# Vaping and Throat Infections



## Yiannaki

Morning all, 

I just wanted to pick everyone's brain and share something to get a little discussion going.

One of my buddies who has been vaping and with the occasional stinky every so often, seems to keep getting throat infections. This was not a regular thing at all before he started vaping.

After a visit to the Doctor yesterday he was told that vaping aggravates bacteria in the body, causing them to react negatively and this is why his throat always gets infected.

I told him to chat to the doctor about whether or not the issue could be attributed to certain flavorings or even the pg in the juice but he forgot to ask.

Has anyone experienced or is experiencing this issue?

As a starting point, im going to try get hold of a 100% VG juice for him and see how he does on that. Problem is, the only one i know locally is Bobas, which he hates. Can anyone point me in the right direction to locally source a 100% VG juice?

Thanks peeps


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## Gazzacpt

@Oupa (vapour mountain) or @Derick (skyblue) I know do custom ratios locally maybe shoot them a pm.

Reactions: Agree 1 | Thanks 1


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## Yiannaki

Gazzacpt said:


> @Oupa (vapour mountain) or @Derick (skyblue) I know do custom ratios locally maybe shoot them a pm.


 
Thanks a lot bud. I will definitely hit them up for some


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## Derick

I Guess that if he is sensitive to PG, it could be irritating his throat, in which case bacteria can get a hold a lot easier, but I must admit, it sounds a bit far fetched to me - if anything, vaping irritates the throat an lungs less than smoking and your frequency of colds/infections usually drop.

Reactions: Agree 3


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## Yiannaki

Derick said:


> I Guess that if he is sensitive to PG, it could be irritating his throat, in which case bacteria can get a hold a lot easier, but I must admit, it sounds a bit far fetched to me - if anything, vaping irritates the throat an lungs less than smoking and your frequency of colds/infections usually drop.


 
what do you mean by it sounds far fecthed? The comment made by the doctor?


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## Derick

Yiannaki said:


> what do you mean by it sounds far fecthed? The comment made by the doctor?


Yep
Doctors will want you to stop smoking - most of them throw vaping into that same category and I could be wrong, but the comment that this doctor made leads me to believe that he falls into that category.

If vaping lead to throat infections the anti-vaping crowd would have been all over it long ago and it would have been all over the international media

So yes, it sounds far fetched to me

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 3


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## Yiannaki

Derick said:


> Yep
> Doctors will want you to stop smoking - most of them throw vaping into that same category and I could be wrong, but the comment that this doctor made leads me to believe that he falls into that category.
> 
> If vaping lead to throat infections the anti-vaping crowd would have been all over it long ago and it would have been all over the international media
> 
> So yes, it sounds far fetched to me


 
Thanks for the response bud. Yeah i know what you mean about them just filing vaping under the same thing as smoking, and how they'll just attribute any issues to that.


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## Rob Fisher

I'm with @Derick here... touch wood... I haven't had flu this season while the rest of my family have all had it...

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Derick

Rob Fisher said:


> I'm with @Derick here... touch wood... I haven't had flu this season while the rest of my family have all had it...


Yep - could also be confirmation bias on my side, but there was a while where Melinda smoked and I vaped - she was sick 6 times that winter and me none

Reactions: Like 1


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## ShaneW

I battled with throat infections at least 2-3 times a year which often led to chest infection when I was smoking. 

Since vaping (7 months) ... Not once!

Reactions: Like 3 | Agree 2


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## SVS1000

From what I have read PG is an anti bacterial. My wife and son were sick twice this winter and I wasn't.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## MarkK

The real problem is that cigarette he has every now and then!
Ciggies cause my girl friend mad pain every now and then, aggravates her tonsils.

PG was and probably is still used in some hospitals! They vaporise it and pump it through the aircon systems DUE TO its ANTI BACTERIAL AND ANTI FUNGAL effects.

Your doctor is a quack... lol


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## dekang suppliers

We have a had few customers in the past with the same problems, most of the time due to misuse or abuse (chain vapers) or 8/10 times it is completely unrelated to the use of ecigs


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## Alex

My experience with vaping echoes some of you guys here. In the six months I've been vaping my entire family has been sick with the flu at one time or another. And yet, I've somehow managed to avoid getting sick.

Two days before the latest vape meet, I started getting a scratchy throat irritation throughout the day, even after trying different juices. I resigned myself to the fact that it was my turn to get sick, because I was also starting to get other symptoms. But then I woke up the following day, and all the cold/flu symptoms had vanished. And my throat felt completely normal.

I'd like to think that the PG was partly responsible for killing off any bacteria, based on my research with this chemical. It does indeed kill off many "bad" things, when aerosolized , even in extremely low concentrations.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 2


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## Avikaar Sonlall

SVS1000 said:


> From what I have read PG is an anti bacterial. My wife and son were sick twice this winter and I wasn't.


 

I also believe the same but I may be wrong. From what I researched, PG is a germicide i.e. It kills bacteria, Do not know why it would aggravate it. But then again I am sensitive to PG, it gives me rashes but not throat irritation. At the moment I use a 24/76 PG/VG ratio and no throat irritation or skin problems.


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## rvdwesth

Yiannaki said:


> Morning all,
> 
> I just wanted to pick everyone's brain and share something to get a little discussion going.
> 
> One of my buddies who has been vaping and with the occasional stinky every so often, seems to keep getting throat infections. This was not a regular thing at all before he started vaping.
> 
> After a visit to the Doctor yesterday he was told that vaping aggravates bacteria in the body, causing them to react negatively and this is why his throat always gets infected.
> 
> I told him to chat to the doctor about whether or not the issue could be attributed to certain flavorings or even the pg in the juice but he forgot to ask.
> 
> Has anyone experienced or is experiencing this issue?
> 
> As a starting point, im going to try get hold of a 100% VG juice for him and see how he does on that. Problem is, the only one i know locally is Bobas, which he hates. Can anyone point me in the right direction to locally source a 100% VG juice?
> 
> Thanks peeps


 
Off the shelf you can try eciggies dragon juice.
They also stock some Hangsen and Joytech VG only.


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## zadiac

Alex said:


> My experience with vaping echoes some of you guys here. In the six months I've been vaping my entire family has been sick with the flu at one time or another. And yet, I've somehow managed to avoid getting sick.
> 
> Two days before the latest vape meet, I started getting a scratchy throat irritation throughout the day, even after trying different juices. I resigned myself to the fact that it was my turn to get sick, because I was also starting to get other symptoms. But then I woke up the following day, and all the cold/flu symptoms had vanished. And my throat felt completely normal.
> 
> I'd like to think that the PG was partly responsible for killing off any bacteria, based on my research with this chemical. It does indeed kill off many "bad" things, when aerosolized , even in extremely low concentrations.


 
I can concur. When I had a throat infection, I vaped pure PG as per @Alex 's suggestion and BAM! Throat infection went away within two days.


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## Yiannaki

Thank you all your responses guys. Your opinions are replies are most valued. 

I'll tell him to give the stinkies a clean break and also hook him up with a high vg juice to test if it's the PG that's aggravating his throat.

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 1


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## Nightfearz

I hate when doctors make comments about things they clearly don't know about. Your friend probably told him that he vapes and asked if it could be related, naturaly the doctor said yes. (it looks like smoke it must be bad for you). 
If this particular doctor made a study of vaping then he could have an opinion, but personally I feel, that your own opinion in a subject should not be used when your are being paid for a professional opinion. 
a bit harsh I know, but traffic sucked and I'm annoyed.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Derick

And just to put some science behind it

here's a study done to test the antibacterial properties of PG
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1675525

In short: It works as an antibacterial agent, but hexylene glycol was more effective (you needed less HG to be as effective as PG)

EDIT: if you really want to piss off that doctor, print some of these out and ask him to explain his comment 

https://vapersclub.com/pg.php

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Danny

There has definitely been evidence found that supports the idea that e cigarettes much like conventional cigarettes can and do influence the sensitivity of the body to infection. From what I have read this is due (simply put) to interference with the bodies immune response, and has been shown to result in an increase in the occurrence of bacterial resistance etc. This has been shown and it should be noted that whilst ecigs do it they are not nearly as good at achieving it as normal cigs. 
With things like immune response and infections it is important to also remember that each individuals immune response and reactions are different and unique (at the same time the bacterial strains in each of us are also normally quite unique, especially in terms of resistance to immune response). I hope that in this case it is merely the transition from smoking to vaping, or the occasional stinky that is propagating the infections, but I have to say from my reading and understanding that the doctor may actually be right on the mark with this one. In no ways does it represent the norm, nor would I expect it to be common in people switching to vaping, but it is a real possibility that the infections in this case are being encouraged (for lack of a better word) by vaping and/or smoking. 
In terms of it not happening when he was smoking and now only happening because he is vaping. If the particular infection had taken hold when he was a smoker it would have followed the same pattern of recurrence, in fact may have been worse. I would postulate that the shift from smoking to vaping which does cause stress on the body (it could be anything else though that allowed it to start) may have allowed the infection to set in and battle the bodies immune response. Vaping and/or smoking could then have played a role in increasing the infections ability to develop resistance, and would continue to do so resulting in ongoing recurrence events of the infection irrelevant of what treatments are prescribed.
This I know can be twisted into anti-vape propaganda, and has been. But in reality it is not new knowledge it happened with stinkies and now it has been shown to occur with vaping to a lesser degree. If you look for persistent infections driven by smoking they also happened, I had one in my lower jaw. It was tooth decay that started it but my smoking allowed it to become resistant osteomyelitis, which took 3 years to eventually get under control, mostly cause I couldnt quit smoking. This I will say again is not the norm and probably represents an isolated interaction with the specific infection in question. I would have to say the doctor gave the best advice they could based on their understanding.
Rather than viewing it as it never happened when I smoked it must be vaping rather view it as the truth which is the patient never had an infection like this before, and vaping/smoking may well be influencing this particular infection.

Reactions: Like 2 | Informative 3


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## Oupa

I agree that it could be the combination of smoking and vaping. Firstly vaping will dry out the mouth and throat slightly in the beginning until you adapt and your mucous membranes compensate. Smoking changes the PH in your mouth as well, so I think the combination of smoking and vaping is whats causing it (my opinion only). First bit of advice is, and it's been said all over the forum: drink lots of water to keep hydrated and to prevent dry mouth and throat.

If anything, PG should be killing off bacteria in the mouth and throat. But yes, small possibility that he is PG sensitive and once his throat is irritated it is easier for bacteria or viruses to get through.

It could be so many things actually, it is quite disappointing that this doctor just wrote it off to vaping. This is exactly the problem we are faced with regarding the acceptance of vaping by the medical fraternity and the public. I have high cholesterol and even my doctor says that when they work out your risk score (to determine if you need medication and what strength medication) they mark you as a smoker when you are a vaper 

Hopefully doctors will catch up... (luckily some already have)

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## WHeunis

Derick said:


> I Guess that if he is sensitive to PG, it could be irritating his throat, in which case bacteria can get a hold a lot easier, but I must admit, it sounds a bit far fetched to me - if anything, vaping irritates the throat an lungs less than smoking and your frequency of colds/infections usually drop.


 
Yeah, this was pretty much where I stopped reading.
EDIT-clarify: agree with Derick.

I have a rather serious immune deficiency, and often have year-round throat, lung, and other respiratory infections.
Guess what though... 3 months of winter... NOT ONE SINGLE INFECTION.

It really isn't goat-poo when you read that VG is known to have a sterilizing effect on air.


More than anything, your friend probably does have some allergic sensitivity. Something is irritating his throat, and it could be as far fetched as a cheap clone not made from stainless, giving off nasty particles.
Or it could be as simple as a specific food flavouring.
Easiest way to test is to have him vape some unflavoured, straight up plain VG. If he must have nic, put some nic. If the situation doesn't go away, then we can start believing that voodoo doctor.


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## Danny

Just a note on the aerosolised PG having bactericidal effects. It is true that it inhibits the growth and spread of some bacteria in *aerosol* applications. This in no way means it will inhibit all bacterial growth, or that it will work in all applications, there isnt a bactericide on the planet that can do that. In fact in the vast majority of cases bactericides may kill off one strain or type of bacterium to the benifit of others. Sorry its just that every once in a while threads like this start sounding just as biased as the antivape propaganda. The PG bactericidal effect from my understanding of the research is related directly to its ability to prevent the spead of some airborne bacteria. As such pouring PG into your throat is not going to do anything to the infection running rampant in your mucous membranes, neither will using PG as an antiseptic on an open wound. 
The original premise behind the article I can only assume was testing to see if e cig vapour by providing a different transport medium would increase the likelihood of a person exposed to second hand vapour developing an infection or something along those lines. I.e. Would vapour act as a more effective medium for the transmission of airborne infection.
We as the vaping community should show a much more responsible attitude towards how we disseminate information. The story with the negative influence of both vaping and smoking on bacterial growth and resistance is a complicated one. It has to do with pH, the transmission of electrical signals across the membranes of cells, impact on bacterial metabolism and reproduction etc etc etc. The general public are not microbiologists hence the incorrect reiteration of research findings we all see in the press, of course some of it is also conveniently twisted too. Lets try avoid twisting it here too.

Reactions: Like 1 | Thanks 1


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## Nightfearz

I stand corrected, and I see that my comments could have contributed to anti -antivape propaganda. my opinion has been always that vaping is not safe, but rather saFER than analogues.
Might have been some premature venting.

Reactions: Like 1


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## Danny

Nightfearz said:


> I stand corrected, and I see that my comments could have contributed to anti -antivape propaganda. my opinion has been always that vaping is not safe, but rather saFER than analogues.
> Might have been some premature venting.


I totally get it, I rant endlessly every single time I read the antivape rubbish. I may also be reading it completely wrong and the doc in question here could be making the leaping assumption himself that it is a direct consequence of vaping, on the other hand he could have read the literature and made an informed decision for the best of his patient, which he then put forward to the patient in a manner that the patient could clearly understand. These issues are always so complex, it may also come to light in a month or a year that everything I have said is wrong, or it may be wrong already and I just dont know it yet. One thing I do believe will still be true in ten years, in no way is vaping ever going to be worse than smoking, different yes possibly but never worse.

Reactions: Like 1 | Agree 1


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## bones

I have been vaping for the better part of 18 months now, and i can honestly say that if i vape too much, I wake up the next morning feeling like shit. My throat feels raw, sinuses are all whack and congestion is off the wall. Feels exactly like a cold.


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## Derick

bones said:


> I have been vaping for the better part of 18 months now, and i can honestly say that if i vape too much, I wake up the next morning feeling like shit. My throat feels raw, sinuses are all whack and congestion is off the wall. Feels exactly like a cold.


Sounds like you are not drinking enough water - remember that PG and VG dehydrate you to some extent, so just have a bit of water after every vape session

Reactions: Agree 2 | Informative 1


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## bones

Derick said:


> Sounds like you are not drinking enough water - remember that PG and VG dehydrate you to some extent, so just have a bit of water after every vape session


I do drink quite a bit of water during the day. I've just decide now to quit vaping during the day, and only vape when i get home from the office.


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## Derick

bones said:


> I do drink quite a bit of water during the day. I've just decide now to quit vaping during the day, and only vape when i get home from the office.


Drink more beer! 

Seriously though, perhaps you have a PG sensitivity - do you get the same with pur VG juices?

I've been vaping for close to 18 months myself and there are days that I kill quite a lot of juice and I have never experienced what you are describing unless I didn't drink enough


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