Re: Smoking and Health (was Lance Armstrong & physical abilities)

[Guest guest]

On 7/26/05, <slethnobotanist@...> wrote:

> I don't have any research to back this up precisely because I don't

> think much research has been done in this area regarding athletes. But

> anecdotally, I never noticed a decrease in my lung capacity. Also

> anecdotally, although you don't see it in the press much cuz smoking

> is frowned upon, but many athletes smoke cigars, *regularly*. The

> latest issue of Cigar Aficionado with Jordan on the front is

> no publicity stunt, he smokes them for real, and has throughout his

> career. So do a lot of athletes where endurance is important.

Right, but you don't inhale, and as far as I know most cigar smokers

don't inhale. Cigarette smokers inhale. So, wouldn't it be

counterintuitive to even expect smoking without inhalation to affect

lung capacity? I mean, if it isn't going into your lungs, why would

it?

It appears to me, and it's very hard to tell because there are always

so many variables, that smoking in the amount that I do might have a

very mild effect in reducing lung capactiy, but that the primary

variable is training.

You know, I used to have a problem with weight lifting that my doctor

and optometrist both said were probably optical migraines and were

benign, where, when lifting heavy weight on squat or deadlift, I would

see flashing yellow dots of light swirling around everywhere across my

vision, and I would have to sit down and breathe deeply and quickly

for them to go away. From what I remember, this was only a problem

when I DIDN'T smoke, and for whatever reason, does not really happen

anymore. (Although it has happened once, but it used to happen

regularly.)

I'm not saying there is a preventitive effect of smoking. There are

too many other variables. But it has something to do with pressure on

the eye, and might have to do with blood pressure, and whatever the

active variable is, smoking isn't causative.

> Maybe its different for a sedentary person. Maybe the act of training

> mitigates what otherwise would be a lung capacity reducing effect.

> Maybe already being conditioned makes a difference. But it never

> seemed to affect me. It doesn't seem to affect others.

I suspect that it does, and I've heard anecdotal evidence of it that I

never checked the reliability of. (For example, when I was younger I

heard of a man who had his lungs checked somehow, biopsy, or something

else, don't remember, who smoked 10 or 15 cigarettes a day but was

extremely active athletically, whose lungs looked like he never

touched a cigarette. I have no idea about the reliability of this

anecdote.)

However, again, wouldn't the effect of smoking cigarettes and

inhaling, and the effect of smoking cigars and not inhaling, be

expected to be different on the lungs?

Chris

[Guest guest]

On 7/26/05, <slethnobotanist@...> wrote:

> So I think the anecdotal evidence still holds since marijuana smokers

> (at least among professionals) seem to rival if not exceed the cigar

> smokers. As to why the inhaling seems to have no effect, I don't know

> but you could be right that the primary variable is training.

Well, marijuana has a powerful effect on dopamine levels, the

mechanisms of which I've forgotten-- so that probably relates to

performance. Tobacco smoke has MAOI activity, but I doubt it has

nearly the dopamine-modulating effects of marijuana.

Chris

[Guest guest]

On 7/26/05, <slethnobotanist@...> wrote:

> > Well, marijuana has a powerful effect on dopamine levels, the

> > mechanisms of which I've forgotten-- so that probably relates to

> > performance. Tobacco smoke has MAOI activity, but I doubt it has

> > nearly the dopamine-modulating effects of marijuana.

> Would this have an effect on an athlete's performance many hours or

> even days later? Marijuana was basically used as a way to relax after

> practice - after a game.

Oh, I have no idea. I suppose not. I read an article in High Times

once, way back in the day, where one athlete said that he takes a

couple hits before cardio training to boost his heart rate up more.

I'm not sure whether or not that actually makes any sense to do.

By the way, if some athletes smoke cigarettes in secret, how do you

know about it?

Chris

[Guest guest]

Has anyone ever seen any studies for smoking all natural or organic

tobacco, such as American Spirit?

Two years ago I switched from smoking 2 packs a day of Marlboro Light

100s to Native American Spirit, just tobacco, roll-your-own. The

switch has made me cut back on smoking. They don't stay lit, they are

way smaller than the 100s. The reason I chose the roll your own is

because in order to have a smoke, I have to stop and roll it. Delayed

gratification.

The American Spirit tobacco isn't supposd to have any chemicals added

to it.

I've never seen a study on the effects of just tobacco, all the

studies are done by rabid anti-smoker agencies, who have made much ado

about the effects of second hand smoke and I don't believe a lick of

that hype.

Sharon

[Guest guest]

> Well below you will find a post I made on another list (edited) with

> some good links in it that may be of help.

>

> Enjoy!

>

>

>

Thanks, Colby's stuff was interesting.

New Jersey is putting forward a bill to outlaw smoking on the NJ

Turnpike. Not that they'll ever be able to enforce it, mind you.

Sharon