Snus & Eye Sight

[tim]

Oh great, Wise 6mg is what I like the most and now you are telling me it's the most dangerous?

With some of the lowest TSNA's of any brand I thought it would be the "healthiest." I go through a tin in about 3 days, so that's about 8 portions per day.

[TropicalBob]

No, not dangerous. That's not the proper word. Potent is more apt to describe the product.

I have two tins of Wise 6mg now and use them with caution. Mostly early in the morning to return me to the world of the conscious. Problems come mostly in the evening, so I'm trying to taper down during those hours. "No 6mg Wise after 6 p.m." is my rule.

I, too, think Wise products are safer than any Snus made. Just check the TSNA levels and make your own decision. But I also don't believe any portion snus can be called dangerous when compared to any other method of obtaining nicotine.

There are degrees of "danger" when using tobacco. Snus represents the least danger for the most people.

[soundslikesnoos]

snus and eyesight

Unfortunately yes, this thing that we all love called snus does increase the risk of going blind. Its the nicotine and; like Zero... the snus using hero mentioned, the carbon monoxide which lowers the count of nutrient enriched blood flowing to the eye, starving it of the essentials which speeds up the process...... not to mention the host of other chemicals that are produced by combustion like cyanide, which is a retinal toxin....and many others that I'm not aware of; because there are so many, that contribute to this. But nevermind all that. All that's only in the case of nasty ol' smoking. Lets get back to just nicotine. Again as Zero said, there are studies showing the correlation between eye damage; which in the case of nicotine usage is AMD (age macular degeneration), if one smokes 20 or more cigerettes a day for many years to increase your chance of getting the disorder by 2x. And if ur predispositioned with the gene, your risk can go up to 8x if you also smoke. But again, this is for combustion of the tobacco, snusing is a whole other thing. And also, AMD usually only affects people over 65, so therefore you have a while to go to suffer any effects of the disease if you do at all. Besides, even if you do use the hell out of snus....constantly have a pouch or pris in your mouth and are so high from nicotine all the time you can barely stand and you do this for for the rest of your life increasing your risk for the disease substantially, there are new drugs that are being used for AMD to stop and even reverse the disease. So I wouldn't worry about going blind from using snus or any tobacco product for that matter. But if you are still worried about it, there are certain foods that contain lutein and zeaxanthin which are spinach, collard greens, brussel sprouts, ect that have been proven to lower the risk. And antioxidants also help. Basically what I'm trying to say is....SNUS THE HELL ON! ;-)

[---Nicotinic Acid---]

I have to defend my beloved nicotine...........

Last time I checked, and please correct me if I'm wrong, nicotine restricts peripheral blood flow but dilates and improves blood flow to the brain-just like caffeine. It raises blood pressure temporarily, but can create an overall lower blood pressure as results from the suppressed appetite and food intake that results.


Re: an association between nicotine and erectile dysfunction. Nothing could be further from the truth. Nicotine is a potent DHEA booster, which = increased test levels. I've seen a couple posts on this board to affirm this, such as "Has anyone noticed sex is better since snusing?" We will see nicotine used to TREAT erectile dysfunction one day.

Someone mentioned taking niacin. Niacin is Nicotine. Niacin = NI cotinic ACid with an IN added in suffix to dissociate it from its tobacco origins. Found also in tomatoes, eggplant, and potatoes (though much less so).

If anyone is concerned about eyesight, they would do well do avoid dramatic blood sugar swings; restricting or eliminating sugar and alcohol from the diet. The insulin reaction from high sugar/high carb foods is deleterious to the eyesight.

[soundslikesnoos]

I don't really know. I know that nicotine is a vasoconstrictor which increases blood pressure. I also know that nicotine increases brain function...thinking skills etc., so u might be right about it improving blood flow to the brain. But the arteries that supply blood to the brain are thick so I don't know if the constricting of those would matter all that much. But anyway, I just learned some interesting things about nicotine. I thought that it was only produced in the tobacco plant. Untrue. Its also produced by other members of the Nightshade family...tomatoes, peppers and eggplant among othere. Of course its produced in small quantities. And its also prduced in the leaves of the coca plant in small amounts along with cocaine. I found that odd and interesting. But the most interesting thingthat I have found about nicotine is that its a anti-psychotic. All of the other drugs of abuse will cause psychosis if used enough. Nicotine on the other hand, the more you use, the more it counters the affliction. But yet it is a extremely toxic poison. It is even more deadly than cocaine. A drop of pure nicotine is enough to kill a few people but yet, its less determental to ones health if used below the fatal dose than cocaine. Very interesting.

[---Nicotinic Acid---]

Good researching there soundslikesnus.

Schizophrenics are more prone to tobacco use than any other sub-group (80% smoke).

Though it is theorized that this is because nicotine combats the muscle rigidity caused by antipsychotic meds; there's no doubt a lot of it has to do with easing racing thoughts and inability to concentrate.

Nicotine is also theraputic for those with Parkinson's disease, which also causes muscle rigidity. In addition, it can somewhat normalize the dopamine deficiency, which is what causes Parkinson's.

[soundslikesnoos]

Yeah I read some where that it also has anti-psychotic effects as well. And the schitzo's use it to self medicate. In any case, nicotine is cool. Nicotine is very cool.

[reshumate]

Wouldn't taking aspirin counter any arterial restriction from nicotine? All men should consider taking 1/2 a baby aspirin per day after age 35.

[soundslikesnoos]

I have no idea whether aspirin will do that or not. I have heard of it protecting against heart attacks though. But just as long as you don't chainsnus, I think you have nothing to worry about. Moderation is the key.

[---Nicotinic Acid---]

Wouldn't taking aspirin counter any arterial restriction from nicotine? All men should consider taking 1/2 a baby aspirin per day after age 35.

No one here needs aspirin, nicotine does wonders for arterial health.

It is very well known among doctors that a smoker will heal from heart surgery MUCH quicker than a non-smoker. This is due to the strength and elasticity that nicotine gives to the arteries.

Being too fat causes arterial restriction, but the nicotine should help the majority of us maintain a healthy bodyfat percentage.

[Soliex]

Nicotine also increases metabolism, I notice it. Since I started using snus daily I have had slight weight loss. Plus It cleans my system out because it seems to make me use the restroom more as well..