Nearly 8 million quit attempts were tracked in 1997 and 1998. That's four times more than in 1991. And Fiore believes that use of the new guidelines will double or even triple quit rates. The PHS guidelines are designed to counteract nicotine's addictive power by assisting healthcare professionals in both identifying smokers and treating them. But first, doctors must make smoking cessation a treatment priority.
Recent studies indicate that only about half of all smokers are advised by their doctors to quit.
And follow-up appointments double this success rate. The dramatic rise in quit attempt increases are attributed to the introduction and accessibility of new smoking cessation products like the nicotine patch. Hypnosis Acupuncture A promising new treatment is the just-announced nicotine vaccine, NicVax, which acts by stimulating the immune system to create antibodies that bind to the nicotine and prevent it from entering the brain. Already tested on rats, the vaccine is showing promising results. It also reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms.