Study: COPD Patients Improve After Switching to Vaping
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is intricately linked to smoking. It’s estimated around 80% of cases of COPD are caused by smoking, and it’s one of the most important ways smoking causes death and disease. It might not be the first smoking-related condition you think of, but it’s right up there with lung cancer and heart disease as one of the major risks of smoking. With all of this in mind, the impact of vaping on COPD risk and the effect of switching on smokers
Study: Does Switching to a Lower-Nicotine Liquid Really Make a Difference?
Many vapers start with an intention to gradually switch to no-nicotine vaping. E-liquids are perfectly-designed for it, with a progressive reduction in nicotine strengths from 18 mg/ml (or higher) down through 12 mg/ml, 6 mg/ml, 3 mg/ml and then finally zero nicotine. The good news is that many vapers have made this journey, and have gotten a long part of the way towards no-nicotine e-liquids. But the picture isn’t really as simple as this, and a recent study shows that in many cases, reducing
Study: E-Cigarettes vs. Cigarettes vs. Heat Not Burn
Vaping really revolutionized the way people use nicotine, but the changes are really only just beginning. Heat-not-burn devices, which use actual tobacco but just heat it rather than “smoking” it through combustion, offer a bit of a middle-ground between vaping and smoking. But with the middle-ground in function, you might assume a middle-ground in risk follows. But does it? Although we can’t be certain yet, a recent study from Dr. Farsalinos looks at exactly this issue: what exposes users to the most formaldehyde and
New Study Refutes Concerns About Fine Particles in E-Cig Vapor
A new study has found that vaping in your home has essentially no impact on the average amount of particles in your indoor air. Unlike cigarette smoking, marijuana smoking, cigars, using gas heating or lighting incense, vaping in the home did not appear to affect the particulate matter counts in a selection of low-income homes. The authors chose not to make a big deal about this result – whereas the opposite result would have probably become headline for the press release– but the implication
Frogs shouldn’t vape
If you like vaping (and, I suppose, if you like frogs) the latest so-called research from Virginia Commonwealth University is going to leave you hopping mad. Even by the low standards of public health science this one really is shockingly bad – and the way it’s been done suggests that the aim is not to do science, but just to create negative publicity. So what exactly has happened? It seems to have started off with the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, which is
Gateway Myth: Does Vaping Really Lead to Smoking?
It’s been three years since director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Thomas Frieden, voiced his concerns about the number of kids vaping, starting what has come to be known as the 'gateway theory'. His worry was that by vaping these young people will be persuaded to try out conventional cigarettes, an opinion which has been echoed across the country ever since, and has no doubt influenced the harsh rulings the FDA has imposed on the e-cigarette and vaping industry. For some
Marewa Glover Interview: Vaping and Tobacco Control in New Zealand
A couple of weeks ago Michael Grey looked at the difference in vaping laws between New Zealand and the USA. I thought that was pretty interesting, so to find out a bit more about how Kiwi vapers are doing I spoke to Associate Professor Marewa Glover about the law and what’s happening at the moment. Prof. Glover has been one of the leading pro-vaping voices in New Zealand for years, and she’s worked especially hard to improve access to vapor products for the Indigenous
Are E-Cigarettes A Health Product?
As the FDA continues to fine tune their regulations regarding e-cigarettes, it has left many in doubt over whether these are a health product or if they are potentially as harmful as smoking. If you ask any vaper they will usually share their opinion that these products are a godsend because it helped them quit smoking. They will also typically tell you that they feel like their lungs are healthier since making the switch. This is just an individual opinion though and there is
Quitting Smoking, the Fun Way: Why Vaping is a Godsend for Smokers
Those opposed to vaping like to concoct doomsday scenarios. When you have limited evidence on which to base your pre-determined opposition to the technology, grasping at straws is part of the game. One of the key rallying calls of the opposition to vaping is that “there’s no evidence they’re effective for quitting!” This is a pretty insidious strategy, because – even though even most of those opposed to e-cigs will ultimately admit that vaping is much safer than smoking – it’s no good if vapers
The Diacetyl Debate: Panic, Controversy and the Need for Transparency
Although the facts on diacetyl in vape juice are debatable, the evidence still paints a consistent picture: it probably isn’t something you should be inhaling. That’s the plain and simple truth. But the issue for vapers themselves is even less clear. Even if the amounts detected in vapor do pose a risk, the amounts in cigarette smoke are much higher, so switching to vaping is still the safer option. Additionally, we do many things – drinking alcohol, for example – which aren’t completely safe, because
The Diacetyl Debate: What Top Researchers Have To Say
Diacetyl in E-JuiceIt’s hard to have missed the recent furor about diacetyl in e-liquid. The media whipped up a typically exaggerated storm of concern about the buttery flavoring, and familiar battle-lines were drawn among the vaping community: should we be concerned about diacetyl? Should we be putting more pressure on mixers to remove it from their juices? Or is the whole issue being blown out of proportion? The answers are hard to come by. But it’s an important issue, so in an attempt to get
New Study Claims E-cigs Don’t Help With Long-Term Quitting
New Study Claims E-Cigs Don’t Help Smoker Quit in the Long-Term One of the most important and hotly-contested points about e-cigarettes is whether they help smokers kick their combusted tobacco habit, and a new study claims that there is very little evidence for their long-term effectiveness. The finding is based on previously conducted studies, however, and conflicts with a recent Cochrane review of the evidence, suggesting that there is more to this story than meets the eye. So, is the evidence for e-cigs’ long-term effectiveness