Immune system diseases (If you have kidney disease due to lupus, your doctor will call it lupus nephritis.) Long-lasting viral illnesses, such as HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, and hepatitis C. Pyelonephritis, a urinary tract infections within the kidneys, which can result in scarring as the infection heals.
By Dr Ananya Mandal, MD. Nicotine has strong mood altering effects and can act on the brain as both a stimulant and a relaxant. Once within the bloodstream, nicotine may circulate around the body until it reaches the brain.
Some studies, though, suggest it may just be the ritual of smoking that induces a calming effect, because nicotine is actually considered a stimulant, not a depressant. When you first inhale, nicotine causes your body to release the hormone epinephrine, which is the fight or flight hormone. Epinephrine activates the sympathetic nervous system, making your breathing become rapid and shallow, your heart rate increase, and your blood pressure rise.