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(HealthNewsDigest.com) – DANVILLE, PA-NOVEMBER 5, 2014 – Electronic cigarettes, or e-cigarettes, have been around for a while, but we’ve recently seen a boom in their popularity with smokers. Geisinger Health System, a leading integrated health services organization respected for its development of innovative care models, explains what individuals need to know about the basics of e-cigarettes, and how it relates to their health.
Dr. Jacqueline Ji-Eun Lee, a thoracic surgeon at Geisinger Health System, offers answers to some of the most important questions surrounding e-cigarettes:
- What are e-cigarettes?
E-cigarettes are battery-operated nicotine inhalers that contain a battery, a cartridge called a cartomizer and an LED on the end that lights up when the device is puffed on. The cartomizer is filled with a liquid that usually contains the chemical propylene glycol, nicotine, flavoring and other additives. When you puff on an e-cigarette, also referred to as “vaping,” a heating element boils the liquid until it produces a vapor.
- Are e-cigarettes safe?
Although e-cigarettes don’t contain tobacco, they still contain the highly addictive stimulant nicotine. Inhaling nicotine can undoubtedly lead to a nicotine addiction, which can cause users to ‘graduate’ to smoking regular cigarettes. Some studies have shown that e-cigarettes may cause short-term lung changes that are similar to those caused by regular cigarettes, but the long-term health effects are still unclear.
“With the research still ongoing and no official deeming that they are ‘safe,’ I would not recommend trying them,” said Dr. Lee. “These devices aren’t labeled with their ingredients, so someone using one can’t be sure of what’s actually in them. It’s unclear how much nicotine and other substances a user ingests when they use an e-cigarette. Consuming or inhaling high levels of nicotine can cause dangerous disturbances in your heart rhythm.”
- Are e-cigarettes a good way to quit smoking?
“Many people use e-cigarettes as a tool to help give up tobacco since they contain nicotine,” says Dr. Lee. “However, the nicotine inside the device’s cartridges is addictive. If and when you stop using it, you may experience withdrawal symptoms ranging from feeling irritable, depressed, restless and anxious.”
The American Heart Association also doesn’t recommend using e-cigarettes as a tool to quit smoking tobacco. In line with the their recommendation, a recent study published in the journal “Cancer” reported that researchers concluded that e-cigarette users were actually more dependent on nicotine than regular smokers and e-cigarette users tried to quit more time than the regular smokers did.
- Are e-cigarettes regulated?
Currently, the only e-cigarettes that are regulated by the FDA are ones marketed for therapeutic purposes. An April proposal from the FDA would require most e-cigarettes to undergo an agency review. The proposed rules would ban the sales of these devices to minors and require warning labels. This summer the American Heart Association called on the FDA to put those proposed rules, which have been three years in the making, into place before the end of this year. The Heart Association’s push for the rules is due to the increased use of e-cigarettes by minors. According to a Centers for Disease Control (CDC) study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research, more than a quarter of a million youth who had never smoked a cigarette used electronic cigarettes in 2013.
About Geisinger
Geisinger Health System is an integrated health services organization widely recognized for its innovative use of the electronic health record, and the development of innovative care models such as ProvenHealth Navigator® and ProvenCare®. As the nation’s largest rural health services organization, Geisinger serves more than 2.6 million residents throughout 44 counties in central and northeastern Pennsylvania. The physician-led system is comprised of more than 20,800 employees, including a 1,000-member multi-specialty group practice, seven hospital campuses, two research centers and a 448,000-member health plan, all of which leverage an estimated $6.1 billion positive impact on the Pennsylvania economy. The health system and the health plan have repeatedly garnered national accolades for integration, quality and service. In addition to fulfilling its patient care mission, Geisinger has a long-standing commitment to medical education, research and community service. For more information, visit www.geisinger.org, or follow the latest Geisinger news and more onTwitter and Facebook.
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