Good morning, listeners and welcome to our radio program “Information for New Immigrants”. Our guest today is Dr May Allen and she will talk to us about the dangers of smoking, especially for women. Dr Allen, welcome to our program.
Thank you very much. It is a really important thing to talk to people and let them know how dangerous smoking is.
First of all, doctor. Let me ask you an important question. We all know that smoking is both bad and dangerous for people, but why is it very dangerous for women to smoke?
Smoking is bad for both men and women. It can harm both of them. It reduces a woman’s chances of having babies by %40. It also badly affects the baby before it is born. We need to tell women that they must stop smoking if they fall pregnant. They inhale poisons like nicotine and carbon monoxide. This will surely affect the unborn baby. The baby will not get enough oxygen. Babies of mothers who smoke normally weigh less than normal babies.
So if a woman loves her baby, she should stop smoking. Is that what you are trying to say to our listeners today?
Yes, I think a woman must stop smoking to protect her baby. A woman can lose her baby because she smokes. This is a fact.
I often hear people talking about passive smoking or second-hand smoking and I don’t understand what they are trying to say.
Second-hand smoking and passive smoking are the same thing. If I smoke and you set down in the same room, this means that you smoke too. I will get more harm of course but you will not be safe.
What do you say to a person who smokes a packet a day?
I say to them that you are killing yourself. You are wasting your money and you don’t care about anyone else. If you have children, they deserve your money more than the cigarette company.
Do cigarettes have harmful chemicals in them?
Yes, they do. There are different chemicals that are very bad for health. I will give you an example. One of the chemicals we use to kill rats is used to make cigarettes. Do you see now how dangerous smoking is? People need to stop and think before they smoke. There are more than 400 bad chemicals that are used in making cigarettes. Some of them cause cancer.
What about children, how are they affected by smoking?
If I grow up in a family where the father and the mother smoke, I will feel that it is OK to smoke when I am older. There is nothing wrong with that. Children get into fights because of cigarettes. Some of them steal money to buy cigarettes. You need to give a good example to your children so they don’t become smokers in the future.
What are some of the reason why people should stop smoking?
Well, if they want to lead a healthy life, they should stop smoking. Smoking causes cancer. People can die at any age because of cancer. They can have heart attacks. If they want to heave healthy lungs, they should stop smoking. It is really bad for your teeth. People live shorter if they smoke.
Are there medicines to help people stop smoking?
We have to know that quitting smoking is not easy. It is hard but you can do it if you want to. The best thing to do is to talk to your doctor. A doctor is trained to give medical advice. He can discuss the best thing for you to do. A person can go to a pharmacy and buy a patch to put on his or her arm. This patch can help a person stop smoking. There are other things a person can buy from the pharmacy too.
Finally what do you advise people to do?
I advise everyone, especially young children, to stay away from cigarettes. Cigarettes can kill you. They will make you go to hospital more. You will feel much better if you stop smoking. You are burning your money if you smoke.
