Shisha is the flavoured tobacco used in smoking process using hookah water pipes, which are also called by other names such as Narghile, Hubble Bubble, Goza, among other names. The process of smoking Shisha started when tobacco is soaked on fruits shavings such as apple, grapes and strawberries.

A hookah consists of a base, pipe, bowl and hose or a mouthpiece. Tobacco is placed in the bowl, which is at the top of the pipe structure. An aluminium foil covers the bowl and small charcoal pieces are then placed on the foil, which is punctured using a pin to gently heat the tobacco. When smoked using the hose; smooth, sweet-smelling vapour is filtered through the base containing water. It also comes in floral flavours such as coconut, vanilla and rose.

Main Effects of Shisha

Due to the mode of Shisha smoking—including frequency of puffing, depth of inhalation, and length of the smoking session—Shisha smokers may absorb higher concentrations of the toxins found in cigarette smoke, thus increasing the hazard to the body.

The charcoal used to heat tobacco in the Shisha pipes increases the health risks. Even after it has passed through water, the smoke produced by a Shisha contains high levels of toxic compounds, including carbon monoxide, heavy metals, and cancer-causing chemicals. Shisha tobacco and smoke contain numerous toxic substances known to cause lung, bladder, and oral cancers. A typical one-hour session of hookah smoking exposes the user to 100 to 200 times the volume of smoke inhaled from a single cigarette.

Irritation from exposure to tobacco juices increases the risk of developing oral cancers. The irritation by tobacco juice products is likely to be greater among Shisha smokersthan among pipe or cigar smokers because Shisha smoking is typically practiced (with or without inhalation) more often and for longer periods of time.

Shisha tobacco and smoke contain numerous toxic substances known to cause clogged arteries and heart disease.

There is an increased level of nicotine and cotinine (a by product of nicotine) in the blood plasma, saliva and urine of Shisha smokers that affects the periodontal tissues.

Hookah pipes used in hookah bars and cafes may not be cleaned properly, risking the spread of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases including tuberculosis (which can infect the lungs or other parts of the body), aspergillus (a fungus that can cause serious lung infections), and helicobacter (which can cause stomach ulcers) may be spread by sharing the pipe or through the way the tobacco is prepared.

Hookah pipes used in hookah bars and cafes may not be cleaned properly, risking the spread of infectious diseases.

Shisha smoking among pregnant mothers is risky to the baby as well, since the child may face underweight problems and difficulty in breathing. Babies born to women who smoked one or more water pipes a day during pregnancy have lower birth weights (were at least 3½ ounces less) than babies born to non-smokers and are at an increased risk for respiratory diseases.

Using Shisha smoke poses a serious potential health hazard to smokers and others exposed to the smoke emitted. The second hand smoke from Shisha poses a serious risk for non-smokers, particularly because it contains smoke not only from the tobacco but also from the heat source (e.g., charcoal) used in the hookah.

Hookah and Shisha smoking deliver almost the same amount of nicotine as cigarettes do, leading to nicotine addiction.

Shisha smokers who regard shisha as another form of smoking with a lower risk should reconsider their thoughts. The use of smoking Shisha as a past time hobby, a bonding session or a social event for some is entirely our choice. That temporary bliss given by smoking Shisha for a long run is not to be ignored though. The listed effects of smoking Shisha above are just some of the effects and we do not know what more could it cause. The sure thing is, the moment you are having a Shisha session you are also buying yourself a ticket in slowly killing your body bits by bits.

The prevalence of people smoking Shisha as a way of life is a call for attention. It is maybe because you want to get out from the stress of a problem that needs a solution. By way of this information people can make decisions to save or if they choose to ruin their body. If smoking cigarettes is harmful, then hookah smoking is only worse.