| Smoking a hookah pipe (also known as shisha or | | | | hookah smoke is equally as harmful and dangerous as |
| nargila) has become a popular social activity in the | | | | cigarette smoke. So the filtration process of the |
| United States in recent decades. Many people see | | | | hookah does not guarantee safer smoke. |
| hookah smoking as a good alternative to smoking | | | | That said, there are some advantages that come |
| cigarettes, because of the flavored tobacco available | | | | from what you actually smoke through the hookah. |
| for hookahs and the apparent health advantages of | | | | You don't necessarily have to smoke tobacco through |
| smoking through a pipe rather than smoking cigarettes. | | | | a hookah – there are alternative herbal shisha |
| But is the hookah's reputation as a healthy option really | | | | options which can be much better on the body. |
| justified? Let's take a look at the pros and cons of | | | | Hookah tobacco also tends to be much lower on |
| hookah smoking from a health perspective. | | | | nicotine content and devoid of many of the more |
| The supposed health benefits of smoking through a | | | | harmful substances found in cigarettes, such as tar. |
| hookah are largely based on the fact that the smoke | | | | But still, you have to be careful of the amount of |
| is passed through water before it reaches the | | | | smoke you inhale. It is easy to inhale much more |
| smoker's lips. The hookah was first developed in India | | | | smoke from a round of hookah smoking than you |
| after tobacco became popular as a way to reduce | | | | would from a normal cigarette, meaning that even |
| the harshness of the smoke on the body and make | | | | though the tobacco may be lower in nicotine, you end |
| smoking a more pleasurable experience. Flavored | | | | up consuming more through the sheer volume of |
| tobacco soon followed the innovation of smoking | | | | smoke you take in. As with anything, moderation is the |
| through water. | | | | key to enjoying hookah smoke. A study in Pakistan |
| However, there is no real evidence that smoking | | | | showed that people who smoke only through a |
| through a hookah reduces the health risks associated | | | | hookah have a lower risk of developing cancer than |
| with inhaling smoke itself. The water does cool the | | | | people who smoke only cigarettes, but for heavy |
| smoke and make it easier on the throat, but this | | | | hookah users, that risk goes way up. If you're |
| doesn't necessarily mean that it isn't doing any damage | | | | concerned about the possibility of nicotine addiction, |
| to the smoker's body. In fact, the World Health | | | | stick to smoking herbal varieties. |
| Organization has conducted research that indicates | | | | |