Nicotine Replacement to Stop Smoking May Be Over Promoted
The essay was written by Simon Chapman and Ross MacKenzie from the School of Public Heath in the University of Sydney, Australia. According to data they collected most smokers quit without assistance, or 'cold turkey.' According to the researchers, doctors should emphasize the positive message that unassisted smoking cessation is the most successful method for quitting smoking.
According to the researchers, the most successful smoking cessation method is quitting 'cold turkey.' Instead of recommending a drug based therapy to quit smoking, heath authorities should emphasize the positive message that unassisted smoking cessation is the most successful method of quitting. NRT is often recommended in spite of the evidence that most ex-smokers who have quit successfully have quit on their own. The most successful methods are to quit cold turkey or to cut down on the number of daily cigarettes and quit more gradually.
The researchers studied the data from 511 studies that were published in 2007 and 2008. They found that the studied showed repeatedly the two- thirds to three- quarters of ex-smokers stopped unaided. In addition, they from that most ex-smokers reported that quitting was not as difficult as they expected.
Smoking increases the risk of serious diseases, including lung disease, cancer and heart disease. Quitting smoking is an investment in your good health and the health of people that live with you, because everyone who breathes in the cigarette fumes is affected adversely. Whether you decide to quit unassisted, or through the use of nicotine replacement therapy ,the decision to quit is an important step to a lifetime of freedom from cigarettes.
Nicotine replacement therapy includes nicotine substitutes drug products, such as nicotine transdermal patches and nicotine gum. NRT may help a smoker quit, but does not 'make 'them quit. Stopping smoking requires a change in behavior that does not require a tool.
The authors of the study concluded that medical professionals should restore some balance in public awareness of the possibility of quitting smoking without NRT.
Resource: EurekAlert: Public Library of Science; Nicotine replacement therapy is over-promoted since most ex-smokers quit unassisted, 8-Feb-2010
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