It is without doubt that smoking is an extremely harmful habit that is the main cause of 90% of cancer fatalities. There are over 1.1 billion people in the world who smoke and 50% will succumb to lung cancer because of inhaling toxic substances to the tune of almost 7000 of them existing in tobacco like arsenic and carbon monoxide (which displaces oxygen from hemoglobin preventing the flow of oxygen in the blood), butane, and even minute glass particles that can cut the lungs just to improve the delivery of nicotine.
Nicotine is the main cause of lung issues
The main causes of lung issues are the inhalation of all these harmful substances which result in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer. It can also lead to sever plaque deposits in arteries resulting in heart disease, congestive heart failure and ultimately heart attacks due to damaged heart and blood vessels.
Nicotine increases the stress hormone
Nicotine increases the stress hormone cortisol in the body which is bad for the immune system and can even lead to autoimmune disease. Smoking also leads to several other negative issues like insomnia, infertility, hormonal imbalances, blood sugar problems, gastrointestinal problems, and osteoporosis. In many people, nicotine becomes addictive and will cause withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop.
Smoking reduces levels of essential nutrients
Withdrawal symptoms from nicotine may cause irritability, and edginess. The addiction to nicotine is even more powerful than to drugs like cocaine as pointed out by users. But it is worth the ultimate result because smoking reduces essential nutrients and antioxidants in our blood like vitamin C, E, glutathione, ubiquinol, alpha-lipoic acid, and beta-carotene. It is also interesting to note that supplementation will not counter the effects of nicotine intake.
So how to quit smoking ?
1) Magnesium
Magnesium antagonizes the NMDA (N-Methyl-D-aspartate) that stimulate dopamine release. This helps reduce the addiction to nicotine. Magnesium also reduces nicotine’s bad effects on the NMDA by increasing GABA (Gamma amino butyric acid) synthesis which is a positive neurotransmitter that promotes relaxation. This lowers the satisfaction a smoker derives from nicotine
2) Hypnotherapy
Hypnosis is a state of altered consciousness where just particular or specific parts of reality are altered to put the person under compulsion to follow a cue from an external source such as a comment or a sound. It can influence a smoker to relate the smoking experience to something unpleasant which makes giving up even faster
3) Acupuncture
People who smoke have benefitted from acupuncture which has helped them to give up. Acupuncture by inserting needles into certain places that are directly linked to the lungs, airways, and mouth. This reduces the craving for nicotine and the taste for tobacco.
4) Exercise
Studies have shown that even working out with a moderate intensity routine for 5 minutes can create a short term reduction in the craving for smoking. Alternately, when you are trying to give up smoking and it induces stress and irritability walking is a great de-stressing exercise to calm your mind.
5) Nicotine Patch
Nicotine patches have been shown to work very well and many smokers trying to give up have found them helpful. Studies have found that the effect of the patches increase if combined with drugs like varenicline and bupropion. The doses of these medications are determined by how many cigarettes a smoker smokes in a day and how frequently they do. However never dose yourself and always consult a doctor.
6) Chewing a lime wedge
When you are trying to quit and get a craving, chew the skin of a lime wedge or lime slice. This reduces the craving because lime is rich in vitamin C which is a popular and powerful antioxidant.
6) Olfactory training
Research has found that training your olfactory senses can help you quit. Researchers made smokers smell cigarettes, rotten eggs or fish while they were in stage 2 of sleep which is non REM mode. This was done for a week after which they were found to smoke less during the training period.
7) Mindfulness
Studies on Mindfulness have shown that when you sit through a tough situation like nicotine craving or withdrawal symptoms, that helps a smoker to give up more easily. Along with mindfulness, you could also practice meditation everyday to strengthen your mind against the stress condition of quitting.
8) The one natural product that can help you quit
Did you know that if you are trying to quit smoking, then cream of tartar which is a byproduct of wine making process is very effective to eliminate nicotine out of your system? Powder tartar is also sold in chemists as a product called potassium hydrogen tartrate. It helps you quit smoking by making you dislike the taste of nicotine.
All you have to do is mix half teaspoon of cream of tartar with a glass of orange juice and drink it every night for a month. It will also reduce blood pressure and stabilize low levels of potassium in the body. Cream of tartar has additional health benefits as well such as fighting urinary tract infections too by flushing out bacteria from the system.
What happens when you quit smoking?
The moment you quit smoking, the benefits start setting in immediately. Just 20 minutes of going smoking free and your blood pressure and pulse return to normal. After 8 hours, the carbon monoxide levels in your blood decrease and oxygen rises. After the 48 hour marker, your chances off heart attack reduce and as nerve endings start regrowing, your chances of smell and taste are enhanced.
After 3 months
After 3 months, your lung function will also start to improve as circulation increase and you will breathe easier than before. After 9 months, the energy in your body increases, and symptoms such as coughs, colds andcongestion disappear. Damaged cilia in the lungs start to regrow reducing the chances of infections.
After a year
After a year, your risk of heart disease is less than 50% than that of a smoker and your risk of stroke is the same as a non smoker. After 10 years your risk of lung cancer is the same as a non smoker and the risk of various cancers such as oral cancer is greatly decreased. You will soon become a healthy person with the risk of disease the same as a non smoker.