Posts Tagged ‘Medicine’

Tobacco Smokers Breathe Easy With This Electronic Cigarette Gadget

Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

An excellent smoking alternative is the new gadget for smokers today. First launched in 2003, the electronic cigarette provides an alternative solution for those addicted to tobacco. It’s a product welcomed by many smokers unable to quit the habit yet worried about health concerns.

You can smoke the equivalent of a pack of tobacco cigarettes for about $2 with e-cigs. When compared to the five to ten dollars a pack cost of cigarettes these days, the price advantage is huge. The electronic cigarette gadget provides a system to deliver nicotine and flavor that tobacco addicts crave. At the same time, e-cigs avoid the dangerous tar and chemicals released by burning tobacco.

Technological advances made the development of electronic cigarettes possible. The e-cigarette gadget is composed of an atomizer and a battery component. Screwed together the two portions look like a ball point pen or a cigarette depending on the brand you choose. Other models provide alternative smoking experiences for pipes, cigars and there is even a hookah electronic model available.

The mouthpiece is the atomizer and may be round or oval shaped on one end. Inside is a cup filled with absorbent material that holds an e-liquid solution that provides flavor and nicotine in a base of propylene glycol or glycerin. You can choose the taste of regular tobacco or menthol tobacco or can pick from a variety of other flavors. For models with replaceable cartridges you can change flavors any time you want.

When the flavor fades or a burned taste is present you refill the atomizer with a few drops of e-juice dripped from a small bottle. The contents of one bottle of e-liquid are approximately the same as five cartons of tobacco cigarettes..

The lower section of the e-cig is the battery. An LED light at the tip may be red to simulate a burning cigarette or may be blue, green or any one of the colors now available. The popularity of the best e-cigarettes has led manufacturers to add some style the products so colors of the product or the LED light can be chosen by the customer.

Two batteries are usually included in starter packs for the best electronic cigarettes. This allows the customer to use one battery for smoking while the other is recharging. The most popular e-cig products are automatic versions but there are some manual models that require the user to press a button to release vapor for inhaling.

The user draws on the mouthpiece of this gadget for smokers and the battery activates a tiny heating element which vaporizes the e-solution in the mouthpiece. This releases a nicotine laced vapor for the user to inhale. The process occurs very quickly and in the best electronic cigarettes the vaporization replicates the act of smoking tobacco.

The cartridge model is the best electronic cigarette gadget according to many users. No liquid is needed as the small mouthpiece is a disposable cartridge equivalent to one pack of standard cigarettes. Maintenance and cleaning are not necessary with an e-cigarette using replaceable cartridges. Occasionally removing an old cartridge and adding a fresh one is a simple task.

Mary Kay Rivers has become a true expert on all facets of electronic cigarettes. Her articles such as a review of the Green Smoke e-cig and about the electronic cigarette and the smoking ban are very famous.

Originally posted 2010-02-15 19:12:01.

Do You Quit Smoking With The Use Of E-Cigs?

Monday, January 16th, 2012

Nicotine patches and nicotine gums were available only with a doctor’s prescription when they were first introduced. After several years of proven safety when taken as directed the products were offered for sale over the counter. The quit smoking products were an instant hit with smokers.

Smokers gratefully accepted the nicotine replacement products in the quest to quit smoking. The stop smoking products worked by providing a smoker with a source of nicotine that would reduce cravings and was designed to facilitate a gradual withdrawal allowing the user to quit smoking over a ten week period of time.

The ten week program recommended to user of the nicotine patch begins with six weeks at maximum dosage (21 mg). Following that the user reduces his usage to a 14 mg patch for two weeks and then to the lowest level (7 mg) for the final two weeks of the stop smoking program. Because the patch can cause sleep disturbances in some people not everyone can wear that patch the full 24 hrs as recommended.

A two pack a day smokers spends at least $70 per week on his habit. The total cost of using nicotine patches for 10 weeks would be a little more than $200 which is far cheaper than the current cost of tobacco cigarettes. A drawback for patches is that not all smokers can tolerate the patch. Diabetics are warned not to use nicotine replacement products which eliminates 8% of the U.S. population from using this product

Nicotine gum is another popular stop smoking aid with consumers. Similar to regular chewing gum each piece is wrapped separately in foil. The strength of 2 or 4 mg is comparable to the nicotine delivered by one or two standard cigarettes.

The user chews the nicotine gum until it is soft and a tingle is felt in the mouth. The tingle indicates nicotine is being released and absorbed by the tissues of the mouth. From there it is delivered to the blood stream. One the tingle begins, the gum is tucked between the smoker’s cheek and gums and held there for a time. As more nicotine is needed the smoker chews again for a few moments until the tingle starts once more and then tucks the gum as before. One piece of nicotine gum will last for about half an hour.

There can be unpleasant side effects for user of nicotine gum. Used excessively, they may cause the throat muscles to feel constricted and cause hiccups. The muscle discomfort is thought to be a result of high amounts of nicotine swallowed with saliva. Nicotine naturally restricts blood vessels and overuse of these gums over time may lead to gum disease.

Use of nicotine replacement products in the first trimester of pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of birth defects. No nicotine products should be used by pregnant women or by nursing mothers. Risk groups are identified on the product packaging.

The antidepressant prescriptive drugs that are used in stop smoking programs have raised concerns about serious side effects. Although the quit rate is somewhat higher with the stop smoking pills they should be taken under the supervision of a physician. The pills do not replace the nicotine for a smoker but they provide a calming feeling and reduce the physical cravings of nicotine withdrawal.

You can’t compare patches, gums and pills meant help you stop smoking with electronic cigarettes. The e-cigarette is meant to provide safer alternative to smoking rather than to help you quit. Smokers who buy e-cigarette (s) are those who want to continue smoking but in a healthier and environmentally friendly manner.

Mary Kay Rivers is an expert on all facets of electronic cigarettes. Her articles about the realism of electronic cigarettes or how to buy electronic cigarettes are very popular.

Originally posted 2010-05-26 14:53:09.

Health Fears Associated With The E-Cig – Facts Or Myths?

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

When trying a new product it is wise to ask about the potential risks that may be encountered. When it comes to health, e-cigarette producers will honestly tell you the scientific studies have not been completed for this new product. However, they will also tell you that inhaling a vapor mist is not comparable to the health risks of inhaling tobacco smoke.

Tobacco is a natural plant and smokers argued for a long time that it could not be a health danger as it was part of nature. What they ignored was the change the plant leaf undergoes when burned. Burning released chemical particles and carcinogens and we know now the health dangers pose by tobacco use.

Sold initially as a gimmick or gag gift, electronic cigarettes have only been on the market since 2003. Rapid advances in technology and battery development has led to the gimmick becoming a viable tobacco alternative. There is no argument that there are few products sold that carry more health risk than tobacco items. That may account for the growing popularity of e-cigs.

The carcinogens created by burning tobacco leaves are not present in electronic cigarettes. There is nothing burned and no smoke produced. Some concerns expressed about health and the e-cigarette product focus on propylene glycol used to produce vapor.

Some claims have be publicized that antifreeze is an ingredient in electronic cigarettes. Most antifreeze is made with ethylene glycol which is a different chemical compound. Propylene glycol used to create the vapor mist has been approved as a food ingredient safe for consumers for more than 40 years.

In time the safety of electronic cigarettes and any health factors associated with the e-cigarette will be proven scientifically. To date, no substantial health hazards have been identified. Manufacturers do not claim there are no health risk in using e-cigs but they honestly say almost anything is safer than smoking tobacco.

One risk that has been identified is with product used to refill e-cigarettes. E-solutions are manufactured without oversight or ingredient requirements. To insure quality of the e-liquid used to refill e-cigarettes, consumers are urged to buy only from reputable manufacturers who conduct ongoing testing.

Chinese imports were tested and found to contain unreliable nicotine levels. Some were so low as to be almost non-existent while other bottles of e-liquids contained far more nicotine strength than is healthy to use. These are cheap imported refill products that are not under any quality control as yet.

Buying an electronic cigarette with pre-filled replaceable cartridges eliminate the need to buy or even worry about the questionable quality of the e-liquid refills on the market. This removes the only valid health concern associated with the e-cigarette today.

Mary Kay Rivers is an acclaimed expert on all aspects of electronic cigarettes. Her publications such as an electronic cigarette review or about electronic cigarette benefits have become well-known.

Originally posted 2010-05-27 13:55:39.

The Underlying Agendas About Electronic Cigarettes and Propylene Glycol

Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

With the aim of discrediting the electronic cigarette industry, big tobacco hs made claims about propylene glycol that are not supported by scientific research. Although a 1942 study in mice at the University of Chicago’s Billings Hospital seemed to indicate inhalation of PG might lead to pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses, follow up studies did not support that conclusion. Long term effects were the focus of the expanded study on monkeys and other animals. No ill effects were observed from propylene glycol.

Shouting “danger”, the FDA and tobacco companies point to an ingredient that has proven safe through many years of use. The misinformation about propylene glycol ignores one very important fact. We know e-cigarettes are safer than tobacco products when inhaled. We know smoking almost anything is safer than smoking tobacco.

PG in electronic cigarettes dilutes the nicotine in solution so it can be provided as a vapor to the user. Propylene glycol is a commonly used food additive included in the many products we eat today. It is also the substance used in fog machines and there is no warning issued to avoid breathing that fog.

It is interesting that the many cautions about propylene glycol found online are not found on scientific or medical sites or referenced as articles in scientific journals. The dire warnings are on conspiracy blogs, natural healing sites and on the sites of anti-smoking groups. Several entries claim that propylene glycol is antifreeze. No. Not true. That would be ethylene glycol.

A tremendous amount of information can be found on the internet but it’s important to know who you are listening to. PG is used in baby wipes and even the FDA is unlikely to approve a dangerous product for use on infants. The best electronic cigarettes deliver only a very small amount of PG to the e-smoker. Some e-liquids use glycerol rather than PG as a base but propylene glycol is the most used ingredient in e-liquid solutions.

Consumers are smart to closely examine ingredients in the products they eat or inhale. We have all become more educated about food additives that may cause problems even as they add healthy color. We know to check for a variety of terms when looking for low sugar product as sucrose, fructose and various “syrups” are alternate names for sugar.

Thirty years ago the FDA announced a ban on saccharin and any products containing saccharin. The public was in a panic and threw out their boxes of sweet and low while manufacturers hustled to change the recipes of their food products. Only later was the public told the truth.

What the FDA didn’t tell the public was that the research did not apply to people. The mice had been given huge doses of saccharin daily. Adjusting the amount to that needed for a person to develop cancer would require the person to consume at least 400 cans of diet cola every day for months. Today, saccharin is once again fully available for sale to the public.

The delivery of vapor for e-cig users relies on the use of propylene glycol. The tobacco companies continue to spread false information about PG even though there is no scientific data to prove their claims

Mary Kay Rivers is a true expert on all aspects of e-cigarettes. Her articles about COPD and e-cigarettes and about the best electronic cigarette have become very famous.

Originally posted 2010-02-14 18:52:08.

Tackling Your Smoking Habit By Self Examination

Friday, December 23rd, 2011

What will stop you from smoking a cigarette; afraid of getting lung cancer or emphysema? Decision to quit smoking is never an easy one, but what is even more difficult is actually following through with it. Some people say that quitting is a simple matter of willpower or lack thereof, but it is more than that. Cigarette smoking is an addiction; and like any other addiction there are both physical and psychological characteristics attached to it. Most successful quit smoking treatments occur when the psychological part of the addiction is addressed and addiction is acknowledged.

If you want to stop your smoking habits, you need to examine yourself further. You need to answer several self-directed questions to trigger that inner self realization about you. Some of these questions you should ask yourself are as follows:

- Why do I smoke? – What is the purpose of my habit? – Can it affect me in a good way or in a bad way? – Why should I stop? – Who will benefit if I stop smoking?

These are often the type of questions your psychologist will ask during quit-smoking treatment in order to have you thinking about the pros and cons of your actions, and the best way to respond is to answer each question accurately.

After self examining yourself through these questions; you may emerge with positive self reinforcement which really is what you will need to start your quit smoking treatment. Most experts believe that this is the right frame of mind to be in when seeking this type of treatment. This might be difficult at first, but most successful addiction treatments work when proper self examination is done, coupled with good professional counseling and self motivation.

There are various types of treatment plans. Some experts suggest that you should replace the cigarette with something similar in shape and size, like a pencil, to keep your fingers busy. It’s your habit, and you must get rid of the key character, in this case the cigarette, and replace it with another thing.

To stimulate your oral reflexes, some experts may suggest that you use candy or gum in place of cigarettes. Desensitizing your craving or appetite for smoking is a good way to slowly detoxify yourself from nicotine; and special quit smoking gums and candies that are cigarette flavored can help you do that.

These are indeed many and varying ways to quit smoking; they are physical, emotional, and more importantly psychological, however, they all must starting with accepting and acknowledging that problem exist and finding ways to rid you of the problem. The first line of defense in quit smoking plan is to tackle the emotional part of the addiction before devising practical aspects of the plan.

Whatever plan you chose to tackle your nicotine addiction, it is important that you fully understand and recognize that you have a problem. Addiction of nicotine is not a problem that you can remedy without acknowledging that it exists. Like any other treatment of the same caliber, patience is a virtue.

Looking to find the best deal on quite smoking herbal remedy, then visit www.naturemadesupplement.com to find the best advice on natural remedies for bladder for you.

Originally posted 2010-11-04 10:52:04.

Shocking Facts About The Cost Of E-Cigarettes: The Most Expensive E-Cig Is Less Expensive Than Cheap Tobacco

Saturday, November 19th, 2011

You can purchase the highest quality e-cig and will be buying cheap electronic cigarettes. Tobacco taxes have risen drastically on both federal and state levels. Legislators in Washington, D.C. voted last year to increase the tobacco tax from 38 cents to $1.01 per pack. Tobacco taxes have also been on the rise in several states as state legislatures try desperately to cure their state’s financial woes.

Major tobacco companies took advantage of the timing to increase prices on their products at the same time the new taxes were taking effect. Most consumers didn’t notice the price increases while the media focused only on the tax burden. Smokers of premium tobacco cigarettes had been paying $5 per pack but now pay $7-10 for the same product. For those accustomed to the low cost brands the price went from $2.50 to $5 per pack.

Electronic cigarettes are cheap compared with the current high costs of tobacco. The e-cig system delivers an inhalable vapor to the smoker. The quality of electronic cigarettes is judged by the reliability and performance of the delivery system that creates the vapor. The “draw” is similar to that of the tobacco version and the term “throat hit” is often used by consumers to recommend their favorite brand. Smokers want a good volume of vapor from an e-cig when they inhale as that is what provides the physical sensation of smoking.

Buy the best electronic cigarette available and you will save money when compared to the cost of tobacco products today. A starter kit provides disposable cartridges or liquid for refilling the e-cig as well as a battery charger and the basic reusable components of the product.

A built in atomizer is the disposable cartridge which contains a water and nicotine solution. Maintenance is nonexistent with the disposable cartridge models and no cleaning is required. Both a short and long cigarette battery is the second part of the e-cig. This battery has an LED light at the tip. The cartridge is available in several strengths of nicotine which allows the user to choose regular or light as he prefers. A home battery charger, extra cartridges and instructions for use are also included in the starter kits.

The battery is in the second piece of the e-cig and contains a heating element and a battery which must be charged initially for 2-3 hours. The cartridge section is simply screwed onto the battery. Each cartridge is estimated to be equivalent to 400 puffs which translates to about one pack of cigarettes per e-cig cartridge at a cost as low as $2 per cartridge.

Some cartridges can be refilled. Users choose from a variety of flavors and nicotine strengths when buying e-liquid. The e-liquid used to refill the atomizer is widely available but it’s recommended consumers buy only from reputable sellers. Some varieties, especially those imported from China, have been shown to have poor quality control and the nicotine levels may not be as promised.

The replaceable cartridge are the best choice for most people as they most closely mimic the habit of smoking tobacco. When the vapor becomes weak screwing on a new cartridge is no more difficult than opening a pack of cigarettes. Smokers now have an alternative with cheap electronic cigarettes.

Mary Kay Rivers has become a true expert on all aspects of e-cigs. Her publications about e-cigs and about the best electronic cigarette are very popular.

Originally posted 2010-02-23 22:07:35.