Which Is Worse For You, Cigarettes Or Cigars?

By Darren Williger

If you have ever smoked and even if you have not, we are all bombarded with warnings, commercials, and other media advertising telling us how bad cigarette and cigar smoking is for us and others. They can both cause cancers and other lung problems. Also, we have all heard too that secondhand smoke is bad for others as well. Is either one of these worse than the other though? Are cigars somehow better for you because you do not inhale them, unlike cigars? As it turns out neither is good for you and both can cause the same problems.

As with anything, how much you smoke either cigarettes or cigars will determine the increased health risk. There was research done at the national Cancer Institute that has shown that the health risks that cigarettes and cigars created is linked to how often you smoke either of these or both. If you smoke on a daily basis then you are going to run a higher risk of developing cancer or other diseases than the person who only smokes occasionally. However, there is evidence that cigars actually much more carcinogens then cigarettes. Also, cigar smoke has been shown to be much more toxic than any secondhand cigarette smoke. Much of the reason for this is that cigars are larger than cigarettes and then produce more smoke.

There have also been many other debates concentrated on the issues of inhaling nicotine while smoking cigarettes or not inhaling cigars. Very dedicated cigar smokers will argue that cigars are not as dangerous as cigarettes because they are not inhaling the smoke and so then they are not getting as much of the toxins. However, The National Cancer Institute's research actually shows that both cigars and cigarettes have carcinogens and anyone smoking is then exposed to them.
This is whether they inhale or not. Even if you are not inhaling you are still exposing your mouth, gums, tongue, and teeth to the same toxins. The carcinogens are part of the cigarettes and cigars and so when you hold them, these toxins are escaping. Then when saliva touches either one of these there is transfer and the toxins are still swallowed. Once swallowed your throat, larynx, and esophagus are now exposed to the carcinogens, toxins, and irritants. Whether holding, lighting, or smoking a cigar or cigarette both appear to give off approximately the same amount.

Furthermore, all research to date shows the health risks that are associated with cigars and cigarettes could be reduced by less smoking and less inhalation when you do smoke. Since, most cigarette smokers typically inhale deeply while smoking and smoke on a more regular basis they usually show up with a higher risk of developing health problems. One study by The National Cancer Institute showed that smoking one pack a day of cigarettes was equivalent to smoking five cigars a day.

Either way really we all know smoking anything can be bad for you. It is not good for your health regardless of how often or when you smoke. Deciding to quite all together would probably be a better idea.

Darren Williger is an over-caffeinated, low carbohydrate eating, winemaking sales maker who writes for CigarMaven.com, SmokersWebsite.com, and Williger.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Darren_Williger

Hookah smoking: Is it safer than smoking cigarettes?

Hookah smoking is not safer — and may even be more harmful — than smoking cigarettes.
From MayoClinic.com

Q: Is hookah smoking safer than cigarettes? I've been told that the water used in the hookah makes the tobacco less toxic.

There is a myth that hookah smoking is safer than smoking cigarettes because the hookah smoke is filtered through water before it is inhaled. But recent studies have found that hookah smokers actually inhale more nicotine than do cigarette smokers because of the massive volume of smoke they inhale.

Hookah — also called narghile, shisha and goza — is a water pipe. The device has been used for centuries in the Middle East and Asia to smoke tobacco. Now, hookah bars and cafes are popping up across the United States — fueled by the growing popularity of hookah smoking among teens and young adults.

The hookah device consists of four parts:

• A base, or smoke chamber, which is partially filled with water
• A bowl, which contains tobacco and the heating source
• A pipe that connects the bowl to the base and dips into the water in the base
• A hose, a second tube in the pipe that does not dip into the water but opens into air in the base and allows users to inhale the hookah smoke

When a smoker inhales through the tube, a pressure difference forces air past the heating source and heats the tobacco, which gives off smoke. The smoke is pulled away from the tobacco and passes through the water and into the smoke chamber — where it is inhaled by the smoker.

Although many believe that the water in the hookah filters out all the "bad stuff" in the tobacco smoke, this isn't true. According to a recent World Health Organization (WHO) advisory, a typical one-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette. Even after passing through the water, the tobacco smoke produced still contains high levels of toxic compounds, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens). Hookah smoking also delivers significant levels of nicotine — the very addictive substance in tobacco.

The trend of hookah smoking has doctors and public health experts concerned because — despite the claim of many users — smoking from a hookah is just as dangerous as smoking a cigarette.

content by:
Mayo Clinic

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