Tobacco smoking causes many health effects such as cancers, heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, and lung disease. Even on the cigarette package, a warning label states, "Warning: The Surgeon General has determined that cigarette smoking is dangerous to your health." Yet many people still smoke even they know smoking may kill them.
Recent tobacco company documents showed that cigarette manufacturers were aware of the dangers of the tobacco products. They have concealed the evidence about the hazards of smoking for decades. Being profit minded, they continue to market cigarettes and cigars regardless of health warnings. American Lung Association reported that the U.S. economy spent nearly $100 billion in smoking-related health care.
So, are you under the thumb of tobacco? If yes, now is time for you to discover the disturbing health facts about smoking.
Is there a safe way to smoke?
Tobacco smoke in any quantity regardless of brands can harm your body. You may cut down to one stick a day but you are still at risk of cancer, heart disease and early death.
Even changing your preference to low tar and nicotine cannot save you. To reach the previous nicotine effect, you smoke even more.
The amount of tar in the cigarette is not the issue. No medical evidence yet to show that smokers of low-tar cigarettes have lower risk of lung cancer.
Can nicotine cause cancer?
Although smoking accounts for almost 90% of lung cancers, nicotine is not the culprit but it can promote cancer growth. The other chemicals in the cigarette and cigars are responsible for causing cancer. Nicotine only make you addicted.
Why it gets more difficult to quit smoking?
Regardless of brand, the overall nicotine content in cigarettes increases by about 10 percent in the last six years. You find it more difficult to stop smoking because your nicotine tolerance increases. If you are looking for a way to quit smoking without relying on nicotine replacement therapies you must check out Deadly Puff. It would be a great place to start. When it comes to finding the best way to give up tobacco use, this site is just unbeatable. It is a great resource that can calm smokers' cravings and irritability.
What makes tobacco smoke dangerous?
Most American cigarette manufacturers use processed tobacco sheets instead of natural leaf tobacco. The chemicals in the tobacco sheets control the type of tars produced by the smokers. The tar in the tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 chemicals of which over 60 have been identified to cause cancer. Plus it emits poisonous gases such as nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide.
If you have not smoked before, then don't think about starting now. The health effects of smoking that we talked about should be motivated enough for you to quit. When you finally succeed to give up cigarettes, your life will be extended by additional years.
Many smokers claim they have successfully quit smoking through laser therapy. National Health Service funded studies have shown laser smoking cessation as one of the most effective ways available for smokers who want to beat nicotine addiction. In Europe and Canada, smokers have been using this treatment for over 30 years to give up tobacco dependence. A few years ago, Dr Jim Radford of the New Beginnings Laser Institute conducted clinical trials in Grand Rapids, Michigan to test its effectiveness to break smokers' cravings for nicotine.
However, the FDA has not approved this procedure until today and it is not a cure for nicotine addiction. Yet many laser therapy centers are still making laser treatment smoking cessation available to cigarette smokers to break their habits.
This treatment using laser concepts and laser technology may be the answer for you to free yourself from nicotine addiction.
How Does Laser Smoking Cessation Work?
It works like an acupuncture but without needles. It removes the nicotine from your body quickly and leaves you with no withdrawal symptoms.
It stimulates acupuncture points in the ears (auricular points), forearm (meridian points), nose, wrists, and hands. By treating specific auricular or pressure points, it helps the digestive and lymphatic systems to purge toxic wastes from the body. This releases endorphin to stop your urges for nicotine, cause you to relax, and reduce the withdrawal symptoms. Endorphin, a brain chemical, helps you to relieve from pain and stress.
The whole process take about 20-30 minutes to become smoke free. Throughout the treatment, you feel relaxed and pleasant. Most of the times, you fall asleep. At the end of the session, you should immediately have no desire for nicotine. With only three to five treatment sessions, you can kick your nicotine addiction.
Safety Guidelines When Using Laser Treatment To Stop Smoking
This low powered, non-invasive laser technology present no health danger to the smokers provided they wear protective eyewear. Just like any medical procedure, this treatment should follow normal precautions.
The FDA only classifies low-level laser therapy devices as non-significant risk medical devices for pain therapy. To be safe, make sure the clinics use FDA approved therapeutic or cold lasers.
Although the treatment does not pose any downsides to smoker's life, make sure that a trained technician is operating the equipment.
Forget about your past failures in attempting to quit smoking. Research shows that smokers who use more than two smoking cessation strategies enjoy greater chances of success by more than double. Low-level laser therapy may be the medicine of the future to combat nicotine dependency. It is completely safe with no side effects, painless, and drug-free. Best of all, you may experience either no or little withdrawal symptoms when you zap the smoking habit.
As you set your quit date, you puff your last cigarette with a determination to get rid of the smoking habit for good. The interesting part during the process of quitting smoking is the events that happen during and after 8 hours. Let's look at bright sides first.
After 8 hours, the carbon monoxide and nicotine levels in your blood drop by 50%. The reduction of carbon monoxide causes the oxygen levels in your blood increases until they reach the normal level. As a result, your blood circulation begins to improve. You start to feel healthier than before. You also breathe easier because the mucus begins to clear out the lungs.
Now the worst part is that during the 8 hours, you may be craving crazily for cigarettes. During that time, you can only think of smoking and nothing else. Some smokers testified that the first 8 hours is the worst experience they ever had. The withdrawal symptoms start to torment you during this critical period. For example, your senses become more sensitive. Your ears can pick up sounds as soft as the computer fans. The colors become brighter. This acute sensitivity can irritate your terribly.
To overcome the withdrawal symptoms during the first 8 hours, here are some suggestions.
If you have sleeping problems, avoid coffee, tea, or soda with caffeine after 6:00 pm. Use relaxation or meditation techniques to help you to sleep.
For stress and irritability, instead of thinking of cigarettes, take a walk, play some sports, soak in a hot bath, and listen to soft music. You can also try yoga.
Usually your mouth will be dry during this period. Drink a glass of water to overcome your dry mouth. If you cough probably because of sore throat, drink a cup of warm herbal tea or suck some cough drops.
When you decide to have your last smoke, remember that you need endure the first 8 hours. Focus on the health benefits that you will receive instead of dwelling on the effects of the withdrawal symptoms.
We all know the hazards of cigarette smoking. But when it comes to quitting, the potential for loss and dangers of smoking appear to fall by the wayside. Wanting to quit and being prepared to quit need to have a strong will and determination. Once you have the will and determination, then you definitely must decide on the method of quitting that’s going to assist you.
The smoking addiction has both physiological and psychological components. The physiological addiction is a form of bodily need for nicotine. This aspect in the addiction is what causes the withdrawal symptoms that make it initially feel near impossible to give up smoking. However, this can be a short, temporary stage, lasting only between three days to one week. By the end on this time, your system should be adapted to nicotine-free life. Based on twenty years of experience, I believe that this physical requirement for nicotine constitutes only ten percent of the being hooked on smoking.
Don’t just say I quit smoking today. The chances are that you will fail. You need to have a suitable plan. You need help. You need to know what to prepare for while stopping smoking. You need to know about the withdrawal symptoms and in regards to the urge to smoke. So how can you do this? An ex-smoker can provide great advice. Your family and friends can provide you with the best support possible. Only set a date to quit smoking, if you are fully prepared for it.
