{"id":5268,"date":"2016-12-29T09:00:48","date_gmt":"2013-12-29T09:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.edrugstore.md\/blog\/?p=5268"},"modified":"2014-01-10T22:27:49","modified_gmt":"2014-01-10T22:27:49","slug":"new-york-city-mayor-ties-smoking-to-erection-issues","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.edrugstore.com\/blog\/quit-smoking-treatments\/new-york-city-mayor-ties-smoking-to-erection-issues\/","title":{"rendered":"New York City Mayor Ties Smoking to Erection Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"couple
Stopping smoking can lead to a healthier, happier life<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You already know that smoking is bad for your health. There\u2019s not a redeeming quality about the habit. But what you might not know is that smoking can also have a detrimental effect on your erection health.<\/p>\n

In the midst of several anti-smoking campaigns, New York City Mayor Bloomberg and the city\u2019s Health Department have waged a new battle against the tobacco habit, and it\u2019s caught the attention of men in the city and across the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cNYC Quits\u201d is the Health Department\u2019s website where smokers can find support to help kick the habit. And while anti \u201csmoker-harassment\u201d groups believe the city\u2019s claims are widely exaggerated, the medical community believes there is truth in the connection between smoking and erection health problems.<\/p>\n

Just What\u2019s in That Cigarette?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lighting up after sex is commonplace for smokers. The \u201cafter-sex\u201d cigarette is referred to in art, literature, TV, and movies. There are many activities that trigger nicotine cravings, such as having a cup of coffee, finishing a meal, or sex. Buy why smokers crave and become addicted to nicotine at all is still being studied.<\/p>\n

Cigarettes contain numerous ingredients, and smoking a cigarette releases a host of chemicals, according to The American Lung Association<\/a>. \u00a0Some of these are arsenic, carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, lead, butane, ammonia, and tar. That\u2019s quite a cocktail.<\/p>\n

No one would intentionally swallow down or breathe in those chemicals on their own. A glass of formaldehyde just doesn\u2019t sound appealing. It\u2019s the addiction factor that compels smokers to take it, and the other chemicals, into their bodies on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

\"Smiling,,
The feel-good sensation after a cigarette break is chemical, and your brain has to “learn” it.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Smoker\u2019s Brains are Different, but Don\u2019t Start That Way<\/strong><\/p>\n

The brains of smokers appear to be different, according to research including Increased Nicotinic Receptors in Brains from Smokers: Membrane Binding and Autoradiography Studies<\/a>.<\/i>\u00a0<\/i>This study was conducted by experts at the Department of Pharmacology at both George Washington Medical Center and Georgetown University School of Medicine, and Case Western University School of Medicine\u2019s Department of Psychiatry.<\/p>\n

The focus here was with whether there is a difference in nicotine receptors in smokers as opposed to non-smokers. After examining brains from both groups, the conclusion was that there is a marked difference, there are more nicotine receptors in a smoker\u2019s brain, and this increase appears to happen as a result of smoking.<\/p>\n

In other words, every after-sex cigarette you have can create more nicotine receptors in the brain.<\/p>\n

Brain receptors are proteins, at least usually, and each protein is like a puzzle piece. When the a matching puzzle piece finds its way to the receptor protein, a link is made, which triggers any number of things to occur in the brain. In the case of smoking, a chemical called dopamine is released.<\/p>\n

Dopamine is a \u201cfeel-good\u201d hormone, explains the Mayo Clinic<\/a>.\u00a0That\u2019s one reason why smoking a cigarette might make a non-smoker green around the gills, but makes a smoker feel better. The pleasant sensation that comes from smoking a cigarette is the direct result of the nicotine \/ nicotine receptor connection and the corresponding shot of dopamine that a longtime smoker with more nicotine receptors gets.<\/p>\n

But could that little post-sex cigarette be adding more receptors and hurting your chances for the next sexual encounter at the same time? Maybe.<\/p>\n

Smoking Restricts Blood Flow in Many People<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smoking is linked to numerous health conditions, including atherosclerosis, which causes a waxy material called plaque to build up in the arteries. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0explains that over time, plaque can harden, and dramatically reduce blood flow throughout the body. Smoking can also make blood thicker, which further reduces its ability to flow freely.<\/p>\n

At the center of the problem is that smoking can also damage the heart. So nicotine restricts blood vessels and thickens blood, which is a double-punch with getting blood to flow efficiently throughout the body, and it damages the very source — your heart.<\/p>\n

You want blood to flow freely to every part of your body, but smoking works against it.<\/p>\n

The link between smoking and erection heath starts to become clear at this point. A healthy, adequate blood supply to the penis is partly responsible for healthy erections. If you\u2019re smoking, that blood supply may be diminishing little by little with every cigarette. The after-sex smoke is less and less appealing all the time.<\/p>\n

Mayor Bloomberg\u2019s \u201cNYC Quits\u201d Campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n

Forget the antiquated image of a sexy smoker; cigarettes might very well ruin your chances at a great sex life. The \u201cNYC Quits\u201d campaign strongly discourages smoking, stating that it damages a man\u2019s ability to get and sustain an erection, according to the New York Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Post also states that more than 30 million men have erection health issues. And what\u2019s really staggering is that the number is predicted to double by 2025. But the campaign doesn\u2019t just focus its attention on men. Increased premenstrual syndrome symptoms and fertility problems in women are also mentioned.<\/p>\n

If you want to circle back to something a bit more scientific than a city\u2019s anti-smoking campaign, that\u2019s easy enough to do. WebMD<\/a>\u00a0 explains that men who smoke 20 or more cigarettes a day are at a much high risk of erection health issues — 60% higher than current non-smokers who have never smoked. Men who have smoked in the past have a higher risk than lifelong non-smokers, but it\u2019s still much lower than smokers.<\/p>\n

Quitting Smoking Now Can Help Improve Erection Health<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smoking isn\u2019t doing your health, or your love life, any favors. The smartest choice is to quit as soon as possible.<\/p>\n

Any smoker who has tried to quit knows, it might be the hardest thing you\u2019ve ever done in your life. But fortunately, there are medications on the market that help, and a host of support from many directions, including \u201cstop smoking\u201d programs and your doctor.<\/p>\n

Some people, especially those who have smoked for years, might question whether there\u2019s any benefit to quitting now. If heart and blood vessel damage is already done, what good might it do to put down the cigarettes now, once and for all?<\/p>\n

The website, Why Quit? <\/a>, breaks down a sort of timeline to give you an idea of what happens after you smoke your last cigarette:<\/p>\n

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