What Happens After You Stop Smoking? Learn How to Quit Smoking The Natural Way

Question for Dr. Leia: After many years of smoking regularly, I have finally quit. I would like to know if there are any holistic suggestions as to how I may help my body in the healing process. I now have a sensation in my lungs of being very heavy. I would like to encourage the cleaning process by using lung supporting herbs and/or food.
Dr. Leia's Answer: Dear Tracy, Congratulations on your accomplishment! It has been shown that lungs can indeed clear themselves out after the smoking habit has been abated.
Here are a several helpful suggestions:
1. Wear a mask when using strong chemicals.
2. Stay away from air filters or cleaners which emit ozone into the air. These will further compromise or damage your lungs.
3. Do not try to dry up your lung mucous...mucous may come up occasionally as it is the body's method to expel the toxins from your lungs. Do not use anti-histamines. Expectorate the mucous as it comes up.
4. Stay away from second-hand smoke and other strong toxic chemical odors.
5. You might like to use a nasal wash occasionally, but not every day. Xlear nasal wash is a natural remedy made with zylitol and will purportedly kill viruses, bacteria, and fungus, and clear up sinus and mouth infections.
6. Stay away from excess mucous producing foods such as dairy, milk products, ice cream, cheese etc. I realize that this may sound redundant and contradictory to what I mentioned above, but mucous producing food puts an added stress on the lungs.
7. Aromatic herbs, spices, and foods theoretically affect the lungs. You might like to add rosemary, thyme, ginger, horse radish, and cayenne as spices to your diet.
8. Get plenty of fresh air and aerobic outdoor exercise daily, or if you live near the ocean take deep cleansing breaths while watching the waves on the shore.
9. Yoga exercise and yogic breathing may also helpful.
There are a number of natural remedies out on the market today which claim to clear up the lungs, but it is debatable whether these are effective or not. The lungs will self-clean if you give them the proper environment and avoid strong, harsh chemical inhalants and environmental pollution. Of course, you could try acupuncture and homeopathic remedies to assist you in your healing. The acupuncturist will work on your lung meridian and keep the vital energy or Chi freely moving and balanced, which should help to hasten the body's natural healing process.
Dr. Leia Melead
Quit Smoking Tips
· Keep in mind that acute cravings for cigarettes usually lasts no more than five minutes.
· Keep in mind that with each passing success of not smoking, the nicotine cravings will be reduced.
· When cravings strike in may be beneficial to exercise moderately or take a walk.
· Be prepared with things to do when nicotine cravings attack. This will take your mind off the cravings.
· Do not go around or be around other people smoking.
· Eliminate drinking of alcoholic beverages while you work to quit smoking.
· Drink plenty of water.
· Consume plenty of raw vegetables and fibers.
· Avoid saturated fats, processed foods and sugars.
· It may be beneficial to eliminate toxins with a colon and liver cleanser such as Truman's Best from Herbal Remedies.
· Avoid stress as much as possible during the quitting process.
· Although many report that sucking on hard candy that is tart can be helpful to relieve cravings, choose a sugar free variety to help stave off unwanted weight gain while you quit smoking.
Reading the tips above may engage some hope that quitting smoking is possible. Sure, our rational mature self with the best of intentions tells us we must quit. But that mystified part of us, perceiving life through a smoke screen, is completely freaking out, mistakenly believing that nothing is going to comfort us like smoking. That's why we have featured the following program to help you stop smoking with the support you need for long lasting results.