Doctors giving you a hard time about smoking

[Raralith]

I asked my doctor and he said it certainly wasn't healthy, and I think we can all agree upon that. We are lighting in tabacoo which has nicotine which isn't good for you, and combusting any plant creates tar. But the relaxation, comrodory, good times, and great taste of the cigar outweigh that.

[Tenor CS]

Originally Posted by Raralith

But the relaxation, camaraderie, good times, and great taste of the cigar outweigh that.

My blood pressure is actually LOWER after smoking a cigar. I attribute that to the fact that I just gave myself an hour-plus of no-stress "me time."

[Whee]

Originally Posted by Tenor CS

My blood pressure is actually LOWER after smoking a cigar. I attribute that to the fact that I just gave myself an hour-plus of no-stress "me time."

This has actually happened for me. When I was able to smoke, after work, for about 90 minutes on my front porch, my BP actually went down a notch.

Doc wasn;t exactly thrilled, but decided the BP was going to get me before the smoking, so it was a win win for me.

[Tenor CS]

Blueface, next time you make it up to Disney World, or I go back home to South FL, we must meet up for a smoke and drink. My wife's older sister lives in Wellington.

[Old Sailor]

Mine tells me to quite, then just laughs.

I have smoked cigarettes for years and have been trying to quit. I have cut back drastically I told my doctor that I have cut back on cigarettes but have been smocking cigars more and she still threw a hissy fit no winning with them. Anti smoking Nazi thats all I have to say!!
Josh

[DocLogic77]

I haven't run through the research in awhile but the National Cancer Institute published...Monograph number 9, Cigars, Health Effects and Trends in February, 1998. For smokers who limit their cigars to 1-2 a day...the risks are small and difficult to interpret. Lets also keep in mind many studies that have shown cigars to be harmful usually have alcohol as a cofactor. The studies overwhelmingly show that moderate cigar smoking has very little risk to overall health.

[Lucky_Hippo]

Glad to hear you're doing better.

I always find it amusing when a doctor, nurse, emt, goes into the riot act about smoking. All those years of medical school and they come out sounding like an afterschool special. I mean how do they expect you to react? "WOW, I had no idea smoking was bad for you. Thanks Dr. Obvious, you saved my life."


True story: A good friend of mine who's a kidney specialist smokes cigars and eats red meat but won't drink tap water because of the contaminates.

[Mugen910]

Christian glad you are ok and back on the boards...

I haven't encountered that situation of my Dr. giving me a hard time but one of my close friends is a MD and he loves it when I bring sticks around...If my reg physician said anything then I'd just pull the old "I'm in better shape than you" thing..

George Burns and Winston Churchill lived past 80...they smoked cigars every day didn't they?

[Tenor CS]

Originally Posted by Mugen910

George Burns and Winston Churchill lived past 80...they smoked cigars every day didn't they?

To make it even more cigar-related, Arturo Fuente Sr. lived a good long life, and Avo Uvezian is turning 83 this year and STILL WORKING!

[Mugen910]

Originally Posted by Tenor CS

To make it even more cigar-related, Arturo Fuente Sr. lived a good long life, and Avo Uvezian is turning 83 this year and STILL WORKING!

isn't the head honcho of the Robania family still alive and kicking and in his 80s?

Originally Posted by Mugen910

isn't the head honcho of the Robania family still alive and kicking and in his 80s?

Yes, Don Alejandro Robaina is alive and kicking.



I believe he is 89, nearly 90.

[floydpink]

Originally Posted by Tenor CS

To make it even more cigar-related, Arturo Fuente Sr. lived a good long life, and Avo Uvezian is turning 83 this year and STILL WORKING!

Avo is still a pimp at 83. I wish I could be like a ramora and feed off his scraps. You ever see the girls around him at Corona?

I went for my annual skin cancer screening, living here in Fla and all, and as I turned into the parking lot, the whole side of the building was nurses puffing cigarretes.

I shook my head as I pulled away, slightly burning from the basal cells frozen off my lilly white forehead.

[Tenor CS]

Originally Posted by floydpink

Avo is still a pimp at 83. I wish I could be like a ramora and feed off his scraps. You ever see the girls around him at Corona?

Last month, I met up with Aldrin, Wayne, Kevin and Andrew for an impromtu Corona herf. Avo popped in for a second and had some super hot babes with him. Somehow, he left with more!

He was very gracious and posed for pics with some people. He looks to be a very spry 83 years old.

[floydpink]

I think the alligator skin humidor turns the ladies on....

[hotreds]

Originally Posted by Mugen910

George Burns and Winston Churchill lived past 80...they smoked cigars every day didn't they?

At least. Winston was a chain cigar smoker. Bottom line, heredity plays a more important part in things than just about anything else!

I chalk it up to quality of life,,,there is enough illness and disease around and if smoking a cigar a few times a week is going to end your life chances are you were prone to illness or disease in the first place and having a cigar on top of that is probably not a good idea. For those of us who are in good enough shape and we enjoy it it becomes a matter of choice and for me I'd rather have a cigar and relax than to sit around and be anxious and have my BP shoot up about 30 points. Each person has to evaluate what is best for them.

[Catfish]

And remember even doctors are people with their own personal bias influenced, pre-conceived notions on subjects, right or wrong. On more subjects than we want to know about, doctor's opinions are just that: opinions.

[floydpink]

Originally Posted by Tenor CS

Many of you know I had surgery today. When the anesthesiologist came in to talk to me, one of his questions was "Do you smoke?"

I answered, "Yeah, I smoke an occasional cigar, maybe 1-3 per week."

His reply: "Oh, come on man!" Followed by reading me the riot act and calling cigars "death sticks."

Granted, I am grossly overweight, and I have high blood pressure. But my General Practitioner (the one who put me on the high blood pressure meds) is perfectly ok with it, my brother in law is an emergency room doctor and a fellow BOTL, and one of my colleagues at work is an MD and agrees that the occasional cigar will not likely do me any major harm.

So, have any of you other guys or gals been given a hard time by your doctor(s) re: your smoking?

Dude, you live very close to my doctor who is a chemical engineer, biologist, and a lot of things I can't remember, but also a wild game hunter with trophies on his wall from all over the world.

Most importantly, he grew up in Havana, has a love for cigars, and will tell you the risk involved compared to the relaxation factor many achieve, isn't worth talking about. He absolutely hates cigarettes though and got me to quit.

Basically, if you're not inhalling, there are risks, but not nearly as bad as many other things. Look at George Burns....

[DocLogic77]

Most physicians educated on the studies done on cigar smoking realize that moderate (less than 2 cigars a day) has very little effect on overall health. Even the ACS (American Cancer Society) who has every reason to trash cigar smoking says health effects of occasional cigar smoking are not known. Their statement isn't completely honest. I wrote up a pretty extensive review on the health effects of cigar smoking awhile back. I'll see if I can dig it up.