Smoking...cough!

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste,

As of late we have been talking of ana (food) and what we take in. What is one thing that would improve ones health overnight? Consider smoking and those that do and don't. There's some good and not so good news...

Every day around 15 billion cigarettes are smoked world-wide. Is that the good news? Nope. The good news is less Americans are participating. Here's some interesting facts:
In the USA, there were 44.5 million adults (18 years of age and above) that were smokers in 2004 (the most recent year for which numbers are available). This is 21% of all adults, or 1 in 5. Now how's that good news? Well, its down substantially. In 1965, 52% of all males over 18 smoked, and 34% of females smoked, so it's been cut in half.

Here's some bad news. If you just took China alone, over 300 million men smoke today. That's equivalent to America's total population. And other countries are still puff'n away. ROW countries are growing in smokers and creating new smokers daily. If we look at Italy, a thriving country it has 48% of the adult population smoking, Japan weighs in at ~54% . In India , men-smokers are between 15% to 50% of the population. So says this report http://medind.nic.in/iae/t06/i1/iaet06i1p37.pdf

How big is big?
Today 5.5 trillion cigarettes are consumed on an annual basis. That's equivalent to 1,000 cigarettes for every person on this planet (man, woman, and child); ya wanna talk global warming just with all the cigarettes being lit! let alone the 'exhaust' from these smokers.

So , from a USA perspective we got the message... I find it rare to see someone smoking these days. Yet the challenge is outside the USA. I hope others figure out the glamor is just not in the cough!.

In the USA cigarettes are ~ $4.25 per pack. If one smoked a pack a day which is common that is $1,551.00 per year. Think of the good one could do with this money? Heath club membership, a donation, etc. other then contributing to ones ill-health and the grief this will cause as one ages.

Smoking = Ignorance = grief, yet we pray to God for relief with our suffering, yet cause it ourselves.

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~~

Namaste,




Update on smoking.

• Between 1998 to 2004 US Tobacco companies increased the level of nicotine by 11%; Higher levels suggests that addiction becomes stronger or faster, or both.
• Number of people who quit for at least one day = 19.2 million (US only); this does not suggest they stay 'quit'.
• Death related to smoking in the USA. 1 in 5.
• Number of US smokers that remain: ~ 45 million adults out of a population 300 million ~ 15% ; down from 40% to 50% % 30 years ago. Yet these smokers are able to consume 388 billion cigarettes a year. About 1.18 packs per day per person. A small contribution to the 5.5 trillion cigarettes consumed WW on an annual basis.

Why would one care if another smokes?

• more polutants in the air that others breathe
• Social costs - others pay in terms of higher heathcare care costs or have to subsidize those that cannot afford care
• smoking produces ' smoky consciounsess' as my teacher has mentioned; as prana is then affected by this action.

pranams,

[sarabhanga]

Namaste Yajvan,

more pollutants in the air that others breathe
smoking produces 'smoky consciousness' as my teacher has mentioned; as prana is then affected by this action.

If these reasons are valid, should all dhUpa and dhUma be removed from dharma, or is there some peculiar danger attached only to the smoke of Nicotiana tabacum?

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste Yajvan,
If these reasons are valid, should all dhUpa and dhUma be removed from dharma, or is there some peculiar danger attached only to the smoke of Nicotiana tabacum?

Namaste sarabhanga,

a reasonable question...

From my POV I think the question is what is included in a cigarette [Nicotiana tabacum] that makes it tamasic and not for human consumption. Its just not just tobacco leaf. that is;

There are over 500 additives that are approved that can be included to the cigarette. Are they all included , nope.

So, of this possible recipe, one then needs to ask which ones are toxic, ciliotoxic¹ and /or carcinogenic²?

The following 4 are Toxic to the human body: ( I will let you decide for yourself if ingestion is wise). Many of these chemicals manifest once the cigarette is lit i.e combustion forms many of the new chemicals.

Carbon Monoxide
Nitrogen Oxides
Hydrogen Cyanide
Ammonia

Now formaldehyde, which is also part of the smoke is both ciliotoxic & carcinogenic. ( more for your money!).

Here's some additional carcinogens, 60 are carcinogenic. For the total list in a easy to read format, AND are found in cigarette smoke, please refer to footnote 2 below.
Hydrazine
Vinyl Chloride
Urethane
Nitropropane
Quinoline
Benzo[a]pyrene
Dibenz[a,h]anthracene
Benzo[b]fluoranthene
Benzo[j]fluoranthene
Dibenzo[a,h]pyrene
Dibenzo[a,i]pyrene
Dibenz[a,j]
.
.
Mehtylnaphtalenes, etc. etc.


1. A ciliotoxin is any substance that can destroy or disable the microtubules that make up cilia.

2. source: http://quitsmoking.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.csn.ul.ie%2F%7Estephen%2Freports%2Fbc4927.html

[yajvan]

Hari Om
~~~~~

Namaste Yajvan,
If these reasons are valid, should all dhUpa and dhUma be removed from dharma, or is there some peculiar danger attached only to the smoke of Nicotiana tabacum?

Namaste,
for those not familiar with these terms of dhUpa and dhUma, please consider this URL:
http://books.google.com/books?id=mM5...cWTq4#PPA71,M1


pranams,

[satay]

The 'westernized indian' pictured smoking is the Big B!