& so much more
A bi-monthly podcast where we share the stories of our Caregivers, patients and community.
& so much more
Vaping Unveiled: The Truth Behind the Clouds
Misinformation surrounds vaping, despite its growing presence in our everyday lives. These sleek, rechargeable devices deliver not just fruit-flavored satisfaction but a potent cocktail of nicotine (sometimes exceeding levels found in cigarettes) and numerous carcinogenic chemicals.
The health implications are particularly alarming for younger users. Nicotine rewires developing brains, compromising focus, memory, and impulse control. The physical toll extends throughout the body as blood vessels constrict, raising blood pressure, the "silent killer" increasing risks of stroke and heart attack. Cardiac arrhythmias become more likely as nicotine stimulates the heart, potentially creating deadly complications.
For those already caught in nicotine's grip, hope exists through multiple channels. The 1-800-QUIT-NOW hotline offers traditional support, while texting options cater to younger users who prefer digital communication. Seven FDA-approved medications can ease the transition away from dependency, especially when paired with mental health support, the combination proven most effective for breaking the cycle.
Quitting delivers surprisingly swift rewards: normalized blood pressure within an hour and regenerated taste buds within days. These immediate benefits offer powerful motivation for anyone contemplating cessation. As Abigail compassionately notes, "We all have our thing," acknowledging the challenge of breaking any habit while emphasizing the critical importance of finding healthier alternatives to the triggers that lead to vaping.
Visit the CDC website for comprehensive resources tailored to users, parents, and educators. Your journey toward better health might begin with just one decision: putting down the vape and picking up the facts.
For more content from Centra Health check us out on the following channels.
YouTube
Facebook
Instagram
Twitter
Hi and welcome to, and so Much More. My name is Cammie Smith and I am your host, and I am here with Abigail Mavis who is, and I had to write it down admissions discharge nurse. What is an admissions discharge nurse?
Speaker 2:So basically we serve the system. We are available during surges to go do admission histories in the emergency department, kind of check on those patients, ease the load of the nurse upstairs who's going to be getting that admission, but we mainly focus on discharges. So a lot of patient education, a lot of focusing on this is what you were diagnosed with, these are your meds. Here are lifestyle changes that you can make to be healthier and not come back to see us quite as soon, hopefully.
Speaker 1:Wow, so important. You probably have a very busy day on a regular basis, very fast paced. Today we're going to be talking about a side of your work, of what you mentioned patient education and we want to focus on vaping, and vaping is not new and it's not new to anyone as news that it has grown significantly. I think. I've seen people of almost all ages teenager and up just walking down the street vaping. It's very common now, but there's not as much education out there and I think that there might be some misconceptions that we're hoping to debunk and maybe just give some clarity on today. And so, abigail, thank you for coming to talk to us about this.
Speaker 1:And we're going to start real. You know ground level, so what?
Speaker 2:is vaping, so another term for vaping is an e-cigarette. So it's. They look very different. Some of them look like USB little plugins or like little pods. Basically they contain nicotine and they contain chemicals and typically like some water vapor, and you can recharge them and change out the cartridge. So instead of having to buy a pack of cigarettes, you can just keep using the same device again and again. They come in different flavors which can be enticing, especially to the younger generation. So that's kind of what it is.
Speaker 1:Is it? I mean not to talk about a plus. So does that make this cost efficient because you're not having to buy cigarettes? Is that maybe a part of the pull?
Speaker 2:I think the pull is one the conception that it's potentially healthier. A lot of people think that the only thing in a vape is water vapor, and that is incorrect. It has nicotine. Some of them even have more nicotine than a cigarette. It it also has a number of chemicals. I think that the flavor choices also are a draw, especially for the younger generation. You know, instead of like a cigarette, which is kind of nasty, kind of gross, it's like oh, it's fruit flavored or it's mint flavored. That makes it fun and hip.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and it really is something that you know is becoming more and more common, and you did just talk on what is involved in it, and I think that some misconception that I have heard at least, is that this came out among a larger conversation about cigarettes and how awful they are for you and the huge push for people to stop smoking. And here comes vaping, and I think that does align with where this misconception is birthed from that oh, this must be an alternative that's good for you. So in what ways is this worse for you than smoking?
Speaker 2:So I don't know if you can necessarily say it is worse, because it's still fairly new. We're still doing a lot of research about what the long-term effects are. However, it does contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive. Nicotine, especially among the youth, changes the way your brain works, so that can cause issues with focus, with memory, with impulse control, and actually youth are more susceptible to become addicted to nicotine. So you have a highly vulnerable population with worse outcomes if they're starting on this at a young age. Nicotine is also going to constrict your blood vessels, which is going to raise your blood pressure and we call blood pressure the silent killer because, you may not know, you have high blood pressure but it highly increases your risk for stroke, for heart attack, and these are the top causes of mortality worldwide. And then you have a whole laundry list of chemicals which I can't pronounce, but many of them are carcinogens. Many of those are going to damage your lungs and, having taken care of lung cancer patients, I would never want anyone to go through that.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so you talked about the level of addiction that is introduced here, especially to our younger generation. What types of resources are there out there for those who have found themselves maybe past the point of no?
Speaker 2:return. Also texting options, which is really nice if maybe you don't want to talk to someone, maybe you want a little bit more privacy or you're someplace where you can't have a conversation, also targeting our youth, who really love their phones and texting. Yeah, a great resource is also your primary care physician. I believe there are seven FDA approved medications to help with smoking cessation. Or help with nicotine yes, okay. Or help with nicotine yes, and most people do have to attempt multiple times to quit, but using those medications is a safe way to come off of the nicotine. And a lot of people also find it helpful to have some sort of mental health or therapy treatment along with those medications, and that is the most effective way of treatment, wow.
Speaker 1:This is a lot of information. I love that you mentioned the hotline and specifically the texting, because I don't know a teenager who will just get on the phone willingly right now, and so having the option that is going to meet these individuals where they are has got to be huge. Yes, so when you're giving out this patient education because you do have some vape education you give out what types of patients receive that as they're just discharged from the hospital.
Speaker 2:So I see nicotine use among a wide variety of people In the hospital. We tend to see the older generation. So we're going to be talking about nicotine. We're going to be talking about the effects. The effects of quitting are huge and I like to highlight those because that's an incentive, right, that's something positive. When you stop using nicotine and that could be cigarette, that could be vaping your blood pressure is going to return to normal within under an hour and you have very few things that you can do in an hour. That's going to positively impact your health like that. In a couple days, the cells in your nose and your mouth and your throat, they're going to start to regrow and your taste is going to improve and your sense of smell is going to improve. And as a very food-mediated person, I'm like look, your food's going to taste better.
Speaker 1:So this is the conversation we have.
Speaker 2:I also really like to try to empathize with people because we all have our thing. Worst thing I did this morning, after I like, got ready and did my little morning routine, I made coffee right. Fortunately, coffee is not going to hurt me in the same way that nicotine is going to hurt someone else. But if someone told me no more coffee ever, that would be a tough conversation.
Speaker 1:That would be tough to swallow.
Speaker 2:Yes. So I try to empathize with people and be like, hey, it's not just that you have to stop this forever, you have to find something to replace it. You have to find out what triggers you wanting to use that vape or that cigarette, as the case may be, and find something to replace it. What hole are you trying?
Speaker 1:to fill. And I bet that's where the mental health side of this comes in, because I mean, so many of us are dealing just with the coping mechanisms in our lives. Some of them are somewhat healthy, some of them are not so healthy, but I think that's a great approach is having that mental health little puzzle piece to fill in for those who are really struggling here.
Speaker 2:Yes, when you look at the data. Actually people with worse mental health tend to use vapes more. The problem is nicotine also has a negative effect on your mental health long-term, so you think it's going to help you short-term you're self-medicating, as we say but it's actually going to do more damage. Yes, it also can cause memory problems later on, which I think is something that most people never want to be part of their story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely so. I know you said that the data is young, but do we know anything about long-term causes yet or not? Long-term causes, long-term effects.
Speaker 2:So we know that some of these chemicals can cause cancer. We know that some of these chemicals can cause other types of lung damage and, of course, we know the effects of nicotine and the long-term effects of high blood pressure, leading to, say, stroke or heart attack. Another thing nicotine can do, which I didn't mention, is it causes your heart to potentially speed up, it stimulates it, and that can put you at risk for cardiac arrhythmias, some of which are deadly, and the ones that aren't deadly, for instance, a fib, one of the most common ones. There's a risk of a clot forming and then a risk of a stroke. And again, most people, when they are thinking through how they want their life to go, stroke is on the bottom of their list. They never want that to be part of their story.
Speaker 1:Yeah, thank you. This is such great information. I want to mention the hotline again, 1-800-quit. We'll also put that in the description. And then we've got some great vape education that has been created here internally by Centra that we can make sure is included in the description as well. It's just high level. Sometimes I'm a visual person. It's helpful for me to see laid out the things that will help you wrap your mind around this, for yourself, but also for the people in your life that you love who are maybe having a struggle with this currently, or you just want them to know before it's an option, education is always a great place to start, so and I also want to highlight the CDC website.
Speaker 2:That is where I go to educate myself. They have specific resources for youth and for parents and educators who want to talk to their kids about why vaping is a problem, what the actual effects are and why they want them not to do it.
Speaker 1:So it was a really good resource.
Speaker 2:I really enjoyed reading through that.
Speaker 1:Awesome.
Speaker 2:Well, thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 1:And thank you all for joining us on and so Much More.
