Did you know that your subconscious mind stores all your habits, mental blocks and inhibitions? Each of these tendencies or properties comes with specific feelings and sensations. How did this come about? For each of these tendencies, at some point in time possibly when you were quite young, you experienced certain sensations or feeling repeatedly – some positive and others negative or unpleasant.

Because of the repetition, these emotions were reinforced and became more dominant in your mind and memory than other memories, experiences and feelings.

What then happens is that your subconscious mind tries to relive the experiences over and over again – which in turn reinforces them in your memory – especially the pleasant ones.

But how does that affect you as a smoker?

Basically, when you smoke a cigarette or cigar, you experience pleasant sensations – both mental and physical which you then associate with the smoking. Your subconscious mind then tries to get you to experience the thrills of the smoking again and again until it convinces you that smoking has become becomes a necessity for you.

To destroy the habit, it is necessary to persuade your subconscious that its conviction that smoking is beneficial to you or needed by you. One way to do this is to replace these memories with even more pleasant ones. One way of doing this is by using Hypnosis.

There are two main stages in the process of hypnosis:
The first step, is the relaxation stage and the second stage comprises of focusing on the unconscious actions or problems that lead you to smoke.

While you are relaxed, your subconscious mind is much more receptive to instruction. You will need to practice getting into this state several times until you perfect the art. Getting into the relaxed mode is essential for you to be hypnotized. Once you perfect this, you can turn your focus to problem solving. (Note that you can use the same method to solve most personal problems as well, not only smoking)

By: Phil Warren, A.I.I.P.,C.L.T.

A key strategy for living a longer, stronger, prolonged, healthier life comes as no surprise — don’t smoke. If you’re a smoker, you’re simply more likely to die prematurely — from heart or lung disease. Scientific facts prove that smoking can take more than 10 years off your life. But there’s good news. Quitting now means health benefits can start in just minutes, and your risk of heart disease is cut in half in about a year. Now, the question to be asked is: How serious are you in wanting to quit smoking?

There’s real hope for people who seriously want to stop smoking.

For more than 30 years now people all over the world have been helped with their addictions using a simple pain and drug free solution, yet it is still widely unknown in the United States. It’s a solution that has no reported side effects and is very relaxing. Laser Therapy or LLLT (low level laser therapy) uses a cold laser on various meridian points of the body to produce endorphins. Endorphins are the feel good chemical that the body naturally produces when you do something pleasurable. That increase in endorphin levels, helps minimize cravings that one might feel during the first days after one quits smoking, or during a weight loss program to help reduce sugar / food cravings. It’s also a highly effective way to reduce stress. Most people after having laser therapy of this type report a calmness and reduction in stress levels.

The problem with the quit smoking patches and drugs sold or prescribed in the marketplace.

Until now, drugs that purport to help you quit smoking have largely ignored the root of the problem Nicotine — the chemical that keeps you hooked to those insidious packs of cigarettes and unless you rid your body of that nasty chemical as quickly as possible the success of any Smoking Cessation treatment is reduced dramatically.

This is why LLLT professionals also suggest a simple yet effective detoxification regime that includes vitamins, minerals and liquids to help rid the body of toxins such as nicotine. The vitamins and minerals in this detoxification program are readily available natural products that have been in use for many, many years and are now combined in a unique way to help rid the body of nicotine.

In conjunction with the laser therapy and detoxification program a relaxation CD is usually provided to help people keep calm and reduce stress a reason many people give as to why they started smoking in the first place or why they are unable to stop.

Studies from Asia, Canada and the United Kingdom are producing quite remarkable success rates and the emphasis on Nicotine detoxification is providing a long-term solution to this life threatening addiction.

However, this therapy is by no means a magic bullet, it takes a willingness and determination on the part of the smoker to stick with the two week detoxification program, make permanent but simple lifestyle changes and of course the desire to stop.

About the author: Phil Warren A.I.I.P., C.L.T. and his Matrix Laser Centers are at the forefront of this new and exciting laser technology to help you quit smoking — in most instances after only one 60-minute appointment. Call 619-260-9191 today for a free initial expert consultation filled with information to help you effectively, efficiently and positively change your lifestyle. For more information check out http://www.matrixlasercenters.com

You want to stop smoking. Perhaps you’ve never tried but are convinced you could stop if you did. Or perhaps you have tried to stop several times – and failed. Why did you fail? Possibly you did not prepare yourself for the mental challenge of stopping – and it’s a massive mental challenge. To quit smoking successfully, you need adequate mental preparation. The more prepared you make yourself, the greater your chances of succeeding and staying cigarette free.

Are you really prepared to stop smoking?

Why do you want to stop smoking? There are many reasons you might be trying to stop. You might be trying to kick the habit because you have heard about the diseases it causes and the threat to your health. It might because you find yourself wasting a lot of money. Maybe your husband or wife or children are putting pressure on you to quit smoking.

Unfortunately, it’s been found that quitting smoking because of some external reason or someone else rarely works or rarely works for long. The only way you’ll stop is if you do it for yourself – not for others. You have to stop smoking for YOU.

What makes you to smoke?

You started to smoke (and keep on smoking) for a variety of reasons. There are both physiological (addiction inducing chemical substances in cigarettes) and psychological (emotional) reasons.Some smoke for the taste, some because it makes them confident or calms them down. Some people find it relaxes them in tense moments. For others it numbs feelings and reduces stress. Alleviates loneliness, gives something to do. Gets rid of boredom. Kills time while waiting etc. Basically, smoking fills a void, fulfils a need you have.

Make a written record of the reasons you smoke or how it makes you feel when you smoke compared to when you don’t.

You need a substitute for your smoking

To successfully stop smoking, you need to find some replacement therapy for the nicotine you breathe in when you smoke. What can you substitute for smoking in your life? It is easy to find a substitute for the nicotine which causes the physical symptoms and craving, but to succeed in quitting, you also need to find a substitute for the emotional void you feel when you quit.

Next to the reasons you’ve listed, think of and write down some activity you can partake in that will help you develop similar sensations or feelings.

Other things you can do are:

Hang out with people or make new friends who will support you and help you feel good – preferably non smokers!

Get yourself a new hobby that keeps your mind and your hands busy. It could be doing a course, teaching yourself a new skill, a sport or exercise. Do something that gives you a daily sense of achievement.

Try to exercise for a short while everyday. It could be several short walks, a jog, a session in the gym, swimming, tennis, dancing or any other exercise. It will probably be more fun if you make it a group or family affair. Once it becomes routine, you’ll be surprised how it helps you reduce stress and improves your mental and physical fitness and sense of well being.

Author: Peter Finch

Herbal stop smoking methods really do seem the order of the day. When other popular methods such as nicotine replacement therapy and medication therapies are showing either their inefficacy or their potential dangers to the human system, it is but obvious that people want to play safe and go the natural way.

Herbs have also shown their efficiency at smoking cessation and that indeed helps a lot. In fact, it is not wrong to say that such methods have taken an important place on the smoking cessation shelf.

There are many reasons why herbal stop smoking methods work. First and foremost, herbs are natural products. They are derivatives of plants. As such, they are much safer than the medicinal therapies which include synthetic chemicals. People trust natural herbs more and do not mind introducing them into their bodies.

In addition, natural herbs do not have the long list of contraindications that chemical antidepressants have. Herbs can be safely used in almost all people, even with those who have some health conditions. And herbal stop smoking methods do not create the delusions and hallucinations that synthetic chemicals can do.

Though these methods seem to be new, they have been in use since centuries. Saint Johns Wort is a common herbal antidepressant that has been used since age-old times. Even common herbs like peppermint, spearmint and clove have the capacity to make the person actually hate the taste of nicotine.

This is an important point to ponder on. While conventional medicine therapies try to cure the addiction after it has occurred, herbal solutions prevent the addiction itself from happening in the first place. If a person is a mild smoker and he or she takes the herbal quit smoking formulations, then there is never a chance that they will convert into chain smokers. On the contrary, their addiction will be weaned away effectively.

There are many things that herbal medications can do for the smokers body. First and foremost, they will create distaste for the taste of nicotine itself, which will help to stop the addiction. But a sudden stop on nicotine might cause the person to enter into depression.

Herbal remedies can work here too. Most of the herbs used in herbal quit smoking formulations, like the SmokeRX, have antidepressant properties. They can positively stimulate the nervous system and help the quitting smoker to face the different pangs of withdrawal.

Last but not the least, herbal smoking cessation methods can flush out the toxins that years of cigarette smoking might have accumulated in the body. This is something conventional medicine cannot do. Within a few days of using herbal remedies for smoking cessation, the positive impact on health becomes noticeable. With a little more time, the body could revert to its original normal healthy state.

It is no wonder then that herbal stop smoking remedies are becoming so hugely popular. Their effectiveness has proven that they are today the best options available for determined smokers who want to give up their habit.

About the Author:

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Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Herbal Stop Smoking – Why Is It So Much In Demand?

Bring to your mind an occasion on in which you felt absolutely relaxed and calm. Think perhaps of a time during a holiday lying on a beach, or just in bed on a weekend morning, or while camping, or an evening out with friends.

Think of how you felt during this event away from daily problems and in a relaxed environment. If you can’t recall any particular event, it’s okay to invent or imagine one, or to combine a real relaxed event with an imagined one e.g. imagine yourself in place of your favorite movie star in a relaxed scene.

The next thing to do is to transfer yourself to that scene mentally i.e. go there mentally. To do this, just imagine how you would get to that scene from where you are now. Get a pen and write down all the steps you would take to get there from where you are now.

Your steps might appear something like this.
1. I am sitting comfortably on my favorite chair.
2. Now I am shutting out my worries.
3. My nerves have calmed down and I am feeling more relaxed.
4. My breathing is becoming more rhythmic and relaxed.
5. I am breathing more deeply. (Concentrate on your breathing for a minute or two.)
6. I am feeling that I have gone to the beach. (Try to picture in your mind the details of that environment.)
7. I am enjoying the natural surroundings; the pleasant smells around me, enjoying the view that surrounds me on every side, and the sounds coming to me from every angle.
8. The atmosphere is so soothing and relaxing.
9. I feel totally relaxed.
10. I am totally relaxed.

Once you write down these steps, revise them, and learn them thoroughly because once you start the relaxation process you can’t stop to read your notes.

During the whole relaxation process, you will be speaking to yourself. You can speak silently or make yourself a recording while talking through the process and play this back to help you relax. While you are recording you should speak in a slow, smooth and soothing tone of voice. Give yourself enough time while recording each of the steps to imagine the feelings you would experience if you were really at the scene.

Once you are ready to start the relaxation process, get yourself comfortably seated. Close your eyes and start talking yourself (silently, if you want) through each of the steps in turn. Or play the recording and let your mind follow each of the steps as you listen. Allow yourself enough time to catch the emotions and feelings triggered by each step.

Once you reach the last step, go back down the steps in reverse and return to normal Try to practice these steps so that you can relax quickly whenever you want to.

The next step is to focus on solving the problems. To do this go through the relaxation steps, but instead of going back down, go onto the problem solving steps that follow.

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the air tubes or passages in your lungs. The inflammation leads to a mucus forming in them and blocking them to the passage of air.Smoking cigarettes has been found to be responsible for up to 80% of cases of chronic bronchitis.

Its symptoms include coughing, spitting and fever, shortness of breath, inability to sleep – and it may last for months on end and re –occur every year. However once you succeed in giving up smoking, your lungs should return to normal – after about 5 years.

Lung cancer like all cancers is a disease in which the bodies cells become defective and start growing at abnormally fast rates. These cancerous cells often spread to over parts of the body to develop other cancers.

Not all lung cancer is caused by smoking buy 90% of smoke cancers have been found to oocur in smokers and the chances of dying from it are more than 20 times higher in smokers than non-smokers.

Lung cancer is curable in some cases depending on several factors including your general state of health e.g. if you are already suffering from a disease such as diabetes and then get cancer your risk is increased, which section of the lungs are affected, which kind of cells are cancerous and whether the cancer has spread to other organs in the body

Things that increase the risk of of lung cancer from smoking include:

• How much you smoke daily
• Where you work with a colleague who smokes or live with a person who smokes
• Whether you live or work in a smoke filled environment e.g. a bar where smoking is permitted

Smoking Risk Avoidance Myths

Certain things smokers do to try and reduce the risk have been found to be inneffective. These include

• Switching brands
• Reduced Nicotine Brands
• Switching to Cigars or self rolled ciagarettes

- there are thousands of toxic chemicals in cigarettes. All cigarettes contain them so switching brands will not make a difference.

Smoking is one of the major causes of Emphysema a lung disease in which the air sacs of your lungs get damaged and merge so they can carry much less air. This results in fatigue, lack of breath and wheezing to try and get more air in after the simplest intensive activities such as a brisk walk. Chronic cough, swelling of the feet and ankles, anxiety. It can also lead to you losing weight.

In addition, emphysema weakens your resistance so you can develop serious chest infections such as flu, colds and pneumonia. You may also develop hypertension as the heart strains to pump more oxygen around the body.

Unfortunately, emphysema develops slowly over years so that you may have serious damage to your lungs by the time you see any symptoms.

Emphysema is incurable but the damage can be slowed down by giving up smoking.

Smoking is one of the most difficult addictions and habits to stop. It can be extremely hard to stop because there are both psychological and physiological symptoms to the addiction. Or to put it a different way, smokers are hooked both by the chemical effects to the body – nicotine addiction and dependency – as well as the seemingly positive effects on the mind such as getting rid of stress, feeling calm, boosts in confidence etc.

There is no one method of stopping smoking that works for everyone, so it can prove difficult to say which is the best way for any particular individual Notwithstanding, it is possible to stop smoking as demonstrated by thousands who have succeeded in getting rid of the habit and breaking their addictions permanently

You need to identify a program that suits you in particular. Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) has been used effectively in many instances of smoking addiction and is one of the most common strategies of getting free of smoke addiction. It is often used in addition to other therapeutic methods including other medication, addiction counselling and psychological therapy.

In any therapy for smoking addiction, you are very likely to experience withdrawal symptoms. How successful you are in dealing with the withdrawal symptoms is likely to determine how successful you are in dealing with your addiction.

If you are undergoing Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), you are provided with patches, gums, oral inhalers or nasal sprays containing low quantities of nicotine. These are intended to reduce your withdrawal symptoms by releasing a low quantity of nicotine at intervals to combat the craving of the addiction. Over a period of time, the dosage of nicotine is reduced gradually to allow your mind and body to accept lesser and lesser quantities of nicotine, until it can be stopped completely.

The success rate of Nicotine Replacement Therapy is relatively high and it is said few people who successfully complete the therapy relapse even after years of kicking the smoking habit. Many authorities consider Nicotine Replacement Therapy, NRT to be the best way to stop smoking.

It is important to not succumb to the temptation to smoke during NRT. Smoking cigarettes during Nicotine Replacement Therapy could be dangerous as you are likely to end up taking in even more Nicotine than you absorbed when you were only smoking cigarettes.

You can obtain Nicotine patches and Nicotine gums over the counter but other forms of NRT have to taken under medical supervision and provided by authority of a medical practitioner.

You can also get medical treatment for smoking as opposed to replacement therapy.Zyban is a drug made from the chemical Bupropion. Bupropion originally developed and marketed as an anti-depressant was later found to be effective as a smoking cessation aid. It stimulates the body to release dopamine and norepinephrine which are naturally occurring chemicals in the body that produce the same kind of pleasure, calm and feelings experienced by smokers while smoking.

Zyban or Bupropion therapy has a modest success rate. Some smokers return to smoking after a while. Hence if you take Zyban to give up smoking and succeed you should still maintain contact with your physician. Because of its other effect, Zyban must only be taken under medical supervision. It is to be avoided by people suffering from epilepsy or cardiac conditions. Pregnant women are also advised to not take it. Unlike some other drugs, Bupropion does not causes erectile dysfunction or sexual dysfunction.

Some smokers and nicotine addicts profit from psychological counselling.

Psychological counselling is useful in combating the withdrawal symptoms that can occur such as anxiety, stress and mood changes. Seeking counselling from experienced professionals can help you become emotionally stronger and determined. They can instruct you on coping strategies, avoidance mechanisms and also reinforce your determination to quit smoking as they remind you of the immediate and long term advantages to your health and general well being of giving up the smoking habit.

Alternative therapies including yoga and meditation can also prove beneficial in kicking the habit.

For some you, however, the best way for you to quit smoking is by going cold turkey. You may be able to decide you are not going to smoke any longer. Stub out your cigarette, and refuse to light another – ever. You will need all your will power. But if you can, this is great and without any of the side effects of the drug and chemical therapies.

By: Roy Dobson

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese medical treatment. It involves in stimulating some particles of the human body for deriving specific outputs. Do not be horrified, as acupuncture is done by piercing the skin with thin needles. It is not painful but seems to be relaxing.

All smokers can use acupuncture to stop smoking. If you are a chain smoker and cannot quit the bad habit at all, then acupuncture can be a good option for helping you quit smoking. It can give you really positive results, where other methods to stop smoking have failed. Yes, acupuncture decreases chronic smoking habits.

The Prerequisites

Once you have reached a decision for using acupuncture to stop smoking, you must first and foremost get a licensed acupuncture practitioner. Make sure that you find a practitioner who has a proper medical cultivation and who can better assess the medical treatment required by you.

The process of acupuncture

Acupuncture is usually done on the cartilage of your ears. Do not worry, the procedure is safe, just ensure that the needles are useful ones, that is they should be purified to avoid contamination.

When you go for acupuncture to stop smoking, the acupuncturist will ask you a lot of questions to understand your health, behavior and lifestyle. Open out to the acupuncturist and do not conceal facts concerning any medical complications or any medications that you might be taking presently. It is only then that the acupuncturist will be able to tell you exactly how many acupuncture sessions you will be requiring.

The needles are pricked on the ear, hands and wrist of the smoker. The needles remain pierced on your skin for 30 to 45 minutes and this relaxes you. The result is that the pricked needles lessen the cravings for smoking.

As the needle pricking sessions are going on, the therapist recommends you to undergo herbal treatments. For speeding up the process of acupuncture to stop smoking, you can apply a mixture of wintergreen and clove oil, Sichuan lovage rhizomes and the extracts of evodia fruits in the acupuncture points.

The therapist will give you the up-to-date information about the progress that you are making. Depending on your condition, the acupuncture to stop smoking can go on for a few days or may continue for maybe a couple of weeks.

The after-effects of acupuncture

When you are done with the acupuncture treatment, the cigarettes seem to have a foul and nasty burnt taste; you do not feel like smoking. Yes, acupuncture to stop smoking also decreases the side effects of nicotine withdrawal, like cravings, depression and anxiety.

The acupuncture treatment also helps in de-congesting your lungs and improves your blood circulation.

Try acupuncture if you seriously want to quit smoking. Do not let your desire to stop smoking just be another New Year resolution that you intend to break. Trust acupuncture, and free yourself from the addiction of smoking.

About the author: Roy Dobson is a successful writer and publisher of Smoking related issues, for more informative articles go to http://www.stopsmokingtoday.net
Article Source: www.isnare.com