This title is not an oxymoron; there actually are healthy smokers, and you can be one as well and it doesn't take the cold turkey approach to be eligible. In fact, research clearly shows that any smoker can actually become healthier than the average American. Hardly is this difficult, because the average American is not very healthy. Over 40% is chronically ill, over 60% are overweight, and only a fifth get the daily exercise they need, according to the National Institutes of Health and The Centers for Disease Control. Quitting smoking cold turkey is, unbelievably, bad advice and substantiated by the fact that 70% of cold turkey quitters are smoking again within three months and 90% are puffing again within a year and a half. This high remission rate is due to the fact that tobacco is a stronger addiction than either cocaine or heroin, according to many medical studies. This is precisely why becoming healthier first is the best strategy for smokers who want to quit because this gradually reduces the body's dependency on, and desire for, nicotine and the 14 other addictive chemicals in cigarettes. Consider the following evidence--Japanese men smoke twice as much as American men, but have half the rate of cancer! The health consequences of smoking are crystal clear, but there are several standard and also unique tests one can run to determine how much impact smoking has already had on one's body. Measuring the level of oxygen and the level of antioxidants are just two of the more interesting ways a smoker can find out what is going on inside the body. The testing is critical because potential diseases such as heart and cancer are not easily detected in standard medical checkups. As an example, clinical studies show that supplements such as green tea extract and curcumin can reduce the risk of cancer and lung disease by over 50%. Smokers who take these two supplements daily will become healthier than smokers who do not. Detoxification via a regular sauna or massage, eating a few important vegetables and using additional natural therapies are also highly championed, and the average smoker can be much healthier in about three months. They will have more energy, experience less stress, be able to decrease the number of cigarettes they smoke daily and be in an ideal position to quite smoking with virtually no withdrawal symptoms and no desire to return to smoking later. We all know the alternative! |
