Is hookah harmful? This question is asked by both smokers and non-cigarette smokers who would not mind spending the evening in pleasant company, slowly sipping smoke and blowing rings.
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A special charm of the hookah is the great variety of aromatic tobacco mixtures for every taste - from the classic double apple to combinations of ice cream with exotic fruits.
Some believe that hookah is a safer alternative to cigarettes because, firstly, the tobacco is “softer” and the smoke enters the lungs after being filtered in the flask, supposedly becoming “cleaner” and less dangerous.
But how true are these popular opinions? Let's try to figure it out. So, before discussing whether hookah is harmful to health, first let’s remember what kind of device it is.
What is a hookah
A hookah is an unusual and very stylish device originally from India, designed for smoking moist tobacco with aromatic impurities. The device consists of several parts:
- bowls;
- filter shafts;
- flasks with water;
- pipe through which direct smoking is carried out.
The hookah works as follows: first, the smoking mixture is lit in the bowl. Warm smoke from this mixture descends through the shaft tube, leaving some harmful heavy substances on its walls. The lower end of the shaft goes under water, so the smoke undergoes additional purification with water. As a result, the smoke rises through the water and enters a tube, which extends from the wall of the flask above the liquid level, and is drawn in by the smoker.
Hookahs are available for free sale. They can often be found on the menus of bars and restaurants. There are even special establishments - hookah bars. The main fans of smoking devices are young people under 35 years of age, who are keenly interested in fashionable and unusual devices.
What does hookah mixture consist of?
It is customary to light not ordinary dry tobacco in the bowl of the device, but a wet mixture. It always consists of several components:
- tobacco directly - strong or weak, large, medium or small cuts;
- sugar syrup - it is this that serves as the main humectant for tobacco;
- flavorings - they can be synthetic or identical to natural ones, they are responsible for the smell and taste of the mixture;
- glycerin - with the help of this component the amount of smoke from the ignited mixture is regulated, since smoky puffs are an important aesthetic and practical part of smoking;
- preservatives - thanks to them, the wet mixture can be stored for a long time and at the same time retain its properties.
The components are distributed in unequal proportions - approximately 20% of the mixture is tobacco, the remaining 80% is given to auxiliary components.
Violations in the preparation of the trial
Main list of violations:
- Heating coals in the smoking area - do this remotely to reduce the concentration of carcinogens in the air during heating.
- Laying of tobacco - the lower the tobacco is laid, the higher the concentration of carbon dioxide in the prepared hookah.
- Too frequent puffs - the smoking process should not be too fast. Frequent inhalation of smoke provokes headaches and other symptoms.
- Low-quality tobacco - do not use nameless and little-known mixtures. Pay close attention to craft producers. Some people do not hesitate to use essential oils as flavoring agents. This is strictly prohibited! The ether settles in the lungs and is practically not excreted. This is unacceptable. Consider this advice if you suddenly want to make hookah tobacco yourself and are puzzled by the choice of flavoring. Only high-quality food flavor. Preferably natural.
Is hookah healthy?
The smoking device is considered to be much less harmful than regular cigarettes. Indeed, there are no carcinogenic resins in hookah mixtures, and there is only about 0.5% nicotine. But are there any real health benefits from hookah?
The most valuable property of the device is its relaxing effect. Inhaling aromatic smoke has a calming effect on the nervous system, helps to distract from anxious thoughts and relieve physical stress.
In addition, sometimes a hookah is used as an inhaler, igniting not an ordinary smoking mixture, but moist medicinal herbs. Such use cannot be considered intended, but, of course, there is no talk of harm in this case, but the beneficial properties can be very significant.
Physiological causes of symptoms
- Nausea, vomiting and headaches can be caused by hunger and dehydration. Smoking on an empty stomach is strictly contraindicated, because reduces the body's adaptive capabilities. Hydration is very important - drinking enough water in general increases the body's endurance and helps eliminate toxins.
- Alcohol should never be combined with smoking. It is not advisable to add it to the flask and drink it during a hookah ceremony. The synergistic effect of alcohol and tobacco mixture is simply destructive.
- Hookah tobacco, although in a small dose, contains nicotine. Yes, it is partially filtered, but it does not evaporate - therefore, it is harmful. If a person has not smoked cigarettes before, then he has a greater chance of swimming after smoking a hookah. Moreover, there is such a thing as hypertrophied sensitivity to nicotine, which manifests itself in the above-mentioned uncomfortable symptoms.
- Allergens. Many components of the smoking mixture, as well as the liquid in the flask, can cause an allergic reaction, symptoms of which include difficulty breathing, nausea, and redness of the skin.
We talked about physiology, but no less obvious, and often more probable reasons are a violation of the preparation technology and low-quality raw materials. Thus, low-quality coal releases vapors of toxins and harmful impurities that it contains. Fast-heating coal, which contains saltpeter, will be no less harmful.
Is smoking hookah harmful?
Despite the fact that the device has useful properties, the hookah causes harm - and quite a lot. What exactly does it consist of?
- Not all hazardous substances formed during the smoldering of moist tobacco settle on the walls of the shaft and at the bottom of the flask. Approximately 60% of harmful substances enter the smoker's lungs.
- Most blends contain nicotine. Despite the fact that its volume is only about 0.5%, it must be borne in mind that a hookah is smoked much longer than an ordinary cigarette - approximately 40 minutes versus 2-3 minutes. Accordingly, even more nicotine enters the body than during regular smoking.
- Any mixture, regardless of composition, contains additional harmful substances: lead and arsenic in small doses, carcinogenic aromatic carbohydrates, volatile aldehydes and nitrosamines, carbon monoxide. All these components enter the human body and cause harm.
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Effect on the cardiovascular system
Hookah causes less harm to blood vessels and the heart than cigarettes, but its properties are still quite dangerous. With constant use of the device, people sooner or later face the standard problems of smokers - atherosclerosis, hypertension, angina pectoris, ischemia.
Effect on vision
The benefits and harms of hookah smoking also affect eye health. Abundant aromatic smoke irritates the mucous membranes and can cause unpleasant diseases.
- With constant smoking of aromatic mixtures, people often encounter inflammation of the eye vessels - uveitis.
- Another side effect for the visual system is xerophthalmia, which manifests itself in redness of the eyes and severe itching.
Effect on the lungs
The human lungs are the most vulnerable to smoking, since they absorb harmful substances. And hookah causes lung damage just like regular cigarettes. Because smoke does not lose its dangerous properties after passing through the mine and liquid. During the filtration process, the smoking mixture is purified by only 40%, the remaining 60% of harmful components enter the body. At the same time, the ciliated epithelium of the pulmonary system is inhibited and the walls of the bronchi are irritated, which can lead not only to chronic bronchitis, but also to cancer.
Effect on the throat
During the process of combustion and smoldering, smoking mixtures release substances that irritate the mucous membranes of the throat. Low-quality tobacco also has a negative effect on the mucous membranes. Filling a flask with alcohol instead of clean water does not bring any benefit to the body. Smokers often resort to this method to enhance the relaxing effect.
Long-term smoking causes a sore throat and cough. Fans of the exotic smoking device often experience rougher voices and a decrease in the body's resistance to colds.
Important! It is strictly not recommended to smoke hookah if you have a sore throat and other diseases of the throat and larynx. The properties of hookah, in this case, will only aggravate health problems.
Effect on potency
Most men are well aware of the negative impact of regular cigarettes on potency. But few people think that constant use of a hookah gives a similar negative effect.
Nicotine and other harmful substances in smoking mixtures worsen the condition of blood vessels. Over time, this affects the reproductive system, and men experience weakened potency and erectile dysfunction. The harm from hookah for men is that the ability to conceive a child worsens.
What to do if there are negative signs?
How to get rid of dizziness and what to do if you have smoked a hookah? In this situation, it is necessary to reduce the overall level of toxicity as quickly as possible. If you have a severe headache and nausea, do the following:
- Hookah - to the side. There is no need to put up with the symptoms and continue smoking. It will cover more.
- Open the window and ventilate the room. Provide fresh air.
- Have a drink. Better than water.
- Eat. You need to fill your stomach. This will reduce the harmful effects of nicotine and impair its absorption into the blood. Eat something easily digestible and carbohydrate-rich. Something that will be quickly absorbed and will not make things worse. Bananke - yes. No chips.
- If the attack is severe, take a painkiller - analgin or citramon. This will help relieve pain.
If the condition does not return to normal, seek medical help. When they ask what’s wrong with you, answer: “I smoked a hookah. What to do?"
So, let's summarize. How to smoke a hookah without getting a headache? We use only high-quality tobacco and raw materials. We follow the cooking technology. If you are not confident in your abilities, trust an experienced hookah man. Alcohol - not in any form. We pour only healthy liquids into the flask (water, juice, tea, milk).
