Alzheimers & Tobacco

mso489 · Oct 29, 2014

Attended a reunion of biomedical health communications people, seven of us retirees. One of

the group is doing volunteer work for an Alzheimers organization, and said there is a study that

shows that smokers have thirty percent less incidence of Alzheimers than non-smokers. I know,

this is old news, but I'd never heard the percent quoted before. I think the health statistics on

cigarette smoking would still warn against that habit. But if you wanted people to have some

tobacco exposure, without having them inhale and have a high dose habit, pipe smoking is probably

the best alternative. Availability is limited by our non-smoking culture, but people can still have a low-dose

exposure that could have the beneficial effect. The prime suspect for the benefit is nicotine, but that

has by no means been proven. Other benefits of pipe smoking for older people are promotion of

sociability, where they can gather and smoke together, without drinking, which can have blood sugar

repercussions, and as a mild anti-depressant without some of the side effects of pharmaceuticals.

Listen to the side effects listed in ads for pharmaceuticals -- as bad as smoking a pipe any day.

newbroom · Oct 29, 2014

I play in a Senior Softball League and today one of the guys asked me for a sample of tobacco because my bringing my pipe to the field piqued his interest. He's a former piper, he said, and has a few pipes.

I gave him what I had in the car for the ride and asked for the CB pouch back. I had P&C BOR in it, and it's not bad. I told him to pack loosely and smoke slowly to taste the varietals within.

Before I'm through, I'll get the rest of the cig smokers going on pipes too.

huntertrw · Oct 29, 2014

mso489:
Dr. Fred Hanna maintains that there is a positive correlation between pipe-smoking and decreased incidence of Alzheimer's disease, and commented on this during at least one of his interviews on the Pipes Magazine Radio Show.

jitterbugdude · Oct 29, 2014

The Alzheimer's (AD) reduction is actually about 40% and the reduction in Parkinson's (PD) is 75% (dependent on how long you smoked). These reductions in AD and PD are based on moderate smoking- Hard to define, but 2 packs of cigarettes a day is NOT moderate smoking. The mechanisms are well known so there is not any conjecture as to how smoking reduces these two diseases so dramatically. And while I'm at it... it is very questionable that smoking causes cancer but for the sake of argument let's say that it does. There is absolutely no cure or preventative treatment for AD or PD except for smoking. There are many treatments for cancer. If AD or PD were to run in my family I would certainly recommend to family members to start smoking. Medicine can treat and sometimes cure cancer, it can do absolutely nothing to prevent AD or PD.
Smoke if ya got em

billypm · Oct 29, 2014

I had something to contribute to this discussion, but I've forgotten what it was... Sorry, couldn't resist.

drwatson · Oct 29, 2014

Listen to the side effects listed in ads for pharmaceuticals -- as bad as smoking a pipe any day

Cracks me up everytime a catch a commercial and hear all those side effects..Take this med and all your itching will go away! side affects include stroke, loss of sight, ED, heart attack, or sudden death.....NO THANKS! I'll keep the itch!

pylorns · Oct 29, 2014

I hit Dr. Hannah up a while back asking if I could create a presentation for my pipe club and he said he couldn't help cause he didn't have time but didn't care if I put it together. So here ya go: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/12xrXcIKRLi5ThCtd9kea-HXuWbpkCDO3byKucO9FVII/edit?usp=sharing

In 2012 a widely publicized study of nicotine was published in the journal, Neurology. Dr. Paul Newhouse a researcher at the University of Vermont, conducted a study that provided evidence that nicotine can actually reverse mild memory loss for people advancing in years. In the study 74 people with an average of 76 years of age were given a nicotine patch or a placebo as treatment for poor memory functioning. Those who used the patch regained 46% of normal memory function in the six-month trial period. The placebo group decreased by 26% over the same period.

numbersix · Oct 29, 2014

I hit Dr. Hannah up a while back asking if I could create a presentation for my pipe club and he said he couldn't help cause he didn't have time but didn't care if I put it together.

Thanks Pylorns for going to the trouble to assemble this info. Well done! Thanks again.

frank13 · Oct 29, 2014

Over lunch, I told my mother-in-law about this, and told her that for Christmas, I was going to buy her a carton of cigarettes. "Happy Christmas, Ma! Smoke up!"
She was not best pleased. :twisted:

tuold · Oct 29, 2014

drwatson said:

Cracks me up everytime a catch a commercial and hear all those side effects..Take this med and all your itching will go away! side affects include stroke, loss of sight, ED, heart attack, or sudden death.....NO THANKS! I'll keep the itch!

Yeah, they are required by federal law to include all those warnings even though a tiny percent of patients taking the advertised medication experienced some sort of adverse reaction even if it wasn't shown to be directly caused by the medication. If 3% of people taking a medication reported dizziness that has to be listed as a possible adverse reaction. Nothing wrong with that, but you do have look at the percentages to make a rational decision (with your doctor) as to whether or not you are going to take a medication. If you have just had surgery and the doctor prescribed Vicodin for a week post-op, knowing that constipation is one of the adverse reactions might lead you skip taking it...or maybe add a laxative, which is what most people do. It's always a risk/benefit decision.
My view of nicotine is pretty much the same as caffeine. Too bad the public has been so misinformed about nicotine.

foggymountain · Oct 31, 2014

Regarding Alzheimer's, there is something called ubiquinol which is said to help prevent it. Or COQ10, which is in it. I should be finding out pretty soon if it works. All the old people in my family got Alzheimer's, so far not I. Happy to hear tobacco helps. Turmeric is also supposed to be of help.

warren · Nov 1, 2014

I've said it before, if nicotine came in an IV bag I could quite smoking altogether. Wheeling the bag around while out shooting would be a bit of a drag though.

jitterbugdude · Nov 1, 2014

" there is something called ubiquinol which is said to help prevent it. Or COQ10, which is in it"
Unfortunately Ubiquinol does nothing for the prevention of AD. CoQ10 is converted in to Ubiquinol in the body. It mainly works by acting as an antioxidant in the mitochondria which is a big deal because very few antioxidants are able to penetrate the mitichondria (the power houses of the cell) As far as actual scientific studies, published in peer reviewed medical journals, tobacco has a pretty good track record in its relation to reducing the risk of getting AD. CoQ10 and Ubiquinol does not. Turmeric also has the reputation of helping to prevent AD but the data is a little sketchy. A lot of it is based on the observation that Indians have low AD percentages in their population and the suck down more turmeric than any other nation.
Not to get too off track here but... This is one of the main problems with our medical society. They look for THAT ONE SUBSTANCE to cure/treat. In reality, a multi-system approach usually works better. IF AD runs in your family, you should be consuming tobacco (in any form) and most likely fish oil and turmeric.

tbradsim1 · Nov 1, 2014

I can't remember what I wanted to say, what's that thing in my hand with smoke curling out of it. Hummprh!

johnnyreb · Nov 1, 2014

Thanks for the further explanation, Jitterbug. Does Omega3 help in regards to AD prevention, or just for better artery health? I used to take it until the time I got one stuck in my throat and it broke...never again!
Too bad the use of tobacco (and consumption of alcoholic beverages) has no known positive effect on arthritis. I'd have better days ahead!

foggymountain · Nov 1, 2014

Jitterbugdude: Thanks for the info. Ubiquinol does give me energy, and though I have trouble walking, it does make it less painful.

jitterbugdude · Nov 1, 2014

"Jitterbugdude: Thanks for the info. Ubiquinol does give me energy, and though I have trouble walking, it does make it less painful"
That would make sense since the mitochondria are the powerhouses of the cell.
As for fish oil, there are quite a few studies supporting its use to help prevent AD. Not as conclusive as tobacco but enough that I take it everyday. One more thing to consider about AD. It is often called Type 3 Diabetes. This is because the cells in the brain become insensitive to glucose. A way to prevent this is do consume a low carb (less than 50 g per day) diet. This will cause your brain to primarily use ketones for fuel, keeping your brain cells from becoming insensitive to glucose.
So the good news is... go grill some fish and smoke a pipe

frank13 · Nov 1, 2014

I was smoking some fish, but maybe I wasn't tamping it correctly, because it was damn hard to keep lit and gave me the worst tongue-bite I've ever had. The room note was pretty good, but it left a nasty aftertaste.

Alzheimers & Tobacco

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