If you identify yourself as a smoker, chances are you don’t want to.
In fact, roughly 68 percent of adult smokers say they want to quit, according to the CDC. So why don’t they? Anyone who’s struggled with the habit can tell you – quitting is no easy task. It’s no wonder the American Cancer Society reports that only 4 to 7 percent of people are able to successfully quit the habit without medication or other help. But even so, the current smoking cessation products that are out there leave much to be desired.
Enter the e-cigarette. These battery-operated devices generate inhalable vapor, some of which contain nicotine. According to Noah Minskoff, M.D., a doctor who works in the biotechnology and healthcare fields, they could change the smoking cessation game – if the current models were up to par, that is.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about gum, patches, inhalers, sprays, lozenges, whatever,” said Minskoff. “E-cigarettes have the potential to be vastly more effective.”
According to Minskoff, the current design of e-cigarettes is inherently flawed. When people smoke tobacco cigarettes, nicotine is delivered directly to the lungs and is quickly absorbed. This, in turn, produces the rapid nicotine reward the smoker is after. However, the vapor from e-cigarettes is primarily delivered to the mouth and throat, which Minskoff says doesn’t trigger the same quick-acting effect.
