I had a heart bypass a few years ago and have taken a liking to nasal snuff. Ask a cardiologist and he’ll tell you to stay away from nicotine in any form. Yet when you look around for information you can find a medical paper which says “snuff does not promote atherosclerosis, does not increase the risk of myocardial infarction…the increased release of catecholamines and the increased blood coaguability are most probably related to smoke components other than nicotine…abuse with nasal snuff…may lead to life-threatening arrhythmias.” Other sources are less positive and leave the question, at best, in doubt. So, are there any doctors or otherwise knowledgeable people in the Snuffhouse who have an opinion? I’m not talking about heavy usage. Can snuff be used lightly by a heart patient? If so, how would you define light usage?
Man I don’t know, do you have a home blood pressure cuff? Maybe see how much snuff increases your blood pressure?
The main issue is that snuff, like any stimulant, will result in an increase in blood pressure. How much of an increase will depend upon dosage, frequency of use, and your own body’s idiosyncratic reactions to stimulation. I would think, as a ballpark, it would have about the same effect as a cup of coffee, but, again, this will depend on a number of factors. In your case, I am assuming that you suffer from coronary artery disease, based upon your history of bypass. I can’t think of a biologically plausible mechanism through which snuff would affect arterial plaque one way or the other. The main concern would be, as I said, an increase in blood pressure and the possibility of arrhythmia. If you are currently smoking, snuff would certainly be a safer alternative. If you are not using tobacco, taking up snuff will increase your risk, but likely not by a whole lot. It might require adjustment of the dosage of your anti-hypertensive medication, assuming that you are being treated for high blood pressure. That being said, if your condition is fragile, a little bit of increased stress might be all it takes to lead to a bad outcome. If you are determined though to use tobacco, snuff is by far the safest form to use, as there are no nasty byproducts produced by combustion and the nicotine levels are fairly low. Disclaimer: I am not a physician, and none of the above should be construed as medical advice. I do have a background in disability law, and am passingly familiar with heart disease, but still, take the above with a grain of salt.
My blood pressure it through the roof, But that is normal for me. Doctors practice medicine Your health is important ? And life is to be enjoyed, We only have today, live it to the fullest. Only you can decide. I wouldn’t ask health questions on the internet for a life or death scenario
Some sources report that nicotine is good for promotion of vein and artery growth in heart patients http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/drugs-alcohol/nicotine-health-benefits.htm http://www.forces.org/evidence/evid/therap.htm basement_shaman I’m with you with high blood pressure. No ill effects that I can see (headaches…). concluded it is normal for me as my father lived to 86 with it.
Don’t they call high blood pressure ‘the silent killer’? I have high blood pressure but with meds, it’s fine. I feel no side effects from the meds so I’ll keep taking them because I’d prefer my BP to be normal. Before medication, I used to get awful headaches. That was my only symptom.
there is no strong correlation between snuff use and any health problems. It does seem that the main cardiac damage from smoking is caused by smoking. The thing is that it might be bad for the heart but minimaly so. Less then not eating greens and soluble fiber. Less then not getting exercise. Less then eating too much saturated fats. Less then stress. I guess what I’am saying is I don’t know if for you it would be an issue. I know with snus that one type of heart attack is more likely to be survived by a significant amount. And that with snus another type of heart attack is less likeily to be survived by a small percentage. If it keeps you from smoking then be comfortable knowing it’s definatily safer. If your ticker is heavily damaged it might be best to play it better safe then sorry. Though I’d say what does your guy tell you? Does it feel right or wrong when you use snuff? Because in your case the currentily available information doesn’t really say clearly one way or the other.
The leading, by far, cause of death in the western world is birth. In the east it is rebirth. Have high blood pressure and am glad it is the silent killer. Would hate to hear an internal voice, at the moment of death scream, "your dead, Mother******)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1507093/ mmmmmmm Velllly Intellllesting
For what it’s worth (i.e. nothing) my grandpa was a doctor and he always said people worried way too much about blood pressure. It used to be high blood pressure was anything over 180, now some doctors claim even 120 is something to watch.
For what it’s worth (i.e. nothing) my grandpa was a doctor and he always said people worried way too much about blood pressure. It used to be high blood pressure was anything over 180, now some doctors claim even 120 is something to watch.
Really? mine used to sit at about 140, and i was told to keep an eye on it being so young (17). at about 18 it was 150-160, and i was told to keep a very close eye on it, but they wouldnt treat it with it being borderline high and my young age. now i have no idea… im expecting it to be much higher now.
Yeah these days anything over 140 is considered hypertension and anything over 130 is “pre-hypertension”. Over 160 is “stage 2 hypertension”. Some people just have high blood pressure for no good reason, my one friend is a 21-year-old gym rat who doesn’t use tobacco or alcohol and his blood pressure is in the 130s.
Blood pressure is strange because it’s certainly an indicator for a likelihood for vascular diseases. The thing is it seems to harm people differently. It’s also seems like it is important how consistently high it is, which is harder to moniter then where it is at a given time. The thing is that high blood pressure isn’t good in general. The people who don’t seem hurt by it are lucky.
yeah, mine is probably mainly due to being overweight, ive gained nearly two stone since i was lasted checked, i used to be about 16, now im nearly 18 stone. back then i was getting palpitations, chest pain etc, now it seems to have calmed down a bit. i need to lose weight since both sides of the family have a history of heart failure, but since im a lazy ass student with mild depression, its not as easy as id like. need to get myself a bp monitor to check it. i think seeing it now would either drive me harder to fix it, or spin me to new lows though.
I’m doing research. I check blood presure before taking snuff, a moment after, and 15-20 minutes later. At the moment - nothing indicates that snuff raises blood pressure, even large pinches. But it’s just beginning. I’m gonna do this research for a few months, then we’ll conclude. Maybe you’ll join this experiment and then we will compare our resulsts?
I’m doing research. I check blood presure before taking snuff, a moment after, and 15-20 minutes later. At the moment - nothing indicates that snuff raises blood pressure, even large pinches. But it’s just beginning. I’m gonna do this research for a few months, then we’ll conclude. Maybe you’ll join this experiment and then we will compare our resulsts?
Of course I write the result down every time after checking blood pressure.
I’m doing research. I check blood presure before taking snuff, a moment after, and 15-20 minutes later. At the moment - nothing indicates that snuff raises blood pressure, even large pinches. But it’s just beginning. I’m gonna do this research for a few months, then we’ll conclude. Maybe you’ll join this experiment and then we will compare our resulsts?
Of course I write the result down every time after checking blood pressure.
I’ve had BP upwards of 174 over 107. and was always elevated, I quit drinking alcohol, quit smoking cigarettes and lost 50 lbs. Started eating better and sleeping better with the help of natural herbs, vitamins and diet, as well as change in prescription meds. My BP is normal and more consistant, minus disease related flares and anxiety, then, I’m screwed either way. I feel so much better, on my good days, and I can breathe. I’ve tested the theory and all I’ve gathered so far is; with a heavy amount of snuff and the nic kick, heart rate will elevate slightly, but no changes seen so far in BP. but for now it’s research, and future testing may draw a better conclusion.
Through a complicated series of events, I had a 24 hour heart monitor fitted by a London teaching hospital. I took snuff, noted the time and later took a few cups of strong coffee. When I returned the monitor and the data was downloaded, they gave me a copy of the readout. There was no increase in blood pressure or heart rate due to the snuff but the coffee pushed up both slightly. I confessed to what I had done and no one was surprised at the results. If you really want to wind your blood pressure up, get stuck in a traffic jam or go around in circles for 20 minutes looking for a parking space! As they say in all good warnings, it may not be the same for you. Incidentally, no problems were found and the “ticker” is in good running order.