In the  photo sections there were pictures of people from eastern cultures smoking the hookah (narghileh,waterpipe).
They were brought up seeing parents, uncles,
aunts, grandmothers, sisters and brothers, their teachers even, all smoking.
In some eastern cultures, they won’t see a moving¬† automobile for days at a time, or more.
Never  will many until adult age view a movie,dvd, use a p.c. or hand-held cellphone.
That is how some of the outlying areas live.
I am not refering to New Dehli,India, Beijing,China,Hong Kong, Singapore in Malaysia, even though there has been large government effort for  at least 15 years to bring  Malaysia into the communication age with great results.
In our culture, more than likely you never saw your parents ,or for sure your grandparents smoking hookah from the time you could talk.
this all comes to make the smoking of the waterpipe as something very exotic  rather than an after work get together with the extended families who often will live 20 to one house, with 4,5 married couples under one roof!
I was not trying to portray smoking hookah in the western countries as MORE  hip, sexy, in, cultural,  and  for sure  smoking hookah will NOT make you a better human being. Go help other less fortunate people or volunteer somewhere.
Its something that some of us choose as a hobby, or to socialize ;without getting drunk or stoned and crashing our cars on the way home. (Isn’t that dangerous,too?)
Some general ways that  smoking hookah is bad for health:
If you feel¬† forced to smoke because “everyone is doing it” and you are feeling peer pressure, then don’t touch it.
Scientifically you can check into the facts of smoking hookah as compaired to smoking cigarettes. Keep in mind that the people who urge you not to smoke for health reasons have good intent, your welfare at heart and want to provide another choice when you consider smoking hookah or quitting.
Scientifically, though,¬† the hookah “smoke “is dangerous, but not like cigarettes.I will mention¬† to you how it might be even more dangerous than cigarettes soon.
The “smoke” comming out of the hookah comes from the clay tobacco bowl. In the tobacco mix, its arund 5% nicotine or 6% for stronger brands, but the shisha mix also contains glycerine to keep it moist and mixing well with the flavours and the honey.
(There are at least 3 big brands of non-tobacco, no nicotine, tar ¬†etc. One is Soex from India, and there is “Black Label” of which I am not familiar.Some people make their own herbal mix).
Again, is that SMOKE comming out of the clay shisha bowl, down the inside shaft and  flowing into the water?
Want¬† to see smoke? burning paper will smoke, tobacco burns,¬†fried chicken can burn, cookies, ¬†dry weeds and forests can burn, but the hookah mixture , by moving through the water bowl, and then into the smoking hose is mainly “DISSAPATED VAPOURS”.
I’ll find some expert who might argue, but smoking the hookah, you can easily tell the difference from vapour to real tobacco 100% smoke. some of the vapour wil be tobacco, tar and nicotine, not more than 6%.
(Its known that the large cigarette companies have added¬† and upped the percentage of nicotine to cigarettes sold in Africa , Asia and the MiddleEast, etc. why? To hook more people.I can’t say for sure, but those “Lucky Strikes” given out to the troops in WW2….It was the same in America until the DEMAND for low tar and nicotine cigarettes created a market for the USA, and they even cost more than regular. More profits generated.
What else is dangerous in the hookah smoking? Probably the heat generated to the lungs, albeit less  because the water cools it.
The coals put on top to  dissapate and evaporate the shisha mix They have to  be bad news.
How much? I don’t know, but I already made my descision to smoke hookah.
And the foil on top of the clay bowl that keeps the coals from burning to rapidly the mixture? I don’t know what happens when aluminum foil heats and goes somewhat into my lungs.
(Lots of people put their meat in tin foil,or fish on it to make a bar-be-que.
Is that dangerous to eat the food with foil effects on it? Dont know.
I can also¬† say that the hookah becomes a waste of time and money if you overdo it. That is a matter of what “overdo” means.
do you smoke once a week? Twice, once a day, 6 times a day? It could be¬† a waste of time–you could spend the time¬† volunteering for charity help, homework, talkng to your wife, or kids, etc.
The same is said for movies, films, videos, YouTube or watching porn on the internet, also a waste of time.(We can say that family parties , outings to the beach and flying to Europe is also a time waster, but we al have to decide what we like to do.No?
You make your own personnal plans.
I myself find the whole preparation, study of hookah, checking the internet market, socializing and smoking the narghileh a worthwhile pursuit.
You can quote me
“Smoking hookah is somewhat or very dangerous”, make your own plans.
There is another point  forgotten.It is swritten and researched and they try to prove it, that sucking contantly on the hookah ruins the teeth formation and could eventually do major damage.
Lets all be mature, check into smoking hookah and decide.
Also, check into¬† how many head-on collisions occur on¬† two lane roads,souped upmotorcycles, drunk drivers, over-tired truck drivers etc.(I have to admithere that the truckers are “Knights of the Road” mostly courteous, perfect drivers, give right of way, etc.But any driver going toofar over-tired is more dangerous than 400 people smoking hookah for¬† years, each.Is it safer to smoke a hookah than toenter a flown airplane to Pakistan? Or Miami?
I will continue with (to be fair) anti smoking  and health photos soon.
hookah 1