Is Vaping Better Than Smoking?

April 2021 | Reading time: 3 minutes

Vaping has become a popular activity in recent years, replacing the use of cigarettes in many cases. Interestingly, the inhalation of vapour is not a new phenomenon; past societies like the Ancient Egyptians have been known to indulge. Nowadays, vaping is marketed as safe and relatively healthy for the body. However, is this true?

Vaping vs Smoking

First of all, it is important to establish the difference between smoking and vaping. When you smoke cigarettes, you ingest approximately 250 chemicals that damage your body. People inhale tar in cigarette smoke, which sticks to the lungs and leads to infections and diseases. Moreover, these chemicals do not just affect the lungs. Smoking also restricts the blood flow and increases your chances of stroke or heart disease. Cigarette smoke affects nearly every organ in the body, and also impacts people around you as they can inhale second-hand smoke.

In contrast, most e-liquids contain very few chemicals, which in theory makes them safer. As a result of this, you can avoid the illnesses and diseases caused by smoking.

Dangers of Vaping

E-liquids come in a variety of flavours. Chemicals that flavour the e-liquids include diacetyl, which is linked to the development of illnesses such as popcorn lung. This disease makes it difficult for you to breathe as it restricts your airways, and may also cause a bad cough. The flavourings are only safe for the body through digestion, not inhalation.

Many professionals state e-cigarettes are an effective way to stop smoking. Doctors may soon be able to prescribe e-cigarettes as a form of medication. This could be a useful short-term solution that allows your body to recover slightly, but could leave you vulnerable to future problems.

Research

According to a Telegraph article from 2016, a study found that e-cigarettes damage the arteries. Researchers monitored the hearts of participants when they were vaping and smoking. After comparing the results, they discovered that vaping had similar effects on the heart to smoking. The study shows that vaping is not healthier for your body, and still puts you at risk. Although the effects are not immediate, the researchers estimated that vaping for 30 minutes produces the same impact as 5 minutes of smoking. This does not confirm the long-term effects of vaping, yet does imply that it can damage vital organs, and in many ways is no better than smoking cigarettes.

A survey in 2015 warned against the use of e-cigarettes by teenagers. The results showed a shocking 20% of teenagers in the North West of England owned an e-cigarette. Although vapers contain less chemicals than typical cigarettes, they still contain relatively high levels of nicotine. Researchers suggest that inhaling nicotine regularly could affect brain development in teenagers.

This shows the potential dangers of e-cigarettes and vaping devices. It is true that e-cigarettes contain fewer chemicals and do not cause the build-up of tar. However, the chemicals are not safer. Without evidence it is hard to determine the long-term implications of vaping. If you use a vaping device, keep an eye on your body and any possible symptoms that could be signs of serious health problems. Avoiding both vaping and smoking is the best way to ensure a healthy body.

If you want to help boost the recovery of your body, consider our Lymphatic Vacuum Massage. This improves the flow of the lymphatic system, which is a network within the body that aids the removal of toxins and bacteria. Furthermore, this massage has other health benefits such as reducing pain and swelling, and will help you to sleep better!