Introduction
The use of snuff is widespread in the recent years, especially among male adolescents and young adults. Snuff was first introduced in Europe in the 17th century and it was inhaled through the nostrils in dry form, but nowadays most snuff is moist and taken orally (Asplund, 2002). Snuff use, as an issue, has been a great concern to many researchers. A handful of studies have been conducted in this area to find out the factors that may contribute to such a phenomenon as well as to identify its impact on the body’s health. Snuff users are at risk of many diseases such as heart disease, blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases (Asplund, K, 2001; & Wickholm, Galanti, Soder, & Gilljam, 2003). On the other hand, many researchers have investigated the difference between snuff’s and Cigarettes’ effects on the health of the body. This literature review aims to shed light on the effects of snuff use on the body’s health. It is divided into two sections, the first of which deals with the effects of snuff use, and the second one is about the difference between cigarettes’ and snuff’s effects on the health of the body ( Wickholm , Galanti, Soder, & Gilljam, 2003).
Statistics have shown that the issue of snuff use is increasingly growing up and more people are starting to use snuff every day all around the world. Snuff is defined as a material comes in a dry form and it is inhaled through the nostrils (Asplund, 2002). There are two types of snuffs, which are moist and dry (Magnuson, Eriksson, & Hardell, 1998). The first type is wet or moist. It is used by putting a pinch between the cheek or the lower lip and the gum. It remains there while nicotine is slowly released and absorbed through the linking of the m...
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...nally addicted to it. Asplund, K (2001) have mentioned that the dependency on nicotine causes physical withdrawal symptoms to occur in the users’ body when he/she is trying to quit. Day after day, snuff users’ body build a tolerance for nicotine , which makes the users consume more nicotine to get the same effect as in the beginning of the use (Asplund, K. 2001). Furthermore, snuff contains the drug nicotine which creates a form of addiction and increases the heart rate and blood pressure (Asplund, 2002).
In addition, Rolandsson, Hellqvist, Lindqvist, & Hugoson (2005) have mentioned that the difference between snuff and cigarettes is the nicotine content. Snuff contains about 3.5 milligrams of nicotine while a cigarette contains about 4.5 milligrams of nicotine. Moreover, nicotine in Cigarettes is easily absorbed through the lining mouth (Asplund, K. 2001).
Tobacco is connected with a number of negative effects in humans and a few other organisms. For example, the long list of negative effects range from birth defects and lessened lung capacity, to sexual impotence. All of the previously mentioned result from extended tobacco exposure in varying mediums and although they are negative effects associated with tobacco, it has also been proven that tobacco to acts as a stimulant to some animals (Nice 135). In studying how tobacco effects the body of any living being and its uses, over time new developments may progress that would allow us to use tobacco only for its positive effects while bypassing its negative ones.
This paper will focus on looking at if e-cigarettes and other therapies are a valid way to help stop smoking. Doctors and patients alike need a definitive answer for this. This is a topic which is relevant at the moment as e-cigarettes become more prevalent in the United Kingdom (UK). As “current use [of e-cigarettes has] more than doubled from 2.7% of smokers in 2010 to 6.7% in 2012.”3 This paper will cover nicotine as a neurotoxin and how it affects the brain and body, what mechanisms nicotine uses and adverse signs and symptoms of nicotine use and overdose. This paper will also cover nicotine replacement therapies (NRT’s) such as gum, patches and oral spray but will focus mainly on e-cigarettes. It should be noted that as e-cigarettes have not been tested thoroughly, therefore they can’t be marketed as a nicotine replacement therapy by UK law at time of writing.
Cigarette addiction is responsible for over four million deaths every year. The question most people ask is why don’t people just put down their cigarettes? Well, the answer to that often asked question is nicotine. Nicotine is a neurotransmitter that targets certain receptors in the brain. It is a chemical messenger that induces feelings of pleasure. When someone takes a hit off of a cigarette, they ingest the harmful chemicals that can cause cancer and other serious health threats. They only inhale these chemicals to get one thing and one thing only, nicotine.
For those who smoke cigarettes and will continue to do so, making a switch to smoking e-cigarettes would be a safer alternative. Goniewicz is a cancer researcher in the Department of Health Behavior at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, New York (Reuters, 2014). He and his colleagues conducted two studies of secondhand smoke exposure to e-cigarette vapors in a laboratory and the results were published in Nicotine and Tobacco Research (Reuters, 2014). In the first study they had an electronic machine that generated the vapors in an enclosed space and then they proceeded to measure the amount of nicotine and other potentially harmful gasses and particle that were in the air along with carbon monoxide that was generated. In the second study they used five men who smoked cigarettes on a regular basis and also smoked e-cigarettes. Each man entered a room and smoked his usual...
...rough something known as a withdrawal; which can be very unpleasant and discouraging. A withdrawal is the event experienced when a person who has been regularly using a substance, suddenly stops. Withdrawing from nicotine has multiple symptoms that can be characterized as irritability, impatience, hostility, depression, and even a decreased heart rate. Within 3-4 hours a smoker can began to withdraw from lack of nicotine use. Almost all smokers ----want---- and probably try to stop smoking, but in most cases the craving for nicotine overcomes their will to quit. Truth is, it is so difficult for smokers to quit smoking, because they are addicted. If there was a ban on cigarettes or even a stricter regulation, it could discourage people from even trying a single cigarette. It could alleviate the inevitability of addiction and the dependence on cigarettes in general.
Encyclopaedia of Children’s (2013) stated that smoking is a form of inhalation of smoking from different forms of tobacco which include cigarettes, pipes, and cigars. Cancer Research (2012) and the World Health Organisation (2013) have confirmed that most tobacco products contain very high level of nicotine which can have additive effect and are made from tobacco leaf which are s...
Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are battery operated heating devices that work by turning nicotine into vapor that is inhaled to emulate smoking tobacco but without the harsh toxic chemicals attributed with smoking cigarettes. The liquid nicotine substance inserted in the e-cigarettes is primarily a solution of water, propylene glycol, glycerin, and small amounts of flavoring, available with or without nicotine that is vaporized by an internal heater (Popova 924). Furthermore, the amount of nicotine can be adjusted from nicotine free to extra strength. This allows users to control their amount of nicotine with the most promising option to be nicotine free or detached from the tobacco imitating device. E-cigarettes can be practically taken anywhere. Most are designed to resemble the typical cigarette and others may appear in a pen-like shape. Not to mention, the cost of e-cigarettes are relatively low compared to buying tobacco products. Given these points, e-cigarettes is a better solution to the discontinuance of smoking tobacco because it does not contain toxic chemicals associated with the smoke from cigarettes, it is a more affordable, and permits its users to control their nicotine intake to eventually curb the nicotine
Smokeless tobacco includes two main categories, which are chewing tobacco and snuff. Chewing tobacco is typically composed of loose tobacco leaves, and snuff is ground up tobacco leaves that can come dry, moist, or in pouches. The nicotine in this drug enters through mouth tissue. According to the CDC, in 2012 about four in every 100 adults used smokeless tobacco (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2015). Some of the damaging effects on the body are tooth loss, cavities, and decay, bone loss at the roots of teeth, mouth lesions, receding gums, and hypertension. Smokeless tobacco also causes many forms of cancer like mouth, gum, and esophageal cancer, as well as heart disease, stroke, leukoplakia, etc. (American Cancer Society, 2013). Contrary to some viewpoints, smokeless tobacco is not a safe alternative to smoking. Both tobacco products are detrimental on the body. There are more deaths associated with cigarette smoking than with smokeless tobacco use, however both forms of tobacco cause harm on the body and death (American Cancer Society,
The most common form of tobacco used is the cigarette. Smoking for most people gives satisfaction and pleasure. The tobacco chemicals that are released into the brain when inhaled cause a happy or joyous feeling to the person. People often turn to cigarettes to suppress hunger or relieve stress (Dichter). After a short period of time, a person can become addicted to the satisfaction they get from smoking a cigarette. Certain tobacco products contain toxins, carcinogens, and poisons that are all extremely harmful to the human body. 60 chemicals that are contained in a tobacco cigarette are cancer-causing agents (Wexner). It is these chemicals that make cigarettes as well as other tobacco products so addicting to their users. Over time the need for a cigarette increases and the harder it becomes to quit smoking. Some users turn to smoking alternatives in order to quit. The first thing a smoker will reach for is something that looks and feels similar to a normal cigarette.
Cigarette smoking stay the top preventable cause of sickness and early death in the United States because not only it asserts over 400,000 lives a year but it enhances the danger of someone dying from illnesses such as heart disease, stroke emphysema and a diversity of cancers (Douglas E.Jorenby) . Despite information about the bad side effects of smoking on health, 25% of adults in the United States keep on smoking. One of the reason why people seems to not easily quit smoking and continue to do it has to do with the addictive nicotine, a substance found in all types of tobacco products.
Smoking cigarettes is a very deadly addiction that, unfortunately, affects 42.1 million adults in the United States and 6.4 million children. The reason why so many people get addicted to cigarettes is because of nicotine. Medicinenet.com says that nicotine is “made by the tobacco plant or produced synthetically”. Nicotine has powerful pharmacologic effects (including increased heart rate, heart stroke volume, and oxygen consumption by the heart muscle), as well as powerful psychodynamic effects (such as euphoria, increased alertness, and a sense of relaxation). Nicotine is also powerfully addictive.”
There are many causes which make people smoke, however it can be divided into two main causes: physical and psychological. First cause which is physical concerns the human body’s needs. Nicotine contained in cigarette is an addictive substance. It is the chemical which causes addiction. Nicotine reduces tension in the muscles and allows smokers to relax so they feel that they can relieve stress by smoking. Nicotine can also have a calming effect on people who are anxious and worried. This is why it can bring a feeling of tranquility and help smokers to cope with stress. Thus, people smoke when they are depressed, lonely or bored. Nicotine is absorbed by the smoker’s lung and intestines. Very quickly, nicotine can stimulate brain and certain types of nerves so heart rate and blood pressure go up; respiration increases. A little nicotine makes smokers feel more energy and improve concentration. As a consequence, these physical effects created by smoking play an important role in making people feel the need to smoke.
It’s not that easy to quit smoking cigarettes, it can be very hard especially for many people who have been smoking for years. Many people are addicted to this drug because of the nicotine that’s in the tobacco, which is very addictive. Nicotine is the most common word that most smokers use and is there excuse why they can’t stop saying “it’s so addicting”. Like heroin or other addictive drugs, the body and mind quickly become so used to the nicotine in cigarettes that a person needs to have it just to feel normal (Smoking). Nicotine is the main addictive ingredient in a cigarette that activates synthesis of a chemical called dopamine in the brain (Naturstopp). This is just one of the chemicals that are in a cigarette, there are over 599 more chemicals that are in a cigarette. To name a few there is acetone, ammonia, tar, benzene, cadmium, hydrogen cyanide, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides etc (Naturstopp). Some of these chemicals might not seem harmful, but it’s the burning of these chemicals that produce toxic and carcinogenic compounds more than 4000 of them (Naturstopp). Smoking cigarettes can be devastating; especially with each inhale you exhale.
Cigarette makers know that nicotine addiction helps sell their products. Nicotine is the main ingredient in tobacco that causes addiction. Nicotine activates the parts of the brain that control feelings and pleasure. It only takes minutes for the effects of nicotine to disappear causing the smoker to take another puff to keep feeling good. (Junior Scholastic, 2006) When you utilize tobacco products, nicotine is expeditiously absorbed into your bloodstream. Within 10 seconds of entering your body, the nicotine reaches your brain. It causes the brain to relinquish adrenaline, engendering a buzz of pleasure and energy. The buzz fades expeditiously though, and leaves you feeling tired, a little down, and wanting the buzz again. This will result in lighting up another cigarette. Since your body is able to build up a high tolerance to nicotine, you’ll need to smoke more and more cigarettes to receive nicotine’s pleasurable effects and obviate withdrawal symptoms. This cycle will only continue to repeat resulting in addiction. Although for many once they’ve reached this point it seems almost impossible to quit smoking even when they want to. ("Nicotine and Tobacco Add...
A study from Hatsukami and colleagues (2010) about reducing the levels of nicotine in tobacco, in order to help prevent addiction and help wean off the habit brought a different alternative to quit tobacco. A new technology has arrived and it has been beneficial by weaning off smokers from nicotine and it is called the electronic cigarette. According to Stifferlin (2014), “researchers found that based on the evidence, e-cigs are much less harmful to smokers and bystanders compared to conventional cigarettes” and researchers also found “that e-cigs can help some users cut down on their use of regular cigarettes and even quit.” Due to the fact that e-cigs are fairly new, researchers are still unaware the health issues it may bring. Currently e-cigs are better than a traditional cigarette because of the fewer toxins it