How Do You Reconcile With Pipe Smoking's Health Risks?

[hauntedmyst]

and we tend to live way too long.
Smoking a pipe is a way to even the odds.
It’s not healthy. It’s not safe. Anyone who believes otherwise is either demented or deluded.
I enjoy the hell out it.

Those two things right there. I'm 56 and have no desire to see 96. If I get another 20 years, I'll be happier knowing I enjoyed my pipe along the way. It enhances my life rather than detracts.

 

[diamondback]

Personally, I think worrying about a thing gives it some odd power. Oh, there’s a physiological component to worrying for sure (I spent a couple years in nursing school before doing clinicals, which broke my heart so terribly I quit the nursing program — not for me). In addition there’s a biblical precept (I know I know) against worrying — in short: don’t do it! Easier said than done? Yeah. Especially with actual OCD ?

On a tangentially related note: someone noted the ritualistic slowness of pipe smoking as a form of meditation. I’m in agreement. That can’t be a bad thing.

Genetics: there was that blurb where a “big guns” dentist was talking to someone in his family and admitted that the current thinking on teeth and teeth health all essentially boiled down to genetics. Supposedly the best natural teeth are so straight and tight that they cannot be flossed. These folks almost never get cavities nor need dental procedures beyond occasional surface cleaning. (Objection, hear-say! Okay, allowed.) - BTW: did anyone else catch this? Not terribly long ago.

Moderation: key methinks ;-)

 

[whsergent]

she smoked over 100 cigarettes a day but that she ate loads and loads of baked beans.

What a wonderful personal aroma she must have had, not to mention the spontaneous combustion risk.

Thanks for the vid that really was interesting. The moral of the tale seems to be "do things that make you feel good".

 

[brian64]

Genetics:

Genetics are a big factor no doubt, but there is a "school of thought" (I'm using that phrase because I have no desire to attempt posting some kind of "proof"...do your own research and come to your own conclusions) that the chances of whatever genetic tendencies you may have being triggered can be greatly reduced through proper nutrition.

The body can handle a lot of toxicity if it gets the essential nutrients it needs on a daily basis. In the modern world, everyone, regardless of tobacco use, is exposed to lots of toxicity from lots of sources (including for most people the FDA approved food and drink they ingest daily).

Massive nutritional deficiencies are epidemic at the same time due to the poor quality of both food and mass produced synthetic supplements.

It is this one-two punch of toxicity and malnutrition that triggers genetic tendencies and chronic illness in general...combined with lack of exercise.

In short, diet and exercise are far and away the two biggest factors in health...always have been, always will be. High quality food and high quality supplements are essential.

All that said, light to moderate pipe or cigar smoking carries little health risk. I've never heard, read, seen or experienced anything credible that contradicts that statement.

 

[diamondback]

@brian64: I’d love a thread on “recommended” supplements for pipers.

I agree 100% that our soil has been leached of its natural nutritional elements years ago. Plus now we’ve GMO this, GMO that, a slurry of drugs in our water, the mass proliferation of lead from the gasoline of yesteryear, etc. ad infinitum...

(Edited out iPhone ‘corrections’ ??‍♂)

 

[Casual]

I read studies and, though most were garbage, I cobbled together some idea of what I was in for. The biggest one: relative risks of tongue, mouth, and esophageal cancer in the 2-5 range compared to non-smokers. That’s for a bowl per day, and I average a quarter of that.

I found that if I drank my beloved whisky with a pipe, and smoked a pipe several times per day, the relative risks of these cancers went up to 18 or more. That is more than I was comfortable with, so I don’t do that.

I also did the same with motorcycle riding. In California studies, one was 47 times more likely to get in a fatal accident than a car driver. I looked at what caused that increase in the studies and mitigated them: don’t drink, don’t commute, don’t ride tired, wear a high vis helmet, etc. The stats give me 3-4 times the likelihood of an accident per kilometre. That’s good enough for me.

I will note that the gentleman who started the thread goes into small boats in the frozen North Pacific. He flies a single engine plane over unforgiving wilderness. And he likely has bears wander through his hunting camp while he slumbers a few feet away, a half millimetre of rip-stop nylon between himself and posterity. Were there studies on the relative risks of each of these activities, I would bet they would put the risk of a bowl or two a week to shame.

In answer: Like every car driver, I mitigate my risk to levels I am willing to take, but don’t eliminate it.

 

[odobenus]

To what degree do you feel Pipe Smoking is a risk to your health? (Not being fat, or drinking, or stress, but pipe smoking)

and

How do you reconcile your desire to smoke with the risk you have identified?

1. Nominal risk, especially at my rate of 1/day. For a while I tried keeping it to 4-5x/week, but that didn't work, and having a daily ritual is easier anyway.
2. I worry a little, but the ritual is something I look forward to greatly, especially during the long cold death that is winter in VT, and that joy is hard to quantify.

 

[odobenus]

All things in moderation, my friend. Pork shoulder is a once a year type deal for us, and it always comes from a pig raised on a local farm in Chickaloon, Alaska.

We raise pigs, so I eat pork shoulder a lot more often than once a year.

 

[cigrmaster]

I have lived my life mostly based on this quote.

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming “Wow! What a Ride!”
Hunter S. Thompson

I smoke 3-5 bowls a day and couldn't care less if it is bad for me.

 

[diamondback]

I read studies and, though most were garbage, I cobbled together some idea of what I was in for. The biggest one: relative risks of tongue, mouth, and esophageal cancer in the 2-5 range compared to non-smokers. That’s for a bowl per day, and I average a quarter of that.

I found that if I drank my beloved whisky with a pipe, and smoked a pipe several times per day, the relative risks of these cancers went up to 18 or more. That is more than I was comfortable with, so I don’t do that.

I also did the same with motorcycle riding. In California studies, one was 47 times more likely to get in a fatal accident than a car driver. I looked at what caused that increase in the studies and mitigated them: don’t drink, don’t commute, don’t ride tired, wear a high vis helmet, etc. The stats give me 3-4 times the likelihood of an accident per kilometre. That’s good enough for me.

I will note that the gentleman who started the thread goes into small boats in the frozen North Pacific. He flies a single engine plane over unforgiving wilderness. And he likely has bears wander through his hunting camp while he slumbers a few feet away, a half millimetre of rip-stop nylon between himself and posterity. Were there studies on the relative risks of each of these activities, I would bet they would put the risk of a bowl or two a week to shame.

In answer: Like every car driver, I mitigate my risk to levels I am willing to take, but don’t eliminate it.

On the whole, this post belongs in some kind of commemorative “Epic Post Collection” thread. Like, re-read it: it’s epic ??‍

 

[olkofri]

Genetics is highly overrated. Yes, the genes are there and they're important and have manifest effects; however, the way genetics is touted around to-day... It's the current expression of Darwinism (which is in turn pure BS), an absolutist biological determinism nobody can escape, the materialistic expression of the old religious 'sins of the fathers curses' that has become entrenched dogma in the medical profession, the health establishment, and —God save us— the insurance industry. This obsession with genetics has made the doctors and researchers blind to many other variables that are as much as or even more determinant than DNA, such as the environment, which plays a big factor in our biological development and outcomes, as @brian64 already pointed out.

Needless to say, I don't pay excessive attention to genetics, nor do I worry that I might be struck with diabetes because an aunt of mine is diabetic, or have a heart attack because my grandad died of heart disease.

 

[Mr.Mike]

Reducing Risks - Seattle Pipe Club

www.seattlepipeclub.org

It took me awhile to find it but this is an article written by a doctor who did a pretty extensive study on all tobacco use. In it you'll read that pipe smokers who kept their smoking to less then 10 bowls a day were found to have about the same mortality risk as a non smoker. Personally I think 10 bowls a day is alot but that is me. Tobacco use kills people because people don't know how to enjoy such things in moderation. Of course you going to have Heath issues if you smoke 20 cigs a day. Same if you drink 20 beers or eat 20 cupcakes. Moderation is key. If all smokers kept it down to 1 or 2 bowls/cigs a day, no one would be dying from tobacco. At the end of my day, I have a pipe and a beer, reflect on the day and decompress my brain. I personally feel that the stress this activity relieves prolongs my life, not shortens it. I say have a smoke everyday @alaskanpiper

 

[gervais]

Genetics is highly overrated. Yes, the genes are there and they're important and have manifest effects; however, the way genetics is touted around to-day... It's the current expression of Darwinism (which is in turn pure BS), an absolutist biological determinism nobody can escape, the materialistic expression of the old religious 'sins of the fathers curses' that has become entrenched dogma in the medical profession, the health establishment, and —God save us— the insurance industry. This obsession with genetics has made the doctors and researchers blind to many other variables that are as much as or even more determinant than DNA, such as the environment, which plays a big factor in our biological development and outcomes, as @brian64 already pointed out.

Needless to say, I don't pay excessive attention to genetics, nor do I worry that I might be struck with diabetes because an aunt of mine is diabetic, or have a heart attack because my grandad died of heart disease.

Genetics play a massive role in plants, I know this for a fact. I also believe they are a huge factor in living creatures. It doesn’t seal your fate though.

 

[alaskanpiper]

I will note that the gentleman who started the thread goes into small boats in the frozen North Pacific. He flies a single engine plane over unforgiving wilderness. And he likely has bears wander through his hunting camp while he slumbers a few feet away, a half millimetre of rip-stop nylon between himself and posterity. Were there studies on the relative risks of each of these activities, I would bet they would put the risk of a bowl or two a week to shame.

Actually, there are studies on the relative risk of these activities! They demonstrate that you are much more likely to die driving on your way to participate in any of them than you are actually doing them, by a very wide margin. And particularly with flying, the vast majority of crashes take place when a pilot is flying in weather he/she shouldn't be flying in. As with any of these activities, the biggest factor in the relative risk is the pilot/boater/hunter and their decision making.

That being said, they obviously still pose a risk beyond what you would experience if you weren't doing them, just like pipe smoking. Sure you are more likely to do die driving there, but you are even MORE likely to die if you are driving there AND THEN participating in additional risky acitivities, right? You are then EVEN MORE likely to die if you drive there, participate in said activities, and do so while smoking a pipe all day, yes? So the logical person would then be curious what risk pipe smoking poses IN ADDITION to the many other things in life one might choose to do that put their risk above what it would be if they were sitting at home, right?

Justifying doing something risky by saying that you do other things that are (possibly) more risky doesn't make much sense to me. As some of the others in this thread have stated, I think these things need to be looked at cumulatively, and evaluated as a conglomerate of various risks rather than one risk vs. another. The first step in doing that is understanding each one individually as a part of the whole, not in in competition with the other individual risks but as part of the whole. One can then evaluate how much and in what way they are comfortable partaking in each individual risk, and how much that level of participation adds to their increased risk as a whole until they reach a lifestyle they are comfortable living.

My goal in starting this thread was to see how folks here evaluate pipe smoking as a risk individually, apart from the others, in order to try and better understand it myself and see where that leads. I can then incorporate some of those thoughts, should I find them worth considering, into my own analysis of how that contributes to my life in general, and the other things I may choose to do that may elevate my risk in an effort to find my own peaceful balance between living a good life, and living a long life, if the universe should be so kind as to give me the chance.

 

[olkofri]

Genetics play a massive role in plants, I know this for a fact. I also believe they are a huge factor in living creatures. It doesn’t seal your fate though.

I know that too. As I said, it is important and it does play a role, but not to the extent the current paradigm asserts it does.

 

[diamondback]

I’m deferring to the more educated folks on the genetics thing! As a layperson in this area, I’ve read both sides but I cannot extract the meaningful info like Dr. Olkofri. (He’s far too humble, he’s brilliant — not joking).

Me: smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em. Within reason of course.

 

[voorhees]

I’ve heard and seen many die doing things they love. Some were even exercising. Boom dead.
As I’ve heard many times, none of us are getting out of this alive. Enjoy it while you can.

 

[diamondback]

I’ve heard and seen many die doing things they love ...

Hold my beer? ?

 

[anotherbob]

I hope this isn't taboo to discuss on this forum, but I think about it a lot and I'm curious how much thought/concern other members put into this subject. I personally believe there is an inherent risk in exposing to the soft tissues of the body to any form of smoke from any form of combustible material. For this reason I try to limit my pipe smoking to one or two bowls per week, although I would love to be smoking 2 or 3 per day. I do make exceptions to this on holidays, as well as whenever I am Moose hunting. I tend to buy into the less exposure = less risk theory, but I still worry about it fairly regularly and wonder if the enjoyment of weekly pipe smoking is worth the possible (albeit maybe unlikely) consequences in the form of oral cancer or other health issues.

I recognize there will be differing opinions about how much risk is involved with pipe smoking, so please before you post be respectful of what others believe and the "science" (or lack thereof) they choose to acknowledge. Feel free to quote statistics if you like, but I don't want this to turn into a scientific or political debate regarding individual thoughts and beliefs, or the validity of any statistics anyone posts, but rather, I would like forum members to answer two simple questions that pertain to yourself, regardless of what other members have said:

To what degree do you feel Pipe Smoking is a risk to your health? (Not being fat, or drinking, or stress, but pipe smoking)

and

How do you reconcile your desire to smoke with the risk you have identified?

Honestly anything can be dangerous. You can choke to death on a kale and tofu salad or have a fatal allergy. If you're already prone to oral malignancies then smoking at all might make you sick or make you sick earlier then you would have other wise. The health risks with smoking a pipe don't show up until you start looking at people who smoke all day all the time. Your dream of two bowls a day isn't going to increase your chances of getting any serious disease unless you're also doing something else that cause similar harm. Also smoking outdoors with a pipe makes a difference and a difference I can feel in my breathing (if I smoke four pipe bowls outside no descerrnable effect, the same indoors and it feels like I had some cigarettes). Basically it's not a terrible concern to have a pipe or two a day. Though worrying about it in this case is probably worse to put it into perspective and you probably do many things worse for your health regularly and don't even think about it. Though if it makes you worry how enjoyable can it be?

 

[alaskanpiper]

Hold my beer? ?

Posession is 9/10 of the law.