Source: eon.businesswire.com Hookah smoking, where specially made flavored tobacco is heated, passed through water and drawn through a rubber pipe, has been around for centuries. According to a recent study conducted at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, however, these days hookah use is on the rise among college-age Americans. In fact, one in three college students has smoked a hookah at some point. In response to this alarming trend, the largest ear, nose, throat, allergy and audiology practice in the tri-state area, ENT and Allergy Associates, LLP (ENTA), which is highly involved with the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout, is calling for increased public awareness about the risks associated with hookah smoking. ENTA stresses the importance of quitting this unhealthy habit and provides tips on what young people can do to help decrease their chances of developing oral cancer. “Young people need to be made aware of the negative impact of hookah smoking on their health, including the increased risk for developing oral cancer,” explains Michael Bergstein, M.D., FACS, of the ENTA office in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. “A typical hookah session can last up to one hour, with smokers taking long, deep breaths, so that the smoke inhaled can equal 100 cigarettes or more, according to a 2005 study by the World Health Organization. Therefore, it is critical that hookah smokers stop immediately and practice preventive measures against oral cancer.” Individuals should routinely perform simple oral self-exams of their mouth in order to help detect early changes [...]