Several types of "Smoker’s Paradoxes", (cases where smoking appears to have specific beneficial effects), have been observed. This is in addition to the numerous documented negative health effects of smoking.
Often the actual mechanism remains undetermined.
# The University of Melbourne confirmed the claims made by many smokers that tobacco itself is a strong appetite suppressant, and many use it to self-treat compulsive overeating disorders or obesity.
# Cigarette smoking has also been linked to a decrease in risk of certain inflammatory disorders, since nicotine itself appears to be an anti-inflammatory agent. The department of gastroenterology at the University Hospital of Wales conducted a number of in-vitro studies to confirm and explain the decreased risk in ulcerative colitis (a potentially severe digestive disorder) in individuals who smoke cigarettes.
# Perhaps most shockingly, tobacco smoke's anti-inflammatory effects may actually provide some benefits to children who are exposed to secondhand smoke. While this is certainly not worth at-home experimentation, one astonishing study conducted in Sweden observed two generations of Swedish children and found that the children of smokers had lower rates of allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, atopic eczema, and food allergies.
# A series of very interesting studies from multiple academic sources confirms that the risk of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease is surprisingly higher in non-smokers than in smokers.
# The most fascinating and widely recognized health benefit of smoking is its ability to seemingly alleviate symptoms of mental illnesses, including anxiety and schizophrenia. According to an article published in 1995 in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, schizophrenics have much higher smoking rates than people with other mental illnesses, and appear to use it as a method of self-medicating.
# A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that preeclampsia, an extremely common but potentially deadly condition, is significantly less common in expectant mothers who smoke cigarettes than in expectant mothers who do not smoke.
See How Effective is Oral Contraceptive
A plausible mechanism of action in some cases may be the nicotine in tobacco smoke acting as an anti-inflammatory agent and interfering with the disease process.
- Digestive system
- Risk of ulcerative colitis has been frequently shown to be reduced by smokers on a dose-dependent basis; the effect is eliminated if the individual stops smoking.
- Smokers are less often affected by aphthous ulcer.
- Cardiovascular system
- Kaposi's sarcoma
- Reproductive/breasts
- breast cancer among women carrying the very high risk BRCA gene
- Pre-eclampsia
- Smoking can also reduce rates of uterine fibroids. This may be due to estrogen inhibition, as opposed to general inhibition of inflammation.
- The risk of endometriosis has been reported to be reduced in smokers.
- General
- atopic disorders such as allergic asthma
- Neurologic
- Smoking has been consistently found to be a protective factor on epidemiological studies for Parkinson's disease. The basis for such effect is not known but possibilities include an effect of nicotine as dopamine stimulant.
- The majority (80% in Australia as of 2001, 85% in the US as of 2007) of schizophrenics smoke, apparently to self-medicate.Nicotine appears to be an effective antipsychotic, and work is underway to develop antipsychotic drugs based on nicotine without the ill effects of smoking or of nicotine itself.
# The University of Melbourne confirmed the claims made by many smokers that tobacco itself is a strong appetite suppressant, and many use it to self-treat compulsive overeating disorders or obesity.
# Cigarette smoking has also been linked to a decrease in risk of certain inflammatory disorders, since nicotine itself appears to be an anti-inflammatory agent. The department of gastroenterology at the University Hospital of Wales conducted a number of in-vitro studies to confirm and explain the decreased risk in ulcerative colitis (a potentially severe digestive disorder) in individuals who smoke cigarettes.
# Perhaps most shockingly, tobacco smoke's anti-inflammatory effects may actually provide some benefits to children who are exposed to secondhand smoke. While this is certainly not worth at-home experimentation, one astonishing study conducted in Sweden observed two generations of Swedish children and found that the children of smokers had lower rates of allergic rhinitis, allergic asthma, atopic eczema, and food allergies.
# A series of very interesting studies from multiple academic sources confirms that the risk of Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease is surprisingly higher in non-smokers than in smokers.
# The most fascinating and widely recognized health benefit of smoking is its ability to seemingly alleviate symptoms of mental illnesses, including anxiety and schizophrenia. According to an article published in 1995 in Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, schizophrenics have much higher smoking rates than people with other mental illnesses, and appear to use it as a method of self-medicating.
# A study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology revealed that preeclampsia, an extremely common but potentially deadly condition, is significantly less common in expectant mothers who smoke cigarettes than in expectant mothers who do not smoke.
******************
This is a risky subject and I request everyone who reads this story that if you are a non-smoker or quit smoking please don't get enthusiastic to have it again. Even who are smokers and planning to quit please do it now - quit smoking. Because benefits of non-smokers are far more great than somkers. Please NEVER SMOKE,do not use this as a reason to begin smoking or to avoid smoking cessation.
I only want to let you know that other side of smoking and just not to encourage you smoking. See here the Danger side of SMOKING.
****************
This is a risky subject and I request everyone who reads this story that if you are a non-smoker or quit smoking please don't get enthusiastic to have it again. Even who are smokers and planning to quit please do it now - quit smoking. Because benefits of non-smokers are far more great than somkers. Please NEVER SMOKE,do not use this as a reason to begin smoking or to avoid smoking cessation.
I only want to let you know that other side of smoking and just not to encourage you smoking. See here the Danger side of SMOKING.
****************
See How Effective is Oral Contraceptive
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