have different reasons for this decision. Roughly, they fall into three groups: like, should and must stop smoking:

Those who would like to stop:

1. Smokers aged between 18 and 24 years without symptoms and who have smoked for a short time.
2. Smokers who want to quit and have tried to without success.
3. Smokers who care about their appearance, their skin and to avoid bad smells, etc.

Those who believe they should stop:

1. Smokers aged 25 - 44 years, without symptoms and who have smoked for a short time.
2. Smokers who really want to quit and have tried several times unsuccessfully.
3. Smokers who begun to worry that their smoking harms to the environment.

Those who must stop:

1. Smokers older than 45 who have smoked for long.
2. Smokers who have or have had heart problems or blood circulation.
3. Smokers who have asthma or other respiratory diseases.

Four Pieces of the Puzzle to Grasp When Quitting

Everyone who quitted smoking remembers that tobacco addiction is incredibly difficult to overcome. This is because addiction consists of several key pieces, and like a small puzzle, you cannot ignore one bit if you really want to be free from your addictions.

1. Physical Dependence.  Nicotine is a drug that gives rise to a physical dependence. Many people, who try to quit smoking, wind down their dependency with the help of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT).
2. Commitment. The social dependence is a well studied phenomenon, difficult to get out. For example, it is good to take a smoke break with co-workers or have some cigarette with a girlfriend at the night club.
3. Psychological dependence. Psychological dependence is a strong emotional attachment to smoking. Smoking is something to do when you are sad or gloomy. A cigarette is often a good friend who provides support in a stressful situation. When you quit smoking, you need to find another way to comfort yourself.
4. The habit. If you used to smoke cigarettes for a long time, you also acquired habits and have learned new patterns. It seems ordinary to light a cigarette when they should call, have a cup of coffee, wait for the bus or lie on the sofa in front of the TV.

Those smokers, who manage to solve the entire puzzle, have also managed to quit smoking.

 

The Desire to Quit is a Prerequisite for Success

Quitting smoking is difficult. It is a long process that involves many changes. But an essential condition to be able to quit smoking is the will. Then the real power test begins.

Advisors in smoking cessation often provide their patients with a series of tips and tricks to help smokers achieve their goal:

1. Think about which method suits you best, since all smokers are different. Is the best way to stop abruptly? Or is it for you to stop gradually? Would you like to join a smoking cessation group? Or do it yourself? Should you choose the nicotine replacement therapy?
2. There are anti-smoking groups such as health centers and businesses. Women often succeed better when they join a group, while men seem to be better able to fend for themselves.
3. Fear of failure is not a good reason to refrain from trying. If you fail, do not lose courage, but instead take advantage of the experiences you made and try again. The more times you have tried to quit smoking, the greater the likelihood that you will actually succeed. Think positive, each cigarette you smoke is a step along the way.

Although the desire and motivation are necessary to be able to stop, you can get help and support to improve the ability to succeed.

 

Stop-Smoking Lines

Stop-smoking line is a telephone service for smokers trying to quit. The US number is 1-800-QUIT-NOW.

If you are from the UK, please visit this link to find information about UK stop smoking lines.

 

Consultation with a Physician

2-3% percent of all smokers quit smoking in a single call from the doctor. Although the figure is low, it has great significance in a population.

Only one in ten doctors ask if their patients smoke, a survey done in conjunction with the Cancer Center for Tobacco Prevention shows. This is despite the fact that almost all doctors think it is their job to ask.

It takes too long to raise awareness of the benefits of quitting smoking, 60 percent of physicians surveyed. Only a third takes the time.

Drug treatments plus support and medical help maximize opportunities to succeed in stopping smoking.

 

Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT)

The drug therapies that have so far been offered in the USA are based on nicotine replacement therapy in various forms such as patches, gum, tablets, inhalers and nasal sprays. This is because the sudden interruption of nicotine delivery causes cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Experimental and clinical studies have shown that NRT reduces withdrawal symptoms in smoking cessation.

For some smokers, the Nicotine Replacement Therapy involves treatment with is an extension of nicotine dependence, i.e. a change of one form of nicotine dependence to another.

 

Other Methods

There is no scientific evidence that, for example, hypnosis or acupuncture help smokers to quit.

More Information

 

How to Stop Smoking: Useful Links and Readings

1. The Easy Way to Stop Smoking: Join the Millions Who Have Become Non-Smokers Using Allen Carr's Easyway Method
2. Allen Carr's Easy Way for Women to Stop Smoking
3. Quit smoking with quit.org.uk

Smoking Statistics

1. Statistics on Smoking: England, 2011
2. Tobacco Use: Targeting the Nation’s Leading Killer At A Glance (2011)

Lung Cancer Information and Important Issues

1. Lung Cancer at National Cancer Institute
2. Lung Cancer: UK Mortality Statistics
3. Tobacco Related Mortality at www.cdc.gov
4. Why is smoking an issue for non-smokers?

UK Smoking

1. Many Teen Smokers Want to Quit at bbc.co.uk
2. The way the British smoke at bbc.co.uk