Is Secondhand Smoke Bad for Kids?

If asked, probably every single parent around the world would cringe at the thought of their children smoking. Seeing a cigarette in the lips of our offspring brings images of a lost youth and a short future. However, many of those very same parents can’t seem to kick the smoking habit themselves. That’s an interesting fact, considering that second hand smoke from their cigarettes is extremely bad for kids. Although some parents go to another room to take a cigarette break, or even outside, the fumes travel not only through the air, but through their clothing, hair and skin.

What is Secondhand Smoke?

Secondhand smoke comes from the burning of cigars, pipes and cigarettes, as well as what is expelled from a smoker’s mouth. It contains around 4,000 chemicals, about half of which are known carcinogens. This smoke than travels, and once it travels to the noses and mouthes of children, they inhale it, along with the toxic chemicals.

What is Thirdhand Smoke?

Another term that many smokers may not be familiar with is thirdhand smoke; this refers to the smoke that is left after the smoking cessation in places, such as couch cushions, inside cars, or even in the walls.

Is Secondhand Smoke Bad?

The affects of secondhand smoke are not only serious, but that they even deathly. “Secondhand smoke causes about 3,000 deaths from lung cancer and tens of thousands of deaths from heart disease to nonsmoking adults in the United States each year,” reports HealthyChildren.org. The site also states that secondhand smoke does not only affect children than have been born, but also fetuses. If a pregnant woman smokes or is constantly around someone who does, she may be at a risk for miscarriage. Furthermore, her baby can be born prematurely, can born with lower body weight, have problems with learning and attention, and be a risk for sudden infant death syndrome (ADHD).

Children who are around secondhand smoke have been found to have more respiratory issues, such as pneumonia, colds and coughs, ear infections, and even tooth decay, than than peers who are not around secondhand smoke. They not only get more colds and coughs, but they have a harder time getting healthier. Secondhand smoke should especially concern parents of children with asthma, as they have been found to have more asthma attacks when exposed to smoking parents.

More serious side effects of secondhand smoke for kids whose parents don’t quit smoking are lung cancer, developmental issues, and heart disease.

How Can I Stop Smoking?

A new treatment is making it easier than every to stop smoking cold turkey. Deep transcranial magnetic stimulation (dTMS) is a non-invasive new way that uses signals to reach a smoker’s brain. While this may sound scary, all it involves is wearing a helmet with coils strapped to it; the coils send messages deep inside the person’s brain, helping them to stop their urge to smoke.

For more information about dTMS therapy for smoking cessation in Los Angeles, contact Westside Neurotherapeutics by phone at 310.946.0008 or visit us online at www.westsideneurotherapeutics.com.