Ever thought of quitting smoking by using e-cigarettes? Mark did! Unfortunately, he failed. Over a period of time, he ended up with the real cigarettes again.
What is most challenging is a person's motivation to quit smoking. E-cigarettes (e-cigs) are just another excuse to continue smoking for some people. For some others, it is a way to start or begin their smoking habit. The other day, I was on online chat with a corporate patient of mine who seemed to be very desperate to quit smoking. I had a lengthy discussion with him for about 20 minutes. He had tried the option of E-cigarettes, which ultimately did him no good, and he went back to the real stuff. How often do medical professionals fail in helping people quit smoking? Can we ever consider the concept of E-Cigarettes as totally safe and harmless in comparison to the regular ones? Is the increasing trend of using e-cigs amongst the youth globally going to cause further harm on the future generation? We need answers that are more concrete for these questions.Come February 12th, 2015, the Bay Area Transit Board, California will ban electronic cigarettes on train cars and at stations. Penalties would be $100 for first-time violators and $200 for second-time offenders. The American Lung Association says it is not harmless water vapor that is smoked but that there are nicotine particles and other harmful toxins that could affect the health of passengers as well as active e-cigarette users. The American Vaping Association is criticizing this bill which is scheduled to be passed in February 2015.
One point is clear, whether people use E-cigarette or regular cigarette, they are consuming nicotine and it is an addiction that kills. Hence, several states in the US are finalizing on calling on an overall ban on e-cigs as with regular cigarettes.
What are E-cigarettes and how do they work?
E-cigarettes or E-cigs, also known as vapor cigarettes or vapes, do not light on fire or burn. They run on a heated liquid or cartridge that release nicotine. They work the same way as their regular counterpart. The end of the e-cig glows as you inhale and a puff of smoke is exhaled. All E-cigs essentially have a battery, a heating element and a cartridge that holds the nicotine and other components.
E-cigarettes or E-cigs, also known as vapor cigarettes or vapes, do not light on fire or burn. They run on a heated liquid or cartridge that release nicotine. They work the same way as their regular counterpart. The end of the e-cig glows as you inhale and a puff of smoke is exhaled. All E-cigs essentially have a battery, a heating element and a cartridge that holds the nicotine and other components.
Using an e-cig is called vaping.
E-cig starter kits costs from $40 to $100, while the cartridge refill sells at $15 to $20.
Are E-cigs a way out of smoking cessation? Let's look on.
As of now, the school of thought is that "E-cigarettes may be less harmful than cigarettes" but we still are not aware of the long-term risks of the same. In December 2014, of the 600 papers submitted to Cochrane review, only a meagre amount of 12 were up to the Cochrane standard and only two were Randomized Control Trials (RCT), which is the strongest measure. One amongst the two randomized control study by the health research council in New Zealand, published in Cochrane library dated 16 November 2013, interpreted that e-cigarettes with or without nicotine were modestly effective at helping people quit smoking. It also concluded that there is an urgent need to clearly establish their overall benefits and harm at both individual and population levels.
As of now, the school of thought is that "E-cigarettes may be less harmful than cigarettes" but we still are not aware of the long-term risks of the same. In December 2014, of the 600 papers submitted to Cochrane review, only a meagre amount of 12 were up to the Cochrane standard and only two were Randomized Control Trials (RCT), which is the strongest measure. One amongst the two randomized control study by the health research council in New Zealand, published in Cochrane library dated 16 November 2013, interpreted that e-cigarettes with or without nicotine were modestly effective at helping people quit smoking. It also concluded that there is an urgent need to clearly establish their overall benefits and harm at both individual and population levels.
What the present day youth think about e-cigs is that they are light and safe. Hence, there is a rise in its use among this population. Teens think that it will be easy for them to quit smoking later on if they stick to the e-cigs whereas the truth is, once the brain is used to the taste of nicotine, it actually won't give it up so easily.
A team of researchers at the University of North Carolina is studying on how e-cigs are promoted on Twitter and other social networking sites. While cigarette advertising has been banned in general, there is no restriction on commercial marketing of e-cigs on TV or other mass media channels.
What is the future of E-cigarettes?
Ready or not, the era of e-cigarettes is here. It’s a booming, billion-dollar industry, on track to outsell tobacco products within a decade.
Ready or not, the era of e-cigarettes is here. It’s a booming, billion-dollar industry, on track to outsell tobacco products within a decade.
The FDA is currently reviewing nearly 13500 comments on the proposed regulation for e-cigs in the US before approving legislation.
2014 was the first year when many teens admitted to using e-cigs than regular cigs. It seems like the trend of smoking starts with using e-cigs and eventually leads to smoking regular cigarettes in the long run.
If you do not smoke, don’t vape. If you are a smoker, you can try using e-cigs as an option to conventional nicotine replacement therapies. You can discuss the risk benefit ratio of e-cigarette use for you with your doctor. Ultimately, you have to make up your mind.
For now, the take home message is that tobacco products are not a good idea; be it e-cigarettes or regular cigarettes.
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