Smoking

(Note: The contents of this webpage are reproduced from the leaflet available in our clinic. Here you can find a pdf copy of our stopping smoking leaflet). 
In this leaflet we have covered natural ways to help with stopping smoking including simple tips, changes your body will experience and possible herbs to use to help during the process. 

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR HEALTH, WEALTH & HAPPINESS

Most people know the harmful effects of smoking, one in five people who smoke will die prematurely from a smoking related illness. These include cancer, emphysema, bronchitis, heart disease, circulatory disease. Ex-smokers immediately reduce their likelihood of suffering many of these diseases.

On a purely cosmetic note smoking increases lines on the face and gives a grey or purple-red complexion (making the smoker look older than they really are). Smoking also encourages the body fat to distribute differently, often resulting in a pot belly. The cause for these effects is the hundreds of toxins contained in cigarette smoke.

And the effects are not restricted to the smoker. The smoke emitted from the end of a burning cigarette contains double the concentration of nicotine and tar when compared to that inhaled by the smoker through a filter.

As well as the damaging effects on your health smoking is also getting to be a very expensive pastime. Giving up smoking will save a substantial amount of money over a year and a stunning amount over a lifetime.

However, nicotine causes a feeling of relaxation and wellbeing that people do not want to lose by quitting. By finding more natural ways to get these feelings you will find a way of relaxing and getting into a good mood without the reliance on smoking.

If you decide to give up smoking then the most important aid is motivation. It will be easier to give up if you want to, not because your friends and family want you to. Get help and support: stop at the same time as a friend and support each other; let your friends know you are giving up and phone them for a chat when you need to; use self-help books; use the internet (try https://www.nhs.uk/smokefree ); call a smoker’s helpline: Scotland Smokeline 0800 84 84 84

There are withdrawal symptoms that you may experience when you stop smoking, they are the body’s natural way of purging itself of the chemicals from within the cigarettes. Knowing about the symptoms and the reasons for them in advance, may make them easier to cope with when they occur.

GOOD NEWS

Within	What Happens
20 minutes	Blood pressure and pulse rate return to normal.
2 hours	REAL CRAVINGS as the nicotine continues to leave your system.
8 hours	Levels of nicotine & carbon monoxide in the blood are halved, oxygen levels increase back to normal.
24 hours	Lungs start to work more efficiently and clear out mucus and other gunk left there by cigarette smoke.
48 hours	Nicotine is completely out of the bloodstream. Sense of taste and sense sharpen.
1 week	Most of the nicotine withdrawal symptoms are completely gone.
2-12 weeks	Circulation improves. Skin looks fresher. Energy level increases.
3 months	The tiny hairs (cilia) in the lungs that were paralyzed by the tar start to work again and are able to remove the mucus so you can cough it up.
3-9 months	Lung function has increased by 10%. Less coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and sinus congestion.
After 5 years	Risk of having a heart attack half that of a smoker. Risk of cancer of the mouth and throat half that of a smoker. Risk of having a stroke the same as a non-smoker (5 – 15 years after quitting).
After 10 years	Risk of lung cancer half that of a smoker. Risk of having a heart attack the same as if you’d never smoked!

BAD NEWS

Symptom	Cause	Solution
1-2 Days
Dizziness	Increased oxygen levels in blood and blood pressure lowering to normal.	Be careful, take precautions and don’t work to hard.
1 – 5 Days
Coughing, nose running	The body’s respiratory system begins to clean itself.	Drink lots of fluids.
Sore throat	The clearing away of nicotine and tar and the growth of new tissue.	Suck sweets, eat honey or anything else that will soothe your throat.
Tight chest	The coughing causes the chest muscles to get sore.	Try relaxation and deep breathing exercises.
1-2 Weeks
Flatulence & constipation	Temporary slowing of intestinal movement.	Eat lots of fibre and drink lots of fluids.
Headaches	Increased blood flow (with more oxygen) to the back of the brain.	Drink lots of fluids and do relaxation exercises.
2-4 Weeks
Reduced concentration	Increased blood flow and oxygen to brain and lack of stimulation from nicotine.	Don’t over exert yourself.
Fatigue	Without nicotine your metabolic rate drops down to normal.	Don’t over exert yourself. This feeling will go away.

After 1 Month the Bad News is much reduced, social pressure replaces the side effects of giving up.