Physical Wellness

Going Tobacco Free? Seeing E-Cigaretts May Increase Urge To Smoke

By Abbie Kraft | Update Date: Jan 23, 2017 06:18 PM EST

Vape pens may be the newer version of e-cigarettes, but research reveals that these handy gadgets can do more harm than good. A new study reveals that the e-cigarettes are said to trigger smoking as it sparks the desire to smoke even more.

Vape pens are similar to regular e-cigarettes in terms of function as it is also rechargeable and produces bigger cloud vapors. The difference of vape pens compared to other e-cig devices, however, is the fact that it looks like a traditional cigarette, which means that it is smaller than the latter as per Huffington Post.

Lead researcher Andrea King, a psychiatry researcher at the University of Chicago and the rest of her team did a study on e-cigarettes and its capability to help tobacco smokers quit smoking. King mentioned that the e-cig can potentially increase the urge of those who wanted to quit.

"Smokers needs to be aware that - just like Pavlov's dogs salivating to a bell associated with food - cigarettes, ashtrays, lighters, etc. may increase the desire to smoke and alert the brain's reward system," Andrea King said by email. "Our findings would suggest that smokers may want to reduce their exposures to the use of e-cigarettes as well as traditional cigarettes."

Public health experts are still in an ongoing debate as to whether e-cigarettes are healthier options, or if they can potentially do more harm than good. The study done by King and her team didn't focus on the safety of the device as they focused more on the potential of e-cigarettes as an aid to stop the urge to smoke for non-smokers.

Another researcher who did a similar study, Dr. Brian Primack, a researcher at the University of Pittsburgh who wasn't involved with King and her team mentioned that conclusion that vapes may make it more difficult for smokers to quit.

More research needs to be done in terms of the efficiency of e-cigarettes and its capability to ward off the urge to smoke.

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