The History of the Electronic Cigarette:

Tobacco cigarettes have an interesting history. People have been growing, harvesting, and smoking tobacco for hundreds of years. In fact, much of it occurred before America was a country. Sir Walter Raleigh is thought to have first popularized the use of pipe tobacco among the upper class. Although pipes were originally the only smoking method available, as more people began to smoke more often, other products such as the tobacco cigarette were introduced. From hand-rolled to pre-packaged, from multiple brands to dozens of flavors, it is clear that while tobacco cigarettes may undergo some changes, they will forever be ingrained into our culture.

Why do People Smoke?

Smoking tobacco is the quickest way to receive its effects, so it is no surprise that the most popular tobacco products involve the process of smoking. Not only is it the fastest way to deliver nicotine to the brain, but smoking also fulfills a psychological oral and tactile dependence. in addition the perceptions of cigarette smoking has changed as well As a response to the increased recognition of both the mental and physical reasons people smoke tobacco, a new alternative smoking device known as the electronic cigarette is gaining popularity.

First invented and marketed in China by the Golden Dragon Group, electronic cigarettes were patented as Ruyan, meaning "almost like smoke". This accurate name, combined with the ability to smoke in places where tobacco cigarettes are not allowed, helped quickly skyrocket the company and the product toward success. Since the Ruyan has always been available on the internet, it is not surprising that the idea of the electronic cigarette has spread to other parts of the globe.

It was not long before Greg Carson, a UK businessman, discovered the product and adapted it for the Western world. Marketed as the "Electro Fag" the product gained popularity across Europe, enough to prompt the English parliament to rule that this device was legal to use in places like restaurants and buildings where tobacco cigarettes were banned. Now, there are multiple electronic cigarette companies, almost all of which do the large majority of their business online.

While the Chinese and European companies still dominate the market to a certain degree, as other companies from around the world get involved, changes are being made to the idea on a regular basis. Having your choice of electronic cigarette providers means that you can find the best product to fit your needs. After all, not all electronic cigarettes are created equal; some start-up kits may be too expensive for those on a budget, and many cheap electronic cigarette imitations do not work well enough to fully replicate the sensation of smoking a tobacco cigarette.

How do Electronic Cigarettes Work?

Electronic cigarettes are made up of a few basic parts: a battery, an atomizer, and a nicotine cartridge. These three components snap together to physically resemble a cigarette in both width and length. When you inhale with the mouthpiece located at the end of the nicotine cartridge, an LED light at the other end of the cigarette simulates a flame. This orange light resembles the lit end of a tobacco cigarette and helps the atomizer to release vapor from the nicotine cartridge.

Although it is odorless and virtually harmless, this vapor feels a lot like tobacco cigarette smoke when inhaled, and it delivers the nicotine directly to your bloodstream, just like a tobacco cigarette. Unlike tobacco smoke, however, the vapor that you inhale and exhale is hardly dangerous. Most tobacco cigarettes contain over 400 known chemicals. The electronic smoking mixture is largely contains propylene glycol and water vapor, with a varying amount of nicotine. Cartridges come in 8, 6, 4, and even 0mg capacities, so no matter how much you are used to smoking, electronic cigarettes can replicate that exact level of nicotine with none of the added chemicals found in tobacco. Most of the long-term health effects associated with nicotine are actually caused by other chemicals in tobacco cigarettes. Even chewing tobacco leads to an increased risk of mouth and throat cancer, but since no tobacco is used in an electronic cigarette, none comes in contact with your gums or lungs.

Overall, other than the effects of nicotine alone -- which appear to be largely neural -- there is nothing dangerous about electronic cigarettes. While electronic cigarettes have been marketed primarily to smokers concerned about their health, one of the most popular features of the product is the fact that they allow you to smoke just about anywhere. No flame means no smoke, and that also means no second hand smoke. Most of the nicotine is absorbed by the lungs after inhalation, so the odorless substance that is exhaled consists of little more than water vapor and a food coloring additive that lends a more smoke-like appearance and texture. Electronic cigarettes pose no danger to even small children or those with breathing problems, so they are the safest tobacco alternative that currently exists.