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Most of us would love to quit smoking without side effects. And this includes side effects from most common quit smoking therapies – drugs, NRT, pills, and more. Some of these ‘therapies’ have dangers as bad as smoking itself!

Instead, know that we have a range of natural remedies to help us quit smoking with fewer side effects. From supplements to hypnotherapy, here are just a few of those natural quit smoking remedies in detail.

1. Cold Turkey

We should start our list off with the king of all natural quit smoking methods – quitting cold turkey. The chances of this working go up every time you try, so its always worth the effort. Additionaly, there can be no side effects because you simply put down the cigarette! Well, ok, that’s not totally true as you’ll still suffer from nicotine withdrawal – which brings us to our next natural smoking cessation tool..

2. Herbs

There are a very large number of herbs and plants which have been found helpful in quitting smoking. Some of them alleviate the various side effects, some help with healing after quitting, and still others act as quitting aids. Just a few of the various herbs include Bayberry, Eucalyptus, Gentian, Ginger root, Ginseng, Lobelia, Mullein, Peppermint, Skullcap, St john’s wort, Slippery Elm, and others.

3. Prepackaged Herbal Supplements

In addition to the herbs themselves, many companies have taken on the task of creating supplements with various combinations of herbs that produce theraputic results. Cigarrest and Rx-Hale are two such supplements, and there are others. They claim to reduce side effects and cravings so that you will be more likely to quit. Just keep in mind that with both herbs and supplements – there is still the possibility of risk. Just because they’re natural doesn’t mean they’re garaunteed safe. Always check with a nutritionist to be sure, and communities around the Internet can usually provide their feedback as well.

4. Food

Here is an option that isn’t so obvious – eating food. Now of course, the potential side effect is that you will gain weight. But if you size your portions correctly, there are a great many foods which can reduce your cravings. Some of these include beef, cottage cheese, cold water fish, eggs, lamb, legumes, nuts, poultry, seeds, tofu, and yogurt. Anything which provides good protein will be helpful – just remember to wait 20 minutes after your first serving so that your blood sugar has time to level off.

In addition to reducing craving, so called ‘booster’ foods can help you heal faster. These include garlic for detoxification, Ginger to stimulate food digestion, and Cayenne to both help digestion and improve circulation.

5. Acupuncture

One of the amazing inventions of Chinese culture is very helpful for quitting smoking. A skilled acupuncture therapist can help you reduce cravings, reduce nicotine withdrawal symptoms, keep weight off, reduce any pain, improve circulation, improve energy, reduce mood swings, and much more.

6. Hypnotherapy

Perhaps the most well known smoking cessation system is hypnotherapy. Many people have visions of a magician putting someone to sleep and then lulling them to dance around like a chicken – but this simply isn’t the case. Hypnotherapists put you into a relaxed state at which time they have e direct channel to your subconscious mind. Using this powerful suggestability, they are able to tear down the triggers and associations which make you crave cigarettes and replace them with healthy alternatives. For those who follow through with treatment, very high success rates are reported with minimal side effects.

Regardless the method you decide upon, know that there are many alternatives to popping prescription drugs and hoping for good results. These natural therapies can relieve most smoking cessation discomfort and have you going strong again in no time. You can feel like your 20 years younger again.

Millions of people all around the world smoke, pouring billions of their money into the pockets of the tobacco industry. To many, particularly those that have been smoking for a long time, the prospect of quitting smoking seems very daunting. An addiction to smoking is a serious and complex one. It manifests itself in both a physical way, in that your body craves the nicotine the cigarettes contain, and a psychological way, in that your mind has been conditioned to believe that you have to smoke or terrible things will happen to you. To overcome this two sided assault it is important that you come up with a plan of attack in order to quit smoking. Although the cold-turkey or willpower technique works for some people, the vast majority of smokers will have success only with a more comprehensive and detailed  plan with the right amount of preparation.

When you first start considering quitting smoking, it will probably seem so far away from where you are as a smoker that to reach it is either impossible or just too hard to start. Keep in mind that thousands of people a year, people that were also smokers just like you, quit smoking. If they are able to do it, there’s no reason that you can’t. Many smokers also feel that after a certain time spent smoking it is “too-late” to quit, that there is no benefit and the damage is done. Simply put, this isn’t true, and is nothing more than an excuse to avoid the attempt to quit smoking. The health benefits of quitting smoking begin the very day you stop and apply to anyone, anytime.

Before you actually have your last cigarette, begin to visualise yourself as a non-smoker. Visualisation is a very powerful psychological weapon in the battle to quit smoking. When you think about your everyday activities imagine yourself doing them without the cigarette break. Spend a lot of time thinking of the reasons that you want to quit smoking. If you have no worthwhile reasons to quit, why should you do it? Think of as many as you can and write them down. Learn about the health benefits of quitting, not just for yourself but the people around you as well, such as your children or other members of your family that are exposed to your cigarette smoke. Do the maths and come up with some figures for the amount of money you’ll save by not buying cigarettes, then think of something you’ll use that money for. It is essential to get your mind in the right frame for quitting.

Once you have achieved the right frame of mind it’s time to plan having your last cigarette. To give you an idea of what will happen, understand that the human body is incredibly resilient, and that your health will improve as soon as you stop smoking, literally within 20 minutes your blood pressure will drop down to normal levels as the nicotine starts to leave your body. 8 hours after your last cigarette, carbon monoxide levels will drop and oxygen levels will rise in your blood stream returning it to normal levels. At 24 hours after your last cigarette, you statistically reduce your chance of a heart attack. Only 48 hours after your last cigarette, your sense of taste and smell will improve as your nerve endings start re-growing.

By coming up with a concrete and achievable plan to quit smoking you will greatly increase your chances of success. It is crucial to understand how being in the right frame of mind will affect your chances of success. Knowing why you are quitting and believing in yourself, in your attempt to quit are also essential. Once you’ve stopped consider yourself a non-smoker, and to help, remind yourself of the health benefits you will be experiencing immediately after putting out that last cigarette.

There are tens of millions of people who truly want to quit smoking. Every smoker knows the benefits of quitting smoking. They realize that smoking can cause lung cancer, heart problems and can exacerbate a host of other health problems. The want to quit smoking yet they continue to smoke.

You may be one such person. You’ve read the quit smoking information and may have tried a number of times. Many people use one method to quit smoking after another, ranging from the ‘cold turkey’ approach to the quit smoking patches and gums. There is more quit smoking advice on the net than you can shake a stick at.

If you are like most people, if you fail with your quit smoking plan, it’s a disappointing experience, typically accompanied by a big self-inflicted guilt trip. If you want to quit smoking, you need to understand that the best method to quit smoking is the one that fits your individual physical makeup and psychological profile.

You probably have heard the benefits of quitting smoking from your doctor. In fact, they might have told you that the patches or gums were one of the best ways to quit smoking, with a high success rate. A friend who quit a few years ago may have endorsed the ‘cold turkey’ method, with a supercilious, “it’s just mind over matter!” So why didn’t either of these work for you? The fact is that you are, like everyone else in this world, an individual. What works for another person may not work you.

First I want to tell you that I quit smoking many years ago. I quit using hypnosis relaxation and visualization techniques (self-hypnosis) and willpower. There really weren’t many other methods to quit back then.

Today people can quit with a number of means. Many people after visiting their doctor will choose the patch. Although you don’t need a prescription anymore, I have talked with many people who were prescribed a certain dosage which corresponded with the amount they were smoking. The idea behind the patch is gradually decreasing the nicotine eases the withdrawal factor. This does work for some people, but many people just don’t have any luck with it.

The problem with the delivery system of the patch is that it pumps nicotine into the bloodstream. Some people experience a nicotine rush that can make them feel as though they want to jump out of their skin. It can cause dizziness, which can make driving a real problem. Other people become ill and vomit. So be aware that not only does the patch not work for everyone, it has some very strong drawbacks as well.

Another method to quit smoking is nicotine gum. Although the problems may not be as severe, nicotine gum also has side effects similar to the patch. Many people complain of an upset stomach or dryness of the mouth.

Like I mentioned above, a widely used method to quit smoking is hypnosis. I have helped hundreds of clients that really want to quit smoking. The biggest key is that they really have to want to quit smoking and not be a result of wanting to please someone else. Hypnosis relaxation methods will work if you want to quit and are committed to being smoke free. Many people quit after one session with no cravings or symptoms of withdrawal.

If you do quit with hypnosis, or any other method, you need to be aware of people that will test your resolve. So if you have made the commitment to stay smoke free and then are tempted by a friend that says something like, “Oh, c’mon! One’s not going to hurt!” don’t give in. It only takes one to get you back on the path of smoking again.

Some people quit by switching from name brand cigarettes to natural 100% tobacco cigarettes. Name-brand cigarettes contained anywhere from 500 to 1000 (!) chemicals, in addition to the nicotine. Some of the most severe withdrawal symptoms are a result of the chemicals in the brand name cigarettes. After a while some people then switch to a herbal substitutes.

So it’s easy to see that while there are many ways to quit smoking, you need to do a little research and decide on the method to quit smoking that might work best for you. You can make this determination more easily by doing a little investigative work. Do scary pictures of lung cancer x-rays gross you out? Google some images and tack them up above your desk for inspiration and motivation. How about an online quit smoking support group or forum? Browse a book store for a self-help book on ways to quit smoking. I have written an e-course “Getting ready to stop smoking” that you can have at no charge to help you with your quest. The key is, don’t give up! Sooner or later, you’ll find resources that motivate you.

Talk to your doctor, join a quit smoking forum and read up on the effects of this nasty and expensive habit. Find your personal motivations and what best helps address your triggers. That’s when you’ll find your best method to quit smoking. And remember, you can, like millions of others, do it!

Quitting smoking can be difficult and daunting due to the two sides of addiction that it presents. Every type of addiction has a chemical or physical side and a mental or psychological side. These two combine to present a powerful barrier when trying to free oneself from the particular addiction. One weapon that should be in every addicts arsenal when trying to beat addiction is knowledge of the enemy. This article specifically looks at nicotine addiction and the effect it has on every smoker. It also looks at the nature of nicotine itself, what effects it has on the body and how its grip makes quitting smoking a difficult task.

According to the 1996 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse, around 62 million people aged 12 and older in the United States smoke cigarettes. This makes nicotine one of the most heavily used addictive drugs in the US. When a smoker inhales cigarette smoke it takes about 7 seconds for the nicotine in the smoke to be absorbed into the blood stream and affect the brain. It takes up to two hours for enough nicotine to leave the body to cause a craving. Nicotine then starts to affect the body’s reward system similarly to other addictive drugs such as cocaine. It has the overall effect of increasing alertness and enhancing mental performance. Nicotine affects the cardiovascular system by increasing heart rate and blood pressure and restricting blood flow to the heart muscle. Nicotine also stimulates the release of the hormone epinephrine which is a “fight or flight” hormone with a powerful effect on the nervous system. Another hormone that nicotine promotes the release of is beta-endorphin which inhibits pain.

Nicotine itself is a colourless oily compound and if you were to inject it directly into your bloodstream you would die, as it is quite a strong poison, 40-60mg of nicotine would be a lethal dose to a human. In fact its natural function in plants of the nightshade family is as an anti-herbivore chemical to prevent the plant being eaten. This is why nicotine has been widely used in the past as an insecticide, bear this in mind next time you smoke a cigarette or as you try to quit smoking.

Nicotine content in cigarettes has actually slowly increased over the years, and one study found that there was an average increase of 1.6% per year between the years of 1998 and 2005. One could take this cynically and suggest that a smoking industry with so much hostility towards it in legislation and campaigning is fighting back by trying to drug its smokers into continued loyalty.

There is no doubt that nicotine is a powerful and addictive drug, according the American Heart Association “Nicotine addiction has historically been one of the hardest addictions to break.” It has their interest as nicotine has links to circulatory disease. As a stimulant it raises blood pressure and makes it harder for the heart to pump blood through the body. This causes the body to release fats and cholesterol into the blood stream possibly adding to the risk of failure in peripheral circulation.

Nicotine is only one of the 400 or so damaging substances in tobacco smoke, I think you will agree that it does enough damage on its own to warrant special attention. When you next think of quitting smoking, think about what nicotine does to you and what effect it has on your body, how nicotine keeps you addicted to smoking and how you can take steps to beat it.

It is well known that smoking is a health hazard. Smokers know common facts about smoking but it does not bring them stop. Let’s systemize the knowledge about smoking. Smoking can cause: stained teeth, fingers, and hair; emphysema; high blood pressure; heart disease; insomnia; arthritis; nervousness; wrinkles and senilism; decreased sexual activity; mental depression; tobacco angina, pneumonia, asthma, lung cancer; arteriosclerosis; cancer of the lip, tongue, pharynx, larynx, and bladder.

Have you already known all these facts about smoking? Have you ever thought you wouldn’t choose any one disease, but run chances to get some of them, even most of them? To be able to afford yourself to treat these facts with indignity you should know the score.

The most troubling fact about smoking is that nicotine effects human nervous system. This affection begins with somatic and psychological dependence symptoms and ends with the nerve-muscle junctions disorders. The nerve-muscle junctions’ disorders usually cause tremors and shaking.

Nicotine causes narrowing and constriction of the arteries – one of the reasons for the heart failure and heart disease. Nicotine may cause excitement, anxiety, depression, morbid fears and aggravates nervous breakdowns, because of its ability to stimulate. Nicotine makes the blood more viscous and decreases the available oxygen. It also has an adverse effect on the breathing, sweating, intestinal, and heart actions of our vegetative nervous system.

It is also well known that if the mother smokes during pregnancy, the baby’s pulse is one third faster than a non-smoker mother’s baby is, and there can be heart trouble symptoms in the baby after birth. Premature birth is very often related to the mother’s smoking. There is also a confirmed relationship between parents’ smoking and children’s respiratory disease.

Some more facts about smoking… Do you know a smoker needs much more food and sleep because of the fact that nicotine makes his body work harder and less efficiently? The facts about smoking are that the smoker’s heart beats faster; his organism needs more fuel and energy, because it is permanently affected by the toxic agent. So, this is the explanation why smokers have less trouble keeping their weight down. By the way, the other disadvantage about the smoking is that foods taste much better to non-smokers.