Smoking And Growth Issues

Cigarettes And Growth Problems

We've all heard the warning "smoke and you'll stunt your growth"; however, after reaching six-feet tall at eighteen years old, few people actually heed what they consider to be an old wives tale. Despite the fact that smoking may not affect the height of a full-grown man or woman, smoking or even being exposed to smoke can have adverse affects on young or unborn children. This article will explain those risks and exactly how serious they really are.

Unborn Babies

Aside from the risk of being born prematurely or with serious organ damage, babies who are born to smoking mothers may also have a stunted growth problem. These babies are born significantly smaller than those born to non-smoking mothers; this is often credited to the fact that smoking decreases the blood's oxygen-carrying capability. Smoking also infects' an unborn baby's body with harmful chemicals such as nicotine, tar, ammonia, and arsenic. Babies of smoking mothers are likely to have problems that follow them for the rest of their lives.

Young Children

Although stunted growth is not always associated with young children and secondhand smoking, being exposed to smoking may cause children to develop slower than their peers while exposing them to many different disorders and destroying their immune system. Aside from making children very sick, the effects of secondhand smoking may destroy a child's ability to properly gain weight or reach a normal height.

Teenage Boys

Just at the time when boys find the most interest in smoking, they should be veering as far away from cigarettes as possible. A recent study done among 1,300 Canadian boys showed that teenage guys who smoked are likely to be both skinnier and shorter than their non-smoking peers. Girls, who often smoke to lose weight, are not affected in the same way and show no signs of losing body mass or height.

Treatment

If a child smokes or is exposed to smoking, then it is important that this harmful substance be removed from their lives as soon as possible. Young men and women should be encouraged to give up their dangerous habit, while caretakers of small children should stop smoking to best protect them. While giving up cigarettes can be a challenge, there are many local or online support groups that can help. There are also several natural smoking aids which can help one to stop smoking without putting more harmful chemicals into their body. These low-risk products usually contain ingredients such as wild oats, Gotu Cola, Malabar tamarind, and Nux Vomica.

Smoking truly is something that will not only affect your child's growth but their overall health. To best protect the ones you care about, stop smoking as soon as possible.