Uma

I don't know if this has been tried before or if it would even be considered valid but what the hey.

Being prior military and a current career firefighter I have been taking PFT's annually for about the last 8 years. (PFT= Pulmonary Function Test= Lung strength and capacity test)

Most Dr's offices should have the equipment to perform them and they tell you a lot about your lungs as well as them already having well documented numbers based on age, sex, AND use of tobacco products.

Another thing to look into is going down to your local EMS building/ Dr's office and requesting to have your vitals checked getting a base line BP, SPo2 (blood oxygen saturation), and resting pulse rate.

If we could get a good number of people to get these tests and numbers documented we could potentially have a study that isn't pro big tobacco.

I don't have the time to really handle the workload but I just think it could be very beneficial in the long run. I would suggest that many parameters be recorded for categorizing and also to get as many pro's and con's as possible.

a sample format could be

Name:
Sex:
Age:
Height/weight:
Current tobacco usage/length of use(if applicable):
Time since last tobacco usage(if applicable):
Current Vaping habits(if applicable):
XX/XX/XXXX- XXX/XX BP, XX% SPo2, XX resting PR
XX/XX/XXXX- XXX/XX BP, XX% SPo2, XX resting PR
XX/XX/XXXX- XXX/XX BP, XX% SPo2, XX resting PR
XX/XX/XXXX- XXX/XX BP, XX% SPo2, XX resting PR
(recommend having vitals checked on a quarterly basis, as well as recording any other vital checks ie. DR visits, EMT visits, etc.)
PFT results(upload image of print-out):
PFT results(upload image of print-out):
PFT results(upload image of print-out):
PFT results(upload image of print-out):

Now if it seems like it's a lot of work that's because it is, however besides the potential value to vapers world wide it would also show you any improvements/ degradation, weight gain or loss, etc. associated with vaping.

Now I could "probably" get all this information from current smoking and nonsmoking firefighters/emt's I work with for a control and comparison but the real data needed is from vapers.

I totally understand if this is "too" much but the potential is massive, if we could prove BP and SPo2 are lower in vapers than smokers of the same demographic or from smokers converting to vape, if we could prove that lung performance is drastically improved, weight is lost, etc. we could have a very solid piece of documented data to confront people with to enlighten, convert, or appease.

Anyways if this gets off the ground I will gladly begin gathering the info on the current smokers and non-smokers.

Welcome to Vapor Talk. The eGo and/or tornado are great devices (same thing, different name). They aren't much bigger than a cigarette, fits nicely in your hand or can be carried in a pocket. They use the 510 atomizer which is awesome for vapor production. Although, I do recommend the low resistance atomizers (LR atty) because they produce so much more vapor and I do love my vapor. I use my eGo/tornado for about half of the day and my Black Silver Bullet the other half of the day. The Black Silver Bullet is much bigger and takes an 18650 battery, which holds a charge for about two days. If you want to someday try 6 volt vaping, you can use two RCR123A batteries in it. Plus, you can purchase the pass through for it, plug that into the wall and vape at 5 volt. I use mine all three ways. (be aware that you cannot use a LR atty with either 5 or 6 volt - it would have to be a regular 510 atomizer)

I would suggest direct dripping with a drip tip. You can add drops of your e-liquid into the hole of the drip tip and not have to mess with removing a cartridge to drip and there is no refilling the cartridge all the time like when you use the filler that comes in cartridges. All you would need for a day of vaping is your device and a bottle of eliquid and you're good to go.

None of the liquids taste just like a cigarette - mainly because you are no longer lighting something on fire and breathing in the burning smoke. Vaping has a much cleaner taste to it. But there are some liquids that do taste somewhat like tobacco. There are many liquids to choose from, so I suggest trying several until you find the one that works best for you. Several places even carry a "marlboro" flavor. You might want to start with those.

I also have to tell you about backups. You NEED backups. You need backups for your backups, too. I recommend at least 3 batteries. You don't want to be vaping and have a battery die and be left with only one. You can't vape while the one is charging. That is a very bad thing, because then you will want to smoke while that battery is charging. And you have to wait a few days to get a new battery delivered. If you have 3 and one dies, you're still good to go. Then order some backup batteries. It's not a bad thing to have even more as backups. You'll also need to have several atomizers on hand. They tend to last about a month, but you do get some that would only last a week or so. You need to have LOTS of them on hand so you never have the last one burn out and have none on hand. That's a bad thing because you'll be back to smoking while waiting for new ones to come in the mail. Same thing with liquid. Keep plenty of that on hand, too. And a second charger (as, you guessed it, a backup) is a good idea, too. Just in case.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Let us know how it's going and ask any and all questions you have.

Brief summery? The FDA wants to claim it as drug device so that the big pharma can monnopolize the industry. They don't like mom and pop stores rising up everywhere and stimulating the economy. They want control.
Hopefully the next person reading will highlight the quotes and put them in their post.

do you have open with a shopping cart full in each one, trying to decide which one to go with? Today, for instance, I had at least 7 stores shopping carts going lol. It's so hard to decide on just ONE or a mix that equals into just ONE. I want them all!! lol How about you?

nailart rocks. check out nail art tutorials on youtube and transfer methods over to your ecig. There's nail polish, stickers, gemstones, you name it. Have fun!!

Brief summery? The FDA wants to claim it as drug device so that the big pharma can monnopolize the industry. They don't like mom and pop stores rising up everywhere and stimulating the economy. They want control.
Hopefully the next person reading will highlight the quotes and put them in their post.

That wasn't my understanding or interpretation. Don't take this as an attack but I read the letters and as far as I could tell, it was mostly a complaint to each company that they are marketing an item that is claiming to treat a disease. The news article mentioned a cialis drug that shouldn't be there, but two companies with the cialis and other "health" drugs the complaint was not properly noting the percentage of the active ingredient. And also one with a possible contaminant, as well as, a mis-labeled drug, the FDA is complaining that its not actually cialis.


Testing by FDA's DPA also revealed that the Cialis prefilled cartridges and the Cialis Healthcare E-Liquid contained amino-tadalafil, not tadalafil, the reference listed drug in Cialis. The substitution of this ingredient renders the products adulterated under section 501(d) of the Act. (21 U.S.C 351(d)).

Here are the C&D letters, http://www.fda.gov/ICECI/EnforcementActions/WarningLetters/2010/default.htm

Look down at Sept. 8th.

Here's a complaint about penguin, its kind of laughable if it weren't so serious.

The labels of your B(4) Juice Natural Apple Juice Blend Concentrate, B(4) White Grape Juice Blend Concentrate, and B(4) Passion Fruit Juice Blend Concentrate products declare “Contains 100% Flavored Juice Blend When Reconstituted to the Mixing Ratio”; however these products do not contain 100% juice when prepared according to the package directions. We calculated the total percentage of juice in your products using your firm’s product formulation sheets and the information you provided to our investigator regarding the firm’s substitution of all juice volumes in formulations containing white grape concentrate with a 50-50 blend of apple and pear concentrate because the white grape concentrate was no longer used. Based upon our calculations, your B(4) Natural Apple Juice Blend Concentrate, B(4) White Grape Juice Blend Concentrate, and B(4) Passion Fruit Juice Blend Concentrate products actually contain approximately 89%, 89% and 91% juice respectively when reconstituted according the package directions. Therefore, the label declaration of 100% juice blend is not accurate.

The labels of your Penguin Juice Co. Orange Juice Concentrate, B(4) Pineapple Juice Concentrate, and Penguin Juice Co. Prune Juice Concentrate products do not contain declarations of percentage of juice in the product.

So again, not blasting you at all, but I think we shouldn't feed into whatever the FDA is trying to do here which appears to be scaring the companies and the consumers. I think it would be nice if they would do their job as I'm sure there are some companies out there that need "handling". Of course I could be horribly wrong and if I am, someone please let me know. I bought a boatload of JC juice just in case. ;-)

Human testing? Testimonies aren't enough... word of mouth. Yet symantics can get them banned. wait. Testimonies can get them banned too. No matter what is said or done, they can get banned. That says a lot about the politics of this whole thing.

GOD DAMN Katherine Hiegl is HOT!!!!!

Thank goodness there is such a variety of prices out there in vapeland! Some of the companies can really afford to pass along the savings to us the customer, while others are still struggling to get enough money together to do the same. Eventually the Mom and Pop stores will be able to pass along greater savings as long as they keep being the best of the best in all other regards and we keep supporting them whenever we can afford to. I love having a fortress of cheaper eliquid on hand so I can then buy from my favorite stores or flavors plus try out mew ones. I wish attys were cheaper! I can always make my own eliquid. All in all, we get the best of both worlds, and I appreciate them all.

Definitely the eliquid for me! I can always add some flavoring to it...

Myfreedomsmokes has 500ml for 129-ish
Great thread!

I am absolutely in love with vaping! I posted a topic last week having a problem with drinking and I was mistaken! Drinking and vaping go together very well! It's amazing! By the way, I know it's a shameless plug but check out our video on the revolver ecig contest website! It's the one called THE COPS! Vote for us it would be much appreciated! Also if you want to participate do so!!!!!!!!!!! Go to www.revolvercigs.com. I think! I am not working for themnor do I promote their product However it's a fun contest!

Maybe we can code name a new forum something that never gets banned like bad restaurants or how to make a pipe boomb ... (sp wrong correctly to evade the out of context journalists)

Made up a batch of apple pie 0 Nic. I am in Love. This one turned out really, really yummy. very good throat hit and excellent vapor.


2.5 ml VG(Wordup) or Wiltons Glycerin(Walmart) -- I tried both- and both worked well. I think the VG has slightly better throat hit, both have great vapor.
1.3 ml apple pie flavoring (Flavourart)
4 drops cinnamon (schilling - over the counter from walmart--baking/spice isle)
4 drops doppio expresso (TW-Decadant Vapours)
4 drops menthol (Flavourart)

Between this one and the raspberry--I can vape 0 nic. I never thought I would say that......
The throat hit is good with both of them.

I am going to try to vape 0 nic only for the next couple days and see if nicotine really does play a role in my addiction or if it really is just the pacifier effect....

So I have finally taken a step into the 0 nic territory. for me throat hit is mandatory and I have always heard that 0 nic provides much less throat hit. Im pretty sure I can live without nicotine, but I can't live without throat hit.
2mls of VG (wordup)
.5mls of Raspberry (Lorann)
3 drops of menthol (Flavorart)

All I can say is that I am very, very happy with this flavor and of course the throat hit. The throat hit is a little less than when i vape my 18mg, but I actually have to be concentrating to notice the difference.
I have used it with my VP/PT and my Ego and it workded great with both devices.
I think the key is the little bit of menthol.....

hopefully later today I will be trying some 0 nic Tiramisu !!!

congrats on your new eGo!!
My advice would be to stick with Cignot for now, because you're tastebuds are happy. Get a nice supply built up so that you'll always have some to fall back on if you don't like other brands or recipes. When you have a month's worth to fall back on, then go try out some other vendors. I've never met a vendor I didn't like.
If you can swing it, try to get a bunch of 3ml sample flavors and make a spice rack. When you run across a bland tobacco flavor, add some spice to it... maybe peanut butter if you like 555, or caramel/vanilla if you like ry4, or banana if you like Fosters Banana Coffee, or Cinnamon for ....you get the drift!
I just added a 3ml bottle of bananna to 6ml's of madvapes tobacco (too bland for my tastebuds at this time) and made a great vape.

congrats on your new eGo!!
My advice would be to stick with Cignot for now, because you're tastebuds are happy. Get a nice supply built up so that you'll always have some to fall back on if you don't like other brands or recipes. When you have a month's worth to fall back on, then go try out some other vendors. I've never met a vendor I didn't like.
If you can swing it, try to get a bunch of 3ml sample flavors and make a spice rack. When you run across a bland tobacco flavor, add some spice to it... maybe peanut butter if you like 555, or caramel/vanilla if you like ry4, or banana if you like Fosters Banana Coffee, or Cinnamon for ....you get the drift!
I just added a 3ml bottle of bananna to 6ml's of madvapes tobacco (too bland for my tastebuds at this time) and made a great vape.

several vip's who switched over also tried to convince him to try one and have sent them to him. So far, he's not interested. He's trying cold turkey... which explains his .... hmmmm..... impatience shall we say.

but what if we decide to extract our nicotine from other sources than tobacco?

With all of this talk regarding the FDA needing to provide approval over the electronic cigarette, many new and interesting things have arisen. First, it seems evidently clear that people are not understanding exactly what an electronic cigarette is. And not what it is as in, it’s a battery and an atomizer which is a vaporizer which are completely legal, but that the electronic cigarette is a vaporizer that can vaporize liquids that do not contain nicotine.

In several conversations, one with an elected official, one with a news reporter, and one with a customs agent, all were shocked to hear that the electronic cigarette does not magically fill itself up and that there are solutions that offer no nicotine. Classifying the electronic cigarette as a drug delivering device seems like just deciding that all chewing gum is a drug because one kind of gum has nicotine in it.

Well, this frustration led to some further research about nicotine itself. We have found it extremely interesting that when searching the FDA website, we cannot, in fact, find ANY reference to them actually having control over nicotine. When you search Nicotine, they send you to On March 21, 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration lacks the authority to regulate tobacco. Therefore, FDA no longer maintains its Children and Tobacco Website.!


In 1994, the then Director of the FDA, Dr. David Kessler, issued a statement arguing that the manipulation of nicotine makes cigarettes pharmaceuticals. It was at this point, that the FDA decided it was time to take control of the tobacco industry. In 1997, a judge ruled in favor of the FDA. That was then appealed and taken to the Supreme Court, where it was stated that the FDA has clearly stated throughout the past that it had no desire to control tobacco and that ruling overturned the earlier courts decision. This brings us to where we are now.

Nicotine is not necessarily controlled by the FDA. It does seem to have control when said company wants to make a health claim. For instance, NicoWater. Everyone remembers this as the water that could help you satisfy your nicotine cravings. Now, it is important to note that they did attempt to go homeopathic, but unfortunately, the nicotine prohibitionists decided to take action, so the lobbying against NicoWater began. Upon this outside influence, the FDA acted by claiming that NicoWater didn’t file paperwork properly and removed their approval.

The other fatal flaw in this scenario was putting NicoWater in the same cooler as regular water. It did contain nicotine, no matter how small and diluted, and any smoker can agree, it should probably not be in the reach of children. (But neither should caffeine, but that is another battle!)

Back to nicotine. So, in our travels, we were also introduced to a brilliant piece of writing by David Sweaner, Senior Council for the Non-Smokers Rights Association, who wrote a fabulous essay on Alternative Nicotine Delivery as a Harm-Reduction Strategy. Simply brilliant. This piece was presented at the American Society of Addiction Medicine Conference in 1995 & 1996 and The Health Education Authority Seminar on Alternative Delivery Systems, in 1996. Although a wee bit ahead of his time, it is fitting we should find it now, considering the Waxman Bill is getting ready to grace the Senate with it’s presence and may have unexpected implications.

Basically, what Sweaner’s essay says is that the cigarette industry has had years of a monopoly. By doing this, tobacco has been turned into a death carrier and impounded upon by the evils of addiction based profiteers. What we need to do is strip away these additives and look at nicotine for what it really is. And what it really is, is an addictive substance with far fewer health risks than it’s carrier.

By doing this, we can begin to stop demonizing nicotine users, as we certainly do not demonize coffee drinkers (even though caffeine falls into the same family as cocaine and amphetamines). We need to focus on cleaner ways of allowing people to use nicotine, without the touch of the pharmaceutical industry and the completely laxidasical haphazardnous of the tobacco industry. There needs to be a medium where nicotine users have an option that is viable for them. This medium, while needing some regulation, needs to be open for the free market so that small businesses and new ideas can be pushed out into the market. They need to focus on tobacco harm reduction which in turn, might actually get people un-addicted to nicotine. Holy Shocker! Some logic from a non-smoking crowd!

Basically: The quit or die method, should simply die.

So here we are in 2009 at the Waxman Bill. The Waxman Bill may have implications for Nicotine and the FDA. It will tell any new product emerging into the market, sure you can play but if you don’t have a maximum of $100,000,000.00 to play ball, then don’t come a knocking. To users it says: Do you enjoy nicotine? Well great! Come on over to the pharmaceutical counter and lets see what we have for ya! Here’s some Chantix. It might not get you to quit smoking, but if you fall into the category of some of the users, you will commit suicide and then all of your problems will be solved.

Op! If you commit suicide your insurance won’t cover your death? But hey, and you have to digg deep for this one, a study was done by the Royal London School of Medicine that found the typical patches, gum etc over help to only one in five people and those people only manage to stay off of the cigarettes. Shhh… We found that one on the FDA’s own website!

Or better yet, reside yourself to an early death and go the other route. That’s right! Smoke Tobacco. The proven recipe of our founding fathers altered and changed. Made more delicious and deadly. Made just to our liking. At least someone is getting their tax dollar revenue before you die. It is far safer than some propylene glycol, flavorings and nicotine. Tobacco cigarettes have been scientifically proven to kill whereas the electronic cigarette seems to be getting a hard time before the results are even in.

It all sounds scary and guess what? It is! It is a sad day when an alternative to smoking hits the world, like the electronic cigarette, and even one good doctor is quoted as saying “you are probably getting more nicotine than you would be getting in a cigarette simply because filter cigarettes tend to dilute the nicotine that is being inhaled and in this one you get the pure effects”. I especially like the “probably”.

So for those of you who are interested, there is no bleak end to the electronic cigarette future. There are currently active suppliers participating in the formation of an Electronic Cigarette Association. The first meeting will take place April 11th & 12th in Chicago. Here, the group will determine acceptable trade practices and a goal for to betterment of the industry and it’s consumers. This isn’t an unregulated group of shady back alley dealers. This is a group of ex-tobacco smokers who think that the electronic cigarette is exactly what it is, an alternative to tobacco.

A better (in my opinion) way to intake nicotine, which is a completely legal substance for adults. The electronic cigarette is not a smoking cessation device.
We are going to fight this every step of the way because well, it is ridiculous that the peacock is taking over the zoo. Sure the road is going to be bumpy. And hopefully, the Senate will take note from their fellow Congressmen who smoke e-cigs and ensure tobacco smokers have rights and options.

Happy E-Smoking!

I guess we should stop eating too! Recently, Prozac was found in shrimp, lead & copper in very high levels are found in drinking water thanks to the chloramines that are water districts add to our water, which our foods are processed with too, making them toxic as well. There has been a complaint filed against numerous food processing plants, including baby foods. Even bottled water has been tainting, so there are toxins everywhere.

The FDA is far from consumer protection.

They approve dangerous medical devices that harm/kill people, allow extremely dangerous food additives/synthetic foods, don't require food companies to even label weather our meats are irradiated, colored with potentially deadly allergens in the form dyes, and the steroids in our chickens have totally gotten out of control, Yet the FDA allows the to get away with it, thus many of us can feel anxious, heart racing, or in some situations, stop breathing from being exposed to even the fumes from a kitchen where they are cooking such foods. Thus I have to carry an EpiPen with me everywhere I go, and read labels of everything I eat & even then, I have to avoid certain foods, as the additives not listed can be a huge problem. Diet foods & drinks often contain Olestra (usually in chips & crackers) & the diet drinks that contain aspartame are FAR worse than the alleged cancer-causing saccharine. Aspartame (which is made with wood alcohol and amino acid isolates, phenylalanine and aspartic acid) has been associated with a whole lot worse health problems, many long-term neurological effects, brain damage, and so on (see http://www.wnho.net/aspartame_brain_damage.htm ) & a host of other problems. See http://www.sweetpoison.com/aspartame-side-effects.html for a mind-boggling list, and there are more! Yet!!!

It is perfectly OK with the FDA to market drinks & foods containing aspartame & it seems the company that created aspartame won the "your product is worse than ours" war, likely with better attorneys & highly questionable research. (My opinion & that of many researchers world-wide.) I will use saccharine, but not aspartame. IMHO, it is a deadly, slow-acting neurotoxin, but it's perfectly OK to market it to children as a healthier food, even though research indicates the contrary, the FDA proposed a ban on saccharine in 1977, created a huge scare that it caused cancer, again IMHO due to highly questionable research by their competitors & now we have aspartame in just about every diet drink in America.

Watching out for our health? Not for many years IMHO.

While I agree with full disclosure labeling, it is difficult to resolve the issues of unequal treatment by different companies & industries with the FDA, other than to say it takes a lot of money to get the "right research data" to support your position to get a product approved, even if it is FAR safer than another product. Research statistics can be skewed to show what you want it to show, which sadly is done more often than not.

eCigs are no exception! ONE bad batch of eJuice, a scientist with a negative view on a product & you can loose.

In other countries, eCigs or vapor devices are as a way to take certain vitamins & herbs to improve health. Sure, over-doing anything can be harmful or deadly. As with ANYTHING, even water - too much can cause death, but we can't ban water now can we?

THe FDA ban of ephedra sinica is no different. Did people abuse it & die? It seems so, although I think it was more than likely the chemical version or the extract, ephedrine, that was the culprit. Mix that with a LOT of alcohol & yes, you can have a heart attack. Use it properly & you can treat if not cure asthma & if given corticosteroids it is one of the few things, in small quantities, that can deactivate them & help flush them out of your system should one have an allergic &/or adverse reaction to the corticosteroids. Most doctors will tell you there is, "No known antidote" to an adverse or allergic reaction to corticosteroids. Some will tell you that you, "can't have an allergic reaction, as cortisol is made by your body naturally!" When a medical professional tries to tell you this, you might refer them to the PDR or "Physician's Desk Reference", as that statement is simply not true!

Here's a list of adverse reactions to corticosteroids, which are FDA approved...
The following adverse reactions have been reported with corticosteroids, drugs which doctors will tell you there is no antidote for, as I said before. Does this list look like anything that should EVER be used, other than in extreme, life-threatening, emergencies? I think not, but the FDA approves their use & the misconceptions by medical professionals are astounding!)

Allergic reactions
Allergic or hypersensitivity reactions, anaphylactoid reaction, anaphylaxis, angioedema.

Cardiovascular
Bradycardia, cardiac arrest, cardiac arrhythmias, cardiac enlargement, circulatory collapse, congestive heart failure, fat embolism, hypertension, hypertrophic cardiomyopthy in premature infants, myocardial rupture following recent mycocardial infarction (see WARNINGS), pulmonary edema, syncope, tachycardia, thromboembolism, thrombophlebitis, vasculitis.

Dermatologic
Acne, allergic dermatitis, cutaneous and subcutaneous atrophy, dry scaly skin, ecchymoses and petechiae, edema, erythema, hyperpigmentation, hypopigmentation, impaired wound healing, increase sweating, rash, sterile abscess, striae, suppressed reactions to skin tests, thin fragile skin, thinning scalp hair, urticaria.

Endocrine
Decreased carbohydrate and glucose tolerance, development of cushingoid state, glycosuria, hirsutism, hypertrichosis, increased requirements for insulin or oral hypoglycemic agents in diabetes, manifestations of latent diabetes mellitus, menstrual irregularities, secondary adrenocortical and pituitary unresponsiveness (particularly in times of stress, as in trauma, surgery, or illness), suppression of growth in pediatric patients.

Fluid and electrolyte disturbances
Congestive heart failure in susceptible patients, Fluid retention, hypokalemic alkalosis, potassium loss, sodium retention.

Gastrointestinal
Abdominal distention, bowel/bladder dysfunction (after intrathecal administration), elevation in serum liver enzymes levels (usually reversible upon discontinuation), hepatomegaly, increased appetite, nausea, pancreatitis, peptic ulcer with possible subsequent perforation and hemorrhage, perforation of the small and large intestine (particularly in patients with inflammatory bowel disease), ulcerative esophagitis.

Metabolic
Negative nitrogen balance due to protein catabolism.

Musculoskeletal
Aseptic necrosis of femoral and humeral heads, calcinosis (following intra-articular or intra-lesional use), Charcot-like arthropathy, loss of muscle mass, muscle weakness, osteoporosis, pathologic fracture of long bones, postinjection flare (following intra-articular use), steroid myopathy, tendon rupture, vertebral compression fractures.

Neurologic/Psychiatric
Convulsions, depression, emotional instability, euphoria, headache, increased intracranial pressure with papilledema (pseudotumor cerebri) usually following discontinuation of treatment, insomnia, mood swings, neuritis, neuropathy, paresthesia, personality changes, psychic disorders, vertigo.

Ophthalmic
Exophthalmoses, glaucoma, increased intraocular pressure, posterior subcapsular cataracts.

Other
Abnormal fat deposits, decreased resistance to infection, hiccups, increased or decreased motility and number of spermatozoa, injection site infections following non-sterile administration (see WARNINGS), malaise, moon face, weight gain.

The following adverse reactions have been reported with the following routes of administration

Intrathecal/Epidural
Arachnoiditis, bowel/bladder dysfunction, headache, meningitis, parapareisis/paraplegia, seizures, sensory disturbances.

Intranasal
Allergic reactions, rhinitis, temporary/permanent visual impairment including blindness.

Ophthalmic
Increased intraocular pressure, infection, ocular and periocular inflammation including allergic reactions, residue or slough at injection site, temporary/permanent visual impairment including blindness.

Miscellaneous injection sites
(scalp, tonsillar fauces, sphenopalatine ganglion): Blindness.

====
These reactions can occur from even topical use, as in lotions, yet are more likely from injections.

Does this sound like the FDA is looking out for our best interests? I think not!

I do believe the labs where eCig products are made, in general, do their best to be sure their products are not contaminated.

If approved as a "medical device" by the FDA, there will be no accountability or liability, as per current laws (started 200 that were put into place by the Bush administration. YES! The FDA is seriously behind other countries & responds to hype from those wanting to be heard.

My hope is that the FDA will drop this "Medical Device" nonsense, so this does not occur with eCigs as it hsa with medical devices..
Excerpt from : http://biotech.law.lsu.edu/ieee/ieee25.htm
Medical Device Regulation

Prior to 1976 there was little federal regulation of medical devices. The FDA could bring a court action to have a dangerous device removed from the market. These actions were based on the FDA's authority to embargo adulterated or misbranded products. While these concepts were well understood for drugs, the courts took them to mean that only the proven dangerous devices, or those that were openly fraudulent could be removed from the market. Even when the courts were willing to act, these proceedings took many years, with the device freely available until the final appeals were over. (It took more than 20 years to remove the orgone accumulator from the market.) To escape regulation, the manufacturer need only modify the device and it could start selling it again, forcing the FDA to begin a new court proceeding.

Furthermore, from: http://www.naturalnews.com/022713.html , about one such case (and there are tens of thousands) - state courts cannot even hold a manufacturer responsible!
that "federal law prohibits suing device manufacturers in state courts if the device was approved as safe by the FDA. The decision is expected to have ramifications for a large number of pending lawsuits against manufacturers of devices such as breast implants, defibrillators, artificial heart pumps and valves, drug-coated stents, spinal cord stimulators, and prosthetic hips and knees.

Because there is no federal law that allows consumers to sue medical device manufacturers for damages, state courts have become a common venue for such suits.
(MY NOTE: This is no longer the case, as state courts hands are also tied with the 'no liability' loophole & the quality of medical devices, as such, IMHO has declined significantly!)

The legal reasoning behind the court's decision centered on the wording of the 1976 Medical Device Amendments law. The law, which set in place an FDA pre-approval process for medical devices, explicitly prohibited states from putting in place "any requirement" that is "different from, or in addition to" FDA requirements. In an 8-1 majority, the court ruled that allowing citizens to sue device companies in state courts amounts to "a requirement" that undermines the FDA approval process.

Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that the FDA may approve devices "that present great risks if they nonetheless offer great benefits in light of available alternatives." In other words, there is no requirement that devices actually achieve any reasonable level of safety for all patients. To receive FDA approval and be immunized from lawsuits, medical devices merely have to keep alive slightly more people than they kill."

Does this sound like a caring or concerned FDA? One county in one state had over 6,000 claims against Medtronic for making faulty pace maker & spinal cord stim, or "SCS" units. The judge 's response is that his hands were tied by the 'no liability' clause, that with that many claims, it was certainly not the doctors at fault (although you have to wonder about kick-backs to implant these devices & no mandatory reporting of funds changing hands will be in effect until 2013 (& I with medical corporations, universities & so on, the money your doctor may get for prescribing a certain amount of medication to x amount of patients for a trip, etc. is unlikely to be found anywhere.

eCigs, if they become classified as, "Medical Devices" will likely follow suit, with NO checks & balances!

One need go no further than Google and search, "medical device lawsuit dismissed" to find a multitude of these very types of lawsuits that have been dismissed.

IF eCigs get the "medical device" green light, I'd be FAR more concerned about the safety of our eCigs & eJuice NOT being as safe!

The FDA, if they are REALLY looking out for public safety, would leave eCigs alone, just as they are!

I've never had a problem with mine & have had confidence that the companies making our eCigs have integrity. f the FDA succeeds in classifying eCigs as a "drug delivery system medical device", it could strip away that integrity and protection as it has with other medical devices.

ALL those people in the dismissed SCS 'medical device' cases were left with the costs of removing the devices (or burying their loved ones who died as a result), without any confidence that there was any other device that might be better. Two other companies make similar devices, yet with really no guaranty that another device would be any better.

eCigs, or personal vaporizers, are NOT medical devices! Classification of them being as such could be hazardous to our health!

Altmed

Always take BC's with you.. to hand to the curious.
Stealth vaping is always good.
Talking to the bar manager is good idea... perhaps suggest Vaping Hour to him and give him extra cards for him to pass out to other regulars who still smoke. Won't be long before his business is booming again with indoor customers and vaping hour turns into vaping year.

VG has a mellower flavor than PG. You might want to try straight PG until your tastebuds come back to life. I didn't think mine were dead, I loved my treats and certain foods, but after I started vaping it was a whole new world after the first few days. (i was lucky, mine awoke pretty early in the game). Apple was the first one that really woke my tastebuds up. They were dancing in my mouth, I swear!
Good luck in your quest for the right mix and the right flavor. It's a fun quest, so don't give up!

yay! let's hope the vendors see and appreciate and utilize the idea. Help spread the idea!