Problem is, I was healthy as a horse until I quit smoking and was sick as a dog for the 7 years it took me to make the connection between quitting smoking and getting sick. When I heard of the same thing happening to others and the ones that resumed smoking recovered I decided to try it, and it worked. Since then I've heard about a hospital in Wales that cures UC using nicotine patches. It takes a lot longer though. It's interesting that some of the people cured have never smoked.