It’s no great shock to know that smoking is bad for you. You will have no doubt heard all the lectures about how each cigarette leads you towards an untimely and painful death, and even though it’s true, you probably don’t really want to face up to those facts.
There are always stories published in newspapers or announced on the TV news about how smoking is connected to yet another serious disease but it now appears that smoking is also connected to thyroid problems. You might not think that thyroid problems are that significant, but smoking can increase your chances of developing this disease as well it leading to Graves’ disease or thyroid eye disease.
There are different types of thyroid disease essentially you can be over active or under active and it takes a blood test from the doctor’s to establish whether your thyroid levels have been impacted. As a non-smoker, you may have an idea that there is a problem with your thyroid – underactive makes you lethargic, experience weight gain and your concentration is diminished. Over-active thyroid is the opposite and you may seem drawn and under-nourished, you may just feel that your metabolic rate is incredibly high. Smoking can sometimes mask the symptoms of thyroid disease and therefore it’s no surprise that many ex smokers suddenly become diagnosed with the condition following quitting.
Sometimes these symptoms can be very subtle but gradually grow worse over a period of time and smoking will make the symptoms far worse as there are thousands of chemicals within the cigarettes that you smoke that will really aggravate any existing condition.
If you have thyroid disease and you value your life, quit now before the disease becomes much more dominant. It’s hard to suddenly quit smoking especially if you have been smoking for a long time but for the sake of your health, it’s a decision that you have to make. Smoke from your cigarette contains dangerous substances that seriously affect thyroid function. If you are aware of the chemicals within your cigarettes, you will know that there is one component within the smoke that is cyanide which when converted to thiocyanate, works as an anti-thyroid agent. There are other components too.
If you feel that you cannot give up smoking in one go, then why not consider electronic cigarettes? They offer a positive alternative and yet still give you an excellent smoking experience. If you have never seen electronic cigarettes, you should be aware that they are not new into the market place but they are rapidly becoming popular with many smokers making the transition across. They became more popular when the smoking ban was introduced because most places allow electronic cigarettes because there is no smoke and therefore no fumes being passed onto others.
In addition, apart from nicotine, there are no chemicals within an electronic cigarette so the moment you change over from traditional cigarettes to e-cigarettes, you can know that the damage that is being done by the toxins stops immediately. This is a great benefit to all who want to give up smoking irrespective of any health indications. Your body will at least have a chance to start healing from any damage that has previously been done but remember it will take time for your health to start improving.
You may well start to feel a little worse before you start to get better however, especially if you do have problems with your thyroid because your cigarettes and the chemicals within, may have been effectively masking the symptoms and if this is the case, medical assistance is needed. Ideally you want to give up smoking permanently as nicotine is not good for you but electronic cigarettes are a much healthier option at least and you will be inhaling thousands of chemicals less each time. If your health is important, then seriously consider making the transition over, you may be pleasantly surprised that you can really enjoy your smoking alternative and that it really helps you to gain control over your habit with a view to eventually giving up.
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