I’m sure we are all aware of how bad smoking really is- it’s bad for the environment and most important, is bad for you and people around you. If you confront all the pro-s and con-s you will realize that smoking is the habit anybody should try to break as soon as possible. That process, however, is not easy at all, and not to mention how sometimes it’s even hard to decide which method for quitting is the best and the most effective. Many smokers who decided to quit cold turkey say that this is the best method for quitting because it’s the fastest and the cheapest one. But, what exactly “quitting cold turkey” means, you may wonder?

Well, when you decide to quit this way you completely cut off cigarettes immediately. That means you don’t do any preparations like cutting down cigarettes gradually until the date you set as your quit date. In simple words, cold turkey means that if you decided to stop smoking today, you can’t have even one cigarette, regardless the fact that you smoked a pack as a regular smoker yesterday. I know it sounds really harsh and maybe even impossible but some smokers swear that is the only way to make sure that once you quit- it’s for good. Cold turkey quitting usually presumes that you don’t use any substitutes like nicotine patches, pills, gums or consume any amount of nicotine in any form. For some smokers, quitting so abruptly may be hard and stressful because they need time to adjust to living their lives without cigarettes, but for some this is the only way to turn their back on cigarettes and never look back. When quitting like this it’s good to know two basic things that can help you battle your cravings

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Laser therapy is the new, innovative and promising way to finally say “goodbye” to your smoking habit. Although this is a relatively new quit smoking method, it’s been proved effective and many smokers became ex-smokers thanks to it. And the best thing is that most people usually need just one 30 minutes treatment to quit smoking for good! I know it sounds so good that any rational person would probably think this is just another marketing scam to earn money. But the innovative laser technology combined with medical expertise, acupuncture and acupressure can really make your dream come true. Yes, even long term smokers can become non smokers just as easy as that. How, you may wonder? Well, the procedure is quite simple and I’ll do my best to explain it to you in this article.

Laser therapy is based on acupuncture and acupunctural spots. The principle is that putting pressure on certain critical spots can eliminate cravings and reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms. The difference, however, is that in laser therapy light is used instead of needles. A stream of laser light is directed to specific body parts like arms, wrists, ears and nose sides to stimulate endorphin production. These spots are believed to be the ones that connect the whole structure of the body’s organs and energy flows. That’s why stimulating them can reduce the cravings for nicotine and help to relieve the body of nicotine residues.

Laser treatment lasts for approximately 30 minutes and during the treatment low level laser light is directed to the acupunctural points mentioned above. Laser light stimulates the production of endorphin which is also know as the hormone of happiness. Increased production of endorphin suppresses the cravings, stress and all other symptoms connected to nicotine consuming habit. Most people just need one session to stop smoking totally but if a person still has the urge to smoke treatment can be repeated. This method showed no harmful side effects so far, it’s quick and painless and most people experienced benefits that go even beyond smoking cessation, like energy boost, suppressed appetite and relaxed feeling.

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Since breaking a nicotine addiction can be really hard, new alternative ways for doing that are becoming more and more popular. One of the new and promising methods is definitely acupuncture. This old Oriental medicine consists of inserting thin needles into the skin to stimulate specific acupunctural spots. These spots are connected to our internal organs so acupuncture can bring many positive health changes- like energy increase, stress relief and, off course, stop smoking.

Many researches have proved acupuncture to be a very successful method for quitting smoking- 40 % of  patients who received this type of therapy combined with anti smoking counseling managed to quit smoking permanently. Quit smoking by using acupuncture also reduces the chances that you will start smoking again, and the best thing is that this method is extremely fast. In just six months you can lay off cigarettes completely and have a healthier life as a non smoker.  Acupuncture is, off course, not some magical quit overnight solution. It works by helping you to overcome the cravings and reduces stress and other side effects associated with the process of battling a nicotine addiction. Acupuncture:

-          Helps you relax and reduces nicotine withdrawal symptoms like stress, nervousness, irritability.

-          Helps the body to detoxify and force nicotine out quicker

-          Reduces cravings

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Realizing that smoking is a dangerous and bad habit made many people determined to get rid of it fast and for good. That, off course caused the appearance of many alterative ways for easy quitting. Amongst the regular aids like pills, patches and gums there has been a lot of talk about one specific method that is often promoted by using very appealing captions like :”QUIT SMOKING IN JUST ONE DAY!” I am talking about hypnosis. The basic principle of using hypnosis in quit smoking purposes is based on the opinion that smoking is 90% mental and only 10% physical addiction. Hypnosis is a process that allows you to access your subconscious by placing you in a state of trance and making your mind more open for suggestions. You can achieve a state of trance by placing your self in a comfortable position and relaxing your body and mind. Believe it or not, this is a very natural state. In fact, every time you’re daydreaming or before you fall asleep you are in a state of trance. Hypnosis is conducted by a hypnotherapist, a certified individual that will guide you through the process in a highly professional manner. Hypnotist evaluates your problems, figures out the tactics for solving them, helps you relax and go in the state of trance and gives you positive suggestions during the hypnosis. So how can hypnosis help you to quit smoking easier? Well, to help you understand I will simplify the process. First, the hypnotist will relax you and put you in a state of trance. When he makes sure that you have achieved that state, he will engage in a discussion with you to figure out the reasons that made you start smoking in the first place. Then, hypnotherapist helps you to coordinate you conscious and unconscious mind, and win the battle over your problems. He gives you positive suggestions and helps you visualize what it will be like to live a healthy non smoker life. When you return to a conscious state you are a non smoker. This way of quitting is very fast and efficient. Although it usually takes a few sessions to achieve the desired result, hypnosis has many positive sides. Being the fastest is just one of them. Maybe the best reason to consider this alternative method is the fact that during hypnosis you explore mental reasons that made you become smoker. Dealing with those personal issues can help you not just to enter a non smoking world but also become more open, stable and independent person.

I bet you’ve heard so many stories about how people gained a lot of weight just because they decided to quit smoking. Am I right? That stories probably scared you a little bit and made you reevaluate you decision to quit smoking. Well, what do you think about this: You DON’T have to gain weight! Yes that is true. With thinking the right way and acting the right way you will not have more weight than you want and you can still quit smoking. Choosing a harder way of dealing with your addiction, rather than smothering your stress in food, will help you obtain better habits and keep your weight in the same level.

First you have to realize that you might experience craving for cigarette which you might want to satisfy with a snack. Well, this is where many people make a mistake. They try to smother their need for cigarettes in food and they end up eating a lot. Don’t let yourself act like this. If you feel the need to have something in your hands or mouth reach for a gum, or a fresh fruit or vegetable. Carrot for example. It will keep you busy and because fruits and vegetable contain many vitamins and antioxidants it will help your body cleanse from nicotine faster.

Second thing you need to know is that nicotine speeds up your metabolism and makes you burn calories, so when you quit smoking your body needs time to adjust. If you smoke one pack per day you burn 200 calories and when you stop smoking that’s 200 calories that stay in your body. That means that as a non smoker you need to lower your calorie intake by 200 to get even. Improve your eating habits and choose vegetables, fruits, fish and low fat dairies. This way you will get the nutrients and avoid more calories.

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