Since you don't inhale when you smoke a pipe or cigar, I don't see why there's so much bad stuff in the press about it. It seems a lot better to me than smoking cigarettes.

In some ways you are right. The majority of pipe and cigar smokers don't inhale, and therefore, the particles and noxious gases don't bombard their lungs and seep into their blood stream. As a result, their chances of developing heart disease or severe lung disease are less than for people who smoke cigarettes.

But just as you are reducing some hazards to your health, you are increasing others. Cigar and pipe smokers who don't inhale are not off the hook. Even nicotine that is not inhaled has negative effects. Smoke lingers outside the mouth and can travel inside the throat and windpipe and into the upper breathing passages. Because of such exposure, the incidence of cancer of the mouth, throat, larynx and stomach are as high, and in some studies even higher for cigar and pipe smokers than for cigarette smokers. So, the bad press on cigars and pipes is really well deserved. They aren't the innocent alternative people hope they are. Even though the risk for certain types of disease is less, the risk for other serious disease is greater. The way to really reduce your risk is to not smoke at all. University Health Services (UHS) can help students who want to quit smoking. Call 863-0461 and ask about the Quit and Win Challenge.

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This column is not intended to replace advice from your personal clinician. If conditions persist, see a clinician.