Benefits of Cigarette Smoking?
I don't want to be devil's advocate.
There is a lot of evidence about negative effects of cigarette smoking.
I feel no need to talk more about that.
Also, I don't want to promote smoking.
...but, if we want to be honest, we must ask ourselves: do we really know everything about smoking?
It appears to be some good effects of smoking. And it’s not me saying this.
Some recent studies show that there are some benefits in smoking cigarettes.
Some old reports show that cigarette smoking protects against Parkinson's disease.
New research shows a temporal relationship between smoking and reduced risk of Parkinson's disease. This means the protective effect wanes after smokers quit.
Also, cigarettes may actually lower the risk of breast cancer among women with
a gene mutation linked to high rates of the disease, a study indicates.
Do you know about the Carbon Monoxide Paradox?
Researchers discovered that very low levels of carbon monoxide helped mice whose lungs had been starved of blood and oxygen to stave off death. The startling discovery could possibly lead to the use of carbon monoxide -- at the right concentrations -- to help stroke and heart attack victims.
"When you give very low levels of carbon monoxide, it actually causes the blood vessels to change some of their properties so that clots dissolve more readily," says lead author Dr. David Pinsky, an associate professor of medicine at Columbia University.
A group of scientists presented compelling data from research done at Stanford revealing that the simple plant protein, nicotine, applied in small harmless doses, produced new blood vessel growth around blocked arteries to oxygen-starved tissue.
The research, involving animal studies, showed that the nicotine agent created more new blood vessels in blocked arteries than any other known growth factor.
The new agent could be used to treat failing hearts and limbs with poor circulation.
It holds the potential for non-surgical heart by-pass procedures.
Also, nicotine might be a surprising alternative someday for treating stubborn forms of tuberculosis, a University of Central Florida researcher said.
The compound stopped the growth of tuberculosis in laboratory tests, even when used in small quantities, said an associate professor of microbiology and molecular biology at UCF.
He said nicotine worked better than about 10 other substances also tested.
If it proves itself in further study, people might swallow capsules of nicotine or get intravenous doses to stave off their TB in the future.
It could be a potentially white-hat role for one of medicine's great villains.
Still, most scientists agree that nicotine is the substance that causes people to become addicted to cigarettes and other tobacco products.
Still, these benefits and others you may discover yourself are not enough to start or maintain this habit. So, are you a smoker? Quit now! Not a smoker? Don’t start!
