Essay, Research Paper: Smoking

Decriptive Abstract The paper discussed statistics on college students. Additionally, important heath problems with smoking cigarettes were presented. These health problems were broken up into different body systems and different risks assocciated with the body systems. Introduction The purpose of this paper is to better understand the knowledge that Johnson & Wales students have about smoking. The knowledge they have about the smoking of cigaretes effects on the body systems, the respiratory, digestive, circulation, and nervous, varies greatly between smoking and nonsmoking students at Johnson & Wales Harborside Campus. There are more systems, but for the sake of this paper the topics were narrowed down. Smoking has many serious effects on many parts of the body. Smoking effects on the respiratory system can cause an increase in carboxyhemoglobin concentration. This is when the carbon monoxide from smoking binds with the hemoglobin in the blood. The binding of the carbon monoxide replaces the oxygen, making less oxygen available for the cells of the body. The actual lighting of a cigarette produces multiple toxic compounds (Active and Passive Tobacco Exposure: A serious Pediatric Health Problem). Teens who smoke cigarettes run the risk of stunted growth and development from cigarette chemicals. Cancer has also been connected to smoking, which is a life threatening disease. Such forms of cancer were found in the lungs, throat, and mouth. There is a relationship between smoking and peptic ulcers in the digestive system. The ulcers are less likely to heal and more likely to cause death in smokers. Smoking cigarettes also increases the risk of gallstones and heartburn. Heart burn is when acidic juices from the stomach splash into the esophagus causing a burning sensation (National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse). When trying to quit smoking, the nicotine withdrawal can cause an increase in appetite or weight gain (Nicotine Addiction). In the United States, 30% of all coronary disease deaths are related to cigarette smoking (Cigarette Smoking, Cardiovascular Disease, and Stroke). Studies have shown cigarette smoking to be an important risk factor for stroke. A stroke is from a ruptured blood vessel in the brain causing severe brain damage. The vessel breaks due to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol collecting on the walls of the blood vessels. Once so much cholesterol collects, the vessel becomes blocked off. Pressure builds up and breaks the vessel (Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Disease). To conclude, smoking has no good health factors. After researching information from the Johnson & Wales students, some still believed smoking was not a bad habit. With a little more research, the students believing in this were also smokers. After seeing all the bad things smoking cigarettes does to the body, it is hard to believe people continue to smoke.
Bibliography
References Active and Passive Tobacco Exposure: A serious Pediatric Health Problem. 16 June 1994. American Heart Association. 1 January 2000 Cigarette Smoking and Cardiovascular Diseases. 1999. American Heart Association. 20 January 2000 Cigarette Smoking, Cardiovascular Disease, and Stroke. April 1997. American Heart Association. 20 January 2000 National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse. Smoking and Your Digestive System. 11 May 1999. 20 January 2000 Nicotine Addiction. 1999. American Heart Association. 20 January 2000