Hookah Health: Some Unfortunate Research

[Chreees]

Eric wins the thread

Yes, he sure did.

And who would be stupid enough to think/say hookah isn't bad for you? That's just ignorance. Any form of smoking is bad for you. All I'm gonna say is that there are no proper studies done for hookah-smoking, therefore I believe it can just be all thrown out the window. Like Genie said, explain the parameters used in the test then we're onto something legit.

Another thing- my teeth aren't yellow from smoking hookah, my lungs aren't black, and I don't go around coughing my damn head off. I feel just as I did before I started smoking hookah. I feel it has no physical effect on me (though I know it obviously does in some way, 'cause I am smoking, after all).

That is all.

[Zinite]

Eric wins the thread

Yes, he sure did.

And who would be stupid enough to think/say hookah isn't bad for you? That's just ignorance. Any form of smoking is bad for you. All I'm gonna say is that there are no proper studies done for hookah-smoking, therefore I believe it can just be all thrown out the window. Like Genie said, explain the parameters used in the test then we're onto something legit.

Another thing- my teeth aren't yellow from smoking hookah, my lungs aren't black, and I don't go around coughing my damn head off. I feel just as I did before I started smoking hookah. I feel it has no physical effect on me (though I know it obviously does in some way, 'cause I am smoking, after all).

That is all.

I don't know about you guys, but when I smoke hookah, I gain super human strength. My lungs now allow me to breathe underwater indefinitely.

[Chreees]

^Haha. No, no super strengths here, unfortunately. You lucky summabitch!

[mushrat]

Here is my revised article if anyone's interested:

Sort-of-Unfortunate Research

The Truth (mostly) About Smoking Hookah



I've never referred to myself as a “smoker.” I've been a passenger on the anti-smoking (in public places) bandwagon in the past. I've been disgusted by the smell of cigarettes and friends of mine whose addictions I've watched develop. All this, and I've never been a smoker. I have, however, been smoking hookah for about four years.

I won't presume that most Flip Side readers need a tutorial on the “hookah,” so I'll keep this brief. It's a water pipe consisting of a ceramic bowl, an aluminum—stainless steel if it's quality—stem that extends into a glass bowl, and two paper- or rubber-based hoses. The base is filled partway with water, and the bowl with flavored “shisha” tobacco, which is tobacco soaked in fruit flavors, glycerin, and molasses, and then a screen is used to separate the tobacco from a hot coal that burns it.

Due to recent inquiries into my genetic health predispositions, I've been taking a deeper look into my own well-being, and this has inevitably led to some questions that have long been on my mind: Is hookah dangerous? Is it safer than cigarettes? Is it addictive? The answers, after a month of extensive research, are disputable.

A number of studies done by a number of scholars and members of the health community all point towards similar conclusions. According to a “hookah health” study done by Thomas Eissenburg, a psychology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, “every risk of cigarette smoking is also associated with water pipes.” He goes on to say that “a hookah, which is smoked for about 45 minutes, delivers 36 times more tar than a cigarette, 15 times more carbon monoxide and 70% more nicotine.”

A further look into several other sources more or less confirm this, although the numbers vary pretty drastically from place to place. Another study sponsored by the CDC drew the following conclusions:

• A typical 1-hour-long hookah smoking session involves inhaling 100–200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.
• Hookah smokers are at risk for the same kinds of diseases as are caused by cigarette smoking, including oral cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer, cancer of the esophagus, reduced lung function, and decreased fertility.
• Even after it has passed through water, the smoke produced by a hookah contains high levels of toxic compounds, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and cancer-causing chemicals.

These studies—many of which have been corporately funded—have been met with counter-arguments from independent sources. There's the debate of combustion vs. vaporization, and one independent and extremely thorough (not speculative, like the Mayo and CDC studies) study by the Harm Reduction Journal has drawn quite different conclusions. Since I'm limited to one thousand words here, I urge you to read my sources, particularly the HRJ study.

A few reasons that the clinical corporate studies may be unreliable are as follows: the method of smoking was not elaborated on in any of them (ex. coal on foil or on the shisha; quick-light or natural coal; paper- or rubber-based hose; inhale or puff; etc.); the VCU study was funded by Phillip Morris which then had full control over what information is released publicly; these studies claim a normal session is “45 minutes to an hour,” which is a huge variable, not to mention the fact that a single hookah bowl is split often between 2 or more people.

I can add to HRJ's findings my own personal reinforcement. I have been smoking for a long time and yet, on a full body x-ray, I showed no signs of smoke-related health problems. I have a healthy heart, throat, stomach, and healthy lungs. I can also fully debunk any claims of addictiveness. I don't know and I've never heard of anyone addicted to smoking hookah.

Accept the fact that until more studies have been done on Western long-time smokers, we won't have flat out conclusive generalizations. It seems the only consensus that has been met among all of my sources is that the volume of smoke and the carbon monoxide intake is increased (duh) when compared to cigarettes (which is an irrelevant comparison to be making anyway). You should be intelligent enough to know that smoking hookah is dangerous. Period. You know that it's going to hurt your health, just like cigarettes, drinking, and other mind-altering substances often do. None of this information has stopped me, or will stop me, from smoking hookah. It's an indulgence I partake in a few times a week, if not more, and I thoroughly enjoy it every time. Smoking, like anything else, should be done in moderation. It's up to you to take whatever you will from everything I've just written, but I highly suggest you experience it for yourself before making any decisions.



P.S. If you are interested in trying and you don't know anyone who owns a hookah, check out the Mediterranean Deli and Grocery at 628 Water St. It doubles as a reasonably-priced hookah café and the manger, Sam, is a flat out good guy (the food is delicious too).



Sources:

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

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hookah/AN01265

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-1...kah-trend_x.htm

http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releas...-hookah-smoking

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/data_statistics...okahs/index.htm

So in order to get a paper published, you are willing to perpetuate certain inncorrect or unproven "facts" that you admit are either unprovable or not fully understood? Gee, thanks for the responible science and sort of spreading of mis-information.

If i understand things correctly, your creation of this "paper" is merely irresponsible.

[thevoiceofzeke]

So in order to get a paper published, you are willing to perpetuate certain inncorrect or unproven "facts" that you admit are either unprovable or not fully understood? Gee, thanks for the responible science and sort of spreading of mis-information.

If i understand things correctly, your creation of this "paper" is merely irresponsible.

No, I don't have to do anything to get this published. It's for an alternative press paper on campus that will publish just about anything I submit...usually common topics are the University budget and philosophy. The target audience is a group that I have experience with, and a group with a sort of mystified perspective on smoking hookah. There's nothing wrong with presenting information. It's not like I wrote this for a scientific journal.

If you actually read it accurately, you'd realize my goal is not to "perpetuate" any "un-proven facts" or "misinformation." All of the information I posted from the studies was proven. Regardless of who has control over the study, they aren't flat out lying. The question is whether or not the methods they use is relevant (see: perpetual smoking machines, dry shisha, etc. that people have been discussing this entire thread) to us hookah smokers, which by and large your forum community has convinced me they aren't.

I presented multiple sources and briefly commented on them, while still showing the alternative. My revised version is better, but even in my original I inserted some points to think about why the sources may be inaccurate.


Thanks for the hostility and insults though.


edit: Lastly, this is in Eau Claire, WI and will be read by only about 700-800 people. It's not going to create a media storm that brings down harsh laws on hookahs, so stop treating me like I'm some sleuth from an anti-smoking lobbyist group trying to destroy your fun. Edited October 17, 2009 by thevoiceofzeke

[thevoiceofzeke]

I feel compelled to add that if you don't like it, please close the thread. Any hope for intelligent discussion died out around midway through the second page, and though there were a lot of great contributions to this thread and I learned a lot that I wouldn't have known otherwise, it's only deteriorated into semantics, personal remarks, and now apparently moral responsibility 0_0. I never claimed to be an expert on this subject. My article was misread by several people, as were my intentions in writing it misinterpreted, and somehow I actually managed to offend a few people (which I apologize for, since that was not intended at all). Regardless of what you decide to do with this thread, this will be my last post in it.

Thanks again to the people who contributed relevant information. I probably never would have found the HRJ study or really considered where the funding for the easier-to-find studies came from.

[zookahhookah]

"All of the information I posted from the studies was proven."

Dude, none of your studies "proved" anything. They simply rely on obscured methodologies and a lack of distinction between smoke and vapor.

That's what people keep saying, and that's why you keep getting pissy and reiterating your own broken arguments. Edited October 17, 2009 by zookahhookah

[mitchard]

So in order to get a paper published, you are willing to perpetuate certain inncorrect or unproven "facts" that you admit are either unprovable or not fully understood? Gee, thanks for the responible science and sort of spreading of mis-information.

If i understand things correctly, your creation of this "paper" is merely irresponsible.

If you actually read it accurately, you'd realize my goal is not to "perpetuate" any "un-proven facts" or "misinformation." All of the information I posted from the studies was proven. Regardless of who has control over the study, they aren't flat out lying. The question is whether or not the methods they use is relevant (see: perpetual smoking machines, dry shisha, etc. that people have been discussing this entire thread) to us hookah smokers, which by and large your forum community has convinced me they aren't.

We get that you aren't TRYING to spread false information with your paper, but showing UNPROVEN "facts" is still spreading the misinformation.

The studies aren't lying, but they were definitely not running their tests in a controlled and correct environment.

[Hippo_Master]

My favorite is "hookah gives you AIDS".

Well so does screwing someone with AIDS, is what I say.

[jordanneff]

I think way too many people have cited that one (bullshit, in my option) study where "hookah = 200 cigs", it never says what kind of tobacco was used in the hookah for the study, straight up zaghoul with hot coals burning it I'm sure could produce those kind of results but not many of the brands people smoke - anyway, I think that study should be dismissed as not properly performed and therefore not reliable information. Unless someone is trying to prove or disprove the legitimacy of that study I don't think it should ever even be mentioned.

That said, I see hookah smoking from a practical standpoint. I don't need fancy numbers or percentages or risk factors thrown in my face to come to a conclusion. What I know is this: any type of smoking, no matter what it is, is not going to be 'healthy' by any means, but if I had to choose between cigs and hookah I'd look at the simple facts:

Cigs are:
-foul smelling
-burn your throat
-leave a nasty smell on all of your clothes,
-yellow your teeth and fingers
-have tons of additives and mystery chemicals in them
-designed to addict you to them

Hookah is:
-pleasant smelling
-rarely burns your throat (and if it does, you're DOING IT WRONG)
-doesn't leave long lasting odors in your clothes
-doesn't yellow your teeth and fingers
-is made of simply tobacco, molasses or glycerin, and fruity flavorings
-not designed to addict you to it (and I can and HAVE taken week and month+ long breaks from hookah without EVER having any type of craving)

I really don't need any more than that to tell me which is a better choice. Edited October 17, 2009 by jordanneff

[Chreees]

I think way too many people have cited that one (bullshit, in my option) study where "hookah = 200 cigs", it never says what kind of tobacco was used in the hookah for the study, straight up zaghoul with hot coals burning it I'm sure could produce those kind of results but not many of the brands people smoke - anyway, I think that study should be dismissed as not properly performed and therefore not reliable information. Unless someone is trying to prove or disprove the legitimacy of that study I don't think it should ever even be mentioned.

That said, I see hookah smoking from a practical standpoint. I don't need fancy numbers or percentages or risk factors thrown in my face to come to a conclusion. What I know is this: any type of smoking, no matter what it is, is not going to be 'healthy' by any means, but if I had to choose between cigs and hookah I'd look at the simple facts:

Cigs are:
-foul smelling
-burn your throat
-leave a nasty smell on all of your clothes,
-yellow your teeth and fingers
-have tons of additives and mystery chemicals in them
-designed to addict you to them

Hookah is:
-pleasant smelling
-rarely burns your throat (and if it does, you're DOING IT WRONG)
-doesn't leave long lasting odors in your clothes
-doesn't yellow your teeth and fingers
-is made of simply tobacco, molasses or glycerin, and fruity flavorings
-not designed to addict you to it (and I can and HAVE taken week and month+ long breaks from hookah without EVER having any type of craving)

I really don't need any more than that to tell me which is a better choice.

x2

[Sonthert]

One more thought. I erroneously said that most smoking research are epidemiological in nature. Allow me to correct that faulty statement. Most second hand smoke and hookah smoke research is epidemiological, not clinical. If you believe for one minute that studies regarding the dangers of smoking cigarettes is anything other than clinical, you are sadly mistaken. The research for the dangers of mass-produced cigarettes is exhaustive, imposing and undeniable. Look at those numbers again. The increase for lung cancer in cigarette smokers vs. non-smokers is 3500%. For heart disease, its 800%. Believe it.

[FamiliarJoe]

I saw your post Sonthert and I was like nah, I'm not gonna read it.
but then I did. and it was amazing!

Yet another sig. Eric delivers, on the reg.

[redjako]

Intelligent discussion would be examining the methodologies behind the studies you are citing before giving credence to its conclusions. Since the methodologies are Flawed, their conclusions are Flawed, hence any information you tap out based on Flawed information is Flawed.

Meaning, you are spreading disinformation.

Thanks.

[ih303]

I think way too many people have cited that one (bullshit, in my option) study where "hookah = 200 cigs", it never says what kind of tobacco was used in the hookah for the study, straight up zaghoul with hot coals burning it I'm sure could produce those kind of results but not many of the brands people smoke - anyway, I think that study should be dismissed as not properly performed and therefore not reliable information. Unless someone is trying to prove or disprove the legitimacy of that study I don't think it should ever even be mentioned.

That said, I see hookah smoking from a practical standpoint. I don't need fancy numbers or percentages or risk factors thrown in my face to come to a conclusion. What I know is this: any type of smoking, no matter what it is, is not going to be 'healthy' by any means, but if I had to choose between cigs and hookah I'd look at the simple facts:

Cigs are:
-foul smelling
-burn your throat
-leave a nasty smell on all of your clothes,
-yellow your teeth and fingers
-have tons of additives and mystery chemicals in them
-designed to addict you to them

Hookah is:
-pleasant smelling
-rarely burns your throat (and if it does, you're DOING IT WRONG)
-doesn't leave long lasting odors in your clothes
-doesn't yellow your teeth and fingers
-is made of simply tobacco, molasses or glycerin, and fruity flavorings
-not designed to addict you to it (and I can and HAVE taken week and month+ long breaks from hookah without EVER having any type of craving)

I really don't need any more than that to tell me which is a better choice.

Perfect! I completely agree. While all the numbers can sometimes be interesting to peruse, this is a much more practical kind of logic. These are the things I think most people look at.

By the way, Great post, Eric. Edited October 19, 2009 by ih303

[destructo]

i wedged a filter from a cowboy killer in my nammor this weekend and it came out looking just like it went in minus the marks from fishing it out with a coat hanger.