I thought I'd post this here as there are alot of threads started by new vapers which ask about any health concerns with vaping, and are concerned about how their doctors will view it Vs analogs.
I'm only 43, but I have Rheumatoid Arthtritis. I was diagnosed with it in 2009. It's an extremly painful and serious disease in which the immune system attacks the joints of the body, causing "flares" - excruciating pain, major swelling of the affected joints, fevers, debilitating exhaustion, the eventual eating away of the joints in the body. Untreated, it can cause complete disability, and, sometimes, death through secondary disease and illness. Every joint is susceptible, even those of the spine. It is severe enough that one of the treatments involves the use of a cancer drug, in very low dosages, to slow the progression of the disease. Luckily, I have so far been able to keep my flares to a minimum with an anti-malarial drug used to treat RA.
Smoking exacerbates RA. It causes inflammation, and inflammation causes pain. It also tends to be a trigger for flares. But, for some reason, many RA patients are also smokers and swear it helps them to some degree. Counterintuitive on the face of things.
I called my Rheumatologist today to inform him that I had quit smoking. Now, this gent has been in the Rheumatology field for 40 years and has seen many treatments come and go. He told me - very gently - that I needed to stop smoking when I first saw him. He stated it very gently because he knew that many RA patients smoke and are very disinclined to quit. I was a bit worried about his opinion regarding e-Cigs.
The conversation we had, however, was interesting to say the least, and here is a breakdown:
1. He was delighted that I quit analogs.
2. He has said that he has long believed that nicotine, pure nicotine without the other chemicals found in cigars, cigarettes, and pipes, was a mild analgesic, and has been following e-Cig studies very closely.
3. He also believes, and says it has been bourne out in recent studies of pure nicotine, that nicotine also has some anti-inflammatory properties.
4. He has said the above statements of his were due to his noticing over the years that patients who smoke analogs, while unhealthy in pulminary and cardiovascular terms, tended to be calmer, had a higher pain tolerance, and had slightly longer relapses between major flares.
5. He also feels that people with auto-immune disorders tend to be nicotine addicts because the brains of these people learn to crave it for the signal it gives the brain to release dopamine. He said he thinks this is also true of those who are suffering clinical (chemical/physiological/major) depression due to a chemical imbalance in the brain; nicotine equals the release of dopamine which equals a way to elevate one's mood or provide a sense of calming. In other words, without knowing it, these patients are actually self-medicating.
To put it mildly, I was stunned. I thought this info, coming from a venerated Rheumatologist, and one who is highly regarded in his field, would be helpful to some new folks (and, perhaps to some vaping veterans) who are finding themselves concerned about the health effects of vaping.
While I am NOT asserting - and neither did he - that nicotine usage equals a cure when it comes to RA, chemical depression, or other conditions which are exacerbated by low dopamine levels, it is very interesting and comforting to know that it isn't harmful or causing those conditions to worsen.
Just thought you'd like to know.
Vaping some Apricot Tea while waiting for my pain meds to kick in, and then I'm off to bed. (BTW ... I love my Rheumatologist.)
I'm only 43, but I have Rheumatoid Arthtritis. I was diagnosed with it in 2009. It's an extremly painful and serious disease in which the immune system attacks the joints of the body, causing "flares" - excruciating pain, major swelling of the affected joints, fevers, debilitating exhaustion, the eventual eating away of the joints in the body. Untreated, it can cause complete disability, and, sometimes, death through secondary disease and illness. Every joint is susceptible, even those of the spine. It is severe enough that one of the treatments involves the use of a cancer drug, in very low dosages, to slow the progression of the disease. Luckily, I have so far been able to keep my flares to a minimum with an anti-malarial drug used to treat RA.
Smoking exacerbates RA. It causes inflammation, and inflammation causes pain. It also tends to be a trigger for flares. But, for some reason, many RA patients are also smokers and swear it helps them to some degree. Counterintuitive on the face of things.
I called my Rheumatologist today to inform him that I had quit smoking. Now, this gent has been in the Rheumatology field for 40 years and has seen many treatments come and go. He told me - very gently - that I needed to stop smoking when I first saw him. He stated it very gently because he knew that many RA patients smoke and are very disinclined to quit. I was a bit worried about his opinion regarding e-Cigs.
The conversation we had, however, was interesting to say the least, and here is a breakdown:
1. He was delighted that I quit analogs.
2. He has said that he has long believed that nicotine, pure nicotine without the other chemicals found in cigars, cigarettes, and pipes, was a mild analgesic, and has been following e-Cig studies very closely.
3. He also believes, and says it has been bourne out in recent studies of pure nicotine, that nicotine also has some anti-inflammatory properties.
4. He has said the above statements of his were due to his noticing over the years that patients who smoke analogs, while unhealthy in pulminary and cardiovascular terms, tended to be calmer, had a higher pain tolerance, and had slightly longer relapses between major flares.
5. He also feels that people with auto-immune disorders tend to be nicotine addicts because the brains of these people learn to crave it for the signal it gives the brain to release dopamine. He said he thinks this is also true of those who are suffering clinical (chemical/physiological/major) depression due to a chemical imbalance in the brain; nicotine equals the release of dopamine which equals a way to elevate one's mood or provide a sense of calming. In other words, without knowing it, these patients are actually self-medicating.
To put it mildly, I was stunned. I thought this info, coming from a venerated Rheumatologist, and one who is highly regarded in his field, would be helpful to some new folks (and, perhaps to some vaping veterans) who are finding themselves concerned about the health effects of vaping.
While I am NOT asserting - and neither did he - that nicotine usage equals a cure when it comes to RA, chemical depression, or other conditions which are exacerbated by low dopamine levels, it is very interesting and comforting to know that it isn't harmful or causing those conditions to worsen.
Just thought you'd like to know.
Vaping some Apricot Tea while waiting for my pain meds to kick in, and then I'm off to bed. (BTW ... I love my Rheumatologist.)
I'm glad to see you here and thank you for your reply. I certainly understand your pain issues, especially the CFS and Fibromyalgia. My RA is thought to be the result of approximately 10 years of undiagnosed and untreated Lyme. The immune system can only take so much.
