Smoking Cuban cigars

[Rogolavet]

Hello everyone! I am still undiagnosed and as it seems will not be any time soon, even if I have a lot of symptoms. What I wanted to ask is, I have read that smoking can cause more often relapsing or going into progressive form of disease. I am ex smoker considering cigarettes (commercial ones which you inhale in lungs), but I occasionally smoke Cuban cigar which you do not inhale but you just puff into your mouth and out. I cannot find anything for them. Do anyone know is it the same risk factor as cigarettes which you inhale in lungs? I will stop them for sure. It is just that those were probably only thing I enjoy by myself anymore and find myself happy during these moments. And if smoking is bad because of inhaling than there is a difference between cuban cigars and cigarettes effects.
Does anyone have any comment on this?
Regards!

[marmosetter]

I haven’t seen a study comparing cigar and cigarette smoking in MS. I expect there would be less systemic damage from cigars, and the amount would depend on what you mean by occasional.

When I say less damage I don’t mean none, because tobacco smoke can cause cancer in the mouth as well as the lungs. Also, even though you aren’t inhaling smoke directly through the mouth to the windpipe, you are inhaling it through the nose. Otherwise you wouldn’t sense any aroma, and the aroma is most of the pleasure. In effect, you’re breathing your own second-hand smoke. So you’re probably spending some of your quality life time and time to disability on tobacco use and enjoyment.

How much time, I can’t estimate - I’m not a scientist. One thing I’m fairly sure of, though, is that you won’t find an MS neurologist, MS nurse or other MS specialist anywhere who’ll tell you it’s OK to keep smoking cigars.