Quitting smoking is one of the best decisions people can make in their life. In my practice I use hypnosis to help people quitting and it is always effective when there is a commitment not only to quit but to achieve goals in various areas of your life that are incompatible with smoking. It is helpful to write your goals on a piece of paper and post it on your bathroom wall, or in your office where you will always see it. After you quit it is important to track
your progress so you can feel getting closer to some of these goals. This way you are encouraged to keep on track and find even more resources to help you achieving your goals.
As any recreational drugs or alcohol, smoking cigarettes harms the liver, digestive system, cardiovascular system and many other body functions. From the Chinese medical point of view nicotine is a very hot substance which enters smoker’s blood through the lungs and dries up capillaries, veins, and arteries.
After you quit smoking it is preferable to maintain the positive attitude towards new healthier life ahead of you. Time after time I see people who quit and have absolutely no withdrawal symptoms and no body weight changes. It proves the point that mind and body successfully work together when you make a strong decision to improve your health. However, because smoking affects body functions, gaining extra weight afterwards can happen for some people – and the good news that there is something you can do about it besides maintaining your exercise routine and counting calories.
There are a few tips of how to deal with the quitting smoking aftermath:
1. Every morning immediately after waking up drink a glass of water (room temperature) with squeezed 1/2 lemon. It will help to detoxify the liver. It will make your liver happy, as according to Chinese medicine “liver likes sour tasteâ€, and it will gladly perform its daily functions.
2. Consider gentle intestinal and/or liver cleanse. It might help you with potential food cravings and shedding these seven pounds of waste stored in intestines. Consult with your doctor or alternative medicine practitioner first.
3. Check out in your area for the ear acupuncture detoxification treatments (NADA). It involves relaxing in the chair with hair-thin acupuncture needles inserted in specific points on your ears. It is one of the best and proven techniques to detoxify and rebuild your body after years of smoking or any drug / alcohol addiction. It is helping your liver, lungs, kidneys, heart, and nervous system to recover. And yes, it is painless – needles are tiny.
4. Hang out with non-smoking friends more often.
5. Start juicing! Have a fresh squeezed juice instead of a snack.
6. Talk to your nutritionist or alternative medicine practitioner about amino acids. It might be beneficial for you to take some specific amino acid supplements for a period of time.
There are so much more in life you can do as a non-smoker with your lungs full of fresh clean air, with your hair and clothes smelling fresh, and free to control your own health. And the best news is that in only a few years your body will complete restoring all the systems affected by that old habit.
So… please sit down, take a deep breath and make a decision to live.
