Health

10 HE ALTH • Winter 2019 100 Martin Luther King Junior Blvd., Worcester, MA 01608 Phone: 508-757-0330 | Fax: 508-752-9850 aohns.com Welcoming patients for 20 years, providing a broad range of services including: PHYSICIANS Andrea Chiaramonte, MD, MPH Melinda Thacker, MD Johnathon Sillman, MD, FACS James Hughes, MD Cynthia Duhamel, PA-C Robert Moran, PA-C AUDIOLOGIST Marla Allard, M.A., CCC-A Jane Ehnstrom, M.S., CCC-A Michelle Fleck, M.A., CCC-A Merrisa Murtha, AU.D., CCC-A Professional Otolaryngology Specialty Care in a Kind and Compassionate Manner • Adult and Pediatric patients welcome • Audiology and balance testing and medical treatment • yroid and parathyroid surgical evaluation and intervention • Sinus and nasal disease evaluated and treated • In Office surgery available if appropriate • All manner of Head and Neck masses and lesions evaluated and treated • Voice evaluation and treatment Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Senai in Los Angeles showed e-cigarettes to be just as harmful to the heart, if not more so, than traditional cigarettes. Researchers measured blood f low to the heart of cigarette and e-cigarette users and found f low to rebound more quick- ly among those smoking traditional cigarettes. Dr. Florian Rader, a senior author of the study, said it isn't just nicotine mak- ing vaping harmful, but what he called an unknown list of manufactured prod- ucts used to form vapors likely causing the most harm. A sudden response Response to the lung illness outbreak and a related public outcry has led to swift action. Juul stopped selling mango, fruit, creme and cucumber liquid-nicotine pods in brick-and-mortar stores last year and online this September. In early November, Juul said it would stop sell- ing mint-f lavored products, which account for 70% of the company's American sales in light of what it said was youth surveys showing the mint products' popularity. In September, Gov. Baker put in place a four-month ban on the sale of vaping products, the first such prohibi- tion in the country – and one that has faced legal challenges since. The state Legislature has taken action, too, vot- ing in November to ban the sale of all f lavored tobacco products and tax e-cigarettes at 75%. Apple said in November it removed 181 vaping apps from its online store because of crackdown by regulators and what it called a public health crisis. Attorneys general in California, New York and North Carolina have sued Juul for what they say is market- ing geared toward youth. The FDA sent Juul a warning letter in September for what it said was the company ille- gally marketing its products as safer than traditional cigarettes. Further action expected from the federal government will not be tak- ing place, however. The secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, said in September the federal government would soon ban f lavored vaping products, citing rising youth usage rates. But by November, the President Donald Trump Administration qui- etly ended the idea. Health advocates are still pushing for further change. The American Medical Association voted Nov. 20 to lobby for the ban of all e-cigarettes at the state and feder- al levels. The association labeled vap- ing a public health crisis last year. Local doctors are urging patients to stick to a plan to quit, knowing how difficult such a task can be. "I'm always amazed at what a strong addiction nicotine can be. People have said it's harder to quit nicotine than heroin or alcohol," Scott said. "My message to patients is always, 'Be persistent.' People quit smoking every day, even those who didn't think they could." Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention New England nicotine use Massachusetts finds itself only slightly better than the national average in e-cigarette use, as of the latest federal data in 2016. How Massachusetts compares to other New England states and to the national median: New Hampshire 5.1 18 Rhode Island 4.5 14.4 Massachusetts 4.3 13.6 Connecticut 4.1 13.3 Maine 3.8 19.8 Vermont 3.4 17 National median 4.7 17.1 E-cigarette Cigarette State use, % smoking, % Continued from Page 9 Flavored vapes Flavored e-cigarette products are especially popular among youth, who have been shown to take up vaping at far greater rates than cigarette use. The percent of high school students who use e-cigarettes who say they use flavored products: Flavor Percent Fruit 66% Menthol or mint 57% Candy, dessert or other sweets 35% Chocolate 2% Percent of middle school students: Flavor Percent Fruit 68% Candy, dessert or other sweets 38% Menthol or mint 31% Chocolate 8% Note: Percentages rounded to nearest whole. Source: Journal of the American Medical Association H

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