How the pro-nicotine ‘wellness’ movement rebranded an addictive drug

A pulmonary physician-scientist describes a growing wellness-industry trend of marketing nicotine pouches and patches as tools for focus, stress relief, and even protection against dementia, often alongside caffeine and so-called nootropics. The pitch leans on nicotine's natural occurrence in trace amounts in tomatoes and potatoes and on studies showing modest cognitive effects, mostly in impaired populations rather than healthy ones.

The physician notes that many studies cited by wellness marketers actually measure regular nicotine users recovering from withdrawal symptoms rather than experiencing genuine enhancement, muddying the claims of benefit. Nicotine reliably increases heart rate, disrupts sleep, and drives dependence through brain reward pathways, while research consistently shows people who quit see improved mood and reduced anxiety over time, the opposite of what the wellness pitch promises.

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