Electronic cigarettes seem to work, psychologically and physically
And I think it is time that other doctors do, too.
Electronic cigarettes combine a mouthpiece, which contains liquid (including nicotine), an atomizer (which heats the liquid and turns it into vapor), a battery and an LED tip that glows like the tip of a lighted cigarette.
While early versions of the electronic cigarette date back to 1963, with a patent awarded to inventor Herbert Gilbert, the modern versions of electronic cigarettes—the basis for big brands in the industry, such as LOGIC and Blu—were introduced at the beginning of this century.
It is, of course, imperative that the electronic cigarette be a good-enough fake. And, on this count, LOGIC seems to have a slight psychological advantage, given what patients tell me is a very realistic smoking experience—but not too realistic, as noted above. Interestingly enough, the LOGIC brand seems to be the best-selling one in New York City, perhaps because of these factors.
There is certainly controversy about whether electronic cigarettes are harmless. Critics note that they do, of course, contain nicotine (which is the whole idea, after all). And critics have also found other substances in the vapor released by electronic cigarettes—even cancer-causing substances, but in tiny, tiny amounts that proponents of the devices claim would have no negative effect on well-being at all.
What no one seems to argue about is that electronic cigarettes—from LOGIC or Blu or any leading brand—are not nearly as dangerous as smoking real cigarettes. LOGIC claims its device avoids 4,000 toxins that are found in cigarettes.
Given my experiences and those of numerous clinicians I have spoken with, it would seem to be a good time to conduct large scale clinical trials in which patients who smoke are given electronic cigarettes by their doctors, encouraged to use them and then quizzed on their use of real tobacco weeks and months and years later. If the data generated support the product, then it may be wise for medical insurance companies to offer electronic cigarettes to smokers for free. My bet is they would save lots of money—from the costs of treating heart disease and cancer—down the road.
Dr. Keith Ablow is a psychiatrist and member of the Fox News Medical A-Team. Dr. Ablow can be reached at
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/01/30/electronic-cigarettes-seem-to-work-psychologically-and-physically/
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