The Doctors TV show named electronic cigarettes #9 in their Top 10 Health Trends for 2009 giving them a very positive review in an all new episode on Wednesday last week.
This is HUGE! I did happen to catch this episode while in a waiting room and was very excited about what they said on the show.
Some things they said were a little less exciting however because they were dead wrong! More on this in a minute, but first, the exciting stuff!
The fact that The Doctors TV show has featured electronic cigarettes as #9 on their TOP 10 health trends for 2009 is, let me reiterate, HUGE! This is an incredible endorsement of the potential health merits of the devices.
The next exciting thing I noticed was all of the doctors on the TV show gave the electronic cigarettes and an electric cigar a try.
They each took several drags, with the exception of Dr. Lisa Masterson who totally faked taking a drag barely letting her lips touch the electric cigar in the very amusing first photo at the top of this post.
Skeptics of the potential health benefits should also take note:
None of the Doctors on The Doctors TV show are smokers but they did try the devices while I find that many people I talk to (not medical experts by any means) are afraid to even try taking a drag off one of the cartridges that contains zero nicotine.
If the doctors on The Doctors TV show didn’t hesitate to take a few puffs then does this mean the doctors on the TV show are not concerned about electronic cigarettes affecting their health?
Now the doctors did give an electronic cigarette to a veteran smoker and let her try it out before filming the show and then invited her into the studio audience to give her opinion. The veteran smoker said that, “she would recommend them.”
Finally, the last exciting thing that stuck out in The Doctors’ positive review was Dr. Travis Stork informing the audience that the devices are not FDA approved yet, but he said, and I quote, “… I’m sure they will be soon.”
Now keep in mind. Regular cigarettes are NOT FDA approved and never will be. In fact, regular cigarettes bear that all too familiar surgeon general’s warning. I personally find myself reminding people of this fact whenever they suggest that electronic cigarettes need to be FDA approved to be legally sold in the U.S.A.
Although I have been labeled as an optimist by most I do want to temper this post with a little reality.
The Doctors TV show did say a couple things that were either completely wrong or very misleading which may have you doubting their credibility.
First, The Doctors review stated that the products are not yet available in the U.S.A. Wrong! There are lots of suppliers here. Some of them are even selling thousands of units a month in the states.
The second misleading thing the doctors TV show said is that the starter kit would cost you $150. Ouch! Wrong! I have never seen a unit that expensive. In fact I would say they average less then half that cost (which would be $75 according to my calculator).
So whether you like The Doctors TV show or not doesn’t change the facts. They listed electronic cigarettes as their #9 health trend to watch for in 2009 and I am exited to see this year shaping up quite nicely already for the e smoking community. If you liked the pictures in the post check out the promo video for the top 10 Health Trends 2009 show at this link: http://www.thedoctorstv.com/main/show_page/90
You wrote: “The second misleading thing the doctors TV show said is that the starter kit would cost you $150.”
I was first introduced to the e-cig at a mall. There was a kiosk for “SmokingEverywhere” and the price for their starter kit was indeed $150
I have a nice one form esmokey treats and I payed $60.
My work place just banned smoking and I have just purchased a Njoy system. I am very anxious to try it out once the battery charges. I hope it lives up to it’s rating!
There is a community dedicated to the e-cigarette
http://www.e-cigarette-forum.com
come check it out
Our mall kiosk in Kansas was selling it for 180. We bought ours for 60 online.
Also, the US puts a little too much stock in the FDA.
Great site!
Agreed. Like most government agencies, they don’t have the resources to police everything. For example, the FDA is trying to detain shipments of e cigs but most get through anyway so what’s the point?
I would much rather buy E-Cigs online than in mall kiosk, basically due to the costs.
Let me get this straight. I have seen some information about the electronic cigarettes on the news (I can’t remember which one) and in magazines that the electronic cigarette is worse for you than a real cigarette. Is this info. wrong? My husband is a smoker and I would like him to try this, but he has seen this bad wrap on these cigarettes.
Thanks for the comment Sheila. Yes, in my humble opinion those who say e cigs are worse than regular cigarettes are wrong! The skeptics argue there is not enough data to even make a statement like that. The doctors seem to endorse it and I would say they have more credibility than me, but the fact of the matter is you and your husband should do your own research and make and make an informed decision. The decision is yours and yours alone.
There’s two things going on here: big tobacco companies are worried about the loss they’ll make if the trend to e-cigarettes continues. Governments, whilst encouraging smoking cessation on the one hand, are also worried about the drop in revenue they’ll receive as smokers change to e-cigarettes (watch them tax nicotine when their revenues drop dramatically). Of course there’ll be negative reviews, but at the end of the day, which is more harmful, combustible cigarettes, or e-cigarettes? I was a pack a day smoker and am now into my 3rd week of e-smoking. My blood pressure dropped dramatically on day 4 (had it checked at the hospital when I was doing a post-operative follow-up). I’m expecting my triglycerides to be lower too, as these are exacerbated by combustible cigarette smoking. I haven’t had any craving for combustibles, either. It works for me where nicotine gum and patches didn’t. Furthermore, I can smoke indoors again as there’s no smell and no smoke. There’s no such thing as second-hand vapour. I’d advise your husband to make the change to e-cigarettes. Think about it: if tobacco was discovered to-day, it would be banned as far too dangerous a drug for human consumption.
Their credibility shouldn’t be questioned based on the fact that they don’t know the cost or locale of e-cigs….they are doctors, they are focused on the health issues involved, not the logistics. Unless you are a doctor (sparky), you might wanna pipe down about the legitamacy of their intelligence.
You’re right. What I wrote was out of line. By some strange coincidence that was actually the first time I saw the show and I guess those slight errors gave me the wrong impression. Since then I have learned more about the doctors and have a lot more respect for what they do with their show.
Hey, I like ‘em. I’ve smoked regular analogs for years and the e-gig is far smoother! I have no more tar and smoke and mess and smell and all that goes with it – but after all it IS the nicotine that gets us hooked! This way I can step it down without all the other bad stuff. Online shopping makes them available in the US and makes comparison shopping easy.
I purchase from a US supplier, started for far less than I spend in a month on smoking and will pay mo more than a few bucks a month now. Wish I’d found ‘em sooner!
Ecig Girl I liked your review. My husband and I both smoke and would like to quit. I saw a commerical only once for the e-cig and didn’t get the #. If you can … where did you get yours. I really get up set with myself because I don’t like the taxes imposed on and the descrimination to smokers. Within a 6 or 7 month period our smokes went up $20 a carton. Unbelievable!!!!! that’s more than we were paying before added state tax and added federal tax. But it’s the same across the country. Insurance companies want you to stop smoking or pay higher premiums but ours don’t want to help pay for anything like the patch to help. I started smoking before they decided it was bad for my health…by then it was too darn late. Nicotine is a pretty addictive (dare I say?) drug. Get us hooked, tax us to death on it then tell us we need to give it up or pay more for health insurance and life insurane and now you may be at risk of being dismissed from your job if you smoke even off the clock or sorry we won’t hire you because you smoke.
I would appreciate any info you can give me.
Thank You