Lori, Welcome to EmpowHer and we appreciate you reaching out. To answer your questions, smoking can have an affect on your nervous system and your mood. You may find this article The Effects of Smoking on the Brain extremely helpful. Here's an excerpt on how smoking affects the brain and mood.
"When we smoke, the receptor sites in our brain receive the nicotine instead of acetylcholine (you can say that nicotine “hijacks” the receptor sites), and acetylcholine production is slowed or stopped, resulting in not as many happy, relaxed, feel good chemicals in our body. With each and every puff, nicotine hijacks more receptor sites (that were meant to receive acetylcholine…now they receive nicotine).
This is when the downward cycle begins: our natural neurotransmitters are no longer working, so on we smoke to replace these feel good chemicals with nicotine. We have to, because the nicotine has hijacked the receptor sites in our brain…they are literally now nicotine receptor sites instead of acetylcholine receptor sites! The more we smoke, the more our brain "craves" the feel good chemicals (now known by our changed brain as nicotine)."
I do have a point of clarification though. Are you saying smoking has made you depressed or the medication you're using is making you depressed and causing your anger issues?
More specifically related to the spine, here's some information about the dangers of smoking as related to the spine from the Missouri Spine Center at the University of Missouri:
* Use of tobacco products increases the risk of osteoporosis. This causes thinning of the bones and can lead to fractures.
* Smoking decreases oxygen in the blood, and increases the level of carbon monoxide. This robs the disks (shock absorbers between the vertebrae) of oxygen and leads to drying out of the discs.
* Smokers have a higher rate of degenerative (arthritic or age-related) changes in the spine than those persons of the same age who do not smoke.
* People who smoke have three times the risk of wound infections after surgery.
* If a spinal fusion is done (on the neck or low back), smokers have up to 47% chance the fusion will not heal.
* Smokers have increased risk of complications from surgery and anesthesia, such as pneumonia, and heart problems.
Many surgeons will not perform surgery- especially a fusion- if you smoke. It takes about three months for the effects of tobacco products to be fully cleared from the body. In addition, patients who stay tobacco-free for six months following surgery may be able to have the same chance of good surgical results as those who have never smoked. A urine or blood test can be done to determine if the effects of nicotine have cleared from the body.
The North American Spine Society confirms that information:
Smokers are also more prone to back pain than nonsmokers because nicotine restricts the flow of blood to the discs that cushion your vertebrae and increases the rate of degenerative change. Smokers also have double the risk of an osteoporotic fracture than nonsmokers because cigarette smoking reduces calcium absorption and prevents new bone growth. If you are a smoker, quitting smoking can benefit your health in many different ways and will reduce your risk of future back pain.
Lori, what part of the U.S. do you live in? Also, you mentioned that you have had surgeries, were the surgeons aware of your smoking habit? Have you talked to your doctor about ways to quit?
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Lori, Welcome to EmpowHer and we appreciate you reaching out. To answer your questions, smoking can have an affect on your nervous system and your mood. You may find this article The Effects of Smoking on the Brain extremely helpful. Here's an excerpt on how smoking affects the brain and mood.
"When we smoke, the receptor sites in our brain receive the nicotine instead of acetylcholine (you can say that nicotine “hijacks” the receptor sites), and acetylcholine production is slowed or stopped, resulting in not as many happy, relaxed, feel good chemicals in our body. With each and every puff, nicotine hijacks more receptor sites (that were meant to receive acetylcholine…now they receive nicotine).
This is when the downward cycle begins: our natural neurotransmitters are no longer working, so on we smoke to replace these feel good chemicals with nicotine. We have to, because the nicotine has hijacked the receptor sites in our brain…they are literally now nicotine receptor sites instead of acetylcholine receptor sites! The more we smoke, the more our brain "craves" the feel good chemicals (now known by our changed brain as nicotine)."
I do have a point of clarification though. Are you saying smoking has made you depressed or the medication you're using is making you depressed and causing your anger issues?
More specifically related to the spine, here's some information about the dangers of smoking as related to the spine from the Missouri Spine Center at the University of Missouri:
* Use of tobacco products increases the risk of osteoporosis. This causes thinning of the bones and can lead to fractures.
* Smoking decreases oxygen in the blood, and increases the level of carbon monoxide. This robs the disks (shock absorbers between the vertebrae) of oxygen and leads to drying out of the discs.
* Smokers have a higher rate of degenerative (arthritic or age-related) changes in the spine than those persons of the same age who do not smoke.
* People who smoke have three times the risk of wound infections after surgery.
* If a spinal fusion is done (on the neck or low back), smokers have up to 47% chance the fusion will not heal.
* Smokers have increased risk of complications from surgery and anesthesia, such as pneumonia, and heart problems.
Many surgeons will not perform surgery- especially a fusion- if you smoke. It takes about three months for the effects of tobacco products to be fully cleared from the body. In addition, patients who stay tobacco-free for six months following surgery may be able to have the same chance of good surgical results as those who have never smoked. A urine or blood test can be done to determine if the effects of nicotine have cleared from the body.
To learn more, visit http://ortho.muhealth.org/spine/topicsmoking.htm
The North American Spine Society confirms that information:
Smokers are also more prone to back pain than nonsmokers because nicotine restricts the flow of blood to the discs that cushion your vertebrae and increases the rate of degenerative change. Smokers also have double the risk of an osteoporotic fracture than nonsmokers because cigarette smoking reduces calcium absorption and prevents new bone growth. If you are a smoker, quitting smoking can benefit your health in many different ways and will reduce your risk of future back pain.
http://www.spine.org/Pages/ConsumerHealth/SpineConditionsAndTreatments/S...
Lori, what part of the U.S. do you live in? Also, you mentioned that you have had surgeries, were the surgeons aware of your smoking habit? Have you talked to your doctor about ways to quit?
August 5, 2008 - 11:23amThis Comment
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