March 9th, 2010

How to quit smoking cigarettes and save your life before its too late.

The process might be a little difficult but is not at all impossible. First thing to realize is that nicotine in tobacco products is the main reason that you develop this addictive habit.

It is a very powerful addictive drug that mixes with your blood and requires periodic replenishment.

That is the main reason why smokers constantly take puff of cigarettes for getting rid of their uneasy feeling and increase nicotine levels in their blood.

However, if you are determined to quit this habit then the urge to smoke can be overcome easily.

The act of getting into this habit might be influenced by some friend or colleague who gives this false interpretation that smoking is like a friend that helps you relax.

However, in the end you realize that the negative effects are more pronounced than short-term relaxation provided through this activity.

Once you start smoking, the chances of you quitting this habit reduce. It is only when you wake up to the call of your body and its weakness that you realize that smoking is extremely harmful for your health.

The nicotine drug in the tobacco products works as both a stimulant as well as a depressant.

Initially it might cause the heart rate to increase rapidly making the smokers extremely alert and responsive. However, as time goes by the levels of nicotine in the blood reduces which leads to the smoker feeling irritable and depressed.

Fatigue starts to come into the body and the urge to smoke another cigarette becomes impossible to control.

Experts have found out that similar to effects of heroin and cocaine there is a possibility that nicotine might lead to an even stronger addiction due to its easy availability in the markets.

However, that does not mean that you should feel disappointed or unhappy because the activity of quitting smoking is possible like millions of people who have done the same worldwide.

Keep a log where you pen down your thoughts regarding the need to quit smoking cigarettes and the approach you are taking for the same.

Once you quit smoking cigarettes, there is a possibility that your body develops that extra stamina that was missing earlier.

This helps particularly for people who take up physical work. Getting support for your activity to quit smoking cigarettes is extremely important.

Whether it is support from family, friends, colleagues, or a quit smoking cigarette club, there is always a need to communicate with others regarding your feeling and intentions when you undergo this activity.

If your mind diverts by any chance then it might be possible that they show you the direction and provide the necessary comfort. Setting up a date to quit smoking cigarettes is important.

This means that you are mentally prepared to kick the habit. The pros and cons of your decision are clearly in front of you. This is the day, which changes your life towards a better living.

Get rid of all tobacco related products from your surrounding environment whether it is office or your house. The less you are exposed to tobacco products the better it for helping your cause.

Itâ??s this simpleâ?¦ if you want to know how to quit smoking fast then you need to sit up straight and read this:

The fastest way to quit smoking is now revealed on video, and itâ??s yours free, no catches, no gimmicks, nothing. Go to http://1StopQuitSmokingProgram.com to watch it now.

March 8th, 2010

A common question from people applying for term life insurance is how smoking will affect their rates. Smoking is such a concern that it’s typically listed right in the quoting tool. Let’s look a little closer at how smoking will affect the outcome of your term life enrollment.

Why is smoking considered when applying for life insurance?

Smoking has a very significant effect on your term life rates for good reason. Life insurance is primarily concerned with mortality rates and risk. Smoking has been shown to directly correlate to this risk…especially over the long term which usually falls under the range that term life insurance handles. According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control), smoking claims 430,000 lives in the U.S. Compare this to 41,000 for automobile accidents, 19,000 for homicides, and 17,000 for AIDS. Approximately 3 million people have died prematurely since 1980 due to smoking. This is the type of information that most interests a life insurance company since its decision are based on mortality risk. There are also the other diseases associated with smoking that impact mortality risk such as heart disease, cancer, and cardio-vascular disease.

The net effect to this risk is that your rates will likely be higher for term life insurance due to smoking and/or tobacco use.

Are there differences between types of Tobacco use?
Yes and no. Depending on the carrier, they might differentiate between smoking, chewing tobacco, and even cigar smoking. It partially depends on years of use, how often used, and other health factors. Conservatively, it’s best to expect a higher rate when applying for coverage when you use any tobacco products. You want to plan your life insurance budget based on conservative information so you allow for enough coverage.

Can stopping tobacco use help?

It might. Each carrier will have different guidelines regarding how long you smoked and how long ago it has been since you stopped. As a rule of thumb, a past smoker who has not smoked in 5+ years might qualify for a Preferred Plus tier. 2-3 years would likely be Preferred and finally, if you have not smoked in the last 12 months, the Standard rating might be an option. So not only is cessation good for your health, it can benefit you financially. The simple explanation for this is that mortality risks decline if you stop smoking and continue down the longer your stay away from smoking. You can ask a life insurance carrier to re-evaluate your rates after a period of not smoking.

Honesty about smoking on the term life insurance application.

It’s critical to be honest on your application regarding smoking history. The money you save on premium won’t mean much if your policy is jeopardized later on…especially if the unforeseen happens and if you have no benefits paid out. The smarter approach is to list your accurate smoking history and then aggressively work to stop smoking with the intent of re-evaluating your rates and/or applying again at a better term life health class soon after the first policy goes into effect. Lying on a term life application is fraud and it defeats the purpose of getting coverage to begin with.

March 6th, 2010

One study found that the average smoker paid 56% more than a non-smoker. The study was based on nine of the UK’s top insurance companies and examined the premiums quoted for two men aged 30 asking for £100,000 cover over 25 years. The only difference between the application details was that one was a smoker and the other wasn’t.

Whether this is fair or not is a matter of opinion. From the point of view of the insurer, the issue is simple; smoking increases the risk of someone developing certain types of cancer and serious illnesses. If there is a potential risk, it will be factored into your premium.

Giving up smoking can reduce a person’s premium, although, to qualify as a non-smoker, most insurance companies insist that you must not have smoked or otherwise consumed any form of tobacco product during the previous 12 months. Indeed, some companies go further and extend the qualifying period to 5 years.

The life insurance industry has also recently tightened its belt on the overweight members of society. Previously, only people with a Body Mass Index of 33 or more were considered as overweight. This level has now been reduced by 16%. Now anyone with a BMI of 28 or more is likely to face premiums loaded by at least 50% and as much as 400% if you’re really obese.

Insurance companies will often ask an applicant to disclose their height and weight, and then use this information to determine their BMI. If someone’s BMI is outside what they consider normal limits, they may be asked to undergo a medical examination to confirm their health status. This is particularly important because in some cases, people with a higher BMI are not necessarily at risk – someone who is very fit, with a high proportion of muscle, may have a higher BMI because muscle is heavier than fat.

Obesity is a growing problem. Over the last 20 years obesity in adults has risen, with more than 60% of men and 50% of women being judged as overweight or obese. And signs are that the problem won’t improve. In children aged between 2 and 15, 28% of girls and 22% of boys are overweight.

Obese people are more likely to visit their GP’s surgeries and hospital clinics, and to then need treatment, than average weight patients. With the National Health Service’s cost for these ‘obesity’ patients estimated to be at £15 billion a year, it is no wonder insurance companies are becoming increasingly concerned. The simple fact is that overweight and obese people are more likely to suffer from health problems such as diabetes, stoke and heart attack.

However, insurance companies will also take a person’s age into account when determining how their BMI affects their premiums. Most people do naturally gain a little weight as they age – ‘middle aged spread’ is a fact of life that insurance companies do acknowledge. As you age, the effects of weight on premiums does reduce slightly, and insurance companies are more likely to be lenient with someone who is overweight at 55 than if someone overweight at 35.

March 6th, 2010

There are so many benefits to quitting smoking and if there was ever a time to do it, itâ??s now. The majority of people realise the health risks associated with tobacco but itâ??s also the affect it can have on your day to day life that can be detrimental without you even realising it. The effects tend to be gradual and you donâ??t notice them creeping up on you. Itâ??s amazing how much control nicotine can take over you.

As a teenager, I used to play a lot of football and played two to three times per week. I smoked but it was no big deal because it wasnâ??t doing any harm to my game. That was until I began to notice that I wasnâ??t beating defenders as easily as before and if I did manage to get passed them, they tended to be able to catch up pretty easily. I also got tired of starting a journey, long or short, and then realising that Iâ??d forgotten my cigarettes and having to turn back.

I eventually decided to quit back in April 2003 and although the benefits werenâ??t immediately apparent I began to notice some improvements. I particularly remember one occasion returning to the house and jumping over the garden wall instead of walking through the gate. It didnâ??t dawn on me right away but twelve months prior to this I would have been hard pushed to climb over the wall let alone clear it.

If you make the decision to quit, you wonâ??t regret it. There are plenty of supplements and support groups available so youâ??re not alone and itâ??s not just down to willpower. It doesnâ??t matter whether you decide to stop smoking and the end of your current pack or at the beginning of the New Year, just give it a go.

March 5th, 2010

People who say that quitting smoking is easy are actually liars. Making yourself turn away from something that you really love is really difficult. Just imagine forgetting about something that you have become dependent on (i.e. forgetting your boyfriend). This is because the chemicals contained in tobacco products are addictive.

How do these products tell us that you should love smoking? It is actually the neurological side effect of the chemical called nicotine that is the main component of cigars. Nicotine, when inhaled (just like oxygen), readily diffuses deep into our lungs and these are then absorbed into the bloodstream. Nicotine, which is carried along with blood into every part of the body, finds its way to the brain where it meets its partner (called a chemical receptor). The two interact together to release dopamine, a substance which produced by the brain which is responsible for the “good” feeling experienced by these smokers. Until eventually smokers become dependent on this substance. This is the reason why smokers find it hard to quit. So you see, being addicted to smoking is equally similar to drug addicts only to much lower level. But it doesn’t differ from much when it comes to effects (because both have life-threatening effects, of course, everyone knows that).

Quitting smoking is really a tough job. It requires a lot of discipline and courage as well as advises and proper guidance from your friends and family. A smoker who decides to quit this habit may experience certain withdrawal symptoms. Depression is the number 1 withdrawal symptom. Without the chemical that your body has become accustomed to, the brain will find ways to cope with its absence. This results to depression.

Never ever try smoking that is the number 1 way to not get hooked with it. If you are really a chronic smoker and you want to quit, the first thing to do is to decide when you will quit. Be sure to set a fixed date when and try to follow this strictly. Enumerate the reasons why you want to quit and find positive motivations for this. Health considerations would be the best motivation that you may want to consider. You may also want to do some basic exercises and cardiovascular activities. This will prepare you for the stressful consequences of quitting smoking. Consider eating only healthy foods, drinking more water and less of the bad diets (less of cholesterol and fat diet!).

With quitting, you should always “expect the unexpected”. Do not imagine that quitting is all about apples and peaches. But one thing’s for sure, all symptoms of withdrawal are temporary. They will usually last for just a week or two. That is why you don’t have to worry about this because it will definitely go away. I mentioned this already and I will mention this again, quitting is not easy. You may be unsuccessful with first  your first or second try but remember that most successful quitters obtain victory with a lot of attempts.

March 4th, 2010

If you have decided to quit smoking, there are several treatments accessible. You can go for the laser sessions, shots, or the stop smoking pill. Whatever your decision, it is the end goal that matters. Kicking the habit will help you live a better quality of life, both health wise and money wise.

When Quitting Means Winning

Successful quitters have tried going cold turkey, but have suffered the agonies of their nicotine cravings. Indeed, successfully quitting varies with each individual. Many just simply walked away from the tantalizing pack of cigarettes. They just told themselves they had to stop, which they did. They are the lucky ones. On the other hand, there are the people dying to stop smoking, but each attempt is a failure. The availability of stop smoking treatments can help them in their struggle against nicotine dependency. Since there are various treatments available, they can choose the option that will work best for them.

The Wonder Pill?

There are several stop smoking pill formulations. These work to curb cravings and eliminate much of the symptoms associated with nicotine dependency. The receptor sites in the brain are blocked by the medication, leading it to believe that you just had your nicotine fix.

The stop smoking pill medications makes it easier on the body to deal with withdrawal symptoms. Some of these preparations are taken 4 weeks before smoking cessation. By that time, the body has been strengthened to face the onslaught of nicotine withdrawal. Herbal concoctions provide natural relief for tobacco and cigarette cravings, lowers nervous tensions and irritability, and helps detoxify the body of harmful carcinogens. These are also non-habit forming, nicotine-free, and provide fast relief for withdrawal symptoms.

The chemical preparations have different effects on the brain. Zyban is recommended for chain smokers. The drug creates a chemical reaction that carries messages to the brain that you have just had a cigarette. However, alcoholics and people who have seizures are warned not to take the drug. Zyban or Bupropion at 150 mg. is an antidepressant. This explains why the effects of nicotine withdrawal are reduced. Those taking this stop smoking pill have to take one or two tablets per day. The use of nicotine sprays or patches while dosing on Zyban makes the drug doubly effective.

The Shots

Smoking cessation shots are given on the arm and behind the ears. However, the drawback of this treatment is the disregard for the psychological side of addiction. This will only work for those who have the iron will to quit.

These shots use anticholiergic drugs – scopolamine and atropine. These can cause side effects like confusion, blurred vision, dizziness, dry mouth, and difficulty in urinating. Anticholiergic drugs, when used excessively, can cause heart attacks, stroke, coma, and hallucinations. If you are thinking of the speedy effects of these shots, you have to ask your doctor’s advice.

The Smart Choice

Selecting the right treatment or stop smoking pill for nicotine addiction is not about the speed with which the drug can alleviate or eliminate the withdrawal symptoms. The smart choice is the decision to quit smoking.

Your doctor is in the best position to advice you about the type of treatment you should take. As long as you have no allergies, are physically fit, and psychologically ready for the treatment, you can take whatever treatment that will be recommended for you and triumph over your addiction.

March 3rd, 2010

The tobacco in cigarettes contains two main components – tar and nicotine. Tar is certainly a very dangerous ingredient, which causes all the diseases that cigarettes are notorious for, including the deadly cancers. Tar deposits in the lungs over time and without fail causes problems in the smoker’s system. While tar is the ingredient instrumental in inflicting the damage in the smokers body, nicotine is the main addictive ingredient.


People who get these constant cravings for cigarettes do so because of the nicotine present in them. Nicotine is a highly addictive drug, which stimulates the receptors of the brain into the sense of the false euphoria that comes with smoking. However, an excessive use of nicotine is not without its dangers. Nicotine can severely impair the brains impulses taking its toll on the mental and the sexual system of the person. Recent studies have also shown that nicotine can cause cancers apart from addiction.


One popular mode of treatment from smoking addiction is to get the person hooked to nicotine products that do not contain tar. This would at least keep the harmful effects of tar away, while the person could still satisfy his or her cravings for the nicotine. Therefore, there are so many nicotine patches, nicotine gums and nicotine lozenges available in the market. But now that the harmful effects of nicotine have also been studied, the medical fraternity is all out for vehemently refusing the use of nicotine products to stop smoking.


There are other problems associated with nicotine products to stop smoking. Nicotine is quite hazardous to people suffering from diabetes and for pregnant women, even though it is taken in the body in the form of replacement therapies. Nicotine is known to increase the levels of sugar in the blood, and can hasten the probability of heart attacks and strokes in diabetics. If pregnant women use nicotine therapies, then there is a risk that the baby born would be underdeveloped or impaired in other ways. There is also a link between nicotine and the disastrous condition you know popularly as SIDS.


Hence, nicotine replacement therapy is not all that safe as it is touted to be. That brings us to the search for another viable stop smoking alternative. People all over the world are now discovering the best stop smoking alternative that has ever been devised, and that is the herbal smoke cessation method.


The herbal way to stop smoking is a very safe method, and is also considered as one of the most effective methods for the purpose. Using a vast variety of popular herbs, formulations are prepared that serve several purposes for people addicted to smoking. They can detoxify the body of the harm smoke has done, serve as antidepressants to get rid of withdrawal symptoms and also reduce the craving for the addiction eventually.


However many enlightened people are realising that just like you would not give alcohol to an alcoholic, you probably should not give nicotine to a smokerholic either! And as a result people are turning to proven herbal alternatives quit smoking aids instead.

February 28th, 2010

Despite the dangers that smoking can bring, there are still millions of Americans who enjoy lighting up sticks upon sticks of cigarettes. In fact, figures show that about 25.9 percent of men in the United States are smokers, while about 18.1 percent of women light a cigarette regularly. Probably, if people are just made more aware of the ill-effects of smoking, then many, especially the younger generations, would find it easier to ditch this very deadly vice.

If you are a smoker or knows someone who does, it might be a good idea to continue reading the article so that you would have a better grasp of why a person needs to stop smoking cigarettes and refrain from using other nicotine-filled products as soon as possible. Those who have been chain smokers for a long time can benefit a lot from quitting now.

Impotence And Fertility Difficulties

Men who have been smoking for a long time may experience impotence. Women smokers, on the other hand, may find it hard to become pregnant. However, smokers who quit this vice can reverse the effects of impotence and infertility. Thus, before you take drugs that will help with your erection, you might first want to ditch the cigarette and see how your virility under the sheets could comeback in no time at all. The same is true for women. After quitting smoking, you will see that your chance of getting pregnant is also increased.

Lung Diseases

If there is one obvious body organ that would be affected by nicotine inhalation, it is the lungs. Even smokers know that they are more prone to lung diseases such as asthma attacks, respiratory illnesses and even cancer. However, your risk of developing lung cancer will be reduced by 30 to 50 percent after a decade of saying no to cigarette smoking. You will also find that your risk of upper respiratory diseases and infections will also be greatly reduced immediately after saying no to smoking.

Cancers

Aside from lung cancer, you can also get other types of cancer if you keep on smoking.  The other areas of your body that may be susceptible to cancer include the mouth, voice box, intestines, kidneys, pancreas, throat, and esophagus.

Stroke And Heart Attack

If you think that one stick of cigarette a day would not affect your healthy, think again. According to experts, lighting one to four sticks a day can actually raise your risk of getting a coronary artery disease. Furthermore, smokers are twice more susceptible to die suddenly than those who stay out of smoking.

However, if you stop this vice immediately, your chance of having a stroke or heart attack is decreased. If you stop smoking before you reach 50, you are also reducing by 50% your risk of dying in the next decade and a half compared to those who continue to smoke.

Dental Problems

At first glance, you will know a person who is smoking by the color of his or her teeth, mouth, and gums. More often than not, the gums of people who smoke are very dark. Aside from periodontal diseases, people who love to light cigarettes are also more likely to lose their teeth compared to non-smokers.

You may not mind having cancer or any one of the diseases enumerated above, but surely you should be afraid of early death, especially if you have family and kids to support. By quitting smoking, no matter how long or short you have been into this vice, you are going to minimize your risk of developing major health problems as soon as you say no to nicotine-laden cigarettes.

After reading the adverse effects of tobacco use, you should contemplate on ditching the vice. To help you effectively quit smoking, you might need to remove all traces of nicotine and toxins inside your body. You can do this by undergoing a cleansing program. A product that can assist you in undergoing detoxification with ease is Colpurin. For more details, just click on to http://www.colpurin.com/.

February 25th, 2010

With drugs like tobacco, marijuana etc, becoming legal in some countries youngsters are becoming more prone to drug abuse. It just a matter of trying a puff of tobacco and one completely becomes addicted to it so much so that he or she can’t imagine life without it. Over a time they become so drug dependent that they tend to suffer from health problems like indigestion and distress if they don’t consume these drugs.


It is not that people who consume drugs are unaware of its consequences but still they try it due to some self made misconception like they looks cool or smart with cigarette in their mouth, it increases there energy level and they are relieved of the stress. Nothing like this actually happens in fact opposite happens as they become liable to suffer from life threatening diseases like lung cancer, heart attacks, bronchitis and emphysema to name the few.


I would like to share some vital statistics with you people in order to emphasis how alarming it is to quit smoking to increase your life span. Smoking is responsible for more than 30% of all deaths from cancer, almost 90% of deaths from lung cancer, about a quarter of heart attack deaths. About 75% of deaths from chronic bronchitis and emphysema are also attributed to smoking. On average, smoking removes 15 years from a smoker’s expected life span which, however, is a significant part of one’s life.


One may not be very surprised to know that nearly 75% of the people active smokers want to quit but they find it difficult to say the least. However, it is not difficult to quit smoking if a person wishes to do so. The first step required in order to quit smoking is to be honest to you and stop befooling yourself. Only very few people are able to do so without assistance or medication for that matter.


Recently an anti smoking drug called chantix has been approved by FDA. It functions by blocking the brain receptors that help in continued addiction and diminishes one’s yearning to smoke. It also reduces the amount of satisfaction that one gets by smoking, doesn’t it sounds great. But unless you try it you won’t be able to realize its power so go ahead and order cheap chantix online before it is to late for your partially damaged health.

February 25th, 2010

If you happen to be a smoker and are looking for affordable life insurance, you may soon realize that high life insurance rates are just a part of life for those who use any sort of nicotine. The reason for this is simple to understand; smokers are more at risk for such things as heart disease, cancer and cardiovascular disease than are those individuals who do not smoke. The life insurance industry regards the following as tobacco products whose use may lead to you incurring higher insurance premiums:

· Pipes

· Cigars

· Nicotine Gum

· Snuff

· Chew

· Dip

· Cigarettes

· Nicotine patches

Usually, when you are applying for life insurance, the agent will inquire about your smoking habits, and ask you if you are a daily smoker, a social smoker or an occasional smoker. A daily smoker is of course, someone who smokes every day. A social smoker is a person who smokes on special occasions or when out with friends; maybe just a few times a week, while an occasional smoker is one who smokes in random situations only once a month or so. While all smokers will generally pay higher rates for life insurance than non-smokers, discounts may be available for those who are not daily smokers, as they pose less of a risk to the insurance company.

If you are a smoker and dread the thought of paying high premiums for your life insurance, you need to do a bit of comparison-shopping in order to get the best price for your life insurance policy. This research is best conducted on the Internet, where hundreds of insurance companies will provide free life insurance quotes for smokers. You should request quotes from a number of companies, then compare what each has to offer. When you are comparing each company’s quote, there are three things to be aware of: pricing, product quality and the insurance industry rating. The pricing is self-explanatory and the product quality refers to the policy itself. The insurance industry rating refers to the insurance company providing the life insurance quote, and a review of companies can be found by visiting the “Standard & Poor’s” website. Also, there are insurance companies who specifically cater to high-risk individuals. One of these insurance companies may be able to secure a lower rate for you in your insurance policy.

Even though it may be a bit time consuming, you can find affordable life insurance, even if you are a smoker. Be diligent in your research of companies and the different types of life insurance policies that are available. Who knows, maybe being faced with a high life insurance premium is the motivation you need to finally stop smoking!

Read more at the Life Insurance Information Center and receive a personal life insurance rate quote