Home | Electronic Cigarettes (E-Cigarettes) An Option for Smokers
Electronic Cigarettes (E-Cigarettes) An Option for Smokers
Electronic cigarettes (sometimes called nicotine delivery devices) are controversial and the rabid anti-smoking zealots hate anything that even resembles a cigarette even if it can be a big help to many people.
Whether you need an alternative when you can't smoke due to laws and restrictions or you want to cut back on the nasty parts of smoking but still keep the nicotine and the experience of holding a cigarette or you're trying to quit and need an option as you withdraw from nicotine, you should at least consider electronic cigarettes.
What exactly is an electronic cigarette?
An electronic cigarette is basically a nicotine delivery device that looks like a cigarette but does not burn. It usually has three parts: a re-chargeable battery, an atomizer and a cartridge. The unit heats a flavored liquid into a vapor that tries to emulate the mouth feel of smoking. Many of them are made to look like real cigarettes. Some even have a light at the end that glows when you inhale.All you exhale is humidity. You do not inhale tar and smoke like you do with cigarettes. You hold it just as you would a cigarette.
What's the benefit of using electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes)?
For smokers, electronic cigarettes may satisfy nicotine cravings. And they may have less of the harmful chemicals that are in cigarette smoke. Since most of the harm from smoking is not from nicotine but from other things in tobacco and the byproducts of burning tobacco, many people feel that e-cigarettes are safer than real cigarettes.
The cartridges contain different levels of nicotine. So in theory, you could lower the nicotine levels over time until you no longer crave nicotine. This is why some people use them as an aid to quit smoking.
Because there is no combustion, there is no smoke to affect those around you, zero to little smell, no ashtrays, etc.
How do electronic cigarettes work?
E-cigarettes have three main parts.
1. The mouthpiece has a cartridge. The cartridge contains a nicotine solution.
2. A heating element turns the solution into a vapor when you inhale.
3. A battery provides power to the heating element.
The nicotine in these cigarettes comes in flavors such as regular and menthol. But they also include hundreds of other flavors like cherry, chocolate, and cola. A chemical in the vapor turns it white so that it looks like smoke, even when you exhale. Electronic cigars and pipes are also available.
Are e-cigarettes safe?
Currently e-cigarettes are not regulated by the FDA so you don't really know what you are getting. Of course, anti-smoking zealots are trying to have them banned altogether but in our opinion they can offer a real option for smokers who can't quit and for those who are trying to quit.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued a consumer health warning about e-cigarettes. Limited testing at the FDA showed that the nicotine levels stated on some cartridges weren't always right. And traces of cancer-causing chemicals were found in some cartridges.
Unlike other quit smoking products, such as nicotine gums, nasal sprays, patches, and inhalers, e-cigarettes are not yet regulated to ensure their quality. And there is not yet proof that they work to reduce nicotine cravings or to help smokers quit smoking.
If you are thinking about using e-cigarettes as an alternative to cigarettes or to help you quit smoking, talk to your doctor first.