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Quitting tobacco
My husband is in the process of quitting chewing tobacco. Do you have any suggestions on what his body might need to detoxify, what nutritional needs he might have, and how to curb cravings?
Many people refer to quitting smoking/ chewing tobacco as being one of the hardest things to achieve, therefore looking for therapies to ease the transition may benefit many people in terms of reducing the stress it causes the body as well as eliminating the psychological and chemical addictions and habit. Due to the stimulating effects tobacco (nicotine) has on the nervous system this is one of the hardest things to come to terms with for many smokers when the decide to quit. It is suggested Naturopathically to address the nervous system tension that commonly arises due to the withdrawals. It is also of benefit to help the body to remove the lymphatic wastes and heavy metals from the body as a result of smoking.
Natural remedies to help reduce tobacco cravings
- Improve anti-oxidant status to oxygenate the blood and improve circulation
- Liver support is recommended to help cleanse the tobacco and cleanse the circulatory system
- Homeopathics such as Nux Vomica, Tabacum or Lobellia
- Magnesium is a mineral which is rapidly decreased due to nervous system stress, increasing your Magnesium levels may help you to feel less nervous about quitting
- Encourage the nervous system to relax by supporting it with herbs which actively decrease stress hormones and their effect on the nerves. Herbs which may be of benefit are Sacred Basil, Withania, St Johns Wort, Siberian Ginseng, Magnolia and Passionflower
- The retail brand Rainbow Herbals produce a remedy called Tobacco cleanse to help take the edge of withdrawals of nicotine and tobacco
- Chewing gum may help to substitute the habit of chewing tobacco
Health improvements when quitting tobacco
Reducing the habit of smoking/ chewing tobacco will take some time to repattern behaviour so please be gentle and compassionate by supporting the person who has taken on this arduous challenge. The effects of withdrawals may last up to at least 3 months with the chemical effect also lasting this long. Each 3 months sees a turnover of new red blood cell production in the body and during this time the body will slowly adjust to the removal of the stimulant. The cleansing process for the removal of heavy metals and for repairing the lungs may take up to at least 7 years. The long term health benefits of ceasing the use of tobacco will greatly out weigh the short term difficulties associated with quitting, it is therefore important to keep enthusiastic and realistic about the situation. The health of the entire body will benefit and in time general health will be drastically improved, especially the functioning of the liver, lymphatic, respiratory and immune systems and the nervous system.