There are many ways including taking pills, using patches and chewing gum but I want to take a look at the natural ways you can fight the cravings and overcome smoking for good. It is important to use natural ways as to chemical ways because by using patches for example, you are only transferring from cigarettes to patches. Both contain nicotine and are not good for you. Now I know patches are better than cigarettes because the later has other chemicals and produces tar but it is best to stop smoking naturally to get the full benefit out of quitting.

Now let’s look at a couple of ways that you can do to help you keep your cravings to a minimum. Firstly there is exercise, this is a great way to help you quit smoking as it will get rid of stress and it will also help your body improve and heal it’s self from the effects of smoking. There are many different types of exercise you can undertake. You can go to the gym or even go running. Try playing football or basketball as these types of competitive sports are good for fitness and relieve stress. If you’re not up to vigorous exercise you can simply try some aerobics or brisk walking.

The exercise will decrease the feeling of the need to smoke and keep you in a good mood thus preventing you from smoking. Another thing that will help you stop smoking is to cut out excessive drinking of alcohol as it’s a well known fact that people are more likely to smoke if they are drinking.

The second way to help cut craving and feeling the need for a cigarette is to take up a hobby. It doesn’t sound like it can help but by taking up your time and not becoming bored you will not feel the need to smoke as often as you would doing nothing. It can also give you other things to spend your money on than cigarettes and can be seen as a reward for stopping smoking.

To quit smoking the natural way it is important to release stress and occupy your time and not become bored. Also try and stay away from other smokers that will entice you to take up smoking again.

Rob Mellor owns the number one website helping people stop smoking in less than 40 minutes. Please visit the site for more information to stop smoking.

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There are numerous ways that people use to stop smoking. People do actually succeed in stopping smoking but the same method of stopping does not work for everyone and sometimes the same method may finally work only after a second or third attempt at it is tried.

The most popular methods used to quit smoking and not in any particular order are:

1) Willpower
2) Cutting down
3) Hypnosis
4) Patches, Gum, Lozenges
5) False Cigarette
6) Zyban
7) Acupuncture
8) Shock event

There is no doubt that each of these methods have been successful in helping someone to stop smoking. They work in slightly different ways to each other and I will attempt to describe each method and in my opinion the pros and cons of each

1) Willpower
This is probably the most used method for stopping smoking and one that does work. Actually a certain amount of willpower will be required no matter what method of quitting smoking you use. Unfortunately willpower kind of suggests a fight and suggests that if you are strong minded you will succeed and that if you fail you are weak minded. The description willpower is not helpful as far as stopping smoking is concerned because of the perceived battle that the word suggests. A better word would be 'decision'. Just make your decision and then that can be that. But make it a final decision and not some half-hearted attempt and then you can quit successfully.

2) Cutting down
This involves willpower with the idea of feedback that you are succeeding plus knowing that you are gradually weaning yourself off any perceived chemical dependency of cigarettes. In theory it sounds great because if each day you smoke one less cigarette you know you are getting closer to stopping. Unfortunately in order to know how many cigarettes you are smoking you have to count them and then know at any particular moment of the day how many you have had and how many more you can have. This method means that you have to think about smoking much more than if you were smoking freely. If something is on your mind more often, then it can make it harder to stop it. If you really want to succeed with using the cutting down method, don't get into counting each cigarette.

A better tactic is to decide to leave out certain cigarettes such as the one at 10:30 or the one after lunch. This way you don't have to count how many you are smoking and yet you know you are cutting down.

3) Hypnosis
This method still requires 'willpower' or even better the 'decision' from the smoker that they want to stop. Hypnosis does not take away the choice of the person to smoke but rather it supports the decision to stop. It is like getting some extra help to support your decision to stop. Importantly it uses suggestions that are aimed at the stronger part of the mind, the subconscious mind, to let get of this old outdate and no longer useful response to life.

4) Patches, Gum and Lozenges
These methods still give you nicotine. The idea is that it helps with any withdrawal symptoms you may ordinarily put down to stopping smoking. It is an odd sort of logic in that patches, gum and lozenges still give you nicotine as a way of helping you to stop taking nicotine via cigarettes. Also as long as you chew gum, suck lozenges or have to wear a patch it constantly reminds you of smoking. A constant reminder is not a useful method to use to help stop doing something.

5) False Cigarette
This is a substitute for the action and behaviour of smoking but without the intake of all the chemicals involved. It helps those who would ordinarily miss doing something with the hands, or those who would feel less confident with having nothing in their hands. The down side is that although you are no longer inhaling all those poisons you are still keeping the habit and behaviour of smoking going.

6) Zyban
This is a prescribed drug that was found to help smokers deal with any perceived chemical withdrawal symptoms. The idea is that if the physical side of smoking is being aided by zyban than all you have to do is to deal with the action or routine of smoking. As soon as you have stopped the routine and discovered you are okay and life can carry on then you can, under your doctor's direction, come off zyban. Once again a method that may work for some but there may be side effects of using zyban which need consideration before using this method.

7) Acupuncture
This is the ancient Chinese treatment that inserts needles in certain acupuncture points on the body. The acupuncture points are not random but are definite and accurate places on the body. The idea with acupuncture is to enable the free flow of energy known as chi (pronounced 'chee') to flow along the meridian lines in the body. Blocks in the energy flow can cause or relate to issues whether physical, mental or emotional. For some people, acupuncture treatment has succeeded in helping them to stop smoking.

8) Shock event
For many people a shock of some sort will cause them to finally quit smoking. The shock may be the discovery of some smoking related illness such as cancer or it may be the loss of a friend or relative. Either way it brings home to the smoker their own mortality and what part they play in staying well and healthy. No one really chooses to be unhealthy. The shock event can work for many people and help them to stop smoking. Where the shock event fails is when, over time, the shock fades and feels more distant and the ex-smoker once again feels comfortable with smoking.

The overriding asset and best resource in using any of the above methods is the decision to stop smoking. So just make your decision to stop smoking and then stick to it.

Steven Harold
Hypnotherapy
Quit Smoking

• 0 comments »

There are numerous ways that people use to stop smoking. People do actually succeed in stopping smoking but the same method of stopping does not work for everyone and sometimes the same method may finally work only after a second or third attempt at it is tried.

The most popular methods used to quit smoking and not in any particular order are:

1) Willpower
2) Cutting down
3) Hypnosis
4) Patches, Gum, Lozenges
5) False Cigarette
6) Zyban
7) Acupuncture
8) Shock event

There is no doubt that each of these methods have been successful in helping someone to stop smoking. They work in slightly different ways to each other and I will attempt to describe each method and in my opinion the pros and cons of each

1) Willpower
This is probably the most used method for stopping smoking and one that does work. Actually a certain amount of willpower will be required no matter what method of quitting smoking you use. Unfortunately willpower kind of suggests a fight and suggests that if you are strong minded you will succeed and that if you fail you are weak minded. The description willpower is not helpful as far as stopping smoking is concerned because of the perceived battle that the word suggests. A better word would be 'decision'. Just make your decision and then that can be that. But make it a final decision and not some half-hearted attempt and then you can quit successfully.

2) Cutting down
This involves willpower with the idea of feedback that you are succeeding plus knowing that you are gradually weaning yourself off any perceived chemical dependency of cigarettes. In theory it sounds great because if each day you smoke one less cigarette you know you are getting closer to stopping. Unfortunately in order to know how many cigarettes you are smoking you have to count them and then know at any particular moment of the day how many you have had and how many more you can have. This method means that you have to think about smoking much more than if you were smoking freely. If something is on your mind more often, then it can make it harder to stop it. If you really want to succeed with using the cutting down method, don't get into counting each cigarette.

A better tactic is to decide to leave out certain cigarettes such as the one at 10:30 or the one after lunch. This way you don't have to count how many you are smoking and yet you know you are cutting down.

3) Hypnosis
This method still requires 'willpower' or even better the 'decision' from the smoker that they want to stop. Hypnosis does not take away the choice of the person to smoke but rather it supports the decision to stop. It is like getting some extra help to support your decision to stop. Importantly it uses suggestions that are aimed at the stronger part of the mind, the subconscious mind, to let get of this old outdate and no longer useful response to life.

4) Patches, Gum and Lozenges
These methods still give you nicotine. The idea is that it helps with any withdrawal symptoms you may ordinarily put down to stopping smoking. It is an odd sort of logic in that patches, gum and lozenges still give you nicotine as a way of helping you to stop taking nicotine via cigarettes. Also as long as you chew gum, suck lozenges or have to wear a patch it constantly reminds you of smoking. A constant reminder is not a useful method to use to help stop doing something.

5) False Cigarette
This is a substitute for the action and behaviour of smoking but without the intake of all the chemicals involved. It helps those who would ordinarily miss doing something with the hands, or those who would feel less confident with having nothing in their hands. The down side is that although you are no longer inhaling all those poisons you are still keeping the habit and behaviour of smoking going.

6) Zyban
This is a prescribed drug that was found to help smokers deal with any perceived chemical withdrawal symptoms. The idea is that if the physical side of smoking is being aided by zyban than all you have to do is to deal with the action or routine of smoking. As soon as you have stopped the routine and discovered you are okay and life can carry on then you can, under your doctor's direction, come off zyban. Once again a method that may work for some but there may be side effects of using zyban which need consideration before using this method.

7) Acupuncture
This is the ancient Chinese treatment that inserts needles in certain acupuncture points on the body. The acupuncture points are not random but are definite and accurate places on the body. The idea with acupuncture is to enable the free flow of energy known as chi (pronounced 'chee') to flow along the meridian lines in the body. Blocks in the energy flow can cause or relate to issues whether physical, mental or emotional. For some people, acupuncture treatment has succeeded in helping them to stop smoking.

8) Shock event
For many people a shock of some sort will cause them to finally quit smoking. The shock may be the discovery of some smoking related illness such as cancer or it may be the loss of a friend or relative. Either way it brings home to the smoker their own mortality and what part they play in staying well and healthy. No one really chooses to be unhealthy. The shock event can work for many people and help them to stop smoking. Where the shock event fails is when, over time, the shock fades and feels more distant and the ex-smoker once again feels comfortable with smoking.

The overriding asset and best resource in using any of the above methods is the decision to stop smoking. So just make your decision to stop smoking and then stick to it.

Steven Harold
Hypnotherapy
Quit Smoking

• 0 comments »

The unfortunate passing of news anchor Peter Jennings is a painful reminder that quitting smoking is not enough to ensure future good health.

Cancer grows slowly in its initial stages but increases its development over time, often with very few early warning signals.

Once cancer has started, it does not care that its host has stopped smoking. This cancer lives off glucose which is abundant in the American diet in the forms of sugar, alcohol and carbohydrates.

It's a clever disease; it creates protection shields around the cancer cells that prevent the body's natural protection molecules, T-Cells and B-Cells from gaining access to the cancer.

Common health screening tests also do not identify the early stages of cancer development. The PSA test of prostate cancer produces many false positive results, as do mammograms. Blood tests do not normally include cancer tests.

Conventional medicine offers very little in the form of cancer prevention strategies, but natural or holistic medicine offers many scientifically proven prevention strategies and all begin with the importance of nutrition--both in terms of boosting the immune system and reducing the level of glucose and sugar in the body.

If blood sugar levels are reduced via decreased consumption of sugar, simple carbohydrates and alcohol, the growth of cancer cells can definitely be slowed down. Foods and supplements containing vitamins C, E, A and B6 as well as zine, Omega 3 and 6 fats, glutamine, alpha lypoic acid and curcumin have been shown to attack and contain cancer cell growth.

Another powerful natural strategy involves systematic detoxification in order to remove as many of the pathogens and free radicals from the body as possible. By reducing the toxic load in the body, the immune system is better able to deal with any cancer cells which may be present. As many as one billion cancer cells can be present in the body that are not detectable by the typical diagnostic equipment.

There is absolutely no excuse for anyone not being able to access information on the many natural and effective cancer prevention strategies that have been developed over the years.

The Internet provides quick and often thorough information on the topic and a trip to any bookstore or health food store will also reveal literally hundreds of books and magazine articles on cancer prevention.

It is not necessary to live in fear of a future battle with cancer as long as every possible step is taken to help the body avoid this very preventable disease. Life is a wonderful holiday gift or New Years Resolution. Think about it and the alternatives.

The author, a heavy smoker who has cut down from three packs to a handful daily over a short span of time, is marketing representative for noted author/lecturer, Dr. Charles K. Bens. Pfarr also has many years of Internet marketing experience under his belt, and is an award-winning newspaper reporter and columnist. He lives in southeast Oklahoma with his wife and family. Check out more on smoking cessation by clicking to: http://www.TheHealthySmoker.net

• 0 comments »

The mind has two parts: the conscious and subconscious. You might want to stop smoking because it's bad for your health (conscious reason), but you're still aware that smoking makes you feel good about yourself (subconscious reason).

However there is a proper way to proceed with once you have decided to quit smoking viz.

1. First sit down and write down why you want to quit (the benefits of quitting): live longer, feel better, for your family, save money, smell better, find a mate more easily, etc. You know what's bad about smoking and you know what you'll get by quitting. Put it on paper and read it daily.

2. Ask your family and friends to support your decision to quit. Ask them to be completely supportive and non-judgmental. Let them know ahead of time that you will probably be irritable and even irrational while you withdraw from your smoking habit.

3. Set a quit date. Decide what day you will extinguish your cigarettes forever.

4. Talk with your doctor about quitting. Support and guidance from a physician is a proven way to better your chances to quit.

5. Begin an exercise program. Exercise is simply incompatible with smoking. Exercise relieves stress and helps your body recover from years of damage from cigarettes.

6. Do some deep breathing each day for 3 to 5 minutes. Breathe in through your nose very slowly, hold the breath for a few seconds, and exhale very slowly through your mouth.

7. Have your teeth cleaned. Enjoy the way your teeth look and feel and plan to keep them that way.

8. Drink lots of water. Water is good for you anyway, and most people don't get enough. It will help flush the nicotine and other chemicals out of your body, plus it can help reduce cravings by fulfilling the "oral desires" that you may have.

9. Learn what triggers your desire for a cigarette, such as stress, the end of a meal, arrival at work, entering a bar, etc. Avoid these triggers or if that's impossible, plan alternative ways to deal with the triggers.

10. Find something to hold in your hand and mouth, to replace cigarettes. You might try an artificial cigarette.

11. Lastly believe in yourself. Believe that you can quit. Think about some of the most difficult things you have done in your life and realize that you have the guts and determination to quit smoking.

Rob Mellor owns the http://www.quit-smoking-expert.com website helping normal people quit smoking in less than 40 minutes. Please visit the site for more information to stop smoking.

• 0 comments »

Whether you’re going to stop naturally which I recommend or using medication of some sort. It's important that you stay focused and plan before you quit smoking.

Why? I hear you ask.

Let me tell you why...

I tried to stop smoking once a few years ago. It was the first time I had tried. I didn't plan or prepare, I just decided I was going to quit. I believed the hype about patches so I just brought a couple of packs to do me the week and smoked my last cigarettes that night. In my mind it was, 'I'll quit from Monday', I'm sure you've all done that even if it wasn't with stopping smoking. Maybe it was something like 'I'll start the diet Monday' or 'I join the gym on Monday'. Why's it always Monday anyway?

Getting back to the story. Monday morning came and I was confident I would succeed. I stuck a patch on and went to work. Through out the day I felt bored and anxious. I carried on for another day but at lunch time I just cracked and had to beg for a cigarette off a work mate.

I only went for a day and a half and this wasn't down to will power but not planning and preparing myself. I could have planned for the boredom and anxiety making sure I had something to keep me busy. I could have also planned to keep away from other smokers so I couldn't get a smoke.

Here are a few things you should plan for:

Boredom

Anxiety

Cravings

Being near other smokers

Stress

Drinking

Some of these can easily be overcome. Boredom can be overcome by keeping busy. Stress and Anxiety can be overcome by doing exercise (I found this to help greatly). You also aren’t likely to be near other smokers when exercising. Try and keep out of the pub because when drinking your more likely to have a smoke and you'll also be around other smokers.

To calm your cravings I recommend you try hypnosis like I did when I finally quit smoking for good.

Rob Mellor helps normal people quit smoking in less than 40 minutes. Please visit the site for more information to stop smoking

• 0 comments »

This title is not an oxymoron; there actually are healthy smokers, and you can be one as well and it doesn't take the cold turkey approach to be eligible.

In fact, research clearly shows that any smoker can actually become healthier than the average American. Hardly is this difficult, because the average American is not very healthy. Over 40% is chronically ill, over 60% are overweight, and only a fifth get the daily exercise they need, according to the National Institutes of Health and The Centers for Disease Control.

Quitting smoking cold turkey is, unbelievably, bad advice and substantiated by the fact that 70% of cold turkey quitters are smoking again within three months and 90% are puffing again within a year and a half.

This high remission rate is due to the fact that tobacco is a stronger addiction than either cocaine or heroin, according to many medical studies. This is precisely why becoming healthier first is the best strategy for smokers who want to quit because this gradually reduces the body's dependency on, and desire for, nicotine and the 14 other addictive chemicals in cigarettes.

Consider the following evidence--Japanese men smoke twice as much as American men, but have half the rate of cancer!

The health consequences of smoking are crystal clear, but there are several standard and also unique tests one can run to determine how much impact smoking has already had on one's body. Measuring the level of oxygen and the level of antioxidants are just two of the more interesting ways a smoker can find out what is going on inside the body. The testing is critical because potential diseases such as heart and cancer are not easily detected in standard medical checkups.

As an example, clinical studies show that supplements such as green tea extract and curcumin can reduce the risk of cancer and lung disease by over 50%. Smokers who take these two supplements daily will become healthier than smokers who do not.

Detoxification via a regular sauna or massage, eating a few important vegetables and using additional natural therapies are also highly championed, and the average smoker can be much healthier in about three months.

They will have more energy, experience less stress, be able to decrease the number of cigarettes they smoke daily and be in an ideal position to quite smoking with virtually no withdrawal symptoms and no desire to return to smoking later.

We all know the alternative!

Walter Pfarr is marketing representative for noted author and lecturer, Dr. Charles K. Bens of Florida. An almost three pack per day smoker for years and the not so proud father of numerous heart ailments, through natural therapies and a patterned program, he has curtailed this pernicious habit to less than a handful of cigarettes per day and is close to complete cessation. He is an award-winning news reporter and columnist, and also has several years experience in Internet marketing. Pfarr and his wife, Joann, reside in southeast Oklahoma. View more at http://www.TheHealthySmoker.net

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