Psalehesost
The Living Force
scifiscriptwriter said:But, can you get the same benefits from using a pipe as from cigs?
Yes. If you inhale the smoke, it doesn't matter if the tobacco was burned in paper, in a pipe, or in something else. (apart from that there are possible concerns with nasty fibers from cigarette filters getting stuck in the lungs, and some cigarette papers are toxic, and some are not but still cause issues - irritated throat, etc. - for some people, both of which are avoided using a pipe. a pipe may feel a bit harsher at first, though - coughwise. with good tobacco and lungs used to it, it'll taste and smell great - and, if tobacco works for you, be great)
scifiscriptwriter said:I like the smell of tinned tobacco much better than commercially packaged cigs. Also, reg. cigs have all those chemicals added. Is there a tobacco that is 'pure'?
Much info and discussion can be found in this huge thread on smoking and all manner of related questions and issues:
Smoking is... good?
In short: (more specifics to be found in the thread) Very few here who smoke use the regular big-brand cigarettes. Those are nasty, toxic garbage, and the side-effects from those added chemicals have for at least some people counteracted benefits from nicotine, and/or worse.
For cigarettes, the simplest and cheapest way to have good ones is to find no-additives rolling tobacco and roll some up - in non-FSC ("fire-safe" toxic chemical additive) paper.
For pipe smoking, no-additives rolling tobacco will do nicely - just stuff the pipe and get going. (some things will be learned over time with experience, including how to stuff well, how to clean the pipe well, etc. - as a simple rule for stuffing, push down the tobacco harder the more of it you stuff into the pipe; little or no pressure if little, a bit if more, more if full) Most people who smoke a pipe use pipe tobacco brands - these are considerably less toxic than big cigarette brands, but still not additive-free. Pipe tobacco has a higher pH allowing some nicotine uptake simply from puffing, but inhaling is totally fine (and optimal nicotine-wise), which means you can just as well use some raw or pure rolling tobacco.
Sidenote for everyone: One thing mentioned and referenced in the huge smoking thread is that it seems that candida is a cause of people disliking tobacco smoke. If you have candida problems, you might find smoking and tobacco smoke in general disgusting whether or not it would suit you, and smoking might cause a detox reaction as nicotine is anti-fungal.
Another sidenote for everyone: Given all the propaganda, programming, etc., for those who have never smoked, the reason may simply be that you have been inhibited from trying rather than it genuinely not suiting you. You can find out by trying it and seeing whether or not it helps you. If it doesn't, no big loss, and now you know - you can just move on. If it does, great - you found a tool to help you.