What are the Home Remedies to Quit Smoking ?
BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery), 6 years of experience
Nowadays, people do not have time to do any leisure activities due to excess workload. Because of this, people’s lifestyles are getting spoiled, and they suffer from stress. Stress is a common problem but ignoring it can result in high mental strain. Anxiety and stress have a very harmful effect on the body. For example, if a person is under stress, he considers the people around him responsible, and the desire to live decreases. In such a situation, the person may start smoking or consuming other drugs. Such people make smoking a part of their life.
There are many people who know that smoking has harmful effects on health but still keep smoking. Smoking can severely damage the lungs. Apart from this, it can increase the risk of other diseases such as heart diseases, cancer. However, you can take the help of some home remedies to quit smoking addiction.
In today’s article, we will tell you about the causes, harmful effects of smoking, tips to quit smoking, benefits of quitting smoking, and home remedies to quit smoking.
- What are the causes of Smoking?
- What are the harmful effects of smoking?
- What are the tips to Quit Smoking?
- What are the Home Remedies to Quit Smoking?
- What are the withdrawal symptoms when one quits smoking?
What are the causes of Smoking?
Most often a person starts smoking due to stress. Apart from this, a mentally depressed person gets addicted to drugs and cigarette smoking. There are many other causes for developing smoking addiction:
- Some people start smoking just to show off in front of others and later develop an addiction to smoking.
- Some people smoke to forget their worries.
- Many people start smoking to show their status.
- Due to family concerns, some people may start smoking.
- Due to delusions, they become addicted to smoking.
- Coping with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
- To control their negative emotions
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What are the harmful effects of smoking on the body?
- Smoking causes mood enhancement temporarily but causes dependence, irritability, and anxiety in the long term.
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- It causes brownish discoloration of the teeth, makes the gums and bone around the teeth weak making teeth loose in the long run, and causes other mouth infections.
- Smoking increases risk of bronchitis, tuberculosis, pneumonia, etc. It causes bronchitis in children due to secondhand smoking.
- It damages the lung airways and causes persistent coughing.
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- It increases the risk of heart attacks.
- It is the main cause of various cancers like mouth cancer, throat cancer, lung cancer, bladder cancer, blood cancer and cervical cancer.
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- It leads to an increase in bad cholesterol and lowers the good cholesterol, which increases the chances of heart diseases.
- It lowers the immunity of the body, thus increasing the risk of infections
- It causes infertility in males and females, erectile dysfunction in males.
- Smokers with diabetes have a higher risk of complications like- kidney failure, heart attack, eye problems.
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- It increases the risk of stroke.
- Smoking during pregnancy may lead to miscarriage, stillbirth, physical deformity in the child, etc.
- Smoking leads to premature aging of the skin, dry skin.
What are the tips to Quit Smoking?
Here are some tips one can use to help quit smoking-
- One must find a good reason to quit smoking, like to protect family or prevent chances of cancer, look better, etc.
- One must design a proper plan to quit smoking. Smoking is an addiction and will require tobacco quitting classes, apps, counseling sessions, hypnosis, and medications too. Be prepared before.
- Use Nicotine Replacement Therapy ( NRT ). This helps to control the urges for nicotine. This can be taken in the form of nicotine gums, lozenges, patches.
- Take medical support to fight the withdrawal symptoms and depression.
- Take family and friend support, take behavioral therapy or join anti-tobacco counsellings.
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- Avoid stressful situations in the first few weeks of quitting by indulging in sports, exercises, going for massages, connecting with friends, doing your hobbies.
- Avoid triggers like alcohol, coffee ( usually accompanied by smoke ), switch to chewing gum, or talk to a friend when you feel the urge.
- Eat a healthy diet, green vegetables, fruits, and lean proteins.
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What are the Home Remedies to Quit Smoking?
Smoking is injurious to health, but still, some people do not quit smoking. Although, many people are aware of the problems caused by smoking and want to quit smoking. Some people use certain medicines to quit smoking.
Here are a few home remedies that may help to quit smoking-
- Vitamins B and C – Some research suggests that smokers have lower concentrations of circulating vitamin B and lower levels of vitamin C than non-smokers. Smokers often have an increased urge to smoke cigarettes because of stress. Vitamin B helps reduce stress as well as changes mood. Vitamin C is rich in antioxidants that can help protect the lungs from the oxidative stress that cigarette smoke can cause. Therefore, taking these vitamins may help to stop smoking. Taking vitamin B and C supplements can help quit smoking.
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- Herbal Cigarettes – The addiction to smoking cigarettes cannot go at once. So instead of regular cigarettes, one can use herbal cigarettes. It contains very little nicotine. Herbal cigarettes consist of a variety of herbs, including cinnamon, licorice, cloves, etc. Herbal cigarettes are available in many different flavors.
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- Licorice (Mulethi) – Licorice is an ayurvedic herb that is useful in treating several health problems. Licorice is effective in quitting smoking addiction. Chewing licorice reduces the desire to smoke. Apart from this, it strengthens the digestive system.
- Red chilies – Red chilies are used to make food spicy. According to Ayurveda, red chili cures health problems. It can also help in getting rid of the smoking habit. Red chili is effective in weaning off the addiction to cigarettes and tobacco. Red chili is beneficial to reduce the urge to smoke.
- Ginseng – Ginseng is used as Ayurvedic medicine. It is an effective plant that is used to quit smoking addiction. Take green tea and ginseng to reduce the urge to smoke. It should be used twice a day. It can help reduce smoking addiction as well as cure other health problems.
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- Water – Drinking seven to eight glasses of water a day can help eliminate toxins from the body through the urinary tract. It improves digestion by increasing the amount of metabolism. Always drink water 20 minutes before having a meal. Water is beneficial for the body and reduces the effects of nicotine-related problems.
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What are the withdrawal symptoms when one quits smoking?
When the person begins to stop smoking, the body is not used to not having tobacco. This leads to some withdrawal symptoms like-
- Feeling very sad and lethargic
- Difficulty in sleeping
- A person is irritated, edgy all the time
- Difficulty in thinking, making decisions
- Short concentration spans
- Restlessness
- Heart rate and Blood pressure are low
- Increase in appetite
- Increase in weight
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We hope that we could answer your questions regarding Home Remedies to Quit Smoking through this article.
If you want to quit smoking, then you can contact a good Psychiatrist. Smoking increases the risk of cancer.
We only aim to provide you with information through this article. We do not recommend any medicine or treatment to anyone. Only a doctor can give you the best advice and correct treatment plan.