How often do you worry about....

[Erol]

Mouth, Throat, Larynx, Tongue cancer from cigars?

Although I would love to smoke 1 a day, not only is it costly, however I have to limit myself to at most 1 a week (though I really don't smoke that often, the last 4 years maybe 3, one a year).

I'm curious what you gentlemen think. I want to smoke, however keep the risk as low as possible. I know the two are conflicting goals, I'm having my cake and eating it too.

I wouldn't mind smoking rarely, except stix like cuban montecristo and cohiba are very strong, especially when not acclimatized. Being an occasional smoker would really limit the diversity of smokes available.

Anyone happen to be a doctor that can shed some light? either optimistic, indifferent or pessimistic, doesn't matter!

thanks

[manny816]

I worry just about everyday. What I am going to smoke when I get home tonight? Seriously, I really do not give it much thought. I would drive myself crazy if I thought about all of the things that are supposedly detrimental to my health. The way I see it, if I cant smoke cigars in heaven, I ain't going.

On a side note, I trade cigars with my dentist. I have also given cigars to my Dr. They smoke on a regular basis.

[habanohal]

You can be the most healthy person and never sin( drink , smoke etc.) and have a massive heart attack like my grandfather at age 50.

He never took a plii in his life. Never smoked , drank or any guiltry pleasures. He was known as the most heaslthy person the doctor has ever seen.

So what is to say if I am a good little boy, that tomorrow I wont have a piano fall on my head and kill me? Worring is a useless state.

I say, live life for now for you never know what will happen tomorrow

[genevapics]

I too worry on occassion. I asked my doctor, knowing full well what she would say, and her advice was simple: Everything in moderation.

For me, I smoke maybe 2 or 3 cigars a week, if I am lucky. There really is no right or wrong answer. The question you need to ask yourself is, when you are smoking a cigar, do you worry about getting cancer? If so, you are not enjoying the pleasures one derives from a Habano. If this is the case, I would suggest stopping altogether. You aren't having any fun.

The bottom line is this: Yes, there is a risk factor associated with smoking tobacco. But everyone is different and we all do not smoke with the same frequency. As my doctor said... everything in moderation. For me, moderation might be 2-3 cigars per week. For someone else, it might be one a day. And another... 4-5 per day.

While I am sure you have done so, research the subject on the web. Talk to your doctor and dentist. Above all, do what you believe is best for you. But if you are going to smoke Habanos... enjoy them.

[PorscheC4S]

» I too worry on occassion. I asked my doctor, knowing full well what she

» would say, and her advice was simple: Everything in moderation.

»

» For me, I smoke maybe 2 or 3 cigars a week, if I am lucky. There really

» is no right or wrong answer. The question you need to ask yourself is,

» when you are smoking a cigar, do you worry about getting cancer? If so,

» you are not enjoying the pleasures one derives from a Habano. If this is

» the case, I would suggest stopping altogether. You aren't having any

» fun.

»

» The bottom line is this: Yes, there is a risk factor associated with

» smoking tobacco. But everyone is different and we all do not smoke with

» the same frequency. As my doctor said... everything in moderation. For

» me, moderation might be 2-3 cigars per week. For someone else, it might

» be one a day. And another... 4-5 per day.

»

» While I am sure you have done so, research the subject on the web. Talk

» to your doctor and dentist. Above all, do what you believe is best for

» you. But if you are going to smoke Habanos... enjoy them.

Very good advise Geneva. Both for cigar smoking and for life in general. Well writen:ok:

Erol, I don't think the very occasional smoke you describe is something to worry about. Some famous poet once wrote about what a shame it would be to come to the end of ones life, and find that one has not truly lived. I say, be careful, but try not to miss anything important to you along the way.

[El Presidente]

Geneva is right ....moderation.

Unfortunately I suck at moderation. Never could quite get the handle on limiting something you like ;-)

There is always Ying and Yang.

Eat what you like....but exercise.

Instead of two cartons of beer a week...a bottle of Champagne or two bottles of red.

In relation to cigars I am 3 a day of late but few on weekends as I am always with the kids doing things. I feel I have the balance right...for me.

[JMH]

I think it's appropriate to quote Dr. Cox (from Scrubs ;-) ) here

"I've seen smokers live to 100, and I've seen triathletes drop dead at 20."

There's a certain amount of chance present in life, and there's nothing you can do to control it. Who knows what genetic pre-dispositions you have. However, a cigar smoker who excercises regularly is probably going to be a lot healthier than a non-smoker who over eats and doesn't excercise.

[Erol]

thanks guys

I do not think about anything else other than the smoke, the flavours, the drink, and how relaxing it is when i'm smoking.

However, since I love that feeling, I dont want to overdo it. Its the inbetween, the daily life I think about that, b/c iwant to be around to enjoy these things later!

I'll talk to my doctor, but I know what they will say! lol

edit: didn't see the other replies, i guess you guys put an interesting spin on it. If cigars wont hurt me something else may.

alrite i'll enjoy'em at low volume then!

[Colt45]

» However, since I love that feeling, I dont want to overdo it.

Just do it until you need glasses.

And remember, too much of a good thing - is still a good thing!

Okay, seriously, there's already been some great input. I especially

liked geneva's "if you're truly worried - stop smoking" (paraphrase)

[connoiseur29]

Every now and then it is good to understand what it is we're consuming. I humbly beg to differ that in this case, too much of a good thing is good.

These cancers are amongs the worst you can get because the doctor seldom can identify the primary site, and so they recur locally and in distant locations. The tumor almost always wins, because there are some phenomenal hiding places in the mouth and throat that even the best technology and physicians can't find.

Think of it this way, the nicotine in the smoke of a single cigar can vary from an amount approximate to that in the smoke of a single cigarette to the amount generated by smoking a pack or more of cigarettes.

Cigar smoke contains the same toxic and carcinogenic compounds that are found in cigarette smoke and that persons who smoke four or more cigars per day are exposed to an increased amount of smoke, equivalent to the smoke of at least 10 cigarettes per day. The mainstream smoke from cigars (the smoke drawn into the mouth from the butt end) contains greater concentrations of nicotine, benzene, polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (including benzo[a]pyrene), hydrogen cyanide, lead nitrogen oxides, N-nitrosamines, ammonia, and carbon monoxide than does the mainstream smoke from cigarettes.

As a result, persons who inhale cigar smoke have markedly increased concentrations of carboxyhemoglobin.

Furthermore, the alkaline pH of cigar smoke facilitates the absorption of nicotine through the buccal and nasal mucosae. The increase in cancer risk associated with cigar smoking is thus greater in the oropharynx and larynx than in the more distant esophagus. The mucosa of the esophagus is exposed only to tobacco carcinogens that have been dissolved in saliva and swallowed but not to the smoke itself.

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine (Effect of cigar smoking on the risk of cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer in men. N Engl J Med. 1999 Jun 10;340(23):1773-80) studied "17,774 men 30 to 85 years of age at base line (from 1964 through 1973) who were enrolled in the Kaiser Permanente health plan and who reported that they had never smoked cigarettes and did not currently smoke a pipe. Those who smoked cigars (1546 men) and those who did not (16,228) were followed from 1971 through the end of 1995 for a first hospitalization for or death from a major cardiovascular disease or COPD, and through the end of 1996 for a diagnosis of cancer.

Cigar smokers, as compared with nonsmokers, were at higher risk for coronary heart disease (relative risk, 1.27; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.12 to 1.45), COPD (relative risk, 1.45; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.10 to 1.91), and cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract (relative risk, 2.02; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.01 to 4.06) and lung (relative risk, 2.14; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.12 to 4.11), with evidence of dose–response effects. There appeared to be a synergistic relation between cigar smoking and alcohol consumption with respect to the risk of oropharyngeal cancers and cancers of the upper aerodigestive tract."

If you smoke enough there is a definite increased risk.

If you smoke in moderation, you simply reduce your risk.

I still enjoy cigars. However, you ought to be informed and know what you're playing with. Tobacco companies don't advertise these facts. But as others have noted, crossing the street, driving a car to work, flying in an airplane, playing golf and just about every other activity carries risks, some more and some less than others.

Enjoy your habanos responsibly. (sorry for the

[waldo]

» Mouth, Throat, Larynx, Tongue cancer from cigars?

Eh, my father lived a very clean life and got killed by some kid in a car wreck.

No matter how you look at it, life is still a terminal condition.

[Erol]

oh my connoiseur, thank you so much for your very informative post.

i think i have to figure out what moderate is...

like 1 cigar a week may not be bad, however 1 cigar a week for 30 years will most probably be. Ill ask my doctor but i'm afraid I already know the answer.

thanks again!

[DocRKS]

My Internist is so adamant about this topic that he has even published that "Cigars are every bit as detrimental and in fact, even more so than cigarettes. " He has advised me at EACH annual medical checkup that I stop smoking cigars immediately. He is also not hypocritical and tried to lead by example and proudly stated openly that he does not smoke cigars, pipes, etc... and consumes maybe a glass of wine or 1 drink some 3 to 4 times a year.

While I obviously did not take his advice - I feel he really believed in what he was telling me and in his own way, he had my best interest in mind. Therefore, I had no hesitation in accepting his family's request that I participate in offering one of the eulogies at his funeral service Monday.....

[Ginseng]

Lately I've become quite interested in the scholarly side of cigars. I've been seeking out and reading scientific papers on topics from tobacco curing and fermenting to correlations between price/quality and ratings. Included in my sweep of the databases are copious articles on the hazards of cigar smoking as well as the psychological defense mechanisms of cigar smokers, specifically.

Fascinating and sobering stuff.

That said, I worry about these things when I am not smoking. When I am smoking, I enjoy the experience to the fullest. I expect that I will continue to smoke and barring any indications that my body is suffering cumulative effects, hopefully this will be for many years.

My greatest fear is cancer of the esophagus. I know two people who got it (both young-ish and non-smokers) and they were dead within a year. Anything else can be dealt with, but this particular cancer is essentially a death sentence.

Wilkey

[puffdady]

I was a pack a day cigarette smoker for 20 years, so I feel good about smoking cigars (about 5 a week). I have noticed health improvements from quitting cigarettes, and no ill side effects from cigars. I am sure that there are some risks involved with smoking of any kind, but there is also risk from a poor diet, lack of excercise, and stress, etc. I think the relaxation from smoking a fine cigar is beneficial, so I will continue to do it as long as I wish. It does come down to a personal decision, however.