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Smoking and Coronary Heart Disease


While there are those individuals who are in denial in regards to the connection between coronary heart disease and smoking. Often, this denial is based upon self-denial and the need to defuse any criticism deflected towards smoking; or the denial comes from those who profit from the sale of cigarettes. Granted, smoking remains legal and a personal choice, but it is also a dangerous practice and individuals must understand that a smoking habit can contribute to serious coronary heart disease over time.

Pop Cultural Influences That Contribute to Coronary Heart Disease

If you are a fan of classic television programs or old motion pictures, there is something that is so overwhelming that it can not be ignored and that is the shocking number (by todays standards) of people who are smoking.

If you look at old episodes of Johnny Carsons TONIGHT SHOW, he casually puffs on a cigarette throughout the bulk of the program; classic films of the 1930s and 1940s are filled with actors puffing away through the duration of the program; and, most bizarre in retrospective, there is a scene in 1973s THE EXORCIST where the DOCTORS are smoking in the examination scene.

Yes, at one time, smoking was so commonplace and present in the world that it garnered a foothold in pop culture. The reason this was so prevalent was because close to 50% (!) of the public was heavily addicted to tobacco. Sadly, this addiction was not without consequence as significant volumes of lung cancer and coronary heart disease increased to coincide with the massive spike in individuals who enjoyed their cigarettes.

How Smoking Contributes to Coronary Heart Disease

Smoking causes a number of ravaging effects on the human body including respiratory problems, the stunting of growth, etc. When it comes to the effects on the human heart, constant inhalation of smoke over an extended period of years, probably the most significant effect that smoke has is the fact that it constricts the arteries. When this occurs, the blood flow through the arteries becomes limited. Needless to say, this is a dangerous situation as a potential heart attack is a significant possibility.

Keep in mind the ravages of smoking on the human heart are not immediate. Unlike, say, a cocaine overdose where a massive influx of stimulation overloads the heart at one time, the effects of smoking are gradual. Because of this, even an individual who has been smoking for an extended number of years may be able to avoid a life threatening situation provided they quit smoking before a devastating condition takes hold.

Needless to say, any smoker who has fears of suffering coronary heart disease should toss the pack of cigs out the window as soon as possible. It would be the wisest health decisions a person could make.

Rheumatic fever can result in heart valve disease which can result in congestive heart failure as can disease of the heart muscle and coronary artery disease. As with any malady or condition, catching the problem early enough will provide the impetus for getting treatment as soon as possible. The most common type of heart disease of all is blockage of the coronary arteries, and it is these blood vessels which provide nourishment to the heart muscle, and so if they are blocked then as a result the heart muscle may be injured or even die. When arteries in the head become clogged with plaque, a stroke can thus occur. Heart diseases may also occur due to congenital reasons and also because of hypertension, heart valve malfunction and electrical rhythm of the heart going out of sync.