Give yourself a shot at quitting smoking

If you're one of the 21 percent of the American public that still smokes, it's possible that you're also part of the large percentage (70 percent) that would like to quit, but for some reason can't. Fortunately, there may be good news for you on the horizon.

A new vaccine, designed to curb the urge to smoke, may be available in the U.S. Administered by injection, this new vaccine will stimulate antibodies, reducing the amount of nicotine that makes it to the brain and releases dopamine. In trials, conducted by the University of California San Francisco, 16 percent of smokers who received this anti-smoking shot put out their cigarettes for good in a year, as opposed to only 6 percent of smokers who were given placebos.

Look for the vaccine, which is tentatively being called NicVax, to be on the market by around 2012.