Is Pipe Smoking Bad for You? Here’s How It Affects Your Health

You’ve likely heard that smoking cigarettes raises your risk for lung cancer, heart disease and stroke, but what about pipe smoking?

Like cigarettes, smoking a pipe can have serious health consequences. Here, experts discuss the similarities and differences between pipe and cigarette smoking and how tobacco use increases your risk for several diseases. You’ll also discover some scientifically sound tips for kicking your tobacco habit.

According to the National Center for Health Research (NCHR), pipe smoking uses fire-cured loose-leaf tobacco that is burned (lit) in a bowl. Cigarette smoking is similar and also uses loose-leaf tobacco, but it’s rolled in paper and burned.

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The University of Rochester Medical Center explains that whenever tobacco is burned, whether in a pipe or a cigarette, it releases poisons and harmful toxins such as:

• Cyanide
• Lead
• Arsenic
• Carbon monoxide
• Nicotine
• Tar

Smoking a hookah or water pipe isn’t safe, either, according to the Mayo Clinic, because it contains tobacco that’s no less harmful to your health than cigarettes.

Pipe smoking effects on your health

There are thousands of chemicals in tobacco smoke — including at least 70 that are known to cause cancer, according to the American Cancer Society. For this reason, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that burned tobacco is the most harmful form of tobacco.

Some people who smoke pipes don’t inhale or smoke as much as those who use cigarettes and therefore aren’t at as great a risk for health problems. However, OncoLink notes that smoking a pipe still puts you at a greater risk than nonsmokers for developing a number of serious diseases, including:

• Oral (mouth, tongue and lip) cancer
• Esophageal cancer
• Voice box (larynx) cancer
• Cancer of the nasal cavity
• Lung cancer
• Liver cancer
• Bladder cancer
• Lung disease
• Heart disease
• Stroke

According to the American Medical Association (AMA), you also run a greater risk of having respiratory tract infections when you smoke tobacco — including COVID-19.

What are early signs of oral cancer?

“There are several known risk factors that could increase your risk for developing oral cancer,” Mayo Clinic medical oncologist Dr. Katharine Price, explained in a video. “If you use any kind of tobacco — cigarettes, cigars, pipes, chewing tobacco and others — you’re at a greater risk.”

The Mayo Clinic says to watch out for these early symptoms of oral cancer:

• A reddish or white patch inside your mouth
• Loose teeth
• Ear or mouth pain
• A lump or growth inside your mouth
• A sore on your lips or mouth that won’t go away

“If you’re experiencing any of these issues and they persist for more than two weeks, see a doctor,” Price advised.

“Statistically, smoking shortens your life span by 10 to 15 years. But if you quit by age 30, you can recover almost all of them,” Dr. Maher Karam-Hage, a tobacco treatment expert and addiction specialist at the University of Texas MD Anderson Center, explained in a center article.

He also noted that when you stop smoking:

• Your cancer risk falls by 50% after five years and is the same as a nonsmoker after 15 years
• Your risk of having a heart attack is the same as a nonsmoker after four years

In addition, the benefits of quitting pipe smoking extend beyond your own personal health to those around you. According to the NCHR, health problems from secondhand smoke alone have caused 2.5 million deaths since 1964.

So how exactly do you stop smoking, especially when the nicotine is so addictive? Here are four scientifically backed strategies.

OncoLink explains that deciding to quit is about making a plan to optimize your success. For example, you can write down your reasons for quitting and post them in a place where you’ll see them every day or decide on the tools you’ll use to help you through withdrawal symptoms.

Nicotine replacement therapy such as patches, lozenges and gums can help reduce your nicotine cravings, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as can two FDA-approved medications called bupropion (Wellbutrin) and varenicline (Chantix).

Cognitive behavioral and group therapy can both assist with understanding why you smoke, help you change your behaviors and provide support along your journey, according to the NCHR.

The Cleveland Clinic and the NCHR both say that acupuncture targets the nerves in the ears, which may help support you through nicotine withdrawal.

If you’d like more tools to assist with quitting pipe smoking, you can visit Smokefree.gov.

University of Rochester Medical Center: Cancer and Tobacco

Mayo Clinic: Quit Smoking

Mayo Clinic: Mouth Cancer

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: How Quit Smoking Medications Work

Originally published on consumer.healthday.com, part of the BLOX Digital Content Exchange.

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How to give up smoking

Hypnotist Paul McKenna has entranced millions with his stage shows. His clients include Robbie Williams, the Duchess of York and Geri Halliwell.

He has, he says, helped boxer Nigel Benn punch harder, rugby union international Dan Luger run faster and golfer Nick Faldo putt more accurately. But now Paul, 38, is back with a new crusade – to help smokers give up cigarettes for good.

Here, he tells Daily Mail reporter Adam Lee-Potter why.

School days were the last time I touched a cigarette, having a quick puff behind the bike sheds. Happily, I never took to it. But I know how easy it is to start and I know how tough it is to stop once you’re hooked.

People still think it’s cool to smoke. Some even claim it helps you lose weight. That’s nonsense. There are so many myths about smoking created and propagated by the tobacco industry.

It’s not cool – it’s more likely to make you look stupid and smell bad. And you definitely do not automatically put on weight when you quit.

I want to help people who need a bit of extra assistance. Hypnosis is that helping hand.

Smokers know the health risks. Many are terrified of dying of cancer. They see the warnings on the cigarette packet and feel anxious. So what do they do? They reach for another cigarette.

But it’s easier to break that vicious cycle than you think.

Smokers are not hooked on the nicotine. They are hooked on the body’s reaction to it, the release of endorphins.

Nicotine is a poison, against which the body defends itself. It mimics the body’s chemicals and overwhelms the natural cycles, triggering the body to shut down its receptors.

This causes built-up stress to squeeze out later on and so the smoker craves another cigarette. It’s like the old joke about the man who keeps hitting his head against a brick wall. Someone asks him: ‘Why are you doing that?’ He replies: ‘I feel better when I have stopped.’

Cigarettes are an easy method of mood control. If you suddenly give up, you will feel anxious. You will feel bored. Without that comforting drag, those feelings can become intolerable.

That’s where hypnosis comes in. In the bad old days, hypnotists relied heavily on post-hypnotic suggestion.

They would put you in a trance and lay the seed in your mind that cigarettes were filthy, that tobacco tasted like burning rubber.

But if you merely demonise cigarettes in the smoker’s mind, you are treating only half the problem.

People smoke because they need that comfort. When they are confronted by real stress, such as a bereavement, they will slip back into the old habit.

I say to clients: ‘Remember a really pleasurable, happy moment in your life. And when you think of that, pinch your index finger and thumb together, very hard.’

You can use post-hypnotic suggestion as a form of mood control. When you feel the urge for a cigarette, simply pinch again. It works.

Common sense can work wonders, too. Smoking is like a reflex. You need to change your routine. For instance, if you always smoke when you sit down to answer the phone, move the phone. Hypnosis transforms even the most cynical, adult mind into a more open, child-like state. If I said to you now, ‘You’re going to give up cigarettes because they’re really bad for you’, you might laugh. But when you’re in a trance, the mind finds it easier to absorb suggestions.

That is the thrust of my hypnosis technique. First, I relax you into a deep trance, then I tell you the truth – that smoking will cost you money and eventually kill you – and finally I make some suggestions on how much better you will feel when you stop.

And I will bed in some subliminal thoughts to help you along the way before bringing you back to full consciousness.

I keep a pack of cigarettes in my office. At the end of a session, I always offer a client one. When they reply, always with a look of wonderment on their face, ‘No thanks, I’m a non- smoker’, I know they are cured.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE SIX-POINT PLAN

1. Decide the date on which you are going to quit and stick to it. Tell at least three people.

2. Write down all the reasons why smoking is bad for you, making them as personal as possible. For example: ‘It’s a dirty habit and it leaves yellow stains on my fingers and teeth.’

3. Write down the benefits you will get from stopping. For example: ‘I will feel proud of myself and at ease with non-smokers.’

4. Break all the patterns. If you smoked in the car, remove the ashtray and clean the car’s interior to make it smell fresh.

5. Stop asking yourself why you can’t give up. Build up your willpower by asking these questions: How good will I feel when I give up smoking? What will I use my new wealth and fitness for? Really consider the answers until you feel better.

6. If you crave a cigarette, relax and take in a big breath. Do this three times. Use this technique only when you really need it.

For a copy of Paul McKenna’s Stop Smoking For Good video at £9.99, call Arden on 01455 852 233.

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3 Reasons Why We Fall for the ‘Bad Boy’

Allef Vinicius / Unsplash

Have you ever found yourself drawn to someone who is rebellious, enigmatic, and often turbulent? You’re not alone. For generations, people have been fascinated by the allure of the “bad boy” archetype.

Despite being well aware of the potential pitfalls, many find themselves irresistibly attracted to individuals with objectionable-yet-attractive personalities. What is it about bad boys that makes them so magnetic?

From their confidence and charm to their unpredictability and sense of adventure, there are many reasons people cite to describe the appeal of these mysterious and dangerous men.

Here are three secrets behind the bad boy archetype’s persisting appeal.

1. The Fine Line Between Confidence and ConceitThe appeal of bad boys largely centers on the aura of confidence they exude. While confidence is usually a healthy trait in a potential partner, it is imperative to differentiate authentic self-assuredness from masked arrogance rooted in insecurity.

The former is marked by emotional self-sufficiency and independence whereas the latter can be identified through the paradoxical “I don’t need you” attitude, which can counterintuitively draw people in. A rugged, seemingly unshakeable persona can be enticing, inviting people to uncover the possibility of an elusive softer side. This allure, akin to dark traits of rebelliousness, impulsivity, and stubbornness, promises a thrilling ride.

However, beneath the tough exterior, their pronounced sense of insecurity can sometimes spawn a maladaptive obsession with the self, a tendency we known more popularly as narcissism. It is possible that the confidence a bad boy exhibits is a front that protects the fragile narcissist that lies within.

A study published in the European Journal of Personality sheds light on the linkages between narcissism and increased mate appeal in both men and women. The findings suggest that narcissism can act as a magnet of sorts, drawing individuals toward those who exhibit these damaging traits. This allure can be particularly pronounced in the context of short-term relationships, where the thrill of the chase and the excitement of novelty may play a significant role.

The attraction to bad boys can also be likened to a challenging yet engaging puzzle or a complex game of discovery, providing a sense of purpose and distraction.

One may find satisfaction in attempting to “fix” or “tame” such complex individuals and seek validation of one’s worth by breaking through their tough exterior to reveal a presumed softer interior.

To top it all, if you are someone who constantly seeks external validation, the chase might become even more attractive to you, as it falsely promises to fulfill an unmet need.

2. The Tempting Love-Hate DynamicWhile nobody enjoys being played or enduring chaotic relationships, there’s a subconscious pull towards the emotional chaos that bad boys often bring. The bad boy’s tendency to oscillate between positive and negative treatment can be both excruciating and pleasurable.

The subconscious pull towards the turmoil may be rooted in childhood experiences, societal norms dictating our choices, or past relationships that may have imprinted certain patterns in our behavior that play out in our subsequent relationships.

The crux of the temptation lies in the intermittent reinforcement of affection after periods of neglect. In other words, their allure intensifies when they shift from treating you as if you’re invisible to suddenly treating you like the most important person in their life. This psychological phenomenon of intermittent reinforcement, then, creates a twisted cycle, drawing us deeper into the web of attraction.

Intermittent rewards can give rise to traumatic bonding, which is a deep emotional connection that forms between an individual experiencing abuse and their abuser, as shown in a 2022 study published in Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. Traumatic bonding results from the repetitive cycle of abuse in which an unpredictable mix of rewards and punishments creates complicated emotional ties that can be challenging to unravel.

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This is why, despite the agony it brings, the love-hate dynamic with bad boys can keep us ensnared. It’s a complex puzzle one can’t help but attempt to solve, even when knowing the pieces may never quite fit together.

3. The Complex Dynamics of Love BombingAnother common manipulative tactic employed by the bad boy is love bombing, wherein a seemingly protective and passionately attentive demeanor, typical of a caring partner, harbors aggressive, controlling, reckless, and possessive motivations.

While it may seem that they’re pursuing you, it may all be a carefully crafted act to keep you from questioning or doubting them. They skillfully push your buttons, making you overlook their unexplained absences or their blatant disregard for your needs or boundaries in the relationship.

Their tactics often heavily rely on chemistry, using phrases like “What we have is unique—you can’t deny the spark between us,” subtly redirecting the focus onto you. This push-and-pull can keep you from looking at the big picture and escaping the cycle of feeling that they want you and you, in turn, believing that they need you.

The push-and-pull of love bombing, when endured for long enough, can turn into an on-again-off-again relationship, notoriously difficult to let go of. A study analyzing on-again-off-again relationships explained that most of them are marked by relational uncertainty, relational stress, and an excessive number of relationship renewals (breakup and subsequent reconciliation cycles).

In the complexities of on-again-off-again relationships, emotions, uncertainties, stress, and the history of renewals collectively influence how stability is perceived. Understanding the dynamics can aid in navigating relationships in which the love bomber’s evolved manipulation skills make it challenging to discern their true intentions.

ConclusionThe irresistible attraction to the bad-boy archetype is driven by a delicate interplay of psychological factors. But, remember, while the bad-boy persona may be captivating, healthy relationships are built on respect and compassion, not manipulation. Understanding the dynamics empowers us to make wise choices in matters of the heart.