By Diane Small
Congratulations! If you’re reading this, it’s very likely that you’ve decided to quit smoking. And making that decision is the first step to regenerating yourself back to improved health and fitness.
They say it’s one of the hardest things for most people to do, but quitting smoking isn’t impossible–and what’s more, quitting smoking is the single most important step smokers can take to improve their health. By kicking the habit, you will almost immediately:
- lower your risk of cancer and heart disease
- reduce inflammation in the body
- improve circulation
- improve the absorption of nutrients
- improve the quality of your skin
- reduce the number of free-radicals attacking your body
amongst many other benefits. How awesome is that? You’ll smell better, too!
The first thing you need to quit is determination. You have to really want to quit. But given how smokers have become social pariahs these days, coupled with the cold, hard fact that smoking is THE most important cause of not only lung cancer but heart disease, well–you’d be crazy to keep puffing away.
Some people can quit cold turkey, whilst others need to wean themselves off the weed. There are physical withdrawal symptoms you may experience as well as some mental ones, too. Should you find yourself tempted to get back into the habit, try ringing a support line in your local area (just use Google to find ‘stop smoking support’) or find a friend who’s quit and call them for support when needed.
As your body is about to undergo an important detox process, we’d suggest going as natural as possible to help gently ease yourself into a new, healthier way of living. Drink lots of pure water, eat lots of fresh fruit and veg, and follow these 7 natural ways to quit smoking. You’ll be very, very glad you did!
1. Get hip to hypnosis
Hypnosis can be very helpful, and apparently works best on men. A study by Scott and White Memorial Hospital in Texas followed smokers who underwent eight hypnotherapy visits over a two-month period, at the end of which 40 percent had quit. With a good hypnotherapist, even one session can have an impact — but you need to really want for it to work.
2. Get on point
When you try to quit smoking, your brain isn’t happy. It reduces the feel-good chemicals that smoking induces, and that makes you cranky and irritable. Fortunately, acupuncture produces serotonin in the brain, and it can be used to reduce all sorts of cravings. Acupuncture works best if you get treatment the day you quit or within the first 72 hours. Get it done around your ear and after a total of six treatments, you have a 30 percent chance of kicking the weed for good
3. Give yourself a hand
You can easily use this technique to supplement any other therapy you’re trying: two minutes of self-massage. Just gently rub each ear between your fingers for 1-2 minutes a day while you’re at work, watching TV, or better yet, get someone else to do it to you! Feels good, keeps your hands busy, and should reduce your cravings, too.
4. Don’t sniff at aromatherapy
According to Jane Buckle’s Clinical Aromatherapy – Essential Oils in Healthcare, there have been several studies done on the effects of essential oils on nicotine cravings. In the most recent study published in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 20 people who were daily users of nicotine products were divided into two separate groups and given an essential oil (either black pepper or angelica) and given instructions to place one drop of essential oil on a tissue and inhale this for two minutes (roughly the amount of time it takes to smoke a cigarette) whenever they felt the urge to use tobacco. Results showed that both essential oils effectively curbed cravings, black pepper oil was far more effective. Why? Apparently, the vapour of black pepper essential partially reproduces the sensations experienced when smoking, thereby reducing the craving for cigarettes. Results showed that both essential oils effectively curbed cravings, black pepper oil was far more effective. No wonder most people have discovered the benefits of vaping aromatherapy oils using vaping devices. It is a healthier option and has been found to be very effective to completely kick out the bad habit of smoking.
5. Herbal help
Healthy Choice Naturals and The Organic Pharmacy have created herbal supplement kits designed to help smokers quit. In the case of the latter brand, their kit is made up of three distinctive components, including Ashwagandha Complex, Super-Antioxidant Capsules and Tabaccum Complex, which work in synchronicity to help fight addiction and support the body in the stressful adjustment period.
St. John’s Wort is also thought to be able to reduce cravings as well as the incessant edginess some experience when trying to quit smoking. You’ll need 2-3 weeks for the effects of the herb to start building up in the brain, so take it 2 weeks before you decide to quit. A tincture is probably the most potent form of the herb you can buy–add it to tea or just put drops on your tongue as directed.
6. Slap on a (homeopathic) patch
The theory behind homeopathy is based on the premise that certain natural substances can stimulate the body’s own healing systems, allowing the body to heal itself. It’s a unique system of medicine that uses ingredients at levels that are generally understood to be non-toxic, with no negative side effects. Homeopathic herbal ‘stop smoking’ patches abound, and include natural ingredients like Black Spruce, Lung Wort and Evergreen bark to help build up lung strength and reduce cravings.
7. If all else fails, should you vape?
Heavy smokers miss the ritual of smoking, and often think vaping is a less harmful alternatives to traditional smoking. But is it, really?
E-cigarettes work by delivering a nicotine hit after heating an e-liquid until it’s vaporised. This avoids the tar and other carcinogens usually associated with breathing smoke–but you’re still feeding a nicotine habit.
About 2.6 million British adults have used an e-cigarette since they’ve come on the market. Most scientists say they’re safer than smoking tobacco, but the study that proves that is flawed: the medical journal The Lancet pointed out that claims that vaping is ’95 per cent safer’ than traditional smoking come from a 2014 study — which was conducted by scientists in the pay of e-cigarette manufacturers themselves.
Please point the underlined text to http://www.davincivaporizer.
In addition, the Lancet revealed that claims that findings published last year in the European Addiction Research journal last year that gave cigarettes a ‘harm score’ of 99.6 per cent, compared with a ‘harm score’ of just 4 per cent for e-cigarettes was misleading: three of the study’s 11 authors had disclosed in the original paper that they had roles advising the e-cigarette industry. The journal’s editors went further, printing a ‘potential conflict of interest’ warning next to the paper.
So no surprise the World Health organisation called for an indoor ban on e-cigarettes due to fears they might even harm non-users. It seems e-cigarettes are not wholly risk-free, and they should only be used if all other natural methods fail.
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Excellent, inspiring and very useful article.Want more.
I will let my husband try and see if its works on me or no
Quit smoking with vaping there are 3 major reasons in your life that will ensure that you’ll never look back on this decision. Vibrant life. Get your health back. finances. Save money. The people you love.