While in the US the discussion around e-cigarettes has been largely about further regulation and how the industry and its consumers are trying to survive the storm, in the UK it’s all about research and how best to combine the devices with cessation plans to help smokers kick their deadly habit.
Dr. Sanjay Agrawal
Louise Ross, manager of the Leicester Stop Smoking Service, is trying to answer that latter question. The service works closely with Dr Sanjay Agrawal of Leicester University Hospitals. Dr Agrawal believes that after a smoker is diagnosed with cancer, persuading them to quit the habit is most effective, he says: “There’s never a better time than when people are in an emergency situation to try to do something to give them hope. And stopping smoking seems to be as effective as chemotherapy in improving the prognosis.”
So Ross asks an important question. How should a doctor help a patient with a cancer diagnosis who refuses to quit? And she believes that vaping is the answer. For many patients who have tried and failed to quit, she asks if they have ever tried a vaping product. Because of misinformation and negative attitudes in the community, many people feel skeptical about these products, and that’s when she suggests providing them with information about different products, quality, and so on. In agreement with many other health professionals, Ross says that e-cigarettes are a very effective method of quitting smoking, and the overall success rate increases by 20% when smokers use this type of device during their quitting process.
Reaching out to smokers
The latest figures lead the manager of the Stop Smoking Service to believe that free e-cigarette samples should be offered to anyone seeking help from these facilities, a practice that has also been endorsed by the NHS. In his experience, Ross finds that many smokers who want to switch to vaping are holding back for three main reasons; because they can’t afford a starter kit , or because they’re still confused about whether e-cigarettes are actually safer than smoking, and finally because they’re intimidated by the technical complexity of the devices.
Louise Ross believes that, like her Quit Smoking Service, other providers should also offer free e-cigarette samples. She points out that in the future, smokers who choose to vape will save money because e-liquids are not only cheaper than cigarettes, but also cheaper than other nicotine replacement therapies. But the economic benefits are just one positive aspect, Ross touches on the most important issue, which is the health benefits gained after switching. She is referring to research published by Public Health England, which found that e-cigarettes are 95% safer than cigarettes.
This article was published on Vapingpost by Diane Caruana and translated by The Vape Club
