What is your doctor's opinion on cigar smoking

[Peter11216]

A little while back my doctor told me that perhaps one cigar a year was acceptable, but one a week was out of the question. I didn't think much about it, at the time, but I'm now wondering what other people's experience has been. The topic of health comes up once in a while, but I didn't find a discussion of anyone's personal interaction with health care professionals.

Best,

Pete

[Professor Twain]

A little while back my doctor told me that perhaps one cigar a year was acceptable, but one a week was out of the question. I didn't think much about it, at the time, but I'm now wondering what other people's experience has been. The topic of health comes up once in a while, but I didn't find a discussion of anyone's personal interaction with health care professionals.

Best,

Pete

My primary care physician went to a first rate medical school, completed prestigious internships and fellowships, and is board certified in Internal Medicine. However he knows much less than I do about cigar smoking and the health consequences of cigars. So I don't ask his opinion about this. I do value his opinion on matters within his areas of expertise, such as how best to treat a sinus infection, which antihypertensive drug to use, or how to get the wax out of my ears.

I have worked a lot in medical settings (I'm a psychologist) and have always found it astonishing when physicians offer prescriptions or advice on matters well outside of their areas of training.

[Lotusguy]

My doctor tells me to quit but not in an obnoxious way. Smoking cigars is a risk I am willing to take.

[CaptainQuintero]

I probably have maybe 1-3 cigars a week during nice weather weeks (three-four months a year) so maybe smoke a box a year? A little over maybe?

I'm 24 on the 5th of this month, last month my best friend dropped dead for no reason and she was 23. Spent the best part of the last decade watching 2 of my three grandparents suffer from dementia until their mid 90's.

Lessons I have learnt in the few years I have been on this planet:

You can drop dead tomorrow, so if you want to do something that you enjoy, do it.

You can spend the last ten/fifteen years or more of your life sitting in your own piss not knowing who you are, where you are, and not recognising any of your family.

In the grand scale of things, enjoying good food/alcohol/cigars is not one of my worries in life

I don't think any doctor would have a problem with that

[daboose]

“Smoke Lies and the Nanny State†by Joe Jackson

http://www.joejackson.com/pdf/5smokingpdf_jj_smoke_lies.pdf

Also a good read is “Cigars and Heath†by CigarEncyclopedia.com before they gave up the ghost.

BTW, I don't ask my doctor's opinion. They are practicing medicine you know.

[Ken Gargett]

there is no option for me to vote.

i have a fantastic doc. he decided very quickly that my lifestyle was going to be a test so work with what he could. if i have an occasional cigar, he is fine with it - if i enjoy something then it is usually a positive. even encourages me to go to cuba. as long as i do some daily exercise, or at least as often as possible, he is fine.

knows i am not going to cut out alcohol in my line of work. before him, i'd fought elevated cholesterol for years. he said no point and put me on a tiny pill a day that halved the level within 6 weeks and has kept it in the 'no problem' level.

he is fairly big on me losing some weight - fair enough, but ever so much more easier said...

[cigcars]

1) I don't ask my doctor's opinion

2) Remember when George Burns, who lived to the age of 100, was asked what his doctors said about his 20 cigar a day habit? He had to say, "Doctors are all dead."

3) Lewis Black, who I dearly love because he's burnt out, middle aged and pissed off like me, told about a man who was the oldest living man in NYC - 115 years old. Living on his own, getting around on his own, doing just fine. He was asked what his diet consisted of. He said his diet is; bread fried in fatback; and 3 gallons of Thunderbird wine a week! When asked why he fried his bread in fatback instead of bacon he said because bacon is too lean! Now...what if he'd gone to a doctor? His doctor would have said, "What are you crazy!? You can't eat that **** anymore! You need to start on a diet of fruits and vegetables!" He would have done it - and he would have been DEAD IN A WEEK!! Because they don't know! What's good for YOU will kill the person sitting next to you. Because everybody's different...

Conclusion: What's keeping you happy and looking forward to life - apparently, it's keeping US here longer. I know and have friends and people too who've kicked the bucket in their 40's and younger. They didn't even smoke. My aunt passed away at 50. Didn't smoke. Didn't drink. Gardened all the time. Bicycled everywhere...sweet person who wild, woodland creatures weren't afraid to come up to. Her husband (my uncle) smokes like a chimney, drinks booze like a sponge. Was in such bad health that my aunt on her death bed said, "I'm in better shape than he is!" That was 1992. It's 2011 and that uncle of mine is STILL HERE...smoking and drinking..." Nuff said. Off my soap box now.

[gigabyte056]

My doctor smokes cigars,

Nuff said...

I am sure this habit is not healthy, but so are other habits I enjoy.

Moderation is key.

[peanutpete]

my doctors opinion on smoking cigars is, if its a cuban cigar than no problem but if it a n/c than its a big no no

[Stalebread]

I voted #2 but since I've always smoked one or two a week it wasn't cutting down.

I've been lucky to have docs who are not alarmists. Before I was getting ready for the heart surgery, I asked them about smoking cigars. My GP said something like, "Well, I have to tell you not to smoke but I suppose you enjoy them and it's probably relaxing so it's not that bad." My cardiologist said something like, "Of course you don't have to give up smoking one or two cigars a week." I've taken them at their word.

[dicko]

Health is genetics, diet, exercise in that order. I don't see my 3 a week cigar habit as an issue at all. therefore I dont care what my doctor says.

[kcheek]

Health is genetics, diet, exercise in that order.

+1. That's how I feel.

The whole time I knew my grandpa, everyday he had a pack of Camel non-filters in his shirt pockect, a pouch of Red Man chewing tobacco in his pants pockect, and a can of Copenhagen chew in his other pants pockect. He lived to 81 and died of a non tobacco related issue.

That is a 100% true story, so if someone enjoys cigars, by all means, I say smoke away, because in the end it may not be what kills you.

[riazp]

My doctor is chinese who speaks some english and some french...(the health system in Quebec is F'ked) and I cant understand half of what hes telling me anyways...so I dont know what his opinion is and i intend to keep it that way lol.

[Torontonian]

My doctor doesn't know . . . On average, I smoke only one or two cigars a week anyway.

Moreover, cigars can be a stress-reducer. And stress is, as we increasingly know, one of the major factors contributing to sickness and disease.

[Torontonian]

My doctor is chinese who speaks some english and some french . . . and I cant understand half of what hes telling me anyways

[Torontonian]

I have worked a lot in medical settings (I'm a psychologist) and have always found it astonishing when physicians offer prescriptions or advice on matters well outside of their areas of training.

My physician often plays the psychologist. Given mind-body confluence - dualistic or monistic - I suppose it's hard not to blur the lines sometimes.

[CaptainQuintero]

Agree life, ignoring getting hit by a bus etc, is all down to genes.

If I had a guarentee that I would live to a certain age then maybe I would live slightly different but since anyone can drop dead in the new few minutes....life is there to be enjoyed because you never know what's around the corner.

[Peter11216]

Thanks. It seems like I missed a rather obvious choice. Doctor has decided that cigar smoking has enough positive effects that it outweighs whatever negative health consequences he believes might result. I revised the poll, and put this option in.

there is no option for me to vote.

i have a fantastic doc. he decided very quickly that my lifestyle was going to be a test so work with what he could. if i have an occasional cigar, he is fine with it - if i enjoy something then it is usually a positive. even encourages me to go to cuba. as long as i do some daily exercise, or at least as often as possible, he is fine.

knows i am not going to cut out alcohol in my line of work. before him, i'd fought elevated cholesterol for years. he said no point and put me on a tiny pill a day that halved the level within 6 weeks and has kept it in the 'no problem' level.

he is fairly big on me losing some weight - fair enough, but ever so much more easier said...

[edameff]

Well I guess this day has been haunting me for years, as one of the physicians on our forum I finally must throw the gauntlet down and pitch in with my 2 cents. I hope my comments do not land me in court for a malpractice suit!! Here goes...

In medicine we use what is called "Evidence Based Medicine Guidelines", what this means in short is that we might feel strongly that something makes common sense, but if there are not Placebo Controlled, Double Blinded studies with appropriate statistical power to back it up, then it is nothing more than a guess and it is not considered "appropriate medical proof". I have just completed a literature search with my main source being a physician resource known as UP-TO-DATE. This database compiles the latest studies and them summarizes the results. There have been hundreds of studies looking at the effects of cigarette smoking on the body, there have been exactly ZERO studies looking at Cigars. This means that there is NO Evidence Based Medical data that objectively looks at cigar smoking. Now I am not stupid enough to say that cigar smoking is perfectly safe, not by a long shot but lets look at some important facts:

Cigars are made of 100% non-processed natural tobacco, no chemical additives, no paper wrapper, no filter-it is well accepted that the majority of carcinogens in cigarettes are due to the additives and processing.

Because of this cigars burn at a significantly lower temperature than cigarettes do (around 400 degrees vs up to 1200 degrees for a cigarette).

Cigars are (generally) not inhaled, so the exposure to the smoke is more limited to the oral and nasal mucosa, not the tremendous surface area of the lungs like cigarette smokers have.

The amount of time the body is exposed with cigar smoke is generally less than 5-6 hours per week, in contrast to up to 25 hours per week for cigarette smokers.

I believe that it makes logical sense that cigar smokers have an increased chance of mouth and throat cancer vs. non-smokers, however the two best studies on Head & Neck cancer clearly demonstrate that the risk is directly proportional to the amount of exposure to the smoke.

Now...what about the benefits? Obviously cigar smoking is not for everyone (Thank God, or there would be no CC's left for me), but I would like to comment about my personal situation and observations. I have explored many different activities to help me alleviate stress. I have jogged, swam, walked, watched TV & Movies, traveled to the Caribbean, enjoyed pets, and have even resorted to long conversations with my wife to try to alleviate stress (the latter was obviously the least successful...God I hope she doesn't read this-I'm Kidding Dear!). What I have found is that for me the most effective stress re-leaver is by far sharing a cigar with my wife or close friends. I have sat in my hammock on my dock, and measured my blood pressure just prior to lightning up, and then just after finishing my cigar, and it drops and average of 10 points, this is even with the increased nicotine. That is all the proof I need to show that there is a positive for me in enjoying my stogie.

What the practice of medicine boils down to me is the following...every decision I make for my patients goes on a giant scale. On one side is the risk to my decision, the other side is the benefit. Which ever way the scale tips is the way my decision goes. Yes there are risks to smoking cigars, but in my life the health benefit outweighs the health risk.

Let the lawsuits begin!!

[gigabyte056]

Great answer.

[matthew261]

I'm not certain what my physician's opinion is of my cigar habits. I'll have to ask him the next time we're smoking cigars together.

[Erm310mce]

Great answer TropicalDoc!

My primary doctor tells me to stop all together. He is extremely fit and healthy and will also tell me not to drink beer, have red meat or any sweets.

I like having a doctor tell me exactly what I need to hear. He is also not over the top about it, just states it and moves on.

I have been to other specialist doctors who say 1 to 2 cigars a week is nothing to worry about.

I agree with everyone else, you need to weigh your enjoyment vs negative effects.

[Scdalak]

First two questions my dr asks every visit. Do you drink? How much? Do you smoke? How much?

Drink in moderation, no more than 1 a day he advises? Quit smoking all together......It will get you long term.

Ouch.....

[headstand]

Every time I point the tips of my skis down a powder snow laden slope in the back country I ask myself "Is this the one? Is this the slope that will give way and bury me under a suffocating mass of snow? I don't intend to quit skiing in the back country. The skiing gives me a zest for life; the hazard unfortunately comes with it. In the same way, I don't intend to quit cigars.

IMO this fanaticism for health at all costs is a cover for the desperate fear of death that especially plagues our rudderless western culture.

Peace to all.

Alan

[MrGlass]

I only visit my doctor when I need something. On one of my last visits, he asked me the question about smoking and drinking. I barely drink, and only have maybe one cigar a fortnight.

As he sat there and told me I should stop completely, I looked at the gut he had resting on his legs, and decided that his opinion had no value to me.

There are worse things I could be doing myself, and anyway, what's the point in living until you're 100 if you have no fun?