ing and Health web site (ash.org.uk), in 1995 24 thousand people died from heart disease caused by smoking.In addition, peripheral vascular disease may occur also due to the development of atherosclerosis in the blood vessels of a limb. The "gangrene "(death of tissues) may lead to "amputation of a foot or a digit" (Swisher, p.27). Another fatal consequence is cancer: cancer of lungs, larynx, oral cavity, pharynx, oesophagus, pancreas, kidney, and bladder. In fact, tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, 43 of them are "carcinogenic", cancer promoting. Statistics (Encarta) refer that lung cancer is the biggest cause of cancer death worldwide basically due to smoking. Its symptoms include a persistent hacking cough, blood in the sputum, wheezy breathing, pain in the shoulder, chest, neck or facial swelling, and recurring pneumonia or bronchitis (Encarta). Along with the heart and cancer diseases, tobacco presents crucial effects on pregnancy. It increases the incidence of prematurity and low birth weight, spontaneous abortions, and "sudden infant death syndrome, SIDS" (Marr p.33). The baby might die during or even after the birth. The English research team interviewed the parents of 195 babies who died of SIDS and compared them with other parents. Nearly two thirds of the mothers whose babies died smoked, while only a quarter of the control-group mothers did (ash.org.uk). However the possibility of acquiring these hazards is dose-related. It is tied to the numbers of packs smoked per day and the numbers of years of smoking and may decrease once the patient quits this harmful habit. Several ways have been established to help cigarettes addicted to give up smoking. First of all, smokers should be prepared mentally. They must take into consideration that they are not alone in this problem. As an illustration, 70% of British smokers would like to quit and about three million try each year (Brigham, p.10). Although it is toug...
