Healthier Smoking?

[dave8944]

I quit smoking seven months ago with e-cig's and now my blood pressure is above normal. I ALWAYS had lower than normal blood pressure when I smoked and now that I have quit it's gone up. Maybe I'm getting more nicotine this way, but it seems an odd outcome.

Maybe smoking isn't really that bad for all of us. I used to have terrible asthma and migraines. When I started smoking both of these went away. I never had problems breathing when I smoked. I could run up three flights of stairs faster and less winded that the 20 year olds I teach. I did have a little smoker's cough and would spew up black phlegm daily, but other than that I never noticed negative health effects from smoking. I've never had to call in sick to work or anything. I'm left wondering if I should believe anything anyone says about health. We are all unique.

 

[oldtechno]

dave;

It could be zillions of things. Beats me which one. But remember, you quit smoking and started vaping 7 months ago--in that time ANYTHING could bring your blood pressure up. I'm sure mine goes up everytime my 510 battery runs down.

 

[four2109]

Dave, How long did you smoke? My blood pressure is up too.. after 7 months too. It's around 120/80, but was always 90-110/60-70. I have gained weight and blame that, but who knows. Unlike you, I was feeling the long term effects of smoking when I quit. I had smoked for 35 years and had a crackle in my chest at night, some labor in breathing, and began having issues with racing heartbeat. This is just a choice we make based on our own personal situations.

 

[dave8944]

I smoked for 25 years (two packs a day) and my blood pressure was regularly 100/75. I really have not changed anything else in my daily routine. I exercise just as much, eat the same foods, and sleep the same amount. I'm a very routine person with little to no stress in my life. Now my blood pressure is 133/95. I'll keep checking it because there is always some variability, but with such a big jump I don't think it is an accident. I can only think I have more nicotine in my system than I got through smoking. I vape 36mg liquid, so that could very well be the problem.

I'm sure smoking does cause harm, but with such anti-smoking hysteria out there I also think the harm is over blown. Second hand smoke is pretty much a joke in terms of harm to others' health. All those studies had major flaws. Plus, with the patch there have been a number of studies on the positive effects of nicotine itself. I think I avoided health problems from smoking because I did everything else right. I've excercised EVERY week (multiple times) for the past 24 years, eat good raw foods, have a low stress job, sleep 8 hours every night, and take natural anti-oxidants in my diet. It's been a pain, but I think I kept doing all that BECAUSE I smoked and knew I had to make up for that fact. Perhaps my experience illustrates the fact that other health factors play a more important role in our overall health than smoking itself.