Seven More Essential Facts About E-Cigarettes

One of the most important consumer safety warnings about E-cigarettes concerns the choice of the solution used to make the aerosol.

4. Sometimes aerosol solutions made with propylene glycol aggravate underlying health conditions.

Propylene glycol is an approved food additive that makes the drops in the mist emitted by the E-cigarette just a little "stickier" so they feel more like tobacco smoke as they pass through the throat.

In rare cases, sensitive individuals may experience some side effects from the excessive use of propylene glycol. These may include unusually slow heart rate (bradycardia) in adults and asthma, eczema, and hay fever in teens or children. We don't, of course, recommend E-cigarettes or any other kind of cigarettes for children. But if this is a problem, simply change to a different brand of aerosol that contains the ingredient "vegetable glycerin."

5. Using an E-cigarette can reduce your desire to smoke.

If you are trying to cut down on regular cigarettes, using an E-cigarette can cut down on the craving to smoke, but there's a catch. You have to use an aerosol solution that contains nicotine, and you have to use just E-cigarettes, not E-cigarettes and regular cigarettes. 

6. People who use E-cigarettes intentionally to cut down on smoking get a range of results.

In another study at the Centro per la Prevenzione e Cura del Tabagismo, mentioned earlier in this article,  about 1 in 8 users of E-cigarettes was able to kick the habit of smoking completely in six months. About 1 in 3 was able to reduce the number of cigarettes smoked by 50%. This means that for 50% of users, E-cigarettes are primarily a way to avoid the worst effects of tar and carcinogens in tobacco smoke.

7. E-cigarettes don't cause their users to get "winded" the way regular cigarettes do, although they do temporarily reduce lung capacity.

Researchers at the Centre for Research and Technology Thessaly in Greece tested lung capacity in volunteers after they smoked regular and E-cigarettes. They also measured the effects of exposure to second-hand smoke. Smoking a regular cigarette reduced lung capacity by 7% an hour later. Smoking an E-cigarette reduced lung capacity 3%, and exposure to second-hand smoke reduced lung capacity by 2%.

8. Nearly everyone who uses E-cigarettes has a short-term problem with dry mouth or dry cough.

Usually problems with dry mouth and dry cough subside after about 3 months of regular use.

9. Using E-cigarettes may enhance your brain power.

Psychologists at the University of East London have found that smokers of E-cigarettes get a temporary boost in their ability to make "time-related" or "prospective" memories, remembering to do something at a specific time. 

10. E-cigarettes are the easiest way to cut back on smoking for people who take psychotropic medications.

Many people who have a psychiatric diagnosis have a smoking addiction. The drugs that are used to help control severe, debilitating tobacco addictions (Wellbutrin/bupropion, for example) can't be used with certain drugs used for mental health. E-cigarettes are often the best way to help people who have to stay on psychiatric meds cut back on their use of tobacco.