Protect Your Health by Rejecting Tobacco for Better Breathing

Author: Unknown. Reviewer: Unknown. Curator: Unknown. Production/Organizational Information: Unknown. Title: Protect Your Health by Rejecting Tobacco for Better Breathing. Introduction: Quitting smoking is vital for health; it directly harms multiple organs. Promote smoke-free living for a healthier lifestyle.

Tobacco is an invisible killer that threatens human health. Whether through smoking, secondhand smoke, or thirdhand smoke, it causes continuous and irreversible harm to the body, with no so-called safe dosage. The 2024 edition of the 66 Guidelines for Health Literacy for Chinese Citizens clearly warns in Article 64: do not smoke, stay away from secondhand smoke, and smokers should quit as soon as possible. Tobacco does not bring relaxation or dignity, but rather diseases, suffering, and risks. It is never too late to quit smoking.

The harms of smoking are almost ubiquitous, affecting nearly every organ in the body. It directly damages the lungs, leading to chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and lung cancer. It harms the blood vessels, accelerates atherosclerosis, raises blood pressure, and significantly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, smoking can induce various malignancies such as oral cancer, throat cancer, and stomach cancer, while also lowering immunity, affecting sleep, and accelerating aging. For men, smoking impairs reproductive function; for women, it harms the ovaries and impacts fetal development, with smoking during pregnancy being a major cause of miscarriage, preterm birth, and fetal deformities.

What is often overlooked more than smoking itself is secondhand smoke and thirdhand smoke. After inhalation, the concentration of harmful substances in secondhand smoke is comparable to that of the smoker. The most vulnerable victims are the elderly, children, and pregnant women, as they are more susceptible to conditions such as asthma, pneumonia, developmental delays in children, and cardiovascular diseases. Thirdhand smoke lingers on clothing, furniture, walls, and inside vehicles, continuously releasing harmful substances over time, making it even more insidious and presenting long-lasting dangers.

Many people hold a sense of complacency, thinking, I've smoked for decades, and nothing has happened. However, health damage accumulates over time; what may seem inconsequential today can lead to future pain and regret. There is no safe cigarette and no harmless smoking; as soon as you light up, it causes harm.

Quitting smoking is the most responsible choice for oneself and one's family.

Twenty minutes after quitting smoking, heart rate and blood pressure begin to decrease.

After a few days of quitting smoking, breathing begins to feel smoother.

Quitting smoking and maintaining that commitment significantly reduces the risk of lung cancer and heart disease.

No matter how long you've been smoking, the moment you start to quit, your body begins to heal little by little.

If you find it challenging to quit smoking alone, seek help from a doctor and use scientifically proven methods to quit. Do not rely on folk methods for quitting, and avoid using substitutes casually. Additionally, in public spaces, at home, and in your car, refrain from smoking, encouraging others to smoke, or exposing yourself to smoke. Actively avoiding smoky environments is not only a matter of civility but also a means to protect your health.

You can skip smoking, but you cannot live without health.

Cigarettes can be quit, but the damage cannot be undone.

Let us all stay away from tobacco, refuse to smoke, actively avoid secondhand smoke, and quit smoking as soon as possible.

Give yourself clean lungs and fresh air for your family.

Breathe more freely, be healthier, and live with more peace of mind.