Smoke for your Health

I've always said, that if you say something loud enough and long enough, people will believe anything. And people spend a lot of time saying how bad smoking is for your health.

Let's face it, it's not PC to smoke anymore. But it's not because second hand smoke is killing people, it's because it's unpopular to smoke. So I think we should just bust the myth that the issues is second hand smoke.  We all know, under our pretentious and arrogant rants that saying that secondhand smoke kills is a fanatical excuse to try to control other peoples behavior, as opposed to a severe public health risk - as some would have you believe. This overly promoted idea has made the claim attempts to control people's cigarette intake the appearance of legitimacy. But, again, if you say something loud enough, long enough - regardless of the facts - people believe it.

So let's talk about some often not discussed facts about smoking...

1. It smells great.
2. It looks cool.
3. And it's fun.

But seriously...it's just a thing. It's no more harmful than people eating high fat foods or salt, which have also recently gotten a bad wrap and are considered bad behaviors. These too, sadly, have also fallen victim to the same type of fervent propaganda campaign against them as reasonable individual preferences or choices.

But in regards to smoking...it's the worst case of misguided meanness. I mean, what is the world coming to? Seriously, just chill out, let people do what they do and the world would be so much nicer. No one does everything the way others want. And maybe if you tried it you'd find that it's a great pass-time. 

And what these zealous anti-smoking folks don't tell you is there are actually a number of health benefits to smoking. One of which is that it decreases the risk of Alzheimer's. Several studies were written up in the 90's on how smoking prevents, or at least slows, the onset of Alzheimer's disease. However, these reports have been not well publicized, as you can imagine, by those who would have us believe that smoking only kills. So here are some highlights:

• "A statistically significant inverse association between smoking and Alzheimer's disease was observed at all levels of analysis, with a trend towards decreasing risk with increasing consumption" (International Journal of Epidemiology, 1991).
• "The risk of Alzheimer's disease decreased with increasing daily number of cigarettes smoked before onset of disease. . . . In six families in which the disease was apparently inherited . . . the mean age of onset was 4.17 years later in smoking patients than in non-smoking patients from the same family" (British Medical Journal, June 22, 1991).
• "Although more data are needed . . . [an analysis of 19 studies suggests] nicotine protects against AD" (Neuroepidemiology, 1994).
• Nicotine injections significantly improved certain types of mental functioning in Alzheimer's patients (Psychopharmacology, 1992). One theory: nicotine improves the responsiveness of Alzheimer's patients to acetylcholine, an important brain chemical.
• "Evidence is growing that cigarette smoking nicotine may prevent or ameliorate Parkinson's disease, could do so in Alzheimer's dementia."(British Medical Bulletin 52:58-73,1996)

Additional studies over the years have shown a number of other medical advantages to smoking:

1. Smoker are at lower risk for Parkinson's disease
2. Smoking lowers risk of Breast Cancer
3. Smokers are less likely to suffer from severe recession of the gums
4. Smokers are more likely to survive heart problems
5. Smoking relieve Irritable Bowel Syndrome
6. There is compelling evidence that shows that nicotine may combat TB

But due to the current political/social climate in regards to smoking, unfortunately, even when research is done, it's done with the bias against smoking and thus there are disclaimers made and/or the results are suppressed and downplayed.

The point is...smoking isn't all bad, and is not nearly the threat that it's made out to be. But we do tend to be an obsessive culture (and one in which people feel better when they are on the band wagon) and we're currently obsessed with ridding the world of evil smokers...

I'm challenging you to not simply take the nay-sayers at their word...think for yourself and do what you want. And leave others to do as they please without the need to change the world out of your own fears base on some loud talkers.

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