Smoking contributes to a wide variety of internal and external health issues; lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema, wrinkly skin to name a few. Smoking, however, can also significantly increase the chance that a common cold will develop into a full blown ear infection, making the decision to quit smoking all the more urgent, especially during cold and flu season. Here is the lowdown on the smoking-ear infection relationship.
Ear infections come in many different forms, but the most common manifestation is the middle ear infection. Ear infections are quite common in children but they can also appear frequently in adults—particularly in adults who are not in the best of health.
Ear infections are caused by bacteria (as well as viruses) that find their way into the ear canal via the nasal passage. The presence of mucus encourages the growth and proliferation of bacteria throughout the body—the more mucus, the more bacteria and thus the higher the chance that the bacteria will spread to the ears.
Smoking is an irritant to the nasal passages and the nasal passages build up a defense of mucus to respond to the threats of the tobacco toxins. Hence, even when the smoker’s body is not sick it still has an excess of mucus. Once a cold or flu hits, the smoker’s body is already primed with enough mucus to make the spread of bacteria and viruses very easy. To make matters worse, smoking damages the immune system and therefore smokers are less able to fight off viral or bacterial infections once they start. This very often leads to smokers developing chronic ear infections over time.
It is necessary to quit smoking in order to avoid the perils of ear infections. But quitting smoking can often feel like a daunting task—and it is. As a psychosocial habit, the need to smoke is deeply ingrained in the psyche of the smoker. It takes patience, willpower and commitment to break the smoking habit, but the good news is that there are many methods that can help. One that is particularly effective is quit smoking hypnosis.
Quit smoking hypnosis gets to the root of the smoking problem. It allows smokers to re-wire their thinking process with respect to cigarettes so that they no longer depend on the emotional gratification or stress relief that they falsely believe they can get from tobacco. Quit smoking hypnosis takes patience and determination, but the long-term health benefits, such as reduced ear infections, are definitely worth the effort.
Smoking is a psychosocial habit that contributes to the development of chronic ear infections. If you are someone you know is struggling with a smoking habit, and are concerned about how it could be negatively impacting your ears, please contact me for more details or share your own ideas and experiences with us on Facebook or Twitter.