Stop Smoking
Tools to help you quit
November 2008 | by Elaine Ambrose
Reprinted with permission from Taste For Life

When it comes to kicking the habit, everyone knows the litany of whys — the hows are another story. The third Thursday in November marks the
American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout, an event that since 1977 has encouraged smokers to quit for one day.

Why is quitting so hard?
One of three smokers dies prematurely of cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancer, and emphysema. Secondhand smoke harms nonsmokers and can cause respiratory problems in children. Smoking imperils health and vitality while thinning the wallet. A pack-a-day habit costs about two grand a year—not counting medical expenses. So why does anyone smoke?

Nicotine is as addictive as heroin or cocaine and creates physical and psychological dependency. Absorbed quickly into the bloodstream, it’s carried throughout the body, affecting the heart and blood vessels, hormonal system, metabolism, and the brain. Smokers develop not only addiction but also tolerance to nicotine, so they smoke more over time to experience the same responses.
When they try to cut down or quit, they suffer physical and mental withdrawal symptoms. These can include dizziness, depression, anxiety, sleep disturbances, lack of concentration, headaches, and increased appetite.

Ways to break free
Quitting is a two-step process. Smokers must break the physical addiction as well as the habit of lighting up. Research shows that those who use a form of nicotine replacement therapy and take part in a behavioral program are more successful
than those who go it alone.

Join a smoking cessation program for support and tips. The American Lung Association’s Freedom from Smoking program is one of these. Go to www.
lungusa.org and click “local chapters” to find a program near you. Counseling and support groups can help you identify your triggers (situations that make you light up) and cope with stress and withdrawal symptoms. Here are a few tips:

• Choose a time to quit when you aren’t under a lot of stress.
• Get fresh air and exercise every day. Walk with a buddy for support and to take your mind off smoking.
• Get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, and drink plenty of water.
• Remind yourself that withdrawal may cause you to feel irritable, fatigued, lightheaded, or anxious

Natural approaches
Some smokers have quit successfully with hypnosis. Other complementary treatments to consider include acupuncture, guided relaxation, meditation, yoga, massage therapy, and homeopathy.

Homeopathic medicines use natural substances in extremely small doses to relieve withdrawal symptoms by stimulating the body’s natural ability to heal itself. They don’t interact with other medications or cause side effects such as drowsiness or hyperactivity, and they are commonly taken as small pellets that dissolve easily under the tongue. For remedies to relieve specific symptoms, consult the trained staff in the natural foods section of your market.

Detoxify for your health
In addition to nicotine, smokers (and those forced to share their air) are exposed to pesticides used in tobacco production and chemicals added to cigarettes such as arsenic, cadmium, cyanide, and lead. While air you breathe, your body needs cleansing as well.

Elson Haas, MD, director of the Preventive Medical Center of Marin in San Rafael, California, recommends a low-fat, high-fiber detox diet. Fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, and legumes help replace protective antioxidant nutrients including beta carotene, vitamins A, C, and E, zinc, and selenium, according to Dr. Haas. Plenty of water and other liquids each day will counter the drying effects of smoking. For a detoxification diet, choose organic foods, since contaminants on conventionally grown produce may include some of the same toxic compounds you’re trying to get out of your body.