What Vaping does to your Health?

Vaping- the inhaling of vapor created by an electronic cigarette or e-cigarette, it is an activity that entices many teens and youth alike across the nation. The e-cigarette was invented by a Chinese Pharmacist named Hon Lik; the device was originally created to serve as an alternative to smoking promoting the new method to be safer, but modern scientific studies are proving otherwise.  

Scans of the lungs of four patients, aged 19 to 49, showing damage to the lungs from vaping devices. (New England Journal of Medicine)

Health and Wellness: 

A 2021 study published by the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health found that 40% of people who use e-cigarettes daily report common side effects of vaping such as dry throat, mouth irritation, coughing and headache.  

Common Side effects of vaping: 

  • Coughing  
  • Addiction 
  • Dry/sore mouth and throat 
  • Shortness of breath 
  • Mouth and throat irritation 
  • Headaches’
  • Dizziness and nausea 
  • Heart palpitations 
  • Chronic Exhaustion  
  • Eye irritation 

In addition to the common side effects, there are more serious side effects involving lung disease, heart attacks/disease, damaged blood vessels, vascular disease, seizures, and strokes. Although most reported e-cigarette users reported more mild side effects, the risks are still causing various problems for vaping users.  

E-cigarettes or vape pens heat liquid until it becomes a vapor, which the user then inhales. The juice can contain nicotine or marijuana distillate or oil. However, the most common ingredient is nicotine, which is well known for being addictive. 

According to the WebMD (a well-known online publisher posting studies on human health and well-being) researchers state, “the liquid nicotine contains other dangerous chemicals including Diacetyl and Formaldehyde, both of which are linked to lung disease and cancer.” Some e-juice is flavored, even without nicotine the sweet flavors can cause DNA damage or kill cells lining your blood vessels.  What’s worse? most people don’t even know what harmful chemicals they are putting in their bodies until its too late and the damage has been done.

One study from the American Heart Association showed that nine vape juice flavorings can damage blood vessels, leading several U.S. states have banned the sale of flavored e-juice. The federal government plans to ban their sales nationwide to stop the toxic juices from harming youth across the country.  

There is no doubt that vaping exposes you to less toxins than smoking traditional cigarettes. While not all the long-term effects of vaping are known, there have been massive outbreaks of lung injuries and deaths resulting in vaping.  

According to CDC (Centers for Disease Control) (Centers for Disease Control) in February 2020 there were 2,807 confirmed cases of e-cigarette use-associated lung injuries and 68 deaths linked to that condition. The victims’ deaths were found to have been caused by Vitamin E acetate in e-cigarettes, the vitamin has been indicated in EVALI (which stands for e-cigarette or vaping product associated lung injury.)  

Researchers reporting in ACS’ Chemical Research in Toxicology have released the results that Vitamin E acetate could increase the fluidity of lung surfactant, causing the surfactant layer to collapse, resulting in symptoms like shortness of breath and lung inflammation. Health officials have identified vitamin E acetate in the damage lungs out of 51 patients who had fallen ill or died of lung injuries.  

To better understand the short-term impacts of vaping, scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania performed MRI scans of 31 healthy, non-smoking adults before and after smoking nicotine-free e-cigarettes. Upon contrasting the pre- and post-MRI data, vaping ONE time resulted in reduced blood flow and impaired endothelial function in the large (femoral) artery that supplies blood to the thigh and leg. 

Anti-Vaping ad from Hendricks County Health Partnership (Chase Cotten)

 The endothelium, (which lines the inside surface of blood vessels) is essential to proper blood circulation. Once that lining is impacted, arteries thicken, and blood flows to the heart and brain can be cut off resulting in heart attacks or strokes.  

With e-cigarettes containing nicotine, it is not hard to become addicted to the activity of vaping. When users inhale nicotine-containing products, the addictive drug makes its way quickly to the brain where it drives the release of dopamine, a chemical in the brain that signals pleasure associating those good feelings to the inhaling of nicotine. 

 Vaping the harmful drug physically alters your brain causing mood disorders and permanent lowering of impulse control making it harder to quit. The way synapses are formed, which can harm the parts of the brain that control attention and learning.  

The FDA’s The Real Cost anti-vaping advertising campaign. (FDA)

Targeted Youth: 

In 2014 alone, 18 million youth were exposed to e-cigarette ads: more than 10 million high school students and 8 million middle school students. More than half of high school students (about 8 million) saw e-cigarette ads in retail stores, and more than 6 million saw them on the Internet. More than half of middle school students (6 million) saw e-cigarettes ads in retail stores, and more than 4 million saw them on the Internet. E-cigarette companies make money by promoting the product as a healthy vaping alternative, while increasing funding towards more ads targeting youth, from spending US$48 million in 2017, and rising to US$110 million in 2018. The CDC noting that US$8 billion (about $25 per person in the US) is spent annually on pro tobacco and e-cigarette companies, making smoking and vaping appeal to youth. 

The life of students is stressful with high workloads, long hours, emotional and physical development, difficult classes, relationship toxicity, and societal pressures; the idea of breathing in a vapor that makes all your anxiety go away may sound appealing to millions of youths all around the world. When students and young adults alike see these stress-free advertisements without knowing the dangers it can lead to countless problems.  

Piper Johnson used to vape regularly in high school. After surviving vaping-related lung illness, she’s now working to raise awareness of the risks of the habit. (Catie Dull)

Following the educational effort from Truth Initiative, “Breath of Stress Air,” it shows nicotine’s role as a contributor to the worsening youth mental health crisis through the launch of a fake vaping company called Depression Stick! Nicotine use and mental health are linked in many ways, according to a body of peer-reviewed research gathered in the Truth Initiative report “Colliding Crises: Youth mental health and nicotine use,” which highlights how nicotine can worsen anxiety symptoms and amplify feelings of depression. It is a breath of stressful air! 

Reasons to Quit: 

Although electronics cigarettes have been advertised as an aid to help smokers quit, the alternative ‘solution’ has not received kind reviews from the Food and Drug Administration, calling it a ‘smoking cessation device.’ A recent study found that most people who intended to use e-cigarettes to quit nicotine ended up continuing to use the traditional and e-cigarettes. 

Reasons why you should quit vaping: 

  • Addiction: Addiction in the growing brain may set up pathways for later addiction in other substances including alcohol, drugs, regular cigarettes, cigars and more.  
  • Brain risks: Nicotine affects the brain’s ability to develop in countless youth, making it harder to learn and concentrate. Some brain changes are permanent, effecting emotional mood swings, hormones, and ability to control impulses as an adult. 
  • Toxins: The vapor made for vaping is not made of water containing plenty of harmful chemicals with fine particles which are then inhaled into the respiratory system 
  • Sports: Those wanting to be involved in sports, would do well to stay away from the sports, with the toxic vapers causing lung, heart, and blood concerns 
  • Money: Vaping, just like traditional cigarettes, causes a lot of money build up over time; taking finances away from important causes like rent, food, or even just fun money.  
  • Mental health: People who vape are twice as likely to be diagnosed with depression, anxiety and sleeping disorders caused by their vaping addictions. Vaping can also worsen any pre-existing mental health disorders. 

Quitting and Withdrawal: 

With e-cigarettes containing addictive additives, addiction is one of the first common side effects many people experience with vaping. Youth and adults alike may feel lost and hopeless trying to quit the relentless habit of vaping, but there are ways to quit the toxic practice. One of the hardest parts in quitting any substance is withdrawal, the more you vape, the more the body and brain gets used to having nicotine, the harder it is to go without that substance. The more the body goes without the chemical, the level of nicotine in your bloodstream drops, leading to some unpleasant side effects; but it is possible to quit.  

Common symptoms of Nicotine withdrawal. (Verywell / Nusha Ashjaee )

Withdrawal side effects can include various symptoms, like: 

  • Feeling irritable, restless 
  • Headaches 
  • Increased sweating 
  • Depression and anxiety 
  • Exhaustion 
  • Trouble thinking clearly and concentrating.  
  • Trouble sleeping 
  • Uncontrollable hunger and weight gain 
  • Having intense cravings for vaping and nicotine 

The symptoms of withdrawal are the strongest in the first few days of stopping, they will get better over the following days and weeks until you stop craving the substance all together. It is easy to say it will get better, the biggest hurdle of quitting any addiction is to beat the cravings and have a plan. Nicotine withdrawal is different for everybody, in some provoking feelings of anger and frustration while in others their symptoms show more depression. 

Prepare for feelings, people and places that might trigger the urge to vape, if possible, avoid those places at risk of triggering the urge to vape. Instead of giving into the cravings, try these instead: 

  • Chewing bubblegum or drinking water: Every time the craving for nicotine creeps up, drink water or chew gum. In doing so the craving for vape will be replaced by something healthy, training your brain to change tactics. 
  • Get sleep: When quitting, it is quite common to feel tired and groggy 24/7. Make sleeping a number one priority. Keep a consistent sleep schedule and practice good sleeping habits- turn off screens an hour before bedtime. Getting exercise during the daytime can also help you fall asleep faster at night. 
  • Get support from loved ones: Quitting an addiction can feel hopeless, but you are not alone. Ask friends and family that you plan to quit and ask for their support.  
  • Build a plan: A personalized quit plan can help you get through the difficult withdrawal, even if you are already in the process, it is never too late.  
  • Baby steps: It is okay if you cannot quit on your first try, one step forward is still one step in the right direction. 
  • Get to know yourself: Try to learn what causes you to want to vape, is it stress, boredom, stress, or anxiety? Identify the triggers and avoid them? 

 It may seem hopeless to quit the toxic habit, but there is a way out with plenty of support for those who need it, sometimes all anyone needs is the proper motivation. These are countless resources to help those in need such as hotlines, online programs, coaches, and trainer professions. You are never alone in kicking the habit. 

While e-cigarettes still aren’t 100% understood, studies show that it’s not safe regardless of what vaping companies advertise, if youth are tempted and uneducated in the side effects of vaping more people will become addicted to the substance.  

With more education programs coming out to educate more people on vaping’s side effects, there is more hope for those who are addicted to turn their health around before it is too late.