Dallas County Living Well Magazine May/June 2916 | Page 24

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

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a vice. The American Lung Association
(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 sm