Vital Signs
Vital Signs is brought to you by the
physicians of the Greater Louisville
Medical Society. It is a free health
and wellness publication intended
for educating patients on important
medical health topics.
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Vital Signs Team
David Watkins, MD
Vital Signs Adviser
Bruce A. Scott, MD
GLMS President
Robert H. Couch, MD
GLMS President-Elect
Lelan Woodmansee, CAE
GLMS Executive Director
Bert Guinn, MBA, CAE
GLMS Associate Executive Director
Aaron Burch
GLMS Communications Specialist
Kate Williams
GLMS Communications Designer
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profession of medicine; Protect the
integrity of the patient-physician
relationship; Advocate for the health
and well-being of the community;
Unite physicians regardless of
practice setting to achieve these
ends.
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Copyright 2014 The Greater Louisville Medical
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2
A Q&A Regarding the Rise of E-cigs
with Pulmonary Specialist John Lloyd, MD
I
n the last few years, use of electronic cigarettes and
personal vaporizers has increased dramatically throughout the United States. According to a recent article by
USA Today, American sales of electronic cigarettes
numbered just 50,000 in 2008 before jumping to 3.5
million in 2012. There are more than 450 different
brands of e-cigarettes and more than 7,700 different flavors
on the market. Business is clearly booming.
However, the positive and negative aspects of using e-cigarettes are still being debated. The American Heart Association recently released
a statement arguing that the new products needed to be strongly and quickly
regulated to prevent another generation of teenagers and young adults from
becoming addicted to nicotine.
Currently, e-cigarettes can be legally sold to children under the age of 18, and the
number of minors who have tried the product is growing each year with more
than 7% of teens admitting to trying the product in 2012. While the product may
have merits for helping long-time adult smokers ease their addiction to standard
tobacco products, studies so far have been limited and largely inconclusive.
Some countries have already become skeptical of the health aspects regarding
e-cigarettes. In March 2014, Western Australia banned the sale of the product
entirely. In February, the European Parliament passed regulations similar to those
imposed on other tobacco products. The United States Food and Drug Administration is currently pushing for similar rules in the American market. John Lloyd,
MD, has practiced pulmonary medicine in Louisville for forty years and thinks
these regulations are the right move for a product with so much uncertainty
surrounding it.
Dr. Lloyd currently practices at Louisville Pulmonary Care, PLLC, with his longtime business partner Barry Stoler, MD. During his decades of medical service,
he has had considerable experience with patients addicted to tobacco products.
We sat down with Dr. Lloyd to ask his thoughts on e-cigarettes and the future
of tobacco use.
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VITAL SIGNS Volume 9 • Issue 2