E-Cigarette: Detailed Information & Assessment

Previously, I've written about my mom's smoking habit and that I bought her an e-cigarette. A little awhile ago, I just went into her room to check if brought her e-cigarette with her, and she did (which is a good sign since I'd rather have her use it than the regular cigarette (or as now called analog cigarettes).

Instead of making this article the regular paragraphs I compose, I decided to make it somewhat of an FAQ.



Who invented e-cigarettes?

The inventor of e-cigarettes is Hon Lik of Beijing last 2003. He quit smoking after his father died of lung cancer and develoved e-cigar to deliver nicotine with a smoke free vapor.






How does the e-cigarette work?

A battery in the device heats a solution of nicotine in propylene glycol, producing a thick, odor-less vapor that can be inhaled to deliver nicotine directly to the lungs.

Picture Reference:Medical Mouse

There was this question about what happens if it runs out. There are disposable e-cigarettes and rechargeable ones. The disposable ones will be good for 200-300 puffs. While the rechargeable ones need to have the cartridges replaced after 200+ puffs (equivalent to 10 to 20 regular cigarettes) . Others buy the juice and pour 1 to 2 drops of their selected juice in the cartridge to use it again, instead of buying cartridges immediately.

The juices come in different flavors and also in various amounts of nicotine ranging from none to low to medium to high. A majority of the people using e-cigarettes have preferred the menthol flavor to start with.

If the led keeps on blinking after sucking from the e-cigarette, most likely, it needs to be recharged. The entire e-cigarette package usually come with a USB charger or a wall charger.

Is it like the real thing?

This was how the e-cigarette I bought my mom looked like.

At first it would feel odd to puff from something that feels like a cylindrical toy. But according to the person I bought my mom's e-cigarette from, after 2 to 3 days of using it consistently instead of the regular cigarette, he no longer looked for the real thing.

In my honest opinion, it didn't have the kick that cigarettes my mom used to smoke have, but the hand-to-mouth ritual and the feeling of inhaling from a cigarette exists.

Is it advisable for non-smokers who want to smoke to use e-cigarettes?

No. E-cigarettes have nicotine in it which is, in the first place, the cause of smoking addiction. Some critics have even charged that the delivery of nicotine to the lungs speeds its passage to the brain, enhancing the drugs addictive properties. Some are also concerned that e-cigarettes may serve as learning aids to promote smoking the actual thing.

It is good or bad?

Of course, anything involving smoking is bad. If you don't smoke, better not start at all.

With a diagram such as this, smokers don't exactly have a choice which they're better off with, do they? (uploaded by MINDLESS ONES )

E-Cigarette Advantages ( On a Smoker's and Smoker's Companion's Perspective)

BUT in a smokers standpoint, e-cigars are far better as it does not have tar and the toxic gasses emitted by an analog cigar. It has less chemicals than the regular cigarette definitely cutting down the health risks of smoking.

My mom has been smoking for 26 years and she has the 'smoker's cough'. After starting the use of her e-cigarette, I noticed that she doesn't cough at nights anymore. Previously, I noticed her not being able to sleep as well. She tells me it's her insomnia but I seriously doubt that when she's coughing all night.

Since I don't smoke, I don't know if she also experienced the 'smoker's phlegm' but I'm pretty sure that she feels a whole lot better now since I no longer hear her raspy coughing and repetitive throat clearing every night.

I am hoping soon that her sense of taste and smell will come back since I know for a fact that smoking deadens the taste buds and the receptors in the nasal epithelium. She used to cook wonderful meals for me but now, it's either too salty, too sweet or too bland.

According to Kalin Nacheff, his use of e-cigars as a substitute for the regular cigarettes gave him increased stamina and lung capacity. He also stopped wheezing and no longer felt tight in his chest (I truly hope I got Kalin's gender right.)

No need to puff an entire stick to take away the craving.

No need to be wary of burning the entire house, it doesn't burn the sheets.

No need to worry about second hand smoke as it was virtually eliminated in this invention. Of course, don't be so rude as to smoke in front of children or peers. There is no such study yet saying that e-cigarettes are 100% safe on that issue. On the other hand, for this particular concern, e-cigarettes are 100% better of an alternative as to regular cigarettes emitting Hydrogen cyanide, Carbon monoxide, Acrolein, Acetaldehyde, Acrylonitrile, Benzalphapyrene, Benzene and Cadmium.

Why is FDA saying e-cigars are bad?

FDA did not approve of e-cigars due to the cartridges of the ones they tested had the following findings:

• All but one cartridge marked as having no nicotine actually contained the addictive substance.
• Cartridges marked as having low, medium, or high amounts of nicotine actually had varying amounts of nicotine.
• One of the cartridges contained a toxic antifreeze ingredient, diethylene glycol.
• The devices emitted "tobacco-specific nitrosamines which are human carcinogens."
• The devices emitted "tobacco-specific impurities suspected of being harmful to humans."

REFERENCE: FDA: E-Cigarettes Bad, but Not Banned

A comment from one of the readers had stated,

The nitrosamines that were found were at levels so low they were almost undetectable. The levels found were below the excepted limit for a liter of water.

And for those concerned regarding Propylene glycol,

Propylene glycol makes up a good percentage of the nicotine solution and it is found in everything from toothpaste to personal lubricants to the makeup women apply to their faces. Some people have found that they do have allergies to pg, but that allergy is often present way before using the electronic cigarette.

REFERENCE: YAHOO ANSWERS

CONCLUSION

There is still a lot of speculation regarding e-cigarette usage which will fill the years to come of standardization issues, quality check monitoring, scientific researches, health assessments and tax implementations. But for those who are determined to stop smoking and those smokers who prefer to prolong their life existence, the question lies, which of the two options will make you live longer?

I hope I was able to help you in your e-cigarette questions and dilemmas.