Not sure if this belongs here or general discusion. A buddy of mine went to the Dr's today because he felt numbness in his arm yesterday so just as a precaution he went there. When the Dr asked him if he smoked he said no but his soon to b wife said yes je smokes cigars. The Dr told him that cigars are just as bad as cigarettes maybe even worse because of stronger tobacco. He said even thou you don't inhale you still do especially if you are a ex cigarette smoker. Now I've quit smokin cigarettes probably 6 yrs ago, during winter I have 1 maybe 2 per week, when it's nice out I'll prob have one once a day. When I go all week without having a cigarette I don't jones for it, I look forward to it but not jones like a cigarette when I smoked a pack a day. My buddy pretty mu h only smokes when he's with me :-) but I just can't see the comparison, what are your thoughts.
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For what its worth i have gone for atleast 4 physical exams since i started smoking cigars regularly. Each time when the doctor askes me if i smoke i tell him that i dont smoke cigaretts but i do smoke cigars. Not once has the doctor so much as looked up, showed any concern, or asked any further questions on the subject. Each was with different doctors. Right or wrong i always got the feeling like they were not even the slightest bit concerned. :-)
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We are all gonna die...just sayin'
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Yep yep, do you want to die with regrets? Not for me. I'll do whatever I want and the day I drop dead whenever it is I won't give a sh!t.
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When I was married to my ex wife we fought all the time about cigar smoking, so I took her to the doctor with me. While he said he couldn't say 100% they are not bad for me, he wouldn't be worried about it. Basically he said being a doc he couldn't just say it was no problem, but hint hint wink wink it was no big deal.
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I enjoy it too much to give it up plus I don't buy it's the same. My buddy is having me hold on to a cigar for him because he has no humi which is a Padron 46th ann. I told him if the fiance gibes him crap about it I'll make sur it doesn't go to waste. :-)
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Amen
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I been in the right place
But it must have been the wrong time
I'd of said the right thing
But I must have used the wrong line...


Funny, Dr. John's words apply to dr wrong too...
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Doctors are funny, what they are in their personal life reflects what they do in their life as a medical prof.
If they are finger-wagging busy-bodies in their personal life, that's the kind of doctor they are. If they are
pretty laid back, they tend to be more realistic about things. IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAME MEDICINE they
practice, but one sees a threat, one doesn't. Here are the facts. If you hold your cigar in your fingers between
puffs, you are good. If you hold it in your mouth and smoke or hold it in there only grabbing it to puff, you
are likely to get cancer of the lips and mouth. If you often find yourself getting queasy after smoking,
you might be more susceptible to mouth and esophageal cancer becasue somehow you are ingesting too much
tobacco juice. There is risk in all tobacco. Saying cigars are the same and perhaps even more damaging than
cigarettes is irresponsible and wrong.
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Numbness in the arm can be from several things that have nothing to do with smoking.

He should start off with the simple stuff like stretching his chest. A tight chest can press on veins at the shoulder and mimic the numbness associated with MS or other neurological issues. It happened to me.
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Asking us cigar proponents if the doc is right or wrong is like asking a preacher if his religion is the right one.

My PERSONAL opinion is that cigars are less harmful than cigarettes. But, all things must be done in moderation. I'm a recreational cigar smoker. I smoke 2 to 3 nights a week. I don't have to have them but I enjoy them. I know those who have a cigar in their hand every where they go. We're talking 6 to 8 per day. These guys spend THOUSANDS on cigars. I don't. I'm 5 to 8 sticks a week. The most I've ever smoked in one day was 8. When I play poker, I generally herf 3 that night. Last night, I had one. Tonight, I will smoke 2.

My point is, everyone must gauge their risk accordingly. I'm probably a low risk cigar smoker. Inevitably, I inhale smoke from my exhale or others who exhale. It's not exactly a clean habit but I think it is much better than cigarettes.

I have never known one person who has gotten cancer and died from cigar smoking. But many of my friends and family have gotten cancer from cigarettes and died. I know a man who was my chemistry teacher and he smoked a pipe every day and inhaled. He's 84 and still kicking. George Burns lived to be 99 and he was a heavy cigar user.

I think it would be foolish to think that cigar smoking is 'riskless'. However, I think it is 'less risky' than cigarettes, chewing and dipping.
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His doctor seems to be an uneducated person. I wold be looking for another, smarter, doctor.

:-)

My doctor is a former pipe smoker and he hasn't said a word about my smoking cigars. I've had two major surgeries in the past 5 years and not one of the nurses, anesthesiologists or doctors said anything negative about my cigar smoking.
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I would find another Doc. A "mere layman" will not change an anti-cigar physicians viewpoint around, and if a doc is dead set in his unfounded opinions, I think I would start shopping for one that was more reasonable and less Chicken Little. Many docs forget that you can essentially "fire" them, even if you have been going to the same practice for years. That arrogance, coupled with a disregard for some acceptable low risk tobacco use would be enough for me.
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My Doc has never said a word. He's a VA doc so that may be good or bad depending on your out look :-)

He has expressed concern over my dipping and chewing but not once had he ever brought up quitting my cigar smoking although I always report it as well during my annual.
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my in-laws are on my case about cigar smoking. My wife enjoys it. I have no plans to quit. I do not think its harmful.
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I quit smoking cigarettes almost 20 years ago, cold turkey. I did smoke cigars during the time period I smoked cigs too. When I quit, I was tobacco free for over 10 years. But I missed the taste of tobacco. I didn't want to smoke cigarettes again and I never have. I can enjoy cigars a few times a week and feel like I am minimizing the risk, but I do believe there is a risk. Cigarette smokers have a high rate of heart attacks and strokes, but I've never read any statistics on cigar smokers.

My doctor is totally against any kind of tobacco use, and is not a fan of drinking alcohol at all. A glass of white wine once in awhile is probably healthy, but people have difficultly sticking with moderation. That's where we get into trouble.


Cheers,


Mike T.
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Your Dr. is a nervous nelly!
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Doctors are people just like you and me, and who knows how long it's been since they read about cigar smokers and cancer/mortality incidence? My father's a physician, and even when my mother tells me that one night of drinking (I assume she means binge drinking) will cause liver cirrhosis, he doesn't try to correct her when he knows that that's just absurd. An analogous thing with physicians; they can full well tell you that "cigar smoking is bad" because in reality, it is. The comparison done is to a non-smoker, which is reasonable. But in the grand scheme of things, smoking a cigar isn't nearly as bad as smoking cigarettes, or dipping or chewing tobacco. If you're going to smoke something, it might as well be the least harmful in my opinion (and the best tasting too!).

Plus, my philosophy is, I'd rather live to 40 doing what makes me happy than live to 80 as a non-drinking non-smoking no fun type of person :-)

I'll be a doctor some day (God willing), and though I might have to tell a patient the risks of cigar smoking, I full well will not chastise them for their choice to do what they (and I) love. If it's dip/chew/cigarettes, that might be a different story...
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:-) Now that's living on the edge. Sign me up, just make sure they are camels.
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