There are millions of asthma sufferers on the planet and if you are a smoker, they need your help: they need you to quit smoking so that they can breathe better. Because secondhand your smoking isn’t only damaging your health—your secondhand smoke is damaging the health of those around you. Let’s take a closer look at the dangers of secondhand smoke in general and vis-à-vis asthma.
There are many ways that second hand smoke harms non-smokers, but it is especially hazardous to those suffering from respiratory illnesses such as asthma. Asthma is a chronic inflammation of the airways in the respiratory system. Cigarette smoke is extremely hazardous to people with asthma. It triggers asthma attacks and increases the severity of the attacks.
Inhaling tobacco smoke allows the toxins and irritating substances in the smoke to settle in the moist areas of the airways. This is what triggers an asthma attack; it also makes the attack more intense than usual and more difficult to recover from since the cilia in the airways are damaged and cannot sweep the toxin and junk away and help the breathing process even out.
Smoking also causes major mucus build ups which can be hazardous to asthma sufferers as this further blocks their airways. Additionally, if someone is suffering from a cold or other respiratory illness, inhaling secondhand smoke makes it more difficult for them to clear out the excess gunk and junk backed up in their airways.
Aside from secondhand smoke exaggerating preexisting asthma, secondhand smoke can also cause new cases of asthma to develop in small children. Small children have small and delicate bodies and they breathe much more rapidly than adults. This rapid breathing causes them to inhale more toxins form secondhand smoke than an adult or teenager and the damage to their airways can cause asthma to develop or lead to other respiratory illnesses and difficulties.
If you are struggling with a smoking habit then you need not feel ashamed—you need only take action! Quitting smoking isn’t the easiest path to follow but it is among the most rewarding—getting rid of your tobacco habit will set you on the path to better emotional and physical health in the long run. So have courage and quit smoking! Save your life and the lives of those around you!
Smoking is a psychosocial habit that does great damage not only to your body, but the bodies of those around you. If you, or someone you know, are struggling with a smoking habit in addition to anxiety and depression, please contact me. For more details, check us out on Facebook or share your own ideas and experiences with us onTwitter.