Why is World No Tobacco Day Important?

First organized by the World Health Assemblyin 1988, World No Tobacco Day (WNTD) is celebrated every year on the 31^st of May all across the globe. The objective of this day was to create awareness amongst the general public as well as international governments about the harmful effects of tobacco use and to urge users to refrain from tobacco usage for a period of 24 hours in honor of this day.  With a different tobacco-related theme every year, this day acts as a call-to-action by theWorld Health Organization (WHO) to reduce tobacco-induced deaths.By educating the masses about the cons of consuming tobacco, WHO hopes that it will encourage people to quit which, in turn, will help them avoid expensive cancer treatment. WNTD 2018 will focus on the link between tobacco usage and heart and other cardiovascular diseases. So what better day to try and stub out that smoking habit for good?

Smoking ­– The Cold Hard Facts

1. Smoking cigarettes are the number-one risk factor for lung cancer while causing long-term, harmful effects tonearly all your body organs. A single cigarette is said to contain about 600 ingredients which when ignited, generates more than 7,000 chemicalsthat are not only toxic but can also lead to several irreversible complications. (Source: http://www.lung.org/stop-smoking/smoking-facts/). Moreover, at least 69 of these chemicals are said to be carcinogenic in nature which can cause other forms of cancer including Colon, Prostate, Cervix, Liver, Stomach and Pancreatic Cancer. (Source: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancer-causes/tobacco-and-cancer/health-risks-of-smoking-tobacco.html)
2. You’re at risk even if you’re not a smoker. Statistics released by The American Lung Associationhave identified second-hand smoke as a serious health hazard, responsible for causing over 41,000 deaths every year.
3. As per a study, Smokers’ hair: Does smoking cause premature hair graying? By a group of researchers, it has been revealed that smoking can result in your hair turning gray faster.
4. Noted authors Ray Kurzweil & Terry Grossman in their book, Transcend: Nine Steps to Living Well Forever, declared that as compared to non-smokers, smoking increases the risk of having a heart attack by nearly 200 to 400 per cent in individuals who smoke.
5. Hookah addicts, pay attention; As per a meta-analysis conducted by the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, it was discovered that a single hookah tobacco smoking session delivers 25 times the tar, 2.5 times the nicotine, 10 times the carbon monoxide, and 125 times the smoke as compared to a single cigarette.
6. Smoking is known to cause ectopic pregnancy in women, reduced fertility in both men and women, while also resulting in pregnant women having pre-mature or deformed babies. (Source: Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre for Reproductive Health in Edinburgh, UK).
7. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),a US agency charged with tracking and investigating public health trends, it was estimated that an adult male smoker loses an average of 13.2 years of life while female smokers lose 14.5 years of life owing to their smoking habit. Moreover, considering the numerous diseases smoking can lead to, it’s safe to say that smokingcan steal the quality of your life.

How to protect yourself against expensive cancer treatment

Now that you know how smoking has the potential to destroy your life, it's time for you to act upon it. Youshouldtry to conquer your nicotine addiction and put an end to habit once and for all. Over 30 per cent of cancer cases could be prevented by adopting healthier lifestyle choices such as shunning tobacco use, reducing alcohol consumption, adopting a healthier diet, and maintaining an exercise regime. (Source: http://www.who.int/features/factfiles/cancer/facts/en/index9.html)

It’s often said, "Buy insurance when you don't want it, because you may not get it when you want it." With lifestyle diseases such as cancers, cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes on the rise, getting a critical illness/disability cover is mandatory. As per a recent study by WHO (World Health Organization), it was estimated that these four diseases account for nearly 60 per cent of the total deaths in India; a figure which is expected to rise with every passing year.

A critical illness policy can either be purchased as a stand-alone policy or clubbed along with your existing health insurance policy. By providing a tax-exempted, one-off payment as a lump sum, it offers a financial lifeline if you happen to be diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer. Needless to say, having a critical Illness/ disability cover is a must-have in everyone’s portfolio especially if you have a family history of cancer or if you believe that you have a higher risk of developing cancer due to environmental or other reasons. Moreover, while applying for a critical illness policy, the terms are usually underwritten which basically means that you will probably be aware of what diseases you’re covered against upfront thus leaving nothing to chance at the time of a claim.

AN May 66/18

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