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The Effects of Pipe Tobacco

While cigarettes are becoming more and more taboo in Western society, pipe tobacco remains much less stigmatized. Tobacco is a carcinogen, meaning that it may cause cancer, and its overall health effects are negative, but moderate pipe tobacco users suffer fewer health risk than people who smoke cigarettes because they tend to smoke less often than cigarette users. Nevertheless, real dangers are associated with the use of tobacco in any form, including pipe tobacco.

  1. Cancer

    • One of the most common risks associated with all types of smoking is cancer. Pipe smokers are not as prone to cancer of the lungs but are more prone to suffer from cancers of the mouth, tongue, lips and esophagus. The high temperature of combustion in the tobacco, as well as the smoke, can irritate these tissues. Oral cancers are among the most common types of smoking-related cancers, and while treatable in many cases, they are both life-threatening and can cause impairment or disfiguration.

    Periodontal Diseases

    • Periodontal diseases of the lips, gums and mouth are also afflictions involved with pipe smoking. These diseases include gingivitis and other gum diseases. Chemicals in pipe tobacco can cause bad breath and discoloration of teeth. Pipe tobacco is also an irritant that prolongs the natural healing of injuries and diseases of the mouth, and it increases the chance of unhealthy oral tissues being exposed to carcinogens.

    Effects on the Heart

    • Heart disease and strokes are also a health risk associated with pipe tobacco. Chemicals in pipe tobacco make the body release the stimulant adrenalin into the bloodstream and increase heart rate, blood pressure and respiration. An increase in blood pressure makes it harder for the heart to pump blood throughout the body.

    Nicotine

    • Addiction to nicotine is a big risk to pipe smokers. Simply put, nicotine can be as addictive as heroin or cocaine and as difficult to break free of. It is a stimulant and relaxant, and the sensation you receive from short, quick puffs from a pipe will be different from the effects of long, deep puffs. This alters the normal production of naturally occurring chemicals in the brain depending on how it is consumed and by the simple act of consumption. Nicotine is found in all forms of tobacco and is never without health consequences.

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