The Natural Way to Quit Smoking
Looking for a way to quit smoking without the potential side effects that come with prescription drugs or nicotine replacement therapy? Going ‘cold turkey' isn't the only ‘natural' way to quit smoking, and most people will need a little more assistance. Luckily, there are a handful of natural products and methods that have been discovered to help you or someone you know give up the cigarettes.
Nicotine Fading: Quit Smoking Gradually
Along with going ‘cold turkey', nicotine fading is probably the most natural way to quit smoking. This ‘fading' technique is used quite commonly in professional nicotine recovery programs because it helps to minimise withdrawal symptoms without having to introduce additional prescription drugs into the body.
This technique is in theory as simple as it sounds. Nicotine fading is just a way to gradually reduce the amount if nicotine your body intakes so that by the time you fully quit the withdrawal symptoms are minimal and you have a better chance of avoiding relapse. However, in practise this technique can be challenging due to the self-discipline imposed constraints or ‘rules' that are needed for fading. This technique may be easier to use as apart of a professional or structured program for quitting that provides external discipline and assistance.
Herbal Remedies: Lobelia
Another ‘natural' way to give up the cigarettes is to use an herbal remedy. Most of these remedies include lobelia, which is also known as ‘Indian Tobacco'. Lobelia acts on the brain in ways that are similar to nicotine; however unlike nicotine it is not addictive! There are quite a number of herbal formulations that have been designed to help people quit smoking, and if used specifically as directed they should all be relatively safe.
Despite the label of ‘all natural', you should never be drawn into thinking that you don't need to be careful when undertaking herbal programs. Ensure that you take care with all remedies, especially if you are pregnant or have other health issues as herbs can be very powerful. Do be sure to check with your practitioner before undertaking any herbal programs and ensure that you get any ingredients or remedies from a very reliable and reputable source. It should also be reminded that in larger doses lobelia can cause nausea and vomiting as an unintended side effect.
Going ‘Cold Turkey'
Whilst it would not be entirely recommended for every circumstance or smoker, going cold turkey is an option when looking for a natural way to quit smoking without introducing any new drugs or chemicals into your system. Even herbs do have their side effects and giving cigarettes up completely without any assistance does avoid all of the above. Due to intense withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, anxiety and insomnia, cramps, irritability, hunger, poor concentration and fatigue, it is believed that around 5% of those who use the ‘cold turkey' are successful in the long term. Whilst this is quite a low percentage, it still demonstrates some success and if you are giving up for the first time this is perhaps the first option.
Alternative Methods
In additional to natural and herbal techniques for quitting smoking as opposed to using prescription drugs and nicotine patches or gum are alternative methods. These include techniques such as acupuncture, hypnotism and laser therapy. Quite a small amount of research has been done on these methods in direction relation to success and outcomes however they are worth considering as are likely to do very little harm.
Acupuncture
One of the more commonly trialled alternative methods for quitting smoking is acupuncture. Acupuncture and its related therapies (such as acupressure) are used with the intent to reduce withdrawal symptoms and therefore improve your chances of getting off and staying off cigarettes. Recent meta-analysis has not proven acupuncture to be a highly effective or dependable technique for quitting, however if you are already seeing an acupuncturist that you feel is a good one that has proved to be helpful in the past, this may be worth considering.
Hypnosis
Hypnosis has become one of the more popular methods to quit smoking. Hypnosis or hypnotherapy is supposed to help people give up by either weakening their desire to smoke, strengthening their will to quit, or in fact both. Theoretically, due to hypnosis working in an altered state of consciousness, suggestions offered by a hypnotherapist whilst a person is in such a state may affect parts of their mind that are normally not directly accessible and therefore easier to reverse.
The evidence for the success and effectiveness of hypnosis on terminating smoking habits is quite mixed and reasonably hard to read. Some studies have shown a strong effect while others have displayed none at all, suggesting that the success of this method may rely highly upon the approach or the skill of the practitioner. Find as reputable a hypnotherapist as possible and this is worth a try.
Laser Therapy
Laser therapy can be considered a sort of variation on acupuncture. The basic idea behind this technique as a way to quit smoking is that rather than the needles involved in acupuncture, laser energy can be used to stimulate points on the body to release energy. The technology is FDA-approved for pain relief, and does have some evidence of effectiveness for that. Although laser therapy hasn't been studied extensively for smoking cessation, despite its flashy exterior this method doesn't have any evidence of effectiveness as an effective way to quit smoking. In fact, one particular consumer group is actually suing one of the laser companies offering this service for consumer fraud in association with selling laser therapy services to quit smoking. Overall it can be concluded that this probably isn't your best shot.
Conclusion
When considering the more ‘natural' ways of giving up smoking to avoid introducing more nicotine and prescriptive drugs to your system, there are quite a few options. Whichever option you choose, Healthy Medicine suggests that you see a GP or qualified naturopath (if you select the herbal path) before undertaking most of the above methods. What can be said about giving up smoking on the whole is that very few people are able to simply drop cigarettes, and most need a little assistance. We don't need to tell you about all the reasons that you should give up smoking, as if you're reading this I'm sure you're aware. However given the seriousness and severity of possible outcomes of this habit and how hard it can be to squash, it's important that you never be afraid to give the Quit line or your GP a call and consider all of the options available. Good luck!