Infrequent hookah smoking risks

[Mikhail]

Hello Everyone,

This is my first post here on this forum, so thank you for making yourselves available. My girlfriend smokes hookah maybe five or six times a year, pretty infrequently. She insists that with this infrequent use there is no risks and no serious, negative health effects. Is this true? What are the risks of using hookah only 5 or so times a year? Thank you for the time.

Sincerely,
Michael

[dmongking]

Mikhail,

Tell your dear girlfriend that hookah smoking is more dangerous than smoking cigarettes. Hookah gives you more inhaled smoke and toxins compared to cigarette smoking.

Nonetheless, any form of smoking is harmful. If she does not believe that, she can simply ask any person on the street who wears an oxygen cannula and carrying around an oxygen tanki if they have ever smoked and the answer will be yes.

Having lung disease is a very painful way to live.

Read this Mayo Clinic piece on Hookah Smoking:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hookah/AN01265

[Dr. Joshua]

Please see above answer. I agree with dmongking.

Hookah smoking is just as detrimental to your health as cigarette smoking.

If you smoke a cigarette every now and then, or some hookah every now and then, that's probably OK, but frequent use of either will cause serious problems in the long run - such as cancer, COPD, heart disease.

In answer to your question, we don't know the absolute answer to infrequent hookah smoking health risks, but my guess would be that smoking hookah infrequently, 5-6 times per year, is not likely to cause any serious health problems.

[rexsmith09]

Hi

I agree with dmongking and Dr. Joshua. But as far as I know that hookah joints or hookah bars, the nicotine level is too low or in some cases it is nil. Also, the hookah smoke is filtered through water which is better than the paper filter in cigs. I believe Michael's girlfriend smokes it just for entertainment and not as a habit that too 5 or so times a year. I don't think so it could be a cancer treat.

[Dr. Joshua]

Rexsmith09, it is not true that filtering through water would make hookah smoke any less harmful than cigarettes.