A couple of days ago we reported that USACIG has secured a deal with Hop-on to act as their agent to submit an application to the FDA to allow them to begin clinical studies to see if their Electric Cigarette could be an effective treatment for Parkinson's Disease.

This was a surprise move to many people, me included. So i've been looking into it.

Yes, there is some evidence that nicotine could be a treatment for PD and it's been shown smoking may be a major factor in the reason smokers have a lower instance of PD than non smokers. One study from the College of Medicine at the University of Vermont concluded:

We have begun quantitative studies of both acute and chronic nicotine in PD to assess both cognitive and motor effects. Fifteen (15) nondemented subjects (age 66 +/- 5.3; M/F = 11/4) with early to moderate PD (mean Hoehn-Yahr stage = 1.77; MMSE = 28.6) received a dose-ranging study of intravenous nicotine up to 1.25 microg/kg/min, followed by chronic administration of nicotine by transdermal patch with doses ranging up to 14 mg per day for 2 weeks. Testing occurred both during drug administration and up to 2 months after drug cessation to look for prolonged effects.

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A few weeks ago I reported on an undercover sting operation conducted by KSHB-TV in Kansas City, (an NBC affiliate) where they caught a couple of e-cig retailers letting kids try them at the mall. Now there is a new story in Arizona, from TV ABC15.

And guess what? It's the same guy from Kansas. Same quotes, same everything. It's the same exact story almost down to the letter.

From the original story in Kansas:

Looking for that perfect gift for the smoker in your life? Tired of giving ashtrays, lighters, and cigarette cases as Christmas gifts for the smokers you love? Why not give them the best gift of all and help them become smoke free? Get them an electronic cigarette.

We all know that hard to buy for smoker, the one who refuses to quit, refuses to even discuss the matter. Uncle John or Grandpa Joe, who shows up to Christmas dinner stinking up the place or sneaking out to sit alone on the porch sucking on his cigarette while the entire family wonders "will this be our last holiday with him?"

The perfect gift for smokers, the electronic cigarette

The electronic cigarette is the perfect gift for smokers. Yes, it does nothing to curb their addiction to nicotine, but it does get rid of the 4000 toxic chemicals and cancer causing agents in cigarette smoke, It frees them from the tar and frees you from suffering the second hand smoke and the stink. And who knows, with thousands of electronic cigarette users proclaiming they quit smoking entirely after using ecigs, perhaps this could be the first important step to get your loved ones off nicotine forever.

This holiday season, instead of a present that supports their habit and encourages them to smoke, give the best gift of all for the smokers you love and take smoke out of their lives.

Breaking news on the vaccine front!! If I were John Banzhaf I'd be sending out press releases saying "in response to my recent blog posts regarding vaccines, the National Institute of Health announced they are giving a $10 million dollar grant to the developers of NicVAX, the anti smoking vaccine, to fund phase III testing." But I won't.

What is NicVAX? An anti-smoking vaccine?

NicVAX is a new injectable vaccine developed by Nabi biopharmaceuticals of Rockville Md which the FDA has already granted "fast track status" to that researchers claim will help people quit smoking and prevent them from relapsing.

NicVAX has already passed initial regulatory hurdles to show the idea is sound and now move to clinical trials where patients are given six monthly shots. Early results show that smokers using the vaccine had a higher rate of success at abstinence from tobacco than those given the placebo.