10 Things you might not Know about Nicotine

The following are a few interesting facts that you might not have known about nicotine.  This can be helpful to those of you who are trying to defend your decision to vape E-cigarettes from the sceptical mindsets of friends, family, co-workers, etc.  The misconception that nicotine is a carcinogen, and a dangerous drug, is often confused with the many other chemicals specifically in cigarettes that are carcinogenic, dangerous, unhealthy, etc.  The following is a list of many of the health benefits of nicotine:

1.  There are over 4,000 chemicals in the average cigarette… many of them carcinogenic.  Nicotine is NOT one of them.

2.  Nicotine has been found to reduce approach-avoidance behavior in animals, and healthy human volunteers.

3.  Nicotine interacts with cell membranes in such a way as to ease the passage of certain ions through the membrane.  This aids in, among other things, the communication between synapses in your brain, increasing cognitive functions.

4.  Nicotine has been found to substantially increase immediate as well as long-term memory abilities.

5.  Nicotine increases attentiveness in patients who suffer from Alzheimer’s Disease.

6.  Nicotine is used for certain types of neurodegenerative pain issues, and also pain problems associated with come mental disorders.

7.  Nicotine can be used as analgesia for postoperative recovery.

8.  Nicotine is being researched as a possible additive to opioid medicinal regimens, because it stimulates respiration, opposing the opioid’s tendency to depress respiration.  It also increases alertness in sharp contrast to opiod’s well-known “drowsiness” effects.

9.  Nicotine decreases appetite, as much if not more than cannabinoids increase it.

10.  Nicotine is currently being considered as treatment against such diseases and disorders as ADD/ADHD, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, inflammatory skin disorders and injuries, obesity, and ulcerative colitis.

There is one thing holding nicotine back from the many positive uses that it is capable of… disinformation (properly defined as the purposeful conveying of untrue facts as opposed to misinformation which is merely accidental).  Cigarettes and nicotine have become a hot-button political health issue that has long since ceased to be about actual health and now has more to do with which sides buys and pays for the most politicians.  Enter into the mix, electronic cigarettes, which deliver nicotine, and only nicotine in a way that’s outwardly reminiscent of the smoking of “real” or “analog” tobacco cigarettes.  The politics of the issue make it easy to demonize something that is even remotely similar to tobacco cigarettes. But don’t let them get away with it!  And when you hear negative “scientific” evidence about e-cigarettes, try to find the other side of the story… because there’s always another side to the story.  There is a lot of valid, correctly-done scientific work being done out there regarding the health benefits of e-cigarettes.  On the other side of the coin is poorly constructed, statistically skewed “scientific” information regarding the health dangers of e-cigarettes.  Don’t let them scare you back to smoking!  You know you feel better now that you’re vaping than you did when you were still smoking.

Sources:

SFATA- Effects of Nicotine

Anxiolytic effects of nicotine in a rodent test of approach-avoidance conflict.

Nicotine as a cognitive enhancer.

Nicotine as Therapy

Virgin Vapors- Organic Celestial Honeydew

This is the first time I’ve tried any of Virgin Vapors’ E-Juices, and if the rest of their flavors are anything like this one, I’m going to consider this company to be one of the top ten companies in the industry.  The goal of any E-liquid manufacturer should be to match their targeted flavor as closely as humanly possible.  I’ve always enjoyed the light, sweet taste of honeydew, but I’m not a huge fan of the texture of melons.  So, with this juice, I can have that flavor, without having to chew.  It’s the American Dream!  Make things infinitely simpler until there’s nothing left for us to do but enjoy.

The flavor of Virgin Vapors’ Celestial Honeydew isn’t really a flavor at all.  It’s as if someone squeezed a fresh, ripe honeydew into a vat of PG and VG, mixed in some beloved nicotine, and put it directly into a clearomizer for me to vape pleasurably.  I must say, if there’s anything lacking in this E-liquid at all, it would be the light bouquet produced by the atomized vapor.  However, honeydew isn’t a fruit that’s reputed for it’s strong aroma, so I can’t really deduct too much off for the score in this category.

The throat hit and vapor production on this are what you would expect from a higher quality E-juice, so obviously Virgin Vapors hasn’t cut corners in the supply department like I fear some companies are starting to do.  This is one that I recommend steeping.  I’ve had this one for a week, and every time I refill, I put it right back in the cabinet with the top and spigot off of the bottle.  I swear that the longer it steeps, the better it gets.  As I just mentioned, I got my bottle of Virgin Vapors’ Organic Celestial Honeydew about a week before writing this review.  The flavor is already up to a 97 on my scale, so if you suddenly feel the ground shake next week sometime, it’s only because this juice steeped so well that it aligned the planets and finally caused peace in the Middle East.  Also, if you are the proud owned of a variable voltage battery, go ahead and crank it up a few notches.  The flavor remains strong, but the throat hit increases, as does the volume of vapor “smoke.”

So, I hope this means that I’ve finally found a company that can stand up to Mr Nice Guy Vape and Flavorz by Joe.  I’m gonna try a few more and I’ll postpone my final, official decision regarding the previous statement until I’ve tried a few more of their E-liquids.  Meanwhile, I fully recommend with ever fiber of my being that you get your hands on Virgin Vapor’s Organic Celestial Honeydew ASAP!

The REAL Future of E-Cigarettes… Vitamin Delivery Systems

There is an unfortunate, narrow-minded outlook associated with the E-cigarette industry as it exists today, and this particular narrow-mindedness is preventing certain advancements from taking place.  Since the typical E-cigarette is utilized in a very similar way to traditional, analog cigarettes, the current view is that E-cigarettes must be used as a method of nicotine delivery; a harm reduction device for addicts of tobacco smoking.  But take away the nicotine and the aesthetic relationship to analogs and what do you have?  You have an effective and healthy method of bodily-substance-intake.

Let’s leave the nicotine out of the equation for a second.  There are already a few E-liquid companies out there that offer B-12 and ginseng liquids for health-friendly energizing of the body.  These vitamins have been mixed in with a Red Bull-flavored juice, to give potential customers a point of reference for the type of effect they are going to experience from the vaping of that particular product.  Another company, Ecigsunlimited.com, is offering an E-liquid that not only contains ginseng and B vitamins, but also vitamins A, C, and E.

Obviously, there would have to be some research done to determine how much of the vitamins, emulsified in the E-juice vapor, is actually absorbed by the lungs.  It would also be useful to know which vitamins can be suspended in glycerine vapor, and which ones can’t (possibly because they are too heavy, etc.)  Currently, there is a bit of controversy and not a small amount of speculation on whether or not vitamins can even be metabolised through the lungs.  Even E-cigarette enthusiasts are sceptical about their precious alternative nicotine delivery systems being used for the delivery of substances other than nicotine.  Their worries are not completely unreasonable, either.  Many members of popular online vaper-hangout site, E-Cigarette Forum, suggest that vitamin-based E-juices could open the entire industry to possible regulations from numerous angles, instead of the already feared tobacco product regulations that loom on the horizon.  Pharmaceutical regulations could come into play in these cases.  However, having worked a retail position at CVS Pharmacy/Drug Store, I have had plenty of opportunities to peruse the Vitamin section of the store, and I can tell you that almost all of the vitamin bottles display a “not tested by the FDA” message on their labels… so why should E-cigarette-delivered vitamins be different just because they enter the body in a way that looks similar to the smoking of a tobacco cigarette?

There are some preconceptions that we need to deal with here.  We have been conditioned, thanks to the tobacco industry and more than a few deadly results of using tobacco products, that ingestion through inhalation is necessarily a bad thing.  There already exist examples of how the previous statement in inaccurate.  Think of asthma inhalers.  They enter the body through the lungs, and they are necessary for the survival of asthma sufferers.  Maybe we could stop referring to E-cigarettes as E-cigarettes and start calling them vapor-inhalers (a much more accurate name) instead?  And instead of fearing the expansion of inhalation science because of the possibility of regulation, or the potential of inaccurate or non-existent vitamin delivery, why not research the possibilities further?  Do we give up because we haven’t found an answer yet to something that is still in it’s extreme infancy?  Or do we press on and study harder until we find ways to make it happen?

So, in order to bring us into the future of inhalation science (I think we’ve just coined a new term here) there are a few tasks we need to accomplish, or at the very least begin working on.  First, let’s consider phasing out the use of the term E-cigarette in lieu of something more descriptive, like ‘vapor delivery system’ or ‘vapor inhalation device.’  This will do two things… First, it will help to draw that distinguishing line between E-cigs and analog cigs, alleviating many of the potential problems we are facing currently and second, it will be more descriptive of what is actually taking place during the vaping process, allowing future innovators to proceed unhindered by negative terminology.

No matter what we do with the changing of industry jargon, or how much expansive, redefining research we do over the next few years, the future of vapor delivery technologies is in the hands of the policy-makers right now.  Let’s just hope that there are enough open-minds in that group (not to mention uncorrupted) to give this exciting new health-supporting technology a real chance.

DFW Vapor- Angel Food Cake

DFW Vapor is an interesting company, in that their E-liquids are all over the map as far as taste, vapability, throat hit, vapor production, and olfactory levels are concerned.  I’ve already reviewed their Apple-Cinnamon flavor, which was quite terrible.  This one is passable and, according to my own statement that anything that rates over a 400 on my own scale is to be considered “Vapable,” DFW’s Angel Food Cake just barely makes it.  I’m waiting to try one of DFW’s liquids that actually impresses me, mostly because I think they’re capable of it.

The flavor of the Angel Food Cake is very, VERY light.  It’s almost flavorless with a slight hint of a cake batter/vanilla flavor to it.  I had to mix this one with other light flavors in my “library” in order to truly appreciate it.  First, I added Mr. Nice Guy Vape’s Watermelon (one part) to the Angel Food (three parts).  This actually made a nice, smooth, and rather enjoyable flavor that resembled a sugar-free fruit cake… you know, without the dried, nasty chunks of chewy, discarded fruit mixed in.

The weird thing about this creation of DFW’s is that the throat hit and vapor production are of the highest quality, where the flavor inclusion is more akin to amateur, experimental E-liquid production.  Also, the scent-qualities of the Angel Food Cake liquid are non-existent.  Like I stated above, DFW is a total wild card of an E-juice manufacturer.

If you’re going to buy this one, just know ahead of time that you will be using it exclusively as a cocktail E-juice.  If you’re like me, and rarely have anything in your clearomizer that isn’t a cocktail of two or more juices, then you’ll get some worthwhile use out of this DFW Vapor E-liquid.  Don’t worry about steeping this one for any period of time.  It improves slightly, but not enough to really notice unless you’re purposefully paying close attention.  Also, there’s no reason to toy around with varying voltage.  I’ll tell you right now, that increasing the voltage on the Angel Food will do nothing until it’s high enough to deliver a nice, recently burned carbon flavor to your lips.  Low voltage on this one!

I’ll close this review with a prayer; that the next DFW Vapor product that I try will be outstanding!  I’m not exactly sure why, but I’m really pulling for this company to make something truly impressive and worthy of a high rating.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed because my next attempt is going to take place right after I post this article…

Mr. Nice Guy Vape- Butterscotch

Click picture to visit mrniceguyvape.com!

 

Once again, my local (and overall most reliable and beloved) E-juice company, Mr. Nice Guy has gone ahead and impressed me with their new flavor, simply and accurately named Butterscotch.  As the label implies, the flavor of this E-juice is perfectly and undeniably butterscotch through and through.  Mr. Nice Guy, reputed for the high quality ingredients they’ve always used… even before they got into the E-juice manufacturing business… continues to live up to their reputation by nailing one of classic, common flavors in a way that most other manufacturers fall short of, if only by a little bit.

Upon first vaping MNG’s Butterscotch, the “warmth” of the “buttery” side of butterscotch announces itself to your taste buds.  The vapor itself is thick… and the flavor is thick, too.  I deducted a few points for this, not because I don’t enjoy a thicker vape and taste, but because it does divert slightly from the typical “smoking” feel that vapers are hoping to emulate especially when they first start vaping.  As you inhale the butterscotch-ity yumminess, the voluminous vapor pulls across all of your taste buds from the tip of your tongue to the back of your throat, and the full essence of butterscotch (hints of brown sugar or treacle, creamy butter, and an almost toffee-like, “candy” quality).

As I stated earlier, this vapor really hits the throat, but not in a harsh way.  It’s a smooth but unmistakable alien substance in your throat, resembling the breathing in of a thick, humid fog in Northern California, but more condensed.  To try and really capture this in an adequate analogy… imagine you’re wrapping your mouth around the end of an industrial-strength fog machine, turned up to it’s highest setting, serving up freshly melted butterscotch pie filling on the beaches of Half Moon Bay in the wee hours of a foggy, crisp “summer” morning, just after you took an Albuterol breathing-treatment because you hyperventilated when you found out that you won the Powerball Lottery and got Scarlet Johansson pregnant during an unexpected phone call from Morgan Freeman.  Exaggeration? Possibly… a little bit… maybe.  I’ll leave it to you to give it a shot and try it out for yourself.

This review is about to get even better because I’m fixing to tell you about the great cocktailing qualities of MNG’s Butterscotch juice.  I’ve mixed this E-liquid with Vanilla, Banana Cream Pie, Chocolate/Vanilla, Boston Cream Pie, Clove, “Fire Cured,” Mango, and several other flavors, and every single one of them, when mixed, actually gave me a full, lingering vision of Heaven.  St. Peter actually threw his arm over my shoulders and showed me the Pearly Gates.  All was serene and peaceful.  I highly recommend it.  When I cranked up the voltage a little, I actually became Zeus, but… you know… a butterscotch Zeus.

Anyways, all metaphors and levity aside, Mr. Nice Guy Vape has hit yet another Grand Slam home run out of the park!  Find one immediately and hand over a ten dollar bill in exchange for a slice of paradise.  You’ll thank me!

Click Image to Visit Mr Nice Guy Vape’s Website

Ahlusion- Devil Dog

Being a former Marine myself, I was drawn to this flavor before all others because of it’s name.  For those of you who don’t know, the term “Devil Dog” is an English translation of Teufelhunden, which was what Marines were called by the Germans during the Battle of Belleau Wood in WWI.  The picture posted on Ahlusion’s site, which I’ve reposted above, has the Marine Corps flag and a bulldog, suggestive of the Marine Corps mascot, Chesty (named after Lewis Burwell “Chesty” Puller).

The flavor of this symbolism-heavy E-liquid by Ahlusion, is one that I would refer to as “masculine” or “manly.”  The tobacco taste present in this one is unlike your usual “tobacco” E-liquid flavor.  This one not only closely matches the taste of “real” tobacco… it flows over the taste buds like a thick, well-made cigar smoke.  There are other flavors present here as well.  There’s a woody, leathery kind of taste to it that accentuate the tobacco, and sort of a deep, musky presence underlying everything.  I should warn my readers that this is not for the fruity-minded vaper.  Vaping this wondrous concoction of Ahlusion in a good, quality e-cigarette is almost indistinguishable from smoking an actual, analog cigarette… and not a Marlboro or a Camel cigarette either.  I’m talking Nat Sherman, Treasurer, Davidoff, etc. here.

Keeping with the theme of real, analog flavor, Ahlusion has given quite a throat hit to their Devil Dog product.  However, it’s not one of those harsh, drying kind of THs that one would expect from a crappy, propylene glycol-based Chinese E-juice.  This throat hit is, once again, more of a thick cigar smoke.  I actually felt that I shouldn’t be inhaling this one, due to its similarity to a quality, hand-rolled Dominican or Cuban cigar.  And it should also be noted that the vapor production from Devil Dog juice is on par with the cigar similarities.

It would be difficult to put into words, and I’m a fairly articulate fellow, the aromatic qualities of this vapor.  I can’t really say that it smells like a cigar, and neither could any of my friends standing around me (they know the drill by now… I tell them I have a new E-liquid, and they tell me how it smells to them.  I also generally do the old French inhale technique.  But both of these generally reliable sources of olfactory data produced questionable results.  I can only say, with certainty, that there’s a dense, musky odor accompanying the vapor of this E-juice.

Now for the steeping, which is imperative with this liquid.  The flavor right out of the bottle was present in exactly the same way as it is after steeping, but it’s much more subtle… and this is not the type of E-liquid where subtlety is a benefit.  This flavor is about density and a thick, undeniable presence.  Post-steeping, this flavor really takes shape and becomes the award-winning, Marine Corps-inspired juice that I have just described above.

So, because of this product, I’ve decided to try a few other of Ahlusion’s liquids.  I suggest, if you’re looking for a good E-juice company with interesting flavors that you can’t find anywhere else… go ahead and visit Ahlusion’s web-store and order a few of their enticing concoctions.  And if you’re a current or former Devil Dog who loves vaping… you must get this one or you’re automatically one of the ten percent!