Here's another stupid article from Harvard Medical School Advisor

[Spazmelda]

Harvard Medical School Adviser: Are e-cigarettes a safe alternative? | Detroit Free Press | freep.com

 

[SnakeFarm]

It's sad that even in the vaunted halls, medical academic types would rather do a twenty minute cut-and-paste from a few Google results than to spend any serious time researching a question. Once the dietheline glycol thing got out there on the blunderwebs, it seems to have become the gospel according to these nincompoops.

*sigh

 

[Brewlady]

I left a comment, please take a moment to do the same.

I've also shared this on the We are CASAA and The vaping Community facebook pages.

 

[Spazmelda]

Here's another recent one from Consumer Reports. Only one comment so far and it looks to be a rabid anti. E-cigarettes help smokers kick the habit, says study

I tried to sign up and comment one the Detroit Press one, but there was some sort of glitch. I liked your comment Brewlady.

 

[K*Rose]

This is from Harvard?? It reads like a 6th grade report paper!

 

[ukeman]

wow Brewlady, i don't think any more could comment as effectively as you did.. i learned a lot reading your comment.
thanks for that.

btw fwiw I read some info on the danger of refined sugar and what it has done in huge damage to the health of the human race while studying nutrition, and lo and behold back in the day an administrator from the Harvard Medical School gave a full approval and blessing to eating the stuff!
You don't have to wonder that the sugar industry was a heavy sponsor of that school... just like in the real world, money talks.

I left a comment, please take a moment to do the same.

I've also shared this on the We are CASAA and The vaping Community facebook pages.

 

[Spazmelda]

This is from Harvard?? It reads like a 6th grade report paper!

I'm not sure where it's actually from, but it does read at a pretty low level. I was just going by what it said in the newspaper report. I don't know what 'Harvard Medical School Adviser' is.

ETA: here's a brief blurb I found about it: http://unitedfeatures.com/?title=Bio:Harvard Medical School Adviser

 

[Vocalek]

Brewlady left a great comment. Here's what I had to say:

There are several errors in the Harvard Medical School Advisor (HMSA) answer to the question. First, HMSA apparently misread the article, "Personal Review: Electronic cigarettes: miracle or menace?" published 19 January 2010 in the British Medical Journal. Authors Flouris and Oikonomou reported that New Zealand recommends use, the study from Greece was neutral and only the FDA report expressed concerns. Second, the HMSA incorrectly states, "the e-cigarettes all deliver an array of other chemicals, including diethylene glycol." The HMSA apparently relied upon the FDA's misleading press release instead of consulting the "Final Report on FDA Analyses" (http://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/ScienceResearch/UCM173250.pdf). The report reveals that the chemicals of concern were found only in the liquid, but in amounts too small to present a health hazard. No harmful substances were detected in the vapor. In the Journal of Public Health Policy, Kahn and Siegel reviewed 16 studies that "characterized, quite extensively, the components contained in electronic cigarette liquid and vapor using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS)." One of these studies was the FDA's "Final Report." The authors concluded, "a preponderance of the available evidence shows them to be much safer than tobacco cigarettes and comparable in toxicity to conventional nicotine replacement products." There is no evidence that the vapor contains any harmful substances, and more importantly, no evidence that anyone has been harmed by using e-cigarettes. In fact, users are reporting improved health. Most report elimination of all desire to smoke. Thus the fear that e-cigarettes will entice former smokers back into tobacco smoking is totally without basis. Success rates for FDA-approved nicotine replacement products that are recommended by HMSA range from 2% to 7%. The success rates for complete smoking cessation by switching to e-cigarettes range from 31% to 79%. Caveat Emptor, indeed!

 

[Vocalek]

BTW, I was being kind when I stated that the HMSA "misread" the article Electronic cigarettes: miracle or menace? by Flouris and Oikonomou. It is more likely that the HMSA "misrepresented" the article's contents. Here is a direct quote from the article:

Overall the FDA carefully raises caution on the potential harmful effects of e-cigarettes, HNZ recommends e-cigarette use on the basis of a comparison with the health risks of normal tobacco products, while Demokritos maintains a neutral position and focuses mainly on delivery of results.

How you could (mis)interpret the above statement to mean, "Still, preliminary studies from New Zealand, Greece and the FDA itself raise concerns" escapes me.

 

[cookiebun]

A certain goof ball from th QSMB is posting all the ANTI replies.
Honestly, he's just angry that board added a subforum for ecigs. That's the only reason he comments on those articles. He's angry at the folks from this board for crashing their party.
He's changed his sig but I recall that he's only been smoke free for about 30 days. He's been on a quit smoking kick for about 3 years.

 

[sqirl1]

A certain goof ball from th QSMB is posting all the ANTI replies.
Honestly, he's just angry that board added a subforum for ecigs. That's the only reason he comments on those articles. He's angry at the folks from this board for crashing their party.
He's changed his sig but I recall that he's only been smoke free for about 30 days. He's been on a quit smoking kick for about 3 years.

is it a he or a she?

 

[cookiebun]

is it a he or a she?

Claims to be a He.

 

[Vocalek]

Don't feed the trolls!





Especially the electric ones.

 

[sqirl1]

Don't feed the trolls!





Especially the electric ones.

so we are talking about that one. just seeing for sure which one we're talking about.

 

[Vocalek]

I love Rolygate's comments of 9/19.

 

[MattZuke]

What the hell is "The Harvard Heath Adviser" column published by United Features.

The e-mail address is broken, so is their website (www.health.harvard.edu/adviser)

I tried to provide Gregory Conley contact information provided by United Features, but he said neither wrote the article.

Jonathan Beckwith, Ph.D. jbeckwith@hms.harvard.edu
Jack W. Szostak szostak@molbio.mgh.harvard.edu

So what the hell, is this something called Harvard Medical Adviser which has some presence on the school site, but isn't associated with the school, with United Media trying to keep up the pretense Harvard supports it?

 

[Spazmelda]

I can't figure out what it is or who writes it. You did more digging than I did. IIRC, Detroit Free Press was the only media I could find that was actually publishing it. So, does Harvard actually have nothing to do with it? That's kind of crappy if they can just throw the Harvard stamp on it to give it credibility.

 

[MattZuke]

I can't figure out what it is or who writes it. You did more digging than I did. IIRC, Detroit Free Press was the only media I could find that was actually publishing it. So, does Harvard actually have nothing to do with it? That's kind of crappy if they can just throw the Harvard stamp on it to give it credibility.

UFS Feature Bank - Bio:Harvard Medical School Adviser

Please note that Harvard Medical School Adviser's contact information, including the Web address, is www.health.harvard.edu/adviser. Also, at the request of the school, we ask that editors take care in the placement of advertising near the feature so there is no suggestion of product endorsement by Harvard.
This article is accompanied by a graphic (med110919) available in tiff, PDF and InDesign (indd) formats.

Everything suggests this data comes from Harvard Medical School, except their web addresses are mysteriously broken, and official e-mail address is kauput.

 

[cookiebun]

Some ding bat at the Detroit Free Press probably wrote it.










>yes I ended that sentence with "it" and I know I shouldn't have.<