Comments on: YQMA Follow Up: Cigars making you sick

By: Barry

Barry — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 19:02:51 +0000

would choose to thanks for the work you have made in writing this article. I’m hoping the same best work of your stuff in the future also. In reality your creative writing expertise has inspired me to start my own personal blog site now.

By: Jessica Bailey

Jessica Bailey — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 04:11:43 +0000

oh well, nicotine is the number cause of lung disease. this substance can really kill your lungs.~*’

By: Jeff

Jeff — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:38:09 +0000

I did a little poking around and did find one interesting alternative theory: saliva. When smoking a cigar, one is putting a tobacco leaf in direct contact with the lips, and with each puff you tend to hold a large volume of smoke in the mouth far longer than when smoking cigarettes. Therefore when you swallow, the level of nicotine in your saliva is much higher than otherwise. The theory is that it is this delivery of nicotine-laced saliva to the stomach that makes you nauseated. This does explain the difference between cigarettes and cigars, as well as why drinking or eating something while smoking mitigates the sickening effect. “Spitters” also claim to not get sick while smoking cigars due to this (insert adjective of your choice here) habit.

By: brett

brett — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 21:03:57 +0000

great information and responses. I actually have some sugar bubes laying around and oncein a while when I get a harsh nicotine buzz or my stomach starts churning, I pop a sugar cube and it takes care of the problem. Just a thought…

By: BJ

BJ — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 08:03:15 +0000

I’m not a doctor but, I do have some thoughts on this. Cigarettes are inhaled and nicotine as well as a butt load of added chemicals are absorbed much more quickly than a cigar. This gives a different buzz as well as a higher absorption of nicotine. Also, people who smoke cigarettes typically have a systematic way of smoking. For example, immediately after a meal, sex, break from work…you get the picture. Most cigar smokers usually have the intent of enjoying a cigar, rather than relying on a cigarette to give them the relaxation and buzz it will give them.

Back to the nicotine part. I once heard from a doctor that cigars being natural tobacco without additives, and the way it is process compared to cigarettes, actually contains less nicotine. The main reason is actually the aging process. Before a quality handmade cigar is rolled, the tobacco is cured and fermented to release impurities and ammonia from the tobacco leaves. Once the process is completed and the cigars are rolled, they are still aged. Futhermore, a well aged cigar will contain less nicotine that a fresh one. Comparing this to the process of a typical cigarette, the tobacco is immediately fire cured and cut and mixed with tobacco byproduct for its filler. Not much is done to take out impurities because it is not efficient to the industry and they just put more crap in it anyways.
Hope that answers it, I kinda took it far.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 20:01:53 +0000

Hmmm. I’m not so sure. The assumption seems to be that it’s the nicotine that’s making you sick. But if you’re getting enough nicotine to make you sick, and that doesn’t happen with cigarettes (at least, not that I can recall from years ago), then why aren’t cigars *more* addictive than cigarettes, rather than far less (mostly not at all)? I can’t imagine that just because you inhale the one and not the other you somehow avoid the addicting but not sickening properties of all that nicotine. But I don’t have better theory. Any doctors in the house?

By: Skip

Skip — Mon, 12 May 2008 01:59:34 +0000

This is a great description of the physiology associated with nicotine.

for the same reasons mentioned…I have found that drinking a soda (Coca Cola) quickly relieves the feeling. Probably because of the high sugar content.

Skip