Using a vaper as an alternative to a cigarette is not a good choice
The success of vaping is based on its power of attraction over a segment of the population who repudiates tobacco because of its high toxicity levels and believes electronic cigarettes are a better alternative due to their apparent natural composition.
Electronic cigarettes or vapers have become very fashionable in our society under the false belief that "vaping" is healthier than smoking tobacco. Their sales have increased dramatically and they have been forecasted to be one of the star gifts for this Christmas. However, experts advise against this habit and warn of the potential damage vapers can cause in the lungs. Doctor José María Ignacio, the Head of the Pulmonology Unit of the Quirónsalud Marbella
Hospital states "Our lungs are prepared to breath in fresh air and facilitate the passage of oxygen from the outside to the inside of the body in order to promote the metabolic and vital functions. On this basis, any substance other than fresh air will be harmful".
The success of vaping is based on its power of attraction over a segment of the population who repudiates tobacco because of its high toxicity levels and believes electronic cigarettes are a better alternative due to their apparent natural composition. The expert explained "from a medical point of view, we are advising completely against these kinds of products, as many other hundreds of chemical substances are used in order to produce them and these chemicals could be even more harmful to health".
In this sense, the Pulmonologist focuses on the first diagnosed cases that have been associated to vapers by the scientific community. "Now that it has been over ten years since the coming of vaping into fashion, we have received the first medical reports describing a significant number of patients who have developed pathologies that are even more severe than the diseases caused by tobacco".
Lastly, the specialist at the Marbella Quirónsalud Hospital specifically warns asthmatic people of the dangerous effects of electronic cigarettes for their respiratory system. "Vaping causes the bronchi to narrow. Many of these patients with respiratory pathologies will cause themselves a worsening of their disease as a direct consequence of inhaling steam".
Tobacco Unit
According to the statistics managed by the experts, a very high percentage of smokers shifts from tobacco to vapers with the purpose of reducing use and giving up smoking. The truth is that in the majority of the cases an initial reduction of tobacco consumption is the case, but in the long run, either the consumption habit cannot be eradicated or smokers become vaper dependent.
In the opinion of our expert, a toxic relationship still exists as "this habit remains to be a toxic habit". The specialist calls for awareness of healthy lifestyles without the need to use these kinds of products. For this purpose, it is essential to continue to work with patients from specialist areas as is the case of the Tobacco Use Unit of the Quirónsalud Marbella Hospital.
The adequate guidance of the specialists is fundamental. For this purpose, a first consultation will help put together a full medical history of the patient and a specific tobacco use history, which includes the degree of physical dependence on nicotine and the intensity of tobacco use. On the basis of this information, the team of the Pulmonology Unit can determine the most adequate drug treatment as nicotine replacement therapy in order to solve the addiction.
Tobacco use is considered to be the first preventable cause of death in developed countries. The use of tobacco begins as a voluntary action, but in a short space of time, it becomes a habit that overcomes the will power of the individual and it is hard to control and give up.
