SMOKING is one of the biggest causes of illness and death in the UK and a shocking clip has revealed the damage it can do to your lungs.
Around seven out of every ten cases of lung cancer are caused by smoking, as people who smoke are breathing in nicotine and other chemicals.
There are a myriad of risks associated with smoking including mouth cancer, kidney and liver cancer.
It can also damage your heart and your blood circulation.
This in turn can lead to heart attacks, strokes, coronary heart disease and damaged blood vessels.
Student Muhammad Ahmad, 26, from Pakistan has conducted a small-scale experiment to portray what smoking just 10 cigarettes can do to the lungs.
The video sees him using a water bottle, and obstructing the top with cotton wool.
He then cuts a hole in the lid and sticks a cigarette through it, before lighting the cigarette.
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Once the cigarette is lit, the bottle starts to fill with smoke, with the water in the bottle seemingly going down and the bottle becoming more and more smoke-filled until you can no longer see through it.
This process is repeated ten times, with the cotton wool ball at the top of the bottle getting darker and darker.
Muhammad then takes the lid off and removes the cotton wool ball which is completely soaked.
It's a dark yellow colour with the top slightly brown and the rim of the bottle is also stained a light brown colour – showing the damage smoking can do.
He then places a fresh cotton wool ball next to the one which has been exposed to ten cigarettes in order to show the difference.
Muhammad said: “The simplicity of the white cotton visually shows what is going on in your lungs and what your body has to deal with.
“I was shocked with the result. This is what could be happening in your lungs.
“Lungs are self-cleaning and they take care of dust and debris from normal breathing in the environment. They weren’t mean to be overwhelmed on an hourly basis by smoke.
The 5 tips to stop smoking that you need to know
Parvinder Sagoo, superintendent pharmacist and clinician at SimplyMedsOnline revealed their top tips to kick the habit.
- Think about why you should or want to quit smoking:Rather than just quitting on a whim and not really having any particular reason, you should try to think about your exact reasons for quitting, whether it be health, family or work. Writing these down, as well as the benefits that will come out of quitting will allow you to understand the importance of quitting and should help you quit for good.
- Decide to quit smoking and keep to this decision: Telling friends, family and colleagues of your plan to quit should help the process, as they will know not to offer you any cigarettes or can offer support. Once you know you will quit it’s time to get the wheels in motion on dates and quitting strategies.
- Decide on a date and prepare yourself to stop: Give yourself a date that you will quit, ensure all cigarettes, e-cigarettes and other such items are removed from your home, car and office by this date so you are not tempted.
- Quit smoking: On the day of quitting, you should have prepared yourself and gotten rid of anything relating to smoking. You may want to have items with you that will help the process such as nicotine patches, gums or sprays.
- Stay away from cigarettes and smoking – never start again: This is the hard bit, sticking to it. However the longer you go without smoking the more likely you are to quit for good. The first two weeks is the hardest part, try to avoid things that may mean you are likely to pick it up again such as drinking, socialising in a pub, or joining the smokers outside at work.
“There is only one thing that should be going in your lungs, and that’s air!”
There are plenty of ways that you can get help if you're trying to stop smoking and the NHS announced last month that smokers trying to quite would be prescribed e-cigarettes on the NHS.
It is part of a crackdown on tobacco addiction by Health Secretary Sajid Javid,
A white paper in the spring aims to level up health with a world first by approving vapes.
The move comes after the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency approved the gadgets late last year.
A Whitehall insider said: “Mr Javid has made it clear he wants to level up health — tackling smoking is part of that. The MHRA opened the door to prescribing vapes.”
The plan is to tackle a shocking healthy life expectancy divide of 18.6 years in the UK. Blackpool has the lowest healthy life expectancy for men — with those born there likely to have just 53.3 years in good health.
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