How to Quit Smoking Naturally

Quitting smoking is one of the best things you can do for your health. But I’m concerned that people trying to quit — and you may be one of them — are using electronic cigarettes.

First of all, it won’t work. E-cigarettes do their job by heating liquid nicotine, and turning it into a vapor you inhale.

Nicotine is a nitrogen-containing chemical which is made of several types of plants, including the tobacco plant.

But nicotine is one of the most addictive substances out there — no matter where you’re getting it from.

And secondly, you’re simply replacing one evil with another. Just like tobacco, e-cigs don’t just contain tobacco — they’re also full of toxic chemicals.

I get it. Quitting smoking is hard. And it’s easy to be hard on yourself when you don’t succeed. But the key to breaking addiction is easier than you think.

In today’s article, I’m going to show you how you can safely eliminate cravings and fight addiction by supporting your body’s natural healing processes.

You see, we live in a world that’s constantly being bombarded by industrial pollutants and environmental toxins. They’re in the air we breathe, the food we eat and the water we drink. They’re even in the consumer products we touch.

If you want to flush out unwelcome toxins, you need a healthy liver to make it happen.

Your liver is your body’s natural detoxifier. But because our daily environment is already filled with unnatural toxins, your liver is overloaded. So instead of processing the toxins and removing them from your system, your body begins to store them.

Your liver’s inability to detox efficiently means that nicotine and other harmful chemicals can remain in your system for years. That’s why the cravings you feel and the urge to have another cigarette can persist for months, sometimes years.

But e-cigs, with their nicotine vapor, are not the answer. And it’s not just nicotine that’s the problem. E-cigs can also cause chronic inflammation — which is at the root of every modern disease.

Researchers at the University of California San Diego exposed mice to e-cig vapors for one hour, five days a week for four weeks. And the results revealed that the exposed mice had 10% higher inflammation in their blood and airways than unexposed mice, and they were more susceptible to pneumonia — and that’s just after four weeksⁱ.

You’re probably wondering what makes e-cigs so dangerous. Since they’re relatively new researchers are unsure of specifics. But, the aerosol that creates the vapor contains nicotine, carcinogens, toxic particles, and heavy metals that are all known to be harmful to your health.

• Formaldehyde: This known carcinogen is formed when liquid nicotine and other e-cigarette ingredients are subjected to high temperatures.
• Toxic particles: Without regulation, you simply don’t know what is in e-cigarettes. Initial tests conducted by the FDA in 2009 found a number of toxic cancer-causing chemicals — including an ingredient used in antifreeze — in two leading brands of e-cigarettes and 18 various cartridges.
• Heavy Metals: E-cigarette vapor contains tin and the heating elements in the e-cig itself contain nickel, copper, lead and chromium. Heavy metal particles are also deposited into the vapor.ⁱⁱ And an e-cig aerosol contains up to 100-times more nickel than Marlboro cigarette smoke.
• Nicotine: E-cigs are just as addictive as cigarettes because they still contain nicotine. When you inhale the vapor, nicotine is quickly absorbed into your bloodstream and reaches your brain in a matter of seconds. It releases “feel-good” hormones, like adrenalin and serotonin. This feeling doesn’t last long, and when it fades you want to smoke again.

Most people think they have to replace cigarettes with something else to fight addiction.

Many of my patients use nicotine gum, patches and lozenges promoted by doctors and Big Pharma to try to quit smoking. But these only help with withdrawal symptoms.

Smokers who use them are just as likely to relapse after six months as those who go cold turkey.ⁱⁱⁱ

If you want to quit smoking for good, you have to eliminate the toxic build up in your tissue that’s causing your cravings in the first place.

That’s why I recommend detox to my patients at the Sears Institute for Anti-Aging Medicine. It’s had great success, and it also repairs and restores your body by removing years of toxic buildup in your liver. Tobacco and the thin paper it’s rolled in contain at least 60 carcinogens.

I’ve found the most effective approach combines both oral chelation and IV chelation.

IV chelation, an intravenous detoxifier, is the quickest way to rid your body of harmful chemicals.

IV chelation helps your body get rid of the nicotine in your system that causes cravings. It also eliminates the heavy metals you’ve accumulated from years of smoke inhalation. I use calcium disodium EDTA for IV chelation directly into your bloodstream. In no time, the toxins are “grabbed” by the EDTA and taken out.

And for oral chelation for nicotine and cigarette-related heavy metals, I recommend:

• Milk Thistle (Silybum marianum): This medicinal plant has been used by traditional healers for thousands of years, and it’s one of the best herbs I’ve found for clearing toxins from the body. What makes it so effective is silymarin, a powerful antioxidant that helps the body detoxify and supports healthy liver function. You can find Milk Thistle at your local health food store in different forms. I recommend the capsules. Take 200 mg of an extract that has at least 80% silymarin two or three times per day.
• N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC): This powerful detoxifier boosts your levels of glutathione, your body’s strongest antioxidant. NAC directly boosts cells’ antioxidant defense mechanisms to defend against lead, aluminum and other heavy metals in your organs and bloodstream. You can buy NAC online or at health food stores. I recommend one 500 mg tablet or capsule per day. After a couple of weeks, you can take a 500 mg supplement twice a day.
• Chlorella: This is an algae full of chlorophyll that detoxifies your body by binding to toxins like lead and pulling them through our system. You can find chlorella online or at health food store. Add 3 grams per day to your smoothie, juice or water.

If you’re interested in IV chelation at my clinic, please call 561-784-7852.

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears MD, CNS

ⁱZhu, S. “Four hundred and sixty brands of e-cigarettes and counting: implications for product regulation.” Tobacco Control. 2014:23.
ⁱⁱGrana, R., Benowitz, N., and Stanton, A. “E-Cigarettes a scientific review.” Contemporary reviews in cardiovascular medicine. 2014.
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^ivYedjou C, Tchounwou C, Haile S, Edwards F, Tchounwou P. “N-acetyl-cysteine protects against DNA damage associated with lead toxicity in HepG2 cells.” Ethn Dis. 2010;20(1 Suppl 1):S1-101-3.