Should Smokers Receive Free Healthcare?

 

Written by Jenny Catton

 

Estimates suggest that smokers could be costing the NHS over £5 billion each year so is it fair that smokers receive free healthcare for smoking-related illnesses?

 

No – Katie

People who choose to smoke are completely aware of the health risks. The dangers of smoking have been well publicised in marketing campaigns and even on packs of cigarettes so anyone who does smoke knows full well that it can cause serious illness. If despite the warnings, people still choose to smoke, they must be responsible for the consequences and this should include paying for their own healthcare if they become ill.

Smokers are a huge burden on the NHS – why should tax payers who live healthy lifestyles be penalised by having to pay higher taxes to fund treatment for smokers? The NHS doesn’t have enough money to treat everyone and it isn’t fair that people who have become ill through no fault of their own should go without treatment in order to pay for smokers. If the NHS didn’t have to spend so much money on smokers, they would be able to fund research and treatment in other areas.

Many smokers who do receive treatment for a smoking-related illness don’t even give up smoking! I’ve seen patients stood outside hospitals smoking – so any money spent on making them better is just a waste as inevitably they are going to carry on smoking and possibly get ill again. Perhaps if smokers knew they would have to pay for their own medical treatment it would provide an extra deterrent to smoking in the first place.

 

Yes – Liam

We are very lucky to have the NHS in the UK and one of the great things about the NHS is that everyone is entitled to free treatment regardless of their lifestyle choices. To ask smokers to pay for treatment would mean radically changing the founding principles of the NHS. This would not only put smokers at risk but could lead to changes for other groups of people too. For example, if we decide smokers should be charged for treatment, then the next natural step would be charge people who drink alcohol or eat unhealthily too. Where would this stop? No-one should be afraid of seeking medical treatment because they are worried about the potential costs.

People say that smokers are aware of the risks when they smoke and this is true but a skier knows that they risk breaking a leg when they go skiing – should they therefore be made to pay for treatment if they have an accident?

The cost of treating smokers is often cited as an argument against giving smokers free healthcare but it’s important to remember that the Government receives billions of pounds in tobacco taxation. If they allocated this money directly to treating smoking-related illnesses then I suspect that smokers would be covering the cost of their own healthcare anyway.

Rather than constantly attacking smokers, we should continue to provide treatment to everyone who needs it and then help them to give up smoking as part of their recovery.

 

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Categories: free healthcare, medical treatment, receive free, related illnesses, smokers, smokers receive, Smoking, smoking related, treatment

Should Smokers Receive Free Healthcare?

 

Estimates suggest that smokers could be costing the NHS over £5 billion each year so is it fair that smokers receive free healthcare for smoking-related illnesses?

 

No – Katie

People who choose to smoke are completely aware of the health risks. The dangers of smoking have been well publicised in marketing campaigns and even on packs of cigarettes so anyone who does smoke knows full well that it can cause serious illness. If despite the warnings, people still choose to smoke, they must be responsible for the consequences and this should include paying for their own healthcare if they become ill.

Smokers are a huge burden on the NHS – why should tax payers who live healthy lifestyles be penalised by having to pay higher taxes to fund treatment for smokers? The NHS doesn’t have enough money to treat everyone and it isn’t fair that people who have become ill through no fault of their own should go without treatment in order to pay for smokers. If the NHS didn’t have to spend so much money on smokers, they would be able to fund research and treatment in other areas.

Many smokers who do receive treatment for a smoking-related illness don’t even give up smoking! I’ve seen patients stood outside hospitals smoking – so any money spent on making them better is just a waste as inevitably they are going to carry on smoking and possibly get ill again. Perhaps if smokers knew they would have to pay for their own medical treatment it would provide an extra deterrent to smoking in the first place.

 

Yes – Liam

We are very lucky to have the NHS in the UK and one of the great things about the NHS is that everyone is entitled to free treatment regardless of their lifestyle choices. To ask smokers to pay for treatment would mean radically changing the founding principles of the NHS. This would not only put smokers at risk but could lead to changes for other groups of people too. For example, if we decide smokers should be charged for treatment, then the next natural step would be charge people who drink alcohol or eat unhealthily too. Where would this stop? No-one should be afraid of seeking medical treatment because they are worried about the potential costs.

People say that smokers are aware of the risks when they smoke and this is true but a skier knows that they risk breaking a leg when they go skiing – should they therefore be made to pay for treatment if they have an accident?

The cost of treating smokers is often cited as an argument against giving smokers free healthcare but it’s important to remember that the Government receives billions of pounds in tobacco taxation. If they allocated this money directly to treating smoking-related illnesses then I suspect that smokers would be covering the cost of their own healthcare anyway.

Rather than constantly attacking smokers, we should continue to provide treatment to everyone who needs it and then help them to give up smoking as part of their recovery.

 

Categories: free healthcare, medical treatment, receive free, related illnesses, smokers, smokers receive, Smoking, smoking related, treatment

Should Smokers Receive Free Healthcare?

 

Estimates suggest that smokers could be costing the NHS over £5 billion each year so is it fair that smokers receive free healthcare for smoking-related illnesses?

 

No – Katie

People who choose to smoke are completely aware of the health risks. The dangers of smoking have been well publicised in marketing campaigns and even on packs of cigarettes so anyone who does smoke knows full well that it can cause serious illness. If despite the warnings, people still choose to smoke, they must be responsible for the consequences and this should include paying for their own healthcare if they become ill.

Smokers are a huge burden on the NHS – why should tax payers who live healthy lifestyles be penalised by having to pay higher taxes to fund treatment for smokers? The NHS doesn’t have enough money to treat everyone and it isn’t fair that people who have become ill through no fault of their own should go without treatment in order to pay for smokers. If the NHS didn’t have to spend so much money on smokers, they would be able to fund research and treatment in other areas.

Many smokers who do receive treatment for a smoking-related illness don’t even give up smoking! I’ve seen patients stood outside hospitals smoking – so any money spent on making them better is just a waste as inevitably they are going to carry on smoking and possibly get ill again. Perhaps if smokers knew they would have to pay for their own medical treatment it would provide an extra deterrent to smoking in the first place.

 

Yes – Liam

We are very lucky to have the NHS in the UK and one of the great things about the NHS is that everyone is entitled to free treatment regardless of their lifestyle choices. To ask smokers to pay for treatment would mean radically changing the founding principles of the NHS. This would not only put smokers at risk but could lead to changes for other groups of people too. For example, if we decide smokers should be charged for treatment, then the next natural step would be charge people who drink alcohol or eat unhealthily too. Where would this stop? No-one should be afraid of seeking medical treatment because they are worried about the potential costs.

People say that smokers are aware of the risks when they smoke and this is true but a skier knows that they risk breaking a leg when they go skiing – should they therefore be made to pay for treatment if they have an accident?

The cost of treating smokers is often cited as an argument against giving smokers free healthcare but it’s important to remember that the Government receives billions of pounds in tobacco taxation. If they allocated this money directly to treating smoking-related illnesses then I suspect that smokers would be covering the cost of their own healthcare anyway.

Rather than constantly attacking smokers, we should continue to provide treatment to everyone who needs it and then help them to give up smoking as part of their recovery.

 

Categories: free healthcare, medical treatment, receive free, related illnesses, smokers, smokers receive, Smoking, smoking related, treatment

15 Reasons To Quit Cigarettes

Smoking’s a bad idea – it doesn’t take a genius to work that out. Unfortunately, despite the fact that so many people know that smoking is very bad for them, they still continue to do it. So, to give you a kick, here are the top 15 reasons to give up.

1. It’s going to keep getting more and more expensive – and that’s because taxes on cigarettes are only going to continue to rise as anti-smoking governments want to push people away from tobacco for good. So if you want to avoid seeing less and less money in your pocket every year, it is time for you to give up.


2. Cigarettes are covered in germs – that’s according to new research. And every cigarette that you find yourself smoking, it means that you are only going to be inhaling more germs into your lungs; not the best place for them to be. Give up and get rid of the germs.


3. If you don’t want to have increasing troubles in the bedroom, it’s a good idea to give up smoking. That’s because it has been shown in a number of studies that smoking can effect circulation and mean you’ll have less blood flowing around your genitals. That can make it harder for both men and women to get sexually aroused.


4. Giving up will make you sleep better. How does that work? Well, according to one study smokers are four times as likely to not feel rested after a night’s sleep. This is thought to be due to the effects of nicotine withdrawal on the body during the night.


5. You’ll have less wrinkles.


6. You might be able to get something out of your work for it. A number of companies now offer various incentives for giving up smoking. Talk to your HR manager about the different bonuses available for giving up smoking.


7. You will generally save lots of money.


8. You’ll enjoy your food a lot more. Smokers kill off their taste buds, while quitting allows them to grow back, which is a really top idea if you like to be able to taste the food that you eat.


9. Non-smokers have stronger bones than smokers. This is especially important as we all get older as our bones naturally weaken with age anyway. Smoking only makes this problem worse as it means that your weak bones are made even weaker by the cigarettes that you smoke.


10. Quitting is a good excuse for you to play more video games. According to one study, video games provide an excellent distraction from your cravings and can help fight off your addiction – so you’ve got an excuse when people question your new addiction to Grand Theft Auto.


11. You will reduce the number of colds you get. For a number of different reasons including the aforementioned fact that you are more likely to be inhaling germs, and also because you’ll likely have to stand outside quite often, smokers are more likely to get colds that non-smokers.


12. You’ll brighten your teeth up a lot. Cigarettes are well known for their ability to stain your teeth.


13. Your circulation will improve. If you suffer from cold hands or feet it could be to do with a weak circulation because of smoking. So give up to warm up your fingers and toes.


14. You reduce your risk of cancer and other dangerous diseases an awful lot.


15. You’ll be less likely to burn down your own house. The burning embers of cigarette butts are a common cause of serious house fires.

Categories: cancer, cigarettes, germs, number, smokers, Smoking, Video Games

How Even Casual Smoking will Affect your Workout

People go to the gym for different reasons. Some want to tone up, others want to get seriously bulky and there are those who want to improve their stamina. Whatever reason you may have to hit the gym you might also want to consider giving up on the smokes. Pharmacist and online doctor Chemist Direct asked a broad selection of health experts if the combination of cigarettes and the gymnasium is a good one. Interested in their answers? Here they are:

 

We kick off with homeopath and pharmacist Margo Marrone. We asked her how smoking affects your body’s physical performance. She notes that during physical performance oxygen is vital. The harder you work out the harder the heart pumps in order to transport oxygen to muscles. Smoking is counterproductive to your workout.

 

Marrone: “Smoking competes with oxygen for haemoglobin in red blood cells and wins, which means there is less oxygen flowing in the blood and less oxygen available to the muscles. This in turn makes the heart work even harder putting more stress on the heart. Smoking also constricts blood vessels making it harder for blood to flow through them and therefore an increase in the risk of heart attack. It also constricts the airways in the lung through inflammation and a build up of mucous which causes more lack of oxygen.”

 

Second and third up are Mark and Kathy Brown from Fitness Sitacise. They are personal trainers and have trained with Olympic athletes. They have seen first hand how smoking retards the growth and development of muscles. Just like Marrone, Mark and Kathy Brown note that smoking cuts down the amount of oxygen in the blood. They also mention that smokers that go to the gym have to work extra hard to achieve the same results non-smokers do.

 

Kathy Brown: “Smoking causes blood flow to slow down and decreases the amount of nutrients, protein and minerals transported to the muscles during and after the workout. Smoking also slows down your development because you cannot train as hard or as intensely as you could if you didn’t smoke so you now must work out longer to try to achieve the same results. You also get tired more quickly and your recovery time is longer and is not as complete as it is if you didn’t smoke. Your endurance, recovery and your total physical performance is reduced by about 10%.”

 

Non-smokers perform better than smokers in the gym. Gym goers that want better stamina will do themselves a significant favour if they put down their cigarettes. Studies have shown that a smoker’s lung capacity is hugely reduced. This cuts down on smokers’ ability to achieve maximum efforts and the most noticeable results. When you are a smoker and you’re looking to buff up you’re also shooting yourself in the knee.

 

Mark Brown: “Non smokers’ heart beats are 25-30% slower than smokers’. They can generate more power and explosiveness for a longer duration. Non-smokers also have better focus, concentration and coordination to perform complex combination exercises. The potential increase in performance that quitting smoking has will be noticeable in the areas that require the greatest effort. Bench presses, squats, deadlifts and endurance power movements will improve from 10 to 20%. All super setting movements and other routines that require moving from one exercise to another will improve because of increased lung capacity and endurance.”

 

Now that we have established that smoking is bad for your gym performance it is time to come up with a solution. Personal trainer Luke DePron knows exactly what to do to increase a smoker’s performing ability.

 

DePron: “Similar to most bad habits, people fool themselves in thinking healthy eating cancels out the negatives of smoking. While healthy eating does better equip to the body to deal with environmental stresses, smoking cessation would offer the greatest benefits. Trying to cancel out the negative affects of smoking with healthy nutrition is akin to fanning out smoke while a fire still burns. Putting out the fire or in this case the cigarette would have the greatest impact.”

 

It looks like there is only one solution for all the smokers out here. If you are serious about your gym regime, make sure you quit soon rather than later as it will positively affect your performance in the gym in a huge way.

Categories: casual, Healthy Eating, kathy brown, lung capacity, nbsp, Oxygen, performance, physical performance, smokers, Smoking, Workout

Lighting Up? Study Investigates Emotional Health of Smokers

While smokers may be known for “lighting up,” the phrase may not hold true for their emotional health. This is according to a new survey from Gallup and Healthways researchers, which found that smokers have worse emotional wellness than non-smokers.

 

For the study, the researchers conducted 83,000 interviews between January and June 2013, asking Americans over the age of 18 whether they experienced the following ‘during a lot of the day yesterday’: smiling or laughter, learning or doing something interesting, being treated with respect, enjoyment, happiness, worry, sadness, anger, and stress – and clinical diagnosis of depression. The study revealed that smokers scored 72 on an emotional health index, compared with 81.1 from non-smokers.

 

While Americans in poverty are 33% likely to smoke, compared to the 19.9% of Americans not in poverty, the results of the study revealed that smokers, regardless of their income level, report worse emotional health than those who do not smoke. In terms of stress, 50% of smokers were affected “yesterday”, compared to 37% of non-smokers. 26% of smokers reported having ever been clinically diagnosed with depression, compared to 15% of non-smokers. Smokers were also more likely to have experienced worry, anger, and sadness a lot of the previous day – but does this mean that these negative emotions led people to begin smoking, or did the act of smoking make participants more likely to report experiencing these negative emotions?

 

When it came to positive emotions, such as enjoyment, happiness, and smiling or laughter, smokers were less likely to experience these “yesterday, and were less likely than non-smokers to say they learned or did something new, at 57% and 66%, respectively. Additionally, fewer smokers than non-smokers felt as though they had been treated with respect the day before. According to the study, one in four Americans have less respect for smokers, which either affects how smokers are actually treated or how they perceive they are treated.

 

In their report, the researchers commented, ‘With nearly nine in 10 smokers expressing regret that they ever started smoking, it is worth noting that smoking is a preventable lifestyle choice and one that can negatively affect a person’s emotional wellbeing. Smokers are more likely than non-smokers to experience negative emotions, including stress, worry, and sadness, but whether these negative emotions lead to smoking – or the other way around – remains unclear.’

Categories: emotional health, Research, smokers