Its Entirely Natural - Blog

Do people who smoke have a greater risk of developing pre-diabetes or Type 2 diabetes? This is suggested in a review of 25 studies published in the Journal of The American Medical Association. The review found that 44% of people that smoke are prone to developing Type 2 diabetes compared to those that don’t smoke.

While researchers are hesitant to directly link smoking to the onset of diabetes, they do theorize that smoking may lead to insulin resistance. Another possible explanation, people that smoke tend not to have the healthiest lifestyle. These unhealthy behaviors include lack of exercise, poor diet, and in some cases large consumption of alcohol.

We know that smoking is a cause of heart disease and cancers. Could it also accelerate the onset of Type 2 diabetes? Isn’t time that we all try our best to live a healthy life, why not start today and quit smoking.

cbc.ca

Tomorrow, November 15th, is The Great American Smokeout. This is a day where smokers are encouraged to quit smoking for 24 hours. Tomorrow would be a great day for you or a loved one to begin a smoke free life. I have also found a great online community to help.

Smoking is the single most preventable cause of premature death in America. It also accounts for over $1.5 trillion, yes trillion, in direct medical expenses and lost productivity. So now is the perfect time to get started.

Most smokers don’t quit because they don’t have moral support and motivation from friends and family. There is now an online community that can help you quit smoking. Quitnet.com has thousands of ex-smokers who are there to support you and give you practical tips.

Smoking is an addiction and with any addiction one of the best ways to quit is to change your habits. If you smoke on the phone, hold the phone in a different hand. If you always smoke in a certain place, like your favorite chair, avoid that place for a while. Keep busy so you don’t have time to think about having a cigarette. Take up a hobby, read a book, go for a walk, etc. Keep your hands and mouth occupied. Try sugarless gum, toothpicks, sunflower seeds, carrots, celery, etc.

Only after one day of smoking you will have immediate health benefits. Your blood pressure will drop to a more normal state. Your body temperature of your hands and feet will increase. More importantly, the oxygen level in your blood will increase to normal and you will reduce the risk of heart attacks.

So, if you or a loved one has been looking for that excuse to quit smoking, why not start tomorrow with other people around the country at The Great American Smokeout. Your family and your body will appreciate it.

prweb.com

Senator Barack Obama has successfully quit smoking. Good for him. However, he has jumped from one addiction to another, nicotine gum. Now, can he quit the gum addiction?

Mr. Obama has been using the nicotine gum for about nine months. Three months longer than suggested by the label. Many people who use a nicotine replacement often get addicted to the gum or the lozenges. Is this really a better addiction? True you don’t get the harmful carcinogens of smoking cigarettes.

Long-term use of nicotine gum can also have its own damaging effects. It can be expensive almost to the point of smoking cigarettes. It can also potentially stick to and damage dental work. Nicotine products whether it be gum or cigarettes should be avoided. They are harmful to pregnant and nursing women and may conflict with prescribed medications.

So, are the makers of nicotine gum much worse than the cigarette manufacturers? Aren’t they just also praying on the weaknesses of people and their addiction to nicotine? Hmm, just an interesting thought. The best way to quit is cold turkey, but if you need an aid in you journey to quit smoking try the gum.

well.blogs.nytimes.com

Looking around the web today I found this amusing article. We all know that smoking is bad for you. You could get seriously ill and get cancer or emphysema. But that takes years before it’s a problem right, so why worry about it now. So here are 10 reasons you should really quit smoking now.

1. You Stink
2. You don’t look cool or sexy
3. You’re a 2nd class citizen
4. You’re going to wrinkle twice as fast as grandma
5. You’re going broke
6. Lots of people think your cute, but won’t date you
7. You’re foods tastes like crap
8. You can’t smell jack
9. You’re fingers are turning yellow
10. You’re keeping Big Tobacco execs filthy stinkin’ rich

You really should go and look at the commentary for each of these points at the link below. It will give you a good laugh for the day.

Hubpages - Isabella

In today’s fashion-conscious culture impossible standards of beauty are pressured upon everyone. Many feel such pressure to maintain a perfect body that they develop eating disorders. This is especially true with young girls.

Anorexia is often thought of as an eating disease. Further studies show that anorexia is more of an addiction. Anorexia is comparable to the highly addictive drug Ecstacy. Both appear to activate some of the same brain pathways.

There are receptors in the brain that associate with feelings of reward. Anorexia and Ecstasy both stimulate the same subset of brain receptors for the neurotransmitter serotonin, and reduce the drive to eat. This may explain the addictive nature of anorexia. The results of this research may lead to new treatments for eating disorders.

Like any other addiction, people that have eating disorders need help. If you think someone in your family has an eating disorder problem, talk to them and get them help.

news-medical.net

What is it with kids and cigarettes? Does it make them look cool - like Joe Camel? Is it peer pressure? What ever it is we need to have our kids quit smoking before they even start. In a recent study, just a single drag on a cigarette may cause your kids to become addicted.

Researchers say that almost 2/3 of kids interviewed tried smoking and it brought them relaxation. The same 2/3 went on to become smokers. There is an ongoing conundrum concerning nicotine addiction. Is this really the way to relax? Smokers say they smoke for the relaxing effect and to ease their anxiety. Why is this when nicotine is actually a stimulant?

Could you imagine a cigarette company doing a commercial saying that you could get hooked on your first cigarette? I don’t think so! I don’t think the concerns of smoking is even being taught in schools. So it’s up to you parents out there. Please talk to your kids and tell them not to experiment with cigarettes. Let them know it isn’t even safe to try it even once. Tell them to quit smoking before they even start.

Yahoo! News

You’re sitting in your favorite restaurant, just completing your favorite meal. You’re at your favorite watering hole, having your favorite beverage. What would be better to top off this great meal or beverage with a cigarette? What, smoking has been banned in public places in your city of residence! How could they control your rights like this? With all the new laws against public smoking, smokers are looking for something to help them cope with the new restrictions.

An organization called SmokeScents may have the suitable answer to handle the anxiety associated with the urge to smoke. They have developed a Personal Tobacco Aroma Inhaler. With this inhaler you can smell the aroma of tobacco and other select essential oils. The scent is pleasant to both smoker and non-smoker and cannot be detected by anyone within the immediate vicinity of the user.

With SmokeScents, there is no transfer of carbon dioxide or any harmful chemical associated with actual smoking or the inhaling of second hand smoke. This product is not a quit smoking product. It is an aid to help smokers during that period of time when the option to light one up is not an option. While quitting smoking would be your optimal choice this seems to also be an acceptable alternative.

PRWeb

Children seem to think they don’t have to quit smoking because they aren’t smoking heavily enough to become addicted. There is a belief that you need to smoke at least 5 cigarettes a day for a long period of time to become addicted.

In a recent study with smoking and children, the above statement is further from the truth. In fact children can become addicted very quickly. A young smoker can begin to feel the desire for nicotine within 2 days of their first inhalation. This study found that kids became addicted by the time they were smoking only 7 cigarettes a month.

A single dose of nicotine has effects on the brain that can last as long as a month, and the nicotine obtained from just one or two puffs on a cigarette will occupy half of the brain’s nicotinic receptors, the molecules specifically sought by nicotine in tobacco addiction.

You really should quit smoking, for your children’s health. Second hand smoke is just as dangerous as directly inhaling cigarette smoke. If your children smoke, have them stop this terrible addiction.

Long-term heavy smoking does not cause addiction. In fact the addiction causes long-term heavy use.

New York Times