Shisha is as dangerous as tobacco smoking for health

Shisha is often used as an alternative to cigarettes which are considered safer. Shisha also has quite a variety of flavors to be enjoyed so that it is considered lighter. However, the assumption of shisha is safer is wrong because these "flavored cigarettes" have the same dangers as tobacco cigarettes. Did you know smoking shisha for 45 to 60 minutes is the same as spending a pack of cigarettes?

What is shisha?

Shisha or hookah is the Egyptian term for a water pipe with a long tube connected to a container. This pipe is used to suck the fruit-flavored tobacco mixture which is burned on a container using special charcoal.

The result of this heating then pushes the smoke into the water container which will later evaporate. This steam will later be inhaled through the tube to be enjoyed.

The hookah was first discovered hundreds of years ago in the Middle East. But now, his popularity has also been worldwide, from Asia, America to Europe.

Shisha content

Shisha or hookah contains three main ingredients, namely:

• Tobacco sweetened with fruit sugar or molasses, one of which contains nicotine
• Flavors such as apple, mango, coconut, mint, strawberry, or cola
• Wood, coal or charcoal to heat tobacco and create smoke

The content of fruit sugar or molasses sugar makes the smoke more aromatic than cigarette smoke. Therefore, many people think that shisha smoke is much safer because it doesn't smell as strong as cigarettes. In fact, hookah smoke contains various toxic compounds such as:

• Carbon monoxide
• Tar
• Heavy metal

None of these compounds are beneficial for the body. Conversely, these compounds can actually trigger health problems, especially if inhaled continuously.

Is shisha addictive like cigarettes?

Hookah contains tobacco, which is an ingredient in cigarettes. Tobacco contains a variety of harmful compounds such as nicotine, tar and heavy metals including lead and arsenic.

Nicotine is a chemical that is addictive when you smoke or consume tobacco. According to the National Institutes of Health, nicotine is just as addictive as heroin and cocaine.

Nicotine can reach the brain within 8 seconds of being inhaled. When the hookah is inhaled, blood carries nicotine to the adrenal glands and triggers the production of the hormone adrenaline.

This makes your heart rate and blood pressure increase while your appetite decreases. In addition, nicotine also makes you more awake. This is why nicotine is often a runaway when a person feels sleepy or stressed.

Over time, nicotine can confuse the brain. This makes you feel that something is missing and anxious if you don't eat it.

As a result, you will be looking for nicotine products to get rid of this sensation. That is why both cigarettes and hookahs can make a person addicted.

The dangers of shisha are damaging to health

Source: Egyptian Street

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in America (CDC) states that both smoking and shisha tobacco pose serious health risks. Studies show that exposure to shisha smoke is as toxic as cigarette smoke.

Within an hour, shisha is usually smoked up to 200 times, while cigarettes average only about 20 puffs. In addition, the amount of smoke inhaled while smoking shisha is around 90,000 ml while smoking is only 500 to 600 ml.

This makes shisha poison absorbed into the body and triggers various side effects for health. Here are some of the dangers or side effects of shisha:

1. Increase the risk of cancer

Shisha has a side effect that is not kidding, which can increase the risk of cancer. A deep research International Archives Of Medicine states that tobacco smoke in shisha contains 4,800 different chemicals and 69 of them cause cancer.

Not only that, smoking shisha can actually reduce the body's ability to fight several types of cancer. Compared to nonsmokers, their levels of antioxidants and vitamin C were lower. In fact, both are important nutrients needed to prevent cancer.

The charcoal used to heat tobacco in shisha is harmful to the body. This is because shisha charcoal produces carbon monoxide, metals, and other chemicals that cause cancer.

Not only lung cancer, tobacco and shisha smoke also contain toxins that cause bladder and mouth cancer.

In addition, several other studies have also stated that shisha can cause cancer of the throat, pancreas, bladder and prostate.

2. Increase the risk of heart disease

Shisha smoke contains dangerous chemicals like cigarettes. This is evidenced by research published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine.

In this study, there was evidence that the urine of people who smoked shisha and smokers had several of the same chemicals.

Carbon monoxide is one of the compounds found in it. In shisha, this carbon monoxide comes from coal or charcoal which is used as a fuel which has an inevitable danger.

In addition, a study published in the JRSM Open, found evidence that shisha smokers had three times the carbon monoxide levels in their bodies as smokers.

Carbon monoxide is a substance that can reduce the absorption of oxygen by the body. This is because carbon monoxide can bind red blood cells up to 230 times stronger than oxygen.

Therefore, inhaling too much carbon monoxide can lower the oxygen levels the body should absorb. When the absorbed oxygen is too low, various important organs including the heart will be weakened and their work is interrupted.

In addition, the researchers also found evidence that a person's blood pressure after smoking shisha increases quite sharply. The average blood pressure increased from 129/81 mmHg to 144/90 mmHg.

If you continue this habit, you can experience chronic high blood pressure so that the risk of heart disease and stroke increases.

3. Trigger lung and respiratory problems

Researchers in New York compared the respiratory health of shisha smokers with those of nonsmokers. The research found that people who smoke shisha often experience lung problems.

Coughing, phlegm, signs of inflammation, and accumulation of fluid in the lungs are problems that affect many shisha smokers.

In other words, shisha triggers problems in the lungs and respiratory system. The reason is the same as cigarettes, shisha also emits dangerous smoke accompanied by fine ash particles in it.

4. Problems with the fetus

When the smoke of shisha is inhaled by pregnant women, the child who is born has a high risk of respiratory disease. In addition, babies born to mothers who frequently smoke shisha also tend to be born underweight.

Therefore, avoid inhaling shisha directly or from other people so that the fetus is not exposed to harmful toxins.

5. Increase the risk of infection

Unlike cigarettes, shisha is usually used simultaneously with friends in one funnel. Therefore, shisha is usually smoked alternately from one mouth to another.

Smoking from the same funnel can cause the infection to spread from one person to another. This is because some bacteria or viruses remain in the funnel if they are not cleaned properly.

Infections that are usually susceptible to spreading, namely:

• Cold
• Flu
• Cytomegalovirus
• Syphilis
• Hepatitis A
• Tuberculosis
• Herpes simplex

You can get this shisha side effect even though your friends may look healthy.

Are herbal shisha also a danger to health?

Herbal shisha does not use tobacco. This type of shisha usually uses fruit flavors or natural ingredients.

But still, combustion smoke and charcoal as fuel still produce toxic substances such as carbon monoxide. Even though it's a little bit, the bad effects for health still exist and can't be ignored.

Therefore, given the many side effects of shisha, it will be much better if you don't try it for better health. Also, stay away from environments where shisha smoke is a lot of smoke.

Shisha vs vape, which is safer?

Shisha and e-cigarettes or e-cigarettes both contain flavorings. The difference is, hookah definitely contains tobacco while vape is not certain. So, which one is safer?

Speaking of safer matters of course these cannot be compared. The reason is, both hookah and vape have their own dangers.

Even though e-cigarettes do not contain tobacco, these products still contain nicotine, carbon monoxide, and volatile organic compounds. These various ingredients can trigger lung problems and increase the risk of cancer, just like hookahs.

Therefore, both hookah and vape can both trigger health problems. Do not use one of them as an alternative because it is considered safer.