Doctors shouldn't routinely recommend e-cigarettes to smokers
The researchers point out in a commentary published in Annals of Family Medicine that existing treatments are more effective than e-cigarettes to help people quit smoking, there are professional ethics concerns about providers who recommend them, and there is no strong evidence that e-cigarettes are safe. "Providers should not routinely recommend e-cigarettes to patients until we have far more data on their safety and effectiveness compared to established, FDA -approved medications," said Adam O. Goldstein, MD, MPH, a UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center member and professor in the UNC School of Medicine. "There are very few therapeutic devices that we recommend that aren't regulated, that have potential and real side effects, and that are addictive. There are safer and more effective smoking cessation products for the same condition." The researchers described notable safety and health concerns about e-cigarettes. Batteries inside e-cigarettes hav...