Harm from cigars, cigarillos, hookah - Medical blog MedBooking.com

Cigarette smoking is gradually becoming less popular. And it is not only because society is moving away from bad habits. In general, there is a large-scale fight against smoking. Each pack has a warning about the dangers of nicotine. The country is banning smoking in public places. An information campaign is underway to explain the harm smoking causes to health. All this is bearing fruit. But, as they say, habit is second nature. In addition, other types of smoking devices are appearing that are positioned as less harmful. It is worth emphasizing that smoking any tobacco product is always the absorption of poison. However, the degree of risk and harm is different for each type. This forces us to consider and compare each of the existing methods of smoking tobacco.

The harm of cigars and their comparison with cigarillos

The choice between a cigar and a cigarette is a choice between a large dose of "natural" poison and gradual poisoning of the body with a whole mixture of substances. Cigars are smoked once every few days or even less often, while the average smoker smokes 10-20 cigarettes a day. The harm of cigars is not in doubt, but cigars are smoked rarely, in special cases, so they poison the human body less.

On the other hand, so-called cigarillos have recently entered the market. They are positioned as mini-cigars, but differ in many ways from their prototype. A cigarillo is also made of cut tobacco wrapped in a tobacco leaf. These products are also much smaller in size than cigars, and the low smoldering temperature allows you to add various natural flavors, which explains the relatively high price of cigarillos.

If you smoke cigarillos as rarely as cigars, then the harm from them will be less than from any other tobacco products. But cigarillos are small in size and are sold in packs, like cigarettes. All this provokes a more casual attitude towards cigarillos, smoking them more often.

Gradually penetrating the market, cigarillos are becoming more and more fashionable. Perhaps, they will not be able to displace other products of this industry, but mini-cigars have already found their niche. Undoubtedly, cigarillos cause quite serious harm. It is customary to consider tobacco products as the cause of lung cancer. A consultation with an oncologist will confirm that smoking is a powerful carcinogenic factor, one of the strongest in modern times. However, in reality, the effect of nicotine is much larger:

• significant damage is caused to the circulatory system, blood vessels narrow, and the composition of the blood changes. This affects the functioning of all organs without exception;
• the greatest damage is caused to the lungs, but other organs also suffer from oxygen starvation;
• a smoker harms his own heart and liver. Although the second of the listed organs really has amazing regenerative abilities, until a person gives up his bad habit, one cannot count on liver restoration. And even more so, one cannot ignore the disruptions in the functioning of the heart, which are provoked by smoking, including arrhythmia and tachycardia;
• smoking harms the brain: nicotine causes direct harm to nerve cells, narrows the blood vessels of the brain, which threatens a stroke.

In addition, if surgical intervention is necessary, during a consultation with a surgeon, you will learn that smoking is a contraindication to a number of operations.

Is the now fashionable hookah dangerous?

Harm is directly proportional to the dose. If you smoke hookah about twice a week, drug addiction may not occur.

When smoking hookah, a small amount of nicotine enters the body. At the same time, a person inhales large volumes of carbon monoxide, which is very harmful to the body.

But much more destructive is the conditions in which hookah is usually smoked. Firstly, in companies people often smoke through one mouthpiece, neglecting the rules of hygiene. In the best case, you can catch herpes. Secondly, hookah is often smoked in closed rooms (bars, cafes), so you condemn others to inhaling your smoke. Passive smoking is extremely harmful, do not forget about it. As for the "benefits" of hookah, there can be no talk of it. Tobacco is poison, no matter in what form it is sold.