The surprising new cause of hearing loss…

Whether you’ve been smoking for one year, 10 years or almost your whole life, time and time again people have told you it’s bad for you. Maybe you’ve tried quitting numerous times before, but you can’t quite seem to kick the habit.

There are many methods to help you quit smoking, like hypnosis, nicotine patches, therapy and other prescribed medications, but the new trend seems to be vaping – or the use of e-cigarettes.

E-cigarettes, or vapes, are a form of smoking that use an electronically heated liquid to create vapor which is then inhaled by the user. Many have praised the product as an effective means to quit smoking, despite the many health concerns which surround them. The latest news highlights their ability to harm one’s hearing.

E-cigarettes threaten hearing

Recently, a popular DJ came out about his hearing loss, attributing it to e-cigarettes. Of course, if you hear a DJ is suffering from loss of hearing you would assume it is due to wearing headphones and playing loud music in large stadiums. But in this situation, and to many people’s surprise, e-cigarettes were to blame. This story shows us that we do not truly understand e-cigarettes, and we should probably be more concerned about their effects.

In the liquid (also known as e-liquid or juice) of many e-cigarettes propylene glycol (PG) can be found. PG is known to be indirectly toxic to the auditory system and is commonly found in products like shampoo, but the effects of being inhaled are unknown.

Previously PG was used to create inflammation in the middle ear mucosa to mimic cholesteatoma – a destructive expanding growth in the middle ear – in animals. From such research it was found that PG can negatively impact hearing. Some studies even alluded to damage caused to the strial cells – cells which promote hearing by helping blood circulate in the ear. When these cells die due to toxins and not enough oxygenated blood it can lead to sudden hearing loss.

Side effects from e-cigarettes

Hearing loss aside, as e-cigarettes are continuously studied, additional side effects and consequences have come to light. Just like regular tobacco cigarettes, e-cigarettes still pose a threat to health. They also contain amounts of nicotine, as well as their own unique slew of chemicals which allow the juice to not only vape, but taste and smell good as well.

In fact, many e-cigarettes contain the same amount of chemicals as traditional cigarettes but concentration of them can be much greater. With the same toxins present in both traditional tobacco and e-cigarettes, they still increase a person’s risk of developing many forms of cancer. Additionally, many people pass around and trade their e-cigarettes to try different flavors which can also spread many illnesses.

Smoking, whether tobacco or e-cigarettes, can affect your heart as well. Smoking impacts blood flow and can lead to hardening of the arteries – or atherosclerosis – according to research conducted by Brown University.

Clearly, e-cigarettes are still equally as harmful as traditional tobacco as they threaten all major parts of your health, hearing included. If you are looking to quit smoking, speak with a doctor who can best find you a plan for success.

Related Reading:

E-cigarettes potentially just as addictive as tobacco version

Whereas traditional cigarettes burn tobacco, e-cigarettes heat up liquid which still contains nicotine and carcinogens. Not much is currently known about e-cigarettes, but they have been shown to have harmful effects so many states have banned their sales from minors. Continue reading…

Can e-cigarettes really help you stop smoking?

Smoking leads to one thing and one thing only: Poor health. Smoking cigarettes has been shown to impact all the body’s major systems – cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive – and leads to many forms of cancer. Smoking causes one in five deaths in America, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Continue reading…

Sources:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/09/25/e-cigarettes-the-side-effects-nobody-talks-about.html
http://www.cancer.net/navigating-cancer-care/prevention-and-healthy-living/tobacco-use/health-risks-e-cigarettes-smokeless-tobacco-and-waterpipes
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/01/01/e-cigarettes-health-questions/21169101/
http://hearinghealthmatters.org/hearingnewswatch/2015/vaping-and-hearing-loss-swire-0803/