September 8, 2010
111,1 jJo rtla n b OObsrruer
Page 9
H ealthmatters
E-smokes at Center of Fight over Risks
____
_
Battery-
powered cigs
operate in legal
gray area
(AP) - As electronic cigarettes
become more popular, the battery-
powered smokes become the center
of a fight over how risky they are
compared with traditional smoking,
whether they're legal and, if they
are, how they should be regulated.
E-cigarettes are made of plastic
and metal and heat a liquid nicotine
solution in a disposable cartridge,
creating vapor that the "smoker"
inhales. A tiny light on the tip even
glows like a real cigarette.
Nearly 46 million Americans
smoke traditional cigarettes. E-
smokes operate in a legal gray area.
The Food and Drug Administra­
tion and public health groups have
sounded the alarm, saying they
contain dangerous chemicals and
are being marketed to children, and
the federal agency has halted ship­
ments of e-cigarettes at ports na­
tionwide.
Some sellers of e-cigarettes sued
the FDA last year after the agency
instructed customs officials to refuse
entry of shipments into the U.S. A
•
federal judge ruled that the FDA
can't stop those shipments, saying
the agency had overstepped its
authority. The FDA appealed, and
won a stay of that ruling, pending
oral arguments that are set to begin
next month.
E-cigarette sellers would like to
see them regulated as a tobacco
product, which would follow the
same restrictions as traditional ciga­
rettes and tobacco products.
Several states have tried to ban
the sale of the products. A leading
distributor has agreed to halt sales
in Oregon following a lawsuit filed
by the state. And Sen. Frank R.
Lautenberg, D-N.J., also wrote to
the FDA in March asking that e-
cigarettes be taken off the market
until they can be proven safe by the
agency.
Users and distributors say e-ciga-
rettes address both the nicotine
addiction and the behavioral as­
pects of smoking — the holding of
the cigarette, the puffing, seeing the
smoke come out and the hand mo­
tion — without the more than 4,(XX)
chemicals found in a traditional ciga­
rette.
First marketed worldwide in 2002
as an alternative to regular ciga­
rettes, e-cigarettes didn't become
easily available in the U.S. until late
2006. Now, the industry has grown
_______________________________________
4»
Galen Kipe demonstrates the use o f an electronic cigarette. The
34-year-old has tried quitting a number o f times, and he says he
has now swapped real smokes for an electronic cigarette.
from the thousands in 2006 to sev­ N.C., electronic cigarette maker Blu
eral million worldwide, with esti­ Cigs.
mated 20,(XX) to 30,000new e-smok-
Healy's company is expected to
ers every week, according to Jason have $30 million in sales this year.
Healy, the president of Charlotte,
A starter kit, including flavor car­
tridges, costs about $60. Additional
cartridges, equivalent to about 150
cigarettes, are about $25. The car­
tridges include flavor and different
levels of nicotine, or no nicotine at all.
Still, the FDA has said its tests
found the liquid in electronic ciga­
rettes contains substances known
to be toxic to humans — besides
nicotine, which is itself toxic in large
doses — as well as carcinogens that
occur naturally in the tobacco in
cigarettes. Most e-cigarettes are
imported from overseas.
Christian Berkey, CEO of Johnson
Creek Smoke Juice, a Wisconsin
company that makes the "juice" for
e-cigarettes, said its products have
only seven ingredients, none of
which has ever been deemed unfit
for human consumption.
"There's no com bustion, and
that's what it really comes down to,"
said Berkey, who has asked the FDA
to test its products and is awaiting
results.
MMM
Healthy Home Check-Ups
The local non-profit Josiah Hill
III Clinic wants to make sure your
home is a healthy place to live.
A m ericans spend about 90 per­
cent of their time indoors where
the air is 2-5 tim es more polluted
than the air we breathe outdoors.
Everyday cleaning supplies can
be surprisingly toxic, harm less-
seeming mold and mildew can trig­
ger asthm a and allergies, and the
invisible presence o f lead can se­
verely affect the developm ent of
children.
Thanks to funding from the Envi­
ronmental Protection Agency, the
Josiah Hill III Clinic now offers free
Healthy Home Check-Ups to north
and northeast Portland families with
small children.
A friendly volunteer or staff mem­
ber will visit your home and as­
sesses potential hazards, such
asthma, allergy, and migraine trig­
gers; lead exposure from paint and
other sources; mold and mildew;
and toxic chemicals linked to ad­
verse health outcomes.
Once hazards are identified, the
clinic provides consultation on ex­
posure elimination and provides
helpful resources and household
supplies to assist you in improving
the health of your home.
For more information or to sign
up for a Healthy Home Check-Up,
call Amanda Lawrence at 503-802-
7389orvisitjhillclinic.org.
Back to School Sleep
Staying up late and sleeping in
are summertime rituals for most kids.
But summer sleep habits can leave
children sleep-deprived and unfo­
cused at the start of the school year.
Providence sleep experts recom­
mend that most school-age children
get at least nine hours of sleep per
night.
Parents should consider estab­
lishing school-year bedtime rou­
tines two weeks prior to the start of
school. Creating a bedtime routine
and encouraging quiet time and re­
laxing activities will allow fordown­
time and sufficient sleep time.
Dr. Billy R. Flowers (above center) and his skilled s ta ff are ready to help those in need.
THE
SPINAlCOLUMN
TM
An ongoing series of questions and answers about Americas natural healing profession
Part 18. Chiropractic And Prevention:
Life doesn’t have to be a series o f emergencies anymore
: It seems that I am always not work properly either. People ter. And you’d be amazed at the
sick. I do what my doctor who have regular C hiropractic energy you have with preventive
says but if anything my colds and checkups report that they get fewer Chiropractic checkups. If y o u ’d
flu attacks are getting worse. What colds and influenza. They keep the like to trade in your colds for a
do you think?
stress off their nervous systems. bounce in your step, call us for
Constant colds and influ­ Keeping irritation off the nervous an appointm ent today. It could
enza indicate that the immune system also helps you avoid morn­ be the healthiest call you have
system (and the body in general) ing backache and head-aches and ever made. Isn’t time you stepped
is highly stressed. Did you know allows you to cope with stress bet- up to C hiropractic?
that recently leading scientists
have discovered that the entire
immune system is an out-growth
2124 N.E. Hancock Street, Portland Oregon97212
of the nervous system? If you
nervous system is stressed and
P h o n e: ( 5 0 3 ) 2 8 7 * 5 5 0 4
irritated, the immune system can-
Flowers' Chiropractic Office