Collin County Living Well Magazine May/June 2016 | Page 30

Cigar vs.
Cigarette Smoking
By Julie Alvira, MD, MBA

T

RENDY! is the word for cigar
smoking. While it’s not a new
practice, it’s certainly a trend
that has caught followers from
all over the world. Many years
ago, and in a traditional manner, gentleman retired to a special room for
the purpose of smoking a Cuban cigar (worldly famous) with their favorite
drink and relax and feel empowered.
Remember in the movie Titanic when
Rose mentioned to Jack that the men
were going smoking and talking and
how they were masters of the universe?
Yup, for men, smoking a cigar gives a
high. But wait, nowadays women are
smoking cigars as well. Every day, lots
of new establishments are opening for
the public to smoke a “puro.” It has
become a novel and sophisticated
hobby for many. Even non-smokers
are trying cigars at social gatherings
and in cigar rooms with friends. The
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reiterates that cigarette
use has declined, while there’s been a
large increase in the use of cigars. For
many, it’s a pastime but for others it’s
a vice. The American Lung Association

28

(2014) notes that about 60% of cigar
smokers have smoked cigarettes before. An interesting observation is that
men, women, and a new age group,
teenagers, think they are not as harmful as cigarettes.

Realities between
cigar and cigarette smoking

It’s of general knowledge that smoking
is one of several risk factors linked to
cardiovascular disease. Between cigar and cigarette smoking, there are
differences, but both are harmful. The
American Cancer Society explains that
unlike a cigarette, a cigar odor tends
to be more unique. Cigars are not only
air cured; when they’re made, they
also pass through a process of fermentation. Cigarettes are non-fermented.
Not all cigars are smoked the same
way. Although most cigar smokers
don’t inhale when smoking a large
cigar, it takes longer to smoke than
a cigarette. It’s been said that some
ex-cigarette smokers smoke cigars the
same way––inhaling, while others do
not. Cigar smoking is dangerous because the smoke makes contact with
the lining of the oral cavity, creating

COLLIN COUNTY Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2016

greater exposure to toxic substances
such as lead, cadmium, ammonia,
carbon monoxide, benzene, formaldehyde, butane, and acetone. Cigars
have a higher level of cancer-causing
nitrosamine, produced during the fermentation process. Even knowing all
this, why is the trend getting bigger
every day?
As Raul Julia says, “Why pay $100 on
a therapy session when you can spend
$25 on a cigar? You lose yourself in it;
everything fades away: your worries,
your problems, your thoughts.”

Nicotine and mental effects
There are several substances in the
brain called neurotransmitters. One
of them, dopamine, is released when
a person engages in pleasurable activities, especially while engaging in
your favorite hobby. But it’s also released when a person uses drugs like
cocaine, marijuana, heroin, or when
a cigar or cigarette is smoked. The
reason why is because nicotine (the
psychoactive ingredient in cigars and
cigarettes) also increases levels of do-