Twin Research Shows Smoker Vs. Non Smoker

It is well known fact that smoking is bad for our health… but these photos prove it’s bad for your looks!

Researchers interviewed pairs of identical twins where one was a regular smoker.  The smokers showed considerably more signs of premature facial aging. 

Just see it for yourself: the twin in the left picture doesn’t smoke, the twin in the right one does.

Source:http://memolition.com/2013/11/02/is-smoking-bad-for-your-looks-smoker-twin-vs-non-smoker-twin-4-pictures/

8 Natural Ways to Quit Smoking Cigarettes

by Sayer Ji | greenmedinfo.com

Image: b4tea.blogspot.com

Compelling reasons to stop smoking far outnumber effective ways to do so. Even with recent revelations that tobacco is contaminated with the highly carcinogenic radioisotope polonium-210, the addictive hold it maintains on millions of smokers worldwide who already know it causes premature death and cancer is far more powerful than the desire for self-preservation, it would seem.


This is why effective, natural interventions for smoking cessation are so needed today and why we are excited to report on a new study involving a solution that can be found not at your local pharmacy, but at your local grocer's fruit stand.

In a new study published in the Journal of the Medical Association of Thailand titled, "Efficacy of fresh lime for smoking cessation,"[i] researchers from the Department of Medicine, Srinakharinwirot University, Thailand tested the effectiveness of fresh lime as a smoking cessation aid compared with nicotine gum.

100 regular smokers aged 18 or older who were willing to quit were entered into a six-month long randomized, controlled trial, receiving either fresh lime (47) or nicotine gum (53) over the course of the study. Smoking reduction was confirmed through measuring exhaled carbon monoxide (CO), with measurements at weeks 9-12 being the primary outcome. Severity of craving was also measured using a visual analogue scale.

The results of the trial showed that there was no significant difference in abstinence rates between the groups during weeks 9-12, although they did observe that "7-day point prevalence abstinence at week 4 of the fresh lime users was statistically significant lower than those using nicotine gum (38.3% vs. 58.5%; p = 0.04). They also found fresh lime users tended to report more intense cravings than the nicotine gum group, but the number of cravings were found not to differ significantly between the groups.

The report concluded, "Fresh lime can be used effectively as a smoking cessation aid, although not as good as nicotine gum in reducing cravings."'

Lime

Lime, of course, is an easily accessible and non-toxic alternative to nicotine gum, and physiologically has a number of 'side benefits,' including alkalinizing the tissues, which are normally more acidic in tobacco users to begin with.  It is also an anti-infective agent, having been demonstrated to have significant antimicrobial activity against multiple strains of drug resistant E. coli,[ii] and inhibiting the survival of Vibrio cholera, the pathogen that contributes to cholera, in foods;[iii] another nice 'side benefit' considering smokers often have compromised immunity.

Additional evidence-based natural aids for smoking cessation include:

Acupunture: Acupuncture treatment ameliorated the smoking withdrawal symptoms as well as the selective attention to smoking-related visual cues in smokers. [iv]

Exercise: Five minutes of moderate intensity exercise is associated with a short-term reduction in desire to smoke and tobacco withdrawal symptoms.[v] [vi]

Hypnosis: Hypnosis combined with nicotine patches compares favorably to standard behavioral counseling for smoking cessation.[vii] In a meta-analysis of 59 studies hypnosis was judged to be partially efficacious in the treatment of smoking cessation.[viii]

Black Pepper: Inhalation of vapor from black pepper reduces smoking withdrawal symptoms.[ix]

Mindfulness: Mindfulness-based interventions reduce the urge to smoke in college student smokers.[x]

Self-Massage: Smoking cravings are reduced by self-massage.[xi]

Rhodiola rosea: Rhodiola rosea has a therapeutic effect in the treatment of smoking cessation.[xii]

St. John's Wort: There is preclinical evidence that St. John's wort is therapeutic in nicotine addiction.[xiii] [xiv]  [Note: St. John's wort can interact with a wide range of medications, and should be used under the guidance of a licensed health professional]

Source and citations: greenmedinfo.com

How to Heal The Lungs Naturally

Our lungs are essential to life, so taking care of them is crucial, especially when bombarded with poor food choices, poor air quality and lack of exercise. The lungs come equipped with their own self-cleaning system (the cilia, which move bad stuff out of alveoli – air sacs – into the trachea), however, this system gets clogged up when making poor lifestyle choices. Constant congestion and coughing are signs that your lungs could use some help.

Image: \www.youtube.com

If you are ever feeling out of breath, have a consistent cough that won’t go away, spit up mucous or have repeated chest infections, then you may have un-diagnosed lung damage. Starting from the main cause, and healing from that perspective is your best bet in ensuring your lungs heal naturally – below are some of the top tips in healing your lungs!

Eat Lung Healthy Foods
Eating for lung health is one of the main steps to improve the condition of your lungs. Removing highly processed foods, and mucus causing foods (wheat and animal products), as well as refined sugar is the first step. The next step is to bombard your body with food that contains life and vitality!

These foods include things like watercress, apricots, citrus fruits, apples, broccoli and berries, all of which have been shown to improve the health of our lungs. Not only should you be consuming a large variety of fruit and vegetables, but you should also aim for drinking 3-4L of water, DAILY. Flushing out our system with plenty of fluids will dislodge chemicals from our cells, and help our cilia in becoming more fluid and helping them with getting rid of debris inside the lungs.

Get Moving
Exercise is incredibly important to keep your lungs strong and healthy (or to repair them from damage done by asthma or smoking for example). Exercise helps loosen mucus build-up, and aids cilia in pushing mucus up and out of the lungs.

When you exercise, your muscles need to work harder and thus every cell in your body uses more oxygen and produces more carbon dioxide. In order to compensate for this demand, your lungs need to work harder, and thus breathing increases from around 15 times a minute (resting state) to 40-60 times a minute (exercise state).

Exercise will help increase your lung capacity too – but so will breathing exercises. Combining exercise and breathing exercises together will help ensure your lungs remain in good health.

Avoid
Avoiding things like cigarettes (whether smoking them, or being around the smoke itself), heavily air polluted areas, chemical products, and checking your basement for radon poisoning are essential.

As we are all aware, cigarette smoke is incredibly damaging to the lungs – it damage your lungs’ natural cleaning and repair system and traps chemicals that cause cancer in the alveoli and bronchioles. It also permanently damages your alveoli, making it very hard to breathe.

Not only does cigarette smoke affect the lungs, but air pollution and chemical products (like paint, cleaners, fragrances, etc.) are toxic to our body’s natural system. All of these products slowly destroy the tiny hairs (cilia) which line your respiratory tract and which naturally aid in the pushing of debris out of the lungs. Damaging this repair system means that all the dirt, germs and chemicals stay inside your lungs, putting you at risk for developing chest infections, lung cancers and chronic cough.

Checking your basement for radon poisoning is also important. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas produced by the breakdown of uranium in the ground. It can leak into your house through cracks in the foundation of walls, especially of those buried in the ground (like the basement). In fact, radon is the main cause of lung cancer in non-smokers, and the second leading cause of disease after smoking.

Source: livelovefruit.com

How To Beat Addictions Naturally

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In this land of plenty, a conservative estimate calls 4 out of 10 Americans "addicts." Abused substances include sugar, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, prescription drugs and street drugs including pot. Addiction can serve us well once we recognize that substance abuse is a way to obscure honest, peaceful, self-discovery. Using, of any addictive substance, gives us the temporary illusion of control, excitement and perfection. In recovery we discover, often to our great relief, that we're not perfect, that we need intimacy, and that integrity is more appealing than denial. The addict is self-obsessed; living for the next "fix." The addict is crisis oriented; using panic as a way of feeling alive while avoiding meaningful contact with others. In recovery we let go of our need to control in favor of serenity and clarity.

Scientists from different schools of thought have attempted to explain addiction. Some say the culprit is a genetic lack of the feel-good, sleep-inducing neurotransmitter serotonin. Others say early brain cell damage begets lack of feedback inhibition for normal cravings, driving them out of balance. For example, non-addictive persons who eat some sugar will be satisfied (in terms of simple carbohydrates) for several hours. The addictive person, by contrast, will crave even more sugar after consuming a moderate serving. This may be due, in addicts, to a lack of endorphin stimulation when a healthy physiologic craving is satisfied. Other researchers and physicians contend that addiction is largely a response to depression. Addiction is major problem in this country, whatever the cause. Sugar addiction is perhaps the most insidious because the substance is so cheap, so available and so universally regarded as a "treat."

Addiction spells confusion. For example, street drugs are "bad" while prescription drugs are "good" despite the statistics which show that in any recent year death due to complications from prescription drug overdose is 50 times more likely than death from street drugs. Nevertheless, IV "recreational" drug addicts are the long-term reservoir for AIDS and the vast proportion of criminal activity among teenagers is due to the cocaine trade. Caffeine and alcohol and nicotine are socially condoned although they contribute to a substantial percentage of hospitalizations in the U.S.
If you ingest white sugar daily, or drink alcohol daily or have an immediate family member who is alcoholic, or feel depressed frequently you may have a problem with addiction without realizing it. Please take a good look; the crucial initiation of breaking free from addiction is recognizing the substance abuse and seeking help to maintain the commitment to quit.

Addiction results from a multifactorial network of choices; the treatment approach must address not only the physical, but the mental and emotional (spiritual) as well. One reason the 12-Step programs (Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Overeaters Anonymous, Spenders Anonymous, Adult Children of Alcoholics, etc.) are so successful is that they are free of charge and thus require only the commitment of the participant for attendance. Sometimes people need stronger measures to kick their habit at the beginning. But quitting per se is not so difficult; the trick is staying quit. Many addicts have incurred so many physical and mental changes that they need to get their fix merely to sustain homeostasis. In other words withdrawal can be very rough. And the better prepared we are for withdrawal, whether it be from inhaled crack or chocolate, the better we will be able to handle the rocky road back to recovery.

The basic parameters for recovery are the same as for any rehabilitation; good high fiber, high fresh veggie, plenty of pure water diet; regular adequate sleep; daily exercise; heartfelt participation in group activities. Don't isolate yourself. The more people know you're trying to quit, the more help will be spontaneously offered, and the more comfortable you'll be with asking for help and taking baby-steps towards your new reality.

The cornerstone towards my own recovery has been wanting to hear that small and enormously personal inner voice that would get drowned in the substances night after night. Breaking free of addictive habits is a blessed opportunity to engage in the ultimate purpose of life -- to know Thyself. Meanwhile, there are a few natural support mechanisms that may help.

1) Good old Vitamin C, preferably the powdered form (1/4 tsp = 1 gram). Take up to 12 grams daily. Vitamin C is the single most potent free radical scavenger and will help cleanse and oxygenate the tissues. It will also help to keep the bowels moving; a very important component of getting clean and sober.

2) The amino acid Glutamine is a so-called amino radical, useful in detox, as well as acting as an excitatory neurotransmitter. Glutamine, 1 gram 4-6 times daily between meals on an empty stomach, will stimulate the body's natural opiates, the endorphins and enkephalins, to help us through the cravings.

3) Essential fatty acids (preferably Flax oil, cold, raw, 1 tablespoon daily) in combination with the sulfur proteins (foods with cysteine or methionine, such as yoghurt, eggs, codfish, sesame paste, garlic and onions) will render fat soluble toxins water soluble, allowing all the toxic wastes, which are preferentially stored in the body's fat cells, to be flushed out via the kidneys and sweat glands.

4) Anything to enhance perspiration; rigorous exercise, Turkish wet steam, or Finnish style dry heat sauna. Make sure to scrub down with a high-fat soap (such as Neutrogena) after sweating, to emulsify the fatty secretions and prevent their re-absorption.

5) Liquid aqueous chromium drops are extremely helpful in reducing sugar cravings. This is because the trivalent mineral chromium is the central molecule in the Glucose Tolerance Factor, which allows insulin to deliver glucose from the blood stream into the cells. Without chromium, the insulin cannot do its job and sugar will build up in high levels in the blood, then flood precipitously into the cells causing the dramatic rollercoaster ride of "sugar blues."

6) There are a number of natural substances to help with sleep and depression, including the amino acids tyrosine, phenylalanine, tryptophan (the precursor to serotonin) and the vitamin niacinamide. From the botanical pharmacy we have Valerian, Scutellaria (Skullcap), Passiflora (Passion lower), Chamomile and many others.

7) Many people are helped enormously by acupuncture, especially for getting off nicotine and street drugs. Acupuncture detox clinics using a simple "5 needle protocol" in specific acupoints (Spirit Gate, Lung, Liver, Kidney and Parasympathetic) in both ears are so successful that state governments have become involved. Seattle King County medical insurance will now re-imburse for acupuncture treatments for addicts. In Oregon, heroin addicts MUST try acupuncture before getting methadone.

Whether you go the route of stimulate the natural endorphins or 12-step meetings, the bottom line is commitment to self. Cold turkey off anything is usually the least painful in the long run -- but please prepare yourself. Prepare for the demons who will emerge. Prepare to negotiate with them and bring them around to your best interest. Set a date; tell your friends; locate support groups in your area; stock up the pantry with fresh healthy snacks; invest in a consultation or two with your local holistic health practitioner to get some high quality supplements. Ask your doctor or therapist to help guide you through a visualization of a shiny clean new you. No one is pretending it's easy; but it's certainly worth it.



Source: OasisAdvancedWellness.com

Study Reveals E-Cigarettes Contain Formaldehyde and Produce Toxic Secondhand “Smoke”

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The trendy e-cig may not be as “safe” as originally thought. A new study shows that they contain volatile organic compounds, acetone, formaldehyde, acetaldehyde, benzopyrene as well as silicate and various metal particles. The German Cancer Research Center, Heildelberg calls the e-cigarette, “An uncontrolled experiment with Consumers.”

Electronic cigarettes are not emission-free. E-cigarettes contain volatile organic substances, including propylene glycol, flavors and nicotine, and are emitted as mist or aerosol into indoor air. Study showed that these ultrafine liquid particles of less than 2.5 micrometer in diameter may penetrate deeply into the lungs. Study further showed that these e-cigarettes produce substantially fewer ultrafine particles than conventional cigarettes, however, the substances emitted by e-cigarettes may be inhaled by non-users when used indoor. Second-hand exposure to e-cigarette emission which may lead to adverse health effects cannot be excluded says the German Cancer Research Center, Heildelberg.

The study goes on to say that the findings revealed the following about the emissions of e-cigarette: a) besides glycol (the main ingredient), nicotine, flavors, tobacco-specific nitrosamines, volatile organic compounds, acetone, formaldehyde. acetaldehyde, benzo(a)pyrene as well as silicate and various metal particles are present, and b) the particle size is between I00 and 600 nanometers, which is comparable to the particle size found in tobacco smoke of conventional cigarettes. The levels of most harmful substances are lower in thee-cigarettes than in conventional cigarette smoke, but they do accumulate in indoor air.

Not that anyone needed a study to tell them that inhaling unknown vapors is unhealthy, but it is good to know that it does produce “secondhand” harms so people can take precautions around their children and others. The one thing that we can definitely count on from this study is that it will not be long before the state begins violating the property rights of business owners by mandating that they disallow e-cig smoking on their private property.

Source:http://www.realfarmacy.com

10 Habits That Decrease Brain Function

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1. Lack of Stimulating Thoughts -Lack of brain stimulation may cause brain shrinkage. Thinking is the best way to train your brain, so think more, write more, explore more, all this will help you to keep your brain fresh. 

2. Skipping Breakfast or No Breakfast at all
People who do not eat breakfast have lower blood sugar levels, which leads to an insufficient supply of nutrients to the brain causing brain degeneration.

3. Over Eating
Often we find tasty food and start eating more than what our body requires, which can cause hardening of the brain arteries, leading to a decrease in mental power.

4. Smoking
Smoking not only harms the lungs, but the brain as well, the nicotine in cigarettes contains substances that can cause multiple brain cell shrinkage, leading to Alzheimer’s disease.

5. High sugar consumption
Too much sugar will interrupt the absorption of proteins and nutrients causing malnutrition and may interfere with brain development.

6. Sleep Deprivation
Long term deprivation from sleep will accelerate the death of brain cells. More cells dead equals more memory loss.

7. Head covered while sleeping
Sleeping with the head covered increases the concentration of carbon dioxide and decreases concentration of oxygen that may lead to brain damaging effects, it would result in a 92.8% chance of suffering from either an early stage, middle stage, or late stage of dementia, by the age of 70.

8. Talking Rarely
Intellectual conversations will promote the efficiency of the brain.

9. Working your brain during illness
Take a rest, working hard or studying with sickness may lead to a decrease in effectiveness of the brain as well as damaging the brain.

10. Air pollution
You probably know that your brain is the largest oxygen consumer in your body, so its the organ that consumes the largest amount of pollution from the air. Inhaling polluted air decreases the supply of oxygen to the brain, bringing about a decrease in brain efficiency.

Source: Dave Sommers, PositiveMed

Other articles you may like:

Health benefits of taking naps!

Brain Foods That Improve Memory

99 Percent of U.S Tobacco is GMO

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Smoke herbicide and pesticide all day and what do you get? You get a recurring hangover that seemingly needs a new blast of nicotine to quell or "dissipate," but in actuality, the only thing the nicotine does is stave off the headache, the nervousness, the anxiety, the "chemical hangover," and after 30 to 40 minutes, it kicks in again, that feeling of angst, of unnecessary worry, and you need another fix. What is the TRUE driving force of the cigarette addiction? Could it possibly be that the 4,000-plus chemicals, which are comprised of pesticide and different super strength herbicides, cause a "hangover" which beckons for relief?

GMO tobacco means that scientists in labs are injecting or infusing the genes of bacteria from the DNA of other living things into the seeds of the tobacco plant.

GMO tobacco also means that pesticide and herbicide are inside the tobacco plant, and that farmers who use GM pesticides are spraying up to TEN TIMES MORE RoundUpand other poisons on the crop, adding exponentially to the toxicity of the smoker's nightmare, where these bug and weed killers are mixed with bacteria in the lungs, the heart and the brain, compounding the inability of the pack-a-day smoker to ever quit the habit. 

Killing beetles, weeds, worms and humans for profit

The entire genetically modified (GM) tobacco industry, otherwise known as "Big Tobacco," wants the BUD WORMS AND HORN WORMS dead. It's as simple as that! Their ultimate goal is making more money using biotech "engineering," all at the cost of human health. You see, by digesting bacteria and"biochems," which destroy the digestive tracts and the reproductive abilities of insects, worms, beetles and the like, humans are destroying their same genes. In America, it's legal to "slow kill" people, by manufacturing and selling carcinogens, especially when those consumers "know" there is a risk. But who REALLY knows the risk, because if you don't understand GMO, you have no clue the extent and depth of that risk, hence the junk science of bad food and tobacco addictions. Long term problems have now become SHORT TERM health destruction problems. Think about genetically modified corn, soy, cottonseed, beets and canola as you read the following about tobacco pests and GM pest fighting chemicals:

The tobacco budworm (Heliothis virescens): A devastating insect pest of tobacco and cotton, the budworm is an inch and a half long, pale green in color and has pale stripes. The female moths lay their eggs in the bud of tobacco plants and the tiny larvae begin feeding in the unfolded leaflets of the plants, which leaves the plants ragged looking. Once these caterpillars burrow deep into protective foliage, insecticide sprays don't reach them, plus, once the budworm matures, it becomes resistant to most insecticides anyway. This is why the giant agricultural biotech firm Monsanto creates genetically modified plants, my friends, to kill the pests from the inside out.

This translates into irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and leaky gut syndrome for humans. This is digestion and lung destruction. This is prostate and bladder cancer. These mutations are birth defects being generated in food and tobacco. See how quickly it all adds up? And what do the killers recommend you use for your own garden pests? They say use more chemicals that cause cancer, like bleach, cascade, Bayer's "suspend," do it yourself pro-grade, "RoundUp," Royal pest control and "Miracle Grow."(http://www.ehow.com/info_7920787_insecticide-bud-worms.html). And what is prescribed later for pesticide disease (cancer)? Chemotherapy. Chemo is just more chemicals for that chemically driven disease.

The tobacco hornworm (Manduca sexta): The hornworm is one of the largest insects that damages tobacco. The larvae are greenish in color with white bars on their sides and a reddish horn projecting from the back end. They reach three to four inches in length and are such ravenous feeders that they may completely defoliate plants if not controlled.

The aphid (Myzus persicae): Aphids vary in color from light green to yellow or almost black. Two "tail pipes" or cornicles project from their rear end. Aphids damage tobacco by sucking plant juices from the leaves which causes them to curl. As they feed, they excrete honeydew that supports fungus growth, which gives the tobacco a black sooty appearance. This can result in an uneven curing of the whole tobacco harvest. This is why Biotech develops fungicides - to destroy bugs and fungi, but that can also destroy human gut flora (good bacteria, proteins, enzymes, etc). This digestive destruction feeds cancer. Don't smoke fungicide and don't eat it, if you value your life.

The tobacco wireworm (Conoderus vespertinus): These pests occur throughout the south and can be the predominant species in any field. When full grown the larvae are an inch long and are yellow-brown in color. Tobacco wireworms are hard, shiny and look just like a short piece of wire - hence their name. Wireworms feed on the roots or underground stems of tobacco plants, which often destroys the rest. (http://wiki.bugwood.org/Archive:SEIPM/Tobacco_Insects)

Farmers could use diatomaceous earth to kill these pests, if they only knew about it! Instead, humans are smoking insect and weed killer. When we use pesticides on our lawns or gardens, we're careful to avoid direct contact whenever possible, and we certainly wouldn't knowingly breathe pesticides into our lungs, but that's exactly what smokers do every time they take a puff!

Researchers at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado, have identified three previously undetected pesticides in cigarette smoke: (http://www.livescience.com/4083-pesticides-cigarette-smoke.html)

Flumetralin: known to be toxic to humans and is carcinogenic. Flumetralin is an endocrine disruptor and is banned in Europe for use on tobacco. They must not want deformed children and their citizens dying of cancer there.

Pendimethalin: another endocrine disrupter which targets the thyroid specifically. Pendimethalin is carcinogenic and toxic to humans.

Trifluralin: also an endocrine disrupter, toxic to humans and carcinogenic, affecting glands and hormones in the worst ways, hence breast and prostate cancer.

These are approved for use by the EPA, claiming, "No information exists for long-term low-level inhalation exposures to these compounds," yeah, except ALL THE HUMANS DYING OF CANCER. They are living and dying proof that smoking herbicides and pesticides rips apart your insides. (http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/chemicalsinsmoke/a/pesticides.htm)

Stop Smoking RoundUp

There's only one "sure fire" way out of the nicotine/pesticide addiction: Nutrition combined with behavior modification. NaturalNews enthusiasts know about a natural method which requires no medication and no hypnosis. You can stop smoking bug and weed killer and start living CLEAN again, and you can eat organic food and become "organic" again, just like you were before cigarettes, before the corrupt tobacco industry got a hold of you. Learn the KEY strategies you need to stop smoking forever.

On top of everything else cigarettes do ruin your health, nicotine is constipating and lowers your libido. Dear friends; escape the GMO nightmare! Don't eat it. Don't drink it. Don't smoke it. Say goodbye to Monsanto, toxic vaccines, genetically mutated food and yes, cigarettes, once and for all. Remember, you are NOT a BUG. Ask yourself, do you want to be a bug being killed, or a "human being" alive?

Related Articles:

Non Smoker vs. Smoker

Tobacco and Alcohol Cause Over 7.5 Million Deaths Per Year

A Natural Way To Quit Smoking

Sources for this article include:

http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG271/tobacco/tobacco.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genetically_modified_crops
http://wiki.bugwood.org/Archive:SEIPM/Tobacco_Insects
http://ipm.ncsu.edu/AG271/tobacco/tobacco.html
http://www.livescience.com/4083-pesticides-cigarette-smoke.html
http://quitsmoking.about.com/od/chemicalsinsmoke/a/pesticides.htm
http://premium.naturalnews.tv/14AndOut__TV.htm