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E-Cigarettes better for public health, says Experts

There’s been no shortness in a controversy and debate lately over the ill speculated health risks and benefits of smoking e-cigarettes over tobacco products. But in the corner of the more reasoned arguments, the Royal Society for Public Health is encouraging health bosses to promote the use of e-cigarettes and also suggests licensing tobacco sellers.

E-cigarettes better for public health than tobacco

As E-cigarettes have become increasingly popular with the vaping public there has been a somewhat knee jerk negative reaction from various sectors including government, health campaigners and the media. Criticisms of e-cigarettes have ranged from the lofty claims such as “e-cigarettes normalise smoking” to speculative and unproven health concerns. Despite the unwarranted negativity and misinformation surrounding e-cigarettes, the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) has urged Health chiefs across the UK to adopt a less negative attitude towards the use of e-cigarettes and instead direct their focus towards the far more harmful habit of tobacco smoking. The RSPH has also suggested an educational campaign is required to help people better understand the difference between the addiction to nicotine and the inhaling of harmful chemicals and substances such as tar, arsenic and other cancer causing chemicals found in traditional cigarettes. Such an education would help dispel the myth that nicotine is as bad for you as tobacco and help people better understand that e-cigarettes better for public health.

The RSPH also says new “exclusion zones” should be setup which would ban smoking outside schools, pubs, bars, public squares and parks but e-cigarettes should be exempt from the ban. This comes after Wales recently barred smoking of e-cigarettes in pubs and other enclosed spaces.

The benefits of using of e-cigarettes as a behavioural and nicotine substitute is an attitude which has been embraced and adopted by the North East and in particular, Leicester, where behavioural support is being offered to people who are looking to quit smoking tobacco and use e-cigarettes to help them do so. Although other nicotine replacement therapies such as nicotine gum are offered to people wanting to quit tobacco, e-cigarettes cannot yet be offered by smoking cessation services due to no e-cigarettes yet having a medical license.

The RSPH is also advocating for the licensing of all tobacco retailers. The RSPH would like all local authorities to be able to ban sales of tobacco products by any shop failing to comply with tobacco related legislation such as age restrictions and display restrictions. It would also like to see the compulsory selling of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRTs) such as nicotine gum and patches and to rename e-cigarettes to nicotine sticks or nicotine control products.

With over 6,000 public health professionals who are part of the RSPH charity, if the proposed policies were to become a reality, they would signal one of the largest shifts in the public perception and attitude towards e-cigarettes and nicotine ever seen in the UK.

The policies put forward by RSPH has also been positively received by the Charity Ash and the Electronic Cigarette Industry Trade Association have welcome the differentiation between nicotine and the more harmful chemicals found in tobacco and the proposals to help educate the general public and help clear up the confusion and misinformation which has surrounded the e-cigarette market as it has become increasingly become more drawn into the public eye and political discussions.

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By admin

The truth about Vaping and Health

Vaping – Is it Healthy ? Is Vaping healthier than smoking tobacco?

Simply put it’s a question of how you frame the debate. However lobbyists and organisations are campaigning harder than ever before to win public opinion in their favour that vaping is harmful and should be avoided. So we’re asking two simple questions: Is Vaping healthy, and is vaping healthier than smoking tobacco?

A simple conclusion to the two questions are No and Yes.

In reality you have to face it – smoking e cigs or Vaping is not going to make you healthy – but then again it would be illogical if it did, how would smoking anything make you healthier ?

The real key in answering the question is to ask how unhealthy is Vaping and who benefits from emphasising the misinformed fact that e cigarettes are not healthy?

Enter the Anti E-Cigarette lobbyists, anti e-cig lobbyists come in three main guises –

The e-cig health question becomes ever more contradictory  to actual research

The vaping health question becomes ever more contradictory to actual research as lobbyists and organisations battle for public opinion

Health Lobbyists

Would it be too extreme to say – they just want everything banned?

Pharmaceutical Lobbyists

Would it be too paranoid to note that big Pharma is feeling the pinch as its (very profitable) smoking cessation products are taking a hit as people use e cigarettes? So could it be the case that they end up paying people to rubbish and demonise e cigarettes and vaping – so the health industry will continue to prescribe big Pharma’s very profitable products?

Tobacco Lobbyists

And while we are being paranoid – lets note that big Tobacco is feeling it in its pockets as well – so would it be beyond the imagination to see one or two of them to dip into their considerable and deep pockets to try and infer that e cigarettes is just as bad as smoking tobacco – so you may as well just stick with tobacco?

The key is the how to assess risk?

The reality is that virtually all studies show that e cigarettes and Vaping is considerably healthier than smoking – and that’s the real key. Study after study shows this.

Dr. Konstantinos Farsalinos, a world renowned cardiologist and leading e-cigarette and vaping researcher has been conducting scientific studies on e-cigarettes since they first became popular back in 2007.
In his latest study published today, he found that “Vapers are not exposed to dangerous levels of aldehydes.” My reading of the evidence is that e-cigarettes are at least 95% safer than smoking. Smokers should be encouraged to switch to vaping.
The anti e cig lobbyists will flip this report and note that by inference e cigarettes are not healthy for you.

But let’s be e grown up’s and acknowledge this – but also let us emphasise that vaping is a lot healthier than tobacco.

What do you think about the climate of opinions on Vaping and health? Let us know below.

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By admin

E-Cigarette Vapour as harmless as air

When taking up vaping, many people, including myself, ask if e-cigarettes are harmful – a sensible question to ask. After spending some time reading through articles, reports, opinions and advice from medical circles it became apparent that the most toxic element I would need to be concerned about in e-cigarettes was Nicotine and this was only toxic in large volumes, massively larger than the amount inhaled through e-cigarette vapour. Coming to the world of vaping as a smoker, it was clear that there were fewer health risks associated with vaping and that vaping instead of smoking would be extremely positive change in my lifestyle.

Despite the occasional ‘scare tactic’ article in the media about vaping, the prevailing wisdom in heath circles and in the general public is that vaping is by far a healthier alternative to smoking. To further add to the body of evidence which supports this claim, a recent study shows that e-cigarette vapour is almost as harmless as air, which even to the already convinced vapour, will come as a pleasant surprise.

The tobacco giant – British American Tobacco recently funded research which seems to suggest that e-cigarette vapour could be as safe as air. The study uses human lung cells and robotic smokers to investigate the health risks and effects of smoking cigarettes and e-cigarette vapour.

The research was a joined venture between British American Tobacco and MatTek Corporation, which produces models of human cells used in laboratory experiments. The experiment involved using a smoking robot designed to emulate the smoking / inhaling process of humans. The smoking robot was used to expose the model lung cells to cigarette smoke, e-cig vapour from two different brands and plain air.

When the cells were exposed to traditional cigarette smoke for six hours, the cells died – not a surprise. However, much more surprisingly, when the cells were exposed to an aggressive and continuous dose of e-cigarette vapour, the damage to the airway tissue was “similar to that of air”.

British American Tobacco plans to conduct further research and test a wider range and brand of e-cigarettes and e-liquids to further prove their findings.
The new findings have been welcomed by health professionals and those campaigning for healthier lifestyles. Health officials are being encouraged by such professionals to promote vaping to smokers in a bid to achieve a public health victory.

So, no doubt the debate on whether or not e-cigarette vapour is safe will continue, and despite the arguments, the science and research based argument continues to add to the ever growing body of evidence that e-cigarettes are not as harmful as some misleading opinions and thoughts on the subject suggest.

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By admin

Vaping and Vanity

While the Welsh Assembly debate on vaping in public places and reducing us to the same corners as tobacco – it does make you think: Send the vapers outside where the smokers are and then wonder if those trying to quit are converted back to smoking. It is an odd world!
You would think that vapers, and many do convert to vaping to quit smoking – would want to avoid any possible incentive back to their old habits.

Let’s stay positive this week and look at the benefits for your vanity of e-cigarettes . We explore the areas and reasons we think E-Cigarettes for women are a better alternative than traditional smoking.

That Stale Smoky Smell…

What is worse than the lingering smell of smoke? On your clothes, hair, breath and so on – the smell stays for days and actually thinking about it- I find the stale smell days later one of the most repulsive memories of my past smoking days! Vaping e-liquid will not cause your clothes, hair or breath to smell like an ashtray. You can actually choose an aroma such as Vanilla or Cherry which is far from off putting. The flavours will no doubt increase as your experience will allow.

Smoking stains your hands and hair…

Smoking tobacco will stain your fingers and your nails and worse still your teeth. But did you know smoking can also change the colour of your hair? especially in cases where you have coloured it beforehand. Ecigs contain nicotine so you’re addicted to the same drug as smoking but you don’t get the stains you would from cigarettes. That’s one less unpleasant side effect to worry about.

Better for your skin…

Smoking damages the skin – it makes it age. Collagen and elastin are damaged by smoking and this simply makes the skin looser and more wrinkly. It is the toxins in tobacco that does this and not the nicotine. Further, the toxins will cause your skin to fight back and this is visible by redness and inflammation. If you easily get red skin or have blood vessels near the skin, smoking will only inflame this more. As an alternative vaping does not contain the same damaging toxins as smoking- you still get the nicotine and have less to worry about your vanity.

Did you switch from cigarettes to e-cigarettes? Tell us how it was for you by leaving a comment below.

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By admin

Cigarettes & E-cigarettes Health effects

The key difference between conventional cigarettes and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes or vaping) is tobacco. There are plenty of studies on cigarettes health effects that prove tobacco is linked to cancer. There are few studies of e-cigarettes health effects. Conventional cigarettes contain a whole list of chemicals which are harmful to your health.  E-cigarettes have some similar chemicals. One of these chemicals is Nicotine. Note: everyone tests positive for nicotine. It is a normal part of our diet, unless someone does not eat vegetables. It shows up in everyone’s blood stream in small amounts, because it is a common ingredient in vegetables. It is highly addictive and has been linked to reduced bone health. (1)

E-cigarettes health effects: what do we know?

Jonathan Foulds, who studies cigarettes health effects like tobacco addiction at Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center states “E-cigarettes are at least 90 percent less harmful, and maybe much less harmful to your health than that”. He adds “It’s really the smoke that does the harm”. “Burning tobacco produces thousands of chemicals, including dozens that cause cancer. It produces carbon monoxide, which is a poisonous gas, and tar, which clogs the lungs.” Still, excessive nicotine can contribute to heart disease, although it’s not the main contributor to heart disease that results from smoking. He adds, nicotine is especially dangerous to an unborn foetus, so e-cigarettes don’t offer an acceptable option for pregnant women.But for most smokers, “any cigarette replaced by vaping is probably a step in the right direction,” says Foulds.

Studies by the FDA on E-cigarettes Health effects in 2009 (2) found detectable levels of known carcinogens and toxic chemicals in e-cigarettes.  It is therefore understandable that some legislation will be needed on manufacturing of e-liquids. Traceability and transparency in the manufacturing of vaping liquids will be in the public interest.  The truth about the studies on health has yet to be proven it is almost impossible to determine if a product increases a person’s risk of cancer or not until the product has been around for at least 15-20 years. Despite positive reviews from e-cigarette users who enjoy being able to smoke them where regular cigarettes are prohibited, very little is known about their safety and long-term health effects. To date e-cigarettes health effects compared to cigarettes are considerably less damaging.

(1) Tanaka, H.,Tanabe, N., Kawato, T., Nakai, K., Kariya, T., Matsumoto, S., & … Maeno, M. (2013). Nicotine Affects Bone Resorption and Suppresses the Expression of Cathepsin K, MMP-9 and Vacuolar-Type H+-ATPase d2 and Actin Organization in Osteoclasts. Plos ONE, 8(3), 1-12. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0059402.
(2) Summary of Results: Laboratory Analysis of Electronic Cigarettes Conducted By FDA. FDA News & Events. FDA, 22 July 2009. Web. 09 Aug. 2013.

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By steffanr

Study on formaldehyde in e cigs

Over the past week there have been headline grabbing statements in press.   News on studies of formaldehyde in e cigs, begging for the attention of the public and smoker too.  Statements like “high levels of formaldehyde hidden in e-cigs” and  “researchers find cancer-causing agent in electronic cigarettes or vape pens”.  As the week passed it evolved into ” e-cigs are worse than normal cigarettes studies show”.

What is amazing amongst these Chinese whispers are the facts that remain still: smoking is within the top 5 killers in the UK and US and note that it is the tobacco, not the nicotine, that kills. Unfortunately vaping is linked to smoking because you mimic the actions and there is nicotine. But that is where the similarities end. The public are being brain washed into thinking that vaping is worse than smoking- there are no facts to prove this.  The press has recently sensationalized these studies on formaldehyde in e cigs but it’s worth remembering that their conclusions are misleading.  Furthermore it’s difficult to deny that vaping is a smarter and safer alternative to smoking tobacco.

The study conducted by the Portland State concluded that vaping at high voltage will cause formaldehyde releasing agents to develop. We dont believe this is typical of vaping.   There are few vapers who use high voltage hardware. Why? well it is like drinking burnt coffee, the taste is simply not the same. When you vape at high voltage the taste changes, in fact, it can be unbearable.

The press hasn’t been completely thorough.  What they have neglected to highlight is that vaping at normal voltage does not produce formaldehyde in e cigs.

There is no proof that e-cigs / vaping are worse for you than smoking.  This is a fact.  We at Matchless will continue enjoying our vaping sessions, while remaining sensible about the voltage levels we vape at.

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By steffanr