Hookah Or Cigarettes, Is Smoking Shisha The Same As 100 Cigarettes?

[mcherbie]

As a novice I wanted to see what I was going to do to my lungs when I bought my first hookah. When I searched I found a lot of links to a WHO report. This is a typical 'timebomb' report:

" [i]However, the World Health Organisation, rubbishing the fact claims that one-hour shisha session can be as harmful as smoking 100 cigarettes. Health risks of smoking shisha are more than that associated with cigarette smoking because a smoker while smoking cigarettes generally takes between eight to 12 puffs, inhaling 0.5 to 0.6 litres of smoke.[/i] "

Having seen this all over the net I thought I would dig a little deeper and actually look at the rates of lung cancer around the world. The reason for this is that if using a Hookah was like 'smoking 100 cigarettes' surely those countries were Hookah's have been used for decades would most likely have higher rates of lung cancer, especially in men as it's a cultural thing.

Guess what... take a look...

[url="http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_facts/lung_cancer.php"]http://www.wcrf.org/...lung_cancer.php[/url]

There you have it. The lung cancer rates in North America are 8 times higher than in North Africa. It's seems from this that as Americans have historically favoured cigarettes and, I'm assuming, North Africans have smoked lots more Hookah pipes, that the Hookah is less likely to give you lung cancer than a cigarette.
Something else occurred to me in relation to this. I believe lots of fruit is grown in North Africa and as eating fresh fruit is known to help protect you from cancer perhaps this helps to keep lung cancer rates lower.

Looking at a little more info we actually see Central Europe has the highest rates of lung cancer in men, and there's no history of Hookah use there.

[url="http://www.wcrf.org/cancer_statistics/lung_cancer_statistics.php#MEN"]http://www.wcrf.org/...tistics.php#MEN[/url]

So in my opinion moderate use of a Hookah pipe, and eating fresh fruit (or smoking fruit infused Shisha perhaps!), isn't the next health nightmare that some 'health experts' blog about so much.

Edited June 3, 2012 by mcherbie

[joytron]

The problem you do not take into account is what are the rates of smoking in each of the areas. Hookah might be more common in North Africa, but if the number of individuals smoking in general is down it is hard to measure. Perhaps air quality also plays a part.


In my opinion smoking anything is unhealthy.

[mcherbie]

Of course there are lots of variables. But there's no denying men in North Africa have smoked a hell of a lot of Shisa in the last 50 years.....

[â€On]

[quote name='joytron' timestamp='1338768774' post='548529']
The problem you do not take into account is what are the rates of smoking in each of the areas. Hookah might be more common in North Africa, but if the number of individuals smoking in general is down it is hard to measure. Perhaps air quality also plays a part.


In my opinion smoking anything is unhealthy.
[/quote]

This. However, I used to smoke cigars and cigarillos quite often (around 2004-2005, before I got into hookah). During that time, I did notice my lung capacity was lower, heart rate higher, I found cardiovascular exercise was harder on me, etc. Since smoking hookah and quitting other tobacco products I have felt a lot better. I do crossfit 3 times a week, smoke at least one bowl every day (around 2-3 hours per session, longer on weekends), snowboard, longboard, bike, etc. and have no issues with my health. When I told my doctor how much I smoked and what I smoked he basically told me "well, obviously I would rather you didn't smoke anything as it's not what your body was meant to process, however, if it doesn't bother you then it's up to you. If you do notice your health deteriorating, then quit, see if things improve." So yeah, I am under no illusions that smoking hookah is not bad for me. However, from experience I can say that it doesn't affect me nearly as much as cigars and cigarillos did. This is not a fact, it's just my point of view on how it has affected me. Everyone is different.

We can go over studies and facts as much as we want, but if the testing being done is not by someone who knows how to smoke a hookah, pack a bowl, manage heat, etc, it has no bearing on the way I smoke. If the people conducting these tests asked 50 of the most knowledgeable people with the most experience in the subject from all across the various forums to come in and set up their own set ups and act as "controls" in the experiments, then I would trust them a bit more.

Something people seem to forget is that medicine, like any science, is an ongoing procedural system that is constantly evolving. What is one day considered healthy, maybe a few months later new experiments show just the opposite. Lobotomies, prescribing heroine, leeches (for general ailments), etc. were all once considered valid and highly advanced techniques for solving problems. Imagine the types of things that would have been prescribed to a celiac (sp?) 30 years ago to "fix" their problems. While I'm all for studies and experiments and testing to find out what is the least harmful to us, but when the testing done is not done accurately, it's hard to take it with more than a grain of salt.

[b]TL;DR[/b]: I really don't give a shit if what I do is harmful to me, I enjoy it and it does not affect my lifestyle or health in a noticeable way at this point. Am I at a much higher risk of getting lung cancer or bagosis (sp?) than someone who doesn't smoke at all? Absolutely. But it's not stopping me from doing something I love.

[EAK1791]

[quote name='aeon' timestamp='1338773685' post='548538']
[quote name='joytron' timestamp='1338768774' post='548529']
The problem you do not take into account is what are the rates of smoking in each of the areas. Hookah might be more common in North Africa, but if the number of individuals smoking in general is down it is hard to measure. Perhaps air quality also plays a part.


In my opinion smoking anything is unhealthy.
[/quote]

This. However, I used to smoke cigars and cigarillos quite often (around 2004-2005, before I got into hookah). During that time, I did notice my lung capacity was lower, heart rate higher, I found cardiovascular exercise was harder on me, etc. Since smoking hookah and quitting other tobacco products I have felt a lot better. I do crossfit 3 times a week, smoke at least one bowl every day (around 2-3 hours per session, longer on weekends), snowboard, longboard, bike, etc. and have no issues with my health. When I told my doctor how much I smoked and what I smoked he basically told me "well, obviously I would rather you didn't smoke anything as it's not what your body was meant to process, however, if it doesn't bother you then it's up to you. If you do notice your health deteriorating, then quit, see if things improve." So yeah, I am under no illusions that smoking hookah is not bad for me. However, from experience I can say that it doesn't affect me nearly as much as cigars and cigarillos did. This is not a fact, it's just my point of view on how it has affected me. Everyone is different.

We can go over studies and facts as much as we want, but if the testing being done is not by someone who knows how to smoke a hookah, pack a bowl, manage heat, etc, it has no bearing on the way I smoke. If the people conducting these tests asked 50 of the most knowledgeable people with the most experience in the subject from all across the various forums to come in and set up their own set ups and act as "controls" in the experiments, then I would trust them a bit more.

Something people seem to forget is that medicine, like any science, is an ongoing procedural system that is constantly evolving. What is one day considered healthy, maybe a few months later new experiments show just the opposite. Lobotomies, prescribing heroine, leeches (for general ailments), etc. were all once considered valid and highly advanced techniques for solving problems. Imagine the types of things that would have been prescribed to a celiac (sp?) 30 years ago to "fix" their problems. While I'm all for studies and experiments and testing to find out what is the least harmful to us, but when the testing done is not done accurately, it's hard to take it with more than a grain of salt.

[b]TL;DR[/b]: I really don't give a shit if what I do is harmful to me, I enjoy it and it does not affect my lifestyle or health in a noticeable way at this point. Am I at a much higher risk of getting lung cancer or bagosis (sp?) than someone who doesn't smoke at all? Absolutely. But it's not stopping me from doing something I love.
[/quote]

Exactly what these guys said.

[Skoozle]

Hookah is 100 times more enjoyable than cigarettes.

I'm sure lung cancer is under diagnosed in North Africa. No one in the US gets or dies from Lung Cancer without it being reported. I'm sure there are tons of people in North Africa that have never seen an X-ray machine, much less had a chest X-ray.

Either way, Something's gonna kill ya eventually, Why torture yourself to gain more nursing home years?

[Chreees]

To those people who say it's the same, I dare them to smoke 100 cigarettes at the same time and tell me how they feel afterwards.

Note: I cannot be sued if you die... lol.

But really, they're two different animals. People say they're the same or hookah is worse because they don't know/understand the differences. In hookah, if you're doing it right, there's no combustion (burning). Also, hookah tobacco doesn't have those hundreds of chemicals they put into cigarettes. Those two facts alone are the most distinguishable characteristics that make hookah and cigarettes totally different from one another. I also don't buy the "hookah is addicting" nonsense. I smoke hookah several times a week and in no way feel addicted. I'm never like, "Man I really need a smoke." I think it's not so much nicotine that is addictive, but rather some of the chemicals in cigarettes.

The above paragraph is all just my opinion. I have no factual evidence to back any of it up. Also, I too believe any form of smoking is bad for your health.

[Pavo21]

I feel that hookah is ok, because i know what is in it, i know Tangiers recipes and what eric does to it, i know some of what is in af and sb and nak, and i know they add more shit to their tobacco then Tangiers but i don't know everyone in cigs because there is to many things to remember...would i want to know? would i want to smoke something if i didn't know what was in it? or would you eat something if you didn't know what it was made of? cigs don't have ingredients on the back of the box like food does..

just don't smoke cigs they smell bad and are bad, don't smoke hookah either if u think smoking isn't for you.

But i don't like when people say hookah is addicting because its not, erica got pregnant and we stopped and you wanna know how hard it was for me to stop. i didn't even think about it lol.

Have you ever seen a cig smoker go more then 2 days without one, did you ever see their attitudes and how mean and aggressive and on edge they are...yah hookah is more addicting then cigs for sure.

the comparison is just getting old and annoying. I agree with chris let someone sit and smoke 100 cigs in 1 hour if thats even possible then tell us how you feel if you dont pass out before or get sick and throw up. i can smoke hookah for over 12 hours and not get sick, vomit, or pass out. Just ask joytron lol

[mcherbie]

[quote name='Skoozle' timestamp='1338822480' post='548566']
I'm sure lung cancer is under diagnosed in North Africa. No one in the US gets or dies from Lung Cancer without it being reported. I'm sure there are tons of people in North Africa that have never seen an X-ray machine, much less had a chest X-ray.
[/quote]

Guess you are right to some extent, but 8 times as many deaths in US? Even if the figures are 50% wrong that's 4 times as many.

[Skoozle]

Oh, I wasn't trying to argue against you, but more making a point about these types of studies in general.

I personally believe that cigarettes are much more harmful than hookah and I have smoked both more than a few times. I also believe that cigarettes are not as harmful as some people make them out to be. I also believe that there are a whole bunch of things that we expose ourselves to every day that are as "harmful" as hookah but we don't think twice about those.

People can find data and studies to support just about any point or agenda. If you want a study you can truly trust, you have to conduct the study yourself. I don't think there are many of us here that have the means to do that.

Bottom line is, If you want to be as health as possible, dont smoke hookah. If you want to be as happy as possible, smoke hookah; if that's what makes you happy. It's not bad enough to avoid if you are an adult and enjoy it.

[seefoodlover]

Listen, Smoking a pack of cigarettes over the course of a night at a bar leaves you kind of fighting for air, not to mention if you had already smoked a pack during your long, busy, productive day before hand. That is 40 cigarettes, and I'm already starting to choke.

Definately think that cigarettes are plenty worse than hookah. It's a totally different type of smoking though.

But trying to differentiate... It's kind of like asking which is more dangerous, a Polar bear or a Grizzly bear. Well, they are both bears, so they are both relatively dangerous, only polar bears are white and fluffy

[brookesaywhatx]

I used to smoke a pack a day, and boy let me tell you - it took a HARD toll on my body. Like others said.. it would be harder to breath, always, I would be gasping after walking up stairs. I was admitted into a mental hospital (judge me.) for a week for personal problems....obviously I couldn't smoke there. By the time I got out I felt like a new person. My heart wasn't constantly pounding while I walked, I could breath normal again and I just all around felt better. I'm still not one to work out lol I'm lazy as fuck, but I only smoke like 2 ciggs a day now and maybe an hour of hookah a day and I feel 95% better.