Effective & Trusted Medications Guide

In this article we will list the 5 most popular and supposedly efficacious natural remedies that smokers opt for when seeking to facilitate the smoking cessation process.

1. Acupuncture – the famous needle-sticking therapy - is used quite commonly to help people live through the frustrating smoking withdrawal process.

Acupuncture mechanism of action is not all that complicate for understanding. It implies inserting very fine metal needles into specific points, called acupoints and scattered quite chaotically all over the body surface. Each acupoint is “relating” through nerve fibers to a specific body organ or body part, therefore, needle stimulation of these points positively affects the corresponding organs and parts in the body. Each professional acupuncturist disposes of a traditional “map of acupoints” on the human body. Depending of what ailment or physical discomfort is being treated or what health-improving goal is being chased, a therapist decides on the exact acupoints needles should be inserted into.

To help patients with the quit-smoking routine acupuncturists usually stimulate acupoints located on the pinna - the visible outer part of the ear. The needles remain there for about 20 minutes.

In between 2 consecutive sessions future non-smokers are relieved with specific minuscule balls (of a size of a ball pen tip) fixed to the ear with invisible tape.  When a craving for another cigarette strikes again, the smoker is supposed to gently press on the ball and thus stimulate the acupoint.

In 2006 was conducted a comparative analysis of 24 placebo-controlled trials assessing acupressure, acupuncture, electro-stimulation and laser therapy as smoking cessation promoters. No solid evidence was discovered showing that these therapies could be effective contributors to the ‘stop smoking’ process. On the other hand, the evidence of many studies was poor that these therapies are actually ineffective… Such ambiguity and uncertainty made the researchers conclude that further exploration of the subject with thorough additional data collection is needed to return the final verdict.

A different study involving 141 individuals found that regular acupuncture sessions complemented with educational instructions on smoking cessation were 4 times as effective as acupuncture therapy alone.

2. Lobelia – scientifically referred to as Lobelia inflata and commonly called Indian tobacco is a herb used in many anti-smoking products for it is believed to help ex-smokers deal with the negative post effects of nicotine withdrawal. Lobeline, which is the active ingredient in Lobelia, supposedly affects the body in the same way as nicotine does.

However, in 1993, the distribution of certain lobelia-containing products promoted as quit-smoking aids was temporarily prohibited by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Lack of solid effectiveness evidence was named as the main reason for prohibition. 

Further researchings have discovered that lobeline possesses the same dopamine boosting properties as a smoked cigarette does.  Dopamine is a neurotransmitter released in the brain that in sufficient amounts produces a mood-elevating effect. Therefore, its promoting influence on the whole quit-smoking process remains questionable.

Lobelia has a toxicity potential and is, therefore, not recommended for use unless under the close supervision of a qualified healthcare professional. A careless and irresponsible use of Lobelia may cause dry mouth, nausea, vomiting, excessive sweating, tremors, speeded up heartbeat, diarrhea, confusion, convulsions, coma and of in cases of overdose – even a lethal outcome.

A special anti-lobelia warning for pregnant and breast-feeding women, for post-shock patients and for people suffering from heart disease, hypertension (elevated blood pressure), paralysis, tobacco sensitivity, breathing disorders, seizure disorder – Do not ingest lobelia-containing products. This herb could actually do you more harm than good.  

3. St. John’s Wort – is first of all a well-known in mental health circles natural herb-based anti-depressant that has also been lately used to help smokers beat the harmful habit of smoking.

Pilot study #1 with the participation of 24 people who smoked 1 cigarette a day at the least consisted of feeding each participant with two 450-mg capsules of St. John’s Wort a day and providing quit-smoking counseling. After 3 months almost 40% of former smokers gave up on the harmful habit.

Pilot study #2 with the participation of 28 smokers found that St. John’s Wort herb did indeed promote smoking cessation but that the results were not long-lasting. 1 week before quitting and 3 months after the momentous event the participants were given 300-mg capsules of St. John’s Wort once or twice daily. Along with receiving herb treatment all participants received motivational support and important behavioural tips and recommendations. After 12 weeks of such therapy, about 20% of former smokers continued to refrain from smoking. After 1 year – all of the participants got back on the smoking track.

Moreover, neither of the two pilot studies was placebo-controlled or double-blind. So they are no good as solid effectiveness evidence.

St. John’s Wort ingestion is only considered safe when it’s taken alone and not interfering with certain prescription or non-prescription over-the-counter medicines, such as anti-depressants, organ rejection preventers in post-transplantation patients, drugs to treat HIV infections and AIDS, oral contraceptives.

Pregnant women and breast-feeding moms, children or people suffering from kidney disease or bipolar disorder should not even consider taking products containing the St. John’s Wort herb. 

4. Ginseng – is known to prevent the release of mood-elevating dopamine neurotransmitter usually launched by the cigarette smoking process. Since the boost of dopamine levels makes the smoker feel good after taking a couple of drags on a cig – it should definitely be regarded as one of the addiction promoters. And this is where Ginseng’s dopamine-blocking properties could come in handy.

However, note that no studies whatsoever have performed effectiveness testings of Ginseng on smokers. Therefore, the mentioned above theory on Ginseng’s abilities to favour smoking cessation has yet to acquire a scientific basis. 

5. Hypnotherapy – In year 2000, the Cochrane Collaboration conducted a study aiming to carry out a comparative analysis of 9 long-term studies on ‘How effective is hypnotherapy for smoking cessation routine’…

While not conclusive, the results revealed that hypnotherapy was minimally more effective on 6 month smoking quitting rates than any other treatment or no treatment whatsoever.

The 2 subsequent pilot studies, however, had more intriguing and promising results.

Pilot study #1 conducted in 2006 involved two groups of smokers. The participants of the first group were prescribed 1 hypnotherapy session per week for as long as 8 consecutive weeks; the participants of the second group were put on a waiting list and did not attend a hypnotherapist.  After the 2 months were over – 40 % had given up smoking. After 1 year – 20% more had abstained (i.e., 60% in overall) but after 2 years have run out – the abstinence rate dropped down to 4%. 

Pilot study #2 examined 12 hypnosis studies that reported the results depending on sexual belonging. It was concluded that males’ chances of positive response to hypnotherapy anti-smoking suggestions were 1.4 times greater than those of females.

Pain and aching are very unpleasant and discomforting experiences that hit each and every human being at least once in their lifetime. Fortunately enough, most sufferers manage to deal with brief and occasional pain flare-ups with the help of a number of conventional medicamental methods and/or alternative therapies.  However, when it comes to chronic pain there are a significant number of patients who can’t seem to give it a due treatment response and as a result – their pain remains poorly controlled.

There are 3 basic types of pain: acute pain, mild chronic pain (also called nonmalignant chronic pain) and severe chronic pain (also called malignant chronic pain).  

The given article mostly focuses on mild chronic pain and the available treatment approaches, methods/techniques. This type of pain is quite unpredictable and unwillingly yielding to treatment.  

Latest studies on chronic pain have concluded that elaboration of treatment scheme for such pain should be approached from a broader perspective, from many different angles including medicamental treatment, rehab programs, instructional education of patients and even psychosocial counseling.

Now, let’s talk about the 3 crucial principles/guidelines for chronic pain management that each pain-suffering individual must adhere to:

• First of all, learn to respect your pain!
• Secondly, find a doctor who totally understands your condition, your worries and concerns;
• Procure all possible information about your condition - do some researchings on the web or go to the library but get to know your enemy. This is the least you can do to empower yourself in treating the pain;
• Admit the psychosocial effect of chronic pain on your daily activities. Awareness complemented with the accomplishment of a few practical pain-preventive steps is what you need to do in order to regain control over your living again.
• The last but not the least – is understanding that chronic pain should be attacked from different angles and in various ways, i.e., it implies not only regular popping of medicamental pain-killers but also a bunch of other non-drug methods and techniques outlined below in this article.

Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for a patient to get confused and frustrated when attempting to seek medical assistance for their nontrivial condition. They often finish up without due attention and adequate care… not mentioning the undisguised distrust towards their complaints sometimes coming from qualified physicians they encounter. And so they either give up or keep bouncing from one doctor’s office to another never having a chance for a proper and complete assessment.  Therefore, your #1 task is to find the right doctor – the one you’ll feel mutual understanding build-up with from the very first meeting, the one you’ll enjoy working with and vice versa. He/She must have a deep understanding of your concerns and worries. Since chronic pain treatment usually implies numerous visits to the doctor’s office and frank expressing of all disturbing details about your condition - finding an easy-going, attentive and appropriately responding professional is critical.

Another huge complicating detail about chronic pain is that there are often no strictly defined causes to this symptom in the medical circles.

Acute pain occurs whenever there’s been abrupt and important injury/damage to the body. The patient starts experiencing symptoms of localized inflammation, pain signals are immediately sent to the brain, changes within the central nervous system occur and the brain strikes back causing worsening of symptoms such as muscle spasm for instance. In the course of a healing process inflammation gradually abates - as a result there is less pain-signaling to the brain and fewer symptoms are experienced by the patient. 

Chronic pain on the other hand is difficult to decipher… it often happens for no obvious reason – when no visible injury or ongoing illness/disease whatsoever has been detected. Chronic pain usually manifests as a successor of acute pain on spot of the already healed acute injury. Its source is therefore unknown - a healthy, recovered and renewed body site cannot send continuing pain signals to the brain. Or at least so the scientific minds think. Quite puzzling isn’t it??  It is for now believed that in some patients the formerly damaged body spot somehow “remembers” the pain; it keeps receiving signals closely imitating the ones sent at the time the injury was inflicted and yet uncured.

Taking into consideration the tremendous negative and disabling effect chronic pain happens to have on patient’s life, it becomes obvious that the psychosocial aspect of therapy, if properly elaborated and implemented, can have a significant positive impact on the eventual treatment outcome. Besides, there is proof of the above statement: certain relevant studies have shown that almost 2/3 of nonmalignant chronic pain sufferers are depressed or overanxious.

Feelings of hopelessness and helplessness experienced by many patients when fruitlessly seeking chronic pain relief pushes some of them to adopt the so called “sick role”.  After a never-ceasing number of rendez-vous fixed with dozens of different doctors, after countless referrals and innumerable diagnostic tests some patients may feel tempted to give up to self-pitying and fall victim of the evil pain symptoms.  Of course, such sick role can draw additional medical attention, probably ensure a sick leave every now and then along with sympathy from the surroundings… however, it can have a detrimental effect on the patient’s “psyche” causing feelings of isolation and utter worthlessness.

Therefore, it’s equally important to learn the art of pain-management and not rely solely on medicamental treatment your physician prescribed. Do not give up to chronic pain, do not let it overtake and rule your existence!

Below is given a descriptional list of some effective tips and recommendations that, if followed, will help you deal with chronic pain and avoid the sick role:

1.      No Self-Neglecting!

If you just happened to quit smoking cigarettes it’s about time to pay extra attention to your physical and psychical well-being. In order to provide proper self-care to your heavily-nicotined body make sure all of your vital needs are being met and are health-oriented. A few simple tips on ‘How to quit smoking easily and comfortably?’ briefly represented below will help you get rid of this pernicious habit and keep your sanity.

• Drink enough of pure water – for this miraculous liquid is a great quit-smoking helper. It literally washes the nicotine and tar leftovers out of you and allows to detoxify more quickly and efficiently. Besides, it works well as a craving blocker. All-day-long body hydration will make you feel all better and energized.
• Feed yourself a well-balanced diet – Now that your body is working hard to force the toxins out of your system you need to “fill up the tank” with high-quality fuel, i.e., healthy food.
• Take multivitamins daily – provide your body with an extra multivitamin boost for as long as the withdrawal symptoms persist. This is crucial to restoring overall good health levels since harmful cigarette ingredients happen to deplete so many vital nutrients and vitamins in the body. Making up the deficiency may help recover more quickly from the experienced nicotine withdrawal symptoms.

2.      No Caffeine!

Body decaffeination may also contribute into bringing you a few steps closer to a smoke-free existence. Why? Simple! No caffeine – no feeling all fidgety and anxious… which will help tremendously in staying focused on your ‘’No Smoking” goal and not break down and go grab another cigarette.  So reduce the intake of caffeinated beverages to the minimum or cut it them out completely for a while. This will be especially helpful if you’re having difficulties with soundly sleeping through the night. Once the withdrawal process is over – you can get back to drinking coffee again but this time, however, in smaller amount.

3.      Good Night’s Sleep

The early phase of smoking cessation is usually characterized by a feeling of deep fatigue, especially by the end of the day. Both your mind and body are stressed when you quit smoking so it is critical to space out sufficient amounts of night-time – to have a good night’s sleep and fully restore mental/physical forces.  And don’t worry about the whole ‘tiredness’ side effect. It will disappear as soon as you’re totally detoxicated and back to the energized and healthy style of living. 

4.      Warm Bath

Whatever relaxes you is a perfect pass-time when going through the withdrawal period. Taking a warm bath every day at bed-time is a perfect example of such a relaxing and distressing session.

5.      Massage

As we’ve already mentioned smoking cessation is an extremely stressful process. You feel tired and weary but your muscles are overstrained and all tensed. A nicely performed massage session can help you out though! You may involve your spouse or any other willing massage amateur to work the stress out of your muscles. It doesn’t matter whether it will be a full body massage or simply 10-15 minutes spent on your shoulders, neck, face and scalp. Both can work wonders. Our bodies tend to accumulate muscle tension throughout the day and a good massage session is a quick, easy-to-do and super efficacious way to unstress your body.

6.      Outside Walks

Make a short walk your daily habit… even if it’s only a 15-minute walk around the block in the mornings - Just Do it! Such regular “leg-stretching” will help you deal with the stress brought about by abrupt smoking cessation. Dynamic activities such as walking and exercising improve blood circulation and also promote the release of endorphins, which are the so-called “good mood” hormones.  So, whenever you feel the urge to light a cigarette just get outside and take a walk in the neighborhood… You’ll come back all refreshed and relieved. If you don’t believe it, check for yourself!

7.      Visualization

The power of visualization should never be underestimated. By simply closing your eyes and creating the image of a dream-place in your mind to drift off to whenever you feel the urge to slow down and just relax… Be it a memory of a real location or a purely imagined secret power place you dream to hide and rest – just make it your own. Run away to the same place every time so you blend into the surroundings and feel comfortable and homy.  Once you’re inside the picture all settled in – focus on your breathing and try to gradually slow it down. Inhale and exhale deeply for about 3 to 5 minutes.

8.      Deep Breathing

Deep Breathing is the most accessible and easy-to-do technique at any time and any place allowing to abate overstress and overstrain in a matter of a few minutes. All you need to do is concentrate on your breathing in such a way that you inhale and exhale alternately through your nose for a count of three. Keep doing this for about 5 minutes and you’ll eventually feel the tension in your body back off.

9.      Living In The Moment

From dusk till dawn our heads are filled with thoughts about everything but the present moment, everything but the ‘right now’, the ‘today’ we live in. It is about time to stop worrying about tomorrow, yesterday or the far away future. Don’t let the impending doom of not smoking for so many hours or even worse – days (!) to come take you over. Instead, think about staying smoke-free here and now – you can do this, don’t you? And that’s all you need to do. 1 small step at a time… No rush… Remember, many smokers fail to quit because they paint a future full of cigarette-craving, lack of willpower, suffering and eventually surrender to it.   So don’t make that same mistake… Don’t let the worries and concerns about tomorrow intimidate your self-confidence today.

10.  No Overserious approach!

Paradoxically enough, but taking your whole anti-smoking campaign way too serious may lead to fiasco as well. Try to grope the golden mean in between the 2 approaches – don’t get all overconcerned and absorbed by the problem but don’t take the ‘laissez-faire’ attitude either.  Just realize you will most probably have both bad and good days. Expect and accept that. This is how smoking cessation goes and there’s nothing you or anybody else can do about it. This is life. Whenever you feel a little bit on the dark side just put yourself on autopilot, ignore the bad mood. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to consciously step out of our own way. Our minds are pros at exaggerating… they fan emotions and dramatize every little issue we encounter when our moods are doomed and blackened. When you’re having a bad day think of yourself as of a child longing for love and attention… Indulge and be good to yourself. Put your thoughts on hold but make sure to stay on the smoke-free track. Tomorrow will be a new day and you will find yourself feeling much better and grateful to have made it through.

Remember, a smoke-free existence is not such a faraway destination… And ‘No-Stress’ is your the direction sign.