Therapeutic Massage As a Smoking Cessation Aid


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All of us who have ever tried to quit smoking know how really hard it is to resist tobacco cravings. Both physiological and psychological symptoms of nicotine withdrawal can be very tough to cope with, especially for long-term smokers. Although a whole array of medications, nicotine patches, gums and other pharmaceutical aids have been developed to help fresh ex-smokers adapt to their new, smoke-free life, wholistic therapies and support groups can still offer a lot to those who want to kick their unhealthy habit. Smoking cessation is virtually impossible without a help of your family, friends, and co-workers. Just like an encouraging support of your social circle, regular cessions with your wholistic therapist, be it an acupuncturist, masseuse, or aromatherapist, can become a great help in your desire to become smoke-free for life. Read full “Therapeutic Massage As a Smoking Cessation Aid”

FAQ on Smoking and Health (Part V)


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21. Why do many smokers suffer from “smoker’s bronchitis”?

Since cigarette smoke contains harmful chemical compounds that severely irritate all parts of the respiratory tract, including the bronchi, lungs, and air passages, most smokers suffer from persistent cough. Coughing is a way for the body to expel those irritating compounds. Chronic bronchitis signals that the smoker’s respiratory system is under constant stress from inhaled tobacco smoke, resulting in chronic inflammation of the bronchi. This is why smokers often experience morning coughs, since the body tries to clear the air passages and get rid of harmful chemicals caused by smoking.

Read full “FAQ on Smoking and Health (Part V)”

FAQ on Smoking and Health (Part IV)


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16. Does stopping smoking reduce health risks?

Yes, it does. The sooner a smoker kicks his habit, the healthier he will become. Stopping smoking can reduce the risk of contracting cancers, lung diseases, cardiovascular problems, and other serious health conditions. Already an hour after smoking the last “lung rocket”, the body starts a regenerating process in order to exterminate residual poisons and restore damaged organs and tissues. Elevated blood pressure starts returning to normal. The blood levels of carbon monoxide and other tobacco-derived poisons start dropping to normal parameters. After one day, the risk of getting cardiovascular disease decreases. For those who already have heart problems, chances of having heart attack diminish. After a year, an ex-smoker reduces his chances of contracting coronary heart disease in almost a half. In addition, a year of smoke-free life clears the respiratory tract and eliminates chronic bronchitis, shortness of breath, and coughing. Sinus congestion diminishes and chronic fatigue often resolves. After a decade, the ex-smoker’s risk of dying from lung cancer decreases significantly and the risk of cardiovascular disease reduces to that of people who never smoked.

Read full “FAQ on Smoking and Health (Part IV)”

FAQ on Smoking and Health (Part III)


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12. How widely is smoking spread among youngsters nowadays?

Unfortunately, tobacco consumption in different forms, particularly smoking cigarettes and cigars and, more recently, using snuff and chewing tobacco, remains widely spread among youth. In the US, roughly one third of all high school students, as well as about one tenth of all middle school students, either smoke cigarettes or consume smokeless tobacco products. An alarming fact is that almost 10 percent of smoking young people have tried their first cigarette under the age of 11. A whopping 80 percent of all middle-aged smokers have started using tobacco in their high school age.

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FAQ on Smoking and Health (Part II)


lady bug

7. What is cigarette smoke composed of and how harmful are the “ingredients“?

Tobacco smoke contains a number of harmful compounds that also result from burning of cigarette wrapping and various “flavour-enhancing” additives. The most dangerous of these “ingredients” is tar, which includes more than 43 carcinogenic chemicals and numerous other hazardous compounds which can cause respiratory disorders, cardiovascular disease, and other disabling conditions. A surprising array of dangerous chemicals found in cigarette smoke include methanol, benzene, nitrogen oxide, ammonia, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, and even cyanide. And, of course, a substantial part of tobacco smoke in nicotine, a toxic and highly addictive chemical that harms the smoker’s health.

Read full “FAQ on Smoking and Health (Part II)”

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