The statistics on smoking and the effect it has in relation to dozens of health conditions have been well documented for decades. That doesn’t make it any easier to quit when you’re a smoker, does it? The patch, gum and other devices are actually sending nicotine directly into the bloodstream, and nicotine is considered to be one of the harmful chemicals found in cigarettes! These methods can work for so, but often with other costs to your health.
There are, however, safer healthier ways to quit the cigarette habit forever. I have witnessed the following method(s) to work dozens, possibly even hundreds of times by now (including for my own cigarette smoking), and most of the people I’ve known to quit in this way never went back to smoking! Sounds good, doesn’t it? Here is how you, too, can become cig-free for life!
There seem to be four main components to smoking addiction:
Chemical dependence- Cigarettes are well-known for their chemical load that is deposited into our lungs and into our bloodstream. Strangely as it seems, our bodies become dependent on this toxic load being there at fairly consistent levels. When we don’t have it coming in, we physiologically crave those toxins in our lungs and in our bloodstream. That is why so many smokers light up immediately upon awakening. Some brands of cigarettes are believed to contain hundreds of ingredients, many of which are known toxic chemicals! We think of cigarettes as rolled tobacco, but they are really so much worse.
Emotional dependence/ An attempt to reduce stress- Many people reach for a cigarette every time they feel stressed or anxious and feel that smoking takes the edge off. Initially, it does feel that way, but smoking is actually shown to significantly increase stress and anxiety levels over the long-term. So, if we don’t find other tools to handle our excess stress and anxiety, our smoking habit will likely increase those bad feelings with time.
Finger activity- Over the years, I’ve noticed that many smokers tend toward fidgeting with things, including their cigarettes. When attempting to quit, they often report that having nothing to do with their hands can be very difficult.
Breathing deeply- An interesting fact is that smokers tend to breathe very shallowly, usually taking their deepest breaths as they take that first long drag from their cigarette each time they light up. That shallow breathing does not effectively deliver oxygen to the lungs so as to oxygenate the blood and cells, nor does it allow the necessary release of toxins and carbon dioxide through their exhale. Therefore, most smokers crave a deep breath, but the brain associates this with that first drag, and we then interpret the craving as a desire for another smoke.
So, YOU’RE ready to quit? Here’s how- If you know you are ready, or nearly ready, to give up those cigarettes for good, start now, right this very moment as you read this blog post. Begin with taking a deep, calm breath and let it out completely. A little more. There you go. If you cough, thank your body for wanting to release those toxins as much as you do.
If you get stuck in traffic, need to wait in line at the grocer or feel frustrated with the boss, breathe in, slowly and deeply, then calmly exhale. Exhale a little more. Aaaahhhhh, yes. Inhale. Exhale. Now before inhaling again, stop for a just a brief moment, and then exhale some more, preferably to a brisk count of five. This helps to release those toxins, calms the spirit so as to reduce the anxiety and stress levels, and leaves more room available in the lungs for the next inhale to deliver oxygen throughout the body. I have known several people who have, often unintentionally, used this technique alone to quit and have never gone back to their former stinky little habit.
Next, you’ll want to reduce your body’s toxicity load. There are lots of detoxification products on the market. But the quality of most of them is very poor. You’ll want one that is safe and shown to work in scientific studies. This will help stop, or at least ease, the physiological cravings. We know that high quality turmeric and green tea can both work to detoxify the tar, nicotine and other toxins associated with cigarette smoking from the body. Further research has provided evidence that they work synergistically even greater than either herb does alone. Turmeric and green tea are also known to provide relief from excess inflammation, which can happen within our bodies more regularly when we’re smokers.
It is important to choose a high quality product. Please read: Quality Is Everything! Most of the turmeric and green tea products on the US market are not very pure, to say the least. Please be sure to choose a product with certified organically grown turmeric and / or green tea, whenever possible, so that you will be provided the greatest results.
There is an amazing clinical study done in India with men that were heavy smokers. This study was done with a product formerly called Smokeshield, but now renamed Supercritical Antioxidants (I know, it’s a crazy name, but the product is amazingly powerful) produced by New Chapter. It is available at most health food stores throughout the US and Europe.
A little background; the men who were chosen to be part of this study had to have smoked for at least ten years, smoked at least one pack of cigarettes a day, agreed to continue smoking throughout the entire 30 day study, and they all had blood toxicity levels that put them in jeopardy for cancer.
They took one capsule in the morning and one capsule in the evening of the Supercritical Antioxidants (Smokeshield) for 30 days. At the end of the study, their blood was tested again and their toxicity markers were down to a clinical zero! Remember, they kept smoking, so these results were no small feat!
A similar, very potent product that may also be chosen for this same detoxification purpose is made by a wonderful company called Organix South. Respiratory Support contains the organic herbs: Holy basil, turmeric, neem and long pepper to support detoxification of the lungs, blood and cells, so as to help our bodies crave fewer toxins.
Thirty days of cleaning out the toxins makes your body feel free from the murky overload. I have known several people to quit smoking during this 30 day detoxification process as they were preparing their bodies to take the big step to quit! Even though the clinical study lasted 30 days, I have always urged folks to continue to detoxify their bodies throughout the entire quitting process, and continue the process for approximately one more month for every year they have smoked in their lives. Some have reported back to me that they have continued to take the Supercritical Antioxidants, even to this day, because they appreciate the way they feel in their new, pure cleaner bodies! With the chemical exposure we are bombarded with through air, water and the food supply, this may, indeed, be a wise decision.
So, with a clean and purified body to work with, if you haven’t already, it’s time to smoke that last butt, for good! Pick the day, enjoy the last one if you want to, and don’t look back!
Now, many smokers say that the hardest part is the stress. Whether it’s accurate or not, smokers and former smokers report that, when times get really tough, the thing many want to do instinctively is to reach for a cig and take that first long drag. Well, what are you going to do instead?
Take a long deep breath, and instead of focusing on the inhale, let your attention be mainly on the completion of the exhale. Long, slow and relaxed, let it out, so that your next inhale may better nourish your nervous system’s oxygen needs. Visualize your body being cleansed with every exhale, and nourished with each inhale.
If deep breathing helps, but was not enough for your needs, here is a powerful answer for those intense emotional cravings. You may use them to quit, especially in the first four days when it’s the most difficult to deal with the stress and anxiety, but you can also use this technique anytime in the future when life feels difficult, and you feel those cravings and desires coming on, so that you don’t ever light up again!
Again, a little background. Homeopathy is a medical system designed to stimulate the body’s inner healing processes to regain harmony and balance. Homeopathy is based upon the concept that very dilute amounts of plant (or mineral) medicines can alleviate the symptoms of illnesses that very high doses of the plant (or mineral) may actually cause. This is the theory called ‘like cures like’. In Germany, homeopathy is the most prescribed form of holistic medicine, being practiced by more than 80% of all medical doctors there.
We are a culture that firmly believes and practices ‘more is better’. In homeopathy, however, the less we have of the original substance, the more potent the homeopathic remedy becomes. The milder doses are considered so safe that they may even be administered to newborns and small children without concern.
Usually, homeopathic remedies are purchased as tiny simple sugar pellets that are placed under the tongue to dissolve and easily enter the bloodstream. It is best if we don’t touch them with our hands, so they are usually placed onto a folded piece of paper, then dropped into the mouth under the tongue.
So, now that you have a functional understanding of homeopathic remedies, we can discuss dealing with the emotional cravings for a cigarette. There are several excellent homeopathic remedies that can immediately eliminate the urge for a cigarette, and they tend to work best on those emotional cravings that are so challenging to get through.
The following is a list of homeopathic remedies, in order from top to bottom according to feedback from many people I have known to use them successfully to permanently eliminate the smoking habit from their lives. At least one or two of them are available at virtually every health food store in the US and Europe. There are others, as well, but these are the ones I have used and / or seen others successfully use.
Natra-Bio’s “Stop It!”
Natra-Bio’s “Smoking Withdrawal”
King Bio’s “Smoke Control”
B & T’s (Boericke & Tafel) “Smoke Free”
Homeo-Care Stop Smoking Formula
Boiron’s “Quit Smoking Care Kit”
Replace the fidgeting with flavored toothpicks (Thursday Plantation and others are excellent and available at most health food stores), a tongue depressor, a gum stimulator or even modeling clay such as Fimo or Sculpey. This will quickly replace the fumbling with a cigarette, especially when stress levels are high, and relieve the desire to return to your former unhealthy habit.
Now, let’s address the reason for weight gain when quitting. It may be somewhat obvious. When giving up cigarettes, we often replace the need for an emotional release and something to do with our hands with eating, especially snacking. This is a bad scene for the waistline! But, not to worry …, the program above has been the chosen method of quitters I’ve known and coached all over the northeast, and weight gain has never been an issue.
So, good luck with becoming a healthier, more vibrant you! Please, once you have successfully gotten over the hump and feel your energy levels returning, send us a donation that you can now afford, possibly the amount that you would have spent on cigarettes in a week, a month or even a year, so that we may continue to provide you, your loved ones and our world community with detailed information about herbs, supplements and healthy lifestyle choices with the important details that you will not find anywhere else. Thanks. Be well.