Posted by gary (208.133.220.23) on February 03, 2000 at 00:56:07:
just read a set of posts down the ist aways re: smoking, which were mostly those sort of 4th hand interpretations of other posts - -
CONSIDER-
1. there was a bit of discussion of alcohol & CH recently ( a well known known danger for CHers, at least while actively in a cluster)
2. a couple people responded a bit obliquely, taking it off the objective,and stirring in some philosophy - this continued the discussion BUT added smoking to drinking, as though it had been part of the original premise (it wasn't), and as though it had been said they had the same role in the CH puzzle (they don't)
3. that in turn triggered others reading the thread, to assume that smoking and drinking are the same, re: clusters (they aren't)
SO - If I may presume to repeat what seems to be the general, collective experience re: smoking:
it might help answer a few ??s
IT SEEMS:
A great many CH people smoke - a much higher % than smokers make up in the general population.
USUALLY - people report smoking doesn't seem to affect their CH one way or the other, as far as they can tell.
People who were once smokers and active CHers, who have since quit smoking (like me) usually report not much difference in CH one way or the other after they quit. EXCEPT:
Many who quit smoking report - after several years - that their general health is better, and they feel that in turn probably helps in dealing with the CH.(also my own experience)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I believe I have clearly & fairly laid out what we usually end up with as a consensus-
NOW, let me editorialize a bit:
CH attacks can be stopped by raising oxygen levels in the blood.
Smoking interferes with/reduces oxygen levels in the blood.
What could it POSSIBLY hurt to get rid of the butts?
One thing it WON'T do is make the CH worse.!!!