In this post we explore how to stop smoking naturally, the smoking treatments available and quit smoking cigarettes for good.
Discover several natural stop smoking treatments available that have been proven to help during the stages of nicotine withdrawal. Discover what will help to ease smoking triggers, the cravings, aid the detox and then help you to kick the habit for good.
Quit Smoking Naturally With A Stop Smoking Plan.
Smoking cigarettes and the residual secondhand smoke remains one of the leading causes of disease and illness across the globe.
Smoking acts as a trigger, and is a major factor in the development of several forms of cancers (mouth, throat, lung). It also contributes to heart disease, stroke and several other illnesses.
There is already a huge amount of public information detailing the health risks associated with smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products.
The smoking hazards do not only impact the smoker but also to those who are exposed to their smoking patterns and secondhand smoke. We refer to these people as passive smokers.
The Often Ignored Impact Of smoking Cigarettes.
We probably all know someone whose smoking cigarettes triggered ill health and we will all be aware of the huge personal costs of tobacco products in a financial sense.
So why are there so many people who cannot seem to stick with a stop smoking plan, continue to smoke and place themselves at risk.
The answer is addiction.
Smoking is highly addictive. Most people have probably tried smoking cessation plans to give up smoking. Many of them a number of times. It is hard. Very hard.
What To Expect – Smoking Treatments Available To Stop Smoking Naturally.
When someone decides to stop smoking cigarettes our body goes into a state of nicotine withdrawal and craving.
Like any habit we have developed a pattern of dependence. By smoking nicotine our body has become accustomed to functioning with the tobacco smoke, and has become dependent on, a certain level of nicotine. Nicotine is the chemical substance responsible for addiction.
When we stop smoking cigarettes and other tobacco products our body reacts.
Our body sends signals to our brain telling us that something is not right, something is missing and the smoking habits can cause cravings and smoking triggers.
In order to eliminate these cravings and prevent smoking relapse we need to stay committed to a smoking cessation plan for long enough so that our body is able to detoxify naturally and rid itself of all traces of nicotine.
This is the point where most people give up on their stop smoking plan.
The cravings in some cases, are so bad that people cannot sleep, or they depressed and irritable which is why many choose a cognitive behavioral smoking cessation treatment .
We need to spend enough time without smoking nicotine so that our body develops a new habit, one that is not dependent upon nicotine.
Therefore if we wish to control these cravings and stick to our smoking cessation plans to quit we need to find alternate methods to control cravings and boost our chances for success.
In this guide on how to quit smoking naturally we will look at 3 Eastern practices that are recognized as highly effective in the battle against cravings and smoking cessation.
How To Stop Smoking Naturally With Acupuncture.
Many local stop smoking services and other online resources now recommend Acupuncture which originates from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Records of its use can be found dating back to 113 B.C.
Based on the meridian system of energy flow Acupuncture is the procedure of having extremely thin needles inserted into particular meridian points on our body to prevent many negative health effects.
The needles when inserted into the meridian system stimulate and improve the energy flow which eliminates the unpleasant side effects smoking.
I seriously doubt anyone likes the sound of needles being placed into their body, but believe it or not the technique is painless and aids lower smoking consumption.
The use of acupuncture to quit smoking cigarettes is now widely accepted within modern medical circles.
Research shows the use of acupuncture for smoking cessation to be one of the preferred holistic methods for successfully stopping smoking long term.
Unfortunately a large number of people never consider using acupuncture in their personal stop smoking plan due to the needles.
If needles are something you are unable to consider, and there are many people that feel the same way, then there is an alternative that helps to combat the unpleasant side effects smoking cause. Acupressure.
Acupressure uses exactly the same ideas as acupuncture in a smoking program. However rather than inserting needles directly into the meridian the technique involves placing direct pressure onto the meridian point.
Studies and discussions in a smoking cessation forum also show acupressure is an effective technique and achieves similar results to acupuncture.
Therefore if you are looking for smoking cessation treatment options and wanting to learn how to stop smoking naturally both acupuncture and acupressure are highly recommended.
The studies from those treated with both acupuncture and acupressure found that over 80% acupuncture and 74% acupressure participants found relief from withdrawal symptoms, smoking triggers and the cravings of smoking.
Herbal Medical Treatments To Quit Cigarettes.
Other recommendations for quitting smoking naturally come from Traditional Chinese Medicine and include the use of herbal supplements.
Herbal Supplements are, like acupuncture and acupressure, used as a stop smoking support to aid the control of cravings and help with nicotine withdrawal.
Herbal supplements are also recommended because of the additional health benefits they provide and how they help guard against the unpleasant side effects smoking have on the body.
Adding herbal supplements to your diet helps ease nicotine withdrawal which can lead to irritability, anxiousness and sleep deprivation. The use of supplements is one of the smoking treatments available and also aids tissue repair.
One of many negative health effects faced by long term smokers is premature aging. When we smoke our tissues dry out and become damaged due to the cigarette smoke reducing the amount of oxygen that reaches our skin. Herbal supplements can help aid repair and hydration of our bodies tissues.
As with any smoking cessation medications, herbal treatment, or supplement, if you have existing medical conditions or take prescription medicines it is always advised to seek medical advice from your doctor before embarking on any alternative supplements.
Herbal supplements when used as a treatment option for how to stop smoking cigarettes naturally are perfectly safe. Those recommended have been tested thoroughly. However any product, natural or not, may interact with pharmaceuticals therefore it is always wise that we seek initial medical advice.
These recommended herbal smoking cessation products are very basic and easy to use.
These 2 smoking substitutes are off the shelf natural teas and great for your stop smoking plan.
You may be surprised but both have been used successfully to counteract smoking withdrawal symptoms and counter cravings.
Green Tea To Quit Cigarette Smoking.
As part of your smoking cessation initiative you should sip green tea throughout the day during your detoxification period. Green Tea contains certain elements that are thought to prevent the urge to smoke and block cravings.
Lobelia Tea For Smoking Withdrawal Symptoms.
Lobelia Tea is known for it’s ability to aid smoking cessation through the elimination of toxins from our body and was traditionally used as an antidote for snake bite!
Combine Lobelia and Green Tea and you have an awesome detoxification product that will help control cravings and smoking withdrawal symptoms.
Cayenne Pepper For Your Quitting Smoking Program.
A very simple herbal remedy and one that is easy to add to smoking cessation plans. Cayenne pepper is an excellent remedy for helping to ease the cravings for cigarettes.
Cayenne Pepper desensitizes the respiratory system to tobacco and chemical irritants and this is what eases the cravings and reduce many common smoking triggers.
It is important that you add this spice to your diet during your smoking cessation initiative. Use Cayenne spice daily by adding a couple of pinches into a glass of water.
Ginseng To Prevent Smoking Relapse.
Studies have shown that Ginseng prevents the nicotine induced release of neurotransmitter dopamine. Dopamine is one of the biggest smoking triggers and provides the “high of smoking” and what makes you feel better after having a cigarette.
Blocking the dopamine is a big part of tackling nicotine addiction in the early smoking cessation process.
Add a teaspoon of ginseng powder to your breakfast cereal or a glass of fruit juice in the morning should help alleviate cravings which is an important factor in smoking cessation plans.
St. John’s Wort. As A Smoking Cessation Aid.
Most people will be aware that St John’s Wort is primarily used to treat depression. However some research indicates that this herb also helps people in early smoking cessation.
In one study, a sample group of people who smoked 1 or more cigarettes a day also received St. John’s wort (450 mg capsule 2 times a day) plus smoking cessation guidance.
After 12 weeks, 45% of the target group had successfully managed to quit smoking cigarettes.
How To Stop Smoking Naturally With Lifestyle Changes
When seeking ways to quit smoking cigarettes we must look at modifying our lifestyle. Some useful tips include:
- Supplement your vitamin and mineral intake by eating plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid consuming anything that elevates blood acidity such as sugars and highly caffeinated products as they will increase your withdrawal symptoms.
- Practice meditation techniques, the link offers a useful guide or there are many other online resources.
- Exercise – get plenty as it reduces the stress associated with withdrawal and promotes relaxation.
- Take plenty of water – dehydration is one of the leading factors of increasing cravings.
- Rest – allow your body to detox and eliminate any toxins from smoking nicotine from your system.
These techniques for how to stop smoking naturally can be used independently or you may wish to use them all in your stop smoking plan.
If you do try any of these please do write in and let me know how you got on. Or if you have other methods or smoking cessation products that worked for you please let me know.
Wishing you the best of luck with your personal stop smoking plan and your health.
HI there my friend,
Great site, healing naturally and natural health. I wish there was more sites like it. Stopping smoking is said to be one of the most difficult things to do. Doing it naturally perhaps even more difficult.
No idea myself as I never started. I had no idea acupuncture could work with smoking or herbal teas.
Hi Derek
Thank you for your comments. I’m delighted you enjoy the site and hope to hear from you again. Great decision never to start smoking. It is a very difficult addiction to stop. Teas and acupuncture definitely help and I recommend them fully…however it is still a battle for people and requires great will power.
Wishing you the best health
Jason
As someone that has quit a 30 year habit, I appreciate the alternative methods to stopping smoking that you discuss in this great post. For the majority of my lifetime, the dangers of smoking have been both denied and covered-up. Today we are much more aware of the risk that smoking causes, but the methods to quit, in my opinion, are sadly disquised by means that are designed to keep a person smoking. The nicotine replacement products do not remove the nicotine from your system and do not help in breaking your addiction. In the end a person has to withdraw from nicotine and your methods are based on traditional medicine and ways to detox that a person can benefit from. I’ve always questioned if the tobacco growers are actually the ones that produce the stop smoking means that are marketed so heavily to smokers and appluad the infomation that this post provides.
Hi Erin
Thank you for your comments. I like you have always wondered how replacing a nicotine cigarette with a nicotine patch could ever help anyone give up. I realize that the patch is healthier than the cigarette as you don’t get the tar and other chemicals…however as nicotine is the addictive element it seems a strange way to give up….
I do believe that the only way to stop smoking is to stop the intake of nicotine and the holistic remedies I list here are useful in supporting the person to do that and to stop the cravings.
Thanks again for your comments.
Jason
Acupuncture is so ancient that just for this you should try it .
Very nice article, i wish i red it while i was quitting smoking.
I managed it though , as you write i did change my diet, meditate, visualized and create a special inner section in my mind reminding me that my new baby born would be affected by it, so i did quit!! .
Sometimes we really need a powerful stimulation in order to break long term bad habits.
I will anyways keep the herbal teas on the go in case of possible craving.
As well i found out that it is much effective saying that you don’t smoke instead saying that you quit, it’s a bit as tricking the brain, after many times repeating that you don’t smoke your mind and body will act upon it.
Thanks a lot for the tips
Wish you endless health
thank you my friend. I absolutely agree with using positive mental conditioning and seeing yourself as a non smoker compared to an ex smoker. Saying you don’t smoke helps manifest that exact state.
Best health always
J
Well I must say to you that from the word go I was really happy to be commenting on this site as I have a natural weight loss site and so it sparked my curiosity. I was not disappointed when I began to read it either. I laid out very nicely if we read into it properly, the reasons why one should quit smoking in the first place and then it went on to the natural approaches of how to quit. As a smoker I was really interested in this part. I found that your tips on lifestyle changes to make complete sense and I will try to adjust my life accordingly.
Thank you
Si
Hi Si
Glad you found the post useful.
Good luck with the stopping smoking. It’s one of the hardest addictions to break but is well worth it for health and financial reasons.
Best wishes
Jason
Hi there,
thanks for the advice. I’ve been smoking for a few years now and know how difficult it can be to stop smoking. I’ve stopped in the past for a few weeks at a time but always end up starting again. Not sure if acupuncture is for me but will definitely try green tea and changing some lifestyle habits.
Glad you enjoyed the post Adam. And if you can do try the acupuncture. I have a hatred of needles so was pretty worried the first time I had it done…but the truth is you dont feel them and it works really well.
If you feel the needle…ask the practitioner to stop…and go elsewhere!
Best of health to you
Jason
Useful tidbit of information and some very useful tips. I myself am a smoker, and could use some cutting back at least, if not full-on quitting. This way I can stay alive for my kids that much longer. And as it is now, my family is dyin off fast from cancer.
Hopefully these tips will help what medicine and doctors could not accomplish. Hopefully this can get ME quit from nicotine for good!
Thank You!
Thank you for your comments
I do encourage you to give these suggestions a go as they have been successful for many.
I am aware of the difficulty in quiting but as you point out there are many very good reasons for doing so.
I wish you much luck and hope to hear how you get on should you try any recommendations in the post.
Jason
This was a well informative site that offered many alternatives on how to stop smoking. By allowing others to comment helps to bring authenticity to the theme. You had more than enough them-based content built into the site. I think that this site is working for you. I could not help but share in the comment section myself.
Thank you for your comments. I’m very pleased that you felt the information in the post contained the relevance needed. I hope, that like you, others will see the benefit of using holistic and natural remedies for greater health and well being
Jason
I have not smoked in over twenty three years. I started smoking in the military. Everyone was doing it and it seemed like a nice way to relax. I smoked for about Ten years and actually quit cold turkey. it was tough but I endured. A few years passed and I started back. It was even harder to stop this time. I read some where that hospitals were having success in telling there patients to pray and that this caused a lot of their patients to heal faster. So my thing was why could it not work to stop smoking? I tried that and it worked. It does not matter if you are religious or not, just pray.
Hi,
I absolutely agree. The power of prayer resides in the affirmation to self…my personal belief. The Laws of Attraction or whatever you want to call it are always answering and will give us what we truly believe and internally seek…positive or negative. Thank you for your comments here. I am sure they will be of help to many.
Jason
Hi There,
I do fully believe that there are far healthier methods and alternatives to modern chemical solutions to many problems in life such as quitting smoking. Nicotine patches, really replacing nicotine with…nicotine.
(begs the question whoy would nt cutting back on the number of cigarette’s be just as effective?)
absolutely Derek
There are natural and healthy solutions for all our health needs if we take the time to look for them
Jason
Hi Jason,
Great post. I smoked for a long time, and the only thing that actually worked for me was Allen Carr’s ‘Easy Way To Quit Smoking’ book. It has been 5 years since I had my last puff!
Congratulations! That’s a great achievement. It is incredibly hard to give up smoking so you should be very proud!
Jason
I found this really interesting, because (even though I don’t admit this to many people….) I do smoke occasionally. I’m talking a few a week, and I do enjoy doing it- despite all the associated risks.
Recently, though, I’ve started eating really healthily, and I’ve noticed that I have no desire to smoke whatsoever, so clearly the healthy diet approach has something to it.
I’d not heard of using acupuncture to stop smoking, but sure, it’s something I’d give a try!
Thanks for sharing.
Chloe
Hi Chloe,
Don’t tell anyone, but I am also one of those occasional sneaky ciggie smokers…always regret it the next day and hate the smell and associated health costs…but just occasionally its a little naughty treat. I think there are probably many of us in this situation and i don’t advocate it but….healthy eating and lifestyle certainly will make the smoking seem worse or as you say in your case youre just not interested …acupuncture works a charm…so its a decision at the of the day and up to the individual…many smokers live to ripe old ages…many dont….for me I think im better off with the healthy foods and natural living….lol
Hi, I think your information about acupuncture is great. It really is an amazing thing. There are even courses for Physical therapists to get certified in acupuncture and it is helping with spasms and other ailments. Really interesting stuff. I’m not a smoker, but I am interested in trying it for other purposes. I think a post on acupuncture would be great. Thanks for the interesting article.
Hi Jeff
Thanks for your comments and my apologies for the length of time taken to respond. I’m glad you found the post useful. Acupuncture is a tremendous treatment for many ailments and health related issues. Ive used it for both a dislocated vertebrae and also for migraine…successful and wonderful in both instances. Thanks again for writing in.
Jason
Hi Jason,
What good would that quitting smoking is as easy as you start using it, for some, nice vice; personally I hadn’t difficulty; I woke up one day when I went to catch my usual cigarette asked myself: What is the benefit I am getting from smoking this drug? 13 years later I think the answer was correct, after I quit so left 95% of smokers in my family and I think that is a good result. Obviously the circumstances are individual so I congratulate you on your work to help people quit using cigarettes.
renan
Hi Renan
You are a lucky man! And well done! Not many can give up so easily.
Your feedback is much appreciated
Jason
Hello Jason, you couldn’t be more right. smoking is a very big problem in our society today. Myself i use to smoke quiet a lot in the past. it was a habit i found very difficult to stop. But what really saved me from this smoking habit was herbal treatments which you have recommended in your article. After weeks of the herbal treatments i had to stop smoking and i have been smoke free for 4 years now and counting
Hi Fru!
Thanks for writing in. I’m so pleased to hear you managed to stop. 4 years is awesome! and proof that the natural way works! Thanks for giving inspiration to many others still trying to quit!
Best health to you!
Jason
Smoking is something I really hate. However, I disagree with you about calling it an addiction, It isn’t. It’s more a habit than addiction. I have talked with many smokers and tried my best to understand them and my conclusion is that smoking is a habit, not addiction.
Nicotine isn’t that addictive and it can found in other natural food and other things. And those things is addictive. I heard that honey contains nicotine and it doesn’t cause any addiction.
That’s what I thought :)
Hi Mahmood.
Glad you wrote in.
You are right that habit and addiction go hand in hand, however I disagree with you entirely in regard that smoking is purely a habit. While habits are hard to break they do not cause chemical imbalance within the body. Deprive the body of its usual state of nicotine and you have a chemical reaction, the same way as if you suddenly deprived the body of oxygen. When the body becomes “addicted” or “used to something” there is an extreme reaction when you take it away and the system craves for it and begins to shut down.
The same way coffee drinkers get headaches when they don’t have their morning fix!
A habit is similar, but no habit causes chemical imbalance. We may crave to continue a habit out of sheer routine…but addiction is a gripping vice that needs to be properly managed because the chemical composition within the body relies on remaining at a certain level to function…take that away and functioning stops.
If you still disagree that is your choice…and I’m very pleased you never faced the turmoil of breaking an addiction compared to a habit.
Best health to you
Jason
Awesome tips on how to stop smoking naturally ! I’ve been smoking for 20 years now and reading about the possibilities of cancer and all that is really scary. I’ve tried to quit smoking before by just trying not to smoke, but I couldn’t do it. These natural ways seem to be good so I might be looking into at least one of them ! Thanks for the information.
Hi Rolandas
Glad you found the information useful. I probably shouldn’t admit to having had a 40 a day addiction!
The acupuncture worked for me! And I HATE needles…..
Plus the teas to keep the cravings at bay.
Good luck with it, and if you do try please let us know how you got on!
Smoking is a nasty habit and I am glad that it’s something I’ve never picked up, so I don’t know anything about quitting. However, I do agree with you that doing anything naturally is the way to go. My family and I try to keep things natural in our home such as using homemade soaps and cleaning supplies instead of the chemical filled products you find on the store shelves. The tips you shared are wonderful tips not only for quitting smoking but also for making you body a cleaner environment altogether. Thanks for the great information!
Hi Ben,
Thank you very much for your comments!
Totally agree with you. There are many options rather than chemical laden products which harm us and our environment.
If anything adds better health, longer life and a clean environment for our future generations its got to be good!
Wishing you best health and my thanks
Jason
Great content, and fantastic tips on natural ways to stop smoking. I think when people talk about wanting to give up smoking, they focus only on what they’re “losing” – almost like fighting a battle. Instead of pushing e-cigarettes, patches and gum, wouldn’t it be nice to see the promotion of alternative, natural methods that will not only lead to an end to smoking, but benefits in every area of life.
Hi Hindy,
Thanks for your comments.
I agree, people need to change the mindset of loss to one of what they gain…good health and longer life!
While I have no problem with the gums and patches…they can become another addiction (although a better one than smoking) and that’s why I would always recommed they try natural first…it works!
Best health to you!
Jason