Additives in cigarettes page 2

[texas.grok]

I don't smoke, but my grandfather does smoke pipe and has since he was in his late teens. He's in his late 70s now, runs his own little farm with cattle and gardens. He's pretty damn strong, pretty damn healthy for his age; he can easily maneuver around and in the last 10 years has only been to the doctor once for himself-that was to get some eye surgery to help with vision.

Then there's my grandmother, who smoked cigarettes since her late teens and is in her early 70s now. She gave up smoking about 6 years ago due to health issues; she's had to take multiple doctor trips over the last ten years due to poor health ranging from sickness to falls. Her memory is also spotty sometimes and she's put on a good bit of weight since she quit.

Take that for what you will. The two have been eating the same diet for virtually the last 50 years or so. My grandfather is the classic white Southern farmer while my grandmother is full Japanese. Other than those differences, the only other ones were what they smoked. Grandpa smoked pipe, Grandma smoked cigs.

It's probably causality for than anything but that's my two cents, based on observation.

This reminds me of my great uncle. He was also a farmer, died back in the 70s. He was 96 when he died and to be honest, I think he just got tired and gave up when his family put him into a nursing home. He chain smoked un-filtered Camel cigarettes all his life. Worked from sunrise to sunset and when he was in his 80s was still limber enough to stand in front of a door and kick the top of a door frame. But when he started smoking, in his mid-teens, this was way before the government mandated reducing the tar and nicotine in cigarettes which was a large part of the reason for adding the chemicals. Perhaps another case of the government taking something a bit unhealthy and making it deadly.

Again, not arguing the point that tobacco products are not the healthiest thing you can do but if you are going to do it, the more natural, the better IMHO.

[Bioletti]

cigars are about the grossest thing. it looks like a big poop hanging off your lip. yuk.

and the stink of 'em. just yuk.

Funny comment. Interesting though that cigars or "cohiba" were smoked by primal Taino natives in Cuba when Columbus arrived. I'm assuming they were living the lifestyle we're aspiring to here? What about Native Americans here smoking peyote in their peace pipes?

In response to Texas.groks inquiry, I read about that years ago in the book "Sugar Blues". In fact, according to countless studies in Britain, cigar smokers had way fewer instances of cancer than cigarette or pipe smokers. And it was all about the "processing" method. Cigarettes and pipe tobacco are fire cured rather than air cured in barns for months, as are cigars. And afterwards many of the nasty things you mentioned are added to cigarettes, like sugar, opium additives, etc... If you read the book you'll get a more accurate picture, but so far it already looks like you've done your homework and don't need me to tell you. I thnk the film "The Insider" does a great job on this topic.

[doghug]

cigars are about the grossest thing. it looks like a big poop hanging off your lip. yuk.

and the stink of 'em. just yuk.

+1 so true!!!

[Forever Young]

To the OP,

I will agree with you that cigarettes are definitely the worst of the lot. No argument there.

[Paleobird]

To the OP,

I will agree with you that cigarettes are definitely the worst of the lot. No argument there.

True but comparing degrees of unhealthiness is kind of pointless. Like saying, "Is it more healthy to suck on the tailpipe of a Ferrari since it uses high octane gas and is well tuned as opposed to sucking on the tailpipe of an old beater car?"

They are both bad for you. Don't do either one.

[kenn]

True but comparing degrees of unhealthiness is kind of pointless. Like saying, "Is it more healthy to suck on the tailpipe of a Ferrari since it uses high octane gas and is well tuned as opposed to sucking on the tailpipe of an old beater car?"

They are both bad for you. Don't do either one.

Except millions of things that people do are bad for them in one or another, you try to limit the damage. Your analogy is flawed at best and your pov of the topic is rather narrow minded.

This whole smoking is the debil is a ridiculous example of public programming.

[Paleobird]

Except millions of things that people do are bad for them in one or another, you try to limit the damage. Your analogy is flawed at best and your pov of the topic is rather narrow minded.

This whole smoking is the debil is a ridiculous example of public programming.

Limiting the damage is all well and good for things that are beyond your control like pollutants in the air. But when you choose to pollute your body with one substance or another, you are just picking your poison.

And I thought it was a rather clever analogy and I think that you are narrow minded. So there.

[IcarianVX]

you don't inhale cigars or pipes - right? at least you're not supposed to. that explains the lack of impact on your lung function. don't kid yourself though, they're carcinogens, and you're swirling oxidized inflammatory compounds around in your mouth and the back of your throat. better than cigarettes? yeah sure. is that saying much? NO.

He said that he does inhale.

To the OP, I guess that if someone is trying to quit and wants to quit but needs/wants to do it gradually, it might be beneficial to use the more pure tobacco than some chemically enhanced version. But that is predicated by the fact that they do want to quit. Switching because it's "healthier" just sounds stupid.

[IvyBlue]

The cancers (esophageal, laryngeal, jaw, etc) associated with cigar and pipe smoking are among the nastiest you can contract, lung cancer would be a comparative walk in the park, at least you'd be dead fairly quickly w/o the pain and disfigurement.

It is a statistical gamble as to whether you will get sick but even the most cursory inquiry will answer your question. It's the tobacco, not the additives.

[texas.grok]

Thanks to all that contributed in a positive way to my post. To those that ranted about how terrible people look with a cigar/cigarette in their mouths, hardly productive. A bit like someone posting they like potato chips and you coming back with “I think that people that chips look like mangy buffalos standing in their own filth eating pringles”.

Hardly contributing anything positive to the thread.

We all chose our poisons. I would be willing to bet that everyone on this forum is ingesting some type of poison, knowingly, at some point as part of their 20% or on their “cheat” day. The balance here is that you do the very best you can to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Try to make your 80/20 more like 95/5 if possible and if you are going to ingest poisons, choose the one that is less harmful that the alternatives.

If your cheat is cereal, your choice might be un-chemically treated granola versus artificially colored, artificially flavored, chemically enhanced Coco-Puffs.

Logically, if you are going to consume tobacco products, the pure stuff has to be better for you, or at least less harmful, than poor quality tobacco with 599 chemical additives. Neither is good for you, one is less harmful, if you are going to use tobacco, choose the one less harmful. Again, logical, not that logic is rampant in threads like this mind you.