A hookah also known as a waterpipe is a single or multi-stemmed instrument for smoking flavoured tobacco in which the smoke is passed through a water basin (often glass based) before inhalation. The Origin of the hookah is traced to India and Persia. In the earlier days Indians used to call this as “huqqa” which later on became ‘Hookah’. According to some authors it was Abul-Fath Gilani a Persian physician at the Indian court of the Mughal emperor Akbar, who “first passed the smoke of tobacco through a small bowl of water to purify and cool the smoke and thus invented the hubble-bubble or hookah.”
Smoking the hookah gained popularity outside of its native region, in India and the Middle East, and is gained popularity in North America, South America, Europe, Australia and South Africa. They believed that passing the smoke of the tobacco through water ‘purifies’ the smoke! Subsequently the moguls added flavors to the water and when the smoke is passed through the flavored water the smoke also became flavored! Smoking hookah was very common among mogul culture.
Of late smoking hookah is catching on among youngsters and many Hookah cafes and bars have sprung up in the Indian metros. There is a general belief that smoking hookah is less harmful to health compared to cigarette smoking. Recent studies comparing the ill effects of cigarette smoking and hookah smoking say that smoking hookah in no way better than cigarette smoking.
The tobacco is no less toxic in a hookah pipe, and the water in the hookah does not filter out the toxic ingredients in the tobacco smoke. Hookah smokers may actually inhale more tobacco smoke than cigarette smokers do because of the large volume of smoke they inhale in one smoking session, which can last as long as 60 minutes
While research about hookah smoking is still emerging, evidence shows that it poses many dangers:
- Hookah smoke contains high levels of toxic compounds, including tar, carbon monoxide, heavy metals and cancer-causing chemicals (carcinogens). In fact, hookah smokers are exposed to more carbon monoxide and smoke than are cigarette smokers.
- As with cigarette smoking, hookah smoking is linked to lung and oral cancers, heart disease and other serious illnesses.
- Hookah smoking delivers about the same amount of nicotine as cigarette smoking does, possibly leading to tobacco dependence.
- Hookah smoke poses dangers associated with secondhand smoke.
- Hookah smoking by pregnant women can result in low birth weight babies.
- Hookah pipes used in hookah bars and cafes may not be cleaned properly, risking the spread of infectious diseases.
According to CDC (Centers for Disease control and Prevention), while many hookah smokers may consider this practice less harmful than smoking cigarettes, hookah smoking carries many of the same health risks as cigarettes. Hookah smoking is NOT a safe alternative to smoking cigarettes.
There are lot of myths about Hookah smoking - like,
Myth #1: “Smoking water pipe tobacco is good for you because it has fruit in it”
Myth #2: “It makes me feel relaxed”
Myth #3: “At least, I’m not smoking cigarettes”
Myth #4: “The water filters the smoke and takes out all harmful chemicals”
Myth #5: “I’m not smoking the entire time, I’m sharing it with my friends”
Unfortunately, believing these myths has only added to the appeal of hookah smoking as a trendy popular social activity. As with any decision we make concerning our health, it is important to be informed of the risks and benefits to our body.
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