Are you vaping? Many of our patients who seek our services deny using cigarettes or drugs yet confirm they use e-cigarettes. Many women may even be doing so early in their pregnancy when the baby is most vulnerable to toxins.
Convenient, colorful vape pens from Big Tobacco are everywhere, including online. The industry spent over $8.2 billion on marketing in 2019, which equates to millions of dollars daily. Vapes make it easy to hide a nicotine habit. But make no mistake, they’re still made to get you hooked.
Extracted from tobacco and highly addictive, nicotine has been shown to create cravings as potent as cocaine and heroin. It leads to withdrawal symptoms, dependency, and a variety of serious health effects in the long run. When vaping, nicotine is absorbed easier than smoking cigarettes.
Although vaping exposes you to fewer chemicals than smoking cigarettes does, when using vape pens and e-cigarettes, the heated nicotine releases an aerosol with chemicals. These can cause chronic lung and heart problems like asthma and hypertension. Sold online with a variety of scents, these camouflage nicotine, and chemical by-products can be stronger than your average cigarette, damaging your lungs, your brain and mental health.
The brain is still developing in your early 20s, and nicotine changes how it works – from your attention span to how your brain cells function. Aside from causing headaches, nicotine also puts you at risk for anxiety, irritability, and depression.
Studies at Johns Hopkins have shown ingredients in vape products, from diacetyl (linked to serious lung disease), Formaldehyde, and cancer-causing chemicals to pesticides and flavorings linked with toxic effects and respiratory irritation. Folks that mix TSH from marijuana in their vapes have even suffered from long-term lung injuries and death.
So give up this nasty habit. Replace it with time outside, deep breaths and doing something you love!
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/what-does-vaping-do-to-your-lungs
