🚭 Episode 34: Vaping - Separating Vapor from Fact
📅 Release Date: December 31, 2025
Welcome back to The Cozy Lung Lounge Podcast. This week, we tackle vaping. While e-cigarettes started as a harm reduction tool for smokers, the data is raising serious red flags, especially for non-smokers. We separate the myth of "harmless water vapor" from the unsettling facts of what you're actually inhaling.
🎙️ Hosted by: Kelly Welton-Lewis | Gina Hoots | Amy Sheldon
💬 What We Cover:
The Vaping Mechanism & Contents
- Aerosol vs. Smoke: Clarifying that vaping produces an aerosol, not water vapor, and discussing how high nicotine concentrations lead to rapid dependence.
- Toxic Byproducts: Analyzing what's in the cloud, including the breakdown of e-liquid into carcinogens like Formaldehyde and Acrolein upon heating.
- The Flavoring Risk: Detailing the danger of Diacetyl (butter flavor) linked to "popcorn lung" (bronchiolitis obliterans), and the issue of heavy metals leaching from heating coils.
Current Research & Pulmonary Impacts
- Acute Injury & COPD: Reviewing the potential for severe acute injury (EVALI) and the risk posed by "dual use" (vaping and smoking).
- Youth & Brain Health: Discussing how nicotine permanently harms adolescent brain development and acts as a gateway to traditional cigarettes.
- Immune System: Initial findings suggesting that vaping suppresses the immune system's response in the airways.
Strategies to Stop Vaping
- The Path to Quitting: Guidance on making a quitting plan, managing cravings, and utilizing professional support, including NRT and medical help.
- Inspiration: Highlighting the success stories of advocates like Chance Ammirata.
🎧 #CozyLungLounge #Vaping #QuitVaping #NicotineAddiction #YouthHealth #BluZoneHealth
