Quit smoking with e-cigarette barely works

Replacements show only limited success in smoking cessation

05/29/2014

Smoking is a massive burden on health. By about ten years, the life expectancy of smokers is reduced by tobacco use, reports Martina Pötschke-Langer German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg. Many tobacco consumers are well aware of the risks and about 60 percent would try at least once in their lifetime weaning. Numerous aids such as nicotine patches, nicotine chewing gums or e-cigarettes are available for this purpose, but according to the DKFZ their benefits remain rather doubtful.

Although numerous drug prevention measures have been adopted over the past decade, such as a ban on advertising tobacco products, smoking in public places, restaurants and nightclubs, or stricter warning labels on packaging, around one third of Germans (around 24 million adults ) continue smoking, reports the German Cancer Aid in a press release on the occasion of World No Tobacco Day on 31 May. Every year more than 100,000 Germans die as a result of smoking and an estimated 3,300 non-smoker deaths are attributable to the consequences of secondhand smoke.

Which variant is the right one for smoking cessation?
A smoking cessation is recommended from a health point of view all tobacco consumers, but here is the question of which variant can be achieved with the best results. While some people are reading a book („Finally non-smoker!“), others try to find an exit with the help of special seminars, hypnosis, acupressure or the mentioned aids. In particular, the success of nicotine-containing substitute preparations, however, is rather controversial in the art. Not least because 83 percent of ex-smokers have stopped smoking without aids, explained Martina Pötschke-Langer. Only 10.4 percent of ex-smokers had stated in the search survey 2012, their addiction to have overcome by the use of nicotine-containing preparations.

Substitutes with dubious benefits
Of the smokers who attempted a withdrawal with aids, use only four percent of classic nicotine gums and patches, reports Pötschke-Langer on. For e-cigarette attacked 6.4 percent of ex-smoker, here the name „Ex-smokers“ However, only conditionally correct seems, especially since the e-cigarette consumers exposed by the inhalation of evaporated liquids other health risks. According to Pötschke-Langer „the big danger with e-cigarettes is the deep and frequent inhalation of a chemical cocktail that nobody knows exactly what's inside.“ Liquids without nicotine may possibly also serve for weaning, but the data base for a recommendation is not sufficient. In addition, be „Nicotine has already been detected in supposedly nicotine-free liquids“ Service. In addition, there is a risk of overdose in too frequent, heavy pulling on e-cigarettes containing nicotine liquids.

Self-discipline is the key to success
In the case of nicotine chewing gum and patches, however, according to the expert, the risk of overdose is high „very low“. The nicotine patches should be expected only with a nicotine-induced respiratory arrest, if the plasters are distributed over a large area over the entire body. The chewing gum could cause nausea after heavy chewing. Here help short chewing and „then rest in the back pocket.“ However, given the rather modest success that the preparations can achieve in smoking cessation, their use is rather questionable anyway. The DKFZ expert emphasized that self-discipline is the better way, especially since nicotine remains a strong neurotoxin, even though the safety of the preparations has been proven in numerous studies. If weaning does not succeed the first time, Pötschke-Langer advises not to despair the person concerned, but rather to try again. Often it takes several attempts, but with discipline and possibly a little support from friends and family, the way to the nonsmoker can usually be successfully taken. (Fp)