Smoking is... good?

[SunEterna]

Propaganda alert!

A smoker of what? A tire smoker? It's not precised!

 

[Oxajil]

Interesting recent study (conducted by German researchers):

Healthy Subjects With Extreme Patterns of Performance Differ in Functional Network Topology and Benefits From Nicotine

Our findings provide additional evidence that a nicotine based treatment has the potential to improve attentional performance in a subgroup of predisposed subjects that show atypical patterns of low attentional or executive behaviour and differences in local integration of functional brain network topology. This finding may also be of relevance for other disorders such as mild cognitive impairment where a pilot trial on long term nicotine treatment resulted in improved attention, memory and psychomotor speed (Newhouse et al., 2012) or the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia (Tregellas and Wylie, 2019).

Another good one:

Nicotine enhances auditory processing in healthy and normal-hearing young adult nonsmokers

RESULTS:
Nicotine significantly improved performance in the more difficult tasks of tone-in-noise detection and selective attention (effect size = - 0.3) but had no effect on relatively easier tasks of temporal gap detection and spectral ripple discrimination. The two tasks showing significant nicotine effects further showed no baseline-dependent improvement.

CONCLUSIONS:
Nicotine improves auditory performance in difficult listening situations. The present results support future investigation of nicotine effects in clinical populations with auditory processing deficits or reduced cholinergic activation.

In the first study, participants were given a nicotine patch ('Niquitin', 7mg) and the second study used nicotine gum ('Nicorette' gum, 6mg). It would be interesting to see the effects if the participants were getting their nicotine through smoking, but I guess giving cigarettes without additives to non-smoking participants would be 'unethical'

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

I've now been a smoker for 20 years and I've never regretted taking up the habit;

SlipNet, Reading through the smoking section I noticed you are from G.B. Do you happen to smoke organic cigarettes and if so where do you get them. I'm having great difficulty sourcing some.

 

[SlipNet]

Do you happen to smoke organic cigarettes and if so where do you get them. I'm having great difficulty sourcing some.

Ah, good question. I don't smoke organic, but I do smoke what is the next best thing. The tobacco I buy is called Pueblo, and it's a good strong blend. I get mine from a local Vape shop, but like I say it's not organic though.

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

Ah, good question

Thanks for replying. I'll just keep hunting.

 

[Oxajil]

Thanks for replying. I'll just keep hunting.

Hi TdD, many members who smoke here use Pueblo; it's not a bad brand! If you want organic, I think there are some online stores in Germany that sell them. For example this website (the brand is called Manitou - haven't checked thoroughly but I think it's organic). Do check if the site is legit, and if they ship to your country.

Added: Found this UK website, maybe there are more?

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

Oxajil. Thanks for giving me this info. I've tried a few German sites that don't deliver to U.K. This one,however, does..
Nothing is simple however. I've gone through the motions of ordering but when I get to my address details, there's a big pink box saying PLACE. I've looked around to see if there is any explaination for this word but no luck. Do you know what info they want in this box.? I'm really sorry to put on you like this.

 

[Oxajil]

Oxajil. Thanks for giving me this info. I've tried a few German sites that don't deliver to U.K. This one,however, does..
Nothing is simple however. I've gone through the motions of ordering but when I get to my address details, there's a big pink box saying PLACE. I've looked around to see if there is any explaination for this word but no luck. Do you know what info they want in this box.? I'm really sorry to put on you like this.

No problem! You mean PLZ? I think it means postal code. You can also try the UK website I added to my previous post.

 

[Jenn]

@Tuatha de Danaan, there is also Tabak Brucker | Online Shop für Tabakwaren und mehr! which ships to the UK, here you can buy manitou and other organic tobacco. I think ASDA sell Manitou and American spirit but it is quite expensive at £10-£12 for a pouch of 30g!!

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

@Tuatha de Danaan, there is also Tabak Brucker | Online Shop für Tabakwaren und mehr! which ships to the UK, here you can buy manitou and other organic tobacco. I think ASDA sell Manitou and American spirit but it is quite expensive at £10-£12 for a pouch of 30g!!

☺
Jenn.
Thanks for throwing me another lifeline. With both yourself and Oxajil's suggestions I have 3 sites to do a price comparison. Also your info on Asda is great, even if pricey great in an emergency..

 

[liam1310]

SlipNet, Reading through the smoking section I noticed you are from G.B. Do you happen to smoke organic cigarettes and if so where do you get them. I'm having great difficulty sourcing some.

I use this site to buy fairgreen tobacco, prices are excellent and its organic. They also do mohauk and sauvage tobacco and are additive free and American spirit organic tobacco and cigarettes . I'm sure they deliver to the UK aswell.

They only sell American spirit were I live it's 17.50e for 25 gram pouch. I get 30 gram pouch of Fairgreen for 6.50e on that site. Have been using them for over a year now, no issues at all.

Here is the link for American spirit cigarettes.

American Spirit Yellow 20 – Buy your Cigars, Cigarettes and Tobacco Online

www.dutchtobacconist.nl

 

[Tuatha de Danaan]

I use this site to buy fairgreen tobacco, prices are excellent and its organic. They also do mohauk and sauvage tobacco and are additive free and American spirit organic tobacco and cigarettes . I'm sure they deliver to the UK aswell.

liam1310. Wonderful info. Thank you so much. I'll be like Ebenezer Scrooge later on looking for best prices. Much appreciated.

 

[Oxajil]

Nice find, @liam1310, I see it's a Dutch site! Going to try it out! Thanks.

 

[RedFox]

May have been posted elsewhere already, but sharing something I noticed on Jack Cruises FaceBook page. He posted a picture of himself with two packs of nicotine gum, and a call pay for membership (and judging by the comments he still thinks smoking is toxic ). Anyway, someone posted the useful snippets in the comments:

"...nicotine alters the homeostasis of the RAS by upregulating the detrimental angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)/angiotensin (ANG)-II/ANG II type 1 receptor axis and downregulating the compensatory ACE2/ANG-(1–7)/Mas receptor axis" = CVD

So this must mean that with coronavirus, ACE2 is an issue. You want to up regulate ACE and down regulate/suppress ACE2.

Coronavirus has an affinity for ACE2 receptor sites.

"Angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptors have been shown to be the entry point into human cells for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. ... Potential upregulation of ACE2 by ACE inhibitors or ARBs has resulted in a speculation of potential increased risk for COVID-19 infection in patients with background treatment of these medications."

Also of note, studies indicate that ACE2 increased to a greater extent than ACE with undernutrition.

The quotes above come from this paper (which is trying to explain why 'smoking causes cardiovascular disease): Nicotine and the renin-angiotensin system

Cigarette smoking is the single most important risk factor for the development of cardiovascular and pulmonary diseases (CVPD). Although cigarette smoking has been in constant decline since the 1950s, the introduction of e-cigarettes or electronic nicotine delivery systems 10 yr ago has attracted former smokers as well as a new generation of consumers. Nicotine is a highly addictive substance, and it is currently unclear whether e-cigarettes are “safer” than regular cigarettes or whether they have the potential to reverse the health benefits, notably on the cardiopulmonary system, acquired with the decline of tobacco smoking. Of great concern, nicotine inhalation devices are becoming popular among young adults and youths, emphasizing the need for awareness and further study of the potential cardiopulmonary risks of nicotine and associated products. This review focuses on the interaction between nicotine and the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), one of the most important regulatory systems on autonomic, cardiovascular, and pulmonary functions in both health and disease. The literature presented in this review strongly suggests that nicotine alters the homeostasis of the RAS by upregulating the detrimental angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE)/angiotensin (ANG)-II/ANG II type 1 receptor axis and downregulating the compensatory ACE2/ANG-(1–7)/Mas receptor axis, contributing to the development of CVPD.

As Asians have higher levels of ACE2 receptors (Comparative genetic analysis of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV/SARS-CoV-2) receptor ACE2 in different populations), its data that probably explains why more non-smokers than smokers in China became infected Study on Coronavirus patients in Wuhan suggests non-smokers are more likely to become infected -- Sott.net

Link to FB post for reference:

https://www.facebook.com/drjackkruse/photos/a.568822376515454/3306467176084280

 

[anka]

This is in relation to what Laura posted in Corona thread:

.....
As many of you know, this is what happened to Ark in December, after he contracted the virus in November. But here I should mention that it was piperacillin/tazobactam that stopped the whole thing in its tracks; but that was only in January. So he apparently survived the whole main show pretty much on his own.

@Gaby replied to that post with some clues about protective function of nicotine against some effects of Covid-19. I am wondering - can any particular protocol be used by people / members of this forum who don't smoke to protect themselves against future infections? As far as I know Ark does not smoke and he does not really feel good about it (has anything changed in that matter?). I noticed a number of other forumites don't smoke, perhaps thanks to their genetic profile, so what could be done for them? They are obviously in much bigger danger and could experience serious acute problems, just like Ark has.

Maybe in some cases using the nicotine patches would be sufficient? Should others inhale something though? I heard of antiviral properties of some essential oils, i.e. oregano. Maybe inhaling those essences would give a better chance of coping with a disease? Or should we look for some kind of vaporizer or another method that creates an antiviral smoke which will protect the lungs (with defensive layer) and deliver antiviral substances to the body?

I know they are a bit naive, layman's questions but I think that finding answers would benefit Ark and many other people here.