Ways to quit smoking

Herbal cigarettes sold at many stores and over the Internet.

They are easy to find and easy to buy, even for kids who aren’t old enough to buy tobacco. Some herbal brands of herbal cigarettes appeal to young smokers because they have candy-like flavors like vanilla, chocolate and fruit.

Among the most popular brands of alternative cigarettes are bidi, herbal, and clove cigarettes. All of them are especially popular among young people. But their biggest selling point is that they’re supposed to be a healthy alternative to "real" cigarettes. Are they really safe? Smoke isn’t safe to take into the lungs, no matter what it is.

It may not have nicotine in it that then creates a second problem, which is an addiction in the brain.

But, it still contains numerous carcinogens and toxins, including carbon monoxide and the increased risk of cancer.

It’s not nicotine itself that causes all of the cancer going through. It’s all of the other products from the burnt ash, the particulate matter, and all of the sixty-three forms of cancer-producing agents you can find when you start burning up leaves of anything, herbal or tobacco.

The pleasant-tasting herbal cigarettes are more dangerous than tobacco cigarettes. According to the March 2000 issue of Public Health smokers inhale about 2 to 3 times more tar and nicotine than they would if they smoked regular cigarettes.

And since tendu leaves don’t burn as easily as paper, bidi smokers have to inhale deeply and often just to keep the things lit. As a result, toxins and cancer-causing compounds found in the smoke may end up deep in their lungs. So herbal cigarettes are not safe and can’t be used as alternative cigarettes without health harms.

Marketers of the smokeless cigarette typically describe is as alternatives to cigarettes and other tobacco products. Moreover they say that smokeless (e-cigarettes) to help smokers break their addictions to tobacco. Some have even gone so far as to imply that WHO views it as a legitimate nicotine replacement therapy like nicotine gum, lozenges and patches.

Smokeless cigarettes are usually battery-powered devices that use a vapor to deliver nicotine to the smoker. When the smoker inhales through the device, air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes a nicotine solution stored in the mouthpiece.

This vapor may also be flavored and provide a physical sensation similar to that of inhaling tobacco smoke. Manufacturers and retailers of these products claim that smokeless are safe and site e-cigarettes positive sides:

• They do not emit second-hand, or even first-hand, smoke.

• You can smoke e-cigarettes virtually anywhere cigarettes are banned.
•  Because smokeless allow you to enjoy your nicotine fix without the thousands of chemicals and cancer-causing carcinogens found in regular cigarettes.
• Regain your health and your freedom to smoke anywhere, help clean the environment, and save your hard-earned cash all at the same time.

However, there have been no clinical studies to prove these products are not effective at helping smokers quit, nor have any studies verified the safety of these products or their long-term health effects. The World Health Organization (WHO), in a release dated September 19, 2008, stated that, "WHO has no scientific evidence to confirm the product’s safety and efficacy."