Health Benefits of Pipe Smoking
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flakey, can't quit the job, then you wouldn't be able to afford pipes and tobacco. The hard proof is that I said it, do you not know who I am? I think the Holiday Inn reference went over your head. lol
@harris, yes it did, and I still don't understand it! Nevertheless forum members may/may not be reassured that my 'bowls smoked per day' average score is much higher than most. I must be one of the most contemplative and relaxed members here, or perhaps anywhere!! LOL
PS I'll keep the dog as well (there are proven health benefits from dog ownership) and forget about exercising anything but my right arm (to heft a glass!).
PS I'll keep the dog as well (there are proven health benefits from dog ownership) and forget about exercising anything but my right arm (to heft a glass!).
Nobody is going to like the study my wife read about how married men live longer than single men. Of course I can see how that could be. If I wasn't married I would smoke all day, drink more Scotch and work only enough to put a small roof over my head and pay for my hunting, pipe smoking, Scotch/Irish Whiskey vices. Somewhere in there I would need a garage to put my 1966 Mustang Fastback that I cannot currently afford due to said wife, kids, pipes, hunting and much larger roof than I need. LOL
Makes sense to me. So I'm off for my thrice weekly cross country walk through Fryman canyon, a good five miles of huffing and puffing uphill and down.
flakeyjakey, interesting to hear about the health aspects of pipe smoking from a physician. Because pipe
smokers are a small cohort, and possibly disproportionately older, it is unlikely enough high quality
and conclusive studies could be done to illustrate either a health danger or a health benefit. There is not
much political motivation for pipe smoking studies. I suspect part of the positive side of pipe smoking is
lost because of prohibitions on smoking in public places. Smoking in social settings would be an incentive
for men to socialize, which they tend to do significantly less than women, and this would impart benefits.
Forums is a sort of surrogate smoking lounge, but probably not as beneficial as if we were harassing each
other and telling tall tales in person.
smokers are a small cohort, and possibly disproportionately older, it is unlikely enough high quality
and conclusive studies could be done to illustrate either a health danger or a health benefit. There is not
much political motivation for pipe smoking studies. I suspect part of the positive side of pipe smoking is
lost because of prohibitions on smoking in public places. Smoking in social settings would be an incentive
for men to socialize, which they tend to do significantly less than women, and this would impart benefits.
Forums is a sort of surrogate smoking lounge, but probably not as beneficial as if we were harassing each
other and telling tall tales in person.
mso489, I agree with all you say. I think it is unlikely there will ever be sufficient cohort sizes to achieve an evidence base specifically on pipe smoking sufficient to prove any of this one way or the other. And anyway there is no motivation to carry out incisive research on the subject. Therefore pipe smoking is usually 'lumped' with cigarette smoking in the perception of the medical world, and the world in general, without any evidence to say that this is scientifically appropriate and to the detriment of our hobby.
I'll not comment on the medical benefits either way but I will say that my great grandfather smoked a pipe and chewed tobacco and died happy at over 100 years old.
pylorns, there are all kinds of notions and theories about previous generations and their longevity despite what are considered bad
habits. Earlier generations walked five or ten times as much as people do on an average today, and had all kinds of other
physical demands that may have made them more durable. Their water, air, and food was likely better, both less contaminated
and more nutritious. Arguably, the exposures to both ambient microbes and allergens may have made people stronger, if
they survived at all. For those who survived infectious diseases, those experiences may have invigorated their immune systems.
Many people may have died early because of specific exposures or habits, maybe including smoking. The life expectancy
was lower in previous generations. My wife's grandma died at 99 and was a Conestoga wagon pioneer, as an infant. She had
to be retaught to walk because of the wagon trip. But she neither smoked nor drank. Hard to calculate the individual experience.
habits. Earlier generations walked five or ten times as much as people do on an average today, and had all kinds of other
physical demands that may have made them more durable. Their water, air, and food was likely better, both less contaminated
and more nutritious. Arguably, the exposures to both ambient microbes and allergens may have made people stronger, if
they survived at all. For those who survived infectious diseases, those experiences may have invigorated their immune systems.
Many people may have died early because of specific exposures or habits, maybe including smoking. The life expectancy
was lower in previous generations. My wife's grandma died at 99 and was a Conestoga wagon pioneer, as an infant. She had
to be retaught to walk because of the wagon trip. But she neither smoked nor drank. Hard to calculate the individual experience.
Male "Do you believe everything you read on the internet?"
Female "They can't put it on the internet if its not true."
Male "Where did you read that?"
Together, "the internet."
Female says as random guy who looks like he should be LARPing in the woods "Oh here's my date, he is a french model. I met him on the Internet!"
Other Male "model" Bonjour!
I can say this to each his own, my grandfather chewed and had cancer in his ear and died, I doubt he stuffed the chew behind his ear to save it for later. My great great uncle didn't smoke, chew or drink, was mowing his lawn the other day went inside to rest. After going to the bathroom he peed all over the place, started puking told his wife to call 911 and fell over dead. My other grandfather never did any of the "culprits" either and has suffered more heart attacks than I can count on both hands. Doctors say the only reason he is still alive is the small dog that helps him relax. I'm no doctor or will claim that what I'm about to say is fact cause we all know it isn't. If I offend anyone I'm sorry.
Most research probably is padded to a certain degree cause who can disprove it, everyone blames tobacco but is alcohol any better? Anyone remember how Cigs and Alcohol both use to sponsor sports, now all you see is just beer commercials on them? I believe at some point someone who didn't like smoke said I'm gonna prove this is bad for you and work towards getting it stopped in public. I remember different areas of a restaurant being dedicated to non-smoke or smoking. I will say I notice a trend with cigarette smokers, as they will usually just throw their butts down on the ground. Being a private early in my military career I was told to pick up the smoke area (why I don't smoke that shit). I refused until they brought me some rubber gloves, at that point it was a direct order.
Will smoking kill you? Maybe, but so will downing that 40 oz of beer over time, as well as driving like a fool down a freeway, or eating nothing but big macs. As far as exercise how many here exercise on a regular basis? Before I joined the military I weighed 167 now I weigh over 210 not a huge difference. However I work out most days, and have to keep running to be able to maintain a certain run time. I can't do push ups anymore due to a torn ligament, both knees pop like crazy, it hurts when I first wake up and start walking, and both shoulders are almost done for. Doctors told me to no longer lift weights and just do "what I can". I think I was healthier before I joined as I could do just about anything I wanted. I think all that working out will wear my body out before relaxing and puffing on my favorite pipe will.
Well my rant is over.
Female "They can't put it on the internet if its not true."
Male "Where did you read that?"
Together, "the internet."
Female says as random guy who looks like he should be LARPing in the woods "Oh here's my date, he is a french model. I met him on the Internet!"
Other Male "model" Bonjour!
I can say this to each his own, my grandfather chewed and had cancer in his ear and died, I doubt he stuffed the chew behind his ear to save it for later. My great great uncle didn't smoke, chew or drink, was mowing his lawn the other day went inside to rest. After going to the bathroom he peed all over the place, started puking told his wife to call 911 and fell over dead. My other grandfather never did any of the "culprits" either and has suffered more heart attacks than I can count on both hands. Doctors say the only reason he is still alive is the small dog that helps him relax. I'm no doctor or will claim that what I'm about to say is fact cause we all know it isn't. If I offend anyone I'm sorry.
Most research probably is padded to a certain degree cause who can disprove it, everyone blames tobacco but is alcohol any better? Anyone remember how Cigs and Alcohol both use to sponsor sports, now all you see is just beer commercials on them? I believe at some point someone who didn't like smoke said I'm gonna prove this is bad for you and work towards getting it stopped in public. I remember different areas of a restaurant being dedicated to non-smoke or smoking. I will say I notice a trend with cigarette smokers, as they will usually just throw their butts down on the ground. Being a private early in my military career I was told to pick up the smoke area (why I don't smoke that shit). I refused until they brought me some rubber gloves, at that point it was a direct order.
Will smoking kill you? Maybe, but so will downing that 40 oz of beer over time, as well as driving like a fool down a freeway, or eating nothing but big macs. As far as exercise how many here exercise on a regular basis? Before I joined the military I weighed 167 now I weigh over 210 not a huge difference. However I work out most days, and have to keep running to be able to maintain a certain run time. I can't do push ups anymore due to a torn ligament, both knees pop like crazy, it hurts when I first wake up and start walking, and both shoulders are almost done for. Doctors told me to no longer lift weights and just do "what I can". I think I was healthier before I joined as I could do just about anything I wanted. I think all that working out will wear my body out before relaxing and puffing on my favorite pipe will.
Well my rant is over.
@mso489 true, he lived a life many would love that's for sure - bacon and eggs for breakfast with an extra helping of bacon...
I have heard of the study that says that pipe smokers living longer than non smokers. I wonder how well they controlled for demographics. If pipe smokers were as a group wealthier and whiter that accounts for an increased lifespan if it was not taken into account.
There was a rumor at one point that the nicotine in tobacco helped prevent or delay neurological diseases
like Alzheimer's, but I'm dubious that the understanding of that and similar diseases is advanced enough
to know what effect nicotine would have on it. However, I sometimes think about that story when I light
up my pipe, hoping it will have a strong placebo effect (you know, where the sugar pill makes you
healthier -- which is an actual and somewhat powerful effect).
like Alzheimer's, but I'm dubious that the understanding of that and similar diseases is advanced enough
to know what effect nicotine would have on it. However, I sometimes think about that story when I light
up my pipe, hoping it will have a strong placebo effect (you know, where the sugar pill makes you
healthier -- which is an actual and somewhat powerful effect).
Very interesting!
I have given a light reading of the report That mso highlighted.
http://www.davehitt.com/facts/index.html
No activity is unsafe I guess At least not totally.
Happy puffing.
I have given a light reading of the report That mso highlighted.
It looks like the authors did take some liberties with the statistical analysis with respect to CI and grouping only pipers with pipers who had used cigarettes also. To understand this, look at the "statistics 101" in the Facts article:
http://www.davehitt.com/facts/index.html
No activity is unsafe I guess At least not totally.
Happy puffing.
There is a very interesting book still available and written by W.C. Douglass, MD titled "The Health Benefits of Tobacco". Apparently this maverick and award winning MD loves his cigars and did his own analysis of the data on smoking which as you should know was biased to 'prove' smoking harmful. With cigarettes it is hard to dispute but with pipes and cigars it is another game. First the original Surgeon generals report of 1964 which stated that those
who smoke 2.5 packs a day of cigarettes or more had 20 times the lung cancer rates ALSO found that life time pipe smokers who only smoked a pipe actually lived longer than none smokers. PIPES ARE NOT CIGARETTES and tobacco owes most of its bad reputation to cigarettes - a defective tobacco product. Recently a friend of mine came down with moderate kidney disease and wondered how smoking might effect his kidneys; he did some research and found this:
Cigarette smokers are almost twice as likely to develop kidney disease and about twice as likely to progress to end stage renal failure as none smokers BUT when they re-ran the study in a Scandinavian country and separated the cigarette smokers from the pipe smokers they found the same statistics for cigarette smokers BUT there was no increase in the incidence of kidney disease or its progression to end stage in pipe or cigar smokers. Personally
I've had some problems with high blood pressure which of course increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease, so I did some tests with my home wrist monitor blood pressure machine and found when I smoked a small cigarette shaped little cigar my blood pressure would spike 10 or 15 points for a least a few minutes BUT when I smoked a pipe my blood pressure would either stay the same OR more often than not would go down!
And you could put this info in your pipe and smoke it.
who smoke 2.5 packs a day of cigarettes or more had 20 times the lung cancer rates ALSO found that life time pipe smokers who only smoked a pipe actually lived longer than none smokers. PIPES ARE NOT CIGARETTES and tobacco owes most of its bad reputation to cigarettes - a defective tobacco product. Recently a friend of mine came down with moderate kidney disease and wondered how smoking might effect his kidneys; he did some research and found this:
Cigarette smokers are almost twice as likely to develop kidney disease and about twice as likely to progress to end stage renal failure as none smokers BUT when they re-ran the study in a Scandinavian country and separated the cigarette smokers from the pipe smokers they found the same statistics for cigarette smokers BUT there was no increase in the incidence of kidney disease or its progression to end stage in pipe or cigar smokers. Personally
I've had some problems with high blood pressure which of course increases your risk of stroke, heart attack, and kidney disease, so I did some tests with my home wrist monitor blood pressure machine and found when I smoked a small cigarette shaped little cigar my blood pressure would spike 10 or 15 points for a least a few minutes BUT when I smoked a pipe my blood pressure would either stay the same OR more often than not would go down!
And you could put this info in your pipe and smoke it.
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