Can somebody enlighten me about hooka?

Parent Cafe
41

<p>Lauren,
True, that you do share potential bacteria & viruses with the individual(s) you share a drink/utensil with, but it’s far less exposure than ALL those who may have smoked from the same hookah vessel at any point since the water was last changed or who may now be smoking at the same time. NOT the same.</p>

42

<p>…Do you know how any smoking apparatus works?</p>

<p>There is, as has been said, a plastic tip that ideally is not shared with anyone. Neither the shisha (tobacco) or the water comes in contact with anyone’s mouth or body or breath - you are not blowing into the hose at any point. There is no way for bacteria to spread from person to person if you are all using different tips. Some people share tips, and then they could be sharing viruses, but that’s on them. You are not exposed to anything from other people if you use it properly. That’s absolutely ridiculous. Yes the smoke comes from a common source but it’s not coming into contact between people, assuming you use the tips. </p>

<p>In professional hookah bars the water is also changed between each group of users to keep the flavors from getting muddy. Not that that even matters healthwise because nothing is being shared through the water. No one’s blowing into the thing.</p>

<p>It’s really cleaner than many things in our society. Not saying it’s totally safe and everyone should do it, but I don’t think worrying about getting bacteria is what you should really be worried about.</p>

43

<p>HIMom makes an excellent point. Does a hookah have a .2 micron filter which is how biologists filter liquids and air from bacteria (does not do zip for viruses, though)? Betcha it does not come with one. Even if you do not share a tip, you still inhale an aerosol of micon-sized particles, because there is no effective filtration from it, and your nasal passages are an excellent gateway for bacteria, viruses and toxic compounds. Ewww…</p>

44

<p>…But you aren’t blowing into the thing. No bacteria is getting in there.</p>

<p>I could see your point if there’s something growing in the chamber due to not cleaning it, but that’s like using anything else without washing it. I don’t think it’s an especially high danger compared to anything else.</p>

<p>I mean, yeah, you’ll inhale some toxic compounds from the smoke, but that’s sort of the point, y’know…</p>

45

<p>Here’s a very short blurb by MayoClinic on hookah.</p>

<p>[Hookah</a> smoking: Is it safer than cigarettes? - MayoClinic.com](<a href=“http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hookah/AN01265]Hookah”>Hookah smoking: Is it safer than cigarette smoking? - Mayo Clinic)</p>

46

<p>Here’s another article for those who want one more source.</p>

<p>[Public</a> Health Officials Warn About the Unrecognized Health Hazards of Smoking from a Hookah - Harvard Health Publications](<a href=“http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/dangers-of-hookah-smoking.htm]Public”>http://www.health.harvard.edu/press_releases/dangers-of-hookah-smoking.htm)</p>

47

<p>Here’s one more article about it from the New York Times:</p>

<p><a href=“Putting a Crimp in the Hookah - The New York Times”>Putting a Crimp in the Hookah - The New York Times;

48

<p>No matter how much literature is posted, it is going to be around for awhile. Many bars are already using non tobacco shisha and using organic herbal blends that are non nicotine.</p>

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<p>The OP was asking for more info about Hookah & people were curious about health risks. That is why these articles were posted, not to talk about changes that are or are not being made in these bars or in how hookah is being used or mutated.</p>

50

<p>There was a SciAm article a few years back, I believe that claimed that addiction with nicotine could literally be caused by only a single cigarette.</p>

<p>Would look it up but don’t really have time now.</p>

51

<p>

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<p>Yep. One theory is that children of smoking mothers are born addcited to nicotine. The addiction goes dormant during childhood, but is still imprinted and reactivated with the first use of nicotine.</p>

<p>Be that as it may, every nicotine addict in the world started with just one puff. And, not a single one of them planned on having to use nicotine all day, every day, for their entire lives. Nobody makes the conscious decision to become a nicotine addict. We all know we can quit anytime we want until we find out that we can’t and then it’s too late. The trap has been sprung.</p>

52

<p>BTW, it won’t surprise me one bit to find out years from now that the whole “hookah bar” thing was promoted by the tobacco companies with placement of stories romancing the experience in media and movies. Anything to spring the trap on another generation of nicotine addicts desperately looking to be “cool”. They know that they have to hook 'em as teenagers because few adults are stupid enough to start smoking tobacco. Something north of 90% of all nicotine addicts started as teens or younger.</p>

53

<p>Yes, the tobacco companies are targetting younger & younger kids–8 years and up is their prime market because the older ones keep dying horrible deaths and younger kids feel so invulnerable and want to feel “grown up.” </p>

<p>Tobacco companies are happy to encourage & do as much product placement as they can (like the cigarette in Avatar!) They spend $42 MILLION/year in advertising in our small state of Hawaii alone! They “cultivate new clients” to replace those who are quitting and dying.</p>

54

<p>“…But you aren’t blowing into the thing. No bacteria is getting in there.”</p>

<p>Bacteria are alredy in there. They are EVERYWHERE. Is the crap that goes into the “apparatus” sterile? Does the “apparatus” undergo sterilization between uses? The particulate is being delivered to the lung, a very vulnerable organ. Actually, bacteria could be much less of a concern compared to some molds. You have no idea what a little fungus lurking in the crap that you are smoking can do to the body if it gets in the lungs.</p>

55

<p>Infections of all varieties in lungs can be VERY persistent, as the moist environment of the lung is a great place for it to flourish–mold, viruses AND bacteria. One issue is that using apparatus, you are allowing these organisms to get past any natural defenses your body has and get implanted DEEP in your lungs and lower and most vulnerable airways. I have met many folks who have very persistent nasty lung infections that they have been trying to get rid of for many years through many aggressive medical treatments with very limited success.</p>

56

<p>I don’t know if this has been brought up, but a lot of people do not inhale when smoking hookah…</p>

57

<p>Although not as efficient a mechanism as the “pow” of nicotine hitting the brain receptors 8 seconds after inhaling tobacco smoke into the lungs, you still get plenty of nicotine through the cheeks and gums, even without inhaling. That’s how nicotine drug gum works.</p>

<p>One of the reasons that nicotine is no longer widely sold as an insecticide spray, [Black</a> Leaf 40](<a href="http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqN,!lsE1F4rm,ISBN,gEFEZ,!~~_3.JPG]Black"&gt;http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqN,!lsE1F4rm,ISBN,gEFEZ,!~~_3.JPG) is that it is so potent (and so dangerous) even absorbed through the skin – as seen in the dosages delivered by the nicotine drug patch.</p>