An FDA report says that e-cigarettes are a useful tool in the effort to kick smoking, but a leading bioethics professor lit into the FDA for making that surprise decision.
Speaking on the WOR 710AM Len Berman and Michael Riedel in the Morning program, D.r Arthur Caplan, of the NYU Langone Medical Center, says he "completely disagrees" with the report's finding, which say they are okay. "There's a ton of evidence that kids get addicted to vaping, and that they sometimes go from vaping to smoking,” said Caplan.
Opponents of e-cigs have long pointed to the devices being flavored as a way to hook kids on smoking,an opinion Dr. Caplan shares. "Putting the interest of the adults ahead of the kids morally doesn't make sense,"said Caplan.In addition, e-cigarettes still contain nicotine, which has long been considered addictive.
The FDA is also asking food manufacturers to use less salt, particularlyinprocessed foods. Salt is a necessary component of the dining experience, concedes Dr. Caplan; the issue is overusing the salt shaker. "I think the FDA is on the right track. It's not that people salt up their food, it's, by the time the food gets to them, it's overloaded with salt,"Caplan told Len and Michael.
Dr. Caplan also addressed the thorny question about whether or not a doctor can refuse to accept a client who is unvaccinated. "I think the answer is yes, only in primary care,” said Caplan.“They don't have to take you on as a patient... I'm not talking about emergency rooms or ICU's; they have to take care of you."
As for the chance of covid case rates going up with the approach of colder weather, Dr. Caplan says that levels could be at "tolerable" levels, presuming we don't see any unusual variants in the coronavirus.
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