Hookah And Cancer. Whats The Verdict?

[willa44]

So I've been smoking for a couple months and I am yet to see any side effects. I've done some research and it seems that know one really knows how bad hookah is compared to cigs, etc. I know there has been posts on this is the past, but what do you all think?

[Zinite]

More research needs to be done. But, from what I've seen on a personal level as well as from anecdotal evidence, smoking Hookah once a day seems to be considerably more healthy than smoking a pack of cigarettes a day. I know people who smokes less than a pack a day of cigarettes, and get winded at the slightest amount of exercise. I have smoked hookah for a little over 6 months almost every day, and I've yet to notice even the slightest side effects, except for a small amount of dry skin on my face.

[joytron]

The problem is there seems to be no bipartisan research. It seems like most of it is just people out to demonize hookah, most of what the put out is emotianal appeals and very little evidence. I am pretty sure everyone believes smoking on a regular basis produces consequences but we really have little to no research to point to any long term affects.

[Giant Ninja Robot]

http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/5/1/19

there you go

[modisess]

http://www.harmreductionjournal.com/content/5/1/19

there you go

nice link, didn't bother to read the whole thing though.. just too much...

[Bye bye now have fun]

that was a fairly good paper but i would like to note that the researcher was on a team to develop a COless hookah so go figure.

[erufiku]

The short answer is yes. Inhaling smoke in general isn't the healthiest thing you can do. I'd guess it may be slightly less dangerous than cigs. Then again little to no research has been done to check for chemicals produced while "cooking" the tobacco+glycerin mixture.

I think we need to stop sugar coating it. I mean, on one hand it's great that new people are being introduced to hookah. But on the other, they need to be aware, that yes, the possibility of getting cancer exists. Saying that hookah is good for you (or at least harmless) would be doing the same as the tobacco companies did in their time.

[Tom1]

[coplinb]

My thoughts exactly. There has been TOO many threads about this. Everyone knows smoking in general is bad for you, and if you are that concerned about it, your taking all the fun out of it in the first place, so you should just stop smoking if you are that worried about what will happen to you. My thing is, is that everyone dies sooner or later, why not have some fun while you are alive. Life isnt a contest to see who can live the longest, enjoy your time here while you can, you could get hit by a car tomorrow anyway.

[Rayneuki]

My thoughts exactly. There has been TOO many threads about this. Everyone knows smoking in general is bad for you, and if you are that concerned about it, your taking all the fun out of it in the first place, so you should just stop smoking if you are that worried about what will happen to you. My thing is, is that everyone dies sooner or later, why not have some fun while you are alive. Life isnt a contest to see who can live the longest, enjoy your time here while you can, you could get hit by a car tomorrow anyway.

+1

Anyhow, we'll all get ass cancer from using toilet paper anyhow... I swear they'll say that some day, and on that day, I will laugh/cry.

[newjacksm]

This is my thing, shisha really doesnt have the carcinogens/tar that causes cancer like cigarettes (just a belief and opinion) if you were to smoke ciggeretes out of a hookah the water would turn black. Shisha doesn't do this the only water changes that happen are if the glycerin/honey drip down the stem.

In general it is cleaner to inhale how ever I think it still has the same effect on heart disease/stroke cause of nicotine.

Just my opinion.


P.S.
I love the picture, good movie.. Edited January 16, 2009 by newjacksm

[mattarios2]

Agree on the picture, nice one.

Here is another thread that could be added into the "subgroup" that was discussed in this thread ...

http://www.hookahforum.com/?showtopic=27517

[Bulldog_916]

The long and short of it is that you've only been smoking for six months. It takes a long time of smoking for cancer and emphysema to become a problem. Most people here havent been life-long hookah smokers and arent in their 80s telling us how dangerous it is. Most of us here are still just young people for now. The hookah craze has only been around for about 5-8 years. Research takes time and most of the innovations in hookah are still untested for bad side effects. We pretty much have to be patient and do what we can to mitigate the risk.

[Capt. Morgan]

Inhaling any form of smoke is bad for you. Its pretty damn simple. Regardless of whether smoking a hookah pipe is the "safest" form of smoking it is still bad for you. You just have to decide if it is something you want to enjoy during your life because after all we will all die eventually.

[ElijahSing]

Yes, that is true.. But at the same time it's also nice to know exactly what you're getting yourself into.
That is why I mix it up and sometimes I smoke Herbal shisha just to even it out so im not smoking so much tobacco and nicotine.

[redjako]

So I've been smoking for a couple months and I am yet to see any side effects. I've done some research and it seems that know one really knows how bad hookah is compared to cigs, etc. I know there has been posts on this is the past, but what do you all think?

I've been smoking hookah for three years with almost no side effects (besides sometimes getting light headed from toking too consistly).


i picked up smoking cigarettes for about a year now, and my cardio has gone to crap, I have a cough, and laugh at any study which rates hookah > cigg's.

Be OBVIOUS in that its not that good for you on a very consistent basis, such as cooking on teflon (google teflon and blood count...every person in the US has levels of the chemical used in producitn teflon in them ), so....pick your poison.

[redjako]

Inhaling any form of smoke is bad for you. Its pretty damn simple. Regardless of whether smoking a hookah pipe is the "safest" form of smoking it is still bad for you. You just have to decide if it is something you want to enjoy during your life because after all we will all die eventually.

So, any good Hookah herbals? I've only seen the brand "Black" locally, which tastes and smokes like garbage...although I haven't been personally, the few shi-sha bars in utah (SLC area) have gone to shite with the law change of banning all tobacco in doors...

[hookah hippie]

well hookah is not good for your body but its nice for the psyche so its a trade off

[wilarseny]

Wait, so in the study GNR posted they're essentially smoking old-school style.. with Desi, and coals directly on the tobacco.. now I haven't tried this style of smoking, but from what I gather 1) the nic hits you like a sack of bricks, and 2) the smoke is harsher since you are essentially burning the tobacco rather than roasting it. So my question then is, wouldn't this style of smoking be significantly different from the more modern style? And why can't someone actually interested in doing good science study American hookah smokers?

[delSol_si]

I don't know much about the effects of hookah smoking, but I can tell you that I have tried smoking ciggs before and I gave it up after 3 months because I could not stand the burn. I also rarely inhaled any of the smoke because it hurt too much. I really can't stand ciggs at all, they stink and are disgusting. I rarely got a high off of them either. On the other hand, I can smoke hookah no problem at all. I have even gotten a buzz sometimes. I do feel like ice helps it to be smoother though. The one type shisha that I was not able to stand was some soax herbal shisha that my roommate picked up. That burned and was horrible.

I would also like to add that my roommates gf has asthma and cannot even be around ciggs without getting sick and coughing, yet she smokes with us without any problem (except that herbal shit).

So, just the kick that horse again, I agree with everyone else, bad, but not as bad as ciggs or many other things in life. Also would like to add that hookah smoking smells good whereas ciggs smell like shit. Thats my two cents.

[glz88]

I can tell you this I work out regularly 2 hours a day every day. I have noticed a considerable decrease in my lung capacity while smoking hookah. Sadly its something I will never regain. i come out of my sessions breathing heavy even sometimes to the point of my head swimming from the lack of oxygen. I have decided to cut down considerably from smoking about 3 times a week to maybe 1 a month. Its sad but the damage I feel on a personal level is deeper rather than cigs, just because you don't feel a burning sensation due to water doesn't mean that there isn't damage in your lungs.

[Balthazar]

I can tell you this I work out regularly 2 hours a day every day. I have noticed a considerable decrease in my lung capacity while smoking hookah. Sadly its something I will never regain. i come out of my sessions breathing heavy even sometimes to the point of my head swimming from the lack of oxygen. I have decided to cut down considerably from smoking about 3 times a week to maybe 1 a month. Its sad but the damage I feel on a personal level is deeper rather than cigs, just because you don't feel a burning sensation due to water doesn't mean that there isn't damage in your lungs.

Agreed. I've noticed a decrease in my lung capacity after I started smoking more regularly. Not an extreme decrease, but definitely one that's noticeable. And the fact that you don't feel the burning from hookah might be what I find most frightening. Mostly because I've seen a lot of young smokers thinking there's no damage done because they don't feel it right now.

That's why it's sad to acknowledge that there are no good studies on the hazards of hookah smoking out there. What I've read is either speculative as shit or using ridiculous heat temperatures and such. I don't like the whole "Give it a rest, we know it's harmful, but so is a lot of things"-attitude that usually pops up when threads like this appear. I could agree, but that's just a personal opinion. I do not plan to quit smoking, but that does not mean that I don't want to know more about what it might do to my body.

Also: Screw this thread, was about to light up a bowl of Nakhla Mandarin, but suddenly I don't feel like it any more

[ElijahSing]

Alot of people don't just smoke hookah either, they are also smoking a pack a day, and if that's the case they shouldnt really be worried about it.

I'm a musician and I sing. I have been smoking almost every day for a little over a month now, and the only thing I have noticed it a little bit of a sore throat here and there, and maybe swollen glands every now and then, as far as my vocal chords and breathing capacity, i have been fine.

[ComradeTwitch]

I was lifting religiously 3 days a week and running for track everyday for track season, while smoking hookah every weekend and I didn't feel any difference.

My brother is in the Air Force academy and he thought it actually helped him run better because he didn't train as hard for his Physical Fitness test but still ran the same time compared to his last test, which he actually quit smoking hookah for a while and trained hard for it.

It could be psychological, whether it's thinking that it's good for us just because you take in big hits constantly, or bad because of the fact that it's smoking.

[redjako]

I was lifting religiously 3 days a week and running for track everyday for track season, while smoking hookah every weekend and I didn't feel any difference.

My brother is in the Air Force academy and he thought it actually helped him run better because he didn't train as hard for his Physical Fitness test but still ran the same time compared to his last test, which he actually quit smoking hookah for a while and trained hard for it.

It could be psychological, whether it's thinking that it's good for us just because you take in big hits constantly, or bad because of the fact that it's smoking.

Well I agree with most above, its doing Some damage to your lungs since smoking Anything isn't helping your lungs any...also with hookah your holding in the smoke (hence the small amount of tobacco) for extended periods of time when your smoking. Unlike ciggies.


Ciggies > Hookah by..exponential 5 I'd say.