Health Effects of Smoking

Quitting smoking is a serious commitment because it takes determination, willpower and support to succeed. That is why you should look for and get all of the stop smoking aid which you can so that to quit for good.

Below is a brief “Stop Smoking Guide” to let you know some of the most popular and accessible quit smoking aids. However you need to be strong enough to cope with the smoking cessation stress and determined to quit smoking forever before these stop smoking aids can really help you. Assuming that the determination and the decision are there, let’s see what other forms of stop smoking aid are available.

Nicotine Replacement Therapy

Cigarettes contain addictive substance that known as nicotine. Nicotine is the main reason you get addicted to cigarettes and make quitting being so hard. A nicotine replacement therapy functions on the replacing cigarette nicotine principle with nicotine from other sources. After your body continues to accept its daily nicotine doses, so that you have less symptoms and this leaves you more stress-free time to cope with the behavioral side of the problem.

There are various types of nicotine replacement products in the market. For example the nicotine gum which is one of the very popular stop smoking product. You even do not require a prescription for a nicotine gum and all you require to do it to chew a gum any time you have the desire for cigarette.

Stop smoking gum is generally one of the inexpensive quit smoking aids. A stop smoking gum contains nicotine which cannot harm you in general but it might not be right for certain medical conditions. It is not recommended for women who are trying to get pregnant or being pregnant as well as for breast-feeding mothers.

Laser Stop Smoking Aids

Laser therapies are also a well-known and effective way to quit smoking. The therapy employs ancient Chinese acupuncture methods that specific points of your body are stimulated with low-level lasers. As a result it increased endorphin production thus reduced cravings and post-smoking symptoms. Laser treatments give very good results especially while combined with a right behavior therapy.

Alternative Stop Smoking Aids

Many people are reluctant to apply any kind of chemical substances to assist them quit smoking. There are also people whose medical condition does not approve the usage of nicotine replacement products. The good news is that there really is a stop smoking aid for those people as well and there are many herbal products like mention in our website can reduce the cigarette cravings and help you quit smoking.

These quit smoking herbal products have the benefit of settling a smoker’s problems by making use of natural elements. In order to get the best results it is better if these methods are applied together or at least two of them. By combining them, smokers will easily find a way to quit smoking and to recover fast from the troublesome period that follows.

If medical smoking aids to not appeal to you, then low level laser treatment to stop smoking (LLLT) may be your choice as an aid or treatment method. It is a natural, simple, relaxing, and painless form of therapy, similar to acupuncture, with no reported side effects. It has been used over 30 years in other parts of the world, while new in the United States. It produces endorphins in the body by applying the laser to various meridian points, depending on what the purpose of the LLLT is.

In Medical News Today, September 9, 2006, the Medical Reporter for CBS3 from Philadelphia, Stephanie Stahl, states, “Other than the treatment not working for everyone, there are no downsides to the laser, as long as it is used by a trained technician.” With a success rate of 64% in some clinics to 80-90% in others, the LLLT is currently in clinical trials with plans to receive FDA approval.

The entire therapy is normally done in three stages, 20 to 30 minute duration, but occasionally less or more is needed depending on the smoker. The first stage deals with the laser activation of meridian points, helping to reduce the dependence of the body on nicotine. Controlling the appetite points so that you do not gain extra weight follows this up in the second stage. The last stage is the stimulation of relaxation points to release the endorphins.

The release of endorphins, according to latest research, is critical to any treatment aimed at helping a smoker give up cigarettes. Produced by our pituitary glands, the endorphins create a “euphoria” mood inside of us, or a sense of false well being, that removes the withdrawal distress caused by the nicotine. Some methods combine the LLLT with individual guidance and a 24-hour hotline, which has higher rates of success than just one form of treatment.

The meridian points of smokers that are activated by the LLLT for endorphin releases are the ears, nose, hands, wrist, and forearm. Doctors consider laser therapy similar to the Oriental science of acupuncture, but instead uses “cold” low intensity laser beam instead of sharp needles. When a smoker begins to quit smoking, the endorphins register a sharp fall. As a result, the person experiences emotional distress which includes sleeping problems, serious mood disturbances, sharp increase in appetite, anger and a phenomenal urge to light another cigarette. The only smokers who should not go for laser therapy are pregnant women, cancer patients, and epileptics.

A huge barrier to quitting smoking is the pain and distress of the nicotine withdrawals. The smoking aids may temporarily help a smoker through out the day, but by quitting smoking altogether, we can enjoy life without any distress on the body. Methods like the laser treatment to stop smoking allow a person not to be living a life dependant on a cigarette, but without the fear of withdrawal and a healthy future of added years.