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Smoking is one habit that is very hard to break. In fact, it is more than a habit; it is an addiction. And all addictions do not lead to something healthy. Here are some updates on the advances in science and technology at helping smokers stop smoking.

THE World No Tobacco Day was held on May 31. The Philippine National No-Smoking Month ended on June 30. However, in the implementation side of Republic Act 9211, otherwise known as the Tobacco Act of 2003, falls on the month of July and has a very special place to remember. 

It was on July 1 that the warnings on cigarette packages were placed. It must be located on the bottom portion of one front panel of every tobacco product package, as we see it today. It was also when all cinema and outdoor advertisings were banned as well as all forms of tobacco advertising in mass media. It was also on a July 1 when sponsorship events and activities of tobacco companies were banned. 

On the research side, two long-standing therapeutic approaches can be useful. The nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) appears to be the earliest form that avoids the so-called “withdrawal symptoms.” 

Of the seven NRT products available in the market today, nicotine gums were the... [READ MORE]

This article appears in SunStar Cebu newspaper on 17 July 2013.

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