Video games dont create killers... video games make killers more creative 
just kidding.... i love my games
just kidding.... i love my gamesE-Cigs on WebMD
- Thread starter Silence
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I can't believe that! He should come on here and read how many people have quit smoking completely with these. Including me! I smoked for 13 years and have been tobacco free for 3 months.
The sad thing is that people will read this knowing nothing about PV's and beleive every word of it.
The difference between e-cigs and analogues, the patch, nicotine gum and other devices is that big-business and other governmental agencies are not reaping the profits. Big tobacco and the pharmaceutical companies are not profitting off of us, so of course there is going to be a backlash. I think this is the main reason for the FDA and other medical "authority" (I use the term loosely) scare tactics.
Here is my overly wordy, bound to be ignored email to Dr Eriksen. Read at your own risk, its so boring I almost fell asleep twice while writing it... 
Dr Eriksen,
You were quoted in a recent WebMD article as saying, "I have seen no evidence that people switch from tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes or other smokeless tobacco products". While I have no empirical evidence to disprove that statement, I do have my own personal story.
I started smoking as a teenager. I was young and healthy, convinced that cigarettes weren't as bad as everyone said and that I could quit anytime I wanted to. I ended up smoking for nearly forty years. I spent the last few years trying to cut down or quit outright. I went from 1 1/2 packs a day down to about 15-20 cigarettes a day. And that is about as far as I got. I bought nicotine gum, plastic cigarettes to keep my hands busy, and was recently thinking about getting a nicotine inhaler from the local pharmacy. While researching inhalers, I discovered the electric cigarette. It seemed to be too good to be true but after a few weeks of research I took the plunge and ordered my first ecig.
It arrived on October 7th, 2009. That day, after a late dinner, at 7:30 pm I smoked my usual post-meal cigarette. Why do I remember that time and date? It turned out to be my last smoke. The ecig (or PV, for personal vaporizer) has been all I have used since. It has completely changed my life.
I breathe better. I smell better (at least I hope so). The yellow stains on my fingers are fading. My teeth are whiter. Everything smells and tastes better. But most importantly, I am breathing better. Did I mention that already? I no longer feel out of breath after running up the stairs with a bagful of groceries. That, to me, is worth all the money in the world. As far as nicotine intake, I started with 24mg doses of e-juice and am now using 12mg doses. Yesterday, I ordered a small batch of 0mg juice, without (or with only trace amounts of) nicotine to see if I can get through a day without it. Will I eventually quit vaping (using an electric cigarette)? I don't know. But I feel like I finally have a chance to really, truly, quit _smoking_. Its been almost two months since my last cigarette. Quitting never lasted more than two days before.
I realize my experience with PVs may not be typical but I'm certain it is not unique. If you were to poll users of electronic cigarettes I would not be surprised if the vast majority of them reported a sharp decline or outright cessation of the use of tobacco products. I realize that vaping may not be 100% healthy, and that more studies need to be done by the medical community, but I also cannot ignore the health benefits I have already received by switching to a PV. I would welcome an unbiased and comprehensive study of the health effects of electronic cigarettes vs the use of tobacco cigarettes, conducted by eminent and respected men like yourself, people with a concern for the safety of the public. If need be, compare the heath risks of using electronic cigarettes with the health risks of using the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and various other items used by millions to quit smoking. Then compare how effective each device is at truly helping people to quit. It would be wonderful if the medical community would, if you don't mind my saying so, look at the big picture and concentrate on harm reduction, not harm elimination. Obviously, quitting cold-turkey is the best option. But so many of us have tried that and failed. If I had known about e-cigs earlier, I would have quit smoking earlier and I might be that much healthier today.
Thousands of Catholic Africans die of AIDS every year because the Pope and the Catholic Church preach abstinence only, when wearing a simple condom might have saved their lives. Will thousands of smokers around the world die this year when there is a safer (even if its not completely safe) alternative available? Isn't that a question you should be asking yourself and posing to others in the medical community? Is "abstinence only" always the best solution? Are your obviously good intentions (like the Pope's) doing harm in ways that haven't been fully thought out? Nobody is saying (as far as I know) that ecigs are completely safe. Nobody is saying that they should be sold to minors. Most of us who use electronic cigarettes would welcome some level of regulation by the FDA, especially testing and certifying the safety and strength of the e-juice. We are all adults, we like to make decisions concerning our health with as much honest information on hand as possible. The medical community and the FDA could potentially be saving thousands of lives by making sure that we are getting the safest possible e-juice and vaporizers, and (if testing proves that ecigs are a healthier alternative to smoking) by recommending that people who want to quit cigarettes move to PVs. Isn't that by itself, a worthy cause? Extending and improving the lives of people who struggle everyday with a serious and deadly addiction?
I apologize for the length of my letter, and thank you in advance for you kind attention to it.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXX
PS I am not in any way affiliated with the electronic cigarette industry. Just a "vaping convert".
Dr Eriksen,
You were quoted in a recent WebMD article as saying, "I have seen no evidence that people switch from tobacco cigarettes to e-cigarettes or other smokeless tobacco products". While I have no empirical evidence to disprove that statement, I do have my own personal story.
I started smoking as a teenager. I was young and healthy, convinced that cigarettes weren't as bad as everyone said and that I could quit anytime I wanted to. I ended up smoking for nearly forty years. I spent the last few years trying to cut down or quit outright. I went from 1 1/2 packs a day down to about 15-20 cigarettes a day. And that is about as far as I got. I bought nicotine gum, plastic cigarettes to keep my hands busy, and was recently thinking about getting a nicotine inhaler from the local pharmacy. While researching inhalers, I discovered the electric cigarette. It seemed to be too good to be true but after a few weeks of research I took the plunge and ordered my first ecig.
It arrived on October 7th, 2009. That day, after a late dinner, at 7:30 pm I smoked my usual post-meal cigarette. Why do I remember that time and date? It turned out to be my last smoke. The ecig (or PV, for personal vaporizer) has been all I have used since. It has completely changed my life.
I breathe better. I smell better (at least I hope so).
The yellow stains on my fingers are fading. My teeth are whiter. Everything smells and tastes better. But most importantly, I am breathing better. Did I mention that already? I no longer feel out of breath after running up the stairs with a bagful of groceries. That, to me, is worth all the money in the world. As far as nicotine intake, I started with 24mg doses of e-juice and am now using 12mg doses. Yesterday, I ordered a small batch of 0mg juice, without (or with only trace amounts of) nicotine to see if I can get through a day without it. Will I eventually quit vaping (using an electric cigarette)? I don't know. But I feel like I finally have a chance to really, truly, quit _smoking_. Its been almost two months since my last cigarette. Quitting never lasted more than two days before. I realize my experience with PVs may not be typical but I'm certain it is not unique. If you were to poll users of electronic cigarettes I would not be surprised if the vast majority of them reported a sharp decline or outright cessation of the use of tobacco products. I realize that vaping may not be 100% healthy, and that more studies need to be done by the medical community, but I also cannot ignore the health benefits I have already received by switching to a PV. I would welcome an unbiased and comprehensive study of the health effects of electronic cigarettes vs the use of tobacco cigarettes, conducted by eminent and respected men like yourself, people with a concern for the safety of the public. If need be, compare the heath risks of using electronic cigarettes with the health risks of using the nicotine patch, nicotine gum, and various other items used by millions to quit smoking. Then compare how effective each device is at truly helping people to quit. It would be wonderful if the medical community would, if you don't mind my saying so, look at the big picture and concentrate on harm reduction, not harm elimination. Obviously, quitting cold-turkey is the best option. But so many of us have tried that and failed. If I had known about e-cigs earlier, I would have quit smoking earlier and I might be that much healthier today.
Thousands of Catholic Africans die of AIDS every year because the Pope and the Catholic Church preach abstinence only, when wearing a simple condom might have saved their lives. Will thousands of smokers around the world die this year when there is a safer (even if its not completely safe) alternative available? Isn't that a question you should be asking yourself and posing to others in the medical community? Is "abstinence only" always the best solution? Are your obviously good intentions (like the Pope's) doing harm in ways that haven't been fully thought out? Nobody is saying (as far as I know) that ecigs are completely safe. Nobody is saying that they should be sold to minors. Most of us who use electronic cigarettes would welcome some level of regulation by the FDA, especially testing and certifying the safety and strength of the e-juice. We are all adults, we like to make decisions concerning our health with as much honest information on hand as possible. The medical community and the FDA could potentially be saving thousands of lives by making sure that we are getting the safest possible e-juice and vaporizers, and (if testing proves that ecigs are a healthier alternative to smoking) by recommending that people who want to quit cigarettes move to PVs. Isn't that by itself, a worthy cause? Extending and improving the lives of people who struggle everyday with a serious and deadly addiction?
I apologize for the length of my letter, and thank you in advance for you kind attention to it.
Sincerely,
XXXXXXXXXXX
PS I am not in any way affiliated with the electronic cigarette industry. Just a "vaping convert".
Very well written and thought out. I enjoyed reading it. And I love the above quote in the context of the letter...
Good letter, Trypwyr. Short and to the point, wish I could do that.
Please, no face-slapping! We won't win people over that way.
Please, no face-slapping!
We won't win people over that way.
Thanks, Silence. I was actually trying to write a nice letter but I think my true feelings kind of slipped through there. Hopefully his sarcasm detector is down for the day...
Plain and simple the FDA wants the e-cigs banned cause they are all for the tobacco companies. Why would you ban something that is clearly less toxic than cigarettes? even if they found 1 carcinogen in e-cigs that is still better than 200 in analogs. right? The FDA will always support the tobacco companies. whyyy?
I'd be embarrassed if I wrote that. "TSNAs, tobacco specific impurities" are cited as the main reasons why they view these as harmful, yet they say that they ALL work the same way with synthetic nicotine not derived from tobacco.
How does that work again? Shame, to think I held WebMD with respect.
How does that work again? Shame, to think I held WebMD with respect.
I am curious, we are all talking about how this guy has no clue how many people this has helped....is there a petition that has a list of all the people who vape instead of smoking and their switch date? It would be interesting to have a long list of ALL the people who have successfully gotten off of cigarettes for vaping...THAT kind of list would carry more weight in a court, I think.
If not, does anyone have an account to one of those petition websites?
If not, does anyone have an account to one of those petition websites?
ctruth had at one time posted a link to a petition to the FDA. it had testimonials and everything... i cant remember exactly where it was... will go look for it.
E-cigs are new, and they don't appeal to kids. So right there, that means they don't have the money base to fellate the FDA into turning a blind eye. BT? Yeah, they've been doing it for years, the FDA just recently threw some drama into their relationship, but that will pass.
sigh...no more posting at work..i live in north MENASHA lol right by Appleton. I know that Red Lobster very well
they have awesome margaritas
I found one petition at petitiononline.com but it only has 255 signatures. What we need is a petition that has name, transition date and email address for those willing to provide it. I think e-smokers need to be willing to stand up for what they believe in...Did the petition Truth had have many signatures? And a way to verify the names were legitimate...like email address? If we think it will do any good, I'll start up another petition...but just so people can see just how many people have switched, not something to sit there and espouse everything that e-Smoking has done for you...Congress doesn't care about that, they just want a majority...lol
I got a pop-up on the webmd site on that link - webmd partnered by Boots ...who were selling Njoy's I believe.
Well, I contacted webmd like some of you.
I just told them they needed better information. Get it off ECF instead of the man on the street corner holding up a lamp post.
I just told them they needed better information. Get it off ECF instead of the man on the street corner holding up a lamp post.
This was written back in July. When first posted here, a bunch email responses. Good to see they are going to get a few more.
Oh well, that's what I get for judging a thread's age by how many replies it has.
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