Vaping FAQs

what doctors say about vaping

by Miss Felicity Durgan Published 1 year ago Updated 1 year ago
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Doctors said vaping can increase the risk and symptoms of more disease than the flu. Recent studies show vaping causes irritation and inflammation to the lungs, so potentially increasing the chance of people contracting any respiratory disease.

The doctors say vaping impacts young people in at least three key areas: the lungs, the heart and the brain. First, the lungs, where those foreign substances can harm tiny, delicate airways, Deterding said. “If you're going to do it long term?Feb 12, 2020

Full Answer

Should you ask your doctor if you vape?

As a younger pulmonologist aware of the popularity of vaping among teens and adolescents, he asks patients specifically not only whether they vape, but what they vape with, and even asks to see the product — but notes this isn’t common practice among the primary care doctors you see for your annual physical.

Does vaping count as smoking?

Doctors typically haven’t told patients that vaping counts as smoking, or asked them specifically whether they vape, allowing the behavior to escape their notice.

Should vaping be treated in the emergency department?

When patients show up to the emergency department in respiratory distress from vaping, it's challenging for physicians to treat them. This is due to the difficulty in correctly identifying what they inhaled, especially when they are intubated or unconscious. The length of time spent vaping can be much longer than smoking a standard cigarette.

What are e-cigarettes and vaping?

E-cigarettes and vaping are part of a trend going back at least nine years in the U.S. First publicized as a safer alternative to smoking tobacco, vaping caught on because it didn't contain the carcinogens or tars found in most smoking tobacco products.

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What doctors can tell if you vape?

Medical tests can detect nicotine in people's urine, blood, saliva, hair, and nails. Nicotine is the addictive substance in tobacco, cigarettes, and vapes or e-cigarettes....Doctors can use nicotine tests to measure levels of nicotine and its by-products in a person's:urine.blood.saliva.hair.nails.

What are 5 dangers of vaping?

5 Dangers of VapingUnknown Chemicals.Illicit Substance Additives.Vaping Impacts Brain Development.Long-Term Lung Damage.Marketing and Media Influence.

Why is vaping healthy?

This is because using e-cigarettes, when not used in combination with regular cigarettes, produce a significantly lower level of carcinogens and chemicals than do traditional tobacco cigarettes, the study found.

Is vaping worse than smoking?

Smoking has been proven to cause cancer, which can kill you. But vaping has been proven to cause serious lung illness, which can also kill you. The bottom line is: Smoking kills. Vaping kills you faster.

Should I tell my doctor I vape?

Whether that was a few clove cigarettes every weekend in college, inhaling hookah a few times a year, marijuana, vaping or using cigarettes, it all falls under the umbrella of “smoking,” and it's important for your doctor to know if you're smoking now or have in the past.

How do lungs heal from vaping?

However, there are certain lifestyle behaviors you can practice to try and accelerate the rate at which your lungs heal.Drink Lots Of Water. ... Eat Healthy Foods. ... Exercise Regularly. ... Cough. ... Clean Your Living Space. ... Practice Deep Breathing. ... Try Steam Therapy.

Is vaping good for anxiety?

Stress and anxiety can trigger vape cravings, and make it harder for you to quit for good. You may be tempted to reach for your vape when you have these feelings, but vaping is not an effective way to cope. There are healthy and effective ways to deal with stress and anxiety.

What is the safest vape to use?

If you are looking for the safest vape kit then you might want to consider disposables or pod kits. These are often low powered and have safety cuts offs as well as other features to prevent them from overheating. Not only as disposables one of the safest vape kits, but they are also super easy to use.

How much healthier are vapes?

However, if you are a smoker who can't quit you will dramatically reduce your risk of dying from cancer, heart and lung disease if you switch to vaping. How much less risky is it? Well, at present we can say that the long-term risk from vaping is at least 95% less than smoking.

Should I vape to quit smoking?

Nicotine vaping is substantially less harmful than smoking. It's also one of the most effective tools for quitting smoking. Vaping is not recommended for non-smokers and young people because it is not completely harmless.

How safe is vaping?

Vaping is not completely risk-free, but it poses a small fraction of the risk of smoking cigarettes. The long-term risks of vaping are not yet clear. E-cigarettes do not produce tar or carbon monoxide, two of the most harmful elements in tobacco smoke.

How many puffs of a vape is equal to a cigarette?

10 puffsTypically, manufacturers advise that 10 puffs on your vape are about the same as 10 puffs on your cigarette. They further speculate that 10 puffs are all you take on one cigarette. Of course, this varies based on how big your puffs are, how strong your vape device is, and how much nicotine you are using.

What are 10 risks of vaping?

Serious & Potentially Long-Term Effects of VapingNicotine addiction.Severe lung injury.Seizures.Cryptogenic organizing pneumonia (COP), formerly known as idiopathic bronchiolitis obliterans with organizing pneumonia (BOOP)Popcorn lung.Strokes.Heart attacks.

What does vaping do to your brain?

The majority of vape liquids contain nicotine. In addition to being highly addictive, nicotine alters the neurotransmitters in the brain. It has been found to slow brain development in teens and affect memory, decision-making, concentration, self-control, and mood.

What are 5 facts about vaping?

10 Things You Need to Know About the Vaping EpidemicE-Cigarettes Contain Nicotine. ... Vapes Contain Other Harmful Chemicals. ... E-cigarettes are not Safe Just Because They are a Water Vapor. ... Young Adults are More Likely to Vape. ... Vaping is Addictive. ... Vaping Could be a Gateway Drug. ... Vaping Causes Heart and Lung Issues.More items...

How does vaping affect your body?

Nicotine in e-liquid goes quickly from your lungs to your bloodstream. It causes your body to release adrenaline, a hormone that raises your pulse, blood pressure, and breathing rate. This could play a role in raising your heart attack odds. You may also feel more alert and need to cough.

How many people die from vaping?

Vaping-related lung illnesses have struck hundreds, killing seven. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has reported 530 cases of lung injury in 38 states and one U.S. territory. The CDC has confirmed seven deaths in six states: California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Minnesota and Oregon. While most of the patients affected used ...

How many high school seniors have tried vaping?

New research shows that 40.5% of high-school seniors have tried nicotine vaping, adding urgency to President Trump’s announcement that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will take action to ban the e-cigarette flavorings that have proved so attractive to teens and young adults. Meanwhile, federal health agencies are encouraging physicians to report detailed information on cases of vaping-associated lung illnesses. Here’s what doctors need to know.

How many eighth graders have vaped?

And while about 40% of 12th-graders have ever used a nicotine e-cigarette, 36.4% of 10th graders have vaped and 20.7% of eighth-graders have used an e-cigarette, says the survey, “Trends in Adolescent Vaping, 2017–2019,” published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

How long do you have to report e-cigarette use?

The CDC says physicians and other clinicians should “report cases of severe pulmonary disease of unclear etiology and a history of e-cigarette product use within the past 90 days to your state or local health department.” Learn more by reading the CDC’s health advisory, “ Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Using E-Cigarette Products .”

Does the FDA report tobacco products?

The FDA, meanwhile, has developed a portal to report safety problems with tobacco products. The agency says it wants reports from health professionals about tobacco products that are damaged, defective, contaminated, smell or taste wrong. The FDA reviews the reports to identify concerning trends.

Is the FDA regulating e-cigarettes?

The AMA has long called on the FDA “to regulate e-cigarettes, particularly banning flavors and marketing practices that enhance the appeal of e-cigarette products to youth, ” said Patrice A. Harris, MD, MA, the Association’s president.

Is e-cigarette use an epidemic?

The AMA House of Delegates has declared the skyrocketing use of e-cigarettes to be an “ urgent public health epidemic ” and urged the FDA to take action to address it. Dr. Harris also lauded recent actions by Michigan and New York to ban e-cigarette flavorings.

What are vaping devices?

Vaping devices, also known as e-cigarettes, vape pens, and e-hookahs among other terms, come in many shapes and sizes. Some look like traditional cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Others are shaped like every-day objects, such as pens or USB memory sticks.

How old do you have to be to vape?

New laws are aimed at curbing vaping among teens. People must now be 21 to buy any tobacco product, including vaping products. And companies can no longer produce and sell flavors that appeal to children like fruit and mint. If you’ve already started vaping or smoking cigarettes, it’s never too late to quit.

What chemicals are in vaping?

Vaping exposes the lungs to a variety of chemicals. These may include the main active chemicals in tobacco (nicotine) or marijuana (THC), flavorants, and other ingredients that are added to vaping liquids. Plus, other chemicals can be produced during the vaporizing process.

How does puffing work?

While they may look different, most vaping devices work in a similar way. Puffing activates a battery-powered heating device. This heats the liquid in a cartridge, turning it into vapors that are inhaled.

Can nicotine be inhaled in a vaporizer?

Plus, other chemicals can be produced during the vaporizing process. “If the liquid has nicotine in it, then the user is inhaling nicotine along with the other ingredients in the liquid,” explains Dr. Thomas Eissenberg, an expert on tobacco research at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Is vaping harmful?

So how safe is vaping? Studies suggest nicotine vaping may be less harmful than traditional cigarettes when people who regularly smoke switch to them as a complete replacement. But nicotine vaping could still damage your health.

Is vaping more popular in high school?

Vaping is now more popular among teens than smoking traditional cigarettes. One in four high school seniors say they vaped nicotine in the past month. And studies have found that teens who vape nicotine may be more likely to go on to smoke traditional cigarettes.

How many people died from vaping in 2020?

As of Jan. 21, 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed 60 deaths in patients with e-cigarette, or vaping, product use associated lung injury (EVALI).

Why are e-cigarettes so popular?

First, many teens believe that vaping is less harmful than smoking. Second, e-cigarettes have a lower per-use cost than traditional cigarettes.

How many chemicals are in e-cigarettes?

E-cigarettes heat nicotine (extracted from tobacco), flavorings and other chemicals to create an aerosol that you inhale. Regular tobacco cigarettes contain 7,000 chemicals, many of which are toxic. While we don’t know exactly what chemicals are in e-cigarettes, Blaha says “there’s almost no doubt that they expose you to fewer toxic chemicals than traditional cigarettes.”

How many people want to quit smoking?

If you have thought about trying to kick a smoking habit, you’re not alone. Nearly 7 of 10 smokers say they want to stop. Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health — smoking harms nearly every organ in your body, including your heart. Nearly one-third of deaths from heart disease are the result of smoking and secondhand smoke.

What is the best way to protect your health?

One of the best things you can do to protect and improve your health is to stay informed. Your Health is a FREE e-newsletter that serves as your smart, simple connection to the world-class expertise of Johns Hopkins.

Can you use THC in a vape?

The CDC recommends that people: Do not use THC-containing e-cigarette, or vaping, products. Avoid using informal sources, such as friends, family or online dealers to obtain a vaping device. Do not modify or add any substances to a vaping device that are not intended by the manufacturer.

Is e-cigarettes as addictive as heroin?

Both e-cigarettes and regular cigarettes contain nicotine, which research suggests may be as addictive as heroin and cocaine. What’s worse, says Blaha, many e-cigarette users get even more nicotine than they would from a tobacco product — you can buy extra-strength cartridges, which have a higher concentration of nicotine, or you can increase the e-cigarette’s voltage to get a greater hit of the substance.

Do doctors ask if you smoke?

The rise of vaping has complicated matters, though. Doctors typically haven’t told patients that vaping counts as smoking, or asked them specifically whether they vape, allowing the behavior to escape their notice. But amid an outbreak of a lung illness apparently related to vaping — which has affected at least 530 and killed seven people in the US, per the Centers for Disease Control — it’s suddenly pretty important for us to be honest with our doctors about vaping.

Can vaping cause asthma?

Being upfront about your vaping habit can allow your doctor to inform you exactly about how it can affect your livelihood — including the less dire scenarios that can result, which are still pretty terrible, says Jamie Rutland, a pulmonary and critical care physician and professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. Even if it doesn’t end up giving you lung disease, vaping can cause a ton of inflammation in your airway, which may trigger an asthma attack or asthma exacerbation, according to Rutland. As a younger pulmonologist aware of the popularity of vaping among teens and adolescents, he asks patients specifically not only whether they vape, but what they vape with, and even asks to see the product — but notes this isn’t common practice among the primary care doctors you see for your annual physical.

EIHYPI Moved On ECF Veteran

Does their opinion matter? That's a question that I got in my head when I visited this doctor for the first time today. She asked me if I smoke cigarettes so I told her not for about 3 and a half years. Although I did mention after that I had been using electronic cigarettes for about 3 and a half years. Her reaction upset me very much.

Beamslider Vaping Master Verified Member ECF Veteran

I have spoken to my primary care doctor, a urologist and a cardiologist about my vaping. They all told me it was better than smoking.

EIHYPI Moved On ECF Veteran

I have spoken to my primary care doctor, a urologist and a cardiologist about my vaping. They all told me it was better than smoking.

Tonee N Vaping Master Verified Member ECF Veteran

I have spoken to my primary care doctor, a urologist and a cardiologist about my vaping. They all told me it was better than smoking.

ScottP Vaping Master Verified Member ECF Veteran

Threads with this same basic topic pop up all the time. Print out some of the real reports, like the ones from Dr. F, or the new one from Scotland where real Dr's are saying that vaping is 95% safer than smoking. Take these print outs with you when you go in again. Or better yet drop them off asap.

dennism Ultra Member ECF Veteran

After I told her 4 years no smoking but vaping for the same time, she gave me a high five.

ScottP Vaping Master Verified Member ECF Veteran

Unfortunately I didn't. She seemed the type that was a little hard headed. Plus it was my first time seeing her so I didn't want to possibly get into an argument with her about it. I definitely thought about educating her but my intuition told me it's not a good idea.

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