◎ Nicotine Replacement Therapy
　　With the nicotine replacement therapy, nicotine is absorbed through the oral mucosa or the skin. This method achieves a serum nicotine level which is about one third to two thirds compared to smoking. Since the rate of absorption is slow and the amount is low, it is very effective in fighting cigarette addiction. Various methods are available, such as nicotine gum, nicotine inhaler, nicotine nasal spray, and nicotine patch. The doctor will tailor the dosage to each individual.

◎ Smoking Cessation Drug Zyban Hits the Market
　　 The Department of Health has permitted the new smoking cessation drug Zyban, which does not contain nicotine, to go on sale in Taiwan. Tobacco addiction comes from nicotine stimulating the brain to release neurotransmitters. Zyban is effective in controlling the amount of neurotransmitters, so that the amount does not drastically decrease when nicotine is absent, causing physical discomfort. The success rate of Zyban at one year is 30%, which is nearly twice that of the traditional nicotine patch, at 16%. When both Zyban and the nicotine patch are used, the success rate is 35%. According to an article in the New England Medical Journal, when one to two Zybans were taken per day for 2 months, one third of the people had successfully quit smoking. Zyban is a prescription drug, so it is only used when directed by a doctor. Zyban is not suitable for women who are pregnant or lactating, people with brain injury, epilepsy, or people currently taking anti-depressant drugs.
 

◎ NosmoQ
　　The NosmoQ, which reportedly has a smoking cessation effect, has been tested by Taiwan's SGS Ultra Trace& Industrial Safety Hygiene and was found to contain no nicotine. The NosmoQ is claimed to have a success rate of 96%, but this number still needs to be confirmed by scientific studies. The NosmoQ has already caused quite a stir in both Japan and Korea, and it is now trying to do the same in Taiwan.

◎ Acupuncture
　　When acupuncture is used to help the smokers quit, it relies on the stimulation of pressure points to achieve effective suppression of a smoker's desire to smoke, as well as changing a smoker's olfactory perception of the cigarette smoke. The success rate is about 50%. The symptoms associated with cigarette withdrawal, such as uneasiness and agitation, are greatly reduced when treated with acupuncture. One other benefit is the absence of skin irritation caused by the nicotine patch.

◎ Hypnosis
During a hypnosis conference in Pennsylvania on November 17, 2005, Dr. Rosenberg did a demonstration on how to help smokers quit smoking with hypnosis. Dr. Rosenberg developed this technique called "Hate Treatment", which made the smokers believe that the smell of cigarette smoke is as disgusting as vomit. So far, several thousand people have successfully quit smoking this way.

Hypnosis can help the smokers to quit smoking.

◎ Sweden is developing a vaccine which blocks the transmission of nicotine to the brain.
　　 According to medical research, the reason for a person to be addictive to smoking is because the nicotine that is contained in the tobacco has a stimulating effect on the human brain, making the addiction hard to break. A Swedish pharmaceutical company is currently developing a vaccine that blocks the effect of nicotine on the human brain, which makes the smokers lose interest in smoking. Trials of this vaccine have been done on rats, and human trials are about to begin, which would reveal any side effects or undesirable traits.

◎ Germany is developing the high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation that helps smokers quit smoking.
　　 According to the newest report in Germany, when a coil is placed on the head of a smoker and after the smoker's head is subjected to stimulation of the magnetic field, the amount of tobacco usage is significantly reduce. This technology is called the high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). It may reliably help the smokers quit in the future. According to the discoverer of this technique, Dr. Peter Eichhammer, using the TMS, which has been used to treat patients with depression, to treat smokers is something that has never been done before. According to a research at the University of Regensburg, subjects who were treated for 6 hours decreased the amount of smoking substantially. After the treatment, only two subjects experienced light headache, with no other side effects noted.