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.

March 2nd, 2010

There is nothing more valuable than stop smoking advice. According to advice from the Mayo Clinic, if we are thinking of quitting smoking or giving up tobacco products, we have to begin a completely new lease on life – “The better trained we are, the higher the likelihood of success.” Preparation will become our first big step, as it prepares us for the emotional distress that follows when we give up smoking. And believe me, the longer we have smoked the more distress we will have.

This is the time to begin listening to advice around us. Several sources of advice are: the anti-smoking clinics, self-help groups, family members, and friends. Through them, we will learn how make a plan, set a date, and choose the right treatment to take.

Some advice can keep us away from products whose efficacy is doubtful, or help us compare their results for helping smokers. These include various combinations of herbal supplements, vitamins, and homeopathic aids. Many smokers swear they work, and they may have – for them. But for me, it has always been best to accept the help of a professional counselor or a friend who has given up smoking. You can also ask your local doctor for help.

All of these individuals can advise you on the advantages and disadvantages of using different forms of nicotine replacement therapy. Based on this advice, we can then choose nicotine gum, a nicotine inhaler, or maybe a nicotine patch. Among other things, I have found out the importance of removing ashtrays, lighters, or any other objects that can remind me of smoking.

We can even consider an anti-smoking pill like Zyban or an anti-smoking shot that many programs recommend. We can even use some of the non-medicinal alternatives that help people to quit smoking. For instance, we can join a smoking cessation program where a counselor will use behavioral therapy to help us understand why we began smoking and stayed smoking so long, and then let the counselor help us overcome the habit. Similarly, hypnosis can increase our negative feelings about smoking, strengthening our resolve to quit. Our counselors can also tell us as to how acupuncture can help us combat withdrawal symptoms or why filters that reduce nicotine and tar are not effective solutions.

You especially stand to gain if you failed the first time. Most people that quit previously did so by stop taking their medication too early. Most people who use the free telephone quitlines know this was a bad idea before they quit, making this system the best way to stop smoking. The ACS, or 1-800-ACS – 2345 line helps people find “quitlines” help in their state or area. When smokers relapse into smoking again, they need to review their reasons it happened, and then work on a better plan for the next time around. A smoker’s goal is to find their own support system and their own techniques.

March 1st, 2010

For some reason, nicotine replacement therapy has become one of the most popular ways to stop smoking in the world today. The main principle of this method is to replace the addictive ingredient in the cigarettes, i.e. nicotine with an agent that is less harmful and less addictive. Naturally, the replaced substance must be similar to nicotine in taste, or it would not be an ideal replacement at all.


In most cases, the Indian tobacco, i.e. lobelia is used. Indians have been smoking beedis (i.e. herbal cigarettes with lobelia wrapped in betel leaves) for centuries, without any addiction. Also, these herbal cigarettes do not contain any tar. Nicotine replacement therapy uses several products such as lozenges, gums, cigarettes, patches, etc. with substances similar to nicotine.


The main intention of the substances used in all kinds of nicotine replacement therapy is certainly to gradually wean away the person from the addiction and protect him or her from pumping dangerous tar and carbon monoxide in the body. They have attained a degree of success and popularity too, and indeed doctors have also been prescribing these methods for hardened smokers.


But the fact remains that with nicotine replacement therapies, the person is not actually kept away from nicotine. In some cases – such as the nicotine patches – nicotine itself could be used in the therapy. If that is done, then the person does not really get deaddicted at all. Tar is prevented from entering the body, but the addiction to nicotine could persist. There is a very high chance that the person may revert to active smoking as soon as he or she stops using the nicotine patch.


In short, a person on a nicotine patch may have to wear it for life. Then there are other problems too. Nicotine patches can cause irritation of the skin. That could be a reason why its use could be discontinued. Some people have also experienced nightmares and vivid dreams when on the nicotine patch. So, it is not guaranteed that nicotine patches and nicotine replacement therapies may actually work.


Even medications cannot be considered as very effective ways to stop smoking. All medications that are used for smoke cessation nowadays, such as buproprion and varenicline, are nothing more than antidepressants. These medications would help smokers to resolve their anxiety pangs that occur when they are giving up smoking, but they do not actively dissuade the person from smoking. Also, they cannot repair the organs already damaged by the smoke. Doctors would not recommend antidepressants to everybody because several conditions of the body may make their use dangerous. Old people and pregnant women, for example, must not take antidepressants at all.


With such disfavor for most smoke cessation methods that exist today, the herbal remedies are making their presence felt as effective ways to stop smoking. These are made from natural herbs, which do not have side-effects on the body, and can be used by most people, even with health conditions. Herbal remedies wean people away from their addiction and also repair the damage that has been caused in their body due to long years of smoking.


Several herbal ways to stop smoking are popular today, like the SmokeRX, which is a kit of herbal supplements aimed at bringing results within as less as seven days. Hundreds of herbal remedies are available today, and they are also showing good results. Herbal remedies work because they address all the problems smoking causes, and do not target just one of the problems. They can be used against the addiction, depression as well as for the repair of the tissue and cell damage already caused.

February 28th, 2010

First of all, a smoker must really want to stop. He needs strong motivation. Many smokers fail to quit because of doubt-they doubt their ability to succeed.

Can the various antismoking programs and chemical preparations aid in quitting? Evidently they have helped some. There’s nothing magical about it. If you don’t want to stop, nothing is going to work.

The Will To Stop

Success depends almost wholly on the smoker’s determination and will to stop. Without this determination, no antismoking remedy will succeed. But with it, a person can quit without paying for some expensive antismoking remedy.

For many, constantly reminding themselves that smoking is deadly has provided them the will. Some antismoking programs cultivate this fear, emphasizing the terrible damage smoking does to the body.

Aids In Giving Up Smoking

Keep in mind all the reasons for giving up smoking. Write them down and refer to them often. Is it your health that you are most concerned about? The health of your family who are breathing in your secondary smoke? The high cost of smoking? The fact that it is a dirty habit, and your breath and body smell of nicotine?

Supportive friends, especially ones who themselves have conquered the smoking habit and can therefore affirm that it can be done, are valuable aids. So seek out such friends. Let them know of your decision to stop smoking, and ask for their support. Or, give up with a friend or relative. That way you can support each other to stay smoke free.

What is the best way to stop? Is it by reducing the number of cigarettes consumed each day, thereby gradually quitting? Or is it by setting a day and stopping abruptly on that day?

Contrary to what many think, a comprehensive study of ex-smokers showed that smokers are better able to overcome withdrawal symptoms by stopping suddenly. Researchers have found that cutting down slowly may actually prolong smokers’ agony by intermittently reinforcing their symptoms and smoking behavior. This will often lead to relapse and a return to smoking.

Some suggest picking a date to stop and sticking to it. It doesn’t matter which date, but choosing a date will help you to prepare yourself.

The first few days after quitting may be the most difficult. So, as an aid, think about the benefits of not smoking. One is the money saved. It can amount to quite a lot! Try putting the money you`d spend each day in a pot or box and see how much it amounts to after a week. Write down something you want to spend that money on. Set it aside and buy it for yourself when you’ve achieved your goal.

With strong determination, many smokers have quit for a week or so, enduring the initial agony of withdrawal. But, a difficult phase begins, usually starting between the first and the third week. So the battle needs to continue!

Whenever you feel a need for a cigarette, breathe deeply two or three times. Keep oral substitutes handy. Pop into your mouth things like raisins, nuts and sunflower seeds, or eat carrot and celery sticks, or chew gum. Drink more fluids-wholesome drinks such as fruit or vegetable juices or just plain water. Also, arrange for a more balanced diet.

Getting more exercise can be a real aid. Perhaps try activities such as jogging, tennis, cycling or swimming. Find something you enjoy and stick to it, especially when you’re feeling vulnerable. If you enjoy gardening, get out and work on the garden. If you enjoy decorating go do some work on the house; take a bath; do something to take your mind away from smoking. Get plenty of rest. Go to bed early so as to avoid nervous fatigue. Concentrate on learning to relax.

Avoid past triggers to smoking, like hanging around certain friends, being in a smoky environment. Even for a while after quitting try to avoid temptations if your friends or colleagues smoke. Alcohol is a common gateway so you may need to restrict your alcohol consumption.

Each day you don’t smoke is another day closer to kicking the habit for good, and you are nearer victory.

If you really want to, you can stop smoking!

February 28th, 2010

If you are reading this article then you are most likely a smoker who has at least considered the possibility of quitting. There are a great many quit smoking programs, products, and techniques available, one of them being the NicoCure quit smoking patch. Smokers often have varying reasons for wanting to quit such as improving their health, increasing their lifespan, being around to take care of their families, or just to avoid the harassment that todays smokers often receive from the anti-smoking sector. An ideal quit smoking product would be all natural with no dangerous drugs, does not use nicotine substitutes, has a high success ratio, and controls the dreaded nicotine withdrawal symptoms. NicoCure claims that it does all these things and this article looks at the validity of these claims and investigates whether the NicoCure quit smoking patch really does help people quit smoking.

The NicoCure quit smoking patch uses an all natural herbal based remedy that contains the extract of Lobelia Inflata which is a North American herb that is said to improve the respiratory tract of anybody that takes it. In addition to helping to clear the lungs, it is said that Lobelia will remove all cravings in as little as 10 days but may take up to 30 days to be completely effective. The manufacturer of NicoCure also makes an interesting claim that if a smoker lights up while wearing the patch, the Lobelia extract will interact with the tobacco and make the taste extremely unpleasant giving further incentive to quit smoking. Being an all natural herbal extract, the NicoCure patch does not contain any nicotine.

Many quit smoking cures rely on nicotine replacement to curb the smokers cravings while trying to quit and to many people this philosophy may appear ludicrous. After all, it is the nicotine that the smoker is addicted to and it should be the goal of a quit smoking program to remove the nicotine addiction instead of replacing it with a different source such as gums and nicotine patches. Many smokers who use some type of nicotine replacement therapy often fail to quit mainly because while they may quit the smoking habit for awhile, they never break the powerful nicotine addiction. It is even said that some people who do manage to quit smoking remain addicted to the cure and cant quit using the gum or nicotine patches.

Obviously, nicotine withdrawal can be very unpleasant causing symptoms such as irritability, weight gain, nervousness, and insomnia and is the main reason that many smokers trying to quit give up. The NicoCure quit smoking patch claims that it will reduce these terrible cravings as soon as you begin wearing it and completely remove them within 10-30 days, all without using any nicotine or other drugs. The manufacturer says that NicoCure utilizes the healing properties of its all natural herbal formula to completely eliminate the smokers body of its need for nicotine. This sounds great but does it really work?

The NicoCure team says that the quit smoking patch was extensively researched and tested for 10 years and claims a quit smoking success rate of 97% compared to around 20% for nicotine replacement programs. It comes with a 30 day money back guarantee for those that dont find it to work as claimed. NicoCure claims that there is nothing similar to its quit smoking patch available on the market today. The manufacture says that it has developed its own special blend of herbal extracts concentrated to allow the use of only 1 patch while other herbal remedy products require you to take 3 or more formulas each day just to achieve the same potency of NicoCure.

As with most quit smoking programs and products, NicoCure makes claims that may seem too good to be true. NicoCure claims a very high success rate but then most products that are trying to make a sale make the same claim and if all products worked as well as claimed, there would be very few smokers left in the world. While it is hard to substantiate the claims of most quit smoking programs including NicoCure, testimonials show that many people have benefited from this program and it may very well work for you as well.

February 27th, 2010

While popular in Europe and Canada for over 22 years, laser smoking cessation treatments have only gained popularity in the US for about 5 years.


Clinical trial studies are currently being conducted in the US, with several cold laser manufacturers. One manufacturer has submitted substantial clinical trial records to the FDA for possible clearance. If approved, it will be the first laser in the US to be cleared as a quit smoking laser, making it an approved medical device.


It is now relatively easy to become smoke free with just one or sometimes two, fast, painless and non-invasive cold laser treatments. Some cold laser clinics are boasting an 85+ percent success rate for smoking cessation. Even with an apparent lack of fully accepted, FDA approved data, tens of thousands of smokers have given their two thumbs up to this method of treatment for over two decades.


With over 46 million smokers in the US, there is no doubt that people will be lining up in groves once these quit smoking laser treatments become mainstream. Lighting up while driving, after eating, after sex, and when stressed, nervous or bored, has a calming effect that smokers expect and enjoy. Thanks to a rush of endorphins such as dopamine and serotonin, smoking can make you feel good, however due to nicotine it can be highly addictive.


The Curse & “Cure” of the Nicotine Addiction.

The addictive components of smoking cigarettes are tri-fold: physical, mental and emotional. The cold laser treatment addresses the physical addiction most effectively, through its stimulation of the secretion of endorphins. It also exhibits a balancing and calming effect on the body and mind, which lingers sometimes for weeks. The most effective laser addiction treatment clinics offer support and incorporate a rounded program, which also addresses the mental and emotional components of smoking, including relationship to foods, caffeine, alcohol and costs associated with smoking vs. saving.


The highly addictive act of smoking cigarettes bombards the body with over 6000 chemicals, tars, odors, carcinogens and toxins that contribute to it being an extremely high health risk. The facts are in and the results show that cigarettes are the cause of over 1,200 deaths daily in the US, or 438,000 deaths annually. To prevent or avoid disease and premature death, quitting smoking is the #1 best decision one can make.


Smoking Cessation Options:

The options for helping to quit smoking include, pills, patches, hypnotherapy, acupuncture, counseling and cold laser therapy. All of these methods will work to some degree, however growing evidence suggests that cold laser therapy offers an impressive 85% success rate. The suggestion that laser smoking cessation therapy lacks supportive scientific data has been shot down by the thousands of satisfied, now ex-smokers.


Many people who were two or three pack a day smokers for 20-40 years report that they were able to easily quit smoking after just one laser treatment. Laser smoking cessation has been used at a steadily increasing rate throughout the world for over 22 years. Perhaps the tobacco companies are playing a role in preventing such an effective method from becoming mainstream in the US. After all, who has the most to lose by it being easy to quit smoking?


The Smoking Cessation Process with Cold Laser Therapy.

To quit smoking with cold laser therapy is easy. Here is how it is done. You find a certified cold laser clinic, pay an agreed upon fee of generally $195 to $400, and fill out an informed consent form that shows that you are participating in a clinical trial study.


An Investigational Review Board (IRB) keeps track of many clinical trial studies. It’s the studies, which are what will eventually make it possible for the FDA to finally start approving laser therapy for quitting smoking, as a medical device for mainstream use. It’s only a matter of time before using lasers for smoking cessation will be commonplace worldwide.


Now back to the treatment room. Just sit back in a comfortable chair and relax as a trained laser clinician treats key acupuncture points of the ear, face, hands and wrists. The treatment is completely painless and the laser is extremely safe, often referred to as a cold laser because it produces a specific laser beam at an intensity that will never heat or damage tissue.


The procedure is quite calming and only takes about 30 minutes to perform. The points used are based on the 5000 year-old practice of Chinese acupuncture, however when treated with the correct type of laser, gives smoking cessation results in often one or two treatments rather than 6-10 treatments with needles.

February 23rd, 2010

Smoking facts read like fiction! Deaths due to smoking contribute a great deal to population control, even though this is a negative way to control population! You can read the warning printed on the cigarette packs: “Smoking is injurious to health.”

If we take an all-world picture, the statistics of deaths due to smoking looks like fantasy. But, who will give up smoking on the basis of statistics? They all know it. They desperately want to give up smoking, both from the health point of view and the financial point of view!

The topmost among the New Year Resolutions, is to give up smoking! Every year, for the last several years! Hope you have understood!

Why it is so difficult to give up smoking? Ask nicotine!

Smoking is an addiction. Since tobacco smoke contains this poisonous element, a near-impossible addictive substance to give up, the smoker’s plight is not condemnable, but pitiable!

But what is the fault of indirect smokers— the passive smokers? The smokers are providing free passports to them as well. And it is indeed a pity that this white-color crime goes unpunished!

Think of the family! There is every chance of children taking to the smoking habit, if the father is smoking. What a way to preserve unity in the family!

And what about women smoking, indeed pregnant women? Knowing well that it would badly affect the health of the baby that would be born! What a height of unconcern?

Therefore, tendering any amount of statistics, whether 4,000,000 die every year in the USA or 14,000,000 (this is a hypothetical figure) all over the world due to smoking is going to move which heart? Which Government? Can the UNO do something to stop this undeclared war?

The efforts to control smoking are all paper projects! Paper tigers! Can something tangible be done to save the situation? Perhaps no, with the present set of rules to protect the smokers and the strong lobby of tobacco manufacturers!

February 23rd, 2010

Quit smoking laser therapy has been touted as a simple pain free and successful way to stop smoking. However there is some controversy over laser therapy to stop smoking.

But first, what is quit smoking laser therapy?

Laser therapy to stop smoking has been around for quite a number of years. It is, according to those who practice it, the application of low level laser to the acupuncture points in the body to stimulate the nerve endings which in turn produce endorphins.

And this, it is claimed, is a way to help smokers to kick those cigarettes and stop smoking. The release of endorphins help relieve the stressful effects of nicotine withdrawal and make it easier to kick the tobacco habit. The physical cravings are reduced and the stress of the addiction withdrawal are reduced.

This low level laser treatment is combined with counselling in most cases, and it is the overall treatment which results in tobacco addiction sufferers being able to quit smoking according to those who offer low level laser treatments for stopping smoking.

It is claimed by some practitioners that one half hour laser therapy session can be enough to be successful for getting a large number of people stopping smoking. Others claim no more than a few sessions should be sufficient.

It is, of course, quite expensive to undertake this quit smoking laser therapy, given that the actual amount of face to face time is quite limited.

I don’t intend to tell you here whether quit smoking laser therapy works or not. That’s for a number of reasons, particularly that I don’t have sufficient evidence to tell you either way. However I do intend to alert you to the fact that there is quite some doubt over the technique, and there are those who maintain that it does nothing at all to assist people to quit smoking.

Unfortunately it seems that there is little published and publicly available scientific evidence on the efficacy of using low level laser therapy for stopping smoking. Although the laser clinics claim scientific evidence it is difficult to find any, and they do not offer links on their websites to the papers published by the scientists who have studied this laser therapy. The author has been unable to find any authoritative published studies, and there are plenty of others who claim this lack of any supporting evidence means that, currently at least, laser therapy to stop smoking has to be viewed as unproven.

For example, in 2006, the US consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to stop 5 US quit smoking laser treatment companies from claiming that low level laser therapy is successful in helping people stop smoking. It is not approved by the FDA as an anti smoking treatment, although it is as a pain relief treatment.

And I document on my website a range of other sources all of which suggest that stop smoking laser therapy is a fraud or close to.

Even the companies which market laser therapy will admit to it being “experimental”.

For those in the grip of a serious nicotine and cigarette addiction it isn’t easy to find a way forward to combat that addiction and to stop smoking successfully. However anyone who opts for laser therapy as a means to stop smoking should understand that it isn’t currently scientifically proven to work.

February 22nd, 2010

Quit smoking laser therapy has been touted as a simple pain free and successful way to stop smoking. However there is some controversay over laser therapy to stop smoking.

But first, what is quit smoking laser therapy?

Laser therapy to stop smoking has been around for quite a number of years. It is, according to those who practice it, the application of low level laser to the acupuncture points in the body to stimulate the nerve endings which in turn produce endorphins.

And this, it is claimed, is a way to help smokers to kick those cigarettes and stop smoking. The release of endorphins help relieve the stressful effects of nicotine withdrawal and make it easier to kick the tobacco habit. The physical cravings are reduced and the stress of the addiction withdrawal are reduced.

This low level laser treatment is combined with counselling in most cases, and it is the overall treatment which results in tobacco addiction sufferers being able to quit smoking according to those who offer low level laser treatments for stopping smoking.

It is claimed by some practitioners that one half hour laser therapy session can be enough to be successful for getting a large number of people stopping smoking. Others claim no more than a few sessions should be sufficient.

It is, of course, quite expensive to undertake this quit smoking laser therapy, given that the actual amount of face to face time is quite limited.

I don’t intend to tell you here whether quit smoking laser therapy works or not. That’s for a number of reasons, particularly that I don’t have sufficient evidence to tell you either way. However I do intend to alert you to the fact that there is quite some doubt over the technique, and there are those who maintain that it does nothing at all to assist people to quit smoking.

Unfortunately it seems that there is little published and publicly available scientific evidence on the efficacy of using low level laser therapy for stopping smoking. Although the laser clinics claim scientific evidence it is difficult to find any, and they do not offer links on their websites to the papers published by the scientists who have studied this laser therapy. The author has been unable to find any authoritative published studies, and there are plenty of others who claim this lack of any supporting evidence means that, currently at least, laser therapy to stop smoking has to be viewed as unproven.

For example, in 2006, the US consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen petitioned the FDA to stop 5 US quit smoking laser treatment companies from claiming that low level laser therapy is successful in helping people stop smoking. It is not approved by the FDA as an anti smoking treatment, although it is as a pain relief treatment.

And I document on my website a range of other sources all of which suggest that stop smoking laser therapy is a fraud or close to.

Even the companies which market laser therapy will admit to it being “experimental”.

For those in the grip of a serious nicotine and cigarette addiction it isn’t easy to find a way forward to combat that addiction and to stop smoking successfully. However anyone who opts for laser therapy as a means to stop smoking should understand that it isn’t currently scientifically proven to work.

February 19th, 2010

just curious if a corncob pipe will work or if i have to go buy another.