Posted by Sotski on October 14, 1998 at 01:27:23:
In Reply to: smoking and clusters posted by Matt on October 06, 1998 at 13:09:07:
Matt: I'm a smoker. Have dealt with cluster for 22 years. Have done a lot of research. Here is what is factually known and documented in the medical literature: a high percentage of cluster sufferers are smokers. They also tend to share certain other physical characteristics and personality traits. Conclusion: there is something about people predisposed to cluster that also predisposes them to using tobacco, alcohol, caffeine. Do any of those "cause" cluster? No. Studies have shown that people can quit smoking and still have cluster. Would it be wise to quit smoking anyway? Of course. It's well know that caffeine and alcohol can trigger attacks during a cluster phase. For me, it is difficult because my craving for tobacco increases during a cluster cycle; this may be due in part because it is a vasoconstrictor, and in part as a side effect of meds I take.
Do not let any doctor put you on a guilt trip. We suffer enough as it is without someone trying to tell us we're responsible for a malady that is so complex and misundertood that even the best specialists are still perplexed by it.
Best wishes!
Sotski
Cincinnati, Ohio