According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there are more than 1.1 billion people who smoke cigarettes, so in 90% of the cases, smoking is the reason for lung cancer deaths.
While smoking, you inhale over 7,000 ingredients like arsenic butane (lighter fluid), carbon monoxide, and tiny glass particles.
How Smoking Affects Your Health?
Smoking is associated with lung illnesses, including lung cancer or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Inhaling this poisonous chemical can cause heart diseases as a result of raised plaque deposits, such as congestive heart failure and heart attacks.
Nicotine can increase cortisol (the stress hormone), which can increase our DHEA (dehydroepiandrosterone) hormone and suppress the immune system.
Smoking can also cause:
Osteoporosis
Infertility
Blood sugar issues
Insomnia
Hormone imbalance
Nicotine crosses the brain barrier and releases dopamine that causes pleasant feelings, so smoking becomes addictive very quickly.
Actually, when these symptoms increase, you will want more nicotine to get the same desired feeling. Many people are not aware of this, but nicotine is a highly addictive drug, so quitting smoking can be harder than quitting cocaine or heroin.
These detrimental effects can be due to the decrease of antioxidants like E and C, beta-carotene, alpha-lipoic acid, ubiquinol, and glutathione. Smoking can cause additional free radicals and gather oxidant species.
Chronic stress can reduce B vitamins and magnesium.
However, the supplements can’t replace the damage caused by smoking. The fruits contain many nutrients that can be only absorbed if you eat the whole food because they are rich in minerals and vitamins.
How to Stop Smoking?
We highly recommend you to stop smoking completely since that is the best for your health. However, there are a few methods that can prevent you from the withdrawal symptoms that you may deal with, whether they are physical or emotional.
1. Physical Activity
Moderate-intensity training on a daily basis can reduce your desire to smoke and the tobacco withdrawal symptoms.
2. Nicotine Patch
This is a known method that is used to help people overcome their cigarette addiction. If combined with drugs such as varenicline and bupropion, the patch can have even more lasting effects.
A study claims that dose of 44-mg per patch can provide short-term results. However, it made more unfavorable effects compared to the 22-mg patch, over a period of 4 weeks.
3. Acupuncture
Even though there needs to be done a further research, acupuncture is a method that can affect the nerves, lungs, and airways which in turn will reduce the cravings for cigarette and desire to smoke.
It is considered that after one month of therapy, every other week, acupuncture can lead to smoking cessation.
4. Hypnotherapy
Hypnotherapy connects smoking with unpleasantness like dryness, and poor health outcome. According to some studies, it can cause long-term smoking cessation.
It can be explained as the state of consciousness. You feel compelled to follow bypass aspects of reality and signs from an outside source.
5. Magnesium
Magnesium can arouse NMDA receptors, responsible for dopamine release, thus helping you reduce your tobacco addiction.
It can improve GABA (the relaxing neurotransmitter) which in turn will lower the effect of nicotine in NMDA receptors. Epsom salt bath or NaturalCalm powder is the fastest and easiest way to absorb the magnesium
6. Olfactory training
According to a study that involved smokers who were exposed to the smell of cigarettes and rotten eggs, or fish, in Stage 2, non-REM sleep in contrast to other kinds of sleep. The results showed that the individuals smoked less during the rest of the week.
7. Lime
Whenever you feel some cravings, just take slices of lime. Lime is a great source of vitamin C and antioxidants that help curb cravings.
Lime can be a great replacement for 2-4 mg of nicotine gum, but it can’t provide the same results in reducing the cravings.
8. Mindfulness
Practicing to overcome a difficult period is an effective method that helps people during cravings or withdrawal symptoms. It provides long-term effects.
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