Through with Chew

Through With Chew Week is Feb. 14 – 20. It began in Wyoming and has spread across the nation as a time for youth and adults to bring to light the effects of spit tobacco use and why it is not a safe alternative to smoking, as corporate tobacco companies would like you to believe. 

With half the states in this country passing clean indoor air laws, tobacco companies are promoting smokeless tobacco products more vigorously than ever.

Just because the tobacco leaf is chewed rather than smoked does not mean the nicotine has any less effect on the cardiovascular system. Nicotine content of smokeless tobacco is highly variable; in fact, the amount of nicotine absorbed from chew or spit tobacco is 3-4 times the amount delivered by a cigarette. And, because the “plug” is held in the mouth for long periods, nicotine stays in the bloodstream longer.

So, you might ask, what does it matter if nicotine stays in the bloodstream longer?

In the cardiovascular system (cardio = heart and vascular = blood vessels), nicotine increases heart rate and blood pressure and restricts the flow of blood to the heart. When you use any sort of product containing nicotine, it causes the blood vessels to abnormally constrict. This essentially narrows the arterial walls, creating resistance in the blood flow. As this resistance increases, the heart must work that much harder to pump blood throughout the body, raising the heart rate beats in order to accommodate the need for blood, oxygen and other nutrients to all parts of the body. Nicotine, as well as other chemicals found in tobacco, can eventually cause actual damage to the walls of blood vessels, especially after long-term use and this damage can eventually lead to hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis).

Much like constriction, any change in the elasticity of blood vessels can cause irregular resistance in blood flow, once again resulting in an elevation of both blood pressure and heart rate. It is this increase in blood pressure, along with the reduced flow of blood to the heart muscle that is often the culprit for heart attacks.

If you would like to break the habit of chewing tobacco, and eliminate the effects nicotine has on your cardiovascular system, please look for complimentary tobacco quit spit kits to help you at the following businesses during Through With Chew Week: True Value and Ace Hardware stores in Ronan and Polson; and in Polson at Insty Prints, HCP, Centurytel, Stageline Pizza, Mountain West Bank and Eagle Bank. The kits include mirrors for self-checking, along with a brochure that has instructions for where to look and what you are looking for, like any changes in color or texture of the gums, or any unusual lumps or tender spots under your chin and along your neck.

If you have any questions about tobacco cessation, please call the Lake County Health Department’s Tobacco Prevention Department, at 883-7341, or 883-7480; or visit our Web site at www.lakecountypublichealth.org.