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A FEW years ago electronic cigarettes were a rare sight but these days it is almost as common to see someone puffing on a fake fag as it is to see people drawing on the real thing.

Thousands of people have reputedly stopped smoking by swapping real cigarettes for electronic ones and recent research suggested they are at least as effective as nicotine patches at helping people quit.

Although both e-cigarettes and nicotine patches give a user a nicotine hit, the e-cigarette also mimics the hand-to-mouth action of smoking.

But despite being hailed by many as an answer to the huge problem of smoking, there are some doubts over how effective e-cigarettes are in helping people to stop completely and if they really are a healthier option.

Anne Penman, a former 60-a-day smoker who now uses laser therapy, among other methods, to help others quit smoking altogether, does not think electronic cigarettes are the way forward.

She said: “I don’t believe at all that this is a good way to quit smoking. I understand why people believe it is the lesser of two evils but I think there are many questions that need to be answered.

“When e-cigarettes first came out there was very little said about the fact they contain nicotine, so many people are still not aware that they do.

“I think it is vital we know where that nicotine is coming from. If it is from the tobacco companies then I have even more concerns.

“In my opinion e-cigarettes never help people stop smoking, they are only useful in providing a pause. And I notice that, while they used to be marketed as a quitting aid, they are now simply marketed as a ‘safer’ way of smoking.

“And as soon as the kind of stressful situation arises where people were used to turning to smoking I think they will once more look for the satisfaction of a real cigarette.

“E-cigarettes don’t solve the problem of the addiction. In fact, it reinforces the addiction as the hand-to-mouth action signals to the brain it is going to get a hit of nicotine. To stop smoking properly you need to delete the old programming of addiction.

“Microsoft would never have been as successful if they didn’t tell everyone to delete the old software to make way for new.”

Anne also believes e-cigarettes are glamorising smoking, especially as Celtic and Rangers have signed partnership deals with one e-cigarette firm.

Not only can e-cigarettes companies advertise where tobacco companies no longer can, Anne reckons the fact they can be smoked in pubs, clubs, cinemas and planes makes them attractive to youngsters.

She said: “By smoking an e-cigarettes in places where smoking is no longer allowed I think many people feel like they are rebelling.”

Despite Anne’s misgivings about e-cigarettes, most people agree they are marginally better than the real thing.

For a start, e-cigarettes don’t leave their users and their homes smelling of smoke. And as money is a big consideration for most people these days, they are cheaper than real cigarettes.

But the big question has to be – are e-cigarettes really any healthier than real cigarettes?

A recent French study suggested not, saying that e-cigs may contain as many carcinogenic chemicals as the real things but surely, on balance, if someone is unable to stop completely it is better they smoke an e-cig than a tobacco one?

Daily Record doctor Craig Lennox said: “There is an argument for damage limitation with e-cigarettes, in that people are not getting the levels of harmful chemicals that they were before, but I would not recommend them to a patient at the moment because there simply has not been enough research into what potentially harmful ill-effects they might have.

“We won’t find out what the long-term harmful consequences might be for 10 or 20 years time.

“There is also a concern at the moment that they are not addressing the addiction issue.

“I would still opt for tried and tested ways of stopping smoking, which include nicotine replacement therapy, which gradually weans someone off nicotine altogether, alongside emotional and psychological support such as group therapy.”

Anne Penman Laser Therapy, 158 Queens Drive, Glasgow G42 8QN.

For an appointment call 0141 423 9375 or visit www.annepenman.com