Nicotine replacement therapy

NRT refers to therapies that use various forms of methods to deliver nicotine to replace nicotine obtained from smoking tobacco or using it in any other form such as chewing. These include therapies that are meant for reducing withdrawal symptoms and cravings caused from cessation of smoking or tobacco use. Cigarettes cause millions of early deaths every year. The cause of the death is not nicotine but it is the carbon monoxide and tars in the smoke that is the cause of illnesses caused by smoking. Nicotine only keeps the person addicted to smoking. Looking at it the other way, smoking cigarettes is injurious to health while therapies that deliver nicotine are safe. These therapies deliver nicotine to the brain at a slow rate, much slower than smoking does. These give a chance to smokers to ignore stimuli that give rise to the urge to smoke and provide an exit route for those who want to quit smoking. The harm caused by cigarette smoking is too well known. It is not only one of the major causes of cancer but also of pollution in the environment. It is no wonder that most nations have either already adopted smoking bans as a matter of state policy.

The biggest reason that smokers fail to get out of the smoking habit is addiction to nicotine. The idea behind these replacement therapies is to deliver nicotine in a safe way so that it does not cause harm. Nicotine replacement is provided through more than on means and all of them do not involve smoke.

The safety of nicotine replacement therapies can be gauged by the fact that in 2005 the Committee on the Safety of Medicines recommended that these can be safely used by pregnant women as well as adolescents. Latest studies reveal that people who use therapies for replacing nicotine in a healthier way are nearly twice more likely to stop smoking totally.

The major criticism against nicotine replacement therapy is from the debate whether nicotine itself is carcinogenic or not. There is enough evidence to believe that cigarette smoke comprises of carcinogenic substances. Another theory suggests that ionizing radiation is absorbed by tobacco, which causes cancer. On the other hand, there is no evidence of harmful effects of nicotine.

Currently there are a number of nicotine replacement products available in the market. These include nicotine patches (an adhesive patch that delivers nicotine subcutaneously), sublingual tablet, nicotine lozenge and gum, nicotine inhalers and sprays. A recent addition is a cigarette shaped device with a cartridge containing water and nicotine that is heated electronically to deliver nicotine.

If you are a smoker then you should pay attention to the signals that your body give you of oncoming problems. The smoker’s cough is apparently a harmless symptom but actually a harbinger of major problems that are waiting to surface. For your as well as your family’s good try an NRT product for a healthier life.