Tag: Nicotine

Breastfeeding And Smoking: The Facts

Post author By admin
Post date May 25, 2012
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Breastfeeding and smoking is very bad. You need to make sure to feed your baby anyway. But remember smoking around a little baby can be terrible for their health. It is well known that smoking during pregnancy can harm the baby, but what about breastfeeding and smoking? What are the risks if you continue to smoke while nursing your baby? And if you cannot quit, should you breastfeed at all?

Breastfeeding And Smoking

Breastfeeding and smoking may not seem so dangerous as smoking in pregnancy because at least the baby is now receiving oxygen from the air. As long as you do not smoke around the baby, she can receive unpolluted oxygen. However, her only food source is still coming from your body, and it will contain nicotine and other toxins. In fact, there is more nicotine in breast milk than in the blood that reaches a fetus through the placenta.

Babies receiving breast milk from mothers who smoke more than 5 cigarettes a day are more likely to suffer from digestive problems including colic, nausea and diarrhea. If there is smoke in the air that the baby breathes, she also has an increased risk of respiratory diseases including asthma, bronchitis and pneumonia.

No Breastfeeding And Smoking

If you managed to quit smoking when you were pregnant, then it is worth holding out a little longer. Even though your baby is not dependent on your blood supply any more, she will still receive toxins through your milk. Over 4000 different toxins have been identified in cigarette smoke. Your body will get rid of these any way that it can, and through the milk is one way.

If you smoked through your pregnancy, then it will still benefit your baby if you can quit now. Be careful how you do it because heavy use of nicotine replacement products would not be good for your milk either.

When they hear these facts about breastfeeding and smoking, many nursing mothers ask: okay, so if I am nursing I should not smoke, but what about the other way around? If I smoke and I don’t believe I can quit, should I still breastfeed, or is it better to give my baby a store-bought baby milk that will not contain these toxins?

Breastfeeding is Still Very Important

The answer from the medical world is that yes you should still breastfeed even if you smoke, as long as you have enough milk. Heavy smokers tend to produce less milk than non-smokers, so this may be an issue and you will need to ensure that your baby is receiving enough to be well nourished. Smoking more than 10 cigarettes a day has been shown to reduce breast milk production.

If you cannot quit, then at least be sure not to smoke around the baby and avoid smoking right before you nurse. The nicotine levels in the blood are highest when you have just had a cigarette. So if you have to smoke, the best time is right after the baby finishes feeding. Then she will usually fall asleep and you can leave her safe in her crib and go outside the house to smoke.

Imagine if you could easily use the same method that allowed Paul Peyton, a heavy smoker for more than 14 years, ? to permanently quit overnight… Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

Well, guess what – you can. In fact, ANYONE can do it.

But first, you need to understand where you’ve gone wrong in the past… Treating just the physical addiction to smoking. But it can only be removed completely by using targeted psychotherapeutic techniques. NOT by ignoring it and hoping it will go away. And CERTAINLY NOT by throwing even more nicotine at it, in the form of patches or gum. You MUST deal with BOTH parts of your addiction the right way, or you will keep getting those cravings forever…

Specific, step by step instructions ? we show you exactly what to do, so nothing is left to chance. You choose the timeframe ? implement the method at your own pace, as you feel comfortable. Tried and tested method ? this cutting-edge method has been successfully used to cure thousands of happy ex-smokers. Permanently removes your mental dependence at the subconscious level ? resulting in a permanent end to mental cravings.

Check out PermaQuit now.

But keep in mind that as your baby grows, she will be around you more and more. When babies are older they may not be taking your milk any more but they will be more likely to be around your smoke. So now is a great time to quit if you possibly can, and reduce the risks to your baby from the effects of breastfeeding and smoking.

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A Quitting Smoking Timeline

Post author By admin
Post date May 25, 2012
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This quitting smoking timeline will be of interest to anybody who has just quit or is planning to quit and wants to know how long they are likely to have to put up with the symptoms of withdrawal. Symptoms can vary from person to person but in this article we will show an example quitting smoking timeline that the average person might expect when they stop smoking ‘cold turkey’.

If you use any kind of nicotine replacement therapies then symptoms are likely to last longer (although they may not be so severe) because the body is still getting nicotine and the addiction continues. If you use certain other therapies such as acupuncture or prescribed medications, you may escape experiencing some of the symptoms. So this quitting smoking timeline can only be an approximate guide and will not apply to every individual.

Quitting Smoking Timeline

20 minutes after finishing your last cigarette, your pulse, blood pressure and the temperature of your hands and feet will be back to your normal.

After 8 hours, the nicotine in your bloodstream will have fallen to around 6% of its maximum. Blood oxygen and carbon monoxide levels will be normal.

After 24 hours, anxiety will peak. On the positive side, your risk of a heart attack is already beginning to fall.

After 2 days, irritability is at its highest, but damaged nerves are beginning to heal and your senses of smell and taste will be improving. Already your body is experiencing significant benefits from quitting.

After 3 days, cravings will peak. This is not the end of cravings by any means but they will start to become less frequent and less intense after today. The lungs begin to heal and breathing starts to become easier. Your body would now test 100% nicotine free.

After 1 week, you are probably experiencing craving around three times a day. If you time your cravings, you will find that they only last two to three minutes, though it probably feels a lot longer. Keep telling yourself that you only have to hold out a couple of minutes each time.

After 2 weeks, cravings have dropped to an average of once per day.

After 3 weeks, receptors in the brain have returned to normal. Craving episodes will be rare after this. You may still think about smoking often, but that is not the same as craving. Being an ex-smoker is much easier from here.

After 3 months, the risk of smoking-related heart attack will be significantly less. Circulation has improved. If you catch a cold, you will be less congested and symptoms should clear up faster than they did when you smoked. Lung function is better and physical activity like climbing stairs will be much easier. If you had a smoking-related cough, it should have cleared (if not, see a doctor).

After 1 year, the extra risk that smokers have of suffering heart attack and stroke has reduced to half what it was when you smoked.

After this, the rate that things improve will depend even more on individual factors like how long you smoked, the age you were when you started, and how many cigarettes you smoked per day. As a very rough guide for the average person:

10 years: your risks of developing stroke, diabetes or pancreatic cancer are the same as for a person who never smoked. Lung cancer risk has reduced by up to 50% of the extra risk that applies to a smoker.

15 years: your risk of developing coronary heart disease is the same as that of a person who never smoked.

20 years: your risk of all smoking-related diseases is virtually back to what it would be if you had never smoked.

Imagine if you could easily use the same method that allowed Paul Peyton, a heavy smoker for more than 14 years, ? to permanently quit overnight… Wouldn’t that be wonderful?Well, guess what – you can. In fact, ANYONE can do it.

Remember that these are rough averages and cannot be assumed to apply to individual cases. Non-smokers can suffer from lung cancer and other diseases too. We are not medically qualified and neither this quitting smoking timeline nor any of the other information on this site is intended to provide health advice of any nature.

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Acupuncture For Smoking: Does It Work?

Post author By admin
Post date May 25, 2012
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More and more people are turning to acupuncture for smoking in their efforts to quit. It is one of the most acceptable and popular alternative therapies for nicotine addiction as well as many other health issues. But what is acupuncture, what happens during a treatment and does acupuncture for smoking really work? In this article we will examine all of these questions.

What Is Acupuncture for Smoking?

Acupuncture is a traditional Chinese method of treating all kinds of health issues. It is based on the belief that our vital energy travels along channels known as meridians, which run through all parts of the body. When these become blocked, disease occurs. Acupuncture treatment is thought to release the blockages so that the energy can flow freely again and the body will heal itself.

While that sounds great for healing sickness, it may be hard to understand how the same process could help with smoking addiction. But surprisingly, acupuncture has a good record of success with all types of addiction, even hard drug use.

What Will The Acupuncturist Do?

An acupuncturist will treat smoking like any other health issue. First he or she will ask you a series of questions about your health and lifestyle. Acupuncture is a holistic treatment focusing on the whole person rather than just the disease, so some of the questions may seem irrelevant to your desire to quit smoking. Nevertheless they are important.

Acupuncturists use two main treatment methods: needles and moxa. In addition, they may use massage and similar physical therapies.

Acupuncture For Smoking

Needles are as thin as a hair. They are much thinner than injection needles. In fact, several acupuncture needles can fit inside the hollow center of a regular hypodermic needle. There is little risk and they should not cause pain. You will probably feel something more like a tickling sensation when they are inserted. They will then be left in for a period of around 30 minutes. This can be a very relaxing experience.

Moxa is another name for the herb mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) which is processed into solid sticks or pyramids and burnt over the acupuncture points. Your skin will not be burnt at all, although it may feel warm. Burning moxa may also be applied to the outside end of an acupuncture needle to increase the intensity of needle treatment.

Treatment will center on certain acupuncture points. For smoking treatment, some of the most commonly used acupuncture points are around the ear and on the wrist. Other points may be included to release energy blockages more generally.

Finally, your acupuncturist may also prescribe a herbal treatment. This will usually be based on the principles of traditional Chinese herbal medicine.

Does Acupuncture For Smoking Really Work?

Proponents of acupuncture for smoking and other addictions say that it works, and works very well. It seems to reduce nicotine cravings significantly, as well as helping quitters with the associated withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, sleep issues, anxiety and difficulty in concentrating.

In addition, it can make cigarettes taste bad so you are less tempted to smoke one. But if you have quit, don’t light a cigarette to test this! Any rush of nicotine while you are quitting will only make the withdrawal period longer.

One of the biggest benefits of acupuncture for smoking for many people who want to quit is that it can also help with the desire to overeat. In fact acupuncture is often used to treat compulsive eating and other food disorders. So if you are overweight or have concerns about the possibility of gaining weight when you quit smoking, tell your acupuncturist and they may be able to help you quit without gaining at all. You may even lose weight when you are being treated with acupuncture for smoking.