![Mayo Clinic home page [logo]](/images-global/mayologo.gif)
Discover how you can help support Mayo Clinic.
Intro: Ask just about any of the 8 million people who're addicted to smokeless tobacco and they'll likely tell you: it's harder to quit chewing than it is to quit smoking. Why? One reason is that you can chew pretty much anywhere without anyone noticing. Another reason is that, unlike for smokers, no medications have shown to help chewers quit for good. Now, doctors at Mayo Clinic are studying a new product to see if it will help curb a chewer's need for that nicotine fix.
| Video | Audio |
| Total running time 1:24 | "HOLD THE LINE. LEAVE IT OPEN. THROW IT." |
Ryan Head Chewed Tobacco |
"IT'S SOMETHING WITH FISHING THAT I LIKE TO CHEW MORE." |
| VO: Ryan Head fishing with son | CHEWING TOBACCO WAS A FISHING TRIP TRADITION FOR RYAN HEAD. |
| EVEN SO, RYAN WANTED TO QUIT. HE WANTED TO BE A GOOD ROLE MODEL FOR HIS SON NATHAN. | |
| Nathan Head | "I'LL PROBABLY CATCH MORE FISH THAN MY DAD." |
VO: Ryan fishing with son |
AND RYAN WAS WORRIED THAT SMOKELESS TOBACCO WAS INCREASING HIS RISK OF ORAL CANCER AND DENTAL DISEASE. BUT EVERY TIME HE TRIED TO QUIT HE HIT A SNAG. |
| Ryan Head | "YOU GOT SOME WEEDS ON THERE DON'T YOU?" |
| FOR RYAN, NICOTINE GUM JUST DIDN'T CUT IT. SO HE DECIDED TO ENROLL IN A STUDY AT MAYO CLINIC. THERE DR. JON EBBERT AND HIS TEAM ARE TESTING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A NICOTINE LOZENGE. | |
Jon Ebbert, M.D. Mayo Clinic |
"THEY CAN PARK IT IN THERE THE SAME WAY THAT THEY PARK A CHEW AND IT SLOWLY RELEASES NICOTINE." |
Standup Vivien Williams Reporting |
EACH PERSON IN THE STUDY STARTS WITH UP TO 20 LOZENGES A DAY. THEN OVER THE NEXT THREE MONTHS THEY SLOWLY TAPER DOWN TO ZERO. |
Jon Ebbert, M.D. Mayo Clinic |
"THE PATIENTS ARE REPORTING TO US THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME KICK AS SMOKELESS TOBACCO, BUT IT REALLY HELPS THEM WITH THE CRAVING FOR CHEW THAT THEY USUALLY EXPERIENCED WHEN THEY TRIED TO QUIT PREVIOUSLY." |
| RYAN EXPERIENCED SUCCESS WITH THE LOZENGES. HE QUIT - LANDED THE BIG ONE. | |
| Ryan Head | "WHAT TYPE OF FISH IS THAT? A BASS." |
| HE STILL MIGHT HAVE THE URGE TO TAKE A PINCH NOW AND THEN. BUT IT PASSES. AND RYAN CAN TURN HIS THOUGHTS TO NATURE, THE FISH AND LITTLE NATHAN. | |
| FOR MEDICAL EDGE, I'M VIVIEN WILLIAMS. |
Tag: You might wonder if nicotine lozenges pose any type of cancer risk. Dr. Ebbert says they don't. He says nicotine it self does not cause cancer, but tobacco products do. Chewers can reduce or eliminate their risk for cancer and dental disease by switching to the safer nicotine lozenge.
After this study, Dr. Ebbert hopes to do more studies in the hopes of giving chewers an effective aid to help them kick the habit. For more information, log onto our Web site at ...
STATIONS: Per the licensing agreement, please provide a link from your station's Web site to www.mayoclinic.org/medical-edge or voice tag "mayoclinic.org/medical-edge" for more information.
.
