dipping as in tobacco?
Alright, curiosity won me over: As posted in the N.Y. Times
http://health.nytimes.com/health/gui...lth-risks.html
According to the American Lung Association, smoking is directly responsible for about 90% of the deaths due to lung cancer. Smoking is also responsible for the majority of deaths due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which includes emphysema and chronic bronchitis.
Cardiovascular Effects
All forms of tobacco raise the risk of heart attacks. Smoking, chewing tobacco, and being exposed to secondhand smoke greatly increase the risk of a heart attack. In some cases, the risk of heart problems in people who smoke or are exposed to smoke may be three times greater. The risk of a heart attack among those who stopped smoking may slowly decrease over time.
Effects on Male Fertility and Erectile Dysfunction
Smoking can harm a man's sexuality and fertility. Heavy smoking is frequently cited as a contributory factor in erectile dysfunction because it decreases the amount of blood flowing into the penis.
Smoking impairs sperm motility, reduces sperm lifespan, and may cause genetic changes that can affect a man's offspring. One trial found that men or women who smoke have lower success rates with fertility treatments. An earlier study reported that men who smoke also have lower sex drives and less frequent sex.
Effects on Female Infertility, Pregnancy, and Childbirth
Studies have linked cigarette smoking to many reproductive problems. Continuing to smoke during pregnancy may also cause health problems in the baby.
[....]
Effects on Bones and Joints
Smoking has many harmful effects on bones and joints:
* Smoking can slow the process that adds calcium to bones, making them stronger. Women who smoke are at high risk for loss of bone density and osteoporosis
* Postmenopausal women who smoke have a significantly greater risk for hip fracture than those who do not.
* Men who smoke may have more severe symptoms of knee arthritis, according to a study published in the Annals of Rheumatic Disease.
* Smokers are more apt to develop degenerative disorders and injuries in the spine.
* Smokers have more trouble recovering from surgeries.
* Smokers whose jobs involve lifting heavy objects are more likely to develop low back pain than nonsmokers.
Smoking and Diabetes
Smoking may increase the risk of developing diabetes or glucose intolerance, a condition that precedes diabetes.
Smoking and the Gastrointestinal Tract
Smoking increases acid production in the stomach. It also reduces blood flow and production of compounds that protect the stomach lining.
[....]
Cyanide, a chemical found in tobacco smoke, interferes with thyroid hormone production. Smoking triples the risk for developing thyroid disease, particularly hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Women smokers with subclinical hypothyroidism (a symptom-free condition in which the thyroid gland is mildly underactive) have a higher risk for developing full-blown hypothyroidism than their nonsmoking peers. Smoking has also been linked to goiter, a swelling of the thyroid that occurs in people who do not get enough iodine.
That being said, what refers to smoking, and what refers to chewing tobacco is neither here nor there, but i'm going out on a limb here saying tobacco probably isn't the best option.
Linear Mode
