Hookah

What is hookah smoking?

Hookah smoking is a rapidly growing form of tobacco use worldwide.

Narghile or bong or hookah or water-pipe smoking, where the principle of smoking is the same, has been extensively practised in India, in the Middle East and other countries for more than 400 years, with a recent rebirth of this, predominantly among youth. 25% of youth at the age of 13 to 15 smoke water-pipes today in Germany. It is also a problem for the youth in USA and other countries.


Is it used only to smoke tobacco?

Hookah is generally used to smoke tobacco, cannabis or other substances. As you see the danger of coming in contact with cannabis is there always.

What is the difference between cigarette smoking and hookah smoking?

There are two main differences between cigarette and hookah smoking. Water-pipe cool the smoke before it enters the person’s lungs, it makes then easier to smoke and a large amount of smoke is inhaled quickly than the smaller, more frequent inhalation cigarette smoking.

The components of the tobacco used are variable and not well standardized and the result is high amount of aerosol in water-pipe smoke as well as other substances including cadmium.

What are the health risks of hookah smoking?

It is a health risk because you smoke there tobacco or cannabis or other substances or drugs which may be more dangerous, but the significant health risk is associated with pipe sharing with all possible severe infections.

Could you compare the hookah smoke with cigarette smoke?

It is very difficult to standardise these values, but with the available data it is possible to compare them. Hookah smoke contains high amount of nicotine, tar, carbon monoxide and heavy metals.

The nicotine content of hookah is 2% to 4% compared to 1% to 3% in cigarette smoke and the amount of carbon monoxide is 0.34% to 1.4% in hookah smoke and 0.41% in cigarette smoke.

The levels of lead, arsenic and chromium are also high in hookah smoke.

Moreover, hookah is smoked sometimes hours together so that the quantity of the poison gone to the blood is also more.

How could one inhale so much of smoke without any problem?

Hookah smoke is moisturized and this allows to smoke and inhale deeply without irritation.

What are the possible infections?

The possible infections include tuberculosis, herpes simplex, helicobacter pylori, hepatitis C, Ebstein-Barr virus, pulmonary aspergillosis, respiratory viruses and HIV.

My friends say it contains fewer toxins than cigarette smoke because the smoke in hookah is filtered through the water, is it correct or not?

It is wrong and it is a common misconception to make it acceptable to the society and never believe it.

What is your last word about hookah smoking?

Mouths away from this hookahs because in several places or in parties alcohol, illicit drugs like cocaine or amphetamine or other psychoactive drugs also mixed, I tell you, this is dangerous for your health and could lead to your downfall for ever.

What should be done?

Educate the youth about the danger of this and drugs abuse in geneal. If you do it in a proper way we could convince them. It is the duty of our parents, educational institutions, doctors and all other who always boast to have influence in our society.

To know more about all the abused drugs in our world read Dr. Kaniappan Padmanaban's Book "Drugs Abuse". For further information www.aaronverlag.com

Drugs Abuse - What are the substances abused?

Medicines we need to become healthy when you are sick. Only necessary minimum amount must be taken. Never forget, all the chemicals are poisons. The dose makes the poison. Many drugs have the potential of addiction. Ask your doctor clearly before you take any medicine about the side effects and addiction potential.

There are substances from different groups which are abused and they include:

• Alcohol

• Nicotine (tobacco)

• Caffeine

• Natural plant substances from mushroom

• Heroin

• Cocaine

• Designer drugs including ecstasy

• Amphetamine/methamphetamine

• Ketamine

• LSD

• Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB)

• Phencyclidine (PCP)

• Cannabis (marijuana or hashish or THC)

• Anabolic steroids (doping substances)

• Prescription medicines or tablets

• Flunitrazepam, date rape drug

• Inhalants (organic solvents)

Say “No” to all drugs

Drugs abuse - social, legal and narcotics - Case Study 1

Lisa was 13 years old when I met her in my chamber. She was a child with a very pale face but decently dressed and her manners were very good. She put some questions about the drugs monitoring in the urine.

I explained her, the methods but she wanted to know how to make a drug test negative. As I told her that I know how to manipulate, but I would never teach her. She laughed shyly and told that she could find it in the Internet but it was easy for her to know from me. I asked her whether she would like to have a cup of coffee and we talked about her during our coffee.

She was 11 years old when a brother of her friend put heroin in her coke and the sad story started from there without an end till now. She was open to tell that she used to stand near the harbour to get men to earn money to pay the next trip. She was HIV positive because she even was prepared to sell her body without condom for quick and good money. Lisa is one of the hundreds of children who come to this situation because somebody put only once heroin in their soft drinks. Heroin is so dangerous that if you take it once knowingly or unknowingly you are an addict……..

Lisa sat still in front of me, she laughed heartily and I saw her mouth with only few teeth. The addicts experience no pain because heroin and its metabolites, 6-Acetyl morphine, morphine and others are very strong painkillers. How shameful is it for all of us? Who knows when she died on a park bench lonely or in a winter night when the temperature is less than minus 15 degrees C near a house door or with a golden shot?

Say “No” to all drugs

Drugs Abuse

There are several severe problems in our world – the biggest one is poverty which we deal separately- that makes this world bad. These are:

• The big business with narcotics
• Women trafficking
• Selling of the weapon in the black market


I don’t want to write anything about politics. The money involved in this dirty business is much higher than the budget of many rich Western countries. This money is everywhere – invested in good companies in the bank, finance, real estate and in all in the business you could imagine. For example, the person who sells the drugs on the street is only a “small fish” and the big bosses may be sitting comfortably everywhere as good citizens.

We can not stop this problem because of the money and influential persons involved. But we could teach our children the danger of these problems. My experience with youngsters and children shows that if they understood the dangers with right information they never touch it. This is our aim; we educate the children and youth to save the family and the society.

In emerging India many have money, lot of money – I am happy – and the problem of drugs abuse starts. Youth want to experience something new and exciting and they could become prey to these evils. So the knowledge about drugs abuse is important to every children, youth and parents in our country.

I have seen tens of thousands of families destroyed because of abuse of alcohol, tablets and narcotic drugs. The parents used to say to me Western countries if our children do not have problems with alcohol or drugs we are the happiest and all the other bad things what they do is harmless. Don’t think that these families are common families. No, the children of doctors, judges, lawyers, priests, big business men etc. are major part who abuse drugs and alcohol and ruin their families. If you ask me why, the answer is very simple. The parents have no time, they have more than enough pocket money, they are lonely and nobody is there to talk. When I started to work in a General Hospital in Hamburg, Germany there was a very beautiful colleague there. After few months I met her and her husband in a social gathering. He was an ugly looking man and drank lot of alcohol. Next day in the laboratory I asked her why she married an ugly man. She smiled at me and told that he was the first person in her life who listened when she talked. Her family was a well to do family but here money could not do anything. The end was somewhat sad, but even today I admire this woman.

In the coming days, months and years I write about this problem. Feel free to ask me. Remember all the chemicals including our medicines are poisons.

The dose makes the poison.

In all these problems prevention is better than cure.