Benefits and harms of hookah smoking. Smoking hookah and its effects on the body

On graceful hookah vessels they do not write, as on cigarette packs, "Smoking is injurious to health, causes illness." So no negative action on the body from blowing clubs of fragrant smoke? Today we will figure out if there is any harm from a hookah, what provokes smoking a hookah, are there people who are strictly prohibited from this "fun", how often you can "pamper" yourself by visiting hookah halls.

load for the lungs

Can you smoke hookah? Let's figure out whether it is harmful to smoke a hookah. Let's start with the effect of smoke on the respiratory system. As you know, regular cigarettes have a strong load on the lungs and bronchi. It arises due to intense inhalation (smoke is sharply “driven” into the lungs and bronchi). This process harms the respiratory system. How different is drinking hookah smoke from smoking cigarettes? There are no differences, which means that the effect of hookah on the human body is definitely negative.

Some believe in the myth that hookah smoke is lighter and less dense than cigarette smoke. This is not true. The density is the same. With excessive filling of the lungs and bronchi, smoke contributes to the destruction of the epithelium, damage muscular system. With prolonged abuse of smoking, tissues do not have time to recover - harmful components are not excreted, accumulate, breathing becomes difficult, smoker's cough, shortness of breath quickly appear.

Scientists with the help special device studied the change in lung volume in 150 volunteers, among whom were heavy smokers, moderate smokers, hookah lovers. As a result, the lungs of smokers of the first group received a dangerous load in 30% of puffs. Excessive filling of the lungs with smoke in those who smoked moderately was observed in 21% of all puffs. In hookah drinkers, the lungs were incorrectly filled in 23% of smoke inhalation. It turns out that the filling of the lungs and bronchi with smoke when smoking a hookah is exactly the same as with the usual consumption of cigarettes (see photo).

The concentration of toxic substances

A common myth: smoking a hookah, although not good for the human body, but all substances are quickly removed from the body, do not accumulate. In fact, harmful substances from hookah smoke penetrate deeper than from cigarette smoke. In addition, substances from the composition are much harder to remove from the tissues.

Smoking a hookah is characterized by a higher concentration of nicotine and other components - a person will receive almost twice as much of them as even after using the strongest cigarette without a filter. The reason for using chilled water or milk is tobacco smoke it will be easier to be absorbed by the body and will be able to penetrate to the most remote tissues in the lungs, bronchi.

We continue to answer the question: smoking hookah is harmful or not? Scientifically proven fact: it contains nothing useful. The Swiss scientist Bent Arnetz was able to prove that in large doses hookah will be more harmful than regular cigarettes. Compared to cigarettes, hookah smoke contains 7 times more carbon monoxide ( carbon monoxide). If such a large number of gas will enter the bloodstream regularly, the consequences of hookah smoking can be serious.

A person can immediately notice the harm from smoking a hookah. Signs of carbon monoxide poisoning in a smoker are as follows:

1. Headache.
2. Dizziness.
3. Hearing loss.
4. "Asterisks" before the eyes.
5. Nausea.
6. Vomit.

Upon the occurrence of these symptoms, a person should be prohibited from smoking further, immediately taken to Fresh air ventilate, give a glass of water to drink. By the way, with regular smoking, these symptoms of primary poisoning may cease to be observed - the body will get used to the poison. The absence of symptoms should not reassure the smoker - harmful substances will continue to accumulate in the body, destroy it. There is an assumption that a constantly increased amount of carbon monoxide provokes oncology (primarily cancer of the lungs and larynx).

creepy lineup

The main reason why you can not smoke a hookah is the impact of the composition on human health. It has been confirmed that avid smokers are not healthy. But not everyone can admit that their addiction is the cause of the disease (after all, they smoke mixtures without tobacco, which is added to cigarettes - they use special tobacco for hookah). Make no mistake - the composition is dangerous.

Smoke, passing through a water or milk filter, continues to contain a large amount of carbon monoxide, tar, salts heavy metals. Even more dangerous is that low-quality hookah mixtures often contain arsenic, chromium, and lead. In one serving, the listed substances are minimal, so the harm of a hookah from one puff will not appear. But few people are limited to a couple of puffs. The situation is aggravated:

• duration of smoking. No need to prove, everyone understands that hookah smoking is a long process that takes several hours. Consequently, the concentration of the resulting substances will be strong.
• Smoke in the premises. They often smoke in hookah halls filled with thick smoke. Therefore, active smoking is complemented by passive smoking.

Frequent hookah smoking can have bad consequences. Lung problems may appear, libido worsens, heart disease worsens. It is worth remembering: hookah smoking can affect reproductive functionality, cause pathologies in a child.

Scientists have proved: due to the use of hot coals (they heat up to 600-650 degrees) and foil, along with smoke, not only smoking tobacco tar, but also other dangerous substances enter the lungs of a smoker. The most harmful of all is benzapyrene, a class 1 carcinogen. The insidiousness of benzapyrene is that it is not excreted from the body on its own and does not break down - it accumulates. At high concentrations in tissues, the substance can provoke cancer, cause DNA mutations.

Aggravating factors

There is a feature that adds danger and once again explains why the habit should be abandoned. When smoking a hookah, individual nozzles are rarely used, more often one pipe is used at all (passed in a circle).

If a sick girl or guy smokes a hookah, then her or his saliva is willy-nilly transmitted healthy people. Such salivation can bring many troubles, because a smoker can suffer from diseases such as herpes or tuberculosis. Yes, even if a person with a sore throat and a runny nose smokes, everyone with whom he smoked can get a cold, which is also not very pleasant.

Hookah smoking also harms when using third-party additives. It is especially dangerous when cannabis and wine are added to the fortress instead of a water or milk filter. This creates additional health problems.

Addiction

Tobacco smoke contains substances addictive(like cigarettes). But this danger, judging by the reviews of fans of this type of leisure, is not realized by everyone. It has been proven that if hookah smoking is done every day, then 2 months are enough for addiction to develop. Moreover, attachment is caused not only by chemicals. Psychological addiction also plays a role. A person often wants to explore new tastes, visit hookahs where he likes the atmosphere and company, wants to follow the fashion adopted in his environment.

How often can you smoke a hookah so that there are no problems? Remember: allowable doses, not dangerous to the body, does not exist. It is better not to allow yourself to smoke mixtures at all in order to prevent complications or the development of dependence.

How to quit smoking hookah? The same rules apply as for quitting cigarettes. Firstly, we must accept that the hookah brings harm, and the words about the benefits of the hookah are a myth. Secondly, you should want to stop smoking. Thirdly, one must be prepared that the period of failure will be stressful for the body - nutritional adjustment may be useful, physical activity taking drugs to restore the body. At strong dependence do not be shy to contact a specialist - a psychotherapist, a narcologist. Doctors know everything about the dangers of hookah smoking, they will be able to support a hookah smoker, help the patient get rid of a bad habit.

If the article could not convince you of the dangers of habits, you continue to doubt whether hookah is harmful or beneficial, we recommend watching the video “HARM OF SMOKING! SHOCKING FACTS!”:

Hookah smoking is a popular fashion recent years common even among teenagers. How harmful is hookah, and what are the health consequences of smoking it?

Hookah fashion - where did it come from?

Smoking - bad habit which affects more than a third of the world's population. Since smoking does not pose a visible danger to society, in most countries tobacco is not prohibited at the legislative level. However, inhalation of harmful smoke is extremely harmful to the health of the smoker and the people around him in the long term.

Perfectly aware of the harm of tobacco, smokers themselves are trying to find an alternative to their addiction. One of these alternatives has become a hookah - over the past few years, its popularity has greatly increased.

At first glance, this smoking device really looks quite attractive. First of all, hookah mixes have a pleasant aroma, not at all like the bitter smell of cigarettes. Inhaling fragrant fumes, smokers get real pleasure from the process. In addition, a hookah is associated with relaxation - you can’t smoke it on the run, but it comes in handy in a friendly company that wants to unhurriedly relax after a hearty meal.

Hookah can be found in many restaurants and cafes, more and more often small devices are purchased for home use. Use such devices and adults, and adolescents - the last smoking device seems like an opportunity to touch the "adult" world without harm to health.

Thus, the vast majority of smokers do believe that hookah is safe - or at least much less harmful than cigarettes. But is it true or is it for real? To understand this issue, first consider the principle of operation of the hookah device.

The principle of the hookah

What does any hookah consist of? Its main elements are a flask, a metal shaft, a cup for tobacco and a saucer for coals, as well as a flexible hose that extends from the bottom of the flask - smoke is inhaled through it.

Before using the device, a small amount of water is poured into the flask, then moist fragrant tobacco is placed in the cup, and coals are kindled on a special saucer. Since the saucer and cup are located close to each other, under the influence of high temperature, the tobacco begins to smolder - and emits a thick fragrant smoke. Through the shaft, this smoke descends into a flask filled with water, passes through a kind of water filter - and then enters the smoker's lungs through a hose.

Proving the safety of a hookah, smokers use exactly two main arguments. fundamental differences this device from a cigarette. They argue that not burning, but quietly smoldering tobacco emits much less harmful substances- and moreover, half of them settle on the walls of the mine and are filtered out by water. In the human body, an already purified mixture of essential oils and water vapor.

Is smoking hookah harmful?

Who is right in this dispute - smokers or doctors who claim that the use of the device is harmful to health? As much as smokers would like to believe otherwise, studies show conclusively that hookah is indeed harmful. And besides - much more than ordinary tobacco smoking.

• The composition of the tobacco mixture for a smoking device is no different from ordinary tobacco. Nicotine, harmful tar, formaldehyde and benzene - hookah mixtures also contain all these substances.
• When smoking a hookah mixture, a person inhales much more smoke than with several cigarette puffs. After all, if a cigarette takes only a few minutes, then you can smoke a hookah for an hour or longer - getting a hundred to two hundred times more nicotine and other harmful substances.
• When using a smoking device, tobacco smoke is saturated with a huge amount of carbon dioxide. In fact, for a long time, smokers voluntarily inhale carbon monoxide - which immediately affects their well-being and is harmful to health. To understand the scale, it is enough to say that in an hour a smoking device produces as much carbon monoxide as is emitted when smoking a whole pack of cigarettes.
• When puffing on a cigarette, most people inhale the smoke shallowly. With a hookah, the situation is different - in order to feel the taste and aroma of smoke, you need to make a significant effort to inhale. Because of this, smoke and all harmful substances enter not only the upper, but also the lower respiratory tract.

And finally, there is another danger - at first glance, not obvious. If the hookah is used not individually, but in big company, then between the participants of exotic smoking there is an exchange of saliva. This can lead to infection with colds, infectious and even sexually transmitted diseases- You can hardly say with certainty that all your friends are absolutely healthy.

Even using your own mouthpiece does not eliminate the problem - after all, microparticles of saliva during smoking also fall on the walls of the hose, mixing with steam at the next puff.

What are the consequences of frequent hookah smoking?

We have established that hookah is unequivocally harmful and cannot be considered a "harmless" substitute for cigarettes. But what exactly are the consequences for the body caused by the frequent use of a smoking device?

• First of all, a high concentration of carbon monoxide in the smoking mixture is harmful to the heart and vascular system of the body. Many smokers, especially inexperienced ones, complain about headache, dizziness and nausea after inhaling fragrant smoke - this is how an overdose of carbon dioxide manifests itself. With continued use, the smoking device leads to an increase blood pressure and contributes to the development of heart disease.
• The smoke inhaled when smoking wet tobacco mixture adversely affects health respiratory system. As we remember, in its composition, hookah tobacco is no different from ordinary tobacco - but the dosage of harmful substances is much higher. Resins and carcinogens settle on the walls of the larynx and lungs, provoking persistent cough and increasing the risk of developing oncological diseases. Hookah smokers are much more prone to seasonal colds because their immunity is reduced.
• By negatively affecting blood vessels, hookah mixtures impair brain function. Concentration of attention is disturbed, the ability to intense intellectual work is lost. That is why the hookah is especially dangerous for young people - it affects the quality of education.

Separately, it should be noted that passive inhalation of hookah fumes is just as harmful as the active use of a smoking device. By analogy with cigarette smoke, the smoke from the hookah does not enter the lungs of the smoker completely - some of it is dispersed in the air. Accordingly, everyone who is nearby is also forced to inhale the harmful fumes from smoldering tobacco.

What is more dangerous - hookah or cigarettes?

We studied the principle of the hookah and found that it is definitely unhealthy. It remains to be seen how. Is this harm comparable to the negative effect of cigarettes - or is a hookah even more dangerous than the usual way smoking?

Physicians unanimously argue that in the short and long term negative effect hookah is definitely more harmful than the usual cigarettes. The danger is primarily the duration of smoking - it is customary to sip fragrant smoke from a hose for 30 - 60 minutes. Thus, a person does much more deep breaths- and, accordingly, receives huge dosages of harmful substances and carbon monoxide.

Another danger of hookah is the rapid formation of a bad habit. Dependence conventional cigarettes develops more slowly, and it is a little easier to control it - because a person feels when he begins to lack nicotine. In the case of hookah, the situation is more complicated - most smokers justify the resulting cravings by saying that they simply want to try a new tobacco or enjoy their favorite flavor. Quitting a bad habit turns out to be very difficult - a strong addiction has time to form.

We can draw the following conclusion - it is best not to acquire such a habit as smoking at all. However, if the choice is between cigarettes and a hookah, it must be remembered that the smoking device is much more harmful, and cannot act as an “easy” replacement for ordinary cigarettes.

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Until relatively recently, hookah was not as widespread as it is now: most of the public establishments, such as restaurants and bars, offer it to their visitors. A certain part of smokers is firmly convinced that the harm of a hookah is a myth and, unlike cigarettes, blowing puffs of fragrant smoke does not have any negative impact on the human body. Is there any harm from a hookah and how does it manifest itself, that a large number of people find positive in such a pastime - this is what this article will be about.

In contact with

The main factor that harms the hookah on the human body is the chemical composition of smoking mixtures. And it does not matter at all whether nicotine is present in it or not. Despite the fact that smoke is cooled through water or wine before reaching the lungs, it still contains a large amount of various chemical components.

Most of these are salts of heavy metals, resins, formaldehyde and carbon monoxide. In addition to the smoking mixture, in lung tissue lovers of hookahs also receive a carcinogen belonging to the 1st hazard class - benzapyrene. This is caused by heating coals to a temperature of 600 - 650 degrees. This substance is not subject to independent removal from the body and decay, which, over time, can have an extremely negative impact on overall health.

There are also non-tobacco mixes for hookah.

Unfortunately, there are a large number of low-quality mixtures on the hookah tobacco market, which include arsenic and lead. Of course, the concentration of these substances is minimal, but with constant inhalation, this will clearly harm the state of health.

It is worth noting that a couple of puffs cannot harm the body with a hookah, but no one manages with a few puffs. Smoking a hookah is a rather lengthy process, taking at least an hour.

Do not forget about the dangers of passive smoking, because, as a rule, a hookah is smoked in special establishments - hookahs, which are filled with thick smoke.

Harm to the body of a man

Speaking about the harm that hookah brings to health, it is logical to start with negative impact to the central nervous system. A person who is already accustomed to relaxing, releasing a jet of fragrant smoke, sitting in a comfortable sofa or armchair, becomes a hostage to the “miracle flask” and is not himself if he does not receive the required dose of nicotine. In fact, a hookah is no different from alcohol or cigarettes and is also addictive.

Carbon monoxide and other components contained in rather large doses in smoke slowly but surely poison the smoker's body, causing various pathologies. The harm of a hookah in the case of its long-term smoking lies in the development and progression of:

• mild hypoxia;
• angina;
• ischemic heart disease;
• worsened vascular tone;
• other diseases of cardio-vascular system;
• pneumonia;
• bronchitis in the chronic stage;
• appearance malignant formations in lung tissue;
• decrease in visual acuity;
• irritation of the mucous membrane of the eye.

The appearance of shortness of breath, "stars" before the eyes, dizziness - these are the first signs that signal the dangers of hookah for human health.

It is also worth noting the fact that the use of a common mouthpiece, even with a protective plastic nozzle, can cause various diseases, such as tuberculosis or herpes.

If you like to smoke a hookah, and the benefits and harms for you are still empty words, use an individual mouthpiece. This will help protect your bacteria from the harmful effects of foreign pathogens, while reducing the harm from smoking.

In addition to all the problems outlined above, the harm from a hookah for men also lies in the deterioration of erection. Despite the strong excitement, the blood stops flowing into the cavernous bodies in the right volume, which, in turn, reduces potency. If a man continues to poison his body, it is likely that sexual dysfunction will develop.

The harmful effects of smoking on girls

Harm from a hookah for girls can affect not only their condition, but also the health of their children. As noted earlier, along with the smoke comes a fairly large amount of harmful substances. Some of them, the same benzapyrene, are unable to be excreted on their own and, as a result, accumulate in the body. In the case of a high concentration in the tissues of a woman of such substances, the condition immune system worsens, and DNA molecules are able to mutate.

Separately, it is worth noting the harm of hookah smoking for pregnant women or, more precisely, for a baby in the womb. Mother's blood, enriched with nicotine, causes oxygen starvation, causes vasoconstriction of the fetal brain and damages lung tissues. All this contributes to the birth of a child who will have problems with digestion, allergic reactions on various irritants, diathesis and other pathologies.

Do nicotine-free blends affect health?

Now nicotine-free mixtures for smoking are very popular, which, as many people think, are absolutely safe. However, this is just marketing ploy, no more. Of course, the harm of a hookah without nicotine is less harmful, but still there are: resins, salts of heavy metals and other harmful components chemical composition are not going anywhere.

An electronic hookah is one of the highly sought-after varieties of hookah without nicotine. It's basically a flavored vapor made with non-toxic propylene glycol, and it's supposed to be harmless. But this food supplement burns in the hookah and irritates the throat.

Is there any benefit?

Currently, hookah smoking is a whole ceremony and at the same time, an outlet for many people. Someone, releasing fragrant smoke, forgets about everyday problems for 1-1.5 hours, someone communicates with old friends or makes new acquaintances, and some people even solve their business issues.

The whole process takes place in a calm environment, often accompanied by soothing music and in an extremely comfortable position for the body, which allows you to slow down the pace of life, relieve stress and reload emotionally for at least a short time. In other words, the main benefit of hookah smoking is to get positive emotions from this process.

Some hookahs have the opportunity to pass inhalation therapy. To do this, instead of water, a tincture based on medicinal herbs and completely remove tobacco from the smoking mixture. Airways will receive a dose of positive impact, and the nerves will calm down. At the same time, do not forget that hookah smoking, or rather, the benefits and harms of this process go side by side, and together with positive effect your body will receive a certain amount of carbon monoxide.

Useful video

There is hardly a person who has never tried to smoke anything. But do we know what consequences await us? From this video you can find out what harm smoking, vaping and the good old hookah has for human health:

Conclusion

1. Tobacco smoke, regardless of its origin, can cause irreversible consequences for the body, ranging from ordinary shortness of breath to changes at the gene level.
2. As for such a newfangled hobby as a hookah, the health benefits and harms of smoking it have not yet been fully studied, but the following can be noted with confidence: you should not poison your body on your own. With this, and without your participation, the spoiled ecology does an excellent job, and the abundance stressful situations accompanying each person.

If you watch TV or read general websites, it turns out terrible truth- in today's world, everything is harmful: monosodium glutamate (contained in most meat products), preservatives (found in many berries in huge number), sugar, salt, air, water, coffee, flavorings, acidity regulators, emulsifiers (the most popular, by the way, lecithin is found in chicken eggs) and much more. In order not to become paranoid, any information needs to be checked, since the Internet gives access to a huge amount of information, including independent scientific research. In this article, I want to once again answer the question: how harmful is a hookah?

One hookah smoking session is compared by various articles with smoking from 1 to 100 regular cigarettes. The lethal amount for a person weighing 70 kg is about 35 pieces, but for a non-smoker, smoking even two cigarettes in a row is not the most simple task. Where do these stories about 100 cigarettes come from? It's all about misunderstanding. In appearance, it seems that a hookah smoker releases huge puffs of smoke, in connection with which a logical at first glance parallel is drawn “smoke is much more than from cigarettes, which means it is much more harmful than cigarettes”, but how much more harmful each writer of articles decides for himself . To talk about the dangers of hookah, you need to understand the fundamental difference between hookah and cigarettes. Cigarettes burn tobacco and the smoker inhales the smoke. There is no pyrolysis process in the hookah! The smoke from a hookah is actually a vapor formed during the evaporation of nicotine, glycerin and flavors contained in the hookah mixture. That is why the hookah mixture for hookah, after smoking it, looks like a withered lump, and not like ashes, because. ash is formed during the combustion process, which simply does not occur in a hookah. This confirms the study of the Research Institute of Tobacco, shag and tobacco products Russian Academy Agricultural Sciences:

To assess the harm from smoking a hookah, you need to understand that the main volume of hookah steam is made up of the smallest particles of glycerin (glycerin vapor), which is absolutely harmless to humans. Glycerin begins to evaporate at about 100 degrees Celsius. Only at a temperature of 290 degrees, glycerin boils. Long process boiling glycerin leads to the formation of poisonous acrolein gas, but, firstly, this requires the presence of catalysts and, secondly, so that the hookah does not taste bitter, the temperature in the cup should not rise above 150-170 degrees (with more high temperature or if the heat is too sharp, the sugar in the molasses starts to burn, or sugar syrup giving an unpleasant taste).

But as for nicotine, it is extremely harmful. poisonous substance, this is critical information to understand. It is because of nicotine that hookah smoking is harmful and should not be underestimated. There is a lot of information on the Internet about how harmful nicotine is, just read about nicotine, and not about cigarettes.

Another question is how much nicotine is in hookah tobacco? Unfortunately, today hookah mix manufacturers are not required to write down the nicotine content. Fortunately, this is not so important, because. you can go the other way and measure the content of nicotine in the blood plasma in the process of smoking hookah and cigarettes and compare the results. In fact, this is exactly what they did in this study (in English).

This graph shows that the peak level of nicotine in the blood plasma of a hookah smoker is reached after 45 minutes of smoking. The peak value is almost peak value when smoking a cigarette (slightly less). In other words, a 45 minute hookah smoking session is about the same as smoking one cigarette in terms of nicotine intake.

In addition to nicotine, carbon monoxide (CO) is harmful in a hookah, which is formed during the burning of coal for a hookah and smoldering cigarettes. Its other name is carbon monoxide and it is he who is responsible for the weakness and dizziness that can occur when smoking a hookah for too long. Carbon monoxide affects the level of carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) in the blood. Normal 0.5-1%, after smoking a hookah this figure is almost 4.5% (up to 70% of carbon monoxide is excreted from the body during the first hour, up to 96% - in 4-8 hours), and among residents big cities reaches 8-10%! An excellent article on this subject is available.

Thus, the effect of carbon monoxide when smoking a hookah is comparable to being in the polluted air of a big city, and there is nothing good in this.

conclusions

The most important conclusion is that hookah smoking is definitely harmful. It should not be considered a safe toy. According to the degree of harm, one session of smoking a hookah for 45 minutes by one person is comparable to the harm from smoking one cigarette. Get nicotine addiction from a hookah is quite difficult, because. it is almost impossible to smoke a hookah regularly (the process of preparation, smoking is too long, as well as the difficulty in transportation). In addition, the average hookah smoker smokes it about once a week. If you smoke more often, then understand that each time you smoke about one cigarette, how harmful it is, everyone will already determine for himself.

Do not smoke a hookah in the same room where you sleep or spend a lot of time, ventilate the room during and after smoking a hookah. For cafe owners, etc. establishments, it is extremely important to install high-quality devices for air circulation.

AT modern world we expose our body to a huge number of different harmful effects and, although our body is able to endure most of these effects with little or no consequences, try to compensate for them with more beneficial activities for it.

Hookah is one of ancient ways smoking. It was invented in India, and its modern look acquired already in Turkey in the 17th-19th centuries.

Smoking cigarettes, vaping, hookah - all this is the same thing: inhalation of smoke and nicotine. The only question is which of the listed list is more harmful. The debate about whether hookah is harmful is still ongoing.

How is hookah smoking done?

Today, hookah smoking service can be found in many cafes and restaurants.

Hookah is an exotic device for smoking tobacco mixture. The role of the filter in it is performed by a flask with some liquid, but more often with water.

For smoking a hookah, special smoking mixtures with aromatic additives are placed in the bowl, which are covered with hot coals on top.

The smoker draws smoke through the pipe. Thus, the smoke from the bowl with the smoking mixture rises into the flask, and through the tube into the lungs of the smoker.

Due to such a long path, the smoke cools more, and along the way it is moistened. All this creates a feeling of greater safety of the process for a person.

Is hookah harmful to health?

Let's look at what harm a hookah can bring to the body and what are its main disadvantages.

Development of addiction

Dependence on hookah smoking is impossible - this is the argument that hookah lovers rest on, emphasizing that it is more harmless compared to cigarettes.

However, this statement applies more to those people who like to breathe hookah on weekends, for example, or even a couple of times a month.

However, regular hookah smoking causes the same addiction that cigarette smokers have to contend with. And this addiction is based on nicotine. Of course, we do not take nicotine-free blends for consideration.

How many cigarettes are in the hookah?

Almost 8 pieces – for one smoking, the lungs of a hookah user are affected by 8 cigarettes.

Here's how the calculation came about:

• One pack of hookah tobacco weighing 50 g is saturated with nicotine up to 0.05%, which is approximately 25 mg.
• It is designed for an average of 4 servings.
• This means that one smoking is 6.25 mg of nicotine, while one cigarette contains 0.5-0.8 mg.
• That is, one serving of hookah tobacco contains 7 and a half times more nicotine than a cigarette.

The neurotoxic effect of nicotine is almost instantly addictive.

Unlike a cigarette, the first experience of hookah smoking can seem pleasant and attractive, which encourages the hookah lover to use this method of relaxation more and more often.

About the dangers of deep inhaling

A big problem hookah lies in the fact that with strong tightening, the resins settle not on the bronchi and on the upper part of the lungs, but on the much more sensitive middle and lower parts of the lungs, which several times increases the risk of developing lung cancer.

A hookah smoker gets as much harm from one smoking as a heavy smoker who smokes more than a pack of cigarettes daily.

Imperfect Filtration

Hookah advocates often claim that a liquid filtration system cleans the smoke very well. However, no water filter can cope with the amount of harmful substances contained in hookah smoke.

If, when smoking ordinary cigarettes, the lungs take up to 400 ml of smoke, then when using a hookah mixture, the amount of smoke increases to 2 liters.

The liquid filter on the water retains up to 90% of phenols, acrolein, acetaldehyde, 50% particulate matter and part of polycyclicenes and benzopyrene. Slightly when passing through the filter, the amount of nicotine decreases. However, chromium, arsenic and lead continue to severely poison the body.

Sometimes you can hear another false statement that a milk filter is more effective. This is not true. Milk is also not able to filter out all toxins, so it only affects taste qualities smoke.

Composition of hookah tobacco

Let's look at what kind of tobacco is part of smoking mixtures.

Often, hookah tobacco is made in a handicraft way and is not subjected to any examination and control.

A smoker, filling his device with such tobacco, often does not know what composition it is, where the raw material was grown, how it was processed, how it was stored.

And tobacco is not so terrible as smoldering coals.

Carbon monoxide formation

To get hookah smoke, coals are heated to a temperature of 600 degrees. It is under such conditions that benzapyrene begins to form, which has a mutagenic effect - causing DNA mutations.

Hazardous impact benzapyrene is aggravated by the formation of carbon monoxide, the harmfulness of which is beyond doubt. Oxygen starvation is caused by the binding of hemoglobin molecules.

As a result of hypoxia internal organs stop getting oxygen. The brain, trying to solve this problem, constricts blood vessels, and the heart begins to contract harder, trying to pump more blood to supply the organs with oxygen.

However, instead of oxygen, the smoker continues to saturate the body with carbon monoxide mixed with harmful impurities.

Second hand smoke

Hookah is smoked indoors, so non-smokers sitting in the neighborhood are also exposed to the toxic effects of fumes.

People who are close to the smoker inhale not only the smoke emitted from the mouthpiece, but also the fumes emanating from hot coals and moist tobacco.

The harmful effect of hookah smoking on passive smokers is obvious. People begin to complain of headaches, weakness, nausea, even just after sitting in a smoky room for half an hour.

Definitely harms the health of passive smokers:

• Nicotine.
• Benzopyrene.
• Carbon monoxide.
• Salts of heavy metals.

Hygiene

When smoking hookah, hygiene rules are constantly violated: the mouthpiece passes through many people.

Not everyone agrees to constantly change disposable nozzles: it seems to someone that this slows down the process of getting pleasure, it just seems to someone that he is showing disrespect to his friends in this way.

This increases the risk of transmission of common viruses such as herpes and diseases like sore throats. In this regard, cigarettes are much more hygienic.

Why is hookah harmful?

For the body, smoking a hookah and cigarettes is equally harmful - doctors say so.

Let's take a closer look at what will happen if you smoke a hookah and what effect it has on the human body.

Harm to the cardiovascular system

An increase in the concentration of nicotine in the heart muscle tissues leads to their gradual dystrophy, which is the root cause of the development of myocardial infarction.

Inhalation of hookah smoke leads to:

• Decrease in the amount of oxygen in the blood.
• development of atherosclerosis.
• Thickening of the blood.
• Thrombus formation.
• Deterioration of blood circulation.

All of the above reasons can indirectly cause premature death.

Blood clots can cause blood clots to form. torn off blood clot enters the bloodstream and begins its movement through the body. Sooner or later, he clogs the vessel, blocking the access of blood to it. As a result, a stroke occurs in the organ that has undergone oxygen starvation.

Lethal consequences are most common when a blood clot enters the head or heart.

Impact on the lungs

Hookah smoke fills the lungs, settling on them in the form of resins, which cause damage to the alveolar sacs.

Connective tissue lung loses its elasticity, which increases the risk of bronchiectasis - a chronic expansion of the bronchi. This disease threatens with shortness of breath, frequent exacerbations of cough and secondary complications - cardiopulmonary insufficiency, abscess, pulmonary hemorrhage.

Destruction of the lung epithelium leads to the development of frequent pharyngitis and chronic bronchitis followed by more serious pathologies like cancer.

Effect on the central nervous system

Half an hour after the start of smoking a hookah, the vessels narrow sharply. Exposure to nicotine reduces blood oxygen saturation, leading to hypoxia. At this stage, both the brain and the nervous system suffer.

Irritability, fatigue, poor appetite and sleep disorders - all this characteristic symptoms avid hookah.

Diseases may also develop:

• Neuritis.
• Radiculitis.
• Polyneuritis.
• Plexitis.

Tobacco smoke can cause multiple sclerosis, which is the extreme degree of damage nervous system.

Harm hookah for vision

Oddly enough, the effect of hookah smoke on the eyes is even greater than that of cigarette smoke.

For vision, hookahs are harmful in that their smoke causes:

1. Conjunctivitis - smoke is an allergen and irritates the mucous membrane of the eyes, which causes redness, tearing and burning.
2. blockage of blood vessels hookah smoking contributes to a sharp contraction of blood vessels, which disrupts the blood supply to the retina and choroid eyes, which can cause damage optic nerve.
3. tobacco amblyopia- that is, damage to the central part of the retina. Due to dystrophy of the retina is lost central vision.
4. cataract- turbidity eye lens. Smoke-induced clouding of the lens can cause loss of vision.
5. Uveitis- inflammation of the vascular membrane of the eye. Symptoms of pathology - photophobia, lacrimation, loss of vision. It develops due to the inhalation of smoke.

According to statistics, every tenth hookah user risks losing his eyesight completely.

The harm of a hookah for a man's health

According to statistics, men smoke hookah much more often than women.

For men's health daily and prolonged exposure to hookah smoke is even more dangerous than for women:

1. The elasticity of the vessels worsens, due to which the blood stops flowing to the male genital organ.
2. Lymph fluid ceases to saturate the cavernous bodies, which has a negative effect on potency.
3. After a while, sexual dysfunction sets in. Already by 30-35, hookah lovers who smoke mixtures 3-4 times a week are at risk of becoming impotent.
4. Sperm activity decreases, which can lead to problems with conception.

Advantages of hookah without nicotine

Smoking hookah has and positive sides.

The originality of the process, the beauty of the ritual, the pleasant aroma - this is what attracts many people to periodically enjoy smoking.

Even in the process of hookah smoking there is no burning of paper, which is a factor in the formation of many toxic substances.

As for water filtration, it is practically helpless when cleaning smoke from nicotine and benzopyrene, but it cleans it very well from toxic substances. chemical substances- acrolein and acetaldehyde.

In addition, there is always the opportunity for a smoker to switch to nicotine-free mixtures, the effect on a person of which is much less detrimental.

There are 3 types of nicotine-free tobacco:

• Volcanic minerals impregnated with a special syrup.
• A cream applied to the sides of a tobacco bowl.
• Natural blends that use dried herbs and root vegetables instead of tobacco, mixed with flavors and glycerin.

On the one hand, this option is more harmless. The main thing is to choose natural smoking mixtures from a reliable proven manufacturer.

On the other hand, any chemical flavoring in the composition of the mixture, when heated, becomes a carcinogen.

The dangers of hookah compared to cigarettes

After considering all the pros and cons of hookah smoking, and evaluating how it is useful and dangerous, you can understand how hookah smoking affects human health.

And if we compare it with cigarettes, we can note the following:

• In cigarettes, the smoke passes only through the filter, and in the hookah - through the shaft, on the walls of which enough harmful substances settle and through the water filter. Thus, the composition of the smoke improves and causes less damage to the body.
• Cigarettes contain paper, which, when burned, is also a source of many toxins.

Precautionary measures

If you are a hookah lover for a long time, take at least elementary precautions:

• Buy tobacco only in packaging containing information about the manufacturer and composition.
• Do not smoke for more than one hour.
• Do not use as a filter alcoholic drinks, their vapors can come into contact with the toxins in the smoke.
• Don't take deep drags.
• Remember to remove excess carbon monoxide through the valve every 15 minutes.
• Use disposable mouthpieces.
• Rinse the device thoroughly after each use.
• It is definitely dangerous to smoke and breathe hookah for pregnant women and children.

By following these rules, you can reduce the harmfulness of hookah to the body and smoke it really for pleasure and relaxation, and not to the detriment of your health.