In what is a clear example of the misinformation circulating about vapes, the global survey found a total of 74% of the participants “incorrectly [believing that] nicotine causes a range of illnesses from lung cancer to COPD.” While on average 87% of the doctors surveyed, agreed that helping patients quit cigarettes is a priority. Sadly however, the latter feel they are not adequately trained to offer advice on alternative nicotine products or tobacco harm reduction.
Meanwhile, a 2022 independent review of UK studies confirmed that vapers are exposed to much lower levels of toxins than smokers. “In terms of health risks, we said that vaping imposes a small fraction of the risk of smoking in the short to medium term. Consistently, vaping exposes people to much lower level, significantly lower levels of risk than smoking,” said Dr Debbie Robson of Queens College London on discussing the findings.
Fearmongering by established medical groups
Sadly medical groups such as the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology), tend to ignore peer reviewed studies on the matter such as the above, and keep adding to the confusion, recently even claiming that doctors “increasingly discourage vaping amid mounting health concerns.”
While studies specifically indicate the benefit of switching from smoking to vaping for those suffering from respiratory conditions. The study titled, “Health impact of e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Current and emerging evidence,” is one example. It was conducted to determine whether reducing the negative health effects of smoke exposure by switching to safer alternatives such as vapes, had a positive impact on COPD smokers who fail to quit via other smoking cessation interventions.
The research team concluded that while vapes and heated tobacco products may be beneficial in reducing harm from cigarette smoke, their long-term effects on COPD patients’ health are still unclear.
COPD patients enjoy health gains when switching to non-combustible nicotine products
However, a study titled, “Health outcomes in COPD smokers using heated tobacco products: a 3-year follow-up,” published in the scientific journal Internal and Emergency Medicine reported unequivocally positive findings. It reported that COPD patients who switched from smoking to using HTPs, or at least reduced the amount they smoked, showed consistent improvements in respiratory symptoms, exercise tolerance, and their general quality of life.
“It is well known that cigarette smoking is a significant risk factor for COPD and abstaining from smoking is the only evidence-based intervention that improves the prognosis for COPD,” said study author and award winning researcher Prof. Riccardo Polosa. However, it is of course widely known that most smokers do not manage to quit no matter how precarious their health situation may be.
The respiratory health expert added that for such smokers, most especially if they are COPD patients, substituting regular cigarettes for combustion-free nicotine delivery alternatives should be considered an alternative pragmatic approach. He emphasized that although not risk-free, science indicates their relative benefit “..emerging clinical evidence suggests that…e-cigarettes use in patients with COPD can help patients with COPD abstain from long-term smoking with clinically relevant health gains.”
Ex-Smoking COPD Patients Who Switched to Vaping Experienced Long-Term Benefits
