There are many habits and addictions that people fight on a daily basis. Smoking happens to be one of the most dangerous and toxic habits an individual can have, the residues left in the lungs affect the quality of breathing and the amount of oxygen that is introduced into the bloodstream. Many people try to quit this terrible habit, but this is not an easy task. Heavy smokers and people who have smoked for long periods of time find alternatives to lessen the harm done by toxic smoke.
In the past, the most common alternative to stop smoking was the use of nicotine patches. They release a dose of nicotine that would trick the body and make it go through the withdrawal effects easier. But something else was missing, the smoking routine. This element is what vaping has taken as the main ingredient for success.
Vaping
Vaping is an alternative to smoking but without the smoke. How is this possible? Well, by using an electronic cigarette the user inhales the vapor of the best e-liquid available, sometimes with nicotine and flavor. So the user experiences something similar to smoking but without the effects of the toxic smoke in their lungs.
What do the doctors say?
Some doctors recommend their smoking patients to switch to vaping in an attempt to quit smoking definitively. They provide cessation assistance to their patients and tell them to try vaping instead of smoking since it is an intermediate step. The smoker continues with a routine that resembles smoking but without the toxic tar in their lungs.
Few doctors, especially surgeons, don’t recommend vaping at all. They recommend to stop smoking completely. This could be due to the fact that the consumption of nicotine prevents tissue from healing quickly. Another reason could be that surgeons don’t usually see their patients as frequently as a general doctor do, so they are less likely to witness the damages that smoking has on patients in the long run.
Doctors against smoking
What seems to be true is that doctors want you to quit smoking. The dangerous effects that smoking has on your lungs, skin, and heart have been confirmed and verified by thousands of tests and exams. Smoking causes damage in many different parts of the body, not only the respiratory system. Teeth are also affected by smoking, gums start to become swollen, and they may bleed when the smoker brushed his or her teeth.
Some smokers reported feeling sick most of the times while they smoke. They had constant visits to the doctor because of flu, asthma, chronic coughing, loss of appetite and many more negative consequences from smoking.
Bottom-line
There is still little evidence on the long term effects of vaping. Currently, when compared to smoking it seems to be that vaping is a very helpful alternative for those who want to stop damaging their bodies with smoke.
It is necessary to continue studying the effects of vaping in the respiratory system, and the effects of nicotine when inhaled as a vapor. Some e-cigarettes do not nicotine, and they act as a placebo for the users, who are just looking for a way to lower their anxiety levels when they crave a cigarette.
So far, some doctors do bring the topic to the table when talking with their smoking patients about quitting. Some may even recommend switching to vaping, and some others do not recommend it at all. The topic is still open to discussion, ready to accept new theories and new trials so as to get more information. This way it will be possible to make better choices in the future.
