Hookah is more harmful than cigarette smoking, says Dr Jagannath.P

We all know how much smoking is Injurious to health, however, it's the addiction that keeps us away from the reality about the impact of smoking on lung cancer. In fact, little does anyone know that this is harmful even for the nonsmokers. Tobacco smoke in enclosed spaces is breathed in by everyone and that's how it affects the health of nonsmokers as well. A lot of people are aware of the ill-effects of smoking tobacco but despite that, they continue. Also, Hookah smoking is as harmful as cigarette smoking. 

In an interaction with Pinkvilla, Dr. Jagannath.P surgical oncologist spoke about the impact of smoking, consuming hookah, passive smoking and a lot more. Read here: 

A lot of them decide to quit smoking immediately, is that the right way to quit?

Nicotine, one of the 4000 chemicals present in cigarettes, is responsible for the urges and cravings. Going completely cold turkey towards smoking could cause a relapse of the habit. An unaided attempt to quit smoking may lead to withdrawal symptoms like headaches, irritability, restlessness, difficulty in concentrating etc. These withdrawal symptoms further make quitting even more difficult. Nicotine Replacement therapy (NRT), a therapy approved by the WHO & US FDA is an effective smoking cessation aid. NRT supports a quitter’s willpower and thus helps reduce tobacco dependency. Its use is known to improve chances of quitting by 50-60% as opposed to an unaided attempt to quit2. Nicotine gum is the largest selling format available in NRT.

Most of the youngsters assume that hookah is safe and not injurious as compared to smoking. Is that true?

Hookah smoking is not safer than cigarette smoking. The tobacco is no less toxic in a hookah pipe than in a cigarette, and the water in the hookah does not filter out the toxic ingredients in the tobacco smoke. Hookah smokers may actually inhale more tobacco smoke than cigarette smokers do because of the large volume of smoke they inhale in one smoking session, which can last as long as 60 minutes.

Passive smoking does not cause any harm, is this true?

Second-hand smoke is as dangerous as first-hand smoking. Hence it is absolutely not recommended. Passive smoking has been identified to be extremely harmful for children and pregnant women. It causes sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). An over-exposure to passive smoking causes multiple health risks and complication amongst adults.

Does smoking leads to ulcers?

Most important to know, ulcers are caused inside the stomach and mouth due to smoking 

Most of them believe that smoking reduces stress and that is why they smoke so much is that true? 

I think it is the misconception that smoking reduces stress. It is more harmful than living stress.