Author: Dr. Gordon Sims, ND, LAc

Relax to quit

There are other strategies that can also be used to help with the first couple of weeks to blunt the cravings. Nicotine withdrawal affects the nervous system. One component of stopping gracefully is to calm that "nervous tone" for the first little while (which can range from a week for some to up to 3 or 4 weeks for others). During this stage, I typically encourage the smoker to take nervines (plant based medicines to help sedate the nervous system). You might be familiar with nervines for helping insomniacs calm their nervous sytems before going to bed. Two such nervines are Valerian and Passion Flower, and I would suggest taking these in equal proportions.

Also very important is the use of B vitamins. A B-complex can go a long way to mitigating any irritable moments during the first couple days of not smoking. I recommend three times the typical daily dose (which is one B-50 or B-75 per day for the first week.). All said, I should note that some smokers may require nothing more than will power and/or acupuncture. Everybody is different.

Many patients have raised the concern of weight gain as a consequence of quitting smoking. And, yes, it is true that smoking can be used to suppress the appetitte. The first is to consider getting appropriate amounts of chromium in their diet. Chromium is found naturally in many foods, and is a crucial component of insulin, which helps maintain even blood sugar levels, which in turn controls food cravings.

The second step is simply to drink lots of clean (filtered) water. Water helps with our sense of feeling full, and serves the dual purpose of helping to detoxify the body. Keep in mind, however, that a healthy appetite does not necessarily lead directly to weight gain. Quitting smoking obviously serves your long term health interests. But overall health, we all know, requires more. Proper exercise and a proper diet are both important pieces of weight management and overall wellness.

On the earlier mention of toxicity, most readers are familiar with some of the toxic and carcinogenic properties of tobacco and the additives, particularly as they affect the lungs. Lung tissue exposure to smoke causes plenty of damage, including a high level of oxidative stress. Anti-oxidants such as Vitamins C and E can be taken during recovery.

Curiously, Vitamins C and E work synergistically together, having a stronger effect together than each taken individually. For those of you who may have smoked long enough to have developed lung pathologies such as asthma, emphysema or chronic bronchitis, you should definitely try a strong antioxidant.

Time to quit

The bad news about smoking is no mystery. The good news is that there are a variety of safe and effective ways to stop smoking, and there are a variety of safe and effective ways to clean and rebuild the body once the habit has been broken. Finally, at the risk of patronizing smokers, who are generally well aware of the long list of health consequences of cigarette smoking, anti-smoking legislation might be seen, for them and others, as literally a breath of fresh air.

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Products mentioned in the above article such as "Sangster's Mega Chromium GTF, 100% Natural Source Vitamin E, Mega Vitamin C, Vitamin B-50 and B-75" are all available at Sangster's Health Centres.
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Dr. Sims is a board certified Naturopathic Physician and Acupuncturist practicing in Winnipeg at the Centre for Natural Medicine

By courtesy of Sheila Waters, Nutritional Consultant & Manager
Sangster's Health Centres
418-500 Country Hills Blvd NE, Calgary - Canada
Phone: (403)226-5910 Fax: (403)226-5912 www.sangsters.com

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