Gang a bong - get it on . . . or not

[Cuthbert J Twillie]

Buzzkill warning!
I'm convinced bongs are not a good idea.
Before you get upset please let me explain.
My opinion comes from virtually a lifetime of using the sacrament (started at 18 currently 67).
It may also be helpful to know that during the majority of my time medicating I was a long distance swimmer.

At different times I've used a bong to medicate.
I've used just a straight bong and I've hooked a bong up to my vaporizer (in more recent times).
I found problems using a bong straight or with a vaporizer.

The problem with bongs IMO is the way we take air in.
In normal breathing there is no resistance to the intake of a breath.
When we use a bong we drastically change the difficulty of the inhale.
Our lungs were not designed to compensate for the resistance we face with a bong inhale.

The way the problem with bongs manifested itself with me was a sharp pain running across an area of my chest near what I would guess was the top of my lungs.
I suspect the problem was muscular but I have no sure way of knowing.
When I quit using a bong I noticed this pain gradually diminished and went away.
My conclusion is that the resistance involved in using a bong (long term) negate any advantages that come with bong usage.

I'm curious if any other long term users have had similar experiences?

 

[j-bug]

A number of professional athletes use breath resistance devices while training. I think for people with healthy lung function it shouldn’t have a problem. I find that if I’m not exercising much it can be more of an issue and when I’m more active it’s not a bother

 

[Madri-Gal]

Buzzkill warning!
I'm convinced bongs are not a good idea.
Before you get upset please let me explain.
My opinion comes from virtually a lifetime of using the sacrament (started at 18 currently 67).
It may also be helpful to know that during the majority of my time medicating I was a long distance swimmer.

At different times I've used a bong to medicate.
I've used just a straight bong and I've hooked a bong up to my vaporizer (in more recent times).
I found problems using a bong straight or with a vaporizer.

The problem with bongs IMO is the way we take air in.
In normal breathing there is no resistance to the intake of a breath.
When we use a bong we drastically change the difficulty of the inhale.
Our lungs were not designed to compensate for the resistance we face with a bong inhale.

The way the problem with bongs manifested itself with me was a sharp pain running across an area of my chest near what I would guess was the top of my lungs.
I suspect the problem was muscular but I have no sure way of knowing.
When I quit using a bong I noticed this pain gradually diminished and went away.
My conclusion is that the resistance involved in using a bong (long term) negate any advantages that come with bong usage.

I'm curious if any other long term users have had similar experiences?

It's possible there was an issue unrelated to bong usage, but aggravated by bong usage. It could have been a pulled muscle. Our lungs were designed to breathe in a variety of conditions, all day, every day. Pulling on a bong is a small number of inhales over the course of a day. If it caused pain on the inhale, most would stop. Coughing is also not a problem for our lungs. It's just part of what they do. You can be sure, if bongs were a health problem, we would have heard about it.
I'm curious as to why you think there is more resistance using a bong, than a joint, a vape, pipe with dirty screen, etc. If I get a hard pull through my waterpiece, I just dump out some water. I'm a lazy breather, same as with everything else, and I didn't have a bit of trouble with bongs. Smoke was a problem, but I liked the glass experience so much, that the first thing I did after ordering my first vape, was look for a water pipe adapter.
As someone with severe asthma, I can tell you, respiratory therapists, doctors and nurses, have no problem asking for long, difficult inhales and exhales, and restriction is a regular feature in these exercises. The tubing on my nebulizer is always restricted as well, and sturdy inhales are again preferred.
If you continue to have problems with your lungs, I would encourage you to see a doctor. Lungs are magnificent, but they aren't indestructible.

 

[arb]

"Lazy breather".................

 

[Cuthbert J Twillie]

It's possible there was an issue unrelated to bong usage, but aggravated by bong usage. It could have been a pulled muscle. Our lungs were designed to breathe in a variety of conditions, all day, every day. Pulling on a bong is a small number of inhales over the course of a day. If it caused pain on the inhale, most would stop. Coughing is also not a problem for our lungs. It's just part of what they do. You can be sure, if bongs were a health problem, we would have heard about it.
I'm curious as to why you think there is more resistance using a bong, than a joint, a vape, pipe with dirty screen, etc. If I get a hard pull through my waterpiece, I just dump out some water. I'm a lazy breather, same as with everything else, and I didn't have a bit of trouble with bongs. Smoke was a problem, but I liked the glass experience so much, that the first thing I did after ordering my first vape, was look for a water pipe adapter.
As someone with severe asthma, I can tell you, respiratory therapists, doctors and nurses, have no problem asking for long, difficult inhales and exhales, and restriction is a regular feature in these exercises. The tubing on my nebulizer is always restricted as well, and sturdy inhales are again preferred.
If you continue to have problems with your lungs, I would encourage you to see a doctor. Lungs are magnificent, but they aren't indestructible.

Whether you realize it or not bongs require a significant amount suction to make them function.
Yes you will apply suction to a doobie but not to the same degree as a bong.
Air II advertises that the II draws easier than the Air.
There is a reason they mention that in their sales literature.
Think about a Volcano and the use of bags.
Inhaling from a bag is probably as close to a natural inhale as possible.
Ease of draw is going to be a big factor in long term lung health.

A couple specific points:
"It's possible there was an issue unrelated to bong usage, but aggravated by bong usage."
The problem ceased after I quit using a bong.
The problem reoccurred when using a bong.
" . . . if bongs were a health problem, we would have heard about it."
I'm not sure anyone is doing research on bongs, if they are I'd love to read it.
"If you continue to have problems with your lungs, I would encourage you to see a doctor."
I mentioned being a long distance swimmer to point out that my health per se is not the issue.

What I like about this site is that it is health/science oriented.
Vaping for a lot of us is about making a healthier choice.
As an aging Vaper I made my comments as a cautionary statement.

To restate my point:
Sit still and pay attention to normal breathing.
How much effort does it take?
Compare your quiet breathing to the violence of pulling a bong rip.
I'm saying your lungs/breathing musculature weren't designed for bong rips.
If you use a machine in a mode that varies from the design intent chances are the machine will fail prematurely.

However, your results may vary.

 

[arb]

Whether you realize it or not bongs require a significant amount suction to make them function.
Yes you will apply suction to a doobie but not to the same degree as a bong.
Air II advertises that the II draws easier than the Air.
There is a reason they mention that in their sales literature.
Think about a Volcano and the use of bags.
Inhaling from a bag is probably as close to a natural inhale as possible.
Ease of draw is going to be a big factor in long term lung health.

A couple specific points:
"It's possible there was an issue unrelated to bong usage, but aggravated by bong usage."
The problem ceased after I quit using a bong.
The problem reoccurred when using a bong.
" . . . if bongs were a health problem, we would have heard about it."
I'm not sure anyone is doing research on bongs, if they are I'd love to read it.
"If you continue to have problems with your lungs, I would encourage you to see a doctor."
I mentioned being a long distance swimmer to point out that my health per se is not the issue.

What I like about this site is that it is health/science oriented.
Vaping for a lot of us is about making a healthier choice.
As an aging Vaper I made my comments as a cautionary statement.

To restate my point:
Sit still and pay attention to normal breathing.
How much effort does it take?
Compare your quiet breathing to the violence of pulling a bong rip.
I'm saying your lungs/breathing musculature weren't designed for bong rips.
If you use a machine in a mode that varies from the design intent chances are the machine will fail prematurely.

However, your results may vary.

So why do you suck on a vape?
Other than the volcano most if not all of my vapes require more force to pull through than any of my smaller pieces.
The arizer products being particularly restrictive.......if the restriction itself is the issue how do you tolerate the vapes?

 

[Tranquility]

"Lazy breather".................

Isn't this a part of the issue?

If you breathe with your diaphragm, there shouldn't be much of a problem with the area you're talking about.

For example, if I were to suck my FF2 like I were breathing through a straw, I would not be able to generate enough force to complete a breath before the device timer goes off. If I breathe in deeply, with the diaphragm, no problem. (I use concentrates in the FF2 on pads. Deep breathing gives me some cooling through the pad to help keep the oil from moving to the floor of the bowl after the heater goes off.)

https://www.wikihow.com/Do-Abdominal-Breathing
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaphragmatic_breathing
https://www.verywellhealth.com/how-to-breathe-with-your-belly-89853

 

[shredder]

Another way to look at it is that it's a lung work out, something that will strengthen your lungs. Maybe not like an actual workout where you breath hard but still a workout, not unlike a deep breathing exercise.

 

[Madri-Gal]

Whether you realize it or not bongs require a significant amount suction to make them function.
Yes you will apply suction to a doobie but not to the same degree as a bong.
Air II advertises that the II draws easier than the Air.
There is a reason they mention that in their sales literature.
Think about a Volcano and the use of bags.
Inhaling from a bag is probably as close to a natural inhale as possible.
Ease of draw is going to be a big factor in long term lung health.

A couple specific points:
"It's possible there was an issue unrelated to bong usage, but aggravated by bong usage."
The problem ceased after I quit using a bong.
The problem reoccurred when using a bong.
" . . . if bongs were a health problem, we would have heard about it."
I'm not sure anyone is doing research on bongs, if they are I'd love to read it.
"If you continue to have problems with your lungs, I would encourage you to see a doctor."
I mentioned being a long distance swimmer to point out that my health per se is not the issue.

What I like about this site is that it is health/science oriented.
Vaping for a lot of us is about making a healthier choice.
As an aging Vaper I made my comments as a cautionary statement.

To restate my point:
Sit still and pay attention to normal breathing.
How much effort does it take?
Compare your quiet breathing to the violence of pulling a bong rip.
I'm saying your lungs/breathing musculature weren't designed for bong rips.
If you use a machine in a mode that varies from the design intent chances are the machine will fail prematurely.

However, your results may vary.

By "normal breathing" being put in context of sitting still, I'm going to assume you mean resting breathing. Climb some stairs, go for a run, drive from the coast to a high altitude. Our lungs were designed for breathing, and inhaling through a bong counts. If there was too much resistance, you wouldn't have gotten the inhale completed.
When I said, it was possible there was an issue unrelated to bong usage, but aggrevated by bong usage, I meant it might be something other than lungs. A pulled muscle. A cracked rib. I'm not saying this is what happened , just clarifying what I meant.
Arizer advertising about less air restriction means they want to promote new features and sell more devices. They were not saying our Air damages your lungs with tight draw restriction, so we fixed it with Air II. I'm not saying it's not nicer and easier to have less restriction, and good airflow, but some resistance isn't dangerous. Arizer is not saying that because there is improved airflow, that the original Solos and Airs cause lung damage.
I didn't say anyone was doing research on bongs. I'm saying if people were showing up at cl8nucs, Emergency Rooms, and doctors offices with lung damage from bong usage, you would have heard about it. Public Health is good about that sort of thing, and the government hasn't been shy to promote any dangers they felt were associated with pot. If there was even an inkling, there would have been someone with a grant testing bongs. You don't need cannabis to test glass.
You said you suspected the problem was muscular, is why I said it could be related ( a pulled muscle) . Being a swimmer doesn't mean you couldn't have pulled a muscle, and using the bong aggregated the pain.
I am aware that many of us use vaping for better health. Hey ! I'm one of those people. My lungs are much better. My lungs function tests have improved. I have fewer respiratory emergencies. I'm also aware that bongs require some effort to use, which isn't a problem for healthy lungs. Easy breathing, labored breathing, they do it all.
I also appreciate that FC is health and science oriented. If you have some science, I'd love to see it. You have a theory, but jumped right to issuing warnings with no scientific proof that bongs cause lung damage. For that matter, you aren't saying your lungs are damaged - or are you? If you think you have injured lungs, For Any Reason, get medical help. That is a standard caution.
Are you saying you have suffered permanent lung damage from using a bong? Has a medical professional confirmed this? Are there treatments you are undergoing? Oxygen tank? Intubation? Inhalers? What sort of damage does this cause ? Bronchial ? Alveolar ? Damage to the tissue ? And your doctor was sure, that the damage you currently suffer from was from bong usage, seperate from the long term smoking itself , or any environmental damage ?
I was unaware you suffered from a diagnosed condition stemming from bong usage. I am terribly sorry to hear that. I hope they haven't advised you give up vaping entirely. I can't imagine.
I was going on your statement that lungs weren't designed for the resistance from bong inhale. Our lungs work by resistance, so this didn't seem right, but if you have lung damage, then I am very sorry for your trouble, and hope you get better.
@OldNewbie , I was joking about "lazy breathing". I do exercise my lungs, as well as body . Twice a day, breathing exercises, and I send myself to sleep each night by breathing exercises.
Anyway, @ThymeTraveler , I'd love for you to weigh in. I know you're up on the pulmonary system.