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Some Experts Say That Smoking Could be Good for You
December 14, 2010
Jakarta. In testimonies defying logic and scientific knowledge, experts on Tuesday told the Constitutional Court that smoking had little to no impact on the human body and could even prove healthy.
Sutiman Bambang Sumitro, a molecular biology professor from Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java, said cigarettes “could be used as media for energy transfer that would benefit normal human physiology.”
“This hasn’t been done yet because tobacco companies don’t have the proper research units for product development,” Sutiman said.
“Given enough knowledge, anything considered a toxin can be neutralized and used as medicine.”
Sutiman, who has developed a crystalline substance he claims can eliminate free radicals to reduce the health risks to smokers and passive smokers alike, was testifying in the judicial review of the Health Law.
Aris Widodo, a professor of pharmacology at Brawijaya, told the court smoking could help reduce stress and other problems, and that its health impact was not as severe as people feared.
“Smoking can eliminate anxiety, sharpen the concentration and increase calmness,” he said.
“We’ve never heard of someone dying from smoking. It might be strongly addictive, but if one stops smoking, the withdrawal symptoms don’t last long and [will] disappear more easily than with other drugs.”
Aris said while nicotine was known to accelerate the heart rate and raise blood pressure, it only did so “within safe limits.”
The idea that various cancers, as well as degenerative, cardiovascular and neurological diseases were the result of smoking were “not really correct,” he said.
“If you pay attention to disease phenomena, many illnesses are actually dependent on genetic factors.
“There are also external factors such as air and water pollution, as well as intense intake of medicines that play a significant role in developing diseases.
"Though incidents of disease related to smoking are relatively high, it should be understood that smoking is not the only factor, as genetic factors and pollutants play a role too.”
Stress, he added, was another important factor.
“But that could be solved easily by smoking cigarettes instead of using other drugs,” he said. “Valium [a prescription drug used to ease anxiety and psychiatric disorders] is expensive.”
Jack Rubiyoso, a public health expert from Brawijaya, also testified on Tuesday, saying most of the studies linking smoking to various health complications were published by Western researchers with imperialist agendas.
“There’s a medical imperialism in the mindset of the [Western] doctors,” he said.
“The impact of smoking, if it’s managed in a holistic way by family doctors, could be limited [and made to be] as small as possible. The so-called dangerous substance is easily handled by family doctors.”
However, Aru Sudoyo, the president of the Indonesian Internists Association (Papdi), denounced these academicians’ claims as baseless.
“No matter what part of the world you go, toxins are still poisonous. There is no question that cigarettes contain high concentrations of carcinogens,” he said.
Aru said only five to 10 percent of smoking-related deaths could be blamed on genetics.
“The rest is a matter of environment and lifestyle, including smoking.”
“These scientists have dreams, I get that. But the dream has gone too far. It might give people the wrong idea,” he said.
“You don’t have to be a chain- smoker to face a serious health risk from smoking. I just wish these scientists read the same scientific journals I read, then they wouldn’t make such controversial statements,” Hakim said.
Indonesia is known for its robust tobacco production and is the third-biggest tobacco consumer in the world, with more than 60 million citizens consuming 240 billion cigarettes in 2008, according to the World Health Organization.
December 14, 2010
Jakarta. In testimonies defying logic and scientific knowledge, experts on Tuesday told the Constitutional Court that smoking had little to no impact on the human body and could even prove healthy.
Sutiman Bambang Sumitro, a molecular biology professor from Brawijaya University in Malang, East Java, said cigarettes “could be used as media for energy transfer that would benefit normal human physiology.”
“This hasn’t been done yet because tobacco companies don’t have the proper research units for product development,” Sutiman said.
“Given enough knowledge, anything considered a toxin can be neutralized and used as medicine.”
Sutiman, who has developed a crystalline substance he claims can eliminate free radicals to reduce the health risks to smokers and passive smokers alike, was testifying in the judicial review of the Health Law.
Aris Widodo, a professor of pharmacology at Brawijaya, told the court smoking could help reduce stress and other problems, and that its health impact was not as severe as people feared.
“Smoking can eliminate anxiety, sharpen the concentration and increase calmness,” he said.
“We’ve never heard of someone dying from smoking. It might be strongly addictive, but if one stops smoking, the withdrawal symptoms don’t last long and [will] disappear more easily than with other drugs.”
Aris said while nicotine was known to accelerate the heart rate and raise blood pressure, it only did so “within safe limits.”
The idea that various cancers, as well as degenerative, cardiovascular and neurological diseases were the result of smoking were “not really correct,” he said.
“If you pay attention to disease phenomena, many illnesses are actually dependent on genetic factors.
“There are also external factors such as air and water pollution, as well as intense intake of medicines that play a significant role in developing diseases.
"Though incidents of disease related to smoking are relatively high, it should be understood that smoking is not the only factor, as genetic factors and pollutants play a role too.”
Stress, he added, was another important factor.
“But that could be solved easily by smoking cigarettes instead of using other drugs,” he said. “Valium [a prescription drug used to ease anxiety and psychiatric disorders] is expensive.”
Jack Rubiyoso, a public health expert from Brawijaya, also testified on Tuesday, saying most of the studies linking smoking to various health complications were published by Western researchers with imperialist agendas.
“There’s a medical imperialism in the mindset of the [Western] doctors,” he said.
“The impact of smoking, if it’s managed in a holistic way by family doctors, could be limited [and made to be] as small as possible. The so-called dangerous substance is easily handled by family doctors.”
However, Aru Sudoyo, the president of the Indonesian Internists Association (Papdi), denounced these academicians’ claims as baseless.
“No matter what part of the world you go, toxins are still poisonous. There is no question that cigarettes contain high concentrations of carcinogens,” he said.
Aru said only five to 10 percent of smoking-related deaths could be blamed on genetics.
“The rest is a matter of environment and lifestyle, including smoking.”
“These scientists have dreams, I get that. But the dream has gone too far. It might give people the wrong idea,” he said.
“You don’t have to be a chain- smoker to face a serious health risk from smoking. I just wish these scientists read the same scientific journals I read, then they wouldn’t make such controversial statements,” Hakim said.
Indonesia is known for its robust tobacco production and is the third-biggest tobacco consumer in the world, with more than 60 million citizens consuming 240 billion cigarettes in 2008, according to the World Health Organization.
