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How Smoking Negatively Affects Your Overall Health

As more and more research is done on cigarettes and the effects of chronic smoking, the more we know that engaging in this habit can cause serious risks to a person's overall health. While smoking can affect you in a number of ways, some of the most serious ones include an increase in cardiovascular and pulmonary disease. While these threats are serious, they can be reversed. However, it is important to stop smoking as soon as possible in order to achieve optimal results when it comes to reversing the damage done.

Increases in Cardiovascular Disease

One of the most significant ways in which smoking can negatively affect your overall health is through an increase in cardiovascular disease. Though smoking is most often thought to affect the lungs, it can also result in cardiovascular disease due to increases in arterial damage. Cardiovascular disease can not only lead to heart attack or possible death, but can also cause minor ailments such as shortness of breath with activity. High rates of shortness of breath result typically in a decrease in activity level, which also leads to an increase in weight gain. Weight gain can cause even more significant decreases in cardiovascular disease. Therefore, engaging in smoking results in an unending cycle regarding cardiovascular disease and your health, and should be avoided whenever possible.

Increases in Pulmonary Disease

Smoking can have negative results when it comes to your pulmonary system. Individuals who engage in high amounts of smoking often experience severe decreases in their pulmonary healthy. While most people think of lung cancer as the major issue related to pulmonary disease and smoking, other lesser conditions may also result. Some of these include asthma, emphysema or chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder. It is important to remember that while the risks posed by smoking can be fatal, they aren't always necessarily permanent. In fact, research has found that those who have not smoked for five years exhibit pulmonary health similar to those who have never smoked. This means that it is never too late to quit smoking, as there will likely be significant improvement in your health.

Dry, Brittle Hair and Skin

If the risks to your health are not enough to scare you straight when it comes to smoking, perhaps the beauty risks posed by it will be able to convince you to drop the habit. Research has found that individuals who smoke typically have drier hair and nails than their counterparts who do not engage in the habit. This is most likely due to the fact that smoke has a drying effect, and may actually work by drying your body from the inside out. While it may be possible to reverse these effects, it can be time consuming and expensive. As with most bad habits, it is better to avoid smoking altogether than to try to remedy the after effects.

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