The dangers of smoking are no longer a foreign topic to be discussed. This habit has caused many losses, both in terms of health and economics. There are several ways you can do to quit smoking. One of them is using e-cigarettes.
There are more than 7000 harmful chemicals contained in cigarettes and their smoke. In addition to addictive substances, cigarettes also contain 70 chemicals that are known to cause cancer or carcinogenic substances.
Not only that, smoking has also been shown to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, such as coronary heart disease and stroke. This disease is the most common cause of death in Indonesia.
The dangers of smoking and its impact on health are not only felt by smokers, but also by people who inhale cigarette smoke (passive smokers). In 2019, WHO also noted that around 1.2 million people worldwide die each year due to passive smoking.
Given the many threats of disease that can arise from smoking, many smokers claim to want to break free from the shackles of smoking. However, not a few people who find it difficult to quit smoking.
According to data from the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Indonesia, there are at least 97 million Indonesians who smoke and are exposed to secondhand smoke. More than 30% of active smokers show an attempt to quit, but the success rate is very small, which is less than 10%.
Dangers of Smoking for Heart and Blood Vessel Health
Smoking is one of the unhealthy habits that is a risk factor for heart and blood vessel disease. Compared to people who do not smoke, active smokers have a 2-4 times higher risk of developing this disease. The risk will also increase in passive smokers.
Toxic substances from cigarettes can cause plaque formation in blood vessels that can block blood flow, damage to the structure of blood vessel walls and heart muscle, impaired heart function in pumping blood, and impaired function of blood vessels in circulating blood throughout the body.
Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2018 revealed that there are more than 225,000 deaths in Indonesia each year which are thought to be caused by smoking habits, and about 65% of this number is caused by cardiovascular disease.
The Role of E-Cigarettes on Health
Many smokers claim to have tried various ways, ranging from using drugs, nicotine replacement therapy, to undergoing psychotherapy, to quit smoking. However, the success rate is quite low. In fact, not a few smokers who had quit smoking, but eventually smoked again.
To overcome this problem, e-cigarettes are now available. With the use that almost resembles tobacco cigarettes, e-cigarettes are believed to be a fairly effective way to help smokers quit smoking, especially when combined with the methods mentioned above.
Although it still contains nicotine, e-cigarettes do not contain harmful substances, such as tar and carbon dioxide, which are found in regular tobacco cigarettes. Therefore, e-cigarettes are not only believed to be effective for overcoming cigarette addiction, but also can reduce the potential dangers of smoking to health.
This is supported by the results of a study which states that smokers who switch from tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes experience improved blood vessel function. This improvement can be seen only within 1 month after switching to e-cigarettes.
However, the use of e-cigarettes cannot be said to be completely safe. Although there are several countries that have approved the use of e-cigarettes as part of therapy to stop smoking, the effectiveness and safety of e-cigarettes is still being studied.
If you are having trouble quitting smoking, you may want to consider e-cigarettes as an effort to reduce or stop the habit.
However, this decision should first be consulted with a doctor. The doctor will weigh the benefits and risks of using e-cigarettes as an alternative therapy to stop smoking.
